Blagojevich plans to veto pay raises for Illinois officials

CHICAGO -- Gov. Rod Blagojevich said Wednesday he will veto pay raises for the state's constitutional officers, agency directors, judges and lawmakers as part of $22 million in cuts to the state budget just approved by the General Assembly.

Blagojevich also said he will cut money, put in the budget over his objection, that would continue to fund more than 200 captains' jobs in the state Department of Corrections.

Blagojevich said he was making the line item vetoes to the $52 billion budget lawmakers passed late Saturday because tough choices are still needed to make sure the state's roughly $5 billion deficit is erased.

"In these difficult times when state agencies are being consolidated, when the number of state personnel is being reduced, in short, when others are being asked to sacrifice, this is not the time to give pay raises to the governor, the lieutenant governor, to the constitutional officers, to the men and women of the General Assembly or to the Supreme Court, the Appellate Court or the Circuit Court judges," Blagojevich said.

If lawmakers do not override the governor's cuts, the money will be put in the state's rainy day fund.

The governor said he will continue to review the budget for additional spending cuts.

"I fully anticipate and expect there will be more announcements along these lines," Blagojevich said.

The budget included $791,000 for pay raises for the governor, lieutenant governor, attorney general, secretary of state, comptroller, treasurer, auditor general, agency directors, assistant agency directors and all 177 lawmakers.

The raises were to take effect automatically because lawmakers did not pass a bill to reject them.

A 2.8 percent raise, based on the inflation rate, would have boosted the governor's salary to $154,910. State representatives and senators would have been paid a base pay of $59,232.

Lawmakers also would have received increases in the stipends they get for extra duties, ranging from $9,017 for committee chairman to $24,043 for legislative leaders such as the Senate president and the House speaker.

Not surprised

Sen. Patrick Welch, D-Peru, an appropriations committee chairman, said he wasn't surprised by the governor's decision to veto raises.

"With the budget problems that we had it was not a good idea to include them in the bill, but the bill came up so late that we didn't want to redraft that part of the legislation," he said. "Many of us encouraged the governor to veto that part of the legislation."

Last year, lawmakers rejected cost-of-living raises for themselves and some judges, prompting judges to threaten to file a lawsuit. Pay raises for judges were approved this year by lawmakers. Blagojevich said the judicial raises would cost $3.7 million.

DuPage County Circuit Judge Ann Jorgensen, who is president of the Illinois Judges Association, declined to comment until she had more information about the governor's decision to cancel the raises.

Judges have said the state constitution prohibits anyone from reducing a judge's salary while he or she is in office. A cost-of-living increase is considered part of a judge's salary, not a raise, said Cook County Circuit Judge Stuart Nudelman, immediate past president of judges association.

The raises Blagojevich vetoed would have boosted a Supreme Court judge's salary to $168,538; an Appellate Court judge's salary to $158,624; a Circuit Court judge's salary to $145,558; and an associate judge's salary to $135,645.

The governor said the corrections department captains can reapply for lower paying jobs in the department, which are open because of early retirements.

"The public expects us to do more with less. I cannot ask them to cover the cost of middle management we just don't need," Blagojevich said.