Thursday May 21, 2009

SPRINGFIELD (AP)  The Illinois Senate voted Wednesday to raise liquor taxes, expand gambling and increase driver fees to help pay for a $26 billion public works program meant to create hundreds of thousands of jobs.

"This bill is long overdue. It has been a decade of decay for our roads and our schools and our bridges and our trains," said Sen. Kirk Dillard, R-Hinsdale.

Dillard admitted some concern about how lawmakers chose to pay for the construction, but he and most other Republicans agreed to go along with the Democratic majority. The measure passed 49-12 and now goes to the House. Among area senators, Mike Frerichs, D-Champaign, voted for the measure. But all three area Republicans  Dale Righter of Charleston, Dan Rutherford of Chenoa and Bill Brady of Bloomington  voted against it.

But two other pieces of the construction plan  a bill spelling out how to spend the money and one authorizing billions in debt  passed unanimously.

"The capital bill is designed to assist the people of Illinois, not hurt them financially," said Frerichs. "We have devised a series of modest revenue enhancements that will have a minimal impact on our residents. Individuals will be able to benefit from the substantial improvements made by the capital plan without suffering harsh financial consequences."

Frerichs said the bill, if approved by the House, would include hundreds of millions of dollars for projects at the University of Illinois, including $57 million for Lincoln Hall, $60 million for the National Center for Supercomputer Applications Blue Waters data processing center (also known as the petascale facility), $44 million for an electrical and computer engineering building and another $18 million for deferred maintenance on the Urbana campus. There also is $15 million for a student services building at Parkland College.

"If this passes the House, I can't imagine a scenario where the money for those University of Illinois projects would not be included," Frerichs said.

Every school district in his Senate district also would get some school construction money, he said. And townships, cities and villages also would get additional road construction funds. Champaign, for example, would get an additional $1.6 million, according to Frerichs.

Illinois has not seen a major construction initiative since Illinois FIRST was approved under former Gov. George Ryan. In the decade since, the state has not been able to keep up with the need for new or rebuilt highways, bridges, schools and public transportation systems.

At the same time, the nation's economic crisis has pushed Illinois unemployment to the highest level in years.

So officials made it a top priority to pass a construction program that would put people to work.

"This bill will create tens of thousands of jobs, which is what we need right now," said Senate President John Cullerton. "It's going to actually bring jobs to all parts of the state, every township, every city."

Gov. Pat Quinn estimated earlier this year that the program would support about 360,000 jobs.

He doesn't support this version, however. The Chicago Democrat questions the idea of legalizing video poker and raising liquor taxes.

"We are making strides, but there is still a long way to go," said Quinn spokeswoman Katie Ridgway.

The $26 billion program is a combination of federal and state money. To come up with its share, about $12 billion, Illinois would borrow money by selling bonds. To repay that debt, it has to come up with new sources of money  the gambling, taxes and fees.

Senators approved the whole package at lightning speed.

It surfaced in a committee about 1:30 p.m. Wednesday and was approved there after less than 45 minutes of discussion. The Senate met later in the day and approved all three pieces in less than 40 minutes.

The plan calls for legalizing gambling on video poker machines, something often labeled the "crack cocaine of gambling." People already gamble on them under the table in many Illinois bars, but the state doesn't get a share of the money. Cullerton said the state should get $375 million a year from legalizing the machines.

The legislation allows up to five video gambling machines in any truck stop or business that serves alcohol, said Anita Bedell, executive director of the antigambling group Illinois Church Action on Alcohol & Addiction Problems.

Putting such a fast, easy-to-use form of gambling at the fingertips of so many people will encourage addiction, Bedell said.

"It's a very big concern. Very big," she said.

The plan also would increase taxes on hard liquor, beer and wine. The increase would generate about $113 million, Cullerton estimated.

He didn't describe the impact on consumers, but an earlier version would have increased prices by 2.6 cents for a six-pack of beer, 13 cents for a bottle of wine and roughly 80 cents for a bottle of liquor.

Drivers and car owners would be hit with fees producing about $330 million a year for the state. The cost of license plates would climb by $20, for instance, to $99 a year.

Those and other changes would yield nearly $1.1 billion a year in new revenue to pay off the debt of a public works program, Cullerton said.

That program would include $2.8 billion for road projects, $1.5 billion for new schools, $2 billion for public transportation, $718 million for universities and more.

