* You can find yesterday’s “live” blogging of the governor’s vetoes here, here, here, here and here.
* Best lede goes to the Sun-Times…
Gov. Blagojevich made $463 million in budget cuts in the name of health care Thursday — but slashed grants to help prevent autism, HIV, Alzheimer’s disease and potential pandemic flu.
Also hit by the governor’s budgetary cleaver were the developmentally disabled, elderly veterans, fire and police departments and the panel set up to celebrate Abraham Lincoln’s 200th birthday in 2009.
“These changes improve the budget that lawmakers sent me,” Blagojevich said.
* The Tribune picked up on this…
House Republicans led by Tom Cross of Oswego kept most of the $50 million in initiatives for their districts. The gambit underscored Blagojevich’s desire to try to sway Republicans into blocking attempts at overriding his vetoes in the House.
* The Southern picked up on another…
After reviewing the budget, Luechtefeld said none of Jones’ requested initiative funding was removed. The 12 members of the Joint Committee on Administrative Rules also kept all their requested money, he said. The JCAR members will decide on the health care proposal Blagojevich hopes to start.
“It doesn’t take much to recognize what he’s trying to do; he’s trying to buy their votes,” Luechtefeld said. The senator also questions the legality of Blagojevich’s health care plan.
* The AP questioned the logic of the moves when no logic other than politics is necessary…
In some cases, similar projects were treated differently _ for instance, one grant for a handicapped-accessible van was approved while another was vetoed. And while planning to expand some health services, Blagojevich cut $40 million in Medicaid funds from hospitals and $50 million from nursing homes.
He also slashed funding for pandemic flu preparedness, home services to the disabled and 80 new beds at the LaSalle veterans retirement home. […]
Blagojevich said he cut $141 million in legislative “add-ons,” $306 million from state agencies and nearly $16 million from constitutional offices. He gave no indication of how he chose each particular cut, but did say some of the legislative projects “had little to do with the core mission of state government.”
* Daily Herald…
In some cases, money requested by Senate Republicans was cut while House Republican funding was approved, even though it was for the same project.
For instance, Blagojevich cut $200,000 destined for the Wayne Township Road District to help pay for replacing a bridge on St. Charles Road. But at the same time he OK’d an identical $200,000 grant for the same project.
The grants were not duplicates. Rather it was an effort on behalf of two area lawmakers to try to get the $400,000 needed for the project. The exact same situation occurred with funding for work on a Schick Road bridge. One $200,000 grant was approved, the other vetoed.
* GateHouse went for understatement…
The patterns of the cuts prompted several observers to wonder whether at least some were driven by politics.
* The Pantagraph offers up these choice quotes…
Even Republicans and Democrats in the Senate whose projects weren’t cut from the budget questioned the governor’s move. […]
State Rep. Bill Mitchell, R-Forsyth, agreed that people represented by House Democrats shouldn’t be shortchanged.
“Their people are taxpayers, too,” he said. […]
State Rep. Roger Eddy, R-Hutsonville, said he was “elated” that his projects survived and is now hoping Blagojevich won’t later withhold the money in a political move.
“Let’s hope that we’re not just being used as a message to the speaker,” he said.
* IL Issues…
DeJong [of the budget office] had this to say: “While CeaseFire and other initiatives may serve a purpose for a particular community or organization, we can’t afford to spend taxpayer dollars on them right now. With the changes the governor made, the budget better reflects the needs of the state.”
Flider also said projects in his district, including money for a food pantry and a homeless shelter, are among the $141 million cut of so-called pork projects, or legislative initiatives slipped into the budget so members can “bring home the bacon” to their constituents. Most of the pork projects cut by Blagojevich are in Democratic districts. Flider said those services are hit in political crossfire. “The governor has declared war on House Democrats, but it’s the people in my district who suffer,” he said. Why would the governor target projects in his district? Flider said that’s because he’s responding to what the majority of his constituents want: a priority of making timely payments to current Medicaid providers before expanding or creating new health care programs. “The governor wants his health care plan, and he’ll do anything to get it,” Flider said.
* More budget stuff, compiled by Paul…
* Blagojevich approves most of state’s new budget
* Southern legislators question governor’s budget action
* $460 million is excised by Blagojevich
* Gov signs budget, cuts out “pork”
* Blagojevich’s grant vetoes worry non-profits
* Martikean: Illinois not short on Governor troubles
* Governor amends budget, many projects won’t get funding
*** UPDATE *** I’m positive that we’ll see more press releases like this in the coming days…
The Illinois Network of Charter Schools (INCS) criticized Governor Blagojevich today for vetoing millions for Chicago public schools, including $3.5 million in grants for 35 charter public school campuses in Illinois. The cuts impact a grant program that is mandated by state law and that was overwhelmingly approved by lawmakers.
The charter public school start-up grants vetoed by Governor Blagojevich would have provided $250 per pupil to 34 new and recently opened charter public school campuses in the Chicago public school system and an additional school in Kane County. Those schools serve a combined 14,000 public school students. […]
Blagojevich’s cuts disproportionately impact Chicago’s African American and Latino neighborhoods, hitting 34 schools in… Chicago neighborhoods […]
Responding to news of the cuts, Elizabeth Evans, Executive Director of the Illinois Network of Charter Schools said:
“The Governor’s veto of the charter start-up grants and his failure over the last five years to provide leadership on broader education funding reform issues have created a double-whammy for public school children, particularly in the African American and Latino community. While the Governor’s goal to expand the health care safety net in Illinois is laudable, it shouldn’t come at the expense of public school kids’ education and their future.
Senate President Jones has built his career and his reputation on his commitment to public education, and we can only assume that when he pledged not to override the Governor’s veto, the Governor didn’t tell him it would mean millions in cuts to public education, especially in Chicago, and especially for low-income, African American, and Latino children. We hope that when President Jones sees where these cuts are happening, he’ll reconsider his pledge and allow the Illinois Senate to vote on a measure to override these draconian cuts.”