State Senate

Illinois State Senate President Emil Jones will announce his retirement, perhaps as soon as today.

By far, whe most important vote any State Senator takes is the vote for the leadership of their caucus and of the Senate as a whole.  With Jones out of the picture, it will be interesting to see who earns the support of our State Senator, Mike Frerichs, as he looks towards a re-election campaign in 2010.

UPDATE:  Tom Kacich has reaction from Sen. Frerichs, who isn't pledging support to anyone just yet:

Frerichs said he wants a new Senate president who will pledge to three things: an understanding of downstate values and concerns, an interest in higher education and a pledge to give individual senators more power, including opening up the budget process and allowing more legislation to reach the Senate floor.

ANOTHER UPDATE:  There is water at the bottom of the ocean:  Jones hopes to appoint his son to his seat.  I love Illinois.

Congratulations to the Illinois State Senate for putting enough pressure on President Emil Jones to allow a vote to kill legislative pay raises.  It's encouraging to know that, at least in extreme cases, Jones' hand can be forced if there's enough public pressure.

Today's News-Gazette:

Bruce Suardini, chief executive officer of Prairie Center Health Systems Inc., said at a news conference Wednesday that Thursday will be the last day its detox unit in downtown Champaign will accept new admissions.

That cut is just one of many the Urbana-based agency is making after learning last week that it would lose one-third of its state funding – about $914,200 – due to cuts in the Department of Human Services budget for mental health and substance abuse treatment.

...

State Rep. Naomi Jakobsson, D-Urbana, and State Sen. Mike Frerichs, D-Champaign, who were present for the news conference, called for a fundamental change in the way the state generates revenue, stopping short of endorsing tax increases. Both said they are hopeful that some of the money cut can be restored in the fall veto session.

Emphasis added.

Sen. Mike Frerichs is interviewed in this week's WDWS podcast, and it's pretty interesting.  It's refreshing to see someone in the media willing to ask the most important question (perhaps the only important question) facing any Illinois legislator these days:  Why and how do you support your legislative leader?  (In Frerichs' case, Senate President Emil Jones.)

A snippet (and pardon any transcription errors - I'll never be a court reporter):

WDWS:  You did vote for Emil Jones to be Senate President.  Do you have any regrets about that vote?

Sen. Mike Frerichs:  No.  I don't have any regrets because: What's the alternative?  If you didn't vote him, I probably wouldn't see any of my bills moving out of committees.  I wouldn't see any money coming back to my district probably.  And he would have been Senate President anyway. 

Now that being said, it's easy to focus on the problems that people have, and the disagreements.  And I've had several disagreements over the last two years with the Senate President.  But I think in the media we like to focus on the disagreements more than when we're able to sit down and get things done.

Great job by WDWS' Patrick Pfingsten on actually asking the question.

This, Sen. Mike Frerichs and Rep. Naomi Jakobsson, is why it's irresponsible to pass a budget that is so badly out of balance that you must rely on Gov. Blagojevich to cut things in order to balance it.  Does anyone really expect, when the Governor is considering where to cut, that the University or local legislative districts will be treated well? 

But at least our local legislators can sleep easy knowing they have done their masters' legislative leaders' bidding.

Random thoughts about the boondoggle state budget passed by the House and Senate Democrats over the weekend:

• The budget is so badly out of balance ($2 billion?!?) that someone - the Legislature expects it to be the Governor, and vice versa - will have to make severe cuts.  I hope it's the legislature, because I disagree with so many of the Governor's spending priorities.  And I still don't understand how the legislature can abdicate so much authority and discretion to a Governor whom none of them trust.
• You will see lots of stories claiming that the UI got such-and-such funding increase, and lots of mail and press releases from Rep. Naomi Jakobsson and Sen. Mike Frerichs claiming that they secured that increase.  But all they've really done is ask the Governor to make $2 billion in spending cuts, and they know that higher education will be one of his first targets.  So take all the bragging with a huge grain of salt until the UI actually receives the increased funds.
• Speaking of Sen. Frerichs, he voted against the gaming expansion and lottery sales which were to fund the $34 billion capital plan, but voted present on the spending portion of that plan.  That's a great example of consistent, principled, "tough and independent" leadership, eh?
• I'm glad that no Republicans voted for this budget, unlike last year, when so many were lured by the siren song of pork.

