Special session could be exercise in futility

SPRINGFIELD - Next week's special session on the state budget is shaping up to be a 48-hour funeral for the governor's budget plans.

Gov. Rod Blagojevich has ordered lawmakers back to Springfield, hoping they'll come up with more money so he doesn't have to cut nearly $2 billion.

On Thursday, Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan, a Chicago Democrat, announced that his chamber would have a full hearing on all the governor's ideas complete with testimony from supporters and critics.

The hearing is expected to stretch from Wednesday afternoon into Thursday.

The lineup includes discussion of state-sponsored construction spending, the governor's call for massive gambling expansion, leasing out the lottery, borrowing billions to refinance pension debt and draining away millions of dollars from special state bank accounts.

The scenario is reminiscent of last year when the governor proposed a massive new business tax, the House spent a full day debating it and the next day overwhelmingly rejected a proposal intended to show whether there was any support for the tax.

The vote against it was 107-0.

Madigan spokesman Steve Brown said a vote next week on the governor's budget plans would be up to the lawmakers sponsoring them, but noted one proposal - leasing out the state lottery - was voted down in committee in May.

A gambling expansion plan then failed on the House floor.

Asked if this hearing is likely to produce a similar outcome, Brown replied, "I don't do predictions."

A spokeswoman for Blagojevich said the governor is hopeful the House hearings will be a "sincere effort" to balance the budget.

Asked if the governor thought that would really happen, spokeswoman Katie Ridgway said, "We're hopeful that it will."

Suburban lawmakers question the value of the session.

"Certainly, I will lumber back to Springfield at the request of the governor. Unfortunately, the governor must call both chambers into session even though it is only the House of Representatives where the problem lies," said state Sen. Kirk Dillard, a Hinsdale Republican.

State Rep. Randy Ramey, a Carol Stream Republican, said he's not optimistic about next week's special session and doesn't intend on voting for the governor's funding plans.

"Once again a summer of futility," said Ramey, "like we had last year."