NW IL Lawmakers Respond to Gov. Quinn’s ‘State of the State’ Address

By Tom Kocal | Prairie Advocate News

In the days before Governor Pat Quinn was set to take the podium and present the citizens of Illinois with his State of the State message on Wednesday, February 1, it was apparent that citizens and lawmakers alike wanted more than just talk about jobs, economic growth, and the budget deficit.

Annie Thompson, a spokeswoman for the governor, said the day before the address, that “Gov. Quinn will lay out an ambitious agenda for creating jobs and paving the way to long-term economic growth.”

Even fellow Democrats expressed concern about Illinois’ poor image regarding job creation.

“One of the issues we have, as a state, is that we’re not considered to be too business friendly,” said state Rep. Jerry Costello, D-Smithton, in an interview with Illinois Statehouse News earlier in the week. “That’s an image that we have to change.”

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Costello, who represents an area that stretches from Metro East St. Louis to Pinckneyville, was quick to caution that if Quinn wants to create jobs, those jobs must come from the private sector.

“The government cannot support employment for all,” Costello said.

Todd Maisch, vice president for government relations at the Illinois Chamber of Commerce, which promotes the interests of businesses in the state, agreed.

“We have to give the governor credit. He is willing to engage CEO’s. But we want to see him get outside of his comfort zone and engage employers on many levels,” Maisch said. He also wants to hear “concrete plans” from Quinn.

Did Gov. Quinn meet their expectations? What is the verdict on his message?

Sacia: Absolute fantasy-land

Immediately after the Governor’s speech, Rep. Jim Sacia (R-89, Pecatonica), who represents the Northwestern Illinois counties of Jo Daviess and Stephenson, the majority of Carroll, and parts of Winnebago, Whiteside and Ogle, expressed his concern with the governor’s lack of attention to detail.

“The outcome is exactly what I thought it would be,” Sacia said. It was a great cheerleading speech with little substance, if any. My constituents know that I have the greatest respect for Gov. Quinn . . . but everyone in the nation knows Illinois is at the very bottom of almost everything that has to do with job creation, and opportunities for work . . . the governor made it sound like I was in a different state today.

“What’s most puzzling to me is that just three days ago, the Civic Federation, a highly respected organization, said that in the next five years, Illinois is going to grow its deficit from $9 billion to nearly $35 billion, which is more than the state’s anticipated income . . . he didn’t even address that.” Sacia added that he hoped Quinn would discuss this in his upcoming budget address.

“What has to happen is all 177 legislators, along with the Governor, have to get on the same page of music. Sure, we’re going to have differences, but we proved in this very chamber, less than a year ago, that members of the Illinois House, Democrats and Republicans together, could sit around the table – we did this in our appropriation committees – and we passed a balanced budget for the first time since 1992, according to Speaker Madigan. That’s huge.”

Sacia believes there is a way to accomplish a more fiscally responsible approach to Illinois’ problems, but it must be an honest, realistic approach.

“Now let’s do that again, only let’s get the Senate on board, and the Governor on Board, and spend no more than we have available. The Governor talked this morning about these major incentives that he’s going to provide money for – Where is this money coming from, when we can’t pay our bills?

“It is absolutely fantasy-land, and Governor Quinn, you know it.

Why do we try to give the citizens of Illinois some false sense of reality that simply does not exist?”

Morthland: Failed leadership

Representative Rich Morthland (R-71, Cordova), whose district snakes northward into Savanna and Thomson in Carroll County, then south into parts of Whiteside, Henry and Rock Island counties, voiced similar dissatisfaction with Quinn’s message.

“Last year, in the waning moments of the 96th General Assembly, Democrats imposed the largest tax increase on families and employers in State history. Since then, we’ve lost thousands of jobs and we’re left worse off than we were before.

“It was my hope that today Governor Quinn would show leadership by finding ways to improve our business climate or offer real solutions to Illinois’ job drain. Instead, he defended a track record of failed leadership with trite platitudes about our economic condition.

“The reality is that 46 States saw unemployment decrease, while Illinois saw unemployment increase. Illinois is home to the hardest working people in the Midwest. They deserve a government that works for them.”

Jacobs: Must move Illinois forward

State Senator Mike Jacobs (D-36, Moline), expressed his views from the Democratic side of the senate aisle in a video interview with The Prairie Advocate News on Thursday, Feb. 2, in the senator’s Moline office upon his return from Springfield (See the exclusive interview above).

Jacobs, too, is concerned that the proposals laid out in the Governor’s State of the State Address do not go far enough to get Illinois out of debt.

“Today, the Governor proposed aiding working families by increasing the current child tax credit, which I agree is needed, however I don’t think that is enough.” stated Senator Jacobs. “I also believe the returning hero’s tax credit is owed to our brave men and women for protecting our freedom and putting their lives on the line every day.

“Everyone supports veterans, and kids, and education. But the problem is, how do we pay for that support?” Jacobs said.

The Governor also reiterated the need to create more jobs to bolster the state’s economy through the “21st Century Schools” program which will increase construction jobs throughout the state. Senator Jacobs added that the Western Illinois University – Quad Cities Riverfront Campus Building Two is a priority in the Governor’s plan. This facility is helping to keep a skilled technologically advanced workforce in Illinois.

“All of these programs the governor wants to enact are great ideas and I support them,” Senator Jacobs stated. “However, these are small initiatives that may help the economy a bit, but will not fix the dire problems we are facing in Illinois including our back-logged bills, pension deficits and the rising costs of Medicaid. I am looking forward to hearing if the Governor has a way to pay for these initiatives in his upcoming budget speech.”

In the video interview available at www.pacc-news.com, Sen. Jacobs addresses Quinn’s jobs plan to upgrade the water systems statewide, as well as the possibility that the mandate to fluoridate the Illinois public water supply could be overturned this year. Jacobs also addresses the “Smart Grid” legislation that he sponsored as Chairman of the Senate Energy Committee, despite the fact that his father, former Sen. Denny Jacobs, was hired as a lobbyist for ComEd.

Bivins: Time to right budget wrongs

“The Governor mentioned some things that are positive, more car manufacturing jobs coming to our state. He said something about further Medicaid reform, which I think is really important,” said Senator Tim Bivins (R-45, Dixon). “Downsizing government is a positive thing. Talking about economic growth is a positive thing. He talked about tax credits and tax cuts, and I support that as a means to help stimulate the economy.

“But he only got half of the equation right. He talked about investment in Illinois. We are proud of our state, and want to invest in it, but the problem is that investment equals more spending. We cannot spend more when we owe $8 billion to vendors,” Senator Bivins said. “The Governor is coming around with talking about tax cuts and growing the economy, but he has got to realize he cannot keep spending more . . . that’s what got us in trouble in the first place.”

The 45th District Senator said he is willing to work with Governor Quinn and Democrat legislative leaders to right Illinois’ budget wrongs. In March 2011, Senate Republicans introduced a “Reality Check” budget proposal that outlines ways to reduce state spending, return the state to solvency, and roll back the 2011 tax hike.

State Senate President John Cullerton, D-Chicago, had a more discreet message for Quinn.

“As [Gov. Quinn] advances new initiatives to create jobs and improve the economy, I look forward to hearing how we can fund these important priorities within a balanced budget,” Cullerton said in a news release.

(Download the full transcript of Gov. Quinn’s message at http://www2.illinois.gov/gov/Documents/STATE%20OF%20THE%20STATE%20-%20FINAL%20TRANSCRIPT.pdf)