Results tagged “generalassembly”

 

The arrest of Governor Rod Blagojevich yesterday may have been the final nail in the coffin for a proposal to allow civil unions between same-sex couples in Illinois. The bill, the Illinois Religious Freedom and Civil Unions Act, was first introduced in February of 2007 and has been stalled in the state legislature ever since. Now time is running out for the bill, as the current General Assembly will expire at the end of the year. With only two remaining legislative days left, some political watchers say it is unlikely that the proposal will gain traction as the state tackles a growing budget crisis that so far includes a $2 billion deficit.

 

Looks like the Thompson Center may see a mob of repo-men pretty soon. That’s because Comptroller Dan Hynes says the state’s backlog of unpaid bills could reach $5 billion by next year. According to the AP, Hynes sent out a letter to state leaders warning them of the fiscal crisis. “While it may have become a habit to dismiss my pronouncements as more of the same gloom and doom, the consequences of inaction are very real and potentially catastrophic,” Hynes said in the statement. He cautioned lawmakers that if nothing is done, state troopers might not be able to buy gasoline and food suppliers to state prisons will stop making deliveries.

Last week the Illinois State House of Representatives approved HB 4844, which bans the gassing of unwanted pets at animal shelters. While many shelters use lethal injection to put down unwanted pets, there are still some that use carbon monoxide to euthanize companion animals. The bill passed the House 110-0, with some members vocally supporting the legislation. "What's been happening with the animals is really a disgusting practice," said state Rep. Lou Lang.

Protect Marriage Illinois has been circulating petitions to put an advisory referendum on the ballot in Illinois this fall. If they succeed, voters would be asked if the General Assembly should propose an amendment to the state constitution that reads "To secure and preserve the benefits of marriage for our society and for future generations of children, the union of one man and one woman in marriage shall be the only agreement recognized as marriage or similar union for any purpose." PMI needs 270,000 signatures to get on the ballot, but Joetta Deutsch, a Taylorville resident and board member for Protect Marriage Illinois declined tell the Springfield Journal-Register how many signatures they have. She did say that they are shooting for 300,000, in case some signatures are invalidated. “If we don’t get it on the November ballot, we’ll start over again, probably in November,” she said.

Legislation allowing voters to decide if the state should double the income tax on people earning more than $250,000 a year failed 52 - 60 in the House last Thursday. 71 votes were needed. But the next day State Rep. Gary Hannig (D Litchfield) had a change of heart. “I would say that the concept was a good one, to try to raise some money by going to a more progressive tax system and asking people who have been blessed by success, to ask them to contribute more to the state of Illinois,” Hannig told the Springfield Journal Register. “It probably needed to be tweaked,” he said. “If we could improve the bill a little bit, I think I could vote for it.”

Probably not. But in the wake of a series of tax hikes levied around the Chicago area, it seems people are downright pissed.

While the City Council was following up on the General Assembly's plan to "save" the CTA last week, 27th Ward Alderman Walter Burnett was advocating for minority businesses.

The transit crisis has been averted--and let's raise our lunchtime glasses to toast that miracle, shall we? --but it brought out some of the weirdest and worst in our local politicians. These are some of our favorite lines from the entire, oh, what should we call it, bill-capade?

Last week, both houses of the Illinois General Assembly passed a law that would enable Illinois to bypass the Electoral College in future presidential elections. The move came just before New Jersey Governor John S. Corzine signed similar legislation on Sunday that would eliminate New Jersey's participation in the Electoral College. The only other state to have passed a similar law is Maryland, which was the first state to take up the cause.

yesterday that if the General Assembly sent him a transit bill that included a sales tax increase, he wouldn't veto it. Blagojevich has vowed since the beginning of the budget debacle to veto any sale tax increase to fund mass transit.

Say it with us now: Wah, wah, wah! Keep taking the quick fix and you know what you get in the end? A deeper hole, an angry ridership and more time for G-Rod and Mike Madigan to plan their cage match. We know you’re in a fix, Hubie. It’s everywhere we look. And believe us, we want to help. What gets our goat is your caving to the measly handouts that the General Assembly dole out like so much loose change. Please, stick by your “no Band-Aids” propaganda. A little pain now will avoid a world of hurt later.

