Tag Archives: Springfield

Illinois income tax increase being discussed in Springfield

May 8, 2017 | Web Team

By John Dempsey, WLS-AM 890 News

(SPRINGFIELD) There is a plan percolating in Springfield to raise Illinois income taxes, as a way to end the Illinois budget standoff that has been going on for over two years. Politico’s Natasha Korecki broke the story that Bloomington Republican State Senator and former Gubernatorial candidate Bill Brady, is proposing a five year temporary income tax freeze, as long as it is coupled with a five year local property tax freeze.

Brady talked about the plan this morning on “The Big John and Ray Show” on WLS.

“This, unlike under Governor Quinn, has a spending cap and job creation,” said Brady, “So with the business reforms, the business buy-in, the job creation, revenues would naturally grow. Expenditures would be capped at today’s level for five years which means as revenues rose they would exceed current levels and be in a position we project where in five years, revenues at the old tax rate would be sufficient to meet the current level of spending and we’d have a balanced budget and have saved people property tax costs over that period of time reining in local government spending.”

During the administration of Governor Pat Quinn, the state income tax was temporarily raised from %3.75 to %5. The rate went back down to %5 in 2015. Brady says he is discussing the plan with his fellow Senators of both parties as a way to end the budget standoff.​ He tells WLS it is easier to justify higher income taxes that it is to justify higher property taxes.

“Income taxes are arguably based on ability to pay, and corporations have the same mentality that if we make money we’re willing to pay our fair share. Help us be competitive so we make money and can pay our fair share but help freeze our property taxes as well.”

John Patterson, a spokesman for State Senate President John Cullerton, tells POLITICO “When Sen. Brady filed his proposals, we welcomed him to the discussions. The idea here is if people have ideas, let’s see if the numbers add up and if we can make them work,” Patterson said Sunday. “This isn’t a Democratic issue or a Republican issue, we’re all trying to work together to find a solution. The original (grand bargain) bills that were filed had Republican bills that were in there.”

Any proposal that emerges from the Senate must be approved by the House, whose leader, Speaker Michael Madigan has been embroiled in a bitter budget feud with Republican Governor Bruce Rauner.

Copyright 2017 WLS-AM News

Back to Work in Springfield Today

Apr 4, 2017 | WLSAM Staff

By Bill Cameron, WLS-AM 890 News

(CHICAGO) The legislature goes back into session today, but once again, don’t get your hopes up for a break-thru on a budget.

Not only is it Groundhog Day again, but there’s doesn’t even seem to be any sense of urgency to stop the bleeding, the $11 million dollar per day jump in state of Illinois financial liability.

Gone are the days when moderate Republicans like the late Congressman Bob Michel argued 20 years ago that compromise is necessary to govern. “It’s the art of the possible and you can’t just have indefinite stalemate,” said Michel.

But that’s exactly what we do have in Springfield right now with no end in sight between now and the 2018 election.

 

© WLS-AM 890

 

Illinois comptroller appeals ruling ordering lawmaker pay

Mar 30, 2017 | WLSAM Staff

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) — The Illinois comptroller has appealed a Cook County judge’s ruling that state lawmakers must be paid on time despite their failure to pass a budget.

Comptroller Susana Mendoza said Wednesday that Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan’s office filed the appeal on her behalf Tuesday. The judge ruled last week in favor of lawmakers who sued Mendoza’s predecessor seeking pay.

Mendoza spokesman Abdon Pallasch says $8.6 million in back pay owed legislators was released late last week.

But the Democrat is appealing because she says bills for services for the state’s “most vulnerable” should be paid before lawmakers.

Unpaid bills of $12.4 billion have piled up because of the budget stalemate.

The judge based the ruling on a 2014 law passed after then-Gov. Pat Quinn withheld paychecks over pension reform.

 

 

Copyright 2017 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

1st woman brigadier general in Illinois guard is retiring

Mar 9, 2017 | WLSAM Staff

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) — The first woman to be promoted to brigadier general in the Illinois National Guard is retiring.

Alicia Tate-Nadeau made history in 2015 when she became the guard’s first woman promoted to brigadier general.

The Delavan native is retiring after 32 years in the military.

Tate-Nadeau joined the Reserve Officer Training Corps at Southwestern Oklahoma State University. She says the school’s dean of women encouraged her.

She served in a variety of military positions around the world.

She was feted at a Camp Lincoln ceremony last week. She says her most difficult task came early in the Iraq War when she served as National Guard public affairs officer. She says it was a “privilege to serve” the families and military members who served.
Copyright 2017 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Rauner extends tax incentive program

Jan 22, 2017 | WLS-AM Staff

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) — Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner has signed a temporary extension of a corporate tax incentive program which has been criticized as expensive and too favorable to large businesses.

The Republican’s action on Friday extends through April the EDGE program — for Economic Development for a Growing Economy.

Rauner supports replacing EDGE with another proposed incentive program which would be less generous.

EDGE provides tax breaks to businesses that create and maintain jobs in Illinois.

Rauner backs a sweetener that gives companies credit for 50 percent of the withholding taxes from jobs created. EDGE gave them 100 percent credit.

Some lawmakers complain that EDGE is too expensive or benefits larger companies over smaller ones.

___

The bill is SB513 .

 

Copyright 2017 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Illinois State Senator Matt Murphy

May 26, 2016 | WLSAM Staff

The more than year-long war between House Speaker Michael Madigan and Gov. Bruce Rauner intensified Wednesday. The speaker passed a no-reforms budget — and Rauner’s office threatened to veto what it called the “phoniest phony budget in recent Illinois history.” The bill — which covers fiscal year 2017 — passed the House 63-53 Wednesday evening. It must now go to the Illinois Senate, where its fate is unclear. Illinois State Senator Matt Murphy joined John Howell to vent on the situation in Springfield.

Bruce Rauner sworn in as Governor of Illinois

Jan 12, 2015 |

(Springfield)  Shortly after noon at Inaugural ceremonies in Springfield, Republican businessman Bruce Rauner took the oath to become Governor of Illinois.  

Speakers compared Rauner to Lincoln and the roman emperor Cincinnatus and he followed with a call for bi-partisan sacrifice to fix Illinois.   Right away he said he’s freezing non-essential spending, reviewing recent state contracts and sending a jobs & economic package to the legislature.

And Rauner vowed to end what he called the corrupt bargain of cronyism, “I will send a clear signal to everyone in our state and from those watching outside our borders that business as usual is over. It stops now! (applause)”

Probably an unfortunate phrase to use because the now-imprisoned Rod Blagojevich said the same thing in an inaugural address, but so many people think it’ll be different this time that even one of the musical numbers played at this inauguration was “Skyfall” from a James Bond movie.  

Bill Cameron, 89 WLS News 

Illinois lawmakers pass legislation for same-day voter registration

Dec 3, 2014 |

(Springfield)  Illinois lawmakers approved an election bill — and the debate got heated.

What the bill does is make permanent the expansion of early voting and same day registration which led to the election of Republican Bruce Rauner as the next governor.

Nonetheless, during angry debate in the Illinois House, Republican State Representative Ed Sullivan of Mundelein blew a gasket opposing it.

“Ladies and gentlemen.  This week has been overwhelming.  Overwhelming, the destruction we have done to the state of Illinois!  What in the world are we thinking about passing a bill on election reform when we certified the ballot three days ago?  We haven’t even seen the results of what happened:  what went right, what went wrong.  It’s called analysis.”

But the house approved the bill 71-44.   

Bill Cameron, 89 WLS News 

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