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No agreement on dueling mass transit bailouts

Posted January 09, 2008 10:00 pm

Doug Finke

A solution to Chicago-area mass transit funding needs continued to elude state lawmakers Wednesday, just days before the transit systems say they will be forced to hike fares and cut services.

The Illinois House narrowly approved two different plans and sent them to the Senate.

However, yet another plan floated in the Senate fell one vote short of approval Wednesday night. Many Republican senators and downstate Democrats said they would refuse to vote for any mass transit bailout unless it's accompanied by a public works construction bill that would pay for road, bridge and school projects statewide.

"This is leverage for us," said Senate Minority Leader Frank Watson, R-Greenville, prior to the vote. "If we don't give (votes to) mass transit, that will force everyone back to the table to discuss what is important to all of us."

"Transit means a lot of things to a lot of people, and for downstate it means a capital bill for roads," said Sen. Deanna Demuzio, D-Carlinville.

The bill in the Senate called for a sales tax increase in the Chicago-area counties served by its mass transit systems. Thirty votes were needed; it got 29. Sponsoring Sen. Rickey Hendon, D-Chicago, said he may ask for another vote today.

A similar, but not identical, bill passed the House earlier on a 63-52 vote. That bill, too, called for a sales tax increase.

"This is a regional solution to a regional problem," said sponsoring Rep. Julie Hamos, D-Evanston. "Please do not hold this bill hostage to another agenda."

"We're only taking care of the city of Chicago and Cook County," responded House Minority Leader Tom Cross, R-Oswego. "We've taken care of one need, but we have completely ignored a capital bill."

The House Wednesday also voted 66-49 for another funding plan, this one diverting about $385 million in gasoline sales taxes from the state budget to pay for mass transit.

"This ship of state can't stay afloat as it is, and you want to punch another hole in the ship," said Rep. Ron Stephens, R-Greenville.

Gov. Rod Blagojevich favors the sales tax diversion and has threatened to rewrite any bill that reaches his desk that raises regional sales taxes.

Also Wednesday, the Senate voted overwhelmingly to accept changes Blagojevich made to an education funding bill to correct technical errors made when the measure was drafted. The bill will enable schools to collect an extra $600 million that was contained in the budget approved by lawmakers in August. It now goes to the House, which is expected to OK the changes today.

Doug Finke can be reached at (217) 788-1527.

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