Failure to override veto of SB 1229: Great win for taxpayers

The failure of the Illinois House of Representatives to override Gov. Bruce Rauner’s veto of Senate Bill 1229 represents a great win for taxpayers on two fronts. First, taxpayers’ voice in AFSCME negotiations was protected. The governor, not an unelected and unaccountable arbitrator, will set the terms of the next contract. But the failure of...

The failure of the Illinois House of Representatives to override Gov. Bruce Rauner’s veto of Senate Bill 1229 represents a great win for taxpayers on two fronts. First, taxpayers’ voice in AFSCME negotiations was protected. The governor, not an unelected and unaccountable arbitrator, will set the terms of the next contract. But the failure of the House to override the governor’s veto also marks the end of an era: Decades of House Speaker Mike Madigan’s unchecked control over Illinois politics.

The Democrats have veto-proof supermajorities in the General Assembly. The Senate voted to override the governor’s veto of SB 1229. Madigan put immense pressure on his caucus to follow suit, and sources say he even threatened to kick members out of his caucus or to run candidates against them. Madigan pulled out all the stops – but he still lost.

In 2014, Madigan’s caucus failed to enact a progressive income tax even with a Democrat governor eager to sign it into law. Madigan’s caucus couldn’t muster up enough votes for his proposed millionaire’s tax, or even a minimum-wage increase. His caucus failed to make the temporary income-tax increase permanent, which Democrats continue to complain about. Now, his caucus failed to override the governor’s veto on the AFSCME bill, even though Madigan pushed and pushed; the Democrats had enough votes to do so and government unions are the Democrats’ key constituency.

Madigan’s loss is a win for taxpayers. But it is important not to look at this in purely political terms. Today’s failure to override the governor’s veto represents the General Assembly listening to taxpayers’ voice before they listen to Madigan’s. It represents putting the interest of all Illinoisans ahead of the interest of the small percentage who belong to a major campaign contributor, AFSCME. And it represents the chipping away at the Madigan regime that has so damaged Illinois’ economy and finances.