Illinois House Floor Debate — May 27, 2019

"Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Please let the Journal reflect that Representatives Mazzochi and Meier are excused today."

"A point of personal privilege, Mr. Speaker."

"Thank you. On my way here today, I drove through Camp Butler National Cemetery. As I drove there, I had my radio on and heard Memorial Day commercials for sales, and clearances, barbeques, and celebrations. What a stark and surreal contrast that is to the rows of headstones that greet the families and visitors of our heroes that lie and rest on those hallowed grounds. I often struggle with the fact that so many have paid the ultimate price. I'm reminded of my friend and high school classmate, Marine Corporal Johnny Smith. He was the first person I knew who was killed in Vietnam on October 6, 1966, while I was in Officer Candidate School thinking about what my future in the military would hold. I also remember the others who I've had the privilege of knowing and serving with during my 22 years in the military. It's during times like these that I remember this quote from Eleanor Roosevelt. 'Dear Lord, Lest I continue My complacent way, Help me to remember that somewhere, 10100058.docx 3  STATE OF ILLINOIS 101st GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 58th Legislative Day 5/27/2019 Somehow out there A man died for me today. As long as there be war, I then must Ask and answer Am I worth dying for?' To all the Gold Star families, thank you. They are not forgotten and I will do my best to ensure that I am worth that sacrifice. Thank you, Mr. Speaker."

"Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And thank you for the honor, again today, to lead this great House in the Pledge of Allegiance. Today is Memorial Day, a day to honor the fallen and not the living. It was first established on 30 May, 1868, and originally known as Decoration Day. On May 5, 1868, General John Logan, leader of an organization for Northern Civil War veterans, called for a nationwide day of remembrance. 'The 30th of May, 1868, is designated for the purpose of strewing with flowers, or otherwise decorating the graves of comrades who died in defense of their country during the late rebellion, and whose bodies now lie in almost every city, village and hamlet churchyard in the land', he proclaimed. This is the day we remember our men and women who paid the ultimate sacrifice for you and I. On the first floor of this magnificent Capitol, you can view pictures of some of the over 250 Illinois men and women who gave their lives in the line of duty. Names like Captain Steele, Sergeant B.J. Luxmore, Sergeant First Class Wherli, Sergeant Patch, Sergeant… PFC Lufkin, Sergeant Riney, Senior Airman Miller, 10100058.docx 4  STATE OF ILLINOIS 101st GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 58th Legislative Day 5/27/2019 Petty Officer Hull, and Sergeant Lief. It’s said if you say a name, their memory lives on. I want to recognize any Gold Star families here with us today. If you could please waive to us down here. Their families made the ultimate sacrifice. I would like to share a couple stories of heroic friends I lost while serving in Iraq from July 2007 to June 2008. Air Force Staff Sergeant Christopher Frost died on 4 March, 2008, while serving with the Multi-National Security Transition Command-Iraq/Operation Iraqi Freedom. He was assigned to the 377th Air Base Wing, Kirtland, New Mexico. He worked with the base’s public affairs office, which he continued to do in Iraq. Staff Sergeant Frost and I had several discussions and we conducted a few interviews during our tours. I’m sure just like any news reporter, Staff Sergeant Frost wanted to get the big scoop. He told me he always enjoyed it when an article he sent over to American papers were picked up and his story told. During his time in Iraq… during this time in Iraq, American Army helicopter pilots trained Iraqi soldiers to fly Soviet Mi-17 Hip helicopters. As with all helicopter training flights, the crew insisted… consisted of a mix of American and Iraqi soldiers in each aircraft, with the American serving as Commander. On 4 March, a pair of Mi-17 Hip helicopters departed on a training flight. At the turn-around or mid- point, the pair made a routine stop. At this point, the Iraqi’s wanted to demonstrate to the Americans they were capable of flying an aircraft by themselves. I’m sure Staff Sergeant Frost, seeking the big scoop is why he volunteered to ride with the first all Iraqi crew. While returning to base, the two aircrafts encountered a terrible sandstorm and 10100058.docx 5  STATE OF ILLINOIS 101st GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 58th Legislative Day 5/27/2019 the Iraqi crew aircraft was lost. I recall hearing the news and made my way into the satellite imaginary room as they frantically looked for the down aircraft. Unfortunately, because of the sand storm, they were unable to find the crash scene until daylight the next hour (sic-day). Later the crash site was found and ground troops reported all on board were killed. Staff Sergeant Frost is survived by his wife, Ashley, a daughter, and a son. Colonel Steven Scott and Major Stuart Wolfer were killed on 6 April, 2008. I worked with Colonel Stewart… Colonel Scott on a daily basis, coordinating equipment distribution for the Iraqi Army. Major Wolfer, reservist and lawyer by trade, he worked in the logistics section coordinating transportation for military personnel. Both Officers were killed when a Katyshua rocket hit the fitness center that Sunday morning where they were working out. When we held their memorial service at Phoenix Base, Colonel Scott, a Christian, Major Wolfer of the Jewish faith. So, the memorial service included a Christian Chaplain, a Rabbi, and an Iraqi Imam. A fitness center at Redstone Arsenal, Huntsville, Alabama, is named in Colonel Scott’s honor. He is survived by two daughters. Major Wolfer is survived by his wife and three daughters. Together, we honor those we love, we honor those we’ve lost, we honor those who have served, and we pay tribute to those who have paid the ultimate sacrifice for all of us to enjoy our freedom. Jane Addams, a Great American and an Illinoisan, in a speech called Greatness and Commemoration, was once asked and I quote, 'What is it we admire about the soldier? It is certainly not that he goes into battle. What we admire about the soldier is that 10100058.docx 6  STATE OF ILLINOIS 101st GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 58th Legislative Day 5/27/2019 he has a power of losing his own life for the life of the larger cause; that he holds his personal suffering of no account; that he flings down in in rage of battle his all and says, I will stand or fall with this cause. That, it seems to me, is the glorious thing we most admire.' In recognition of today’s Memorial Day, I would like to request all Resolutions naming a highway, roads, buildings, or structures in honor of a service member sacrificing their life for our great country and state receive appropriate consideration in the appropriate chamber that their name can be mentioned again, and their memories will carry on. So today, remember those who died for us to preserve our freedoms and the way of life. Thank you, Mr. Chair."

"Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I appreciate the opportunity to offer House Resolution 367. 367 honors the life, not the death, of Marine Corporal Daniel Baker of Tremont in Tazewell County. I often wish we would call these life, not death Resolutions, because it is their life experiences that we honor. We've had a tradition here, since I've been in at least, to honor those in the military, Illinoisans in the military who have passed away in service over the last year, and Daniel is one of those. Daniel Baker packed a lot into his all-too-short life of 21 years. Corporal Baker died in service to our country this past December 6, the eve of Pearl Harbor Day. As you may recall, on December 6, 2018, there was a horrific air refueling accident over the Sea of Japan during which a marine KC-130 refueling tanker and an F-18 collided. All five crew members of the KC-130 and one of the F-18 pilots died. The only survivor was the other pilot of the F-18. The bodies of all the KC-130 crew members, including Corporal Baker, were never recovered. Daniel Baker graduated from Tremont High School in 2015. Daniel's favorite activities in high school were the soccer club and the robotics team. Tremont has a tremendous robotics program and Daniel spent endless hours with the Tremont robotiers. He enlisted in the Marine Corps in the spring of 2016. Corporal Baker achieved that rank in February 2018. He attended Corporal training at MCAS Iwakuni where he graduated top of his class and received an award for academic excellence in August 2018. According to stories I've read about Daniel, he loved serving his country as a marine and appreciated the opportunity afforded him to see the world. He was well liked by all who knew him for being 10100058.docx 12  STATE OF ILLINOIS 101st GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 58th Legislative Day 5/27/2019 an encouraging, positive, and outgoing guy. Daniel liked adventure. He enjoyed hunting, camping, hiking, time around a bonfire, and traveling with friends. During his high school years, he was active in the church youth group and served on the leadership team for Cabin Youth Ministry. In short, Daniel was the kind of guy we want defending our freedoms. At the celebration of Daniel's life at Northfield Christian Church in Tremont, I witnessed one of the most hearth wrenching moments of my life. As I sat waiting to give my condolences to the family among the hundreds in attendance, I noticed Mary Ann and Dale Nannens, good friends of Representative Sommer, make their way up the aisle to grieve with Daniel's parents, Elizabeth and Dwayne. In… in Hopedale, another Tazewell County community just a few miles from Tremont, the Nannen's son Reid has been honored by this very chamber. Reid died serving this country in Nevada while training to become a top gun pilot. A portion of Interstate 155 is named in Reid's honor. As the Nannen's approached the Bakers and embraced them at this visitation, my eyes filled with tears as I realized they were comforting another set of parents who have lost a son in service to our country as only parents who have lost their own son in service to our country could comfort them. I can't even imagine the pain present in the hug between those four parents. Today is the day we honor our nation's dead who have given their lives to defend the privilege we all enjoy to assemble here today. As Representative Swanson said, 151 years ago, General Logan declared this Decoration Day or what is now Memorial Day as a way to honor those who died in the Civil War. In General 10100058.docx 13  STATE OF ILLINOIS 101st GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 58th Legislative Day 5/27/2019 Logan's orders, number 11, he said, 'Let us, then, at the time appointed, gather around their sacred remains and garland the passionless mounds above them with the choicest flowers of spring time; let us raise above them the dear old flag that saved from dishonor; let us in this solemn presence renew our pledges to aide and assist those whom they've left among us a sacred charge upon a nation's gratitude, the soldier's and sailor's widow and orphan'. Ladies and Gentlemen, thank you for taking the time to honor Corporal Daniel Baker on this Memorial Day. God bless those who've died defending our country. God bless our Gold Star families."

"Point of personal privilege, please."

"Thank you very much. I'd like to welcome to Springfield, today, friends from the 107th, 109th, and 110th over here on the right-hand side of the gallery. They're from Effingham Right to Life, here to speak up for those who can't. Thank you very much for being here today."

"Point of personal privilege, Mr. Speaker."

