SENATE PRESIDENT AND SPEAKER OF the HOUSE CALL JOINT SESSION to address the budget

SPRINGFIELD, IL -   Demonstrating their continued commitment to resolving the state budget crisis, Senate President John Cullerton and House Speaker Michael Madigan are calling a Joint Session of the General Assembly. 

According to the joint proclamation released today:

“The purposes of the Special Session shall be (i) to take action on any vetoes, amendatory vetoes, or reduction vetoes by the Governor of legislation related to the budget for Fiscal Year 2010 and (ii) to consider any legislation, pending or otherwise, related in any way to the budget for Fiscal Year 2010, including but not limited to appropriation, budget implementation, or additional revenue resources.

The Special Session will convene at 2:00 pm on July 14, 2009 at the State Capitol in Springfield, Illinois."

Senate Democrats Urge All Caucuses to Lead with Solutions
Senate President: “No” Is Not A Solution

Senate President John J. Cullerton joined members of his Democratic caucus today to address the issues specified in Governor Quinn’s Special Session Proclamation. Topping the Senate Democrats agenda was the balanced budget solution that they passed in May. Additionally the Senate President reiterated the leadership taken by Democrats on passing a capital bill and sweeping ethics reforms. 

“In all of the areas outlined in the Special Session Proclamation, Senate Democrats have already taken decisive steps to pass legislative solutions,” said President Cullerton. “What we need now is for Senate Republicans and members of the House to find the courage needed to make the similar tough choices that will preserve vital services in the state.”

While Governor Patrick Quinn called a Special Session for this week, there are no clear signs that support for his income tax plan has increased since May 31.

The only plan that is showing signs of life is House Bill 174. The measure is a balanced budget solution that included responsible cuts, increased revenue and fundamental school funding reform. The bill forces $2 billion in spending cuts and helps to eliminate our $7 billion deficit by bringing the state income tax to 5 percent.

Senate passage of House Bill 174 marked the first time in over a decade that a chamber in the Illinois General Assembly has passed legislation to address school funding reform that comes with property tax relief for Illinois families.  This tax increase would also ensure that programs for senior and essential services such as health care, foster care, and programs for the developmentally disabled are not cut due to a lack of funds. The bill has not been called for a vote in the House.

While HB 174 was the only successful revenue bill in the General Assembly, President Cullerton stopped short of promoting the bill as the only option to be considered to fix the state’s fiscal problems. Throughout the session, he engaged Senate Republicans to address the state’s budget deficit. The Senate established a bi-partisan committee to address the budget deficit consisting of equal representation – five Republicans and five Democrats. Members of the committee agreed that cutting spending was necessary to address the deficit, but insufficient to completely make up for the shortfall.

However, during an entire legislative session, the Republicans did not offer legislation to balance the state budget through cost savings or revenue development. Instead, they opposed the revenue generating proposals.

“Simply saying ‘no’ to revenue ideas is not a real solution,” said President Cullerton. “The people of Illinois are tired of legislators simply being opposed to ideas.  They want legislators who provide reasonable solutions for the devastating cuts that their communities are facing.”

Other issues that legislators will face during the special session include: government reform, recall, the state pension system, and the capital bill.

Democrats also did the heavy lifting when it came to moving forward on the most sweeping ethics and government reform issues in state history.  Key reforms included campaign contribution limitations, transparency in state contracts and procurement, as well as crackdowns on the insider deals that have plagued Illinois boards and commissions. The bills are now on the Governor’s desk.