UPDATE:  Sen. Frerichs says that the deficit isn't that bad:

State Sen. Mike Frerichs (D - Champaign) said the governor has the power to balance the budget himself by vetoing the specific expenses he deems unnecessary and doubts the size of the deficit is as large as Blagojevich claimed Monday morning.

"According to our budget staff, it is not that large," Frerichs said.

How large is it?  And why did Sen. Frerichs vote for an unbalanced budget, trusting the Governor to make such important budgetary decisions?

The News-Gazette editorial today:

A challenge to Jones from within his Democratic majority might be the best option. Eleven Senate Democrats, including Sen. Michael Frerichs, D-Champaign, voted last Thursday to put recall on the ballot. Time will tell whether theirs was a courageous challenge to Jones or just a calculated maneuver that gave them political cover in their home districts. The real test is whether those Democrats, and others, are willing to offer an alternative leader to Jones and restore some semblance of respect and responsibility to the people and the government of Illinois.

A comment I made last week:

Who is going to be the first Senate Democrat to stand up and say Jones' leadership and devotion to protecting Blagojevich is part of the problem? 

Are any of the Democratic State Senators "tough and independent" enough to admit that Jones is is part of the problem?

It's not that I'm tweaking the NG for echoing me, as I hardly think that's the case. 

The point is that it's obvious that the Senate Democratic leadership, and their supporters (including our own Sen. Mike Frerichs) are a key part of the intractable problems in Springfield, due to their protection of and acquiesence to Gov. Rod Blagojevich.

Someone needs to challenge Senate President Emil Jones' leadership of the State Senate, even if it's only a challenge to this policy of deference to Blagojevich.  Mike Frerichs campaigned as a "tough and independent" Representative for the 52nd District, but has so far challenged Jones only superficially, if at all. 

Does Frerichs not see the need to challenge Jones, or is his unwillingness to do so due to loyalty, policy agreement, and/or the massive campaign contributions Jones gave Frerichs in 2006, and likely will again in 2010?

The constitutional amendment proposing recall of the Governor and other state and local elected officials failed in the State Senate, three votes short of the 33 votes necessary for passage.

UPDATE:  You can also see at the same link that Democratic Senate President Emil Jones thinks legislators and the Governor should get another huge pay raise.  For excellent job performance, I'm sure.

Maybe this year, Sen. Mike Frerichs will take responsibility how he votes on the pay raises, rather than blaming his staff.

ANOTHER UPDATE:  Recall roll call vote here.  Sen. Frerichs voted in favor.

From the UIUC News Bureau:  Poll: Most still undecided about constitutional convention for Illinois

"Support is lagging for Illinois’ first constitutional convention in four decades, but could get a boost from growing unrest over political in-fighting that many citizens fear has paralyzed state government, according to a new University of Illinois poll.  Nearly 40 percent of respondents in the Institute of Government and Public Affairs survey support a convention to draft a new state constitution, well short of the majority needed when the question goes to voters in the Nov. 4 election.  But with 43 percent still undecided – coupled with strong support for reforms such as a California-style recall for top state officials – there’s plenty of room to swing the balance..."

“Given how little discussion we’ve had in the media and in general, it’s no big surprise that most people don’t know if they want a convention,” Gaines said. “But I think if someone tries to build a case for a convention, there’s a fairly receptive public. People don’t seem to think our current constitution is working great.”

“In the end, there has to be a Pat Quinn figure who’s pretty good at whipping up a crowd who seizes on the idea, using issues like recall and term limits and telling people this is how to get them,” Gaines said.   “If nobody has touched it by August, I think it will be too late,” he said. “There’s no way that you can get people to think about it and make a decision that quickly when there’s a presidential election, a war and possibly a recession overshadowing it.”

No better way to get the conversation ignited...

It's always strange to see names which are well-known only to Illinois politics (like Senate President Emil Jones) pop up in national politics.

From TalkLeft, which I assume is supporting Clinton (or at least the author of this post is):

Barack Obama frequently cites his impressive record as an Illinois state legislator as an indicator of his experience in running for President.

Turns out, according to former Chicago reporter Todd Spivak, all of his legislative accomplishments were in his final 7th year and were handed to him by his mentor, Ill. State Senate President Emil Jones.