"Over here on the Republican side of aisle, I have two Pages for the day. I have Fallon Knodle. She's a fourth grader. She helps care for animals on her family's farm. Fallon has been an active member of Star Shooters' 4-H club in Montgomery County and she was earned a gold award for her community service, leadership, and project records last year. She enjoys dance, basketball, choir, and plans to be on her school's scholastic bowl team next year. She wants to be a chef when she grows up. Also with me is Nora Grig… Grigoroff. I'm sorry, Nora. Nora is the daughter of my LA down here, Shelly. She's also in fourth grade. Next year, she plans to be on her school's scholastic bowl team as well with Fallon. She enjoys spending time at the Illinois State Capitol where she has visited us many times this year and wants to learn more about the political process. She enjoys swimming and dance and she plans to be a State Trooper when she grows up. Could you please welcome her?"

"Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Parliamentary Inquiry of the Chair, please."

"We just moved SB1407 from Second to Third, but I had filed Notes on it and I am just wondering if, procedurally, we are following our rules?"

"Thank you, Mr. Speaker. That looks like such an interesting Bill that the House Republicans request an immediate caucus."

"One hour."

"Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I request an immediate verification should the Bill get the required number of votes. And will the Sponsor yield?"

"Representative, I was actually surprised at how much you put in there that I agreed with but there certainly are some important distinctions. I think you're going to have to clarify something for me. So, you said this is a Constitutional Amendment about reforms. My analysis does not say that this is fair maps or term limits. Am I correct in that? You consider this a reform?" 10100058.docx 29  STATE OF ILLINOIS 101st GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 58th Legislative Day 5/27/2019

"Okay. You also said that we have an inability to manage our finances. I certainly agree with that and will address that in a little bit. One of the things that confuses me though, in terms of an inability to manage our finances and continuing to increase taxes, we have one of the overall highest… we've seen study after study, we are not a low-tax state. So, we live in a state that pays overall high taxes, yet you're trying to increase the amount of revenue coming into the Illinois Department of Revenue. And in terms of inability to manage our finances, it sounds like we're squandering our finances. A couple questions for you here. So, we've had a lot of new money, new revenues, things opened up that are in this year's budget that actually, in total, almost match what you're trying to get at with the fair tax and I want to list off some of them. The spending reduction for the MCO assessment, that’s about a billion dollars. Correct?"

"Okay. Eight hundred and forty five in revenue revisions from the strong economy, correct?"

"Okay. And we'll get to that too."

"The bulk… the bulk of what I have in here is passed or is likely to pass. Either way, my guess is you're going to continue on the path you're down whether they pass or not. I'm on a little bit of a timer, I want to go to the Bill. Ladies and Gentlemen, this Body, the Democrats of Illinois have an insatiable appetite for spending. It will never be satisfied. It will never be enough. The five years… I thought I was going to say the one year I've been here. The five years I've been here, I have seen a parade, a parade, of antigrowth Bills. These antigrowth Bills don’t just make it more expensive for businesses to do business in this state, it also makes it more expensive to run government. I've said it 10100058.docx 31  STATE OF ILLINOIS 101st GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 58th Legislative Day 5/27/2019 before on the floor, I'm going to say it again. He had mentioned higher education, we ranked third in the funding of higher education, yet we still charge some of the highest tuitions in the nation. That is because, as the Representative said, we have an inability to manage our finances. There is a lot of people that make a lot of money and are in debt because they have an inability to manage their finances. The issue isn’t more taxes. The Democrats plan is to tax more of a shrinking pie. The Republicans want to grow that pie. Yet, we continue to see Bill after Bill that's going to continue to shrink that pie. And to the actual plan, one of our biggest issues is pensions. I did a video on this. I'm happy to share it with everybody. I'm sure some of you have seen it. The Governor's plan under this is to add an extra $200 million to pensions after shorting it for a long period of time. We have $135 billion unfunded pension liability. Two hundred million sounds like a lot. When you take off the zeros, that is like adding $20 to a $13,500 credit card bill per year or adding an extra $1.67 a month. If anybody's had $13 thousand on a credit card bill and thinks that adding a $1.67 a month towards that bill is going to pay it off, you realize that's not going to happen. It's our appetite for spending. This isn’t about fixing our biggest problems, which is pensions. We haven't addressed pensions locally with consolidation. I strongly urge a 'no' vote. Thank you."

