So much for that new era of cooperation in Springfield

SPRINGFIELD - Like some kind of political twister bent on destruction, lawmakers blew out of the Capitol in the wee Monday morning hours, leaving behind bipartisan bad blood, billions worth of stalled projects and widespread financial uncertainty, including the question of whether a state income tax increase is in the offing.

For a session that began in January with lawmakers joining together and taking the historic vote to oust disgraced Gov. Rod Blagojevich, it ended as it had in so many previous years, with deepening fissures within and across party lines, an unbalanced budget and, at the moment, a list of accomplishments that doesn't begin to measure up with the lofty goals they'd set.

There's no balanced budget, more tax hike votes loom in the weeks ahead and a coveted construction-spending plan is in limbo - as are key ethics reforms.

Unable to agree on tax increases and unwilling to stomach severe cuts, the Illinois House instead pushed through to the governor a budget plan that has enough money only for half the year.

Quinn said "thousands of people" could be laid off next month at various not-for-profit agencies that get state funding to care for the developmentally disabled, provide home care for the elderly and treatment for the addicted.

Quinn told reporters he doesn't consider the plan sent to him to be a real budget. However, he stopped short of saying he'd veto it and risk shutting down all of government in July. He and legislative leaders met Monday, emerging to say they hope they can strike a new deal and bring lawmakers back to the Capitol before then.

"It's a dire situation," Quinn said.

Asked in the aftermath to explain how so much went so wrong this session given that Democrats control all of state government, House Speaker Michael Madigan offered a Zen-like response:

"Democrats are Democrats," the Chicago Democrat said.

Madigan's House shot down a two-year tax hike and never voted on sales and income tax increases Senate Democrats had approved over the weekend, leaving senators griping they'd been hung out to dry politically by Madigan, also the chairman of their party. Those tax plans, combined with federal stimulus money, were supposed to wipe away the lion's share of the two-year, $12 billion deficit.

Meanwhile, the budget stalemate jeopardizes a construction-spending plan filled with road, bridge and school projects lawmakers approved earlier this month and paid for with higher alcohol taxes, vehicle fees and legalized video gambling payouts.

Quinn said he wouldn't sign it until he had a balanced budget and an ethical reform package.

As a result, Winfield Elementary District 34 and a couple dozen other districts find themselves waiting to see what will become of the millions in state construction help promised more than six years ago.

"I don't even know what to say anymore. I'm frustrated once more that Winfield is put on hold while politicians play their games," said superintendent Diane Cody.

Lawmakers did send along a reform package that Quinn endorsed limiting campaign donations and strengthening public records access. But they left out a voter recall provision the governor said was a priority. And good-government groups claim the version Quinn OK'd is watered down and may actually increase political leaders' power.

But taxes remain the central issue in all of this and by no means are taxpayers and their wallets in the clear.

There were only 42 votes for the temporary tax increase in the 118-member Illinois House, all Democrats. Madigan said Quinn had counted on upward of eight Republicans who would support the tax. He said additional Democrats would have voted for the increase but were unwilling to do so if it was going to be a Democrats-only tax increase.

Now, the challenge for Quinn is finding even more votes if he wants his tax increase. Because lawmakers failed to meet the constitution's midnight, May 31 deadline, it'll require 71 rather than 60 votes to approve a tax increase, a budget or just about anything else. In the Illinois House, that means Democrats will need Republican help. There are 70 Democrats and 48 Republicans in the House.

Quinn initially said he thought Republicans would come around and simply wanted to voice their displeasure with the process by voting "no" on taxes.

House Republican leader Tom Cross of Oswego said his members aren't going to consider taxes until significant changes occur in the massively expensive state pension and health-care programs.

"We are not going to rush this, whether it's on Medicaid, whether it's on pensions, whether it's state agencies doing duplicative work," Cross said. "We're going to take some time working on reform in a lot of areas before we have any discussion about revenue."