During a press conference on Friday,August 13, members of the Quinn administration once again leveled a misleading claim regarding funding for a new inmate tracking system at the Illinois Department of Corrections.

The administration has consistently tried to claim lawmakers have kept the Governor from upgrading computers needed at the Department of Corrections.

That prompted Senate Republican Leader Christine Radogno (R-Lemont) to issue the following statement.

"In 2009, when the four legislative leaders and the Governor were negotiating a $30 billion capital measure, the Governor never once raised the issue of computers for the Department of Corrections. The Governor had substantial input into the projects identified in the capital measure and did not allocate or seek any funding for a computer system at the Department of Corrections.

"In last year’s operating budget, over $3 billion in discretionary lump sums were handed to the Governor to spend in any way he chose. Again this year, the Governor has a similar amount available for discretionary spending. In fact, this Governor has received more flexibility than any governor in the history of the state to allocate money any way he chooses.

"To suggest that legislators of either party have somehow prevented him from upgrading the prisoner tracking system at the Department of Corrections is just not true," Radogno said.