The Vending Times reports that House Speaker Mike Madigan's confident the $31 billion capital bill will survive at Illinois' Supreme Court level. Between Daddy Madigan and AG Daughter Lisa, they're working hard to convince us they're not concerned at all, that the survival of video gaming statewide is a sure bet. And why wouldn't they be? After all, they've stacked the deck in their favor. From the Vending Times:
Following the Jan. 26 appeals court verdict, state Attorney General Lisa Madigan quickly filed a motion for an immediate stay of the ruling, pending an appeal to the Illinois Supreme Court. Gov. Pat Quinn, who signed the original omnibus bill, said he would file the appeal right away. Observers said a ruling on the stay motion could be issued as soon as Thursday, Feb. 3.
A spokesman for House Speaker Michael Madigan (D-Chicago) said legislative leaders expect the state Supreme Court will eventually find that the omnibus bill did not violate constitutional requirements. Everything in the bill is related to a plan to raise $31 billion to build roads, bridges and schools statewide, he said.
So why are the Madigans so confident?
House Speaker Madigan, who's also chairman of Illinois Democratic Party, invested over $1,375,000 of the Democratic Party's coffers in 2010 to retain Justice Thomas Kilbride for a second term from the 3rd District. Kilbride was elected to serve as the Court's Chief Justice in October 2010. The Court currently consists of four Democrat Party-backed justices and three Republican Party-backed candidates.
However, if by some remote chance the Democratic majority of the Illinois Supreme Court happens to side with the appellate court's decision that the $31 billion capital plan does not pass the one-theme legislation requirement, the drooling video gaming industry is concerned there may be trouble ahead. Numerous localities have banned video gaming in their local restaurants, undermining the legislation's effort to spread video poker statewide.
Sen. Matt Murphy (R-Palatine) said VLT supporters may find it difficult to round up votes in the General Assembly to pass the Video Gaming Act as a standalone bill. That's because the law has encountered very strong resistance since its original passage, Murphy said.
So, we shall soon see whether Speaker Madigan's investment in Judge Kilbride and his three Democratic colleagues will pay off. For more info on the Supreme Court justices, read Abdon Pallasch's recent review in the Sun-Times.