The TalkLeft post is mostly quotes from a longer piece in the Houston Press, which is just brutal.  Our old local boogeyman, Chicago State University, also features prominently.

From a press release:

State Senator Dan Rutherford (R-Pontiac) will be conducting his legislative business from a Colorado hospital this week while he recuperates from a fall that fractured both his jaws. Rutherford hopes to return to Illinois by the end of the week.

Rutherford’s jaws are currently wired shut, preventing telephone calls. Instead, he will communicate with his constituents and staff via electronic mail at danrutherford@danrutherford.com.

“I can speak, but I am somewhat limited at this time,” Rutherford wrote. “I cannot accept phone calls. But what I can do is be fully engaged, communicate with my staff and conduct business for the district with electronic communication.”  For the coming two or three weeks, Rutherford will maintain a limited appointment schedule.

Rutherford’s injury will cause him to miss the two scheduled legislative days on Jan. 9 and 10. He is expected to make a full recovery and return to the spring legislative session when the General Assembly reconvenes in February.

State Senator Mike Frerichs is the guest on today's WDWS podcast with Patrick Pfingsten.

Rich Miller at CapFax has a long post about, among other things, the UI selling tickets to the Rose Bowl to elected officials.

Generally, I don't have a problem with any of this - the bigwigs are paying for the tickets, and if it can earn the University a little goodwill with the anti-Higher Education Democrats who run this state, I'm all for it.

I am amused, thought, that Senate President Emil Jones wanted four tickets.  I guess his disdain for all things related to the University doesn't extend to the football team's bandwagon.  (But, again, if that's what it takes to make him appreciate the larger mission of the UI, so be it.  I hope President Jones enjoys the game...)

From today's News-Gazette:

Illinois still has one of the most chronically underfunded state pension systems in the country, but a potentially bigger problem is looming: the health care bills for all those retirees.

According to a 50-state study released by Pew Charitable Trusts on Tuesday, Illinois' unfunded pension liability for state workers, judges, lawmakers, teachers and university employees was $41 billion in 2006, while its projected bill for retiree health care, dental and life insurance benefits was an estimated $48 billion for state workers alone.

"We produced this report because states' fiscal health relies in large part on their ability to wisely manage bills that are coming due, and this one is significant," said Susan Urahn, managing director of the Pew Center on the States.

For the first time, government accounting rules will require states to include estimated actuarial liability for nonpension benefits like health, dental and life insurance in their annual reports starting in 2008. But the analysis of Illinois' liability for those benefits is still being developed, and will not be ready until early next year. As a result, Pew used an estimate from the Civic Committee of the Commercial Club of Chicago in its report.

Discuss.

The long-awaited and much-discussed renovations to the venerated and dilapidated Lincoln Hall will begin this summer:

A long-awaited project for the University is set to begin next summer. Teachers, faculty and staff will move out of Lincoln Hall, 702 S. Wright St., with building renovations planned to begin fall 2008.

According to Linda Katehi, provost and vice chancellor for Academic Affairs, the project includes drastic changes on the inside of the building, as well as upgrading the building to make it more environmentally friendly. The renovations are slated to take two to three years to complete.

"While this may prove an inconvenience, this is a dream come true for all of us," Katehi said.

The project is going to cost about $70 million, Katehi said, and most of this money should be coming from the state.

"The state has promised they are going to fund it," Katehi said. "Even though the state budget has not been finalized, we thought we needed to make a decision to move forward (with the project)."

That seems awfully risky to me, given the recent track record of our State government with respect to keeping promises and delivering funding.

As you may have heard by now, Governor Blagojevich has called the legislature back today for another in a long line of special sessions. The problem is, his call to special session only included a bailout for Chicago Area Mass Transit systems. I say that because numerous downstate lawmakers have said they won't support an RTA bailout without a capital plan. Without a capital plan mentioned in the Governor's proclaimation. So what's going to happen? Nothing probably. State government at its finest.

So I pose this question to you: What is more important, a capital bill or a mass transit bailout?

The floor is yours.

This is probably interesting only to me, but I noticed something when browsing the filings for Democratic Presidential Delegates for the 15th Congressional District:

State Sen. Mike Frerichs (D-Gifford) is no longer (D-Gifford) - he's moved to Champaign. 

