"Members are asked to be at their seats. We shall be led in the invocation today by Pastor Trudy Stoffel who is with the Geneva Lutheran Church in Geneva, Illinois. Pastor Stoffel is the guest of Representative Andersson. Members and guests are asked to refrain from starting their laptops, turn off all cell phones, and rise for the invocation and Pledge of Allegiance."
"Thank you. I got a phone call yesterday of a family in my congregation asking me to be present while they removed life support at noon today. So, I'm holding that very much in my heart and now all of us are holding them in ours as well. But it made a point for me in a lot of ways that this isn't so much about constituencies or groupings of people but about a whole bunch of individuals whose lives you very much hold in your hands as you work, whose lives your work very much affects. And I remember reading one time that we can hold two people and our own interests in our minds at one time. That's all we can handle, three things. And once it gets beyond that we need to group things together. What having Representative Andersson in my congregation has taught me is to bring it back to a much more individual level. You might be surprised to hear that we don't always hear good things about politicians in the State of Illinois. And he taught me that you are all real people. And you have people that love you and know you. You have lives beyond this chamber. And you have reasons, a whole list of them, of what brought you here to do this work. And on none of those lists did it say I want to be a roadblock to progress, or I want to get in the way of things happening, or I want to harm people. It was all about 10000130.docx 1 STATE OF ILLINOIS 100th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 130th Legislative Day 5/15/2018 doing something more, something bigger, something good. So, as I was asked to do an invocation, I'm not sure you're all away, but we get a letter that says what we can and cannot say. So, as we do an invocation I was thinking, okay, I have to think about things and remember we can hold how many in our heads? Three things. What are three things that everyone in this chamber can agree about that can guide the decisions and the conversations, that you'll have the rest of the day, that can inform all the important things that you have to do with your families later on? For all the things that you have to hold, what three things could we name? I was remembering the field trips to Springfield with the fourth graders on the buses, this was a much better trip I just have to say that. I thought, well the State Bug is the Monarch butterfly, everyone could be excited about that, right? Whitetail deer, if it's not crossing I-57 in front of you. Yeah. Yeah. Amen for that. And then the Cardinals is the State Bird. Who's from Chicago? Yeah, sorry. Yeah, maybe that won't work. Plus it doesn't have enough weight to hold all the things that you need to hold. So, what are three values? Because that's what I think naming God is all about in my tradition. It's not about naming what's important to me, it's about naming about what's important to us together. So, I was thinking about many voices coming together. Do some of you like to go to concerts? All the music. Do you know they all have different notes in front of them? They don't all play the same music. What is that called? Harmony, right? I don't want you all to have the same opinion, I'm grateful that you don't. Because it means some real work is going to happen. So, harmony. Can 10000130.docx 2 STATE OF ILLINOIS 100th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 130th Legislative Day 5/15/2018 we all agree harmony? That's a good thing. Okay. All right. I hear a yes from behind me, so I'm going with that voice. What's another thing that we can agree on? What about being surprised occasionally? Openness to the surprise that sometimes shows up in our lives. Anyone get surprised? Anyone hate surprises? Yes. But sometimes those surprises are the most beautiful thing to openness. So, so far we have harmony. It sounds a little feel… touchy feely doesn't it? But I think it's going to get us there. Openness. And then something from Plato on has been talked about the common good. It's in all of our holy books. This thing that's beyond all of us, which is the work that you're called to do. You know what? It's not enough for us just to stand here and say, for harmony, for openness, for the common good. We're to do something… I go out to the Lutheran Outdoor Ministry Center in Oregon, Illinois, is Adam Kinzinger here? It's in his district. So, I'm going to ask Rep Andersson to help me with this. So, you're actually going to have to touch each other maybe. So, it goes like this. For harmony I'm going to extend my right hand, for openness then you extend you left hand and see then we'll be touching like this. So, get next to… for harmony, for openness, and for the common good, we're going to raise our arms. For the common good. Okay? For harmony, for openness, for the common good. May your work be blessed."
