Now is the time to flex your democratic muscle on legislative issues

It has been about two months since Gov. J.B. Pritzker presented his proposed budget for the coming fiscal year. Only now is the true picture of next year’s anticipated spending and income starting to form, and it most likely won’t be complete until, at best, a couple of days before the May 31 deadline.

Indeed, in many years, especially budget-conscious lawmakers have complained that the hundreds of pages of programs and purchases the document outlines are stuffed into their hands still warm from the copier only hours before they are expected to approve or reject it. Of course, by that time, its approval is all but a fait accompli, because majority leadership has already told its members how to vote and knows it has the numbers it needs to pass.

All of which may lead a cynic to wonder whether it’s worthwhile even to pay attention to what’s happening in Springfield, much less raise one’s voice in support or opposition to any specific proposal. But the truth suggests just the opposite, that the time is now for paying attention to the news out of the Capitol and for contacting your senators and representatives to let them know how you feel about the issues important to you.

Indeed, a Capitol News Illinois summary of the 2022-23 legislative calendar tallied 566 bills approved during the session, all but one of them during May. Expect a similar result this year — with most of those approvals coming toward the end of the month rather than the beginning.

There may be no grander example of the importance of this month to taxpayers than the effort by the Chicago Bears and the city of Chicago to secure state taxpayer assistance in a bid to build a $4.7 billion stadium complex. The proposal wasn’t even a gleam in Bears CEO Kevin Warren’s eye when Pritzker presented his budget plan on Feb. 21, and the stadium idea that, although fading, did hold a tenuous first place at that time in the mind of the team and local authorities was a $5 billion proposal for Arlington Heights that was the subject of several pieces of legislation attempting to control how public resources could be collected to fund it. Now, with fewer than 30 days remaining in the session, expect a full-on press from supporters to soften a reluctant governor and reluctant lawmakers of both parties to help pony up at least $900 million in public money for the stadium alone, with the source of another $1.5 billion in infrastructure around it yet to be determined — though you can make a pretty good guess at where they will be looking for a major source of the money.

But even if a Bears funding proposal doesn’t manage to make it into the conversation for action this month, plenty of other ideas with significant impacts on your wallet and your quality of life will get teed up in the coming weeks. They could include everything from cost controls on prescription medicines to regulations on driver testing for senior citizens, as well as much-publicized issues involving education spending, grocery taxes, immigration assistance and much, much more.

This is a particularly active time for lobby groups to appeal to us for some of our limited available space to present guest columns advocating for some particular legislation or pleading for rejection of some other. With a few exceptions, our general rule is to reject such appeals — they invariably, and reasonably, result in demands for equal space from the other side — and instead recommend writers trim their thoughts to the 300-word maximum for our more-abundant space for letters to the editor. Either way, you will find in the days and weeks ahead both mounting numbers of news stories about issues facing state government and increasing attempts in our letters to the editor columns to draw your attention to issues lawmakers will decide.

Which is a good thing. The foundation of democratic rule is public understanding and public discussion of the issues that affect our lives. It may feel a bit frustrating to have so much pouring in so fast, but keep a couple of things in mind. One, is that these issues aren’t just magically surfacing now; most have been the subjects of debate, research and committee hearings since the beginning of the year. Another is that lawmakers are now preparing to make up their minds on the consequential bills headed their way, so it’s now that you can have the most influence.

That’s why so many special interests are clamoring for your attention this month, and it’s why you should act if you want the lawmakers representing you to know your opinions.

• Jim Slusher, jslusher@dailyherald.com, is managing editor for opinion at the Daily Herald. Follow him on Facebook at www.facebook.com/jim.slusher1 and on Twitter at @JimSlusher.