While much of the attention at the state capitol has been on pension and Medicaid reform, southern Illinois lawmakers have been working to try and keep the state's only super maximum security prison open.
Governor Quinn wants to close The Tamms Supermax prison along with other state facilities in the region as a budget cutting measure. Tamms is in State Representative Brandon Phelp's district. Phelps says negotiations seem to be going well, though nothing yet is set in stone: "Right now we feel good about it, but like I said, this thing can change, so we're not getting too hopeful, but we still are talking about how important this is to us."
Phelps says he's willing to make concessions to keep Tamms open, even it means reducing the level of security from super maximum. Both the House and Senate's budget proposals restore funding that would keep Tamms open.
When Governor Quinn introduced his budget, he estimated 300 people working at Tamms would be laid off.
