Gov. Quinn Wins Big On Plan To Close Prisons
By Samantha Abernethy in News on Dec 6, 2012 10:00PM
Gov. Pat Quinn won a significant victory in his long-fought battle to close a number of Illinois correctional facilities, including the Tamms Supermax facility. The Illinois House opted to skip a vote in the veto session that could have overridden Quinn's plan to cut funding and close prisons.
Quinn has been pushing to close Tamms Supermax, maximum-security Dwight women's lockup, two juvenile detention centers and three halfway houses, a measure that he estimated would save $88 million per year. He started the push in February, but it's faced opposition in the courts from unions. The state Senate voted to override his plan.
The State Journal-Register writes:
It appeared lawmakers were also ready to reject the idea after the state senators voted last week to override Quinn's decision. An override in the House would have locked up the money, but House lawmakers skipped a vote and adjourned Wednesday, allowing the cuts to stand. House Speaker Mike Madigan didn't think calling a vote was a "necessary action to take," said his spokesman Steve Brown.
The judicial fight to keep the prisons open is still alive, though, and AFSCME spokesman Anders Lindall told the Journal-Register that the union "will work with lawmakers to find another way to restore needed funding for corrections and juvenile justice."