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Springfield Roundup |
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In the past week,
the Governor has required the General
Assembly to hold two more special
sessions to discuss mass transit and a
capital plan. That brings the total
number of special session to eighteen,
an all time two year high. No issues
were resolved. Below is a recap of
three contentious topics that need
solutions, mass transit, a state capital
plan and the FY 2008 budget.
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Mass Transit Funding
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Special Session 17
Last week the
Governor required the General Assembly
to convene special session seventeen
to discuss funding for the RTA, CTA,
Metra & Pace.
SB 307,
another mass transit funding bill, was
voted down in the house during the
session. The bill only received 57
votes. It was developed
by Republicans and supported by the
Governor. SB 307 was modeled on
HB 4161
and
SB 572. (Read
last week's analysis of that legislation
here).
SB 307 is bad
public policy because its passage would
have created a $385 million hole in the
budget without providing a stable
revenue source to fill the gap.
The bill would have diverted the
revenues collected from the sales tax on
motor fuel in the six county transit
region to the Regional Transit
Authority. Those revenues already go
toward funding other state services.
SB 307 is the
Governor and Republican alternative to
SB 572. SB 572 creates a new revenue
source for transit by raising the sales
tax in the six county transit regions.
SB 572 only received 61 or the 71 votes
it need to pass the house. Several
legislators and the Governor indicated
that they could not support the
legislation because it raised taxes and
did not include provisions for a state
capital bill.
(Read an
analysis of SB 572 here).
Since the
session had been called specifically
for transit there was no discussion
on a capital package.
The governor required the
General Assembly to convene the
eighteenth special session last
Thursday to discuss long-term
funding for the RTA, CTA, Metra
& Pace as well as a capital
plan. Nothing happend during
the session and both chambers
adjourned. The Governor held a
press conference later that day
and stated that if no progress
was made in the leaders meetings
on mass transit and capital, he
will call the General Assembly
into special sessions every day
until Christmas.
Resources:
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Capital Plan & Gaming |
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Progress?
Year after year the state has gone
without a capital plan. In fact, it
has been seven years since the last
one. Whether or not this year is
going to be a reincarnation of the
past still remains to be seen. Thus
far, expansion of gaming seems to be
the only idea to fund a state
capital projects plan. The plan on
the table contains more than $25
billion for state construction
programs, when federal and local
dollars are combined with $13
billion in state funds.
The problem is that no one can
agree on exactly how to expand
slots and casinos, whether or
not some of the revenues from
the expansions should go toward
funding schools,
how to revamp the Illinois
Gaming Board so that it has
stronger oversight of the
industry and whether or not
transit and gaming should be
linked.
Another
obstacle is transit because many
downstate legislators want
trasit and capital linked. Last
week a transit funding bill died
because many downstate
representatives believed if
they solved Chicago transit, a
statewide capital bill would
never be passed. A transit
funding bill needs downstate
support to pass the General
Assembly so downstate
legislators are leveraging their
power to tie the two together.
Making
the situation even more
complicated is that a lack
of trust in Springfield has
left many legislators to
worry that funding will be
withheld for capital
projects in their district.
House and senate Leaders
met with the Governor
again on Monday to
discuss the capital
plan. House Republican
leaders said "progress
was made."
When this is settled is
anyone's guess. One thing
is certain; Illinois cannot
go another year with a
capital plan.
Read testimony
given in May 2005 by
economist Dr. Victor
Matheson to the Illinois
General Assembly on the
fiscal impact of
riverboat gaming. Dr.
Matheson claims, among
others things, that
gaming would generate
far less money than
current speculations
suggest and there are
important social costs
to consider when
reviewing a gaming
expansion proposal (such
as increased crime and
pathological gambling
disorders).
Read
the latest
Illinois Gaming Board Annual
Report, 2006.
Commission on Government
Forecasting and
Accountability report on
gaming revenues,
Wagering in Illinois: 2007
Update.
Commission on Government
Forecasting and
Accountability report,
Discussion on Riverboat
Gambling in Illinois
(2005)
- complete with state by
state comparisons.
