Cavaletto’s Municipal Borrowing Bill Signed into Law

07/15/2010

Springfield, IL…State Representative John Cavaletto reported Thursday that Governor Pat Quinn has signed HB 5540 into law. The law that will allow Regional Planning and Development Commissions to lend money to municipalities at reduced interest rates.

“I am very thankful that the governor has signed HB 5540,” Cavaletto said.  “This law will allow municipalities in five southern Illinois counties to borrow funding at reduced interest rates from the South Central Illinois Regional Planning and Development Commission.  This funding will help address pressing community development needs, create jobs and improve our infrastructure.”

Some rural regional planning and development commissions in Illinois have been entrusted with low interest federal Intermediary Relending Program loan funds to help local governments pay for infrastructure improvements, but until today, there was no Illinois law that allowed these commissions to loan the federal funding that they receive to their member cities, villages, and counties for this purpose.

The law is an initiative of the South Central Illinois Regional Planning and Development Commission in Salem.  Executive Director Fred Walker worked closely with Representative Cavaletto and Senator John O. Jones to move the bill through the legislature, and ultimately to the Governor.

“We want to thank Representative Cavaletto and Senator Jones for not only listening to our region’s needs but agreeing to sponsor legislation to address an impediment to the effective use of our Commission’s low-interest, fixed rate Community Development Initiative (CDI) loan program designed to help local governments in our area address community development problems and opportunities.  The process of formulating and then securing passage and enactment of beneficial legislation on behalf of our region’s local governments (i.e. potential borrowers of our CDI loan funds) took longer than we thought, but the effort provided a good learning experience for our rural regional commission and one that will pay financial dividends for our members for years to come,” Walker said.

I am thankful to Fred for his efforts to help save our local governments money,” said Rep. Cavaletto.  “Cities and villages in the five-county region served by SCIRP & CD will benefit financially from the lower cost that will be associated with borrowing money to make infrastructure improvements.”

SCIRP&DC Chairman Thomas Brown of Newton also praised the bill’s signing.

“Naturally, I am delighted to learn that Representative Cavaletto’s legislation, submitted at the request of our regional organization has now been approved in both houses and signed by Governor Quinn.  I believe that the legislation represents a common sense approach to better government that will enable our region’s non-home rule Illinois municipalities to directly benefit from the programs we have available for them through our Commission’s regional loan program for worthwhile community development projects without continuing to incur the cost and delays associated with first issuing bonds or debt certificates that we can then purchase on their behalf,” Brown said.

Rep. Cavaletto Announces IDOT Projects

06/22/2010

Salem, IL…Rep. John Cavaletto (R – Salem) has received information from the Illinois Department of Transportation regarding construction projects taking place in the 107^th district. In all, Marion, Clinton, and Jefferson Counties will receive $25,691,031.51 for road and bridge construction projects.

“I am pleased to announce more than $25 million in funding for road projects in the counties I represent. This road work will make our highways safer and provide badly needed good paying jobs for southern Illinois,” said Cavaletto.

Plans for road construction include resurfacing on Old U.S. Route 50 in Clinton Counties at two locations near Summerfield, Beckemeyer and Breese. Resurfacing will also take place on Route 37 in Marion County from Madison Street in Salem to the Jefferson County line, as well as 8.26 miles of resurfacing on KinLou Road in marion County From Route 37 in Kinmundy to the Clay County line.

The largest project, making up more than half of the total road construction funds let in bidding by IDOT on April 23, consists of the milling, rubblizing, and resurfacing of the north and southbound lanes of I-57 in Jefferson County from the Franklin/Jefferson County line to one mile north of Bonnie.

For further details on these and other road construction projects in the area, please visit www.johncavaletto.com to read the official memo sent to Rep. Cavaletto from Department of Transportation Secretary Gary Hannig.

Cavaletto: Budget Bills Clear Illinois House : 107th District Rep. Votes No, Says Reforms to Budget Process Needed

05/26/2010

Springfield, IL…After adjourning without passing a budget and then going on a two week break, the Illinois legislature came back to work on Monday afternoon. Shortly after taking attendance, legislators were dismissed for the day, according to Representative John Cavaletto (R – Salem)

“Monday was just a waste of taxpayer money, to be honest,” Cavaletto said. “The attitude taken toward the people of this state by the majority’s leadership is very troubling to me. We are in a terrible financial state and the Speaker called a session day where legislators got their pay and their per diems, but no work was done on behalf of the people of Illinois.”

Action intensified on Tuesday, however, as the Illinois House passed several measures aimed at meeting the state’s obligation to balance its budget. Legislation that would allow the state of Illinois to borrow money to make its pension payment passed with a needed super majority of votes, 71-44. Cavaletto says once the borrowing bill passed, not much question remained as to what would happen with the rest of the budget bills.