"Mr. Speaker, to the Amendment. We live in the best state in the country. We have the best people, we have the greatest natural resources, and we do have a world class city 10100058.docx 32  STATE OF ILLINOIS 101st GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 58th Legislative Day 5/27/2019 in Chicago. The problem we have in this state is that we are losing people because of our high level of taxation. When we think about taxation, you need to include not only the high property taxes, the second highest in the country, the high sales taxes, but the high income tax already at 4.95 percent, which obviously will go up dramatically here. And we all know that the real plan of the future is to tax the middle class. There's no doubt about. That’s where the money is. That’s why we're not voting on a plan for rates first. This plan will be changed multiple times and they will go to the middle class where the money is in this state. We should be talking about pension reform. We should be talking about Medicaid reform. We should be talking about cutting spending. But instead, what this is, is a massive tax hike that starts off at $3.4 billion in order to sell that to the voters. But we all know that the ultimate number will be 10 to 11 billion dollars, based on the spending promises of this Governor. This is more of the same. Taxes, taxes, and more taxes for people who are leaving this state. We're now behind Pennsylvania in population. We're going to lose one to two congressional seats. And the testimony we heard in Revenue Committee the other day of people claiming that people in this state are fine with taxes and are not leaving is absolutely outrageous. We have an opportunity, today, to defeat this Constitutional Amendment if four brave Members of the other side will stand up and vote 'no' and we can do the real business of the people which is focus on reforming this state, reforming pensions, reforming Medicaid, and actually making real changes. This Bill, it will kill jobs, drive more people out of this state. 10100058.docx 33  STATE OF ILLINOIS 101st GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 58th Legislative Day 5/27/2019 And the reason it's going to kill jobs is its going to hit the pass-through entities. Ninety percent of the business are pass-through entities that paid the individual tax rate. They're creating 72 percent of the jobs in this state and they are going to be hit hard. We are going to lose jobs. We are going to lose people. What we need to do is focus on standing up for the taxpayers of this state and we need to defeat this. I urge a 'no' vote. Thank you very much."

"Thank you, Mr. Speaker. To the Constitutional Amendment. You know, each year in this chamber, we have Legislators who propose a series of Bills that make significant increases in the spending that the state would incur in that year. Every year, there are hundreds of millions, if not billions, of dollars of proposed legislation that would add to the already challenging fiscal situation that the state finds itself in. And every year, those Bills are given a reality check when we say we're not in a position to add billions, and billions, and billions of dollars in spending because we need to make good on the commitments that we already made before we make new promises. And while we're looking at those Bills, I think it's easy to say, boy, it would be great if there was free money out there. It would be great if we could wave a magic wand and we'd have every dollar that we need to be able to pay for services. But that’s not reality. I think that's why this Amendment's been offered. Because people can portray it like its magic money, like it's free, like it comes from some pot of money that's not being used on anything else and we can take it from the state and we can figure out how to spend 10100058.docx 34  STATE OF ILLINOIS 101st GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 58th Legislative Day 5/27/2019 more and more each year. That's why there aren’t any rates in this proposal. This proposal opens the door to say, each year, we can figure out how many of these new spending initiatives we'll pass and then we'll just adjust the rates accordingly to take that money from taxpayers and put it towards any new idea that this General Assembly comes up with. But that's not reality. The reality is that for every dollar this government takes in, it's a dollar that comes out of the pocket of a taxpayer in Illinois. Every dollar that we take to this government has an impact because it's a dollar that can't be spent by a family or a business in Illinois. We're saying, give your money to us and let the state decide how to spend it. Let me ask you though. Has the state earned that right? Have we shown fiscal discipline? Have we been demonstrating a track record of success to taxpayers, that they could have confidence that we would show restraint? That we wouldn’t make promises that we can't afford to keep? That we wouldn’t push Bills off into future years or let unfunded liabilities rack up for decades? We haven’t earned that trust from taxpayers. Before we look at an initiative like this and say, wouldn’t it be great if all this extra money came in and spending didn’t have any limitations, let's remind ourselves that we live already in a state with the highest tax burden; that we haven’t demonstrated fiscal responsibility in this chamber; and that we have no right to go back to taxpayers and ask for a blank check to fund any and all ideas that come before us in future years. Imagine us in 10 years down the line if this Amendment passes. Imagine us 10 years down the line. What's more likely to have happened? That the initial 10100058.docx 35  STATE OF ILLINOIS 101st GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 58th Legislative Day 5/27/2019 rates offered that in themselves would be a $3.4 billion tax increase? Is it more likely that those rates stay in effect? Or is it more likely that over those 10 years, people make us change to a rate here, the rate goes up by a tenth of a point here, and the income bracket drops down there and suddenly, more and more Illinois families find themselves on the receiving end of a tax increase? We all know that's a more likely scenario. Don’t listen to the TV ads that'll run for the next couple of months saying that, oh, it's… don’t worry, somebody else will pay for it. You get all the benefits without any of the costs. We have to bear those costs. Illinois taxpayers have to bear those costs. And for that reason, we should have a lot of 'no's' on the board. Thank you."

"Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Will the Sponsor yield?"

"Representative Martwick, could you inform me, what is the deadline for passage of Amendments to the State Constitution?"

"So, we are almost a year in advance, or perhaps, 11 months in advance of the actual deadline for moving this forward, correct?"

"Now, are you aware of any of the other 48 Constitutional Amendments that have been filed this Legislative Session? Are any of those Amendments yet to move forward? Have any of those Amendments been released from the House Rules Committee or the Senate Committee on Assignments?"

"None of the Amendments have been released. Maybe that's because they're premature. Maybe that's because they're ideas that don’t meet the support of the Majority Party. Representative, it was mentioned, the issue of rate setting. Is it your intention that rates would be approved by the Legislature and submitted to voters in advance of consideration of this Amendment?"

"And if rates are established by the Legislature, if voters approve this Constitutional Amendment, what guarantees will be in place to those voters that the rates established in this Legislative Session would be the effective rates going forward after passage of the Amendment?"

