Hastert may push for construction plan

SPRINGFIELD -- Former U.S. House Speaker Dennis Hastert is expected to be tapped today to help round up support for Gov. Rod Blagojevich's statewide construction spending program.

Sources familiar with the announcement told the Daily Herald that Hastert and Southern Illinois University President Glenn Poshard have been asked to head a panel pushing for the construction plan.

Hastert is slated to be at the state Capitol today to address lawmakers. The Plano Republican recently stepped down after being the longest serving Republican U.S. House speaker. Before joining Congress, Hastert was a state lawmaker serving in Springfield.

Poshard, a Southern Illinois Democrat, also served in the U.S. House and had previously been in the Illinois General Assembly. In 1998, he was the Democratic nominee for governor.

The state has not had a new deal on construction spending since 1999, when then-Gov. George Ryan won approval of his Illinois FIRST plan that spent more than $12 billion and was financed on the state level with higher alcohol taxes and vehicle fees.

Blagojevich has proposed selling off a portion of the state lottery as one way to finance construction spending. But lawmakers have rejected the lottery idea before. Gambling expansion has also often been touted as a possible way to pay for school, road and bridge construction.

Both Poshard and Hastert bring reputations for being able to get things done. It remains unclear whether they will be specifically pushing Blagojevich's funding idea or working to solidify support for construction spending, which nearly all lawmakers already say is a top priority.