Budget impasse delaying earmarks
State legislators are familiar with the annual problem of having their member initiative earmarks for the next fiscal year held up.
In past years, earmarks for local projects were held up or denied because of the political machinations of former Gov. Rod Blagojevich and his caustic relationship with the General Assembly.
This year, earmarks are being funded through the capital bill awaiting Gov. Pat Quinn’s signature.
But Quinn won’t sign it unless he gets a budget that saves state services with an income tax increase.
McHenry County legislators who have secured millions of dollars for road and infrastructure improvements are not happy with the delay. State Rep. Mike Tryon, R-Crystal Lake, secured $1.1 million for road and infrastructure work in Crystal Lake, Lakewood, Cary, Fox River Grove, Lake in the Hills, and the three townships in his district.
“I think the way to solve a lot of our budget problems is to create jobs, and the capital bill will create 700,000 jobs,” Tryon said.
The House adjourned May 31 after hastily approving a balanced budget funded at half the levels of the previous budget, rather than with the 50 percent income tax increase Quinn wants to address a deficit pushing $12 billion.
But the General Assembly made the time to dole out almost 1,000 pages of member initiative projects worth $3.1 billion as part of the $29 billion state capital bill, the state’s first in more than a decade.
Quinn said he could not sign the capital plan under the House budget because no investor would be willing to buy the capital bonds with such fiscal uncertainty.
Although county legislators admire Quinn compared with his predecessor, the memories of Blagojevich’s infamous 2007 slashing of earmarks along party lines is fresh in their minds. State Sen. Pam Althoff, R-McHenry, secured $4.3 million for county infrastructure improvements in the new budget, but she warned the recipients not to count on the money until it is in their hands.
Althoff’s earmarks include road money for each county township and the cities of Crystal Lake, Hebron and Woodstock, water improvements for Johnsburg and Marengo, and shoreline stabilization for the Fox Waterway Agency.
“I’m still suffering under all of those past experiences,” Althoff said. “I’m slightly reluctant to make promises to people if those promises won’t be fulfilled.”
Blagojevich in 2007 vetoed the earmarks of all House Democrats and Senate Republicans during a record-breaking overtime session and budget standoff in a quest to fund his health care proposals. Legislators earlier that year soundly rejected Blagojevich’s plan to fund universal health care through a gross receipts tax on businesses. About $1.8 million in earmarks for Franks and Althoff were lost.
Blagojevich, who cut earmarks in 2007 and again in 2008, was impeached and removed from office this year after his Dec. 9 arrest on federal corruption charges. But like in previous years, gubernatorial dissatisfaction over the budget is delaying earmark approval.
Quinn and legislative leaders have been meeting to work out a budget solution that all can agree with. The state’s 2010 fiscal year begins July 1.