Legislators shrug; governor frets
Only a handful of legislators showed up for the governor’s special session on Wednesday. Some of the ones who did come were irked that they drove two hours down to Springfield and two hours back to Chicago for a 15-minute session. Rep. Julie Hamos did hold a hearing in the afternoon where she again asked for new ideas on how to fund transit. Apparently the plan that garnered the most discussion was a proposed cigarette-tax hike, but a similar plan had already been floated in the legislature and had failed to attract support.
Meanwhile, the next transit doomsday, Jan. 20th, looms closer. There are some indications that the gravity of the situation has finally sunk in at the governor’s office. His spokeswoman commented: “A long-term funding solution for the CTA won’t happen without the legislature passing a bill that the Governor can sign. We’re disappointed that most lawmakers failed to appear for the special session called by the Governor to fund the CTA and avert a planned January 20 doomsday. …it’s important to remember there are only 18 days left until the CTA begins cutting service, raising fares and laying people off. We hope members of the General Assembly will show up the next time the Governor calls them into special session to spare transit riders from service cuts and fare hikes.”