Budget woes a big hurdle for newest legislators

Although Gov. Rod Blagojevich's legal trouble dominates much of the conversation in the state legislature, it is far from the only challenge facing lawmakers in 2009.

The state plans to borrow $1.4 billion to pay money it owes to schools and hospitals, its list of unfunded capital projects has been growing for years and many suburbs are worried about the impact of Canadian National Railway's purchase of the EJ&E Railroad.

Three area legislators - including two who just won their first terms - recently sat down with the Daily Herald to discuss some of the issues they'll likely face when the legislature's new session begins Jan. 14.

State Sen. Linda Holmes, an Aurora Democrat, was elected in November to a second term representing the 42nd Senate District.

Darlene Senger is a Naperville Republican who will replace retiring state Rep. Joe Dunn in the 96th House District. She had been serving as a city councilman.

Mike Connelly, a Lisle Republican, replaces retiring state Rep. Jim Meyer in the 48th House District. He had been serving on the DuPage County Board.

Here is an edited version of part of that conversation.

Q: What differentiates you from your predecessor?

Senger: I'm working a lot already in the community so people are going to see me a lot more at events and throughout the district.

Connelly: Jim Meyer and I both come from a municipal background. He's a more soft-spoken gentleman. I'm a little more outspoken. I'll vote for my district first, like Jim Meyer, but in a more outspoken way.

Q. What would you like to see included in a capital bill and how would you pay for it?

Holmes: Obviously a capital bill covers road construction, bridge construction, infrastructure needs. I've always said one of the most important aspects of the capital bill is that we need to put people to work.

As to how to fund the capital bill, leasing the lottery is an option. We do need to look into if that's feasible and, if it is feasible, how much money it's going to bring in. Obviously expanding gaming has always been an option.

Senger: Probably the key piece of that bill - is matching funds, (securing) federal money that's out there. There's some significant projects in that matching component we need to really look at. STAR Line is a big piece of it. Metra can't move forward until Illinois proves, number one, that we're serious about transit. That also includes some of the things we need to do here with the capital bill to improve infrastructure for Metra.

After we do that we have to show we're interested in building this line by matching the federal component, which we haven't done.

Holmes: We've already got enough problems because if (Canadian National Railway) comes in and does what they want to do, then it's the municipalities and the state that are going to be responsible for doing the underpasses and the overpasses.

Connelly: Route 59 in Rep. Senger's district is critical. It affects all of Naperville. Plainfield will be larger than Naperville in 2020.

Holmes: Fortunately I was able to get funds through (the Illinois Department of Transportation) to do the work on 59 in Plainfield.

Connelly: The critical component - is the matching fund and there's talk of a $30 billion capital bill. If it has to be scaled back to ensure we get the matching fund and stay on that federal list, that's what has to be done and that's universally supported, I believe, in both caucuses.

Q. Is a capital bill dead as long as Gov. Blagojevich is in office? If not, then you're giving him authorization to spend billions of dollars.

Holmes: The bill can be written in such a way to safeguard and sort of itemize where money is going to be spent so it's not like giving the governor X amount of dollars and giving him free rein with it.

I have a feeling this whole situation is going to finally push us to the point where there is going to be much, much greater transparency to allow people to see what is being done, where money is going.

We already have a change in leadership in the Senate, which I regard as being extremely positive because I think (new Senate President John) Cullerton has the ability to work with the Speaker. (Senate President) Emil Jones and (House Speaker) Mike Madigan never played well together.

Q. Another money issue you'll have to deal with in Springfield is the $2 billion budget deficit, although the state now plans to borrow $1.4 billion to pay what it owes to schools, health-care providers and other vendors. What specific ideas do you have to deal with the state's budget problems?

Connelly: No further programs until we pay our unpaid bills. Even in this unfriendly business environment - we still have natural growth - so before we start spending the natural growth in revenues let's start using that revenue to pay our bills.

Holmes: The state has to run in a sense like a business. We need to either increase revenue or cut spending. I have always been dissatisfied with the governor saying we're going to arbitrarily cut this and this and this. Maybe it is time to sit down with the budget and take a good hard look and say are there places we can make cuts that need to be made. But at the same time we can't be making cuts that are harming those most in need.

There are also other options to increase revenue. I have always been a proponent of making Illinois more business friendly and there are more things we can do to do that.

One of the huge problems a business faces is trying to cover their employees with health insurance. Well why can't - small businesses, which employ most of the country, pull themselves together so they can go in there and get health insurance at the same rate a major corporation can.

Senger: Most likely we're going to look at programs and have to do some cuts, there's no question at all. We need to first fund the core, what the state is all about. I truly believe the legislators need to have more say in the budget.