"We shall be led in the Pledge of Allegiance by Representative Chapa LaVia."
"I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it 10000130.docx 3 STATE OF ILLINOIS 100th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 130th Legislative Day 5/15/2018 stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all."
"Roll Call for Attendance. Leader Currie."
"Thank you, Speaker. Please let the record show that Representatives Phelps-Finnie, Manley, and Sente are excused today."
"Representative Wheeler." Wheeler, K.: "Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Please let the record reflect that Representatives Breen and Cabello are excused today."
Speaker Turner: "With 112 Members present, a quorum is established. Representative Batinick, for what reason do you seek recognition?"
"Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Point of personal privilege."
"Please proceed, Sir."
"I have the wonderful 7th grader, Kristen Schwartz, who won an essay contest. She is a big fan of soccer, plays for the Chicago Fire and for school team J.F. Kennedy. Please everybody give a warm welcome to Kristen Schwartz. Thank you."
Speaker Turner: "Thank you. And welcome to your Capitol. Representative Bourne, for what reason do you seek recognition?"
"Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Point of personal privilege, please."
"Please proceed, Representative."
"Thank you. Each year we do an art contest in our district and this year it was bicentennial themed, Representative Butler, so you'll have to come check out our art winners. They're here in front of us. We've got Hoover Dam, we've got 10000130.docx 4 STATE OF ILLINOIS 100th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 130th Legislative Day 5/15/2018 birthday cakes and today as a special guest in the gallery we have Claire Cole who drew Abraham Lincoln. So, please welcome her and please congratulate all of our art winners."
"Mr. Clerk, HR956 offered by Representative Butler."
"House Resolution 956, offered by Representative Butler. Be it RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE HUNDREDTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we congratulate both the seventh and eighth grade girls volleyball teams from Hartsburg-Emden on winning their respective Illinois Elementary School Association Class 7-1A and 8-1A State Championships, and we admire their extensive record of success and hope it continues far into the future."
"Representative Butler."
"Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I'm proud to offer House Resolution 956 today. And once again welcome back the Hartsburg-Emden Lady Stags, the seventh and eighth grade volleyball teams from Hartsburg-Emden, who once again won another state title. To say that they are a dynasty is a complete understatement. In 25 years of Coach Hayes coaching the Lady Stags, she's won 28 titles in junior high and one state title in high school. These young ladies here, the seventh and eighth grade, beat Grayville in both the championship games this year, this past March. The seventh grade was undefeated. The third… the eighth grade had three losses. So, please join me in welcoming the Hartsburg-Emden Lady Stag State Champions."
"Thank you. And welcome to your Capitol. Gentleman moves for the adoption of House Resolution 956. All in favor 10000130.docx 5 STATE OF ILLINOIS 100th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 130th Legislative Day 5/15/2018 say 'aye'; all opposed say 'nay'. In the opinion of the Chair, the 'ayes' have it. And the Resolution is adopted. Leader Currie in the Chair."
"A little attention please. We have with us an honored guest this afternoon, Eric Huang, who is the Director General of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Chicago. Mr. Huang did his undergraduate work at the National University in Taiwan. And he also got his MBA at the University of Chicago. He did additional graduate work at Oxford, and he has done many things for the department, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for the Republic. He's been in the Department of North American Affairs. He served some time in Vancouver, Canada. Before coming to Chicago, he was the Deputy Director General in the Department of International Cooperation and Economic Affairs, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for the Republic of China. Today he is the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office Director General. He lives in Winnetka with his wife and two lovely children. So, he's also agreed to meet with us so we can have picture and handshaking opportunities right down here after he is finished speaking. Join me in welcoming Mr. Eric Huang."
