Rep. Hamos on the RTA, Taxes and State Capital projects: Cable and Streaming
State Rep. Julie Hamos [D-Evanston]:... I think there will be a big lobbying force against raising taxes. You know, somebody has to pay when we have a tax increase and somebody is hurt by it, or they perceive [themselves] to be hurt by it. So, the lobbying will, I think, just be very strong against some of these plans.
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Rep. Julie Hamos:… Let me just put this in a bigger context. We talk about it as ten billion dollars [for capital projects for five years]. That’s just for the RTA region [Cook, DuPage, Will, Lake, McHenry and Kane counties]. …the capital budget program is a statewide program. It includes transit, roads and bridges and school construction [across the State]…
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This Week's suburban edition of "Public Affairs," airing in the Chicago metro suburbs, features State Rep. Julie Hamos [D-Evanston] discussing Governor Blagojevich's proposed new taxes, tax reform, the RTA and mass transit more generally, a state capital budget and much, more with show host and legal recruiter Jeff Berkowitz.See, below, for the Public Affairs suburban airing schedule. You may also [Go Here to watch this week's suburban show with State Rep. Hamos, and [soon to be posted here] next week's suburban show with former State GOP Chairman Gary MacDougal, as well as other shows with such notables as Obama, McCain, Giuliani, Barrett, Chico and many others on your computer; you can drag the dial on the bottom of the screen to watch only portions of the thirty minute shows; trouble accessing our cinema page on your computer? Try I-Tunes: the same Public Affairs shows are also available there].
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State Rep. Julie Hamos will be the featured guest on the Monday, March 19, 2007 [8:30 pm, Cable Ch. 21] City of Chicago edition of "Public Affairs."
*************************************************
The "Public Affairs," cinema page gives you a choice of more than twenty-five episodes of “Public Affairs," to watch on your computer including this week's suburban show with Rep. Hamos . The cinema page also has recent shows with Rep. Fritchey, Ralph Martire, Ald. Berny Stone, Cook County Commissioner Forrest Claypool [D-Chicago], Sen. Syverson [R-Rockford], Metropolitan Planning Council President MarySue Barrett, Phantom of the City Council--Brendan Reilly, State Rep. Paul Froehlich, Gery Chico, as well as interviews, discussions or remarks with or by U. S. Senators John McCain and Barack Obama, former NYC Mayor Rudy Giuliani and many, many more pols on our video podcast page[Go Here to Watch the Shows on your computer; you can drag the dial on the bottom of the screen to watch only portions of the thirty minute shows].
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State Rep. Julie Hamos[D-Evanston], in her 9th year in the State House and currently the Chair of the House Mass Transit Committee debates and discusses with show host and legal recruiter Jeff Berkowitz Governor Rod Blagojevich's proposed State Subsidized Health Insurance Program for uninsured adults and families in Illinois, Blagojevich's Gross Receipts tax that would generate about a seven billion dollar net increease in Illinois tax revenue, Hamos's prediction that this current legislative sesssion will be a challenge, difficult and tough; the 226 million hole in the current RTA budget; a potential massive increase in state taxes to deal with Health Insurance for the uninsured, education funding, a capital projects budget, pension underfunding and/or mass transit operating expenses and capital projects; Auditor General Bill Holland's finding of waste and inefficiency at RTA and with its "kids," Hamos' proposed Reform of the RTA, Hamos' support for peak load pricing on Illinois' toll roads to reduce congestion; can we "build ourselves out of congestion," with more roads in Illinois-- and much, much more.
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Jeff Berkowitz: …We’ll find out after the Governor’s [March 7] speech—[if] you are good at making predictions?
State Rep. Julie Hamos: What I am going to predict is that it is going to be a very challenging and difficult [legislative] session. Because there are a lot of competing needs [and] there are a lot of new revenues that are being debated. The legislature doesn’t like new revenues. We don’t like to dabble in this world of taxes and who is offended and who is not offended. So, what I really can predict is that it is going to be a tough session.
Jeff Berkowitz: Because Speaker Mike Madigan and—
State Rep. Julie Hamos: It’s not only the leadership. It’s really again—I think there will be a big lobbying force against raising taxes. You know, somebody has to pay when we have a tax increase and somebody is hurt by it, or they perceive [themselves] to be hurt by it. So, the lobbying will, I think, just be very strong against some of these plans.
Jeff Berkowitz: In a large--
State Rep. Julie Hamos: I am hearing that the business community is gearing up against it. That’s hard not just on the leaders. That’s hard on the legislators. We have to vote for this. We each have a vote and that’s ultimately what passes it.
