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Senate OKs expanded gaming, capital spending

Posted September 18, 2007 11:00 pm

Doug Finke and Adriana Colindres

The Illinois Senate Tuesday approved a massive expansion of gambling to pay for a $13 billion construction bond program for roads, bridges, schools and other projects.

The Senate voted 37-15 for a plan that would put a land-based casino in Chicago and add two riverboat casinos at unspecified locations. In addition, existing casinos would be allowed to add a total of 6,000 slot machines or other gaming positions.

The gaming bill will not only pay for a capital program, but will be used to keep mass transit systems fully operational for the next nine months, give even more money to education than was included in the state budget approved last month, and finally give 24 school districts, including Rochester's, construction money long promised by the state but never delivered.

The gambling legislation now goes to the House, where it faces an uncertain future. Both Speaker Michael Madigan, D-Chicago, and Minority Leader Tom Cross, R-Oswego, have said they think such a large expansion of gaming faces severe obstacles in the House.

Sen. Mike Jacobs, D-East Moline, said he spoke with Madigan before Tuesday's vote.

"One thing Speaker Madigan said to me very plain is they are not going to move this bill in the House," said Jacobs, who voted for the expansion anyway.

Sen. John Sullivan, D-Rushville, said the Senate vote may force Madigan to change his mind.

"If the bill is in his chamber, there will be a tremendous amount of pressure from his members and other constituents to ask him to call that for a vote," Sullivan predicted.

Senate Minority Leader Frank Watson, R-Greenville, a major proponent of the capital program, said he was aware "there will be some problems in the House."

"We know this isn't the last bill we will see," Watson said. "We want to send a message that capital is important."

Lawmakers from both parties, along with the governor, have clamored for months for a construction bond program to help the state's ailing infrastructure. A bond program hasn't been approved since 1999, largely because lawmakers could not agree on a way to pay for it.

But even some senators who said they support a capital bill opposed expanded gambling to pay for it.

"Whether we know it or not, gaming is a tax on poor people," said Sen. James Meeks, D-Chicago. "We devised a scheme to deliver capital at somebody else's expense."

Others held their noses and voted for more gaming.

"I'm not thrilled about expanding gambling, but it seems to me like that's the only thing on the table right now to fund a capital program, so I'm going to support that," said Sen. Dale Risinger, R-Peoria.

Sen. Larry Bomke, R-Springfield, said he's never supported expanded gambling and doesn't trust Gov. Rod Blagojevich to spend capital money on projects in Republican-represented districts.

"I find it hard to understand why anyone would want to believe the governor when he has no credibility, and then to believe this thing would be called in the House when everybody believes it is dead on arrival," said Bomke, who voted against the gaming bill.

Blagojevich made a rare public appearance after the Senate vote and praised Watson and Senate President Emil Jones, D-Chicago, for working together to pass the gaming and capital bills. He said he saw no reason why the House shouldn't approve the package.

"There's no reason to think that it would be anything but something that can be done there so long as everyone is willing to put aside some of the differences on other issues and come together to make this happen," Blagojevich said.

The Senate also approved a bill to spend money on construction projects. The capital plan calls for $1.75 billion to be spent over three years on school construction. However, the first $150 million will go to the 24 school districts that were promised money but never got it from the state.

The spending bill also calls for an extra $300 million to go toward education spending in the budget year that began July 1. Lawmakers approved a $600 million increase in the budget sent to Blagojevich last month. The additional money will allow per-pupil spending to go to $5,900, after the budget set per-pupil spending at $5,734.

Mass transit systems in the Chicago area will get a $200 million loan out of the gaming proceeds. Lawmakers said that will enable them to operate until next June without raising fares or cutting services, giving lawmakers more time to work out a permanent solution to the transit systems' funding problems.

Blagojevich said he will veto an alternative that called for a regional sales tax increase to support Chicago-area mass transit.

The capital spending plan allocates money for road and bridge construction, for university and community college projects, airports and rail improvements for Amtrak routes.

It includes money for civic center projects, including $4.2 million each for the Springfield and Peoria civic centers. Bomke said he did not know how Springfield planned to use the money. Sen. Dave Koehler, D-Peoria, said his civic center plans to use the money for maintenance projects.

It also includes $33 million to continue replacement of the Capitol ventilation systems and $100 million to replace the Stratton Office Building in Springfield.

Doug Finke can be reached at (217) 788-1527 or doug.finke@sj-r.com. Adriana Colindres can be reached at (217) 782-6292 or adriana.colindres@sj-r.com.

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