Legislative Update, June 1, 2009

In With a Bang, Out With a Whimper!

The legislative session that began with a bang (impeachment) has gone out with a whimper--no tax increases, no civil unions, no medical marijuana, no new casinos. The legislature has been in every day since Memorial Day, with several long days (although every day seems long with the other side looks like they're making progress). When I left the Capitol at 1:30 last night, the Senate had adjourned and the House was about to adjourn. There is a budget in place, but it is only 50% of what the Governor requested--what Illinois actually has available to spend.

The Governor is not happy with the budget, and neither are the 31 Senators and the 40 some House members who voted for a huge tax increase--that did not pass. This morning at 10 AM, the Governor begins his meetings with the four legislative leaders to negotiate some kind of increase in funding (tanslation--tax increase) to be able to have a budget that he (and many legislators) believes will be a better budget to meet the needs of the state.

Civil Unions legislation was not called for a vote, which means that the sponsor recognized that he did not have the votes to move it forward. The so-called "Medical" Marijuana bill did not come up for a vote in the House because the votes were not there for it. A vote was taken on the tax increase which the Senate passed Saturday night, but fell short in the House. The Senate passed a massive gambling expansion bill, giving land based casinos to Chicago, Danville, Lake County, and Rockford. It did not come up for a vote in the House.

The Governor has been able to exert pressure on the legislative leaders to come up with a different budget by holding the Capital Bill and not signing it. Since all the legislative leaders want the Capital bill (even though it is funded to a large degree by video poker machines), they are willing to come to the table and renegotiate the budget. There are a number of items that the Republican leaders now have an opportunity to have, since it will be necessary to have Republican votes on the budget now.

Thank you for all your prayers and your efforts to let the legislators know where you stand on the issues. Pray for the upcoming budget negotiations, since we will have to return to Springfield this summer to pass a new budget. That is always a dangerous time, since the legislative leaders have taken to having a regular session in conjunction with the special session--which means everything is open for a vote again.

Please consider donating to our ministry, either by mail or on the web. During the last month, I have only spent a few days at home, which means the rest of the time has been spent on the road. Thank you for your thoughtful and prayerful consideration. We try to keep you informed of new developments as they happen.

We praise God for the victories we have seen during this spring session, and recognize that without Him we can do nothing!

In His Service,

Rev. Bob