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Jeff Berkowitz: Okay, so let’s go over to mass transit. You are the Chair, do we say Chair-- of the Mass Transit committee?
State Rep. Julie Hamos: That’s what I call myself.
Jeff Berkowitz: That gives you a lot of power, right?
State Rep. Julie Hamos: [Laughter]: sure
Jeff Berkowitz: I mean, seriously, because you are setting major policy on a major issue—one of the five major issues we are talking about [that the legislature faces now: education funding reform, expanded health insurance availability, funding state pensions, a state capital budget and mass transit funding].
Rep. Julie Hamos: Setting policy is one thing but the other thing is that I really believe that we have a serious funding problem when it comes to just transit…that’s one of five [state funding items] you mentioned, and I consider it really essential to deal with that this year. What people don’t know is that right now the RTA has a big budget hole just for 2007- including 2007. They are currently operating on just a six month budget, so on July 1 [2007], their budget is really going to implode.
Jeff Berkowitz: What’s that budget hole? How much?
Rep. Julie Hamos: 226 million dollars.
Jeff Berkowitz: That’s for the- RTA, tell people what—
Rep. Julie Hamos: That’s the RTA, which includes the CTA budget, Metra [budget] and Pace [budget]. All three of them have a budget hole this year, so I consider this to be an imminent problem.
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Rep. Julie Hamos: …the RTA just released its big strategic plan and it called for ten billion dollars for a five year program in what are called capital dollars and those are for some of the hard—buying new buses and trains, getting the rails, doing service expansions-- the Starline which is our suburb to suburb program—
Jeff Berkowitz: Is this the RTA?
Rep. Julie Hamos: When we talk about the RTA budget, it includes the three service boards.
Jeff Berkowitz: So when you are saying 10 billion dollars for the next five years for the RTA-
Rep. Julie Hamos: That’s for the three agencies.
Jeff Berkowitz: That’s for, as they call them, the kids, right? CTA, Metra and Pace.
Rep. Julie Hamos: That’s for the kids. That’s not for RTA, right…They have expansion plans, they have maintenance needs. There’s enhancements that everybody would like to see done. So, that’s big and expensive. And, let me just put this in a bigger context. We talk about it as ten billion dollars. That’s just for the RTA region [Cook, DuPage, Will, Lake, McHenry and Kane counties]. But, really, this is all about roads and bridges statewide…the capital budget program is a statewide program. It includes transit, roads and bridges and school construction…
Jeff Berkowitz: The two billion dollars a year [for 5 years] for RTA and its kids, so to speak, is that a part of what people are referring to when they say we need a capital budget?
Rep. Julie Hamos: Yes
Jeff Berkowitz: It is part of it, but it is not all of it. That’s what you are saying.
****************************************************
State Rep. Julie Hamos, as is airing this week on Public Affairs in 35 Chicago Metro suburbs [See below for the suburban airing schedule] and as will be airing on Monday, March 19, 2007 [8:30 pm on Cable Ch. 21, CANTV] on the City of Chicago edition of Public Affairs. The show was recorded on March 4, 2007. You may also[watch the show with Julie Hamos here].
***************************************************
In twenty-five North Shore, North and Northwest suburbs, the "Public Affairs," show airs every Tuesday night in the regular weekly Public Affairs slot, 8:30 pm on Comcast Cable Ch. 19 or 35, as indicated, below.
In ten North Shore suburbs, the Public Affairs show airs three times each week in its regular slots at 8:30 pm on Comcast Cable Ch. 19, Monday, Wednesday and Friday, as indicated, below. ******************************************************
The suburban episode of Public Affairs with guest State Rep. Julie Hamos airs Tonight :
at 8:30 pm on Comcast Cable Channel 19 in Buffalo Grove, Elk Grove Village, Hoffman Estates, parts of Inverness, Lincolnwood, Morton Grove, Niles, Northfield, Palatine, Rolling Meadows and Wilmette
And at 8:30 pm on Comcast Cable Channel 35 in Arlington Heights, Bartlett, Glenview, Golf, Des Plaines, Hanover Park, Mt. Prospect, Northbrook, Park Ridge, Prospect Heights, Schaumburg, Skokie, Streamwood and Wheeling.
and this week on Monday night, Wednesday night and Friday night at 8:30 pm on Comcast Cable Channel 19 in Bannockburn, Deerfield, Ft. Sheridan, Glencoe, Highland Park, Highwood, Kenilworth, Lincolnshire, Riverwoods and Winnetka.