“Once they had a super majority to approve the borrowing for pension payments, it was pretty clear that the Emergency Budget Act and the budget implementation bills would pass as well,” Cavaletto said.

The Emergency Budget Act (HB 2428) passed with 67 votes. The bill gives extraordinary spending powers to Governor Quinn. Under the act, the governor would have discretionary authority to allocate a lump-sum budget how he sees fit. Representative Cavaletto expressed serious doubts about the plan, and noted his frustration at the overall budget process.

“For months we called for fundamental reforms to the way Illinois government does business,” Cavaletto said. “We are at the cliff financially, and my Republican colleagues and I demanded all session that the majority party treat this crisis with a sense of urgency. Instead, at the eleventh hour, and passed our scheduled adjournment date, we ended up voting on a patch work budget that is unbalanced and provides no solution for our backlog of bills and $13 billion deficit.”

“This session we introduced “Pay-as-you-Go” budgeting, we offered cost-saving reforms for the Medicaid system, and we asked the majority party to consider other bills that would show a real commitment to spending reform. All of the ideas presented by the House Republicans were put forth in an effort to begin to right our financial ship and get us back on a solid financial track, but time after time the majority party rejected our proposals without even allowing them to be debated,” Cavaletto said.

Cavaletto: Session Adjourns to Call of the Chair with No Budget Agreement

05/07/2010

Springfield, IL… Below find a statement from Rep. John Cavaletto regarding action taken by the Illinois House today.

“House Speaker Michael Madigan adjourned the Illinois House today to the call of the chair following the defeat of several budget measures. The budget deficit is $13 billion. We have had five months of session to go line by line through the state budget to solve our pressing financial issues. Today, at the eleventh hour, the Speaker proposed budget bills that were put together behind closed doors. The result of that kind of backroom deal making was a resounding “NO”. I am dedicated to the cause of solving our state’s budget issues and I stand willing to work with my colleagues until a resolution is reached, provided all necessary steps are taken to cut wasteful spending and institute a budget that relies on a ‘pay as we go’ philosophy.”

Democrat Redistricting Attempt Fails in the House

04/29/2010

Springfield, IL…One vote shy of the required super-majority they needed, House Democrats failed to pass a Constitutional Amendment proposal to change the legislative redistricting process. State Representative John Cavaletto voted against the proposed Constitutional Amendment citing his objection to the plan’s ‘incumbent protective’ nature.

“SJRCA 121 was brought to the House to give some of the more vulnerable Democrats representatives some political cover,” said Cavaletto. “The most important part of redistricting is to take the process out of the hands of politicians so that the process isn’t tainted by politics. The proposal today did not do that.”

The current map making process for legislators has led to some counties, towns, and villages being split down the middle, as legislators select the voters they wish to represent. The redistricting that took place in 2000 led to Clinton County being represented by 3 different State Representatives and 3 different State Senators.

Several good-government groups including the League of Women Voters, the Better Government Association, and the Chamber of Commerce have backed a citizen’s initiative that would give the map making responsibility over to an independent commission. The members of the commission would not be allowed to have either previously held elected office in Illinois for run for elected office under the map that they draw. The new legislative map will take effect following the 2012 election.

“For months, the House Republicans pushed a different Amendment known as the ‘Fair Map’ Amendment, and every time it was introduced, it was defeated on a party line vote with House Democrats voting ‘No’,” Cavaletto said. “I support a redistricting Amendment that takes the power to draw maps out of the hands of politicians, so that they don’t have the power to pick the people they represent. The Democrats’ plan for redistricting does not do that. Voters should pick their elected officials, not the other way around.”

Cavaletto: Municipal Borrowing Bill Heads to Governor’s Desk

04/27/2010

Springfield, IL…State Representative John Cavaletto reported the passage of HB 5540 out of the Illinois Senate today. Cavaletto is the chief House sponsor of the bill and passed it out of the Illinois House in March.

The bill will allow municipalities in five southern Illinois counties to borrow funding at reduced interest rates from Regional Planning and Development commissions. Regional Planning and Development commissions currently receive federal subsidies to help local governments pay for infrastructure improvements, but there is no Illinois law that allows these commissions to loan the federal funding that they receive to cities and villages for this purpose.

“This bill is necessary to help smaller local governments offset the high costs associated with borrowing money to make infrastructure improvements,” Cavaletto said.

Cavaletto is referring to the often high cost of issuing referenda and hiring bond attorneys. If signed by Governor Quinn, HB 5540 will significantly reduce these costs.

The legislation is an initiative of the South Central Illinois Regional Planning and Development Commission in Salem. Executive Director Fred Walker worked closely with Representative Cavaletto and Senator John O. Jones to move the bill through the legislature.

“Our regional commission is excited about the passage of HB 5540 because it means savings for local governments in Clay, Effingham, Fayette, Jasper, and Marion Counties,” Walker said. “In tough economic times, the passage of common sense legislation which saves public dollars is a win for every one.”

