* 10:35 am - Today’s leaders meeting is at 1 o’clock.
* 10:53 am - Attorney General Lisa Madigan is not giving up her fight to represent the governor’s office in the Better Government Association’s FOIA case. The BGA wants to see the federal subpoenas that have been served on the guv’s office.
The AG filed two appeals with the Illinois Supreme Court yesterday. From the AG’s office…
One is asking the Supreme Court to reverse Judge Kelly’s ruling removing us [from the case], and the other is asking the Supreme Court to direct the Appellate Court to change their mind and accept our appeal.
The first [download here] asks the Supreme Court to reverse Judge Kelly’s ruling removing the AG from the BGA case, and asks that the Supreme Court deny the motion to appoint independent counsel in lieu of the AG.
The second [download here] is in response to the 4th District Appellate refusal to accept the AG’s appeal of Judge Kelly’s order. The AG is asking that the Illinois Supreme Court — by way of a Petition for Leave to Appeal - direct the Appellate Court to accept the AG’s appeal of Judge Kelly’s order.
* 10:56 am - I should’ve mentioned earlier that I’ve heard that the “budgeteers” made significant progress over the weekend on crafting a one-month budget. There are still a couple of big issues for the leaders to mull over before the end of the month, however. That almost always happens with the budgeteers. They do the small and mid-size things, and leave the big picture stuff to the tops.
* 12:33 pm - I tell you what, that intern of mine never ceases to amaze me. Check out what Paul wrote on Illinoize the other day - something I should have linked to right away…
I’ve noticed that overtime has strange effects on the statehouse gang. After May 31st, the senses of the capitol residents are altered. The marble floors seem harder on the feet. The air seems a little more stale. The tourists are peskier. As vacation plans fade into nothingness, I’ve seen more permanent scowls appear on once happy faces in the building. It reminds me of the Disney movie The Lion King…the once flourishing, ripe, and bustling pride lands of the African jungle are plunged into a barren field of misery with the mismanagement of its leader.
* 1:55 pm - Leader Cross just walked into Blagojevich’s office, so hopefully the leaders meeting is starting soon…. And now the rest are filing in.
* 3:23 pm - I hear that members were told today to expect to be in town until Saturday.
* 3:44 pm - The meeting is over.
* 4:34 pm - We’ll have the audio up soon. They’ve apparently reached agreement on a one-month budget.
* 4:50 pm - Audio following today’s leaders meeting:
Speaker Madigan
President Jones
Leader Cross x 2
Leader Watson x 2
* 5:30 pm - Here are some excerpts from the leaders comments:
-Madigan-
“Much of it [the one-month budget] is an extension of what we did in ‘07, but there are some changes.”
Regarding Paul Froehlich…”I would just rely on his statements that he felt more at home in the Democratic Party than the Republican Party; I’d leave it at that.”
On 12-month budget…”No, I don’t think it will happen this week.” …”I think we will be here for a long time.”
“We will adjourn on Friday. We will come back the 2nd week in July.”
-Emil-
“I resent all of the stalling that has been taking place as it relates to those [electric rate] negotiations and we just may, even though I am opposed to it, go ahead and have the freeze…I’ll see what happens when my members get here tomorrow.”
“A week off, then I plan on being the week following. I’ll call all my members in for five days, at least five days.”
-Cross-
“I think everyone is on the same page [on one-month budget]..It was as good a meeting as we’ve had.”
On Paul Froehlich…”Well its one less vote we have to put on in the emergency budget…If people that know Paul saw this as a move that was politically expedient for him, it’s kind of characteristic of his political career.”
“He actually met with our chief of staff three times, and all three times he said he wasn’t going to do it….I don’t accept it, I don’t agree with it, but there is nothing I can do about it.”
“He will be on a list with others where I think we can have success in the Fall of ‘08″
-Watson-
“It was just all talk about keeping the doors open and making sure people are paid…I would say that we are just taking it one month at a time, that’s the way it looks like.”
“There’s negotiations continuing on the whole electric rate issue, and I don’t know that that will be a sticking point before we vote on a temporary budget…I can’t believe that this issue is still going on…it just seems to me to be a lack of leadership.”
On Sen. Dillard in Obama Ad…”I have to say I was very disappointed in Senator Dillard and his judgment…He is a member of our leadership. He is a leader in the Republican party. I don’t think it was appropriate thing to do.”