Lawmaker warns construction funds are in danger

SPRINGFIELD -- With time running short at the Capitol for a budget deal, one suburban lawmaker said talk of billions of dollars worth of state-sponsored construction may be headed to the political backburner.

State Rep. Fred Crespo, a Hoffman Estates Democrat, said he and other House Democrats do not plan to vote on a construction plan until a state budget is agreed upon -- and only then if there's an iron-clad guarantee on how the projects will be divvied up.

"So I know my district is going to be well taken care of," Crespo said. "And I think pretty much all the representatives pretty much are saying the same thing."

Crespo's comments come as lawmakers face a May 31 deadline to get a budget approved. Democrats control the Capitol power structure, but on June 1, the Democratic-controlled House would need Republican votes to strike a budget deal.

A construction deal, however, involves increasing the state's debt and therefore will require Republican votes if and when it's ever approved.

But the possible shift in priorities comes as Gov. Rod Blagojevich is putting even more personal political stock in the long-stalled construction deal.

This week the governor unveiled a $150 million anti-violence plan that comes on the heels of a rash of deadly gun violence in Chicago. When asked how he'd pay for it, the governor pointed to the construction-spending program.

The governor proposed selling off the future rights to collect Illinois Lottery ticket sales for billions up front as the way to finance nearly $25 billion in construction. But that idea has been rejected previously and lawmakers say trust issues continue to plague Capitol relations. Icy relationships among legislative leadership on both sides of the aisle and the governor have mired nearly every issue in political gridlock.

"Even before we can continue talking about (construction) bills or anything else, the fundamental question is we need a mechanism in place to ensure that the governor is going to do and spend the money the way he is supposed to," Crespo said.

A spokesman for House Speaker Michael Madigan, a Chicago Democrat, said the trust issue has become more of an issue than potentially raising taxes.

"I think people are going to say, 'Well, we don't disagree there's a need for capital (construction), but we have this major stumbling block, which is not so much about a fear of raising taxes or a fear of backlash from expanding gambling. It's a severe distrust of the administration based on a great deal of historical evidence," said Steve Brown, Madigan's spokesman.

He added that "the key question is what, if anything, are Republicans willing to support, and at what terms, and as soon as they're candid about that, then maybe something can move forward."

Michael Tryon, a Crystal Lake Republican, said he doesn't believe he will see a construction deal anytime soon. He suggested lawmakers missed a golden opportunity by not demanding a statewide construction plan be linked to the recent mass transit bailout.

"There was a lot of energy behind a capital bill when we tried to tie capital to the CTA solution. And when that got separated, I think the Chicago Democrats decided there wasn't a grave need for capital," Tryon said.

Suzanne Bassi, a Rolling Meadows Republican, said she believes the House has enough votes to pass a capital bill but leaders in the House and Senate have not come to an agreement. Bassi said she hopes both Republican and Democratic leaders come to an agreement soon.

"We have bridges in worse shape in Illinois than the one that caved in in Minnesota," Bassi said. "So not to be addressing that is absolutely criminal."