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FY 2008 Budget |
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STILL Waiting on Governor to
Sign BIMP
SB 783 House Amendment 5
or the The Budget Implementation
Bill "BIMP" was passed by the
General Assembly over a month ago on
November 2nd. However, the Governor
has yet to sign the bill into law.
That means schools, health care and
human services are still waiting for
their FY 2008 budget appropriation
and in some cases, have lost funding
for the year.
While local school districts can
receive
their increased FY 2008 payments
retroactively, many human service
providers rely on Medicaid funding,
which can only be paid
prospectively. That means programs
like those that serve seniors and
the developmentally disabled lose
funding every day the
Governor waits to sign the BIMP
legislation.
The Governor received the BIMP bill on
Nov. 5 and has 60 days to act on the
bill or it automatically becomes law.
His office state's that the Governor is
still reviewing the legislation and that
"there could be a way to actually put
more money into education."
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Property Taxes |
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New Issue Brief on the Property
Tax
The property tax is the largest single
revenue source in Illinois, even though
Illinois does not have a state property
tax. The property tax is purely a local
tax, imposed and administered by local
governments (counties, townships,
municipalities, school districts,
special districts, etc.). It is imposed
on the value of real property (land,
buildings, and permanent fixtures).
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Statewide, about $20 billion is
collected in property taxes.
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Over 61 percent of all property
taxes goes to fund schools in
Illinois.
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Illinois relies more on the property
tax to fund schools than 48 other
states. Only Nevada relies more on
the property tax to fund schools.
Read more in the new
CTBA Issue Brief:
Property Taxes in
Illinois.
For more information about taxes in
Illinois visit:
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State of Working Illinois Policy Forum |
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Free Forum
Tomorrow
Illinois' ability to remain competitive in
the 21st Century can be
questioned. Low wage jobs dominate growth.
The service sectors continue to expand
rapidly, replacing high wage jobs with low
wage ones, even as the tide of job loses in
manufacturing has stemmed. Real wages are
declining and income inequality is still on
the rise. The 21st Century has
ushered in a complex period for Illinois.
How we prepare our workforce and address our
economic well-being will, in large part,
determine our future.
Northern Illinois University
(NIU) and the Center for Tax and
Budget Accountability (CTBA) are
preparing a comprehensive
analysis of Illinois' long-term
employment trends, with data and
assistance from the Illinois
Department of Employment
Security. This report is one of
the most detailed analyses of
Illinois' economic well-being.
We cordially invite you to join us
for a symposium on the release of
the results of our 2007 analysis. We
have convened national and local
experts to discuss the findings in
the context of national trends, of
what responses Illinois will need to
consider in order to maintain
competitive and how our regions and
communities are impacted.
A brief presentation of the report's
highlights will be given by: Dr.
Paul Kleppner, NIU-OSPR; Ralph
Martire, executive director, Center
for Tax and Budget Accountability;
and Dr. Robert Gleeson, NIU-RDI.
The policy implications of the
report and its findings will be
discussed by an expert panel,
moderated by Cornelia Grumman,
Editorial Board Member for the
Chicago Tribune.
Keynote address by David
Wilhelm.
Mr. Wilhelm was selected by
President Clinton to head the
Democratic National Committee
and previously served as
executive director of Citizens
for Tax Justice. He is now
Founder and President of
Woodland Venture Management,
which aims to foster shared and
sustainable economic growth in
regions of the county that lie
between the coasts.
Panel experts include:
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Prof. Nathan B.
Anderson,
University of Illinois at
Chicago
Tom Balanoff,
President, SEIU Illinois
council
Liana Fox, Economic
Policy Institute
Representative David E.