"Is exactly the point of why the unified tax structure is so important, because it acts as a very powerful disincentive to a continued adjustments and manipulation of tax rates to feed the whims of the General Assembly and the appetite for spending, the lack of fiscal discipline that your opening comments emphasized, that have been such a problem for our state. One more question. Will this Amendment allow for the establishment of additional types of income taxes, whether they are supplementary income taxes passed by the Legislature or local income taxes implemented by Home Rule units of government?"

"Thank you. Mr. Speaker, to the Bill. This Amendment opens the door to, really, limitless spending here in the State of Illinois. And I'm really thinking about Memorial Day today, as many of our families are traveling outside of the State of Illinois. They're traveling to visit their family members who have left us, because the State of Illinois leads the nation 10100058.docx 38  STATE OF ILLINOIS 101st GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 58th Legislative Day 5/27/2019 in population loss. And why is that? Is it just our weather? No, every state around us is increasing with jobs and population gains and they're doing well because they have made a decision to invest in economic growth and create a business climate that is favorable for job creation. This is a blank check for poor spending. This is giving more power to the very most powerful in our state. I strongly urge a…"

"Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I'm just going to go to the Resolution. And I want to talk about Illinois taxpayers and job creators because Illinois taxpayers and job creators should be very nervous about what's happening in the Body here today. I asked in committee about the language of this Amendment and how it maintains the same eight to five ratio between individual corporate rates. And under this new proposal that remains. So, I asked that because I wanted to understand what parameters could be placed on this approach. So, I asked the questions about maybe limiting the number of brackets there could be. How many different rates could we charge Illinois taxpayers? Is there… there should be a cap. There should cap on the highest rate Illinois taxpayers pay on their income. I think that'd be a reasonable thing to ask if we're actually going to do something strange here and actually protect taxpayers. There's not even a cap on the ratio between the highest and lowest rates. That would be an appropriate protection for Illinois taxpayers. In fact, there's not even a requirement that the top income earners pay the highest rate. That’s not in here. Under this Constitutional Amendment, this General Assembly could 10100058.docx 39  STATE OF ILLINOIS 101st GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 58th Legislative Day 5/27/2019 actually find out the highest earning Illinois taxpayer is this year, set a bracket for that level of income, and set a specifically, truly confiscatory rate well into in double digits for that one person because we aren’t protecting any taxpayers in what's being presented today. And like we've said for years in this Body, how about property tax reform? One of the things that we know drives Illinois taxpayers to other states. Is there a cap in here? Is there any kind of relief? Any reform, whatsoever? Is there even a real approach we could take? We could consider setting a rate like one percent like Indiana does on home values, but that’s not here either. There is no taxpayer protection in this Constitutional Amendment. Taxpayers should be concerned. What this does do is open the door. It opens the door to rate changes that could occur any time this Body chooses to do that. I know that my friend, the Sponsor, does not want to discuss that part of it. I think that it's real. We've seen it happen before, Ladies and Gentlemen. When there was a flat tax, and that's supposed to be harder to raise taxes, the lame ducks did it in 2011. And it was a heck of a tax increase. It went from three percent to five percent, retroactively. Think that can't happen on a certain set of brackets in the future? Don't kid yourself. When it comes to compliance, understand the wealthy are the most able to move and they're the most able to create tax shelters to hide their income. New Jersey, New York, have all seen this before and had to deal with this in a hard way. We're aiming for the same problems that they already have shown. And I always, always talk about small business when we talk about something this 10100058.docx 40  STATE OF ILLINOIS 101st GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 58th Legislative Day 5/27/2019 big and this important on the floor. It was mentioned that a stable State Government would be an important thing for taxpayers, also small business owners. I agree, that's a part of it. What's really important to them is stable income tax rates, so they can invest and plan for their business and their future accordingly. We are taking those protections away with this Constitutional Amendment, today. Job creators need to know that there are no protections in this Constitutional Amendment for them. We talk about fair versus unfair. It's been said this is a regressive tax we have right now, it's on the backs of the most vulnerable. That's because our property taxes are taken into account. Again, no measures for protection against property taxes. Nothing. Not a thing in this Bill. I agree with the Sponsor's statement that we have a problem with the ability to manage finances. This Bill also does nothing to address that unless you consider spending more money, like most people can't do in their actual lives, a way to actually manage finances. We are taking the wrong turn. We're taking the wrong turn because it's not fair to Illinois taxpayers to change what they pay until Illinois Government shows they can actually manage the finances that we already have. Our neighboring states are going the opposite directions of what we're doing today. And it's a false choice that there is only two choices here. Flat or graduated. There are lots of reforms we could take. This is going to hurt Illinois business. It's going to hurt Illinois taxpayers. Please vote 'no'."

