Illinois Senate Votes to Expand Health Care, Add Spending

April 8, 2008

The Illinois Senate voted last week to expand Gov. Rod Blagojevich’s health care program, add money to the budget to pay for it and close an expected budget gap.

The Democratic-controlled chamber closed out its week in Springfield with three highly partisan votes.

One would make 147,000 more people eligible for state-subsidized health insurance coverage under Blagojevich’s FamilyCare program.

Another would sweep $530 million in what lawmakers consider excess in special funds throughout the state budget.

To make it more palatable to a sometimes-adversarial House, the Senate voted to add $130 million in new programs, including $50 million for House members’ pet projects that Blagojevich cut last fall to save money.

The Democrats’ budget negotiator, Sen. Donne Trotter of Chicago, argued that recent estimates put the budget deficit for the year that begins July 1 at $400 million. So with $130 million in new programs, a $530 million fund sweep will cover it.

The funds often are subsidized with consumer surcharges to pay for specific needs, such as disposing of tires or cleaning up leaking underground storage tanks.

“We have many small piggy banks and the sky is falling,” Trotter said. “It would be irresponsible of us not to use these piggy banks, these reserves, when the sky is falling and we have tremendous needs in the state of Illinois.”

Blagojevich is happy the Senate took his suggestion on fund sweeps to find new revenue and can live with new spending if there’s money to pay for it, a spokeswoman said.

His FamilyCare program would reach 147,000 more people and would cost $40 million this year. Other new spending includes $10 million for breast and cervical cancer programs and $15 million for his children’s health care program.

But Republicans criticized the moves, saying the state is in a budget crisis and can’t pay its existing bills.

“You are setting us up for an inevitable tax increase and you will wear the collar for that,” said Sen. Christine Radogno of Lemont, the GOP budget spokeswoman. “You can’t tax and spend your way to prosperity.”

A legislative rules-making body rebuffed Blagojevich’s attempts to expand FamilyCare last year. He then tried to move ahead on his own, but Secretary of State Jesse White refused to acknowledge the program without approved rules, so Blagojevich filed a lawsuit against White last week.

Topics Illinois

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