Saviano reserves judgment on Quinn’s outline for state

• Reprints

Updated: March 10, 2012 8:32AM

State Rep. Angelo “Skip” Saviano (R-77th) is giving Gov. Pat’s Quinn’s State of the State address last week a mixed review.

During a 35-minute speech, Quinn focused both on accomplishments and goals.

Under accomplishments, he listed the passage of ethics laws, legalizing civil unions, raising the standard of care in nursing homes, cutting red tape for businesses that need environmental permits, and investing in public works.

“He did a lot of good things,” Saviano said. “He did them in consultation with the Legislature.

“He worked for a capital infrastructure program.”

Saviano added,” Someone has to be a cheerleader. Overall, it’s a speech a governor would give to promote his state.”

Quinn also had a long list of goals, including Medicaid, public pension and workers compensation reforms, abolishing the natural gas utility tax, a child tax credit, a tax credit for businesses that hire veterans, raising the minimum age to attend school to 18 and more Monetary Awards Program scholarships.

“I think it amounted to a price tag of half a billion,” Saviano said. “I don’t know where we’ll get the money for the programs.”

Saviano said he’d reserve judgments on the proposed programs until the governor’s budget address in three weeks.

“The thing for vets, how do you go against that?” Saviano asked. “The other programs, I’ll try to look at the particulars.

“This is the first time we saw it. When we see it on paper, we’ll have a better idea on what is doable and what is not.”