 During a news conference in Chicago Monday, Rauner said the characterization
that he’s frustrated at the nearly 9-month-old budget impasse is putting it
mildly.
“It seems to me that the crisis is being extended for political gain and
messaging,” Rauner said, “and that’s wrong.”
Responding to the governor’s comments, Senate President John Cullerton’s
spokesman John Patterson said, “The governor created this impasse back in June.”
That’s when the governor vetoed most of the spending bills Democrats sent,
saying they were unbalanced.
Patterson said Cullerton continues to hope that both sides can work toward
productive solutions that, quote, “give the governor the ability to honor his
administration’s commitments and turn our state around with a common-sense
budget agreement.”
RAUNER ASKS FOR ONE-ON-ONE MEETING WITH SPEAKER MADIGAN
Meanwhile Gov. Rauner said he reached out to get a one-on-one meeting with House
Speaker Michael Madigan to talk about a path out of the nearly 9-month-old
budget impasse.
“No commitments came back, no position on when those discussion might take
place,” Rauner said.
Madigan Spokesman Steve Brown said he is working to confirm whether the governor
called and will provide an update soon. Meanwhile, Rauner said he’s apprehensive
to call for meetings with all four legislative leaders because attempts last
summer and fall produced zero results.
The governor said bipartisan measures on procurement reform and pension reform
could help provide savings to pay for things like higher education and social
services, but legislators need to bring the bills out of committee and vote on
them.
SECRETARY OF STATE HOPES FOR NO MORE FACILITY CLOSURES
Don’t expect any more drivers service facility closures beyond one reported this
month, at least that’s the hope of the Illinois Secretary of State’s office.
Henry Haupt, deputy press secretary for Secretary of State Jesse White, says the
office used some of a recent $10 million appropriation to pay landlords for rent
from July to December, some utilities for the various facilities, and vendors
who maintain the office’s cyber security.
“That’s a high priority of ours to ensure that the data that we maintain is
protected,” Haupt said.
Haupt also says of the $10 million appropriation, the office has set aside $4
million for critical needs like continued payments on leases, utilities and
unexpected emergencies.
“All of these things we do with an eye on our facilities and our ability to keep
them open,” Haupt said.
But despite the office having a top priority of keeping drivers facilities open,
Haupt says one landlord in Wheaton did decide to discontinue a lease. That
facility is closing March 24.
SECRETARY OF STATE CONTINUES BELT TIGHTENING
Though there’s still no full budget for the current fiscal year, the Secretary
of State’s office continues to spend — sparingly.
Outside of the highly publicized suspension of mailing out license plate renewal
notices, Haupt says the office is taking other belt-tightening steps to save
money during the impasse.
“A lot of other areas that the public may not see, anything that would require
overtime we pretty much have scrapped that,” Haupt said. “We have greatly
limited travel.”
Meanwhile Haupt says the security company Garda resumed services last month to
pick up and deliver cash from drivers services facilities after having ended a
previous agreement earlier this year because of lack of payment.
DHS OWES 820 AGENCIES $168 MILLION
More than 820 agencies and providers are waiting on a total of $168 million in
payments from the state’s Department of Human Services.
When proposing a budget of more than $4 billion for the coming fiscal year,
acting DHS Secretary James Dimas told a Senate committee that the department has
more than 1,000 community service agreement contracts with 826 agencies and
providers. Democratic state Sen. Daniel Biss questioned the fairness of the
agreements.
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 “Those providers are being screwed over and
many of them are in terrible trouble,” Biss said.
Dimas said the agreements include an upfront understanding vendors
won’t get paid until a budget for the current fiscal year is passed.
“That’s not a situation that we can resolve and I think you know
that,” Dimas said, “and I think you know who can resolve that.”
Dimas said he hopes lawmakers will help him keep his promise to make
the agencies whole by passing a budget for the current fiscal year.
DHS COULD OFFER HELP TO ROCKFORD REHAB CENTER
Help could be on the way for a facility a state senator says is on
the verge of closing, according to the Illinois Department of Human
Services.
Democratic state Sen. Steve Stadelman expressed concern about the
status of Rosecrance, a Rockford substance abuse rehab center.
“I’m told that the Rosecrance board will meet next week to vote on
possible closure,” Stadelman said.
Stadelman said Rosecrance helps to keep jail populations lower,
reduces the number of police calls for people with mental health
issues and affects other community issues. Dimas said services like
those Rosecrance provides are vital on a local level.
“The only way that we are going to be able to draw down on
investment in deep-end care like our state’s psychiatric hospitals
is to have more community-based crisis intervention services,” Dimas
said.
Dimas said he plans to talk with the Rosecrance board this week
about ways to assist the entity until there’s a budget resolution.
SOCIAL MEDIA AND ELECTED OFFICIALS
When it comes to a social media presence for the leading state
senators and representatives, it’s hit or miss.
Caucuses from both parties in both chambers of the General Assembly
have social media platforms, but neither the Senate president nor
the House speaker are on social media. Carl Palmer, associate
professor of politics and government at Illinois State University,
says for someone like House Speaker Michael Madigan, the platforms
aren’t necessary.
“Madigan has the name recognition, he has the power and influence,”
Palmer said.
Palmer also notes that some older politicians may not see the
importance of social media at all.
“There are older political actors, older political figures, that are
just more resistant to adapting and changing,” Palmer said.
Madigan spokesman Steve Brown says he hasn’t examined the issue of
social media and didn’t want to comment. Vicki Crawford, spokeswoman
for leading Republican Rep. Jim Durkin, says the House GOP caucus
makes vibrant use of various social media platforms.
PROS AND CONS OF SOCIAL MEDIA
There are upsides and downsides to statehouse politicians using
social media.
Palmer says one positive for statehouse politicians using social
media is putting constituents in closer contact with their
lawmakers. Another positive is including younger generations in the
mix.
“They’re much more apt to use Facebook or Twitter or Snapchat to
communicate,” Palmer said of millennials and their even younger
peers, “so this is a way to bring them into politics.”
Palmer says one big disadvantage of politicians using social media
is that controversial posts won’t disappear.
“It’s very easy to say something that is inappropriate, and once
it’s out there you can’t take it back,” Palmer said.
Regardless, Palmer says older politicians may avoid social media for
a couple of reasons: either they already have name recognition or
they are slow to adapt to new technology.
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