Illinois construction plan price balloons to $31 billion

The cost of a long-sought Illinois construction program has increased from $25 billion to $31 billion.

The increase raises the question of whether the plan, spearheaded by Gov. Rod Blagojevich, former U.S. House Speaker Dennis Hastert and Southern Illinois University President Glenn Poshard, will come to fruition.

Financing for the plan, which the three unveiled at a May 20 press conference, would bypass raising taxes in favor of a massive expansion of gambling and leasing a portion of the state lottery. Lawmakers have not shown support for either idea.

Blagojevich spokeswoman Abby Ottenhoff called the construction proposal "a realistic and effective plan that could put hundreds of thousands of people to work."

However, the plan’s future in the General Assembly is unclear.

“We have no money. We can’t do anything new,” argued Senate Majority Leader Debbie Halvorson, D-Crete.

The program will likely will be pushed to after the November election, said Sen. Jeff Schoenberg (D- Evanston), in order to improve accountability and better decide how the money is spent.

But the clock is ticking for Democrats who hope to pass at least an operating budget before the May 31 adjournment deadline, when Republicans will get a voice because it will require more votes to pass a spending plan.