"Thank you, Mr. Speaker. To the Amendment. Changing our Constitution to allow for a graduated income tax system will inevitably bring a tax increase on a majority of Illinoisans. And I say that not because I'm being hypothetical, but because we've seen that happen in other states. In 17 of the 34 states that have a graduated income tax structure, their top bracket is at or below $60 thousand a year. Illinoisans cannot afford another income tax increase and we cannot afford a system that allows politicians to play with rates and brackets just to fill our annual budget holes. Our current tax structure, which hits everyone in the state equally, is one of the very last competitive advantages we have in our Tax Code. It also has inherent taxpayer protections because when this Body makes a decision to raise the income tax, it has to think about every single Illinoisan, and we are not able to carve out certain groups. In fact, many states are learning that these taxpayer protections are important and they are moving away from their graduated income tax structure, including Mississippi, which is phasing out their brackets, and North Dakota, who's phasing out their brackets. What's been missing from this debate, and we've talked about the overall tax structure a few times in this debate already, is we are not talking about the overall tax burden. A recent study showed that Illinois already has the very highest tax burden in the nation and, as you all know, the second highest property tax burden in the nation. In order to be more competitive, changing our income tax structure to be a graduated one, which will include yet another tax increase, is not the right direction and it will make us less competitive. On top of 10100058.docx 42  STATE OF ILLINOIS 101st GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 58th Legislative Day 5/27/2019 what the impact of a graduated income tax will be for many families, many small businesses, including agribusinesses and small farms that I represent, file taxes as individuals or pass-through entities. A graduated income tax will raise their taxes even farther. We aren't talking about the most wealthy in our society. We are talking about the mom and pop shops who are the small employers in the rural communities in our state who are already struggling to stay in this state and to stay competitive. This will make this… our state less competitive. And for agribusiness, it's a lot more difficult for them to up and move out of the state. We know what this will do on the Constitution, but what we don't know is what rates will be implemented. And what rates will be implemented are not at all necessarily the ones that we're going to see in this General Assembly. We've already seen many rate proposals and what we've seen in the trend is rates continue to be adjusted higher just in the last few months and the thresholds continue to be adjusted lower to hit more people. And that will be the trend that continues because there simply aren’t enough rich people in this state to pay for the insatiable appetite of spending that we see here in Springfield and to pay for these structural spending problems that we have. So, while the other side of the aisle in this General Assembly and the Governor continue to push these policies that increase spending and say that the answer for it is higher taxes and changing our tax system, we know this will eventually hit a majority of Illinoisans. This is nothing more than an attempt to raise income taxes. It will make us 10100058.docx 43  STATE OF ILLINOIS 101st GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 58th Legislative Day 5/27/2019 less competitive. It will drive out small businesses. This is taking our state in the wrong direction. Please vote 'no'."

"Thank you, Mr. Speaker. To the Resolution. Fifty years ago this December, in this very chamber, the 1969 Constitutional Convention convened. And what came out of that Constitution was a rewrite of a 100-year-old Constitution that was badly outdated. But one of the things that the Constitutional Convention delegates got right, among many in our current Constitution, is having Illinois set at a flat tax. I would argue that a flat tax is the fairest of all taxes. It impacts everyone equally. You know for quite a long time, since that 1969-1970 convention, the Democrats have controlled either one or both of the chambers of this… of the Legislative Branch of government. Forty four out of the fifty years since our last Constitutional Convention, Democrats have controlled one or both chambers. I believe for the past 16 years, Democrats have controlled both chambers. And what we have seen is what we continue to see in the State of Illinois, driving people out of this state for economic opportunity in other states of this nation. We should be a powerhouse. We're centrally located in the United States. We should take economic advantage of our infrastructure that we have here in the State of Illinois, the great people that we have from across this entire state, from Chicago to Cairo. But no, what we do is institute time, and time, and time, and time again, policies that drive people from this state. This is yet another one of them. This is not the answer to create an economic climate in this state to bring jobs back to 10100058.docx 44  STATE OF ILLINOIS 101st GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 58th Legislative Day 5/27/2019 Illinois, to bring more citizens back to my district who are losing jobs when factories close. If we spent as much time creating an economic climate in this state and being attractive to business as we do on spending money and putting up barriers and creating more bureaucracy for people, if we spent as much time doing the good things economically that we should, things would turn around in the State of Illinois. But we have seen it, as I said, 44 out of the last 50 years, Democrats have controlled one or both of these chambers. And what have we seen? People continuing to go from out of the State of Illinois. If we want to change the Constitution… if we want to change the Constitution, Mr. Martwick, let's change the Constitution. Let's have a Constitutional Convention. I've got a Resolution from the last General Assembly that did that. Because we have a lot of things, not just we, the citizens of Illinois, have a lot of things that they would like to see change in our Constitution. Members of the General Assembly who represent a cross section of Illinois geography and Illinois politics have sought to amend the Illinois Constitution to address challenges including taxes and revenue, term limits and recall of elected officials, voting in elections, Home Rule governance, unfunded mandates, education funding, public pension reform, consolidation of constitutional officers, and legislative redistricting among other things. That's what I included in my Resolution last year. We've got a whole laundry list of things. Representative Spain talked about all the Constitutional Amendments that have been bottled up without a hearing. If we want to have a serious conversation about where we're going to go in this 10100058.docx 45  STATE OF ILLINOIS 101st GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 58th Legislative Day 5/27/2019 state, let's have this discussion. But let's not have this one off Amendment that's going to change the Tax Code and continue to drive people out of Illinois. This is not the right way and I urge a 'no' vote."

