SPRINGFIELD - While plans of pumping millions of dollars into Chicago-area mass transit have surfaced in the last week, downstate lawmakers say their priorities are elsewhere.

"It doesn't sound like that's anything that's resonating here," said state Rep. Bob Flider, D-Mount Zion.

Most of the new spending talk in Springfield since March has focused on schools and health care, but recent doomsday budget projections by Chicago-area transit agencies mean they're now also in line for limited state funds.

A spokeswoman for Gov. Rod Blagojevich said the governor would be interested in paying out $100 million to keep Chicago's transit system running at full capacity.

But as downstate lawmakers hold budget talks up because of high power bills, some say they're not too interested in helping Chicago-area transit.

"We hear about the governor ready to dedicate $100 million in state money to a regional problem," said state Rep. Roger Eddy, R-Hutsonville. "Obviously, it's going to frustrate us a little bit when something we've been talking about since February has not been addressed."

Negotiations to deal with electric rates continue.

State Rep. Mike Boland, D-East Moline, said Chicago-area taxpayers would be better off using their own money to help regional transit. New state money, he says, should be focused to schools, universities and health care.

Blagojevich and legislative leaders didn't meet on Thursday.

"If they want to raise their own sales tax … then that's fine with me," Boland said.

Despite recent concerns about the impact of selling the state lottery, Blagojevich said Thursday that the move was a good way to pay off some of the state's pension debt. He says he'll keep asking lawmakers about it.

"The sale or lease of the lottery is something that we think makes a lot of sense," he said. "By all accounts, we need to do it with legislative approval. And that's what we're seeking - legislative approval."

The governor had invited the leaders to his office in the morning, but Madigan and Jones were busy dealing with the electric rate issue instead.

Blagojevich did meet separately with House Minority Leader Tom Cross, R-Oswego, but a spokeswoman reported no major developments.

Blackwell Thomas contributed to this report.