“I am thankful to Fred for his efforts to help save our local governments money,” said Rep. Cavaletto. “If the Governor signs the bill, cities and villages in the five-county region served by SCIRP & CD will benefit financially from the lower cost that will be associated with borrowing money to make infrastructure improvements.  I also want to sincerely thank Senator Jones for his work on this legislation. He was the driving force behind passing this bill through the Senate.”

Cavaletto Passes Bill Targeting Corruption, Bribery

03/26/2010

Springfield, IL…. During an action packed day in the Illinois House, State Rep. John Cavaletto (R – Salem) passed a bill to force public officials convicted of bribery and other acts of corruption to forfeit any personal financial gains from their crimes back to the state.

HB 5539 creates the Public Corruption Profit Forfeiture Act. It provides for the forfeiture to the State of Illinois of any proceeds and profits gained by public officials convicted of violating state laws regarding bribery, kickbacks, and intimidation.

“This law is about protecting the people of Illinois from corrupt public officials,” Cavaletto said. “The allegations of quid pro quo leveled against former Governor Blagojevich are very disturbing. The unanimous passage of this bill sends a message to any elected official in the state of Illinois that thinks they can use the power of their office to enrich themselves.”

House Bill 5539 provides a mechanism for the distribution of forfeited proceeds back to the State of Illinois. Any profits forfeited to the state would be appropriated to the Illinois State Police.

“By forcing convicted public officials to forfeit any ill-gotten personal financial gain back to the state of Illinois, this bill will serve as a strong deterrent to those who would place self service over the interests of the people of Illinois,” Cavaletto said.

After the unanimous vote to pass HB 5539, the measure now moves to the Illinois Senate for consideration.

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Democrats Block Cavaletto’s Job Creation Bill

03/16/2010

Springfield, IL…. State Representative John Cavaletto (R – Salem) reported today that a motion to allow debate on legislation to expand the tax credit for new jobs created in an enterprise zone from $500 to $2500 was defeated on a party-line vote.

“Just last week, Democrat Governor Pat Quinn proposed expanding job creation tax credits in his budget address,” Rep. Cavaletto said. “Today House Democrats voted to block a bill I introduced that would stimulate our economy. HB 5199 provides an incentive for new businesses to grow their work force right here in Illinois.”

Analysis of the legislation provided to Representative Cavaletto from the Commission on Government Forecasting and Accountability indicated that HB 5199 would have a minimal fiscal impact on Illinois’ state budget.

“This legislation is business-friendly and a good piece of public policy,” Cavaletto said. “The jobs tax credit hasn’t been expanded in a decade, and we see the effects of anti-business policies just by looking at the number of jobs we have lost,”

Illinois has lost approximately 750,000 jobs in the last decade, including more than 200,000 in the last year. The current state unemployment rate is above 11%, with rates in Cavaletto’s district reaching as high as 15% in Marion County, according to the latest figures from the Illinois Department of Employment Security.

“This initiative came out of a meeting I had with my district mayors, economic development officials, and Chamber of Commerce presidents,” Cavaletto said. “When I asked them what the state could do to bring jobs to southern Illinois, they convinced me that an expansion of the jobs tax credit would be a great incentive to offer prospective businesses. I took their idea to the General Assembly because I believe we need to do everything we can to create jobs and get our economy back on track.”

Cavaletto: Quinn Budget Proposal Unrealistic

03/10/2010

Springfield, IL…. State Representative John Cavaletto (R – Salem) expressed doubt following Governor Pat Quinn’s budget address Wednesday. Governor Quinn proposed several cuts and a 1% increase in the personal income tax to fund state services for the FY 2011 budget.

“I think the Governor has good intentions, but the plan he laid out today is unrealistic,” Cavaletto said. “The Governor’s proposal to raise taxes and cut the budget just doesn’t match up with reality,” Cavaletto said. “We have double digit unemployment, wages are falling, and the working people of Illinois can’t afford a tax increase.”

Cavaletto, a member of the House Bipartisan Job Creation Task Force, stressed the need to place job creation higher on the priority list for FY 2011.

“There are more than 700,000 people unemployed in Illinois right now,” Cavaletto said. “The Governor laid out five points for solving the budget crisis. Job creation was fourth out of five. It needs to be first.”

Cavaletto did agree with one aspect of Quinn’s budget plan.

“The Governor said he plans to offer a larger tax credit as an incentive to small businesses for new jobs that they create,” Cavaletto said. “I had a similar idea in HB 5199 that would increase the jobs tax credit from $500 to $2500. House Democrat leadership killed my bill in subcommittee, so I hope the Governor has better luck with this concept than I did. If we don’t improve our business climate, businesses simply won’t come to Illinois.”