CARBONDALE - Gathered where some of the money would be spent, a bipartisan group of local legislators sounded off Monday at Southern Illinois University Carbondale for passage of the $34 billion Illinois Works program that died more than a week earlier on the House floor.

Saying they had gathered "to sound the bugle," former congressman and current Illinois Department of Transportation Assistant Secretary David Phelps said the bill passage is critical to put people back to work.

"We felt this kind of meeting was necessitated. We need to put men and women to work who have been too long without it," Phelps said, as leaders gathered in the Southern Illinois Airport main hangar. The airport houses SIUC's Department of Aviation Management and Flight.

The airport is also the future site for a projected $54.6 million SIUC Transportation Education Center that is among a list of university building projects included within the construction plan.

Shortly after his annual State of the State address in February, where he highlighted the Illinois Works proposal during much of his budget talk, Blagojevich announced the forming of a coalition headed by SIU President Glenn Poshard and former U.S. House Speaker Dennis Hastert of Springfield to help get the plan through the current legislature.

The former politicians held 28 community or town meetings throughout the state to get citizen input. They also sought help from financial experts at major Illinois universities and studied state tax codes to find ways to fund the program.

And they sought opinion, suggestions and participation from all four state caucuses.

"We were careful to assess the needs of the state. We were careful to find revenue sources that at least a majority from all caucuses could agree on. We want the public to know this has been an open and methodical process and that we encourage everyone's participation. We feel in the end this is a good bill for the state of Illinois as evidenced by the fact it passed the state Senate with a bipartisan majority," Poshard said a few days after the bill died in late May.

Poshard spoke Monday during the gathering, saying the bill has provisions within it to fairly and evenly distribute money throughout the state. It contains also accountability responsibilities and periodic reviews by state government authorities, Poshard said.

"Nothing is ever dead in government until it gasps its last breath,' Poshard said, adding he is hopeful Illinois Works will become a reality.

Still, it was labor that many leaders focused on as union labor leaders joined chamber of commerce officials and people from private businesses.

"About 700,000 current and new jobs total are at stake," said Jay Hoffman, D-Collinsville, who is House chairman of transportation and motor vehicles, noting also that $9 billion in federal matching money for transportation infrastructure work is also on the table regarding the proposed bill.

Hoffman took the first of several swipes heard throughout the morning at House speaker Michael Madigan, D-Chicago, who has repeatedly expressed skepticism about the bill and reportedly giving Gov. Rod Blagojevich spending authority.

"There is one man who is not for this bill and unfortunately he's the leader of my chamber," Hoffman said.

After the gathering, Hoffman said the governor will likely make a decision and announce publicly this week whether to call for a special session to get more work and action on the bill.

scott.fitzgerald@thesouthern.com / 351-5076@thesouthern.com / 351-5076