After a weekend of criticism over his support of a bill that would re-legalize mass euthanasia of dogs and cats by gas chambers, Bill Brady removed his name from the bill that he originally sponsored. But the pet-killing project was not the only controversial legislation Brady tried to distance himself from--he has also removed his name from a bill that would allow discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity in the state, which he originally authored.
Brady, the likely GOP gubernatorial candidate in Illinois, has taken some heat in recent weeks for his ultra-conservative views--and Democrats are noticing.
This weekend, Gov. Pat Quinn made sure to mention Brady's euthanasia idea at the International Dog Show, and it will be surprising if no one mentions his desire to exclude the gay community from the Illinois Human Rights Act throughout the campaign.
"The point here is that Bill Brady is obviously not yet thinking like a statewide candidate," the Capitol Fax Blog's Rich Miller pointed out Monday. "For crying out loud, you can't introduce a bill to help out your local puppy gas chamber when you're trying to be governor. I mean, seriously, what kind of thought process concocts an idea like that?"
Miller also noted that within days of the media coverage surrounding the puppy gas chamber bill, Brady passed off sponsorship of the bill to someone else--and he did the same thing with SB3447--which contains a serious blow to human rights in Illinois:
[SB3447] Amends the Illinois Human Rights Act. In the Employment Article, provides that the Act does not apply to a religious organization, association, or society or any nonprofit institution or organization operated, supervised, or controlled by or in conjunction with a religious organization, association, or society with respect to employment qualifications based on religion or sexual orientation. Effective January 1, 2011.
While Brady's name no longer appears in the "sponsors" section of either controversial bill, the history remains: he drafted the bill that would allow certain employers and tax-exempt organizations to discriminate based on gender identity or sexual orientation and it was his idea to bring back gas chambers for unwanted pets.
Social issues aside, Brady's budget proposals are currently being weighed by state Democrats, who are allegedly drafting a budget based on ideas from his primary race. With unemployment cash dried up, a staggering deficit and jobless rate through the roof--if he could make his fiscal ideas work for the state, it could be Brady's saving grace.