The Latest: House panel advances school-funding change
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) - The Latest on legislative action in Springfield as the General Assembly's session closes out (all times local):
10:10 p.m.
A House panel has endorsed revising the method for financing Illinois public schools.
An education appropriations committee voted 13-7 Tuesday to advance Homewood Democratic Rep. William Davis' proposal to the floor for Wednesday's final scheduled day of the spring legislative session.
The legislation gives school districts no less money than they received this year. A revised formula then puts more money into districts with the greatest levels of poverty, special needs students and more.
Illinois has the nation's widest spending gap between low- and high-income school districts.
Davis added provisions to the measure to allow poorer districts with high property taxes to substitute newly arrived state funds. Another change ensures new state money goes to the neediest districts regardless of whether the state fails to meet its obligated spending.
Republicans questioned the cost of implementing the changes.
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The bill is SB1 .
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8:55 p.m.
A House panel has advanced a $37.3 billion Senate-backed spending plan that is funded by a $5.4 billion tax increase.
The committee approved the proposal late Tuesday with no discussion. The measure heads to the House floor on Wednesday, which is the last day of the legislative session and lawmakers' budget deadline.
The Democrat-controlled Legislature and Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner have been deadlocked on a spending plan for two years.
Last week, Senate President John Cullerton said Democrats had little choice but to approve their own spending plan after a compromise package with Republicans failed. No Republicans voted for the plan.
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The bill is SB6.
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8:20 p.m.
Fewer than 30 hours before their constitutional deadline, both houses of the Illinois General Assembly have adjourned for the night without a budget deal.
The House and Senate each concluded a full day of floor action Tuesday. The Senate approved a two-year local property tax freeze and the House OK'd an increase in the minimum wage to $15 over five years.
The House was meeting in committees Tuesday night to discuss more legislation. But there were no votes on a budget that the state has been without for two years.
If there's no deal by Thursday, action will require a three-fifths majority in both houses.
The full House adjourned until 10 a.m. Wednesday. The Senate returns at 11 a.m.
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5:45 p.m.
The Illinois House has approved a plan aimed at initiating the sale of a downtown Chicago building housing about 2,200 state employees.
The Democrat-majority House voted 67-48 in favor Tuesday of a proposal to advance the sale of the James R. Thompson Center.
House Speaker Michael Madigan says in a statement that the plan moves the state closer to a sale and shows a willingness to work with the Republican governor.
Gov. Bruce Rauner has pushed for the sale of the 16-story Helmut Jahn-designed building, saying there's roughly $326 million in deferred maintenance as a waste of taxpayer money. Republicans have introduced their own plan for the sale.
However, a Rauner spokeswoman says Tuesday's plan doesn't go far enough. The administration is requesting changes including trying to end a long-term lease with retail tenants.
Madigan says Rauner should now focus on resolving the budget impasse.
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The bill is SB886.
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4:30 p.m.
A spokeswoman says Gov. Bruce Rauner will sign a plan to automatically register qualified Illinois voters.
State lawmakers have already approved the proposal. It calls for registering individuals automatically when they visit one of several state agencies unless they opt out.
Rauner vetoed a different version of the plan over concerns that it didn't do enough to prevent voter fraud.
Rauner spokeswoman Eleni Demertzis thanked bill sponsors and stakeholders in Tuesday statement saying the "sanctity" of the election process must be protected.
Roughly half a dozen other states, including Oregon and West Virginia, already automatically register voters.
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3:35 p.m.
Protesters pushing for plans to close so-called corporate tax loopholes and tax the wealthy at higher rates have disrupted proceedings at the state Capitol.
Roughly a dozen chanting protesters were removed from the House gallery as lawmakers were in session. Illinois Secretary of State spokesman Henry Haupt says no arrests were made.
Some protesters were seen being dragged out of the gallery by security staff.
The protesters are part of a coalition called Fair Economy Illinois. Some members marched from Chicago to Springfield for the final days of the legislative session to urge lawmakers to pass a budget that helps working people.
Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner and the Democrat-controlled Legislature have been deadlocked on a spending plan for two years.
Roughly two dozen protesters are also are sitting outside of Rauner's Capitol office.
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2:20 p.m.
The Illinois House has approved a proposal that would raise the state's minimum wage to $15 an hour over five years.
House lawmakers voted 61 to 53 Tuesday.
Democratic state Rep. Will Guzzardi of Chicago says the plan would help working people make ends meet.
Illinois' minimum wage is $8.25. Under the plan, workers age 18 and over would see the wage jump in increments until 2022. The plan also includes a tax credit for businesses with 50 employees or fewer.
Opponents, including retail groups, say raising the wage hurts businesses.
Republican state Rep. Keith Wheeler of Oswego says the plan will make Illinois more uncompetitive.
It's unclear whether Gov. Bruce Rauner will sign the bill. The Republican has said he'd support a minimum wage increase in conjunction with other regulatory changes.
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The bill is SB81
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2:10 p.m.
The Illinois Senate has approved a two-year property tax freeze.
Democratic Senate President John Cullerton of Chicago pushed two property-tax freezes measures through the Senate Tuesday. One would freeze property tax levies for school districts. But they'd be able to seek a waiver from the Illinois State Board of Education. The other would freeze taxes for other government bodies with exemptions to allow them to pay down debt and make contributions to employees' pensions.
Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner has insisted on a freeze on local property taxes for more than two years. Illinois has among the nation's higher rates.
Rauner has demanded a permanent freeze. Democrats say that would cripple local governments. Cullerton says senators could adopt a new freeze if a two-year freeze works.
The measures move to the House.
Rauner's spokeswoman calls the plan a "phony two-year freeze."
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The bills are SB482 and SB484
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1:10 p.m.
An Illinois House panel has endorsed a plan to make it easier to consolidate local governments.
The Executive Committee on Tuesday approved a proposal that eases the process of merging or dissolving townships or for cities to absorb townships of the same geographical area. Grayslake Democratic state Rep. Sam Yingling's measure also would allow county boards to create townships that are larger than the current limit of 126 square miles.
Brian Costin is deputy chief of staff to Republican Lt. Gov. Evelyn Sanguinetti (san-gwihn-NEH'-tee). She led a task force studying how to reduce Illinois' most-in-the-nation number of local governments. Costin says the legislation should include the ability for voters to act to dissolve or merge governments.
GOP Gov. Bruce Rauner wants government bodies consolidated as part of efforts to streamline government.
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The bill is SB3 .
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4:45 a.m.
Eyes are on the Illinois House as it considers how to handle a $37 billion spending proposal with two days left in the General Assembly's spring session.
The Democratic-controlled House has several options Tuesday. Democrats advanced late Monday a plan to raise income and sales taxes by more than $5 billion to deal with a mountainous deficit.
But party leaders also said they're considering other options. Committee hearings are scheduled to consider legislation that will only have substantive language added to it shortly before public airing.
The state has been without a budget for two years. Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner wants changes to streamline government, boost the business climate and freeze property taxes in exchange for a budget. Democrats say that debate should follow a budget.