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Democratic leaders will fly around state touting electric rate compromise

Posted July 20, 2007 11:00 pm

KAREN McDONALD

Top state officials will stop in Peoria on Monday to tout a proposed agreement on electric rate relief - a signal to local lawmakers that a budget agreement may be on the horizon.

House Speaker Michael Madigan will join Senate President Emil Jones and Attorney General Lisa Madigan in a five-city fly-around.

They will meet with the public, local leaders, and others at 9 a.m. Monday during a stop at the Greater Peoria Regional Airport.

The group will discuss the details of the electric settlement that might come about after months of squabbling. Lawmakers are still hashing out final details.

It's unknown when a vote will actually take place, though it's possible it could be next week, said Michael Madigan spokesman Steve Brown.

"We're out to announce that there is a settlement and we anticipate the vote, by the time we're done, will be pretty lopsided in favor of the settlement," Brown said.

Sen. Dave Koehler, D-Peoria, will attend the brief event with other local elected officials and community members. He said customers will be satisfied with the relief package, which represents their best interest. Specifics about the what will be discussed are not expected to be released until Monday.

"This is a good indication there might be some significant movement on the budget," Koehler said, adding he plans on voting for the agreement, considered a significant stalemate in getting the budget approved, and said a victorious vote is merely a formality. "This was the first piece … now we can move on to some other issues."

The expiration of a 10-year rate freeze this January resulted in a substantial increase in the cost of electricity for customers of ComEd and Ameren. Rebates "of some level" will be distributed to all those customers, with more to people who heat homes with electricity, lawmakers said.

The pending agreement includes a four-year deal worth more than $1 billion. Money also will be placed into a trust fund to cover the costs of a new agency to oversee how Illinois buys electricity in the future.

Sen. Dan Rutherford, R-Chenoa said he's reserving judgment on whether he'll support the bill until he sees actual written language. He serves on the Senate Environment and Energy Committee that's been dealing with the issue,

"The overall proposal, in concept, sounds reasonable. Unfortunately, in this process, the devil is always in the details," Rutherford said, adding he is concerned that only certain components of the agreement will be enacted into law.

"We've seen before where memorandums of understanding have not been adhered to," Rutherford said.

Rep. Mike Smith, D-Canton, said he'll vote for the deal. "It's the package that we've been waiting for."

He also echoed Koehler's thoughts that the compromise could signify a resolution to the ongoing budget impasse.

"It's comprehensive reform and just the fact that House Speaker and Senate President are flying together … I hope it's a good sign for the budget. That's been the word," Smith said.

The Peoria visit kicks off the fly-around.

Stopping in Peoria first just makes sense, Brown said. All three leaders will be coming from Chicago Monday morning and hitting Peoria first would prevent back-tracking from other Southern Illinois venues including Decatur, Cahokia, Marion and Quincy.

"This has been a significant controversy throughout the state for more than a year. All three of the principals (Michael Madigan, Lisa Madigan and Emil Jones) and many of the members of the legislature have been working very hard to remedy the situation, so it seemed like an event worth going to a variety of cities and talking about it," Brown said.

Karen McDonald can be reached at (309) 686-3285 or kmcdonald@pjstar.com.

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