***********************************************
Jeff Berkowitz, Show Host/Producer of "Public Affairs," and Executive Legal Recruiter doing legal search can be reached at JBCG@aol.com
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Rep. Julie Hamos:… Let me just put this in a bigger context. We talk about it as ten billion dollars [for capital projects for five years]. That’s just for the RTA region [Cook, DuPage, Will, Lake, McHenry and Kane counties]. …the capital budget program is a statewide program. It includes transit, roads and bridges and school construction [across the State]…
***********************************
This Week's suburban edition of "Public Affairs," airing in the Chicago metro suburbs, features State Rep. Julie Hamos [D-Evanston] discussing Governor Blagojevich's proposed new taxes, tax reform, the RTA and mass transit more generally, a state capital budget and much, more with show host and legal recruiter Jeff Berkowitz.See, below, for the Public Affairs suburban airing schedule. You may also [Go Here to watch this week's suburban show with State Rep. Hamos, and [soon to be posted here] next week's suburban show with former State GOP Chairman Gary MacDougal, as well as other shows with such notables as Obama, McCain, Giuliani, Barrett, Chico and many others on your computer; you can drag the dial on the bottom of the screen to watch only portions of the thirty minute shows; trouble accessing our cinema page on your computer? Try I-Tunes: the same Public Affairs shows are also available there].
******************************************
State Rep. Julie Hamos will be the featured guest on the Monday, March 19, 2007 [8:30 pm, Cable Ch. 21] City of Chicago edition of "Public Affairs."
*************************************************
The "Public Affairs," cinema page gives you a choice of more than twenty-five episodes of “Public Affairs," to watch on your computer including this week's suburban show with Rep. Hamos . The cinema page also has recent shows with Rep. Fritchey, Ralph Martire, Ald. Berny Stone, Cook County Commissioner Forrest Claypool [D-Chicago], Sen. Syverson [R-Rockford], Metropolitan Planning Council President MarySue Barrett, Phantom of the City Council--Brendan Reilly, State Rep. Paul Froehlich, Gery Chico, as well as interviews, discussions or remarks with or by U. S. Senators John McCain and Barack Obama, former NYC Mayor Rudy Giuliani and many, many more pols on our video podcast page[Go Here to Watch the Shows on your computer; you can drag the dial on the bottom of the screen to watch only portions of the thirty minute shows].
***************************************************
State Rep. Julie Hamos[D-Evanston], in her 9th year in the State House and currently the Chair of the House Mass Transit Committee debates and discusses with show host and legal recruiter Jeff Berkowitz Governor Rod Blagojevich's proposed State Subsidized Health Insurance Program for uninsured adults and families in Illinois, Blagojevich's Gross Receipts tax that would generate about a seven billion dollar net increease in Illinois tax revenue, Hamos's prediction that this current legislative sesssion will be a challenge, difficult and tough; the 226 million hole in the current RTA budget; a potential massive increase in state taxes to deal with Health Insurance for the uninsured, education funding, a capital projects budget, pension underfunding and/or mass transit operating expenses and capital projects; Auditor General Bill Holland's finding of waste and inefficiency at RTA and with its "kids," Hamos' proposed Reform of the RTA, Hamos' support for peak load pricing on Illinois' toll roads to reduce congestion; can we "build ourselves out of congestion," with more roads in Illinois-- and much, much more.
******************************************
Jeff Berkowitz: …We’ll find out after the Governor’s [March 7] speech—[if] you are good at making predictions?
State Rep. Julie Hamos: What I am going to predict is that it is going to be a very challenging and difficult [legislative] session. Because there are a lot of competing needs [and] there are a lot of new revenues that are being debated. The legislature doesn’t like new revenues. We don’t like to dabble in this world of taxes and who is offended and who is not offended. So, what I really can predict is that it is going to be a tough session.
Jeff Berkowitz: Because Speaker Mike Madigan and—
State Rep. Julie Hamos: It’s not only the leadership. It’s really again—I think there will be a big lobbying force against raising taxes. You know, somebody has to pay when we have a tax increase and somebody is hurt by it, or they perceive [themselves] to be hurt by it. So, the lobbying will, I think, just be very strong against some of these plans.
Jeff Berkowitz: In a large--
State Rep. Julie Hamos: I am hearing that the business community is gearing up against it. That’s hard not just on the leaders. That’s hard on the legislators. We have to vote for this. We each have a vote and that’s ultimately what passes it.
******************************************************
Jeff Berkowitz: Okay, so let’s go over to mass transit. You are the Chair, do we say Chair-- of the Mass Transit committee?
