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Budget impasse may not get another one-month reprieve

Posted July 13, 2007 11:00 pm

Doug Finke

Some legislative leaders warned Friday that lawmakers are growing fed up with the current budget impasse and may not support another temporary, one-month spending plan if the stalemate drags into August.

The warning came on the same day that Gov. Rod Blagojevich backed off of his threat to keep legislators working seven days a week until a budget for the fiscal year that began July 1 is passed. At the request of Senate President Emil Jones, D-Chicago, Blagojevich will not call a special session for Sunday, giving legislators their first full day off in more than a week.

Blagojevich and the four legislative leaders met for about two hours Friday and reported no significant progress, but no significant setbacks, either.

"There was no name calling. That's progress," said House Speaker Michael Madigan, D-Chicago, who's been called a "right-wing Republican" by the Democratic governor.

Yet, Madigan, House Minority Leader Tom Cross, R-Oswego, and Senate Minority Leader Frank Watson, R-Greenville, all warned that rank-and-file lawmakers are growing tired of endless meetings that seem to go nowhere. The danger is that they might withhold their votes for another temporary budget if the impasse continues beyond July 31.

In late June, with a government shutdown looming, the legislature approved a budget for July that was mostly an extension of the fiscal 2007 budget that expired June 30.

"There's constantly more and more people saying, 'Why should we vote for another one-month budget?'" Watson said. "I'm not for shutting state government down, but to bring some sort of conclusion to this, some people think that may be the only solution."

"I don't think anyone finds government shutdown preferable," Cross said. "What I think the thought process is, the fear of that is the only thing that will get some people moving."

While acknowledging that lawmakers are growing restless, Madigan said, "Those people probably have not contemplated what they would do if they were a leader and it's the fifth day of August and paychecks are not going out."

Thirteen days into fiscal 2008, Blagojevich and the four leaders have not made significant progress on crafting a new budget. Blagojevich and Jones want large spending increases for education, health care and other programs. Madigan, Watson and Cross all favor a more limited-growth spending plan.

Blagojevich and the leaders Friday again talked about expanded gaming, although no agreements were reached. Madigan and Cross favor a limited gaming bill that allows existing casinos to expand. Jones also wants to add casinos.

Watson wants additional gaming revenue devoted to a construction bond program that would pay for road, school, and mass transit projects. Jones has suggested gambling money could also be used for education, and Blagojevich would consider that too, said Rep. Jay Hoffman, D-Collinsville, Blagojevich's floor leader in the House.

The governor did not speak with reporters after the meeting.

Blagojevich decided Friday to give lawmakers a break from the Capitol on Sunday, despite his pronouncement that he would call them into special session every day until a new budget is passed. Jones, Blagojevich's chief ally in the legislature, asked for the day off to "let the members go home and go to church."

Asked about Blagojevich's change of heart, Madigan said, "Strange things happen in the land of the midnight sun."

Both the House and Senate will meet this (Saturday) morning, but are expected to adjourn quickly and not return until Monday. Blagojevich and the four leaders also will not get together again until Monday.

Adriana Colindres of GateHouse News Service's State Capitol Bureau contributed to this report. Doug Finke can be reached at (217) 788-1527 or doug.finke@sj-r.com.

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