House Expected to Take Up IDEA Bill Tonight

Rich Miller at the Capitol Fax Blog is reporting that the House is expected to vote on Bradley's IDEA bill tonight.

Miller is still describing it "as the worst bill ever".

He noted that the Democrats substituted two members of Bradley's committee for the hearing tonight implying that they were needed for the vote. Still, it was 11-2 to move forward.

He also notes that the St. Clair Record is reporting that Mount Vernon's mayor Mary Jane Chesney is opposed to the bill.

“We have a new interchange and are in the process of building infrastructure on approximately 600 acres around the interchange to attract businesses to the area,” she wrote on May 6.

“What are our chances of attracting these businesses when only 40 miles down the interstate lies Marion with this proposed added development tool?

Actually, Mount Vernon's chances are not very good. The city is already on record for not wanting any lodging establishments to go to the new exit which will be dominated by the new Good Samaritan hospital.

This is the first time I've heard of any effort to market the interchange for hospitality or retail, which they obviously should.

Also, Marion has a much better population base within an hour drive that likely to come to it, than Mount Vernon.

I'm not opposed to Mount Vernon, I'm a MVTHS grad and know Chesney well from when she taught at the high school. I support her efforts to turn around the city's declining population. What used to be the region's second largest community, is now the third, according to census estimates. The Hub has simply surpassed the King City this decade.

As to the legislation, State Rep. David Reis, R-Olney, has requested 10 various staff notes to be filed on the Bradley bill. These are impact statements of what the bill will do to certain areas such as the state's fiscal situation, state mandates, balanced budget, corrections, home rule, housing affordability, judicial impact, land conveyance appraisal, pensions and state debt.

I'm not sure what the rules are for these. There's a few that seem legitimate and actually deal with the bill. Others seem more like a parliamentary delaying tactics.

So far the Correctional Note and Land Conveyance Note have been filed.