State Rep. Julie Hamos: That’s what I call myself.
Jeff Berkowitz: That gives you a lot of power, right?
State Rep. Julie Hamos: [Laughter]: sure
Jeff Berkowitz: I mean, seriously, because you are setting major policy on a major issue—one of the five major issues we are talking about [that the legislature faces now: education funding reform, expanded health insurance availability, funding state pensions, a state capital budget and mass transit funding].
Rep. Julie Hamos: Setting policy is one thing but the other thing is that I really believe that we have a serious funding problem when it comes to just transit…that’s one of five [state funding items] you mentioned, and I consider it really essential to deal with that this year. What people don’t know is that right now the RTA has a big budget hole just for 2007- including 2007. They are currently operating on just a six month budget, so on July 1 [2007], their budget is really going to implode.
Jeff Berkowitz: What’s that budget hole? How much?
Rep. Julie Hamos: 226 million dollars.
Jeff Berkowitz: That’s for the- RTA, tell people what—
Rep. Julie Hamos: That’s the RTA, which includes the CTA budget, Metra [budget] and Pace [budget]. All three of them have a budget hole this year, so I consider this to be an imminent problem.
************************************************
Rep. Julie Hamos: …the RTA just released its big strategic plan and it called for ten billion dollars for a five year program in what are called capital dollars and those are for some of the hard—buying new buses and trains, getting the rails, doing service expansions-- the Starline which is our suburb to suburb program—
Jeff Berkowitz: Is this the RTA?
Rep. Julie Hamos: When we talk about the RTA budget, it includes the three service boards.
Jeff Berkowitz: So when you are saying 10 billion dollars for the next five years for the RTA-
Rep. Julie Hamos: That’s for the three agencies.
Jeff Berkowitz: That’s for, as they call them, the kids, right? CTA, Metra and Pace.
Rep. Julie Hamos: That’s for the kids. That’s not for RTA, right…They have expansion plans, they have maintenance needs. There’s enhancements that everybody would like to see done. So, that’s big and expensive. And, let me just put this in a bigger context. We talk about it as ten billion dollars. That’s just for the RTA region [Cook, DuPage, Will, Lake, McHenry and Kane counties]. But, really, this is all about roads and bridges statewide…the capital budget program is a statewide program. It includes transit, roads and bridges and school construction…
Jeff Berkowitz: The two billion dollars a year [for 5 years] for RTA and its kids, so to speak, is that a part of what people are referring to when they say we need a capital budget?
Rep. Julie Hamos: Yes
Jeff Berkowitz: It is part of it, but it is not all of it. That’s what you are saying.
****************************************************
State Rep. Julie Hamos, as is airing this week on Public Affairs in 35 Chicago Metro suburbs [See below for the suburban airing schedule] and as will be airing on Monday, March 19, 2007 [8:30 pm on Cable Ch. 21, CANTV] on the City of Chicago edition of Public Affairs. The show was recorded on March 4, 2007. You may also[watch the show with Julie Hamos here].
***************************************************
In twenty-five North Shore, North and Northwest suburbs, the "Public Affairs," show airs every Tuesday night in the regular weekly Public Affairs slot, 8:30 pm on Comcast Cable Ch. 19 or 35, as indicated, below.
In ten North Shore suburbs, the Public Affairs show airs three times each week in its regular slots at 8:30 pm on Comcast Cable Ch. 19, Monday, Wednesday and Friday, as indicated, below. ******************************************************
The suburban episode of Public Affairs with guest State Rep. Julie Hamos airs Tonight :
at 8:30 pm on Comcast Cable Channel 19 in Buffalo Grove, Elk Grove Village, Hoffman Estates, parts of Inverness, Lincolnwood, Morton Grove, Niles, Northfield, Palatine, Rolling Meadows and Wilmette
And at 8:30 pm on Comcast Cable Channel 35 in Arlington Heights, Bartlett, Glenview, Golf, Des Plaines, Hanover Park, Mt. Prospect, Northbrook, Park Ridge, Prospect Heights, Schaumburg, Skokie, Streamwood and Wheeling.
and this week on Monday night, Wednesday night and Friday night at 8:30 pm on Comcast Cable Channel 19 in Bannockburn, Deerfield, Ft. Sheridan, Glencoe, Highland Park, Highwood, Kenilworth, Lincolnshire, Riverwoods and Winnetka.
***********************************************
Jeff Berkowitz, Show Host/Producer of "Public Affairs," and Executive Legal Recruiter doing legal search can be reached at JBCG@aol.com
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