Springfield,
IL – Gov. Rod Blagojevich has once again
proposed to sell or lease the state’s lottery program, this time in an effort to
address increasing state pension debt. While the details of this plan have not
yet been announced, both Republican and Democrat lawmakers are asking questions
and expressing concerns.
Now, state Sen. Dan Rutherford (R-Pontiac) is seeking the
public’s opinion on the Governor’s latest proposal; Rutherford is asking
Illinois residents to complete an online survey located on his legislative
Website, and let him know what they think about the
idea.
“When the Governor first proposed selling the lottery to
provide additional education funding, I received many responses, with most
strongly opposing the idea,” said Rutherford.
“But now that the proposal has changed slightly and could see a vote very soon,
I would like to provide residents another opportunity to voice their opinion and
read the remarks from others.”
Senator
Rutherford is directing residents to www.DanRutherford.com and
encouraging them to complete the brief opinion survey by clicking on
“Register your opinion on the Lottery sale”
located
under the “Governor Gambles on
Education.” He said that residents who have already weighed in with their
opinion can read the responses of others by clicking on, “View
Comments.”
“I
always look forward to receiving feedback from the public, especially on topics
that could potentially have a dramatic impact on the future of the state of
Illinois,” said Rutherford. “I invite every member of every household to
complete the survey. The more feedback I receive, the better. When my
constituents let me know what issues are important to them, I am better able to
represent them.”
Rutherford explained that the Blagojevich
Administration estimates that a sale of the state lottery could bring in a
one-time cash infusion of $10 billion, which would be used to pay down the
state’s pension debt. In an effort to receive more concrete details, the House
of Representatives will convene in a Committee of the Whole on Thursday, July 5,
to address the proposal, and the Governor is expected to attend. The Speaker of
the House has publicly stated that he would like to hold a vote on the proposal
as early as this weekend.