* 2:40 pm - The Senate Democrats have given up on moving an income tax hike bill… for now…
A fight over whether to raise the state income tax is being postponed until the fall.
State Sen. John Cullerton, D-Chicago, says he and Senate colleague James Meeks, D-Chicago, will not call their bill to boost the income tax on individuals and corporations by next week’s deadline for Senate action, but instead will move forward in the fall veto session — after the November elections.
“We’re playing for the fall,” Mr. Cullerton said in a phone interview. “We met with a bunch of supporters, and they want the summer to line up additional support for it.”
However, Senate President Emil Jones moved a proposed constitutional amendment that calls for a graduated income tax (instead of the current flat tax) to the Executive Committee yesterday…
Proposes to amend the Revenue Article of the Illinois Constitution. Authorizes a tax on or measured by income to be at a graduated rate (now, all taxes on or measured by income shall be at a non-graduated rate). Provides that, in any such tax imposed upon corporations, the rate shall not exceed the weighted average rate imposed on individuals by more than a ratio of 8 to 5. Effective upon being declared adopted.
That CA will likely get a committee vote next week and might even make it to the floor. Stay tuned.
* 2:49 pm - House Speaker Michael Madigan sent a letter to members of the Legislature today which claimed that the guv was working “outside the constitutionally-prescribed lawmaking process.” Here it is…
Dear General Assembly Member:
On March 31 the Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services and its director, Barry Maram, filed suit in Cook County Circuit Court to challenge the constitutionality of the Joint Committee on Administrative Rules. The complaint demands that the court force Secretary of State Jesse White to accept and publish in the Illinois Register permanent rules to implement the governor’s desired expansion of state health care programs. Absent specific statutory authorization for such an expansion, JCAR last month voted to suspend the implementation of those rules. Were the Secretary of State to publish the rules, it would give IDHFS the authority to enforce them, in effect a back-door way to implement the governor’s policies.
The lawsuit, filed at the governor’s direction, is an explicit statement that he does not want executive agencies to work in a cooperative manner with the Legislature. This is a stark departure from the past practices of this and previous governors. It is important that legislators recognize its implications.
This spring, the House has required that any bills asking executive agencies to promulgate rules include an amendment that necessitates the agencies return to the General Assembly and receive ratification of those rules via statute. In light of the governor’s lawsuit, this has proven to be a prudent decision and we will continue to operate accordingly.
Since 1977, four governors and sixteen General Assemblies have functioned under the provisions of the Illinois Administrative Procedure Act, which established JCAR as a legislative oversight committee with its membership apportioned equally between the House and Senate, Republicans and Democrats. For the last five years, until recently, the current governor and his agency directors have adhered to the JCAR framework. In fact, Governor Blagojevich himself signed legislation that strengthened JCAR’s authority and gave it the power to suspend emergency rules proposed by governors and their agency directors. The governor’s complaint came only when JCAR denied his policy objectives in a particular instance.
It is worth restating the fact that most members of the General Assembly do not stand in opposition to the governor’s ends of greater health care coverage for the uninsured. Rather, we oppose the governor’s decision to work outside the constitutionally-prescribed lawmaking process
Such behavior might rise to the level of impeachable offense. Just sayin’.
…Adding… I put this in comments, but I should also add it here…
I should have been more clear. Under the Constitution, all that’s required for impeachment is 60 votes. Nothing more. No reasons. Nothing.
However, since the Senate holds a trial and votes on whether to convict and remove, you ought to have a reason.
So, breathing rises to the level of an impeachable offense. Defying the Constitution is a possible ground for removal.
* 3:34 pm - Both Eric Zorn and I have spoken to atheist activist Rob Sherman. I have some notes which I may use in Monday’s Capitol Fax or here at the blog. Here’s Zorn’s story…
Sherman replied to my note:
“[’Negroes’ is] what the group was called when they were being discriminated against, but now that this same group has political power, discrimination is OK, as long as it’s not them that’s being discriminated against. That’s the reason for the use of the term.”
Invoking Civil Rights-era terminology to sharpen an attempt to draw an ironic (and dubious) analogy between persecuted African Americans and persecuted atheists is not a polemical stunt I would recommend to anyone. […]
Sherman’s beef was with Monique Davis, legislator. Not Monique Davis black legislator or black legislators in general.
Sherman refused to apologize for the overbroad remark about “negroes,” both to myself and Zorn.
* 4:13 pm - Jim Oberweis has promised to run a positive campaign just about every time he’s run for office, and every time he ends up going negative and looking goofy, so take this AP story with a large grain of salt…
[Oberweis] says he’s looking to refocus his campaign to be as appealing to voters as his family dairy’s sweets are to the dessert set.
A tough campaigner, Oberweis this week used words like “positive campaign” and “respectful discussion” to describe what voters will see from him between now and November.
Voters also will see different TV ads, possibly some featuring his family.
It would be a pleasant change if he finally learns from all his past failures. I figure he’ll probably start off positive, but I just don’t think it will last.