Miller (D, Dolton)
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State Representative
Donald L. Moffitt (R,
Gilson)
David Thigpen, VP
Policy/Research, Chicago
Urban League
Prof. Norman Walzer,
Illinois Institute for Rural
Affairs
Doug Whitely,
President, IL Chamber of
Commerce
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The State of Working Illinois
report is one of the most
detailed state analyses ever
conducted on the Illinois
economy. The report tracks the
effects of national and global
economic trends on working
families throughout the state
and provides a wealth of
information on jobs, income, and
unemployment for each county in
the state. The report also
identifies industrial sectors
and occupational growth by
sector, employment, education
and income changes in each
region.
With over
400 tables and charts, The State
of Working Illinois is the
comprehensive reference on the
Illinois workforce. Visit the
State of Working Illinois
website
for all of the State of Working
Illinois reports and data.
Special thanks to The Joyce
Foundation and the Woods Fund of
Chicago for their financial support
in this project.
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Financial Literacy |
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Treasurer Giannoulias
Launches New Website
Treasurer
Giannoulias launched a free tool
that all Illinois families can use
to learn more about personal
finance.
The Illinois
Tomorrow's Money Site
provides basic information on
personal finance concepts to help
individuals begin to save and
invest.
Created by The Bond Market
Foundation, the site is an
easy-to-use, highly accessible way
for people to obtain useful advice.
It offers financial calculators for
adults, young people and those who
have suffered an unexpected change
such as the loss of a spouse or job.
The Illinois Tomorrow's Money site
is different from other financial
websites because the information is
research-based and advertising is
prohibited.
"The Bond Market Foundation
created the
Tomorrowsmoney.org
suite of sites to help people
gain the skills and confidence
they need to take control of
their financial future," said
Kathryn Edmundson, executive
director of The Bond Market
Foundation. "We are thrilled to
partner with Treasurer
Giannoulias and his staff to
provide Illinoisans with
practical financial management
tools, information and
motivation."
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Calendar of Events |
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WHAT?
Affordable Housing Month
WHEN?
November 1-30, 2007
WHERE?
Public education events and
activities to be held throughout the
state
Contact:
nate@housingactionil.org
or 312-939-6074 x 201 More info:
www.housingactionil.org.
WHAT?
Release of
the 2007 State of Working
Illinois Report and Policy Forum
WHEN?
Wednesday, December 5, 2007 from
8:30 to 12:30
WHERE?
Union League Club of Chicago,
main Lounge, 65 West Jackson
Blvd, Chicago, IL
INFO:
This
is the second detailed
analysis of workforce and
economic trends produced by
the Center for Governmental
Studies and the Office for
Social Policy Research, both
at Northern Illinois
University and the Center
for Tax and Budget
Accountability. Statewide
data as well as data on
individual regions and
counties will be presented
in the report.
WHAT?
Making the Connection Basic Training
WHEN?
Wednesday, January 23, 2008
WHERE?
Naperville, IL
Presented by the DuPage Federation
on Human Services the session
contains practical information in an
easy to understand format regarding
many programs available to assist
low income persons.
Register Here
WHAT?
Making the Connection: Public
Benefits and Single Adults & Public
Benefits for Youths up to 21
WHEN?
March 5,
2008
WHERE?
Naperville, IL
Presented by the DuPage Federation
on Human Services
Register Here
WHAT?
Making the Connection: Mental Health
and Public Benefits & Understanding
Spenddown
WHEN? March
6, 2008
WHERE?Naperville,
IL
Presented by the DuPage Federation
on Human Services
Register Here
WHAT?
Understanding Appeals & Domestic
Violence and Public Benefits
WHEN?
March
18, 2008
WHERE?Naperville,
IL
Presented by the DuPage Federation
on Human Services
Register Here
WHAT?
Immigrants and Public Benefits &
Putting the Pieces Together
WHEN?
March 19,
2008
WHERE?Naperville,
IL
Presented by the DuPage Federation
on Human Services
Register Here
WHAT?
Making the Connection Basic Training
WHEN?
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
WHERE?
Naperville, IL
Presented by the DuPage Federation
on Human Services the session
contains practical information in an
easy to understand format regarding
many programs available to assist
low income persons.
Register Here
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Do you have something to share in
the Weekly Review?
Please email Chrissy Mancini
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