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House Democrats Take
Month-Long Vacation
For the next
22 days, the House of Representatives will be on their Spring Break.
House Republicans tried to stop the Chamber’s adjournment, but House
Democrats chose their month-long vacation instead. Governor Rauner
called this move outrageous and believes lawmakers should be in
Springfield negotiating to find solutions to our state’s current
problems.
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 Chicago Tribune
Under the direction of Democratic leaders who control the schedule, the Illinois
House adjourned last week until April 4.
Confused about why the House would head home for a month in the midst of a state
budget crisis? Well, then, you simply don't appreciate the fact that your state
representative must be exhausted. Lawmakers have gathered in Springfield for a
handful of days — fewer than a dozen since January — and they need four weeks of
spring break to rejuvenate. Keg stand, anyone? Beach volleyball? Probably not,
but lawmakers won't exactly be governing while earning their $70,000-and-up
salaries…
Sending them home is like putting a "Gone Fishing" sign on those fancy
copper-plated Capitol doors.
Quad City Times
Go. Take a look at the Illinois House schedule for the next month. We'll wait.
Yes. It's blank. Party once again came before governance in Springfield…
Kicking off for a politically motivated month-long vacation puts the real
priorities of Illinois's elected class on full display.
State Journal-Register
If you walked into the state Capitol, it might not seem like a building that's
the site of a slow-motion crisis that keeps getting worse by the day…
When crises happen in the rest of the professional world, calendars get
adjusted, plans get changed and people get to work. It's a safe bet that leaders
at state universities and social service agencies around Illinois are working
overtime as they figure out how to survive the loss of funding…
Speaker Mike Madigan possesses the power to alter the calendar and shorten or
eliminate the break. But he chose not to do that, and it's hard to imagine any
motive other than political gamesmanship.
The Southern Illinoisan
Thumbs down to House Speaker Mike Madigan for scheduling Daylight Savings Time
break on top of pre-spring break on top of Easter break on top of the
well-deserved Spring break, and not scheduling a session until April 4.
[to top of second column] |
 Yes, it's irresponsible, but it also underscores the perception
that he sees budget compromise with the governor as a game to be won
rather than a duty to the citizens of Illinois.
Belleville News Democrat
Too bad Illinois House members feel no sense of urgency or
emergency. No budget. No college spending authorization or help for
the needy students who are not getting their tuition grants and may
need to drop out. Time for a nice, month-long rest for the weary
lawmakers of Springfield…
The capitol building is on fire. Lawmakers cannot pretend Illinois
Gov. Bruce Rauner can put it out by himself when there is a drip of
dollars coming in and an all-consuming debt standing at $7.25
billion.
Herald & Review
The General Assembly is hardly a "nose to the grindstone,"
organization. According to the General Assembly’s own records, the
House and Senate have each been in session less than 15 times since
Jan. 1. Senate sessions are scheduled for next week, but the House
doesn’t plan to meet again until April 4.
Such a schedule might be acceptable if the state was operating
smoothly. But the state, as we all feel every day, is entering its
ninth month without a state budget. While legislators are enjoying
their "spring break," the rest of the state is suffering because the
government has not performed the most basic of its functions…
This political posturing was tiring a long time ago. It’s clear that
Madigan has little desire to work with Rauner, even on the most
basic of issues. It’s also clear that Madigan’s House Democrats,
despite what they say at home, are not capable of acting
independently.
Peoria Journal Star
Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner is quite correct that it is “outrageous”
for House Speaker Michael Madigan to let his lawmakers off until
April 4.
…he's right, this communicates not only that those representatives
have nothing to do, but intend to do nothing even in the midst of a
budget crisis.
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