Springfield, Ill. – The results of two statewide polls
focusing on ethics reform and the state’s budget shortfall were released this
week, said State Sen. Pamela Althoff (R-McHenry). Lawmakers are also gearing up
to return to Springfield
for the second half of the Fall Veto Session.
Sen.
Althoff said that the discussion on redistricting reform will continue during a
hearing scheduled for Oct. 28 in the Illinois Statehouse. Lawmakers will resume
consideration of proposals to change Illinois’
redistricting process. The Senate Redistricting Committee has met over the last
few months to discuss redistricting and consider expert testimony on possible
reforms to the current system.
While
experts and lawmakers overwhelmingly agree that reforms are needed, opinions
differ on what those reforms should be. A recent poll released Oct. 19 by the
Paul Simon Public Policy Institute shows that Illinois voters also support changing the
way the state draws legislative boundaries.
Over
70 percent of respondents said that they disapprove of the current system,
compared to 17 percent who favor Illinois’
redistricting process. When asked if they approved of the state’s system of
ending a stalemate over an agreement on a redistricting plan by pulling a
party’s name out of a hat, once again more than 70 percent of those polled
expressed varying degrees of disapproval.
Survey
respondents also favored updating the state’s campaign finance laws, with an
overwhelming number of respondents supporting contribution limits for both
“in-kind” donations, including services and goods, and money. Over 70 percent
of respondents either “favored” or “strongly favored” limits.
Despite
the public’s interest in seeing stronger campaign finance reforms adopted in Illinois, Democrat
legislative leaders have opposed key provisions of the reforms and it is
unknown whether lawmakers will be given the chance to vote on meaningful
campaign finance reform before the Veto Session concludes next week.
Sen.
Althoff said that it is unlikely lawmakers will take steps to address the
state’s serious budget deficit, despite evidence that Illinois’ financial condition will continue
to deteriorate in the coming months. Another statewide poll conducted by the
Paul Simon Public Policy Institute shows that Illinois voters believe the state should be
making big budget cuts; however, many couldn’t point to specific areas to be
reduced.
Only
a small percent, less than 10 percent, believed that a revenue increase will
address Illinois’
budget problems, with approximately 65.5 percent of respondents voicing opposition
to an income tax increase. Survey results show that the voters largely oppose
increasing or expanding the state sales tax, though 27.3 percent thinks that a
combination of cuts to the budget and tax increases will be necessary to bring Illinois out of the red.
However,
despite overwhelming opposition to tax hikes, respondents were largely unable
to identify areas of state waste and inefficiency that they thought could be
axed.
Budget
woes were also the focus of a cost study released this week by the Regional
Transportation Authority (RTA), which showed that Illinois’ controversial Seniors Ride Free
program is financially unsustainable.
The
program has drawn scrutiny since it was introduced by former Gov. Rod
Blagojevich in 2008. Critics of the program said that the program was too
expensive and that income limits should be placed on participants; however,
senior citizens obviously enjoy the program, and proponents say that increasing
senior mobility encourages them to travel and spend money at their destination.
The
study shows that after the program was established, enrollment in the free ride
program increased to 400,000 seniors—up from 142,000 seniors who had been
enrolled in the Reduced Fair Card program that allowed them to ride for 50 percent
off.
Substantial
increases in senior ridership have placed a considerable burden on the RTA’s
operating budget, which is further exacerbated by decreased revenue resulting
from the national recession. As a result, Metra, Pace and CTA are all proposing
fair hikes and serious service reductions because of a huge budget shortfall of
more than $240 million.
The
free rides program has been estimated to cost $49 million annually. The RTA
said that the revenue losses will only increase over time—to more than $1
billion for Pace, Metra and the CTA by 2030—if changes aren’t made.
In
response, the RTA is encouraging lawmakers to limit the benefit, supporting
free rides only for low-income seniors, which includes seniors who make less
than $22,000 a year. All other seniors would continue to ride for half price,
which is required by federal law.
Legislation
has been introduced in the House and the Senate to scale back the program,
though it is uncertain whether the General Assembly will advance either measure
at this time.
Finally,
on Oct. 19, Gov. Pat Quinn signed Senate Bill 1180, which authorized $205
million to the Illinois Student Assistance Commission (ISAC) to finance the
Monetary Assistance Program (MAP). This funding will allow ISAC to award second
semester awards to the 138,000 students who are eligible for MAP and would not
have been given any funding for second semester due to budget cuts.
Although
a revenue stream to finance the grants has not been identified, ISAC has said
that it will continue to award MAP scholarships now that the appropriations
measure has been signed into law. Quinn has promised to find revenue to fund
the program.
S
en.
Althoff noted that the governor has the ability to fully finance the MAP
program using $1.2 billion in discretionary funding allocated to him by
lawmakers.
Springfield, Ill. – The results of two statewide polls
focusing on ethics reform and the state’s budget shortfall were released this
week, said State Sen. Pamela Althoff (R-McHenry). Lawmakers are also gearing up
to return to Springfield
for the second half of the Fall Veto Session.
