What a busy week! I’ve been telling you for the past few weeks that things really weren’t changing too much around the Statehouse and that was proven once again…

The Senate Majority party passed a massive Medicaid borrowing program that will add $250 million to Illinois’ colossal debt without any plan for repayment. I’ve said for years now, that we can no longer continue to borrow to pay Medicaid…its time to restructure the entire system! Seventy percent of the state’s borrowing has occurred in the last 7 years; its time to get control of our spending and borrowing.

Next week the Governor will be presenting his budget for the next fiscal year. I can hardly wait to hear how he explains Illinois’ massive debt. We are ranked dead last among the 50 states when it comes to being in the “worst debt trouble.” When are we going to learn?? LET’S JUST STOP IT!!

Watch back next week for another update! We are starting to move important legislation.

Remember how I said last week, “the more things change the more they stay the same? “ Well, it’s like that this week also.

This week a piece of legislation came through committee and was voted on in the same day that would change the primary back to the third Tuesday in March, where it had traditionally been for about thirty years.  For the last two years the primary was held on the first Tuesday in February. The same people that were so strongly in favor of moving it were the ones proposing to move it back.  I guess things didn’t workout the way they thought it would.  I think there will be more dickering and moving around with this date; it wouldn’t surprise me if it was changed to April.

It appears that our whole election process was changed to accommodate one individual who is now the President of the United States. It was single purpose legislation!  See, the more things change the more they stay the same.

We’ll be busy moving legislation and voting on bills next week as it is the deadline for bills to be moved out of committees.

  We have just finished our first full week of committee activity. So you might say, “What’s happening Carole?”

The answer: more of the same….that is the atmosphere here in Springfield this week.

Instead of working to create an actual solution to the budget mess, the Majority party is seeking more short term borrowing to fund Medicaid and state universities.  The General Assembly is continuing on the path of borrowing with no repayment plans in place. This will only add to our state’s massive deficit.  The short term borrowing plan doesn’t need to come to the legislature at all. However, the Governor, Comptroller and Treasurer can’t come to an agreement. So now it is up to the legislature to hash it out.