Article Week of March 19th, 2007
The deadline for bills to pass out of committees of the House of Representatives is March 23rd. Last week dozens of bills passed out of committees in anticipation of the upcoming deadline. Next week, dozens of additional bills will filter through the committee process and make it to the House floor. The deadline for the House to pass these measures over to the Senate is April 27th. Eventually, several hundred bills will make it over for Senate action prior to contemplation by the Governor. Of course, at the same time, Senate bills are inching along the same path and the House will soon receive those bills for consideration. It is important that you track legislation that is important to you. That can be done at www.ilga.gov
I want to thank constituents of the 109th District (and beyond) for the hundreds of phone calls, e-mails and letters that I received last week regarding a variety of issues. By far, two issues received the most attention: electric rates and the governor’s budget proposal.
As far as the electric rate increase issue is concerned, I can report steady progress on a couple of fronts. First, a bill that would freeze AMEREN rates retroactively to January 1st for a 6 month period is on third reading in the Senate. A three year freeze measure passed in the House. So, two measures have passed with substantial support in both chambers of the General Assembly. Now, more than ever, it is up to the two majority leaders, Madigan and Jones, to make certain that these bills are called. Then, the Governor must quickly sign the bill that makes it to his desk. AMEREN customers must have relief….NOW!
There is a great deal of information being discovered regarding the reverse auction process as well. The Attorney General is questioning the process and charging that utility companies were part of a price fixing plan related to the reverse auction process. Additionally, Ameren’s claim of impending bankruptcy based on Moody’s downgrading of some of Ameren’s investment ratings is also being questioned. As I stated a couple of weeks ago, AMEREN provided very deceptive information to General Assembly Members during the fall veto session and that is dangerous in Springfield. Last year, two of Ameren’s Illinois Utilities paid $115 million in dividends to their parent companies. The ICC has stated that AMEREN should suspend any dividends before beginning any service cuts and the ICC finally made it clear that they expect AMEREN to “consider reductions in less essential expenditures such as executive compensation and promotional advertising prior to considering cuts in utility service.” Stay tuned, I wil l continue to work to see that this issue is resolved in a manner that ends these ridiculous increases.
As far as the governor’s record budget spending request is concerned,
I can report to you that an overwhelming number of people that contacted me
simply think the proposal is too big, too soon. Seems that while we all would
like to see more money for schools and see all people have access to quality
health care, the price of implementing all of these programs in one fiscal year
is far too aggressive.
People are also questioning the wisdom of raising revenue via the Gross
Receipts Tax (GRT). They easily see this as an increase in costs that will be
passed along to consumers and recognize that this could cause jobs to be lost
in Illinois. Many folks are suggesting an income tax increase instead. I am
interested in your opinions on what you think is the best way to handle the
revenue increase necessary for these programs. Or, perhaps you believe that
living within our current means would be a good idea?
By the way, the governor is obviously very serious about drumming up support for the GRT. He sent out 345,000 letters to small business owners last week attempting to persuade them that the GRT was being “misrepresented”. It seems as though the Governor believes that the increased costs caused by the GRT will not be paid by consumers and that no business will be harmed and no jobs will leave Illinois due to this new tax. The cost of the printing and mailing of the letter in this attempt to convince small business owners that black is white…..are you ready…..only $110,000 taxpayer dollars. I can think of many ways that the money could have been better spent.
A very controversial bill could possibly be voted on next week in the House.
HB115 will require parents to have their sixth grade girls receive the human
papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine as part of their school health examination. Opponents
of this measure argue that this virus is sexually transmitted, not communicable,
like other ailments that we immunize against. There are many other questions
regarding the vaccine and there are no long term studies regarding possible
side effects of the vaccine. The cost of the vaccine is $120 per dose with three
doses required per person.
Under the measure, parents can opt their child out of the requirement as
long as they present a signed statement, by a physician to school officials
stating that the parent had received information about the vaccine and elected
not to have the student receive the vaccine.
Let me know what you think about any of these issues or any issue of importance to you. E-mail me (reddyunit1@aol.com); write to me at Box 125, Hutsonville, IL 62433 or call us at 618-563-4128. You can also keep up with important issues at my web site: www.peopleforeddy.com