* From last summer…
The Illinois Chapter of Americans for Prosperity based in Chicago and Judicial Watch Inc. based in Washington, D.C., filed suit in Sangamon County. They allege that both offices repeatedly denied requests under the Freedom of Information Act to release information about how a lump sum of $1.7 billion was spent in fiscal year 2008. [Emphasis added.]
Today…
Senate President John Cullerton is making peace with a government watchdog group that sued his predecessor to get access to a secret list of legislative earmarks.
Cullerton (D-Chicago) has provided Judicial Watch a list of legislative projects kept by ex-Senate President Emil Jones (D-Chicago) and vowed that any similar grants approved in the upcoming 2009-2010 state budget will be identified individually for public scrutiny.
Under Jones, Senate Democrats had $18.7 million for legislators’ pet projects in the 2007-2008 budget year but fought to keep those projects and their sponsors secret, arguing the records were exempt from the Freedom of Information Act. House Speaker Michael Madigan (D-Chicago) put his members’ projects online at the time.
“There will be no more buckets of money handed out from the caucus for members to kind of distribute as they will,” Cullerton spokeswoman Rikeesha Phelon said. [Emphasis added]
Kudos to Cullerton for settling this suit and barring this practice from here on out. But, unless I’m missing something, it appears the problem may not have been nearly as bad as the plaintiffs suggested. The actual amount was about ten one percent of what was originally alleged.
Also, take a look at the project list. [Fixed link] Most of it is pretty run of the mill stuff.
* Meanwhile, the judges are already calling Springfield about this reform…
The legislation makes the basis for General Assembly and judicial pensions the average of the highest four years of salary out of their final 10 years of state employment. Currently lawmakers’ pensions are based on their final salary.
The change cleared the House without opposition. In the Senate, only Quad-Cities Democrat Mike Jacobs voted against it. It now goes to Gov. Pat Quinn who has supported similar reforms.
You usually only hear from judges at the Statehouse when legislators are debating pay hikes. Now, they have another topic. Pensions.
* Here’s a Statehouse truism: Lobbyists always grumble, whether they’re good government types or just hired guns. They always grumble about their bills…
There is private grumbling among good-government groups that lawmakers are reluctant to act on the most sweeping ethics proposals. But most are maintaining a public display of optimism, even as they work behind the scenes to get whatever deal they still can with the two Chicago Democrats who will ultimately decide what bills move — House Speaker Michael Madigan and Senate President John Cullerton. […]
Already, a number of proposals offered by Quinn’s reform commission have been discarded. Recommendations to limit the amount of time that legislators can serve top leadership roles and to make it easier to allow bills to get a vote have been set aside for now by lawmakers.
The commission’s call to move back the state primary balloting closer to the general election, aimed at lessening the costly role of fundraising, has fallen. Quinn’s push for public recall of elected politicians has been shunted aside by lawmakers, and the commission’s call to overhaul the partisan process of drawing legislative districts won’t get a vote this spring.
No surprise on any of it. The remap reform is the most important thing they could do to shake up the General Assembly, but they love them their maps. They’ll probably never do it on their own. A big reason I wanted a constitutional convention last year was so the idea at least had a chance.
* Related…
* Cook’s veto override bill is dying in House: House sponsor Paul Froehlich (D-Schaumburg) said he has no idea why the bill went nowhere in the House. He’s “still trying to breathe life into it,” he said, and maintains hope that Madigan will release it.
* Committee hearing delayed on Speaker Madigan’s bill to fire state employees: Bob Reed, a spokesman for Gov. Pat Quinn, said administration staff “are in discussion with Speaker Madigan and Senate President (John) Cullerton’s office to ensure the bill is properly focused and also financially and administratively responsible.” He declined further comment.
* Blanket firings would do more harm than good
* PJStar: Fumigation is fine, but state needs true fixes more
* State lawmakers aim at stopping fat end-of-career pension boosts
* $40,000 yearly pension for 19 days in office means this must be Illinois
* McCarthy puts his neck on the block for pension reform
* The heart of pay-to-play: The Illinois Reform Commission recommends a long list of changes to make the process more open, fair and honest. At the top of the list is a smart idea: Install a statewide “czar” dedicated to insulating purchasing officials from political arm-twisting, and ensuring greater consistency, accountability and transparency in the way the state spends its money.