"Thank you. Majority Leader Currie, thank you for your kind introduction. Thank you everyone for welcoming so warmly. My office, Taipei Economic and Cultural Office, represent Taiwan in the Midwest. We cover seven states in the Midwest, but we are located in Illinois which means that the relationship in between Illinois and Taiwan, one of the most important relations we have is the Midwest. Today, I would like to say a few words of how we appreciate the relationships 10000130.docx 6 STATE OF ILLINOIS 100th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 130th Legislative Day 5/15/2018 between Taiwan and Illinois. I would like to touch on three points, which means that I have three thanks to thank Illinois. The first I would like to thank Illinois for educating Taiwanese national leaders. In 1996, we started to elect directly our national leaders. So far, we have six Vice Presidents elected. And out of the six Vice Presidents, we have two educated in Illinois who holds the advanced degree from universities and colleges of Illinois. And we have a former Premier who is the head of the Cabinet, also hold a PhD degree from University of Illinois. We have many other leaders including Director Ang Lee, which is one of the best movie director in the world. I'm pretty sure that some of you have seen his movie. He also hold an advanced degree in… from the University of Illinois. We are very thankful for Illinois for educating our national leaders. And for myself, I also earned my master's degree from the University of Chicago, although my position is far away from being a national leader, but I would also like to proudly say that Illinois is actually the spiritual homeland for myself. And I'm very much honored today to come back home to see our friends and family like you here. The second thank you is that thank you for providing Taiwan with high quality agricultural products from Illinois. Taiwan is the 11th largest trading partner with the United States. We are not geographically big, but we are solid (unintelligible). We are also the 7th… the 7th largest export market for American agricultural products. We are the 7th largest export market for Illinois goods; therefore, the relationship between Illinois and Taiwan have been very close. I think the farmer's community in Illinois must be 10000130.docx 7 STATE OF ILLINOIS 100th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 130th Legislative Day 5/15/2018 aware of that. Every two years we organize a Taiwan agricultural trade goodwill mission to Midwest states. In the last year, the delegation, the mission promised to buy 3 billion U.S. dollars' worth of agricultural product from Midwest states including a lot of the goods from Illinois, especially soy and corn. So, in a sense that Illinois has faith Taiwanese and that is a very good thing. This is the second thank you. And the third one I would like to express my gratitude for Illinoisans and the State Legislature for providing moral support for Taiwan especially for our international space. We are facing very challenging international environment. Joint meaningful participation in international organizations is very important for Taiwan. For example, the World Health Assembly, which used to be an observer, is very essential for Taiwan to protect 23 million people from infectious diseases, which respect no border. We are very thankful for the Legislature of Illinois to provide… to pass Resolution in support of Taiwan's meaningful participation in international space. In 1992, we established a sisterhood relationship with the State of Illinois. So, we have been vital sisters for more than three decades. And in the three decades, the State of Illinois actually acted like a sister, like train our leaders, provider us high quality food and to give us moral support when we are in need of such international encouragement. As the new Director General of Taiwan's mission to the Midwest, I look forward to cooperating with you more. And thank you very much for your support. Thank you." 10000130.docx 8 STATE OF ILLINOIS 100th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 130th Legislative Day 5/15/2018
"Thank you, Director General Huang. And as I say, he will stand over here so that you can come say hello to him, introduce yourself, and have your picture taken with him. Representative Turner back in the Chair."
"Representative David Harris, for what reason do you seek recognition?" Harris, D.: "Thank you, Mr. Speaker. A point of personal privilege, please."
"Please proceed, Sir." Harris, D.: "Ladies and Gentlemen of the House, and especially those of you who have an interest in environmental issues, I'd like to draw your attention today to what I'm going to say about Illinois. You may… you may be aware that that there is a designation known as the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, L-E-E-D, LEED. It's one of the most popular green building certification programs used worldwide. It was developed by the non-profit U.S. Green Building Council. It includes a set of rating systems for the design, construction, operation, and maintenance of green buildings homes and neighborhoods that help… that aims to help building owners and operators be environmentally responsible and use resources efficiently. I'm very happy to tell you that Illinois, listen to this, Illinois is number one… number one among the 50 states in the construction of LEED certified buildings that are overall better for the environment. Thank you, Mr. Speaker."
"Thank you, Representative. Representative Walsh, for what reason do you seek recognition?"
