Today saw no action in Springfield on the governor’s not-so-popular Emergency Budget Act. Two more days remain in the veto session, so we’ll have to wait and see what happens. Nonetheless, there were a few legislative developments worth noting:
Answering Prayers
Immigrant-rights advocates scored a long-fought victory today when the House and the Senate unanimously approved the Access to Religious Ministry Act, which grants undocumented detainees the right to religious counsel.
Lawrence Benito, associate director with the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights, was quick to praise the measure with a statement this afternoon: “[T]he passage of HB 4613 marks a huge victory against the politics of fear in our state, and a signal that our state stands for humane detention practices.”
Ailing Hospitals Get Relief
Some of the state’s most cash-strapped hospitals could be in for a little relief.
Both chambers agreed to transfer $40 million from the Tobacco
Settlement Recovery Fund to free up money for hospitals that are in
“catastrophic” financial shape. The Illinois Department of Healthcare
and Family Services will administer the one-time relief payments. The
money should come just in the nick of time for hospitals who are struggling to cope due to the state’s $1 billion backlog on Medicaid reimbursements.
Plan For Taylorville Coal Gasification Plant Advances
For years, lawmakers have been trying to win support for a coal gasification plant in Taylorville. By signing off on SB197
today, the legislature agreed to back a pricey feasibility study on the
power plant (estimated at $10-$18 million), which will eventually go
before the General Assembly as they decide whether to move forward with
the project. As we’ve noted before,
many environmentalists are skeptical of these proposed “clean coal”
plants because the carbon sequestration technology they rely on is largely unproven.
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