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Tag: deficit reduction
Photo of child's alphabet blocks spelling the world "FAILURE"
In Washington, D.C. … As expected, Congress last week approved the first “minibus” Fiscal Year 2012 appropriations, which included funding for Agriculture, Commerce-Justice-Science and Transportation-HUD. It also included an extension of the Continuing Resolution so that the government can operate until Friday, Dec. 16. Of special interest to NIU is the increase in the National Science...
State Pension & Budget Update
In Springfield … The Illinois General Assembly finished its second week of the scheduled fall veto session Thursday, Nov. 10. However, the House of Representatives has been called back Tuesday, Nov. 29, to deal with some large, outstanding issues. We are uncertain at this time if the Senate also will be called back. Senate Bill 512,...
Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn
In Springfield … The Illinois General Assembly convened for the first week of the fall veto session, which began Oct. 25. It was a tough week for Gov. Pat Quinn, with the General Assembly taking the following actions: Collective bargaining House Speaker Michael Madigan introduced HJR 45, which seeks to involve the General Assembly in...
Photo of small chalkboard with simple math equations
In Washington, D.C. … Last week, the Senate rejected, by a vote of 50-49, President Obama’s jobs bill and the Senate Democrats are now working with the president to disassemble the $447 billion package into smaller bills that will deal with specific elements contained in the jobs bill. The Democrats will try to force the...
In Springfield … Fall Veto Session begins Tuesday, Oct. 25, and we are seeing public statements by various elected officials on items they hope will be addressed during the six days of this session. Gov. Pat Quinn, who used his amendatory veto on House Bill 1353, is hoping that the General Assembly will not override...
In Springfield … An arbitrator today issued a ruling stating that Gov. Pat Quinn’s recent announcement that he intended to close seven state-run facilities and layoff more than 1,900 state workers by the end of the year violates a collective bargaining agreement between the governor and the AFSCME union. This is the same arbitrator who...
Photo of a traffic light on "yellow"
In Washington, D.C. … Activities in Washington over the past week bring to mind a quote from that great sage, Yogi Berra: “It’s déjà vu all over again.” Once again, Congress found itself at a critical juncture to approve a Continuing Resolution (CR) that would allow the federal government to operate Saturday, Oct. 1, the...
Photo of scissors cutting $100 bill
In Washington, D.C. … All eyes in Washington are focused on the activities of the Deficit Reduction Super Committee, which is under a very tight deadline to come up with an additional $1.5 trillion in spending cuts before Thanksgiving or face mandatory reductions in all areas of federal spending. President Obama and House Speaker John...
In Springfield … Gov. Pat Quinn held a press conference Thursday, Sept. 8, to discuss his Fiscal Year 2012 budget management strategy. Quinn contends that the FY2012 budget approved by the General Assembly has a shortfall of approximately $313.5 million in operations and personnel across all state agencies, with the most severe deficiencies at the...