"Thank you, Mr. Speaker. A point of personal privilege." 10000130.docx 9 STATE OF ILLINOIS 100th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 130th Legislative Day 5/15/2018
"Please proceed, Sir."
"Ladies and Gentlemen of the House, today I'd like to welcome three guests that are paging for me today from Joliet Central High School: Marquis Evans, Jose Bernal, and Keovyonne Lindsay. They're seniors at Joliet Central High School and they participate in a Brother-to-Brother Program and they're down here learning about Springfield today. So, please welcome them."
Speaker Turner: "Thank you. And welcome to your Capitol. Representative Hurley, for what reason do you seek recognition?"
"Point of personal privilege, Mr. Speaker."
"Please proceed, Representative."
"So, Members of the General Assembly have you ever met a Rhodes Scholar? Well you… well you can today. Tom Dowling, he's up in the audience today. He is from my district and he is a Rhodes Scholar. He will be studying over in Oxford this… after this summer. And just a couple of his details: He is one of 32 students from the United States selected as a Rhodes Scholar. He is one of the first Rhodes Scholars on the Urbana campus since 1998. He has a double major in political science and history. He has worked for Representative Ammons, I don't know if she's here. He has been named a Truman Scholar and a Lincoln Academy Student Laurette. And I think one of the most impressive things is Thomas is a first generation college student, was raised by a single mother, and he plans to pursue a Master's Degree in comparative social policy and Master's Degree in public policy. And hopefully when I'm all done here, 10000130.docx 10 STATE OF ILLINOIS 100th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 130th Legislative Day 5/15/2018 he will possibly take my place. So, if you guys would give him a good round of applause, I'd appreciate it."
"Congratulations. And welcome to your Capitol. Representative Halpin, for what reason do you seek recognition?"
"Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Point of personal privilege."
"Please proceed, Sir."
"And thank you again. So, this point is particularly relevant to the Representative from Downers Grove. As you may recall the Gentleman recently passed a Bill to protect cats and dogs and prot… or protect people from liability for saving cats and dogs from a hot car. After some intense questioning, the Gentleman admitted that his Bill did not address any other animal. Well despite our concerns, just last week a woman was arrested in South Carolina for leaving her pet squirrel in a hot car. Tragedy was averted, fortunately. The… the squirrel did live and he will be returned to her after some time. But I think for Illinois, the Representative from Downers Grove owes this Body a trailer Bill. I hope he is willing to do this. And I might suggest that he start with the National Uniform Treatment of Squirrels Act, commonly known as N-U-T- S or NUTS. I don't think any of us want to have to come back and say I told you so. And I… I appreciate the Speaker allowing me this moment of levity in gently ribbing Mr. Olson, and I'm looking forward to a very productive committee deadline week. Thank you, Mr. Speaker."
Speaker Turner: "Thank you, Representative. Representative Davidsmeyer, for what reason do you seek recognition?" 10000130.docx 11 STATE OF ILLINOIS 100th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 130th Legislative Day 5/15/2018
"Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Point of personal privilege."
"Please proceed, Sir."
"I would like to introduce to the Body my page for the day, Roy Flowers. He's from Grafton, Illinois, and he is an IT architect, which means he builds all the stuff… the information technology that I don't understand. So, if we could give him a please… please give him a warm Springfield welcome I'd appreciate it."
"Welcome to your Capitol. Representative Kifowit, for what reason do you seek recognition?"
"Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to acknowledge this week being Police Week. I am wearing the jacket of our uncle David Gumz, we lost him last year. He was a 27-year veteran of the Aurora Police Department. And I want to say to all the police officers out there, thank you, and you're doing a great job."
"Thank you, Representative. Representative Kelly Burke, for what reason do you seek recognition?" Burke, K.: "Mr. Speaker, point of personal privilege."
