From State Rep. Jeff Keisher:
It was déjà vu all over again at the Capitol last week, with Illinois Democrats passing more tax hikes in the early morning hours of the final day of the fall veto session.
After months of behind-the-scenes negotiations, House Democrats dropped multiple versions of their mass transit bailout in the waning hours of veto session.
This came after the Senate Democrats had passed their own mass transit bailout bill at the end of the spring session, a bailout funded by extremely unpopular taxes like a delivery tax on packages and food.
The House Democrats’ first version of their bailout bill also contained extremely unpopular tax hikes, including a 7% statewide amusement tax on events and streaming services, a $5 large event ticket surcharge (on top of the 7% amusement tax), and automated speed camera enhancements in safety zones.
The Democrats’ initial tax hike plan was so untenable that even Gov. JB Pritzker immediately threw cold water all over it.
On the final night of veto session, the House Executive Committee held a subject matter hearing on the yet-to-be-filed second version of the Democrats’ Mass Transit Bailout.
My House Republican colleagues pointed out the absurdity of holding a hearing on legislation that hadn’t even been filed, read or analyzed by legislators or legislative staff.
Late on Thursday night, House Democrats finally filed their revised bailout as Floor Amendment 3 to Senate Bill 2111.
After debating the bill well past midnight, Democrats passed SB 2111 on a partisan rollcall vote of 72-32-0. The Senate concurred by a vote of 36-21-0.
The Democrats’ Mass Transit Bailout includes $1.5 billion in tax increases and $1 billion in higher Tollway charges to fix a $200 million transit fiscal cliff.
Deputy Republican Leader Norine Hammond called the Mass Transit Bailout the largest Road Fund raid in Illinois history.
SB 2111 breaks the longstanding transportation funding deal that was a 55/45 Downstate/Chicago split. [Negotiated by State Rep. Bob Churchill around 1990.]
The Mass Transit Bailout sweeps nearly $500 million from Downstate road funding, resulting in an 85/15 Chicago/Downstate split.
Unfortunately, this mass transit bill lacks the operational reorganization and accountability measures necessary to cut out the unnecessary bureaucracy that is causing so much inefficiency and cost overruns in the system.
Instead, it’s a tax increase and a sweep deal that takes away road funding from everywhere outside Cook and the collar counties.
That includes communities I represent in DeKalb County.
It’s another rob Peter to pay Paul scenario that, in the end, we’re going to have to address again next year.
That’s not a good solution.
