State Rep. Naomi Jakobsson, D-Urbana, continues to urge constituents in the area to put pressure on Senate President Emil Jones and State Sen. Mike Frerichs, D-Gifford, to override Gov. Rod Blagojevich’s cuts to the state budget.

“She definitely urges everyone who has been affected to reach out to Jones and Frerichs and to call for an override veto in the Senate,” said Jessica Frank, legislative assistant to Jakobsson. Frank emphasized that Jakobsson is actively “working with her colleagues in the Senate to hopefully get an override veto.”

Frerichs has been against the governor’s veto since its announcement.

“(Frerichs) would like the Senate to have an opportunity to vote to override the governor’s veto,” said Justin Cajindos, Frerichs’ chief of staff. “He is working with his colleagues to convince Senate President Emil Jones to allow an override vote in the Senate. He still remains optimistic that it’s a possibility.”

Cajindos stressed that the constituent response has been overwhelmingly against Blagojevich’s veto.

“I don’t recall a single constituent calling us and saying they support what the governor did,” Cajindos said.

Jakobsson held a budget hearing Monday night at the Anita Purves Nature Center, 1505 N. Broadway Ave., to address Blagojevich’s line-item budget vetoes of funding for local projects and programs. It is one of 19 bipartisan hearings planned statewide in response to Blagojevich’s cuts from the $59 billion state budget, totaling $463 million.

The Monday night hearing will be the only one held by Jakobsson, although House Speaker Michael Madigan has personally directed his staff to continue to hold such budget meetings thorough out the state, Frank said.

“It’s terribly unfair to people who have come to depend on these programs,” Jakobsson said.

Jakobsson said the goal of the night was to provide information regarding the governor’s “unprecedented budget cuts,” to permit the “victims of the budget buzz saw” to explain how the governor’s cuts will impair local projects programs and services, to give the public a chance to share its views and to convince the Illinois Senate to join the House in overriding the governor’s cuts.

State Reps. Chapin Rose, R-Mahomet, Shane Cultra, R-Onarga, and Bill Black, R-Danville, attended the hearing and made brief statements at the beginning of the session.

All the representatives said that they were outraged by Blagojevich’s refusal to negotiate the budget and show an interest in reaching a bipartisan agreement.

“I need to remind the governor that we have three branches of government,” said Black. “We don’t just have one. And they should be equal partners.”

Sens. Dale A. Righter, R-Mattoon, Bill Brady, R-Bloomington, Dan Rutherford, R-Pontiac, and Frerichs did not attend due to an extended Senate session, but statements from two of the absent senators were read during the forum.

No representatives from the governor’s office announced their presence at the hearing when Jakobsson asked if any were in attendance.

Members of various organizations, programs and institutions affected by the budget cuts attended, including Smart Girls, the 4-H program, Parkland College and Prairie Health Care Systems. Representatives were called in groups of three or four and allowed a maximum of five minutes to address the forum.

Representatives also addressed Senate President Emil Jones’ refusal to allow a vote to override Blagojevich’s budget cuts.

“It disenfranchises every legislator except him,” said Alan G. Ryle, Champaign Mental Health Center board member. “(Emil Jones) is stopping democracy.”

According to a slideshow compiled by Jakobsson and her staff, Blagojevich vetoed $9.5 million in higher education grants, along with cuts that may cost taxpayers, students and state universities $121.5 million. Cuts also included projects for University facility upgrades.

“I think a lot of the college students understand that they need to contact their representatives,” Jakobsson said. “Many of them do contact me. It’s really important for them to contact their own representatives

Daily Illini staff reporter Erika Strebel contributed to this report