"Please proceed, Representative." Burke, K.: "I'd like to welcome my pages today: sisters, Georgia and Lily DeRousse, from Oak Lawn. They are an eighth grader and a sixth grader, respectively, and they are here to observe and hopefully to offer some pointers to me on legislation, what to vote for, what to look out for. And I'm happy to have them. Please give a warm Springfield welcome to Georgia and Lily." 10000130.docx 12 STATE OF ILLINOIS 100th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 130th Legislative Day 5/15/2018
"Thank you. And welcome to your Capitol. Mr. Clerk, House Resolution 1061, offered by Representative Arroyo."
"House Resolution 1061 offered by Representative Arroyo. be it RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE HUNDREDTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we recognize the humanitarian efforts of the men and women of ComEd who volunteered to help restore electricity to the Island of Puerto Rico, known affectionately as La Isla del Encanto."
"Representative Arroyo."
"Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I have a couple comments I want to read about ComEd and the humanitarian aid, they did went to Puerto Rico. Apparently, they're not in the chamber right now they're in the Senate. But we have to read the Resolution and read comments. House Resolution 1061, when ComEd and others from Exelon Utilities went to Puerto Rico, they went… they went as one… one team with one mission: To help the people of Puerto Rico regain some normality. Through their efforts more than 11 hundred… 11 thousand Puerto Ricans residents got their power and their lives back. For some it was truly life savings. One familiar… one family in Aibonito had family members who needed life support machine. They had gone through their life savings to keep the generators full of… full to keep their life savings machine running. They had approached other utilities to do the work but when they're turned down because their terrain was too extreme and the work too complicated; when ComEd arrived in the area, they immediately put… place… place a plan and prioritized the area 10000130.docx 13 STATE OF ILLINOIS 100th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 130th Legislative Day 5/15/2018 within the day. The family had their collection among themselves and presented the family with a two thousand dollar check towards the bills and had negotiated that they spend their money on fuel and generators. But when the work didn't end there, the ComEd crews took time to improve the community as well while they were in Puerto Rico. At the facility they stayed in while in Puerto Rico, the Olympic Training Village of Puerto Rico Athletic, they worked with the Exelon crews to repair the lighting and baseball field replacing fences that had been damaged after the hurricane and to restore the landscape and get facilities. This was… this was work that helped make the terrain center useful again. Authorities and the communities of the Olympic Training Village gathered the income. ComEd distribute 3.5 thousand… 3.5 hundred illuminated, solar powered, inflatable lamps, made in here in Illinois, to the Red Cross it gave citizens who were still without power. The partners with the Chicago area Girl Scout troops and bought school supplies and Girl Scout… in Puerto Rico and Humacao in particularly hard hit areas. And with the Exelon crews they took up coalitions and rebuilt a playground with all new equipment. They… the crews made extremely impact the Puerto Rico more than just restoring the power, they restored peace of mind. This is what ComEd means when they stay… they say the power is life. So, I want… I want to be able to see if I could read the Resolution if it's okay with the Speaker? House Resolution 1061 is WHEREAS, On September 13, 2017, the National Hurricane Center began tracking a tropical wave that ultimately became Hurricane Maria; and 10000130.docx 14 STATE OF ILLINOIS 100th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 130th Legislative Day 5/15/2018 WHEREAS, Hurricane Maria became the tenth most intense Atlantic hurricane on record and the most intense tropical storm of the 2017 season; and WHEREAS, On September 20, 2017, Hurricane Maria made landfall in Puerto Rico as a Category 4 storm with sustained wind speeds of 155 miles per hour; and WHEREAS, Hurricane Maria hit Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands just 14 days after Hurricane Irma did; and WHEREAS, All of the 3.5 million residents of Puerto Rico lost power following Hurricanes Irma and Maria; and WHEREAS, In the nearly seven months since Hurricane Maria made landfall in Puerto Rico, more than 40,000 people are still without electricity; and WHEREAS, Puerto Rico is experiencing the longest blackout in U.S. history and second-longest in world history, measured in customer hours of lost electricity service; and WHEREAS, 146 ComEd employees went voluntarily to Puerto Rico to assist the local utility in restoring power; and WHEREAS, The employees who went to Puerto Rico faced unfamiliar and treacherous terrain on the island's mountains and in its rainforests; and WHEREAS, These employees, along with utility workers from the five other Exelon utilities, installed 376 poles, 267 transformers, and more than 108 miles of cable; and WHEREAS, Through these employees' hard work over 50 days on the island, more than 11,000 customers in affected areas had their power restored; therefore, be it RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE HUNDREDTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we recognize 10000130.docx 15 STATE OF ILLINOIS 100th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 130th Legislative Day 5/15/2018 the humanitarian efforts of the men and women of ComEd who volunteered to help restore electricity to the Island of Puerto Rico, known affectionately as La Isla del Encanto; and be it further RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to the ComEd Operations Team leads for their service to the people of Puerto Rico. I want to thank… I want to reach out and I hope that everybody could adopt this and put everybody's name to this Resolution, Speaker. But I also want to personally thank the people and the humanitarian aid of all the people from ComEd, Exelon. They went to Puerto Rico and helped my family restored their power. I have a lot of cousins there, I have a lot of nephews, I have a lot of family. So, thank you very much for that, ComEd and Exelon. Thank you very much."
