Gov. Pat Quinn said Wednesday it would be good for Illinois’ economy if lawmakers, when they return to work next week in Springfield, passed legislation allowing gay couples to form civil unions.
@font-face { font-family: “Times New Roman”; }p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal { margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: “Times New Roman”; }table.MsoNormalTable { font-size: 10pt; font-family: “Times New Roman”; }div.Section1 { page: Section1; }
CHICAGO (AP) — Gov. Pat Quinn said Wednesday it would be good for Illinois’ economy if lawmakers, when they return to work next week in Springfield, passed legislation allowing gay couples to form civil unions.
In an Associated Press interview, the Chicago Democrat also said he hopes his recent election win changes the dynamic at the Illinois Capitol so that lawmakers sign on to his proposal to raise the state income tax, something he campaigned on to help fund education.
"I think the fact that I had the courage to tell the truth before the election — that many legislators privately know and privately talk about — it’s time to do something for the common good not just for the political and it’s true of Democrats and Republicans, both houses," said Quinn, who beat conservative state Sen. Bill Brady of Bloomington by fewer than 20,000 votes in last week’s election.
Quinn said he’ll talk with lawmakers as they convene at the capital for the start of fall veto session, but it’s unclear whether a tax increase might be voted on or wait until next year when they’re back in session in January.
One piece of legislation Quinn hopes lawmakers will tackle during the upcoming session is Democratic state Rep. Greg Harris’ bill allowing civil unions.
Quinn called it a "good" bill and said Harris was close to having enough support to pass it.
"To have a strong economy you embrace diversity," Quinn said. Brady had vowed during the campaign to veto civil unions legislation if he was elected governor.
Quinn said it sends a message to companies when Illinois has laws that respect the diversity of the state.
Harris of Chicago, who was still counting votes to see if enough support was there, said Quinn’s win will help and lawmakers who may still be on the fence can also look to the victory of Republican U.S. Senator-elect Mark Kirk, who also supports civil unions.
"People sense there is really movement for this. This is not gay marriage," Harris said.
Over a bowl of chicken noodle soup, Quinn reflected on the challenges he has ahead of him after winning the governor’s race with less than 50 percent of the vote.
Some lawmakers in the Democrat-controlled Legislature have been reluctant to support an income tax increase, but Quinn isn’t backing down from his call for a 1 percentage point bump — from 3 percent to 4 percent — as the state tries to deal with a deficit that could soon reach $15 billion.
"I’m not going to change my position, that’s a a core position, that in order to have a better state we need to pay our bills," he said.
He wouldn’t say if he would be amenable to an even higher increase, calling it a "hypothetical."
"I’m always open minded to discussing anything, that doesn’t mean I’m for it," he said.
Democratic House Majority Leader Barbara Flynn Currie of Chicago had some advice for Quinn. While many people agree the state needs more revenue, she said Quinn shouldn’t ask for a vote on a tax increase until he knows he has the votes to pass it because that can lock people into their "no" votes.
"It becomes harder for people to switch to a yes," she said.
Currie said Quinn’s victory while calling for a tax increase could help shore up "nervous nellies," but she said it can hardly be considered a mandate for a significant bump in the tax rate.
"He’s got to get the votes," she said.
Copyright 2010 The Associated Press.
