CARTERVILLE - About 300 people and a foursome of state lawmakers filled a conference room Wednesday night at John A. Logan College and listened as speaker after speaker slammed Gov. Rod Blagojevich's proposed cuts to the state budget.

Listen to the opening remarks of several legislators.

The hearing kicked off a round of 19 such meetings that will be hosted across the state before the end of the month as lawmakers look to override Blagojevich's $463 million veto package.

State Sen. David Luechtefeld, R- Okawville, addressed the crowd and called for grassroots efforts to force action.

Later, Luechtefeld said the governor's proposed cuts are not logical.

"I thought it was really hypocritical for him to say he wants to veto these things to use the money for health care when he's vetoing a lot of other health care to get there," Luechtefeld said. "It's a bare bones budget already and to take $500 million out of it in an attempt to start a program when we are not paying for the programs that we already have I think is just really wrong."

State Rep. Mike Bost, R-Murphysboro, said Blagojevich's plan to roll his veto savings into expanded health care is illegal.

"The really bad thing is that he wants to invest the money into a program that has not been approved by the General Assembly and I feel that is unconstitutional," he said. "The governor himself does not have the power to create a new program, without the approval of the General Assembly."

To that end, Bost said the legislature has a legal card to play should Blagojevich choose to advance with his cuts.

House Democratic staff delivered a slideshow presentation detailing various programs and services that would see their funding cut by the governor. And representatives from Blagojevich's office were on hand offering the administration's interpretation of the proposed vetoes.

State Sen. John O. Jones, R-Mount Vernon, said he hoped the hearings would pressure state Sen. President Emil Jones Jr., D-Chicago, to let his membership vote on an override of the governor's vetoes. Jones said he is particularly concerned about health care funding in his area.

"The president of the senate needs to stick with his word that he made when he and the other three leaders drafted the budget," said Jones. "He said he'd override the vetoes and now he's saying 'no.'"

He added that "It's not just pork projects we're talking about here."

blackwell.thomas@thesouthern.com

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