* The administration was doing so well today. No slip-ups, and some praise for the ‘deadbeat’ parent program. Then I came across this little diddy:
The Illinois auditor general says the state Public Health Department overpaid seven grants for stem-cell research by $863,000.
Auditor William Holland claims that more than half of the grants given by the administration were for more than originally agreed. Additionally, He says Public Health officials have no documentation explaining the overpayment.
The seven grants were supposed to amount to about $6.4 million. Instead, the recipients got $7.3 million. It gets better:
Holland also says there’s nothing to indicate the method used to determine how much Public Health would pay toward the governor’s failed court defense of restrictions on violent video games.
Public Health paid 14 percent of the total bill, plus some attorney fees. Administration spokeswomen haven’t returned calls for comment.
* In 2005 the governor made the controversial move of inserting millions of dollars into the state budget for stem cell research without telling lawmakers in advance.
Department of Public Health spokeswoman Melaney Arnold says that the state doesn’t currently have a budget for stem cell research, but doesn’t know what the next year could bring. Arnold and a spokesman for state Auditor General Bill Holland’s office both agree that the appearance of being over budget is a paperwork error:
“It is simply a difference in documentation,” Arnold said.
For lawmakers’ part, they’ve in past years considered various proposals concerning stem cell research, but Blagojevich moved largely on his own to begin awarding grants for such work.
That doesn’t sit well with some.
“Taxpayers shouldn’t be paying for private medical research,” said Dave Smith, director of the Illinois Family Institute.
* It’s a shame too, I had my fingers crossed that we could go 24 hours.