Lawmakers can't rest after ousting governor
SPRINGFIELD – Illinois lawmakers shed an unprecedented weight from the state's shoulders Thursday by ousting disgraced Gov. Rod Blagojevich.
But their burden remains great.
Legislators must immediately start dealing with the fallout of a worldwide economic crisis and years of deadlock under the Capitol dome: A budget that could fall as much as $3 billion short in meeting expenses, $3.6 billion in unpaid bills, a rising unemployment rate and pressure to raise taxes.
That's to say nothing of the state's wounded reputation, a government in disarray and a system rusted nearly to immobilization since Blagojevich's Dec. 9 arrest on federal corruption charges.
Federal prosecutors accused Blagojevich of trying to trade government action for personal gain, including an effort to sell off his power to appoint a U.S. Senate replacement for President Barack Obama. Those allegations were a focus of the impeachment charges along with several claims of abuse of power, ending with a 59-0 Senate conviction Thursday that removed him from office.
Newly minted Gov. Pat Quinn is no neophyte, spending nearly four decades in public service, including a term as state treasurer. Quinn, a Democrat who served as lieutenant governor during Blagojevich's six-year tenure, was immediately elevated after the Senate vote.
"This is probably the most trying, difficult time in the history of our state," Quinn said shortly after he was sworn in as governor, noting the economic crisis and imploring Democrats and Republicans to work together on a fix.
House Republican Leader Tom Cross of Oswego said Quinn has no luxury of time before taking on the state's problems.
"It's going to be a very short learning curve, but I think Pat Quinn's capable of handling things quickly," Cross said.
In a typical year, the governor by now would have already addressed the General Assembly with a State of the State address, outlining his initiatives for the year, and would be just weeks away from presenting a budget plan for the fiscal year that begins July 1.
None of that happened while every ounce of government energy was focused on impeachment.
"We are in very difficult times," said Sen. Martin Sandoval, a Cicero Democrat. "We need to put people back to work and we need to pay our bills and we're not doing that today."
As of November, the Legislature's budget-forecasting agency estimated an end-of-year deficit of $2.8 billion. Nothing's happened since then to improve that picture, said Jim Muschinske, revenue manager for the Commission on Government Forecasting and Accountability.
Comptroller Dan Hynes reported that the state has $3.6 billion in bills, the oldest of which is 50 business days behind. The state must repay by June 30 a $1.4 billion short-term loan taken in December to help catch up on bills.
The first challenge will be to figure how big the hole is, said House Majority Leader Barbara Flynn Currie, a Chicago Democrat. And she said solutions will depend on how Illinois will benefit from President Barack Obama's economic stimulus package, which Congress could send to his desk next week.
Lawmakers must be careful not to overcompensate for the lost time, said Sen. Gary Dahl, a Granville Republican. He said there are too many proposals to raise taxes floating around — legislators must scrutinize them for their impact. Blagojevich had argued lawmakers wanted to remove him so they could impose a huge tax increase.
"We can recover, but we need to be extremely cautious that we don't try to recover in a week and do too many things too quick," Dahl said. "The problems that we're going to have are many and the effect that it's going to have on the people is pretty severe."
As bad as the budget might be, lawmakers won't ignore ethics reforms. Illinois has lagged behind other states in strict campaign-finance laws, for example. A landmark measure to prohibit contributions from big state contractors took years to negotiate, and it was enacted only after a vote to override Blagojevich's veto.
Rep. Jack Franks, D-Marengo, said he would reintroduce legislation to give voters the right to recall public officials, which failed last spring.