"Thank you, Mr. Speaker. To the Bill. One of the things that… when I was listening to Representative Martwick's comments, so eloquent comments, to begin, I thought I normally wear a pair of cowboy boots to work every day but I thought I got the wrong equipment. I need a pair of gunboots for this talk. One thing that I do, that I've done the past 40 years, I'm a farmer. And what farmers do is they grow things. They solve problems and they fix things that are broken. And a lot of the problems get solved around the kitchen table. And I know one of the things that I think about when I think about this Bill, I think about what would this look like if we're having this conversation around my kitchen table. And I know that probably one of the first things that would happen would one of my family members would look at me and say, dad have you been drinking this early in the morning? And I know one of the things that we think about how, continually, we put lipstick on a pig, and in this case, we call this a fair tax. And there couldn’t be anything more unfair that's ever been brought before this Assembly as this. I know one of the things that I observed over the past 65 years of my life, any time Democrats talk about making something fair, it's code language for meaning that everybody is getting ready to get the BOHICA and this is just another case of that. This is going to end up being eventually being just another tax on 10100058.docx 46  STATE OF ILLINOIS 101st GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 58th Legislative Day 5/27/2019 the middle class. There's several reasons why I oppose this Bill and the first thing is it penalizes achievement. I know ever since that I was young and I was encouraged to work hard, to keep my nose to the grind stone, to get a good job, to build a big house, to work hard to make as much money as I can. And every time we turn around, an oppressive government sits like vultures on a highline ready to take more money out of your pocket. The American Dream has become the American nightmare. Number two, it takes approximately $3.4 billion from responsible citizen's hands and puts it into the hands of irresponsible bureaucrats. As Representative Butler noted, you've all been in charge for a long time and look at the results of that. The states without an income tax have a greater GDP. They have a greater wage and salary growth per worker. They have a shorter duration of unemployment. You know, when you think about this from the last stats that I looked at, we have the eighteenth largest economy in the world and we have done everything possible to destroy business here in the State of Illinois. The third reason is it will increase the exodus. Hard working Illinois families have either left and they're thinking about leaving. Current businesses have either left or they're thinking about leaving. I've especially had this experience since I live along the Wabash Valley, where it’s so easy to move across the river to Indiana and have a better life. And the third thing in the increase of the exodus is there is no new businesses in their right mind that are coming. And number four, none of these things fix the problem. The blue model of tax, borrow, and spend hasn’t worked, it isn't working, and it will never work. It 10100058.docx 47  STATE OF ILLINOIS 101st GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 58th Legislative Day 5/27/2019 has left a trail of destruction every place it has been tried from Connecticut to California. And not only would I encourage you to vote 'no', but I would encourage you to vote 'hell no'."

"Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Will the Speaker yield?"

"Thank you very much. We… you talked about spending and I want to talk about what we did in the General Services Committee. And I'm very, very proud of the work that we did on the bipartisan way to cut spending, to hold spending down. There is an opportunity, I saw it firsthand. We can control our spending if we put our minds to it. I don’t… and it was, you know, a very uplifting experience for me. So, to say that we've cut everything to the bone and we can't cut anymore, doesn’t ring true. At least not in the General Services Committee. Secondly, Sir, you said that if we didn't do something with this progressive tax, that our tax rate would have to be 6.25 percent."

"Yes." 10100058.docx 48  STATE OF ILLINOIS 101st GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 58th Legislative Day 5/27/2019

"Six point five. And if we didn’t do something sooner, every year we delayed, that 6.5 would go up."

"Right…"

"And when will we see the income if this Progressive Tax Amendment were to pass?"

"So, what happens between now and 2021?"

"So, we're able, for the next couple of years, to make our budget work without this tax increase?"

"In fact, it's sad that we're willing… not willing to vote for the cuts but we are willing to vote to increase our taxes."

"I understand. And… but it also concerns me greatly that you talk about structural deficits and spending money and yet, we look at this proposed tax, and 200 million out of 3-some billion only, goes towards additional pension funds. And that's very concerning. As I told you in the committee, if every dime of this proposed tax increase went to pay our bills and to pay our pensions, this might very well be a different discussion."

"I understand. To the Bill, please. My fellow Members, please make no mistake about this. This is a jobs tax. We've heard from Illinois manufactures, we've heard from business leaders, we've heard from small business owners about the devastating effect this tax increase will have on our economy. 10100058.docx 50  STATE OF ILLINOIS 101st GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 58th Legislative Day 5/27/2019 You know, we continue to push tax cuts that will drive even more jobs and more people out of our state. I strongly oppose this attempt to replace the Illinois flat tax with this graduated tax because I know, and I believe you know, that eventually this tax will get to the middle class and will do exactly the opposite of what you are intending and proposing to do today. We didn't come here…"

"We didn’t come here to draw people or drive people and businesses out. We were elected, we came here, we ran to make this state more competitive, more job friendly, and to help stabilize our economy. I urge a 'no' vote."

"Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Will the Sponsor yield?"

"Hello, Rob. How are you?"

"Very good. So, you talked about reforms, and you called this reform. Are you open to discussing other reforms, maybe something like a Constitutional Amendment for term limits?"

"So, you'd be open to having a discussion on that?" 10100058.docx 51  STATE OF ILLINOIS 101st GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 58th Legislative Day 5/27/2019

"Okay. What about a discussion on a Constitutional Amendment for fair maps?"

