Suburban lawmakers vote down partisan lines on stimulus

Suburban congressional lawmakers voted along partisan lines on President Barack Obama's stimulus plan, a measure that will bring billions of federal tax dollars to the state.

House lawmakers supporting the $787 billion plan included Democrats Melissa Bean of Barrington, Bill Foster of Geneva and Debbie Halvorson of Crete.

Those opposing included Republicans Peter Roskam of Wheaton, Mark Kirk of Highland Park, Judy Biggert of Hinsdale and Don Manzullo of the Rockford area.

The stimulus bill, which Obama stumped for in Illinois Thursday as part of a considerable public relations campaign to convince GOP members to back the plan, was approved by the House this afternoon by 246-183.

It still must be approved by the Senate before going to Obama's desk.

Meanwhile, numbers are starting to come out on what those billions of dollars will mean for Illinois.

House analysis obtained by the Daily Herald shows Illinois stands to gain nearly $1 billion in funding for roads and bridges, another $371 million for transit and $96 million for rail.

The state will also land $176 million for clean water initiatives and $248 million for energy saving programs. The package included billions of dollars nationwide for health care and education improvements. And it also included a host of tax cuts.

Obama's immediate tax rebate plan, which is set to slightly lower the amount of federal taxes taken out of current payroll checks, is expected to impact nearly 5 million people in the state. And Pell Grant improvements will help 274,019 Illinois residents afford college.

A House analysis estimates that the economic stimulus measure could create or save 148,000 statewide jobs.

In general, Republican lawmakers avidly opposed the bill because of its considerable price tag. It will be added to the national debt, which is already in the trillions.

Roskam viewed the legislation as a partisan measure full of Democratic wasteful spending. He said the Democrats didn't do enough to include GOP plans even though the measure was constantly revised and Obama met with Republicans several times.

"(House) Speaker Nancy Pelosi's refusal to consider bipartisan input further jeopardizes our economy and long-term prosperity," Roskam said in a statement after his "No" vote.

But Democrats argued the spending is necessary to pull the economy out of a tailspin and put people to work. They said the national deficit will be worse if nothing is done.

"The tax cuts in this bill are going to impact middle class families - in fact, 95 percent of working Americans will qualify for an immediate tax cut," said Foster. "I campaigned on a platform of middle-class tax cuts, and it feels good to be able to deliver."

Roads to recovery?

Here's a look at some local projects the Illinois Department of Transportation identified as "shovel-ready" construction, which could start in April.

• $7.5 million for Kennedy Expressway work in Chicago

• $7.7 million for improvements to I-90/I-94 between Hubbard's Cave and the Eisenhower

• $2.9 million for resurfacing in Des Plaines along Mannheim Road

• $3.35 million for resurfacing on Oakton Street in Park Ridge, Niles, Morton Grove and Des Plaines

• $1.1 million for resurfacing on Des Plaines River Road in Des Plaines

• $1.7 million for resurfacing on Higgins Road in Schaumburg and Hoffman Estates

• $1.8 million for resurfacing on Rand Road and Northwest Highway in Des Plaines and Park Ridge

• $4.35 million for resurfacing on Touhy Avenue in Niles, Park Ridge, Des Plaines, Rosemont and Chicago,

• $1.8 million for resurfacing

• $12 million for patching throughout Cook County

• $3.3 million for resurfacing on Ogden Avenue in Downers Grove and Westmont

• $470,000 for bridge work on Roosevelt Road and Kress Creek in West Chicago

• $775,000 for resurfacing on Route 53 in Lombard

• $1.3 million for bridge work at Route 59 in West Chicago

• $2 million for patching in DuPage County

• $1.4 million for resurfacing on portions of Routes 30, 47 and 56 in Sugar Grove

• About $2 million for resurfacing on Route 25 in East Dundee and Elgin

• $640,000 for bridge work on Route 72 in Gilberts

• $2 million for patching in Kane County

• $5.4 million for construction and engineering work on Route 22 and Milwaukee Avenue in Lincolnshire

• About $3 million for resurfacing on Routes 60 and 83 in Round Lake Park

• $20 million for widening and resurfacing work on Route 83, Milwaukee Avenue and Main Street in Antioch and Lake Villa

• $3.2 million for resurfacing on Route 131 in North Chicago and Waukegan

• $4.4 million for resurfacing on Buckley Road and Route 137 in North Chicago

• $1.85 million for resurfacing on Route 60 in Mettawa

• $3 million for patching in Lake County

• $475,000 for resurfacing on Route 12 and Main Street in Richmond

• $915,000 for resurfacing on Route 14 between Bunker Hill Road and Park Lane Drive in McHenry County

• $2.3 million for resurfacing on Route 173 and Kenosha Street in Richmond

• $1.6 million for resurfacing on Route 176 and Crystal Lake Road in Prairie Grove

• $2 million for patching in McHenry County

• $2 million for patching in Will County

Counties eager for funds

County governments also seek funding from the stimulus package. Here's a snapshot of shovel-ready needs.

• Cook County: $581 million for transportation, water and sewer, public works, public safety and environment projects

• DuPage County: $38 million for projects ranging from computer upgrades to jail improvements

• Kane County: $232 million for work that includes the Stearns Road Bridge Corridor

• Lake County: $193 million for infrastructure and roads

• McHenry County: $49 million for resurfacing and rebuilding

<div class="infoBox"> <h1>More Coverage</h1> <div class="infoBoxContent"> <div class="infoArea"> <h2>Stories</h2> <ul class="links"> <li><a href="/story/?id=271836&src=110">House passes Obama's economic stimulus bill <span class="date">[02/13/09]</span></a></li> </ul> </div> </div> </div>