Congratulations to the Frerichs' on their new home.  I'm sure the shorter commute to Springfield was a factor, especially given the incessant Session schedule this year.

This is from the weekend, but follows up on a blog post from last week with a few (but just a few) more details.

It won't be an easy task. The Illinois Constitution specifies that "a tax on or measured by income shall be at a nongraduated rate." Frerichs and state Sen. Kwame Raoul, D-Chicago, are forming a committee to work on changing that provision of the constitution.

"This isn't going to happen with just me and Sen. Raoul; we are looking to build a much larger coalition," Frerichs said.

Getting a constitutional amendment on the ballot requires a three-fifths majority vote in both the House and the Senate or a petition with nearly 280,000 signatures – enough to equal at least 8 percent of the total votes cast in the last election for governor. Once it gets on the ballot, it needs approval from 60 percent of those voting on the question or a majority of the people who voted in that election.

Of the hundreds of amendments proposed since the 1970 constitution was adopted, fewer than 20 made it onto the ballot – and only 10 received the required voter approval. The 1980 cutback amendment, which ended cumulative voting and reduced the size of the Illinois House, is the only one that was the result of a successful petition drive.

"It's a big hurdle, but I also think I was elected to do what is right, not what is easy," Frerichs said.

Back in May, Dan Johnson-Weinberger had a long, detailed blog post discussing ways to make Illinois tax system more progressive without a constitutional amendment by playing with exemption levels.  That post may or may not be relevant here, but Sen. Frerichs' efforts made me think of it.

Regardless, discuss if you like.

There are few details here, but this sounds more extensive than the old SB750/tax swap plan, as it involves amending the Illinois constitution:

Still, Frerichs said getting the fund started would be a key to eventually campaigning for the constitutional amendment needed to change the tax system.

A graduated income tax, Frerichs hopes, could be a way to send more money to schools while reducing some property taxes. A similar plan that would raise the income tax to send more money to schools has lingered in Springfield for years without any success.

“This is probably, I hope, an easier way of getting that done,” Frerichs said.

Read the whole thing.

The House has overwhelmingly overriden the Governor's budgetary vetos, and sent them over to the Senate, where President Emil Jones, the leader of the Democratic caucus, has said repeatedly that he will not allow a veto override vote.  So some Senators, including some Democrats, are doing some public posturing:

State Sen. Mike Frerichs, D-Champaign, was one of about a dozen Senate Democrats who appeared onstage at the event. He called the rally "impressive."

"I think they make a strong case for override of the governor's budgetary vetoes, and I'm very hopeful that in the next week, parties can come together and reach some sort of agreement so we can cast that vote," Frerichs said. "There are a lot of important state agencies and state services that have been cut by the governor's vetoes. I think we worked a long time this summer in putting together a good budget and the governor comes in at the last minute and changes it. I think we ought to stick to our original agreement."

In addition, it's refreshing to see that some are starting to recognize that it's not just Governor Blagojevich, but rather that President Emil Jones is a huge part of the problem:

Shortly after the House voted 105-4 to override Blagojevich's mostly petty and politically motivated budget vetoes, Jones was asked if he would allow the legislative process to work as it is supposed to. "Oh, no, no, no," he said.

Later, however, Jones was quoted as saying, "I don't know. You know, things change. I might change my mind." And Sen. Michael Frerichs, D-Champaign, said Wednesday that Jones has hinted that he might allow override votes on some budget items. Frerichs declined to say which ones.

A vote on only some of the items vetoed by Blagojevich will not suffice. That was the message from an override rally in the Capitol Wednesday afternoon, attended by advocates for employee unions, social service agencies, park districts, arts groups and others. It also should be the message that Democratic senators, including Frerichs, send to Jones.

I'll be the first to admit that I have no idea of what, if anything, Sen. Mike Frerichs and the other Senate Democrats are doing behind the scenes to try and pressure Jones to allow a vote.  And I'll reiterate that I'm not defending the local projects - it's the process that's bothering me.

So I think it needs to be emphasized that the Senate Democrats, including Sen. Frerichs, are the only people who can pressure Jones.  He is the Senate President because they chose him.  He gets his power directly from the Senate Democrats.  If he fails to allow a veto override vote, it's because the members of his caucus are unable or unwilling to hold him accountable.