I spoke, today, with State Representative Jack Franks (D-63, Woodstock), to ask him how that pork bill, with so many unconstitutional spending provisions, came to be approved.
State Rep. Jack Franks
That's the Bill that I reported on yesterday in Illinois General Assembly Donates Your Tax Dollars to Their Favorite Churches. House Bill 313 was approved, unanimously, in both houses of the Illinois General Assembly.
Here's what he had to say:
Rep. Franks said that this particular Bill had all of the spending provisions for throughout the State, such as road building allocations in each Member's District, in one Bill. If you voted against the Bill, you'd be voting against everything, including provisions that you may have put in the Bill.
In addition, the Members of the General Assembly received a copy of the Bill about three minutes before they were to vote on it, and the Bill was 972 pages long. They had no opportunity to review the Bill before voting on it.
Great way to run government, isn't it?
Franks assured me that he, personally, did not insert any provisions granting our tax dollars to any churches or parochial schools.
In addition, Franks urged me to send, in writing, a request to Gov. Quinn that he use his amendatory veto power to veto the unconstitutional portions of the Bill, and that I specify which items are unconstitutional.
Franks also said that, if Quinn doesn't veto those items, that I should sue to stop the expenditures, just as I have successfully done regarding the one million tax dollars that ex-Gov. Blagojevich tried to donate to Pilgrim Baptist Church.