* 12:17 pm - The hour of 11 o’clock having finally arrived, the Senate is now in session. Listen or watch here.
* 1:10 pm - The Senate is now taking up the mass transit bill.
*** 1:25 pm *** The Senate has passed the mass transit bailout bill with 30 votes. It now goes to the House later today and then on to the governor’s desk, where an amendatory veto is expected.
* 1:42 pm - This is just the tip of the iceberg. There were more management layoffs today. Lots.
Dan Miller, the Sun-Times business editor, resigned today, telling his staff he expects the paper to be sold within a matter of months and wants to leave before he becomes a casualty of pending staff cuts.
Mr. Miller’s announcement comes days after the Sun Times Media Group began announcing newsroom layoffs as part of a $50 million cost-cutting effort.
One name circulating as a potential buyer is Denver-based MediaNews Group, led by William Dean Singleton. MediaNews Group was not immediately available to comment.
Miller is a great guy and I wish him nothing but the best. And the same goes for everyone else who got whacked today.
* 1:50 pm - Sen. James Clayborne changed his vote from yesterday’s “Present” to “Yes” today, which allowed the bill to pass. The roll call is here.
* 1:52 pm - Oops. I should’ve mentioned that the House is debating the transit bill.
*** 2:06 pm *** 62 House members just voted to send the transit bill to the governor’s desk.
*** 2:19 pm *** The House has approved the governor’s changes to the BIMP bill. The Senate did so yesterday. It’s done.
* 2:25 pm - The House has adjourned. Now, all we have to do is wait and see what the governor does to the mass transit bill.
* 2:35 pm - A new day? Sen. Rickey Hendon attended a press conference with House Speaker Michael Madigan a few minutes ago. Yes, you read that right.
Both men publicly demanded that the governor sign the transit bill without changes. Hendon, who recently all but called Madigan a racist, wouldn’t disclose what the governor said to him after the Senate action today. Hendon said during debate he planned to go to Blagojevich’s office and insist that he sign the bill without changes.
By the way, there were rumors from some insiders weeks ago that Blagojevich was signaling that he could change his mind on his sales tax veto pledge if he got a capital bill and perhaps healthcare expansion. But those rumors stopped.
* 2:44 pm - Statement from Chicago Federation of Labor President Dennis Gannon…
“Organized labor strongly urges Governor Blagojevich to sign the legislation without making any adjustments to the language by use of his amendatory veto power.
“The workers, riders, and general public have suffered through this ordeal for far too long. State Senators and Representatives have listened to the people and come up with a solution. Now it’s time for the governor to do the same and put an end to the issue once and for all by signing it into law.”
* 2:56 pm - Stand by for the guv.
*** 3:24 pm *** The governor just said that he will, indeed, change the mass transit bill, but he won’t veto out the tax hike language. Instead, he will AV it to allow senior citizens to ride free statewide.
Weird, eh?
Apparently, I should have put more stock into those rumors all those weeks ago that he would not veto the tax hike. Such is life, I suppose.
* 3:51 pm - The Tribune headline writer’s take isn’t so kind: “Blagojevich holds up transit funding”
The governor’s unusual move capped a frenetic 24-hour round of legislative negotiating that raised hopes of an agreement to end the months-long funding fight and avert service cuts and fare hikes scheduled for Jan. 20. But the governor’s decision will send the legislation back for further consideration in the House and Senate.
“We can’t say that all’s well that ends well, because this is not over yet,” said Rep. Julie Hamos (D-Chicago), the bill’s chief sponsor.
*** 3:57 pm *** People are wondering in comments why the governor would make such a change, rather than simply ask Senate President Emil Jones to include the language in the original bill.
One theory might be that the governor has relentlessly attempted to expand his executive authority. So, if he makes an unconstituionally excessive amendatory veto of a bill that is such a hot potato, Speaker Madigan will be put in a box. Accept it and give the governor some precedent for future AVs, or strike it down and suffer the wrath of seniors and transit riders.
Food for thought.
Madigan, by the way, is flying home at the moment and can’t be reached.
*** 4:03 pm *** From the guv’s people…
Some clarification on what the Governor’s Amendatory Veto “costs” for downstate. The bill that passed includes $50 million for downstate transit systems. The Governor’s amendatory veto will allow seniors anywhere in the state to ride for free. The total statewide cost of this change is approximately $20 million. The approximate cost for downstate transit (collectively) is about $1 million. So, $50 minus $1 million the cost of the program means downstate transit is still getting $49 million. [Emphasis added]
*** 4:47 pm *** Speaker Madigan’s spokesman, Steve Brown, just called. Brown said Madigan wants to “congratulate the governor for breaking his promise” not to raise taxes. Brown added that this was probably the last campaign promise left to be broken. Oof.
More importantly, according to Brown Madigan thinks the Legislature will accept the changes. The House staff is currently srveying members to see when they might be able to return to Springfield.
* 5:16 pm - Sun-Times…
“I’m not going to adjust or change at all the funding mechanism,” he told reporters at 3:15 p.m. “The revenue source the Legislature chose. But what I will do is essentially take what I believe to be a lemon and turn it into lemonade. I’m going to sweeten the bill. I’m going to improve the bill.”
* 5:21 pm - Crain’s…
Even if all of the original “aye” votes hold firm, it will be no easy task to get both the House and Senate back to Springfield on short notice at this time of the year, [Rep. Julie Hamos] added.
“There’s logistical difficulty in getting everyone back, in the middle of winter, two weeks before an election,” she said. “I hope” it happens.
Ms. Hamos said Mr. Blagojevich’s proposed free-ride plan came as a “total surprise” to her and other sponsors.
When she heard of the plan, Ms. Hamos said she asked Blagojevich aides if such plan would be approved later in a separate, “trailer” bill — an action that would allow the subsidy bill to become law immediately.
But the governor’s office replied no, she said.