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Illinois House Session Cancelled; Negotiations Continue to End Budget Impasse House Speaker Michael Madigan cancelled the second of four scheduled Wednesday session days last week. Lawmakers would have met on June 15 to enable public discussion and debate on these issues, but as a result of the cancellation no meeting took place. The cancellation was criticized by Republicans, who want all sides to work together to end the current impasse. Comptroller Munger Adds Voice to Calls for Balanced Budget Action The numbers tracked by Munger serve as a reminder that the Illinois General Assembly’s Democratic majorities failed to pass a constitutional balanced budget in spring 2015 for FY16, which began on July 1, 2015. This lack of a budget and of budgetary spending controls has choked off much of the cash that shou8ld be flowing to those who have provided valuable services to Illinois residents, while other areas of Illinois spending proceed unhindered because of court orders, consent decrees, and continuing appropriations. Sandack Honored as Legislator of the Year by Illinois State Crime Commission School Districts Begin to Plan for Truncated 2016-17 School Year School district spokespersons are telling the press that they are making plans for emergency budgets that will not include State school aid. Most school districts are dependent on both property tax revenue and State school aid, and will suffer if deprived of either source of funding. For example, the Monmouth-Roseville school board in west central Illinois is making preliminary plans to shut down operations and lay off teachers/other educational personnel after one semester of the 2016-17 school year. The plans include a proposal to hold an early graduation ceremony for the high school seniors of the district. Rep. Anthony Resigns to Take Position with Department of Corrections Anthony, a former sheriff’s deputy, specialized in questions of criminal law and law enforcement in the House. Republican Leader Jim Durkin praised Rep. Anthony’s work in the General Assembly. “A former law enforcement officer, John quickly became a go-to guy on issues related to criminal justice and corrections. His expertise and insight on these matters will be missed,” Leader Durkin said. During his time in the Illinois House, Anthony was the lead Republican co-sponsor of HB 1, the bipartisan 2015 measure to reform Illinois laws relating to heroin addiction, other opiate addictions and opiate-related deaths. HB 1 includes provisions to place opiate agonist drugs, such as Naloxone, in the hands of police officers and other first responders. Moody’s Places Illinois Public Universities under Credit-Rating Review Moody’s stated that the schools are vulnerable to the State budget stalemate. The General Assembly’s Democratic majority did not enact a budget bill in May 2016 to provide operating funds for Illinois State universities in the 2016-17 school year. The U of I, ISU and SIU currently have investment-grade credit ratings that are actually better than those enjoyed by the State of Illinois as a whole; their revenue streams are backed up not only by political decisions, but by other monies coming in, such as tuition, student fees, and federal loans and grants. New Skittles Production Line Opens near Chicago William Wrigley credited incentives from the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO) for the decision to site the new production in Illinois. DCEO operates a package of workforce development programs that include job training and employment development for prospective employers in Illinois. Rauner Administration Seeks Expedited Resolution of AFSCME Case Under state labor law, a series of procedures are laid out to follow in the case of an unresolved public-sector labor contract situation, including a recommendation by an administrative law judge. The Rauner administration has taken legal steps to expedite a resolution of the ongoing dispute. These steps included a move to legally bypass the administrative-judge step in the dispute resolution pathway. The Rauner administration has stated that the health-care concessions they are seeking from AFSCME and its members could save taxpayers as much as $35 million to $40 million/month. These savings could be applied immediately to the cash-flow situation currently facing the State. The case is currently before the Illinois Labor Relations Board (ILRB), which could declare that talks are at an impasse. The administration’s move became public on Tuesday, June 14. Mark Your Calendars for Upcoming Community Events in District 81
Please call my Downers Grove office at (630) 737-0504 or visit ronsandack.org to learn more about these and other events that could be added to the schedule. |
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Ron Sandack |
16, this number had passed $7.58 billion. These unpaid bills are owed to providers of healthcare, community social services, essential supplies to residential facilities and prisons, and other involuntary creditors of the State.
State Crime Commission at the group’s annual awards dinner. Honorees are chosen based on recommendations made by board members and a vote by the board. One Republican and one Democrat are chosen each year for the award. This esteemed group does very important work in our communities, and receiving this distinction was an honor and privilege. I have enjoyed working on legislation that helps them achieve their mission of reducing juvenile delinquency and promoting positive interactions between law enforcement and communities. I look forward to continuing my work with this fine group of people.
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