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Monday's budget work doesn't amount to much

Posted July 15, 2007 11:00 pm

Adriana Colindres

Three weeks into state government's new fiscal year, legislators and Gov. Rod Blagojevich moved no closer on Monday to reaching a budget deal.

The House and Senate convened in floor session, even though dozens of lawmakers were absent. Each chamber adjourned for the day after meeting for less than a half-hour.

Blagojevich spokeswoman Rebecca Rausch said the Democratic governor and the four top legislative leaders did not get together Monday because smaller groups of lawmakers were discussing various aspects of a new budget. A one-month budget that expires at the end of July has prevented state government from shutting down so far.

The legislative leaders joined other lawmakers in the afternoon when they huddled behind closed doors for about an hour to talk about a possible expansion of Illinois' gambling industry. No progress was reported on that front, either.

The leaders disagree about how to spend the anticipated extra dollars from the expansion of gambling, said Rep. Lou Lang, a Skokie Democrat who participated in the meeting. Their main point of contention is whether that money should be used only for capital projects, such as building schools, or whether some gambling revenue also should go to other purposes, such as an education-funding increase, Lang said.

"I wouldn't say that the gaming negotiations are falling apart," he said. "I would say we have some speed bumps. I think there's still an opportunity to pass a gaming bill."

Also Monday, the Senate Education Committee launched the first of five hearings this week dealing with what Senate Democrats call "the challenges to the state of education."

Sen. Kimberly Lightford, a Maywood Democrat who chairs the panel, said she hopes the hearings provide a blueprint for lawmakers to understand "what we need, as far as education reform."

Public school teachers and principals testified Monday about school funding and its impact on classrooms. Those who spoke included Shalanda Gaines, a teacher at Feitshans Academy in Springfield and Vickie Mahrt, a speech pathologist in McLean County Unit 5 District in Bloomington-Normal.

Gaines said additional funding would help her school pay for programs designed to motivate students and to boost parents' participation in their children's education. Extra money also could be used to provide stipends for classroom tutors, she said.

"Quality education costs money," Mahrt said. "Quality facilities cost money."

She urged lawmakers to find a better way to fund education.

"I know you're trying," Mahrt said. "I know that's why you're still here."

Senate President Emil Jones, D-Chicago, said the hearings are meant to put lawmakers' focus on education.

"That's where it should be, basically, you know, because with a sound educational system we can do many, many things," Jones said. "If there's not going to be a tax increase, that's why we propose gaming as the means to get the necessary revenue so we can adequately fund schools across the state of Illinois."

Elsewhere in the Capitol, Sen. Bill Brady, R-Bloomington, called on Jones to let lawmakers vote on two dozen changes in the tax code that have been proposed by Blagojevich.

"I believe the bipartisan General Assembly would resoundingly defeat these proposals," Brady said at a news conference.

He said he had asked the administration to provide him with a list of what it has labeled "tax loopholes" that would be closed to make up for at least $600 million in lost education revenue if state government leased the state lottery to a private concern.

The administration's proposals would increase revenue by $854 million, Brady said. Calling them "tax hikes," he said the proposals would hurt Illinois businesses if enacted.

Many, such as increasing taxes on business software or farm feed, seed and fertilizer, have been discussed in the past and rejected, Brady said.

A spokeswoman for Jones said the Senate president had no comment on the issue.

Brady also said budget discussions between legislative leaders and the governor have included the possibility of increasing taxes on cigarettes to raise additional revenue.

Dana Heupel of GateHouse News Service contributed to this report. Adriana Colindres can be reached at (217) 782-6292 or adriana.colindres@sj-r.com.

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