David McSweeney
Illinois News Network
An Illinois state representative is criticizing the $36.5 billion budget bill passed by the General Assembly this week for including hundreds of millions of dollars – at least – in earmarks for projects in lawmakers’ home districts.
Rep. David McSweeney said he was particularly curious about an earmark in Sen. Dale Righter’s district. Righter was the only Republican senator to vote Tuesday to approve $5 billion in tax hikes as part of a $36.5 billion budget. Without Righter’s vote in favor, the tax hike bill would have failed.
“He was the deciding vote for [Speaker] Michael Madigan’s massive tax increase,” McSweeney, R-Barrington Hills, said. “And specifically, there’s a very curious line item in the budget.”
McSweeney was referring to an earmark of more than $4.8 million for Eastern Illinois University for remodeling of the HVAC in the Life Science Building and Coleman Hall, upgrading the electrical distribution system, and renovating and expanding the Fine Arts Center.
The spending was included in an amendment that was a late addition to Senate Bill 6, the budget bill that passed Tuesday morning with no vote to spare.
“This is government at its worst,” McSweeney said. “You have an amendment that was added at the last minute. Nobody knows what’s in it. And then Michael Madigan’s favorite senator decides to vote for the tax hike.”
Messages left for Righter at his Springfield office, his district office in Mattoon, as well as his mobile phone were not immediately returned.
The amendment itself is more than 600 pages long and appears to include hundreds of similar projects totaling at least in the hundreds of millions of dollars.
Other earmarks in the legislation include $12.7 million for construction of a new classroom building at the Grayslake campus of the College of Lake County, in Rep. Sam Yingling’s district; $10 million for construction of a city center campus at Joliet Junior College in Rep. Lawrence Walsh’s district; and $15 million for a Chicago Metra station in Rep. Greg Harris’ district. Harris crafted Madigan’s budget in the House.
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McSweeney said Illinois should ban earmarks as U.S. Congress has done. Short of that, he said, state government has to be much more transparent.
“In every single earmark in that bill, there should be a line that explains exactly who proposed that spending and why it’s needed,” he said.
McSweeney said he will file a resolution calling for a full audit of the earmarks, including who asked for each one and whether they’re necessary.
He also called for the 15 Republicans in the Illinois House who voted for Madigan’s tax hike bill to open up about whether there are any earmarks in their districts.
“The Madigan tax hike is filled with pork barrel spending, and we need to find out why,” the suburban lawmaker said. “I’m appalled by all the earmarks in the bill.”