None of the money would be set aside in lump sums for lawmakers to spend as they wish without oversight, Cullerton said. The money would either go into existing formulas that determine spending or would be listed project by project so everyone can see where the money goes.

Without passage of a capital program, Illinois' regular road improvement plan becomes just a maintenance program.

Transportation Secretary Gary Hannig released an $11.25 billion five-year road plan Wednesday. But he cautioned there's little money for any new roads or bridges.

"This is a program that would try to improve the highway footprint that exists today," Hannig told reporters on a conference call.

News-Gazette staff writer Tom Kacich contributed to this report.

"Very little is committed to new lanes. That's where we would look for help from the capital bill. That would be almost exclusively new lanes and new construction and major projects like that."

An infusion of money into the transit system would mean not only new highway lanes to relieve congestion, but efficiency in dovetailing spending on existing projects with new ones, Hannig said.

The bills are HB255, HB312, HB2400.

On the Net: www.ilga.gov

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http://news-gazette.com/news/2009/05/21/public_works_bills_go_to_house

Governor Pat Quinn signs Executive Order to Increase Transparency for State Boards and Commissions

Appointments.Illinois.gov makes appointment process more accessible

CHICAGO  April 9, 2009.  At a meeting of the Illinois Reform Commission, Governor Pat Quinn signed an executive order to make appointments to Illinois boards and commissions more transparent and accessible. Under the executive order, the Governor launchedAppointments.Illinois.gov, a website that allows Illinois citizens to access information about members and vacancies in the states 300 boards and commissions.

         With this executive order, we are taking another step toward achieving the open, honest and transparent government that the people of Illinois deserve, said Governor Quinn.  I want to make sure that everyone who is qualified has a fair shot at serving on our states boards and commissions.

        Increasing transparency will ensure to the public that future administrations will meet the highest ethical standards in appointments to state boards and commissions.

        By visitingAppointments.Illinois.gov, those interested will be able to view all state boards and commissions, get information about their purposes and see lists of the members. In addition, Illinois residents can fill out online applications for those appointments that are made by the Governor.  There are hundreds of vacancies on Illinois boards and commissions. 

The arts can communicate a world of feelings and information in very personal ways.  Put a brush, clay, skit, or guitar in the hands of a teen and that world expands and enlightens us all. 

On Sunday, April 19, teens from seven counties in central Illinois will present art, music and creative writing projects on health themes at the sixth biennial I Sing the Body Electric Arts & Health Festival.

The public is invited to attend and participate in this lively, entertaining (and free!) afternoon filled with visual arts, music, videos, and theatre skits.  The festival takes place from 1 - 5pm at the Sarah Bush Lincoln Lumpkin Family Center for Health Education on Hwy 16 between Mattoon and Charleston, Illinois.  Awards will be presented at 4:30pm.

"The joy in this program comes from the fact that it directly responds to the needs and interests of youth," Project Director Gaye Harrison, said. 

In a recent Centers for Disease Control Youth Risk Behavior survey, area youth identified underage alcohol use, drugs, body image concerns and  teen pregnancy as the health risk factors of utmost concern to them. Body Electric provides funds for materials to help youth communicate their best and most innovative prevention messages through the arts.  The program also brings Eastern Illinois University students into contact with youth as mentors.  "We do everything we can to support teens who wantto tell us what they think and how they feel about these life-altering health risks," Harrison said. 

The program is supported by grants from the Lumpkin Health Education fund, Sarah Bush Lincoln employees, US Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (Drug-Free Communities Program), and the Illinois Department of Human Services (Bureau of Substance Abuse Prevention). More than 300 youth have created more than 150 projects which will be presented at the Festival.  Local partners include Sarah Bush Lincoln Health Center, Eastern Illinois University, the Regional Office of Education #11, Lake Land College, Paris Community Hospital, and WEIU TV.

Doors open to the public on Sunday, April 19 at 1pm with the awards ceremony at 4:30pm. According to Harrison, approximately $7,000 will be awarded "to these wonderful artists, musicians, actors and techno-wizards." Past projects, from 1999 through 2007, can be seen on the Body Electric website, www.isbe.org, and on the Bring it Home tour to parents in the workplace.

Harrison urges central Illinois teens and their families to attend the event which is free.  For more information, contact the I Sing the Body Electric office, toll free, 1-888-550-7464 or 234-4169 in Mattoon. 

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