State Senate Won't Reconvene Until November 12

Illinois Senate President Emil Jones circulated a memo Thursday saying that the Senate won't reconvene until November 12. That means that the fate of the state ethics bill may be in jeopardy. The ethics bill, subject of an amendatory veto by Blagojevich and overridden by the House just the day before, could die if the Senate doesn't take action within 15 days. But Jones spokesperson Cindy Davidsmeyer told CBS2 that the Senate has 15 days from when it holds its next meeting to take action.

It also means that the $221 million dollars in restricted funds that the House approved to stave off statewide budget cuts for social services and public works will have to wait. It also means that the state may not act on House Speaker Mike Madigan's latest proposal to lease the lottery to finance a statewide construction program.