Today Gov. Quinn called on the CTA and Metra to not raise fares in exchange for state aid. Meanwhile, with just a little over 24 hours left in the fall session, state legislators are considering a bill that would cut back on those free senior rides that Blago forced the CTA to institute. The new bill would set a threshold that only those seniors who earn below a yearly income of $22,218 would qualify for free rides. As the Trib points out, though, Quinn didn't say if he would refuse to sign this new legislation should the CTA and Metra raise fares anyway.
Once a role playe, always a role player. Former Bulls All-Star BJ Armstrong has been picked by Gov. Quinn to help out with youth outreach as part of Quinn's plan to fight youth violence. Armstrong, who won was part of the first Bulls three-peat of the early 90's will, according to ABC 7, "advise Quinn on youth sports, anti-obesity programs and promoting sportsmanship." Armstrong still has ties to Bull, serving as agent to the Bulls young star Derrick Rose.
While we wait to see if the CTA will indeed make good on its threat to raise fares and cut services in an attempt to close a budget gap numbering in the hundreds of millions of dollars, at least one high-ranking government official is ready to do his part. With the RTA already supporting such a measure, Gov. Pat Quinn is also giving some thought to repealing the free CTA rides for senior programs infamously instituted by then-governor Rod Blagojevich. Speaking to WGN Radio today, Quinn supported the idea of reviewing program and possibly altering it to offer free rides to veterans, active military, and seniors whose income falls below a certain threshold. Said Quinn:
Gov. Pat Quinn said he expects University of Illinois president B. Joseph White to resign today in the wake of the school's clout controversy. Quinn said, "He's let me know that something is imminent and I think that'll happen today," adding, "This is totally voluntary." The Tribune has more here.
It may not be Chicago-related, exactly, but we'd be remiss in not mentioning today's eighth anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Here are some stories of local interest in relation to the anniversary.
Fox 32 is reporting that House Minority Leader Tom Cross has said a tentative agreement has been reached on the state budget, which has been in limbo for weeks after the last legislative session ended without a new budget in place. There's no income tax increase in the budget, though State Senate President John Cullerton said that an increase of some kind was inevitable in the future. Gov. Quinn backed off his push for an income tax hike last week in a bid to increase the chances of a speedy resolution.
As expected, Gov. Quinn signed a $31 billion construction plan today. Hopes are that the plan will fund a rebuilding of the state's infrastructure - prompting repairs and creations of things like bike trails and state highways - while also creating thousands of new jobs. Meanwhile, Quinn has also backed off his push for an income tax hike as state lawmakers return to Springfield tomorrow to see if they can finally hash out a new state budget. [AP via CBS 2]
Yesterday we mentioned Gov. Quinn is exploring the early release of many non-violent inmates as a means to help cut from the state budget. Now, reports say the number of inmates released could go as high as 10,000 in a bid to save up to $125 million on the budget.
With the state budget mess well documented already, Governor Quinn is hacking away at state spending to save money. One possible solution Quinn is considering? Early release of inmates, something that's already legal for inmates who are less than a year away from their scheduled release date. Of course, this is just one of several possible moves under consideration by Quinn, who said at a press conference yesterday, "We're going to take a look at everything under the Department of Corrections." Read more over at The Daily Herald for reactions to the high-risk potential move.
With the state budget crisis growing worse by the day, Governor Quinn has prepared $1 billion in state cuts he plans to announce today in an effort to show legislators he's done all he can to save the state money. A good portion of the cuts will include laying off state workers and Quinn also plans to ask those who remain employed to take 12 furlough days. Said the Governor, "Nobody should be exempt from making sacrifices when all of our state finances are in peril. If the rest of state government is taking 12 furlough days, including my office, I think all the legislators and all the legislative staffs should participate in the sacrifice."
With a state budget still not in place and lawmakers trying to figure out how to plug a budget hole that ranges somewhere between $9 billion and $11.6 billion, Governor Quinn has decided to go straight to legislators instead of the usual dealings with party leaders. Among those who Quinn has met with is Sen. James Meeks, who supports Quinn's proposed income tax hike. Quinn told reporters, "I have a number of other legislators -- Democrat and Republican, House and Senate -- I will be meeting with over the next few days. We believe in consensus-building.''
Following up on our earlier post about the budget crisis facing the state, Gov. Pat Quinn today announced he was vetoing part of the budget that had be presented him by the state assembly. The part Quinn vetoed dealt with social services, calling the fight to hold out for more funding via his budget and tax increases was a "fight worth fighting for." Per the Tribune:
We're less than 12 hours from the deadline to pass a budget that won't completely mess with the state's finances and it seems we're no closer to having a solution than we were before. Last night, the House approved a plan to borrow $2.2 billion to help soften the blow of the expected cuts, but Gov. Quinn isn't too happy about it and, though it still has to pass the Senate, he seems hell-bent on making sure a tax increase is somehow passed. Without saying he'd veto it, Quinn did say, according to the Tribune, "If they throw that my way tonight, they will see it thrown right back at 'em. For those who might be advocating things in the budget that are unfair, are not humane, or indecent, I'm not going down that road."
There's not a whole heck of a lot of time for state lawmakers. The current state budget expires in less than 36 hours (midnight tomorrow). While the failure to reach an agreement won't mean an instant shut-down of the state, it'll definitely be a pain in the ass, as the makeshift budget passed in May contains a whole helluva lot of cuts. The State House is back at work today but the State Senate doesn't kick back into gear tomorrow. At the center of the budget fracas has been Gov. Quinn's call for a higher income tax, yet members of Quinn's own party are questioning Quinn's consistency. Sen. Martin Sandoval (D-Cicero) told the Tribune, "What Quinn do you get on a given day? There hasn't been a consistent message from the governor's office in regards to solving the fiscal crisis. That also has the legislature acting inconsistently to find a solution." [Tribune, WBEZ]
The Illinois state house was working late in the night last night, attempting to hammer out a new budget before the midnight deadline. In the end, the house defeated Gov. Quinn's proposed income tax hike and passed a temporary budget that, while not containing higher taxes, still has giant holes, meaning they'll be back to hash out another budget soon. To pass the income tax hike, Quinn needed 60 votes for; the measure was defeated with 42 votes for to 74 against (the Trib has how they voted - PDF).
With a major deadline to vote on his controversial new budget approaching, Gov. Quinn has made some adjustments he hopes will help the plan get an easier passage. According to the Sun-Times:
Talking about the budget recently, Governor Quinn dropped the word "doomsday," rattling the nerves of residents who have had enough "doomsday" budget talk (thankyouverymuch, CTA). The threat came over the possibility the state legislature wouldn't approve Quinn's desired income tax hike. According to WBEZ, Quinn said, "We are going to let people know what the consequences are if we don't do this plan. A doomsday budget is very, very dangerous for our state. It will harm our state. It will harm people, very vulnerable people in our state. And I don't want to ever have a doomsday budget."
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