Statehouse Insider: That's no little capital plan on the table

Although it is subject to change, that proposal for a new capital bill that surfaced Friday from Gov. JB Pritzker’s administration fits that “make no little plans” quote attributed to Chicago architect Daniel Burnham.

The proposal calls for more than $41 billion in spending, a full $10 billion more than the last capital plan Illinois had (which dates back a decade). It’s supposed to create 500,000 jobs, according to information given to state lawmakers who are going to have to vote on the thing.

That’s a pretty ambitious plan by pretty much anyone’s standards. But keep one thing in mind: Both the House and Senate have held hearings this spring to get input from officials from education, transportation and other fields about what their capital needs are. By one count, all of those needs/requests topped $80 billion. So as ambitious as this proposal is, it still doesn’t solve all of the state’s capital needs.

Subhead: No saying no?

Speaking of infrastructure, Sen. Martin Sandoval, D-Chicago, had a suggestion for those lawmakers who bad-mouth any sort of revenue increase to pay for a capital bill while also having their hands out demanding their districts share in the pork.

Read more: https://www.pjstar.com/news/20190518/statehouse-insider-thats-no-little-capital-plan-on-table
(Peoria Journal Star)