The stalemate between Democrats who control the General Assembly and Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner has left Illinois in a state of suspended animation.
Although state troopers are still out patrolling the roads and prison guards are keeping an eye on the inmates, there are some functions of government that are simply not getting done.
Take the governor's budget office, for example.
In January, the governor issued an executive order calling for the budget office to review state personnel contracts to determine if any of them were wasteful or improper.
Figuring that enough time had elapsed for the review to be complete, I recently asked for a copy of the results. The governor's office said it hadn't been done.
I also asked about the purpose of the review. Spokeswoman Catherine Kelly did not respond to multiple inquiries.
My guess is that the review was triggered by stories and investigations, including one by the Better Government Association, about cronies getting lucrative state contracts, as well as retirees going back to work for the state on contract while they were earning a state pension.
There are dozens of these kinds of double-dipping arrangements at numerous agencies under the control of the governor. Many of them appear to have been in place before Rauner took over as chief executive in January.
In all, there are more than 1,500 contract workers spread across various state agencies. The man who earns the most as a contract worker is Essam El-Beik, a Texas-based telecom expert who is a consultant on a state-run broadband Internet service.
In the first half of this year, El-Beik has earned more than $163,000.
Of the top 25 contract earners, seven are former state workers who, on top of receiving their pension checks, also are earning money for their current work.
Two of them, Scott Deubel and Mark Stevens, are former state police employees who now work for the Illinois Gaming Board. Both retirees have been paid more than $70,000 from their contracts this year.
In what came as absolutely no surprise, Kelly hilariously blamed the governor's lack of compliance with his own executive order on the governor's nemesis, House Speaker Michael Madigan, D-Chicago.
"Reviewing the employment contracts in state government is a momentous task, but before it can begin, (the budget office) is working on making sure the current fiscal year has a balanced budget in place," Kelly said.
A NEW WAY? In an unprecedented switch from his usually stealthy mode of operation, Madigan has been holding weekly news briefings.
the inmates, there are some functions of government that are simply not getting done.
Take the governor's budget office, for example.
In January, the governor issued an executive order calling for the budget office to review state personnel contracts to determine if any of them were wasteful or improper.
Figuring that enough time had elapsed for the review to be complete, I recently asked for a copy of the results. The governor's office said it hadn't been done.
I also asked about the purpose of the review. Spokeswoman Catherine Kelly did not respond to multiple inquiries.
My guess is that the review was triggered by stories and investigations, including one by the Better Government Association, about cronies getting lucrative state contracts, as well as retirees going back to work for the state on contract while they were earning a state pension.
There are dozens of these kinds of double-dipping arrangements at numerous agencies under the control of the governor. Many of them appear to have been in place before Rauner took over as chief executive in January.
In all, there are more than 1,500 contract workers spread across various state agencies. The man who earns the most as a contract worker is Essam El-Beik, a Texas-based telecom expert who is a consultant on a state-run broadband Internet service.
In the first half of this year, El-Beik has earned more than $163,000.
Of the top 25 contract earners, seven are former state workers who, on top of receiving their pension checks, also are earning money for their current work.
Two of them, Scott Deubel and Mark Stevens, are former state police employees who now work for the Illinois Gaming Board. Both retirees have been paid more than $70,000 from their contracts this year.
In what came as absolutely no surprise, Kelly hilariously blamed the governor's lack of compliance with his own executive order on the governor's nemesis, House Speaker Michael Madigan, D-Chicago.
"Reviewing the employment contracts in state government is a momentous task, but before it can begin, (the budget office) is working on making sure the current fiscal year has a balanced budget in place," Kelly said.
A NEW WAY? In an unprecedented switch from his usually stealthy mode of operation, Madigan has been holding weekly news briefings.
Last week, he was asked how the never-ending impasse will be resolved if the Democrats who control the legislative branch and Rauner aren't meeting on a more regular basis.
“I don’t necessarily agree with the first part of your remarks, that in the end this will be negotiated between the governor and the leaders. I don’t necessarily agree with that,” Madigan said. “I don’t think you should proceed under any presumptions that are based upon what happened in the past. I don’t necessarily presume that there will be some kind of a deal put together between the governor and the legislative leaders.”
Madigan didn't elaborate on how that might work.
One way of getting a budget in place without Rauner's signature would be for the Democrats to approve a new spending plan and then use their supermajorities to override a veto by the governor.
That scenario, however, would imply that Madigan actually wants the budget impasse to be resolved.
NOT SATISFIED: The Illinois Department of Employment Security reported last week that the state's unemployment rate dropped to 5.9 percent in June. It was the first time the state jobless rate fell below 6 percent since 2008.
It wasn't a cause for celebration in the Rauner camp. Positive economic news doesn't fit with their theme that Illinois is a crappy place to do business and therefore needs drastic, pro-business, anti-union changes to boost the economy.
“As jobs continue to leave Illinois, we need to focus on enacting reforms to reinvigorate our business climate and create greater economic opportunities for all Illinois families,” Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity Director Jim Schultz said
It should be noted that Schultz also is chairman of Rauner's campaign fund.
kurt.erickson@lee.net|(217) 782-4043
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