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 Special session lasted just 23
minutes in the Illinois House of Representatives and the Senate combined on day
two of the 10-day session Gov. Bruce Rauner called with the aim of passing a
state budget.
The House adjourned from the special session after only 10 minutes and 41
seconds. The Senate met for 11 minutes and 54 seconds before gaveling out. Both
chambers met for a combined total of less than 20 minutes on the first day of
special session.
Each day of special session costs Illinois taxpayers about $50,000, according to
an estimate from the Chicago Tribune.
While the Senate might have officially been in special session, attendance was
sparse, with fewer than 20 senators on the floor, according to NBC 5 Chicago’s
Mary Ann Ahern.
 During the Senate’s 11 minutes and 54 seconds of special session, lawmakers
introduced their summer interns.
After adjourning special session, the House entered executive session where they
proceeded to vote on a series of non-binding resolutions. These included House
Resolution 267, which declares Southern Illinois as the “Eclipse Crossroads of
America” and Aug. 21 as “Great American Eclipse Day 2017” in Illinois; House
Resolution 290, which reaffirms the state’s commitment to enhanced bilateral
cooperation and deeper social and trade interactions with the government and
people of the Commonwealth of the Bahamas; and House Resolution 293, which
declares May 7-13 to be “Illinois Hospital Week” in Illinois.
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A frustrated state Rep.
Peter Breen, R-Lombard, remarked on the House floor: “Ladies and
gentlemen, we are 700 days without a budget. What the hell are we
doing voting on these damn resolutions. Why are we not doing the
budget?”
The special session
lasts until June 30, when the current fiscal year expires.
Both parties claim to want a compromise on a budget to prevent
Illinois from becoming the first state with a junk credit rating.
However, Democrats and Republicans alike have proposed plans to
raise taxes by more than $5 billion, which would increase the
average Illinois household’s tax burden by $1,125 each year. But
Illinoisans have expressed that they don’t want a budget that hikes
taxes.
Nearly two-thirds of likely Illinois voters don’t want an income tax
hike as part of the state budget, according to polling conducted by
Fabrizio, Lee & Associates and commissioned by the Illinois Policy
Institute. More than three-quarters of respondents oppose hiking
sales taxes. And nearly 80 percent agree “Illinois state lawmakers
should pass major structural reforms before passing any tax
increase.”
The Illinois Policy Institute has introduced a budget proposal that
offers real reform without raising taxes. This kind of
reform-minded, no-tax-hike proposal is in line with what Illinoisans
want. Lawmakers should use that as a framework while taxpayers pay
for their costly special session.
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