"Representative, I think the… the Resolution was adopted on a previous day. Representative Crespo."
"To the Resolution, Speaker. Some of you already know I was lucky to be born in this great State of Illinois, and I had the privilege of actually being raised in Puerto Rico where my family still lives out there. So, Hurricane Maria was something very personal to me. My mom and dad still live in the island as well as my… my brother and my two sisters. I… I did have an opportunity to visit my… my hometown of Bayamón after the hurricane. And it was kind of cool to see the excitement that some of these folks had when they saw a ComEd truck drive by the neighborhood because they knew that that meant that the power was going to restored in a month or two. That was excitement but just seeing the… the ComEd trucks 10000130.docx 16 STATE OF ILLINOIS 100th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 130th Legislative Day 5/15/2018 out there meant a lot to them. I know ComEd was stationed in the towns of Salina, Caguas, Cayey, Barranquitas, Comerio. And I think Representative Arroyo mentioned this, they did more than what they were supposed to do. They worked on the lines, they worked on the poles but they did help reconstruct Puerto Rico. They did other work, helped with construction, put up fences. So, I want to thank Fidal Marquez from ComEd who coordinated the effort. And on behalf of my family in Puerto Rico, Puerto Ricans in Puerto Rico, and the mainland, I want to thank Commonwealth Edison as well. Thank you, Speaker."
Speaker Turner: "Thank you, Representative. Representative Arroyo, for reason do you seek recognition?"
"Thank you… thank you, Mr. Speaker. I hope to adopt House Resolution 1061. Thank you."
"Representative, I'm… I'm being told by the Clerk that the Resolution was adopted on a previous day. Representative Wheeler is recognized." Wheeler, K.: "Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Republicans request an immediate caucus."
"The Republicans will immediately caucus in Room 118… 118. Democrats… Mr. Clerk, Agreed Resolutions."
Clerk Hollman: "Agreed Resolutions. House Resolution 1062, offered by Speaker Madigan. House Resolution 1063, offered by Representative David Harris. House Resolution 1065, offered by Representative Brady. House Resolution 1066, offered by Representative Welch. House Resolution 1067, offered by Representative DeLuca. And House Resolution 1068, offered by Representative Reis." 10000130.docx 17 STATE OF ILLINOIS 100th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 130th Legislative Day 5/15/2018
"Leader Currie moves for the adoption of the Agreed Resolutions. All in favor say 'aye'; all opposed say 'nay'. In the opinion of the Chair, the 'ayes' have it. And the Resolutions are adopted. And now, allowing perfunctory time for the Clerk, the House… Leader Currie moves that the House adjourn until Wednesday, May 15… May 16, at noon. Wednesday, May 16, at noon. All in favor say 'aye'; all opposed say 'nay'. In the opinion of the Chair, the 'ayes' have it, and the House is adjourned."
"House Perfunctory Session will come to order. A Member statement, offered by Representative McDermed concerning property taxes."
