Article Week of February 23rd, 2009

The state capitol promises to be full of activity this week, with a multitude of important bills being shuffled through committees and onto the House floor for consideration. The U.S. Congress passed a stimulus bill recently in hopes of jump starting our struggling economy, but we in state government must still be proactive in finding ways to continue to provide critical services in a financially responsible manner. I myself will be busy this week presenting several bills concerning revenue and school finance issues before committees.

Last week, very few bills of any importance were debated on the House floor. The only real important legislation that passed was a shell bill that will hold language developed in the Senate which will allow for certain dedicated funds to be used for a match to some federal Medicaid funding that Illinois could receive from a hospital assessment program. The idea is that Illinois must have a match for the federal money. However, with a multi-billion dollar budget deficit, and diminishing cash flow, Illinois finds itself without the money for our share of the match. So, these dedicated funds are once again an attractive target. We are told though that this time the fund sweeps will be repaid with interest and that this is more like a loan than a raid. Once again, the funds to be “borrowed” have not yet been identified. I will be closely monitoring this legislation this week. This is something indeed that we might have to do in order to get a very valuable federal match. However, it must be done correctly and these dedicated finds have to be repaid. We have had enough smoke and mirrors budgeting.

This week, it appears as if there will be at least one attempt to pass legislation that would limit gun owner’s rights. HB48 will likely be called. The legislation deals with private gun sales by individuals. You can look up the text of the legislation at www.ilga.gov I will oppose this legislation and other attempts to limit law abiding citizen’s Second Amendment Rights. I am in favor of crime control for sure and not more attempts at gun control that only stifle innocent citizens.

Although it is still very early in the selection process, I hope we will soon see some movement on the nearly $9 billion in funds which Illinois stands to receive as part of the federal stimulus package. To aid in this effort, Gov. Quinn’s office has set up the “Illinois Recovery” website to share information about the stimulus plan and its implications for our state. You can visit the website at http://recovery.illinois.gov/ to keep updated on information and to suggest deserving projects. I believe it is extremely important to fund the projects with the most potential to create permanent jobs and generate revenue in our communities. I am committed to doing everything I can to secure funds for worthy projects in our district that will accomplish both of these. My office is compiling lists of critical infrastructure projects (roads, bridges, water, wastewater, schools, etc.) in our district. However, the best thing to do at this point, is visit revovery.illinois.gov and follow the links to propose your project.

While the General Assembly attempts to focus on more substantive public policy issues, the saga surrounding Illinois’ junior U.S. Senate seat continues. Sen. Roland Burris acknowledged last week in an affidavit that he had more contact with aides of former Gov. Rod Blagojevich than he had originally claimed under oath to the House Special Investigative Committee on Impeachment. He also admitted that the governor’s brother had asked him for fundraising help. Several of my colleagues on the committee and I gave Sen. Burris ample opportunities to fully disclose these contacts and he was less than forthcoming. While I do not know if Sen. Burris’ statements legally amount to perjury, I have stated very publicly that I believe he was intentionally untruthful to the committee and should step down immediately. Letting the people of Illinois decide their next U.S. Senator through a special election is an important first step in ending the distractions, resolving this debacle and cleaning up our government.

As always, you20can track legislation and follow the action on the General Assembly website – www.ilga.gov – and contact me to let me know your opinions on important public policy issues. I encourage you to call any of my offices at 217-558-1040 or 618-563-4128 or 217-932-9082. I also respond frequently to e-mail, where you can reach me at reddyunit1@aol.com If you prefer to send mail, you may do so to Box 125, Hutsonville, IL 62433 or 222-N Stratton Office Building, Springfield, IL 62706. My website - www.peopleforeddy.com - is also updated frequently with important news and constituent information. You can help me to be an effective legislator by staying informed on the issues affecting our district and state, and contacting me with your thoughts.