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POLITICS
Edgar proposes a 'New Age" by Charles N.Wheeler III
This archaic notion has no place in modern biology, of course. But might an analogous process yield fruit in the public policy arena? Gov. Jim Edgar seems to be hoping so, one might conclude from his low-key, hands-off approach to school finance and highway funding reflected in the $34.6 billion budget he proposed for the fiscal year starting July 1. To be sure, the governor's FY 1998 budget plan contains much about which Illinoisans are likely to be pleased. Consider, for example: • Plans for a new, $95 million maximum security prison, along with funding for 2,200 beds at existing facilities and 500 beds at the Tamms "super max" prison set to open in late 1997. • A $70 million boost — to $350 million — to pay child care costs for mothers leaving the welfare rolls for jobs. The increase will serve some 20,000 additional children, although advocacy groups contend another $40 million may be needed to cover eligible women. • A second year in which Medicaid providers can expect to be paid on a current basis, after a $1.2 billion backlog of old bills was erased in 1996. Yet two of the most important challenges the state faces — providing an adequate education for all public school children in Illinois and maintaining the state's existing transportation network — are largely fiscal problems, and the governor's plan calls only for status quo funding in both areas. For elementary and secondary education, for example, Edgar proposed a $230 million increase, but only about $111 million would be available to help close the gap between well-to-do school districts and their financially strapped brethren. While it's a lot of money, $100 million won't go far when huge numbers of youngsters go to school in districts that can't afford to provide an adequate education — 700,000 last year, according to the school finance commission headed by former University of Illinois President Stanley Ikenberry. In his budget address to the legislature, Edgar acknowledged that higher outlays are required to meet these needs. His education request only maintains a system that is "fundamentally unfair," the governor told lawmakers. At least another $1 billion is needed to even out per-pupil funding among school districts and to provide meaningful property tax relief for hard-pressed homeowners, he said. Similarly, the $1 billion Edgar recommended for the FY 1998 road program seems a staggering amount to allocate for building and maintaining highways and bridges, until one considers that it's 12.5 percent less than the current program — a drop of some $150 million — and provides virtually no money for the new roads suburbanites and down-staters covet. Indeed, even at a $1 billion clip, the backlog of rough roads and deficient bridges is expected to increase next year, to almost 2,800 miles of bad roads and more than 1,000 deficient bridges, according to transportation officials. "Unless additional resources become available, we will be unable to maintain our current road program," Edgar added. "New construction funds will dry up. Projects will grind to a halt, idling construction workers across the state." Under media questioning, Edgar defended his decision to craft a fiscal blueprint that does not respond to the real needs of the schools and the state's transportation network. Incorporating higher spending levels in a proposed budget might mislead the public, the governor reasoned, because the legislature might not approve the higher taxes needed to cover them. Basing a budget on existing revenues is certainly prudent, as the governor argues. Lawmakers always are more 42 / April 1997 Illinois Issues eager to boost program spending than they are to figure out how to pay for the increases. Less clear, however, is whether Edgar chose wisely in deciding not to offer, in addition to the budget, specific proposals addressing the school finance and highway funding problems. Again, the governor explained, he was concerned about reaction among legislators, who he predicted would reject anything he might suggest (a curious self-appraisal from the titular head of the Illinois Republican Party). So instead of offering dramatic new initiatives on school finance or highway funding, Edgar appears to desire nothing more than a moderator's role for the group encounter sessions among legislative leaders that he hopes will lead to some bipartisan consensus. Modern Illinois history would suggest the tried and true method to accomplish major tasks — especially those involving taxes — usually begins with a governor's strong position. Richard B. Ogilvie proposed the state income tax in his first budget; James R. Thompson called for a permanent increase in conjunction with the budget he offered 14 years later. Neither leader relied on legislative focus groups to help draft their initial proposals; instead, the plans they authored became the basis for subsequent — and successful — negotiations. On the other hand, if this New Age approach works, and agreement on schools and/or roads somehow emerges from the collective consciousness of the governor and the four leaders, Edgar will be a genius who has proven himself to be a more astute politician than sideline kibitzers appreciate. For the long-term good of the state, let's hope he's right. Charles N. Wheeler III is director of the Public Affairs Reporting program at the University of Illinois at Springfield. Illinois Issues April 1997 /43 |
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