Governor Misses Olympics; Sets Record Anyway

You may have noticed that the Governor did not accompany Chicago Mayor Richard Dailey to the Olympic Games in China.  If it's important for the city to see how the games operate, in the event Chicago is selected as the site of the 2016 games, the state should be interested as well.  After all, do you really believe the state isn't going to help fund the games should they come to Chicago?

While it's understandable that “His honor” wouldn't want the governor tagging along, the trip would have kept the governor from calling two more special sessions this week, a new record for Illinois and perhaps a “world record.”  The State Fair is in full swing, but the General Assembly will be having a carnival side show of its own in the capitol.

Special session 23 will consider measures aimed at increasing school funding, offering students choice in where they attend school, and giving real property tax relief.  Several proposals could be considered, including eliminating residency requirements for students to attend a school, a Michigan-like elimination of the property tax, and SB 2288 which offers a reduction in property taxes for a sizable increase in income taxes.

Special Session 24 will not convene until 5 p.m. on Wednesday so members can attend Democrat Party activities at the Fair.  Capital infrastructure will be the focus along with other measures necessary to provide for the capital infrastructure needs of the State of Illinois.  The Governor has agreed with my suggestion to scale back the capital program and modify the funding source. 

The Governor's current funding proposal calls for using Road Fund and gasoline sales tax monies along with the lease of the lottery to pay back construction bonds.  Leasing the lottery was defeated in the House Revenue Committee on May 31.

I see no sign that the Speaker of the House has changed his mind about the governor's proposals or decided to seriously consider any new proposals.  As a result, their feud will continue to tie state government in gridlock and the special sessions will be a further waste of public funds.  Citizens need to make their dissatisfaction over the current inept management of government known to legislators running for office.  Urge them to vote for a change in legislative leadership.

Meeks Bill Has Many Consequences  

One of the motivations for the 23 rd Special Session was the recent call by Senator James Meeks for Chicago students to boycott the start of school.  In addition he has introduced a bill that may be debated in the special session.

SB3055 amends the school code and allows elementary and high school students to attend the school of their choice anywhere in the state.  The bill provides that a school district must allow non-resident students to attend classes without charging these students tuition as long as they are Illinois residents.  The bill further provides that the school district does not have to provide transportation for students who are non-residents of the district.

While this concept gives students a choice about the school they attend, it fails to address who will pay for the extra teachers, additional classrooms and services for special needs students.  This concept is similar to school vouchers without providing the money for the school.

While this proposal allows students to leave a poor or failing school, it ignores the ability of students to travel to their desired school.  In rural areas there are few public transportation options and low income families are unlikely to be able to afford gas money or fares for available public transportation.  This solution also places a huge financial obligation on school district residents to pay for another unfunded state mandate. 

Our state must focus on the disparity of resources, quality of education and involvement of parents between districts.  Simply allowing some students to flee doesn't help those left behind.

Governor's Rewrite Campaign May Negatively Impact Illinoisans

Meanwhile, the governor has been trying to divert attention from all the budget cuts with his new campaign called “Rewrite to Do Right.”  The governor has identified more than 50 bills passed by the General Assembly which he plans to significantly change with his amendatory veto.

If you remember, a month ago the governor amended a bill of mine regarding physical therapy for state employees with multiple sclerosis.  The governor added portions of another bill which mandated that small companies provide insurance coverage for autism but he exceeded his veto authority.

Both ideas would help families struggling to pay for healthcare costs, but the bill died when House Speaker Madigan refused to call the legislation for a vote.  The speaker claimed the governor overstepped his constitutional authority by significantly changing the legislation.  This is exactly what he will be doing with his rewrite campaign.

The Illinois Supreme Court has held that the Governor's amendatory veto power does not go so far as to allow for the change of the fundamental purpose of a bill or for substantial or expansive changes to a bill.  Unfortunately, the governor's manipulations to these bills will only hurt the families and groups they impact.

The General Assembly passed the bills to the governor's desk because we believed they would improve the quality of life for Illinoisans.  Unless the speaker allows for the changes to be called for approval or an override motion, the rewritten bills will also die.  Citizens will then have to wait for sponsors to reintroduce the legislation during next year's spring session.

Governor's Speed Enforcement Initiative Fuels Comments

My office has received feedback from constituents concerned about the governor's new plan to raise revenue by placing 108 new photo enforcement cameras on highways across the state to catch speeders. 

Under the proposal, anyone traveling more than 15 mph over the speed limit will be charged a $75 fine and the ticket will be sent in the mail.  The revenue will be used to hire more Illinois State Police in Chicago and surrounding cities.

While the proposed fine will not affect your driver's license or auto insurance, it won't be used to shore up law enforcement in our area either.  If the fines are collected from around the state, the money should be equally disbursed throughout the state.

GPS Tracking Used in Preventing Domestic Violence

A new law was signed by the governor aimed at protecting victims of domestic violence.  GPS tracking devices may now be ordered by courts for domestic violence offenders who have violated orders of protection.  The devices will track an offender and alert authorities when he or she gets too close to a victim.

The law should put more importance on orders of protection. Currently, many offenders ignore restraining orders because they don't think they will get caught violating the order.  The key to this legislation, however, is having someone monitor offenders and be proactive in warning victims if they are in danger.  

It is doubtful local authorities will have sufficient staffing to monitor every court ordered GPS device.  Perhaps private companies can fill the gap by providing monitoring similar to home alarm systems.  The company receives the alert and calls the police.  This legislation will probably need to be modified in the future to achieve the desired results.

Bob