SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — On their way out of Springfield, Illinois legislators grabbed about $500 million for pet projects in their districts.
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — On their way out of Springfield, Illinois legislators grabbed about $500 million for pet projects in their districts. The money came from the $28.3 billion public works plan approved in the closing weeks of the General Assembly. Gov. Pat Quinn has said he won’t sign the capital construction bill until a balanced budget is passed. The money allowed lawmakers to approve $3.1 billion in projects, from which they took $500 million. Among the projects favored by legislators was $40 million for the constuction of a Chicago State University campus on the city’s West Side. Democratic Sen. Rickey Hendon said the campus is needed in an area with only a junior college. House Minority Leader Tom Cross was able to obtain $150,000 so that a baseball complex in Shorewood will get lights for night games. ______ Copyright 2009 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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