Illinois General Assembly to meet for Veto Session SPRINGFIELD, IL (wqub) - The saga of the state budget continues. Legislators will be back in Springfield today to deal with the budget, mass transit, and various other issues. Amanda Vinicky reports:

The first item on the agenda for the fall veto session ... in the Illinois House anyway ... is a hearing on Governor Rod Blagojevich's budget cuts. Lawmakers will hear testimony about how groups will suffer because they've been stripped of their state funding.

The House is expected to then override the Governor ... and restore the money.
However ... the Senate would need to do the same. And the Senate President has said it's not going to happen.
The chambers are apart on another major item ... a statewide infrastructure program. The Senate voted to fund construction projects by allowing three new casinos. But the Speaker of the House is leery ... and wants hearings on that too. A lot of negotiating on that front will likely take place this week.

Lawmakers will also try agree on a way to bailout Chicago's mass transit systems.
In order for any of it to happen ... says House Republican Leader Tom Cross ... legislative leaders and the governor will have to stop feuding.


"We all ought to be together and work this out. And somewhere along the line we've got to stop the in-fighting and stop the finger-pointing."

Finally ... lawmakers will have the chance to accept or reject Governor Blagojevich's 80-or-so-other vetoes ... including dealing with one measure that would give Cook County residents property tax relief.
I'm Amanda Vinicky.
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