News from Senator Peter Roskam Senate Republican Whip
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		315 West Wesley Street	309H State House
		Wheaton, Illinois 60187	Springfield, Illinois 62706
		630-690-4500	217/782-8022
		http://www.peterroskam.com/contact.html
	For Immediate Release
	Date:  Feb. 17, 2006/ls

SENATE WEEK IN REVIEW: Feb. 13– 17, 2006

Springfield, IL A budget plan based on higher spending, deeper debt and pension raids; a Senate Republican ethics reform package to curb state contract abuse, and legislation protecting homeowners by more strictly defining government’s use of eminent domain are among the measures considered by the Illinois Senate during the week of Feb. 13-17, according to State Senator Peter Roskam (R-Wheaton).

Gov. Rod Blagojevich outlined his $55.3 billion budget proposal for Fiscal Year (FY) 2007 to a joint session of the General Assembly on Feb. 15. Senator Roskam questions the integrity of a budget based on pension raids, record-high state debt, a record-high backlog of unpaid bills and another attack on the state’s jobs climate.

The state’s current budget (FY 2006) was balanced by raiding $1.2 billion from pension funding, and the FY 2007 budget will siphon off an additional $1.1 billion.

In the last three years, Blagojevich has borrowed more money than any other governor in the past 20 years, with no plan for repayment. He has increased spending by $2 billion over the last three years, and this year’s budget will increase by an additional $1.4 billion.

Fiscal Year 2006 will end with $1.8 billion in unpaid bills. Medicaid eligibility has been expanded every year of the Blagojevich Administration so that one of every seven Illinoisans is now enrolled in Medicaid.

The Governor also sets his sights on the state’s job climate again, calling for $130 million in news taxes on Illinois employers and threatening thousands of jobs. In his first year, Blagojevich raised 300 taxes and fees, sending jobs across the state line. Illinois is 45th in the nation in job growth since Blagojevich took office, and Illinois’ median household income has fallen $6,000 in recent years.

Senate Republicans think it is time to truly get Illinois’ fiscal house in order by paying bills in a more timely fashion, putting an end to borrowing and beginning to repay the mounting debt. Senator Roskam says the Governor’s spending blueprint is the first step in the budget negotiation process, and he looks forward to working with his fellow lawmakers to realize those goals and craft a fiscal plan that reflects the spending priorities of Illinois taxpayers.

In other business, the Executive Committee unanimously approved legislation Feb. 15 that seeks to curb state contract abuses that have become the hallmark of the Blagojevich Administration. Senate Bill 2847 includes much of the Senate Republican’s 2005 “Responsible Public Contracting” procurement and ethics reform package, which would have prevented some of the Administration’s abuses currently under investigation.

Specifically, the Republican reforms would restrict the Administration’s ability to negotiate and award emergency contracts without going through a competitive bidding process by limiting their use to emergencies affecting “critical” state services and setting a time limit of six months. It would enhance public disclosure of contractors and related businesses, their key executives and lobbyists who might make political campaign contributions; encourage timelier posting of contract awards on the Internet; and require the Governor to post conflict-of-interest waivers online in the Procurement Bulletin in a timely fashion. The legislation also includes pension investment reforms that would ban contingent fees to pension board lobbyists. It will now be sent to the full Senate for consideration.

The Executive Committee also approved legislation setting stricter and more transparent guidelines on the use of eminent domain. Senate Bill 3086 will ensure property owners are fairly reimbursed for relocation and legal expenses. It also changes procedures that determine the fair market value of property and inserts a type of “grandfather clause” that makes the legislation only applicable to action after April 15, 2006. It will now be sent to the full Senate for consideration.

In other action, the Senate passed legislation Feb. 14 that will help citizens seeking employment in Illinois be matched with potential employers with the help of the Illinois Department of Employment Services (IDES). Senate Bill 2449 requires IDES, through its Illinois Skills Match Program, to implement and administer a central clearinghouse for information and opportunities for those seeking employment in Illinois. Senate Bill 2449 now moves to the House of Representatives for further consideration.

Bills passed by Senate committees that will now be considered by the full Senate include:

• Spyware (SB 3036) – Targets hidden “spyware” programs that can secretly invade computers, monitor the user’s activities, and capture confidential records. Prohibits the illegal collection of personally identifiable information, the unauthorized modification of computer settings, interference with the installation or disabling of computer software, and other illicit conduct enabled by hidden spyware programs. Violators would face a civil fine of up to $100,000 for each violation.
   
• Election machines (SB 2340) – Requires vendors to pay for ballots, equipment facilities and temporary workers used in testing.
   
• Health departments (SB 2798) – Allows counties with populations of 180,000 or more to add board members to the County Board of Health.
   
• Public records (SB 2969) – Expands the definition of “public records” to include videotapes.
   
• Traveling salesmen (SB 2986) – Allows counties to regulate peddlers and traveling salespeople to protect consumers from fraudulent business practices.
   
• Survivors benefits (SB 2492) – Allows an eligible child whose parent was a teacher to receive survivor benefits until age 23 (now age 22) if he/she is a full-time student.
   
• Towing (SB 2808) – Requires towing companies to notify the registered owner and lien holder within 10 days of taking possession of the vehicle. The bill seeks to rectify situations in which a car is towed and neither the lien holder nor the owner are notified. As a result the towing costs eventually eclipse the actual worth of the vehicle.
   
• Witness statements (SB 2374) – Protects witness statements by keeping courts from excluding statements in criminal proceedings if the person who made them was murdered by the defendant in order to prevent them from testifying.

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