The second half of the 95th General Assembly began last week with some real action. The first few days of a new spring legislative session are usually taken up with conversation after a long summer break. The endless stream of special sessions last year and meetings every month meant legislators were ready to act on two important issues: mass transportation and education budget implementation.

Governor Comes up With Yet Another Surprise Priority
As the State of Illinois speeds towards the January 20 Chicago and Regional Transit Authority shutdown date, the General Assembly passed legislation last week which raises $500 million in additional taxes for Cook and the collar counties.

Though the tax increase does not directly affect our area, the legislation calls for approximately $150 million in new state matching funds on top of the $350 to $400 million citizens already contribute to Chicago transportation operations. Our state has many priorities and its time we address some of the state-wide issues rather than always focusing just on Chicago issues.

The governor has already publicly announced he will amend the legislation to allow seniors to ride the mass transit systems for free. The governor for months has been pushing the idea of a mass transportation bail out so there would be more money to keep operating. Without any warning, now he wants to offer a significant portion of riders free services. This is a huge contradiction in policy for the sake of increasing his popularity ratings.

By amending the bill, the Governor is requiring the General Assembly to concur on his changes. So to avoid a doomsday scenario on January 20, the General Assembly will be called back for yet another special session to deal with this never ending issue.

I have been saying for months that we should be focusing more on developing a genuine capital and jobs plan to address all the transportation needs of the state. There are roads and bridges in our area that are in desperate need of repair, rail congestion in Chicago backs up trains to Iowa and just having public transportation in many towns in this area would be a great help.

But the bill that was passed this week only tackles the operational needs of Chicago transportation. The RTA will be back in a few months asking for more money to pay for deteriorating equipment since the CTA/RTA have been using capital funds to keep operating. The only wise solution is a capital plan with a fair funding source.

Schools Will Finally Receive State Aid Funding
Almost 6 months ago, the General Assembly passed a budget that provides approximately $560 million in new education funding for Illinois schools. However, until Thursday, a significant piece of legislation which authorizes the distribution the new money had not been enacted.

The budget implementation (BIMP) bill was passed by the General Assembly in early November, but the governor sat on the legislation for almost 60 days, denying our school districts the state aid funds they depend on to educate students.

On the last day the Governor had to review the bill before it would automatically take effect, he made two technical changes to the bill which required the legislature to vote to concur with the amendments. One of the changes allows schools to receive special education personnel reimbursements quicker. The other was an unrelated technical change increasing funding for the Illinois State Police from the gas tax road fund.

While I am pleased schools will finally be receiving the funding they need, I am very disappointed it has taken until the 7th month of the fiscal year to implement a new budget. The governor’s office has reviewed legislation in a matter of hours before, so there is no reason it should taken him 60 days to review this legislation. His actions have prevented school districts from hiring staff and relieving their over reliance on property taxes to pay for education. I will continue to work with my school districts and with the State Board of Education to see that all area schools receive retroactive funding.

House Votes to Reinstate Film Tax Credit
The House also voted last week to approve House Bill 2482 which is a continuation of the annual Film Tax Credit to encourage film making in Illinois. Since the tax credit was enacted in 2003, it has encouraged filming in Illinois and created $142 million in economic activity.

The Film Tax Credit has helped Illinois win a total of 20 movies and television shows in 2007. These projects provide jobs for Illinois residents and help boost the state economy. It is in our best interest to keep this tax credit available and bring more film projects to the State of Illinois.

During debate on the bill, many of us interjected that there are several other tax credit proposals waiting for legislative action that would also create jobs and add to the state economy. There is no reason for inaction on these bills.

House Approves Monetary Incentives But No Funding For Scholars
The House passed Senate Bill 437 on Thursday which creates a $1,000 monetary award to Illinois State Scholars who rank in the top 10 percent of their class and plan to enroll in a public or private institution of higher learning in the state. The goal of the legislation is to provide encouragement and financial help for Illinois’ top students to attend universities and colleges within the state.

But like the Merit Recognition Scholarship for students who perform in the top 5 percent of their class or who rank in the 95th percentile on the ACT or SAT there was no funding provided. An estimated $14 million would be needed to fund these scholarship programs for 17,000 eligible students.

Legislative Scholarship Applications Now Available
Students planning to attend an Illinois public college or university next year should apply for a General Assembly Scholarship. Senator Brad Burzynski and I offer a total of 16 one-year scholarships covering tuition and some fees which are valued at over $6300. Check out our web sites for the application or call our offices.

Upcoming Events
I hope you will plan to join us for two very important informational meetings in the next month.

February 6 Property Tax Assessment Forum
The meeting which begins at 7 p.m. in the Sycamore High School cafeteria will explain the assessment process, how to make certain your property assessment is fair and how assessments impact your property tax bill.

February 18 Continue Farming In An Urban Area
Those who attend this forum at 7 p.m. in the DeKalb County Farm Bureau Center will hear conclusions of a national study of farming in urban areas and strategies for continuing a viable agriculture as our urban population grows.