Ill. Gov. Quinn ends infrastructure standoff, will sign works bill Monday
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. - Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn will sign the state’s long-awaited $29 billion capital works bill into law on Monday, opening up a money spigot for bridge, road and infrastructure improvements across the state and creating thousands of jobs.
Those projects will include partial funding of a new Mississippi River bridge in the Metro East, a new forensics labs in Belleville, and a new community college center in East St. Louis. (Here’s our original story about the passage of the works bill in May.)
Quinn confirmed his plans to sign the bill a little while ago at a press conference in the lobby of the Governor’s Mansion here, after a two-hour-plus closed-door meeting there with downstate lawmakers about the state budget impasse.
That Quinn is going to sign the works bill isn’t a surprise — he’s always favored it. But until today, he was essentially holding the bill hostage, trying to get support for his budget plan from lawmakers who are desperate for the works program and the jobs it will provide.
“It’s long overdue,” said a clearly relieved state Rep. Tom Holbrook, D-Belleville, as he emerged from the Mansion meeting
Quinn’s sudden agreement to sign it appears to be an olive branch to those legisators, who will return to Springfield next week to take another shot at reaching consensus on a budget.
The multi-year works project is a separate thing from the budget, which is the state’s regular annual spending blueprint. This year’s state budget is something like $9 billion in the red, largely because of the national recession. Quinn wants a two-year state hike in the state’s income tax, from the current 3 percent rate to 4.5 percent, to address the crisis. The Legislature has so far refused to give it to him.
The budget shortfall already has prompted the announcement this week of state employee layoffs and deep service cuts, with more likely to come.
The public works program would be funded by state bonds and federal matching funds. The bonds would be serviced by some controversial sources, including revenue from legalizing video gambling in bars around the state, and higher liquor taxes.
I think that some of that money should go to the “state police” department. I would buy each patrolman a new car and paint trees on the side. Then when you drive thru Illinois and see one of them on the side of the highway every hundred yards it would look nicer. I swear driving thru Illinois looks like a “police state”. I mean did I mis something? Did Illinois declare martial law? I know the state is broke but it is getting rediculous over there! I try to avoid that state like the plague now.