From meh to ‘must?’ With budget deadline looming, Pritkzer now says General Assembly needs to get back to work

For weeks, Gov. J.B. Pritzker has maintained a hands-off approach on whether legislators should head back to Springfield, expressing public health concerns about a large gathering, but pretty much saying it was up to them.

And Republicans have been itching to get back into some form of a legislative session to end what they call the Democratic governor ruling by “decree.”

Just last week, House GOP Leader Jim Durkin said House Democrats need to “get your head out of the sand and let’s go back to work.”

But on Tuesday, Pritzker was sounding more like Durkin.

“The Legislature must convene so that we can begin to put our financial and economic house back in order, even as we battle this terrible virus,” Pritzker said. “The General Assembly needs to pass a comprehensive plan to support families, small businesses and small towns.”

But House Speaker Mike Madigan, dubbed “the Velvet Hammer” for his tight control over his chamber, didn’t sound in any great hurry to call his members into session.

Spokesman Steve Brown said he didn’t know when legislators would return — and he said the safety plan to do so was a “work in progress.”

“His thoughts and his ideas are always welcome and appreciated at this point,” Brown said of Pritzker’s agenda.

For the governor, it’s the first time he has voiced any eagerness for the General Assembly to get back to work.

On April 29, after facing two lawsuits from downstate legislators challenging his extended stay-at-home order, the Democratic governor was asked whether legislators should reconvene to clarify his powers during a pandemic.

“The Legislature has the ability to meet,” Pritzker said. “There’s nothing barring the Legislature from meeting.”

Asked again on May 2 about legislators going back to work, Pritzker said epidemiologists “would express concerns” about a group “that large” meeting.

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Tuesday’s sudden urgency comes as legislators have just weeks to go before a budgetary deadline. After May 31, any vote will require a three-fifths majority for the law to go into effect within the next 12 months

In addition to his call for “a comprehensive plan to support families, small businesses and small towns,” Pritzker also said the state must work on increasing rent assistance for families and working with banks on mortgage forbearance, as well as rent and mortgage assistance for small businesses. That could include grants and loans for businesses that were left out of the federal PPP program.

“And we must pass a law to distribute funds to small cities and towns to support their need to fund first responders and basic services that could fall apart from COVID related revenue losses, as we work to keep our residents safe and gradually reopen businesses,” the governor said. “I hope the Legislature will act expeditiously to support jobs and economic recovery.”

Pritzker — and the Illinois General Assembly — want a balanced budget passed. That’s a necessity for the state, even during a pandemic. But the governor’s wish list also means he wants to wait and see what the federal government can provide the state to supplement the millions lost in revenue.

Based on whether that will occur, Pritzker wants a relief package for business and people in need during the crisis that is state-based.

While the governor declared his position, he didn’t specify how exactly legislators will be brought back. And the four legislative leaders had little to say about that effort on Tuesday.

“I think our hope is they figure it out on their own. You can call a special session but then it’s the governor picking what’s on the agenda,” Pritzker spokeswoman Jordan Abudayyeh said.

What a return to Springfield will look like remains unclear. Legislators could try to safely return for a day and vote on a measure to allow them to hold remote sessions, although no such bills have been filed. Legislators have been meeting in working groups via Zoom to sort out budgetary issues. Pritzker’s budget director Alexis Sturm has participated in some of these meetings, the governor’s office said.

Madigan’s spokesman said those working group meetings will be a starting point for the budget proposal. But Brown said “I have nothing new to say about what the schedule will look like.”

John Patterson, spokesman for Illinois Senate President Don Harmon, said the Senate president “is eager to provide relief for families and small businesses hit by this pandemic.”

Justin L. Fowler/The State Journal-Register via AP

“We are reviewing recommendations for action as the Senate President wants to make sure Senators return to a crystal clear legislative agenda and a plan to minimize the health and safety risks to everyone working at the Capitol,” Patterson said.

Like his counterpart in the House, Republican Senate Leader Bill Brady has pressed for the General Assembly to come back into session.

“Leader Brady believes it is vital lawmakers return to Springfield to address the critical issues facing this state and its residents,” said Jason Gerwig, a spokesman for Brady.

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Durkin’s spokeswoman declined to comment on the governor’s new position, pointing to last week’s remarks.

During a Zoom news conference with other Republicans last Wednesday, Durkin said lawmakers “have to be creative in ways for us to return back to doing business.”

“We must return to Springfield immediately and not for just a few days at the end of the month,” the Western Springs Republican said last week. “We can do this in a safe and healthy manner.”