"Thank you, Mr. Speaker. When I knock on doors and engage with constituents, I hear every day from distressed residents and business owners about how unhappy they are about their latest property tax bill. I understand and share the concern of many families in my district about the rising costs of property taxes. For many working families and seniors on fixed incomes this property tax burden has made it increasingly difficult to afford to stay in their homes. I hear all the time from those who plan to move as soon as they are able. I tell my constituents that as your State Representative I'm committed to fighting for property tax relief. I also encourage them to be active in their local political scene, to attend school board meetings, to be vigilant when it comes to wasteful local government spending. It's on us here in Springfield to do something as well. Property tax relief is among my top priorities in Springfield. I have and will continue to propose and support property tax 10000130.docx 18 STATE OF ILLINOIS 100th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 130th Legislative Day 5/15/2018 relief legislation. We need to be creative about how we approach this. We need to provide real relief without putting too much strain on school districts and other local taxing bodies that provide vital services funded by property taxes. Nearly 70 percent of property tax bill in the 37th district goes to K to 12 education. Accordingly, I've written two Bills to help alleviate property taxes through adjusting the way school districts levy taxes. The Property Tax Extension Limitation Law, PTELL, was initially created to help slow the growth of property taxes. Now, however, the maximum amount taxing bodies are limited to in any given year has become the minimum amount that they tax every year. Many PTELL taxing bodies are incentivized in… to do this in part because of the uncertainty of funding at the state level. And so, they tax the maximum levy amount allowed under law even if such an increase is unnecessary that year. Under a Bill that I've written, House Bill 4958, if school districts levy less than the full amount allowed by PTELL in any given year, the legislation grants the school district the option to recover the rate increase if it needs to over the next three years. In the event of unanticipated actions that lower funding for school districts this allows the school district to return to the levy… level that would have been allowed under PTELL. This frees the district to levy only the amount necessary in year one and not the maximum levy for fear that unanticipated action at the state level might limit their funding or unanticipated budgetary shortfalls might occur. Dollars not levied in that tax year would be permanent savings for taxpayers. This Bill is supported by the Illinois Association 10000130.docx 19 STATE OF ILLINOIS 100th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 130th Legislative Day 5/15/2018 of School Boards and the Illinois School Management Alliance. We've seen firsthand in the 37th District what can happen when a school district pursues ambitious expansion and school facility projects. New buildings are shuttered before they're even paid off. Schools are adding to their debt with little concern to previous debt and as a result are growing their budgets with no restraint. Will County school districts right now are considering imposing a school facility occupation tax, that's a sales tax on every sale in Will County. I filed House Bill 1899 to require that any taxpayer monies collected under such a tax would be used to pay off existing debt service prior to it being used to pay direct costs associated with school facilities. I believe we can provide property tax relief by requiring school districts to use this new school sales tax to pay off existing debt before starting any wishful new facility projects. This is a fiscally responsible, commonsense piece of legislation. I urge this Body to pass these two pieces of legislation and other reasonable… measures that will give relief to the many struggling families across our state. Thank you."
"Introduction First Reading of House Bills. House Bill 5878, offered by Representative Wehrli, a Bill for an Act concerning government. First Reading of this House Bill. Introduction of Resolutions. House Joint Resolution 131, offered by Representative Bourne. House Joint Resolution 132, offered by Representative Ford. House Joint Resolution 133, offered by Representative Mussman. These were referred to the Rules Committee. A letter from the Secretary of State, dated May 15th, 2018. To the Honorable Speaker of the House: In 10000130.docx 20 STATE OF ILLINOIS 100th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 130th Legislative Day 5/15/2018 compliance with provisions of the Constitution of the State of Illinois, I am forwarding herewith the enclosed House Bill from the 100th General Assembly that has been returned to the Governor with specific recommendations for change: House Bill 1468. Respectively signed, Jesse White, the Secretary of State. There being no further business, the House Perfunctory Session will stand adjourned." 10000130.docx 21