Posted by Tribune staff at 3:22 p.m.
SPRINGFIELD---A Democratic constitutional amendment to double the state income tax on people making more than $250,000 a year failed Thursday in the Illinois House as Republicans decried the measure as an election-year stunt.
"You vote against this bill, you vote against 95 percent of the population of this state," said Rep. John Bradley (D-Marion).
The state income tax is a flat 3 percent for individuals. The Democratic proposal would have asked voters in November to increase that to 6 percent and raised an estimated $3 billion a year. Rep. Mike Smith (D-Canton), the sponsor, said the money would have gone to schools, a statewide construction program and tax relief to the poor.
The proposal needed 71 votes to pass the House but got 52. As a constitutional amendment, a three-fifths vote was required instead of the usual simple majority of 60 votes. House Republican leader Tom Cross accused the Democrats of playing election-year politics and trying to distance themselves from past support of embattled Democratic Gov. Rod Blagojevich.
But Minority Leader Tom Cross (R-Oswego) contended the “most troubling part” of the measure fails to break down specifics, such as which education programs would get more money and which school districts would come out ahead.
He called it “foolish” to hand $3 billion over to Democratic Gov. Rod Blagojevich’s administration because it does not have a good track record on fiscal management.
"What are we doing? 'So, here's $3 billion, Gov. Blagojevich's administration. Go do whatever you want with it?' … Wait a minute," Cross said.
Republicans argued Democrats were trying to get them to take a potentially unpopular vote on a measure that was doomed to fail to use in the fall campaign.
Rep. Bill Black (R-Danville) called the Democratic proposal "class warfare."
"It's counterproductive. It's destructive," Black said. "It just further divides us from the job we have to do."
Republicans tried to delay the debate until Monday, but that idea was voted down along party lines.
Even if it passed the House, it still would have had to get a three-fifths majority in the Illinois Senate before voters would get to consider it in the fall. | 
