SPRINGFIELD — Democrats began the slow process of approving a new state budget Thursday, moving forward on a $38 billion spending plan without having enough money in place to pay for all of it.
The House began its work before 10 a.m. and slogged through hours of sometimes repetitive debate on a blueprint mirroring what Democratic Gov. Pat Quinn outlined in March.
Over the course of more than nine hours, the House signed off on spending for schools, pensions and health care costs for poor people, setting up a possible showdown vote next week on whether or not to make permanent the 2011 temporary tax hike that expires Jan. 1.
Among those supporting the various spending bills was state Rep. Sue Scherer, D-Decatur. In March, the retired school teacher co-sponsored legislation seeking to roll back the income tax to pre-2011 levels, raising questions of how she thinks the state will pay for the increased spending she backed Thursday.
Scherer, a freshman heavily financed by House Speaker Michael Madigan, D-Chicago, said he "yes" votes weren't a signal that she now supports the tax increase. Rather, she said she supported the spending proposals in order to ensure Quinn spends money on things she believes are important in her district.
“What if that tax passes? I’m not willing to give the governor a blank check to spend however he wants. I want it to be very clear where we want this money," Scherer said. "I’m trying to protect our district down here in Decatur and Springfield.”
Another co-sponsor of ending the tax hike, state Rep. Pat Verschoore, D-Milan, also voted "yes" on the various spending measures Thursday. He said he is concerned a drastic drop in revenue on Jan. 1 would decimate state services.
"I know nobody likes the income tax. But if we don't do something, schools are going to lose up to $1,000 per student. I know other agencies would be hurting too," Verschoore said.
Quinn, who wants to make the tax hike permanent, is expected to meet behind closed doors with rank-and-file Democrats on Monday to make a personal appeal to approve the tax hike. In late action Thursday, Madigan used a procedural maneuver to keep all of the budget bills in his chamber so they could be further negotiated before being taken up in the Senate.
The governor, who faces a tough re-election battle against Republican Bruce Rauner, was in the statehouse Thursday while the initial votes were being debated.
"He is continuing to work with legislators," Quinn spokesman David Blanchette said.
Under the budget proposal, funding for schools, universities, prisons and other state programs would stay flat or rise slightly. Scholarship money for poor college students would jump by $51 million, helping an estimated 20,000 additional students with tuition assistance.
A shuttered youth prison in Murphysboro would reopen as a special facility for adult drunk driving offenders.
Republicans complained Democrats had broken a promise to keep spending capped at $34 billion by going along with Quinn's push to extend the temporary tax increase.
“I think it’s irresponsible to be voting on a budget from the spending side when you don’t know what the revenue’s going to be," said state Rep. Dan Brady, R-Bloomington. “I think the whole thing is a sham and it’s irresponsible not to know what we’re going to do revenue-wise before we start spending.”
“It’s unconstitutional, it’s putting the cart before the horse, we’re upside down, we’re backwards, however you want to say it," added state Rep. Brad Halbrook, D-Shelbyville.
“I’m extremely frustrated with the entire process," said state Rep. Adam Brown, R-Champaign. “The entire year has been tough because of one party control. All we want is to have a voice for our constituents and the opportunity to sit down at the table with everyone else and come up with a plan that gets the state of Illinois out of this atrocity and moves our state forward.”
State Rep. Bill Mitchell, R-Forsyth, said Thursday's exercise was designed to pave the way for making the tax hike permanent.
"They’re spending money they don’t have and that’s our problem in the first place," Mitchell said.
Democrats insisted the state's fiscal outlook is improving and that foregoing the money from the tax would hurt schools, prisons, state police and other agencies.
"If we don't do something, how bad is it going to be for my district and Southern Illinois?" said state Rep. Brandon Phelps, D-Harrisburg. "I don't want one more job loss at the Department of Corrections. I don't want any more teachers to lose their jobs."
State Rep. Mike Smiddy, a former prison supervisor from Hillsdale, said safety is a major issue in Illinois.
"Coming from the Department of Corrections, I want to make sure that our folks in those facilities are taken care of and their lives aren’t put in danger," Smiddy said.
For now, the Democratic-controlled Senate remains on the sidelines of the budget fight. Senate President John Cullerton, D-Chicago, earlier said he has enough votes on to extend the income tax hike with GOP support.
http://www.pantagraph.com/news/state-and-regional/illinois/government-and-politics/house-approves-budget-plan-without-enough-funding/article_b8c8b558-b3be-5068-84ef-727f530438de.html
Note: the Bills that Illinois owes are more than before the tax hike. This tax hike was supposed to help pay down the bills. This proves you give a Liberal more money they spend more money, just like a compulsive gambler.......Pathetic!
House approves budget bills without revenue source to cover costs
http://illinoisissuesblog.blogspot.com/2014/05/house-approves-budget-bills-without.html
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