By AP/KWMU
Springfield, Ill. – Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich on Tuesday said he's dropping his proposal to legalize keno in the state as a way to pay for part of a $3.2 billion plan for capital projects, like new schools.
But Republicans say they still oppose the governor's road and school construction plan. The governor sent a letter to House Minority Leader Tom Cross saying keno has become an excuse for lawmakers to oppose his proposal.
Blagojevich says he's willing to forgo the keno idea if legislators work to find the needed money. But Cross says it's not his responsibility to find a way to pay for the governor's program. He also says it'd be easier politically to go along with the plan but that it wouldn't be fiscally responsible.
Blagojevich had proposed legalizing the keno game to pay for $500 million in new school construction projects. But the idea has gone over poorly with lawmakers.