For Immediate Release
Date: Jan. 14, 2005/tia
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News from Senator Peter Roskam Senate Republican Whip | ||
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| 315 West Wesley Street | 309H State House | ||
| Wheaton, Illinois 60187 | Springfield, Illinois 62706 | ||
| 630-690-4500 | 217/782-8022 | ||
| http://www.peterroskam.com/contact.html | |||
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For Immediate Release |
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Date: Jan. 14, 2005/tia |
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Senate Week in Review:
Jan. 10-14
Springfield, IL – Sparks flew at the close of the 93rd General Assembly as Senate Republicans opposed a real estate tax hike and a power grab for judicial seats in suburban counties. After two days of controversy, the 94th General Assembly began in much the same way the previous General Assembly ended as Senate Democrats rammed through controversial new Senate rule changes that will cost taxpayers money and limit access to public debate, according to State Senator Peter Roskam (R-Wheaton).
On Monday, Senate Democrats passed legislation (House Bill 626) increasing real estate taxes by $34 million. It imposes an initial $10 tax on every real estate-related document submitted to county recorders. The fees would then be deposited into a Rental Housing Support Program to help landlords better provide affordable housing to low-income tenants. Senate Republicans said the intentions of the program are good, but even supporters of the legislation say the $10 tax will not be sufficient to adequately fund the program in the future. Also, a disproportionate amount of funds from this tax will go to landlords in the City of Chicago. In addition, Senate Republicans objected to the legislation because there were no provisions in the bill to prevent the Governor from taking the money from the new tax for other programs – something the Governor has a history of doing.
Senate Democrats also pushed through House Bill 949, which restructures judicial boundaries, primarily in suburban counties. Senate Republicans balked at this not-so-veiled partisan maneuver because of how the bill was passed into law. Republicans did not see a first draft of the bill until last Monday, January 10th, the day it was intended to be called. The exact language for the new judicial “subcircuit” boundaries was not available until that afternoon. Senate Republicans said such a significant change in public policy deserved more time and consideration.
The intended purpose of the bill is to help bring more minorities into the judiciary, yet leading Hispanic members of the Senate were not informed about the contents of the bill until the very last minute, nor were they consulted for their input. In fact, many prominent minority advocacy groups throughout the state were unaware of this legislation. In light of these inconsistencies, Senate Republicans argued the bill should be considered in the upcoming spring session, but the Senate Democrats pushed it through, anyway.
On Wednesday, the 94th General Assembly officially got underway. The opening day activities were interrupted when fire alarms sounded in the Capitol Building. Once the false alarm was identified, the Senate went back to work.
The Senate Democrats forced their will on the Senate chamber by adopting dramatic new changes to the Senate’s rules that will cost taxpayers more money. The Democrats expanded the number of Senate committees from 17 to 22, which means 10 new committee leaders who will all receive stipends for their work on the committees. The total cost of the new committees will be about $100,000 a year.
In addition, the Rules changes contains procedural changes that give lawmakers very little time to review reports, which is intended to have a chilling effect on public debate. Other rule changes allow for temporary replacement of committee members, which gives legislative leaders the ability to shield potential political targets from controversial votes. The changes also make it easier for legislation to move through the process without public hearings. Senate Republicans argued vehemently against these changes saying that the legislative process should include more – not less – debate.
Finally, Senate Republicans met with Illinois Department of Natural Resources Director Joel Brunsvold to discuss the alarming budget cuts at that agency.
The Department has taken a $23 million hit in the last year. This represents more than a 10 percent cut. In terms of dollars, funding for the Department of Natural Resources decreased from $210 million to $188 million last year. In the last two years, the number of employees at the Department has gone from 2,300 to 1,700. Just last October, the agency laid off 37 people in the Springfield office and recently another 87 people statewide were given their pink slips.
The budget cuts are raising concerns about the ability of the Department to adequately maintain conservation efforts and other tasks. Senate Republicans believe the state should honor current financial obligations such as state parks before spending money on new programs.
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