Mayor Daley chimed in on the question of recalling Blagojevich yesterday, telling the the Sun-Times that "calling [for] a recall is unnecessary. I may have differences with the governor. But I really believe his mind is on public transportation and on infrastructure as [much as] everyone else. You can't say just because I'm upset with [him about] an issue, two issues that you're gonna have a recall. I disagree with that." In case you missed...

Ron Huberman et al handed down the proposed 2008 CTA budget, and it ain't pretty. At all.

This week, Phillyist saw the waters of a landmark fountain run red for a Showtime marketing stunt, the Phils pull ahead, and some serious nostalgia. They also got a chance to review an awesome tribute album, reminded folks to see the King and appreciated their beautiful skyline. Chicagoist knows what it's like to like the Cubs. But naming your kid Wrigley Fields? At least they can breathe a little easier now that Grossman's out...

State Rep. Edward Acevedo (D-Chicago) is no stranger to the long green. As one of the chief sponsors of HB 429, the wine shipping bill that aims to bring Illinois in compliance with the 2005 Supreme Court ruling in Granholm v. Heald by limiting the ways consumers can obtain wines, Acevedo received $7,500 in campaign contributions from the Associated Beer Distributors of Illinois for carrying their water. Turns out that Acevedo is also the litigious...

Just as a cloud of gloom began to set in over the carless masses of Chicago, a ray of hope came as the State Senate has been called into session on Monday. While a spokesman for Senate President Emil Jones would only say that the session would include discussion of the "transit issue," Sen. John Cullerton, (D-Chicago) told Crain's that he thinks they are going to take up the same bill that Julie Hamos was...

Bad news hit the Chicagoist offices late yesterday afternoon as word came through that SB572 — the bill that would have raised sales taxes in Cook County and the five surrounding "collar" counties, as well as the real estate tax in Chicago, to help fund regional transit — failed to reach a "supermajority" of 71 votes in the Illinois House. Rep. Julie Hamos (D-Evanston), sponsor of the bill, halted voting and placed it on the...

On Wednesday, the Illinois House Committee on Mass Transit approved legislation that would enable the RTA to fund the CTA, Metra and Pace and prevent service cuts and fare hikes across the board. The Illinois House Committee on Mass Transit approved a transit funding and reform proposal by a 15-4 vote. The House is expected to convene to vote on the proposal next week. This bill comes after the RTA announced that a "doomsday" scenario...

The Illinois State Budget Fight just got weirder. Governor Rod Blagojevich quietly filed suit in Sangamon County Friday against House Speaker Michael Madigan, attempting to force the Speaker to hold special sessions when he calls them. "It is imperative that (the governor's authority to call special sessions) is preserved and honored," Rebecca Rausch, a spokeswoman for the governor wrote in an e-mail to the State Journal Register. "After lawmakers failed to follow the governor's special...

Well, he did it. Blagojevich finally pulled the trigger. 23 days after it was passed by the legislature, Rod Blagojevich approved much of Illinois' new budget. In a news release he said that he has removed $463 million in spending on "special pet projects and other spending that we simply can't afford." The cuts now go back to the General Assembly for consideration, where a fight is expected with Speaker of the House Mike Madigan....

It's been said that politics makes strange bedfellows, but we wonder if politics just makes you crazy instead. While Blagojevich strolls around the capital trying to convince the General Assembly to play ball with his all but dead budget, Emil Jones is taking shots Mike Madigan by proxy. On Tuesday he kicked Sen. Louis Viverito (D-Burbank) an assistant majority leader, out of a closed-door Senate Democratic leadership meeting. Viverito voted against the plan for expanded...

While the state government devolves into a teeming cesspool of Machiavellian intrigue and self-loathing (quickly becoming an annual tradition in one form or another here in the Land of Lincoln), the world of politics moves on. While we have no problem kicking around Blagojevich (and the other asshole cynics downstate), this week, we're putting it aside, damn it! With out further adieu, here it is, your dose of news before lunch: Daley Takes his Public...

If there is one thing that you can say about Mayor Daley, it’s that he’s a tenacious motherfucker. With one eye always on expanding his influence beyond the borders of the city, he’s been taking on the state legislature for some 15 years now over the issue of gun control. Often at odds with those that represent Illinoisans outside of urban areas, Da Mare has been defeated in the General Assembly more than once in...