"And what about a discussion on a property tax hard cap?"

"And I would zealously advocate for a property tax hard cap. But to the Amendment. Here we are debating a Constitutional Amendment to hike taxes when WalletHub says Illinois' tax burden is the highest in the nation. Revenue and tax receipts are off the charts at record highs right now because of President Donald J. Trump's economy and tax cuts. Is the struggle about spending or is the struggle about revenue? Hear me say this. Illinois has a spending problem, not a revenue problem. It's about the liberal trifecta of higher spending, higher taxes, and even more waste. In 2011, this Body passed a temporary tax hike with no reforms. In 2017, this Body again passed a tax hike, a permanent one I 10100058.docx 52  STATE OF ILLINOIS 101st GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 58th Legislative Day 5/27/2019 might add, with no reforms. And now, this Body wants to jam through a constitutional tax hike with still no reforms. People of Illinois, people in the gallery, people watching online right now, Chicago politicians want more of your money. More money to feed their legislative pay lucrative pensions. More money to stay in patronage workers. More money that benefits Chicago Public Schools over our own suburban school districts. Hear me say this. Illinois has a spending problem, not a revenue problem. We haven’t had a meaningful discussion about an Amendment for fair legislative redistricting. We haven't had a meaningful discussion about an Amendment to reform pensions. We haven’t heard a meaningful discussion about an Amendment for term limits. Three items that poll off the charts. Three items that are very, very popular with all of our constituents, from all 118 districts. Hear me say this. Illinois has a spending problem, not a revenue problem. The supporters of this tax hike are politicians, lobbyists, and other political parasites, not the hard working people of Illinois. I've been calling this a jobs tax because that's exactly what it is, a tax on jobs. Ladies and gentlemen of Illinois, our issues are about spending, and not revenue. Thank you very much."

"To the Amendment. I really struggle with how we live in some alternate universe here in Illinois, like the universal laws of economics don’t apply to us. But yet they do. We're doubling down on failed policies. We're doubling down on taxing our job creators. We're doubling down on taxing our middle class families. We're doubling down on ignoring 10100058.docx 53  STATE OF ILLINOIS 101st GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 58th Legislative Day 5/27/2019 any attempt whatsoever to address spending. And somehow, we think that we're going to have a different outcome. That we're going to be able to address our structural deficit and we're going to be able to grow our economy and create jobs for all the people in all the schools that we talk about all the time here. But yet, none of those things will happen because, the fact of the matter is, when you increase taxes on the job creators and on the middle class, which this Bill will do, they have no choice but to take their businesses and their children to a place where they can prosper because they're not going to be able to get ahead here. I just don’t understand why we think that if we keep doing the same thing over and over again, we're going to have a different outcome. The Sponsor talked earlier about how our debt service 'exploded' like this was something like lightening that came from somewhere that had nothing to do with anything we did. Our debt service exploded because we created unsustainable pensions. Pensions that cannot be sustained at any tax level, people. And so, if we're not going to address one of the largest drivers of our costs here, something that's driving out our ability to support our children and our most fragile citizens, then why are we doing this? It's just a futile exercise and we know that we'll be back in the pockets of taxpayers very quickly. We know, because I heard in revenue less than a week ago, that Members of the Democrat Party feel that these rates are not high enough. So, people listening at home, I'm going to ask you just like my colleague did, to listen to this. Because if you think that this doesn’t hit you, you're wrong. None of the drivers that have created the 10100058.docx 54  STATE OF ILLINOIS 101st GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 58th Legislative Day 5/27/2019 structural deficit have been addressed in any way, shape, or form by this Body. And furthermore, even the rates that are listed there are not 'enough' in the eyes of people that are sitting here today. So, the rates that you may see between now and when you vote on this Amendment, are teaser rates. They're fake rates. They're lying rates. And the only way that we'll be able to address our structural deficit in the future is to lower the brackets and to increase the rates, because nothing has been done about our spending. In fact, we're adding new programs yet this year. So, even in a year, where we're talking about having to ask our taxpayers to sacrifice, we're adding more programs instead of using our deficit to pay down Bills or past due commitments to our pensions. So, just get ready because we're going to continue in this horrible, horrible, heartbreaking downward spiral where we continue to tax families and business creators out of the state. Please vote 'no'. Please think about how repeating the same foolish tax and spend policies will not change anything about our future. We need to address the underlying drivers, and we need to get our financial house in order, and this Amendment does none of those things."

"Thank you, Speaker. To the Amendment. This Amendment is going to allow Illinois politicians to take away protections to facilitate future increases. This proposal is going to allow the door to open on multiple taxes and different incomes. This proposal is not going to help the poor and the middle class as the Sponsor says. If that was truly the case, the bracket that is being proposed from income 10100058.docx 55  STATE OF ILLINOIS 101st GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 58th Legislative Day 5/27/2019 from 0 to 10 thousand dollars, would not be 4.7 percent. It would be zero. Last year, alone, the Sponsor put forth HB3522 that suggested a rate on incomes from 15 thousand to 225 thousand dollars, which I would guess is probably most of us in the room, at 6.27 percent. We have four legislative days left in this Session. We should be drafting a budget together, not amending our Tax Code, the only Illinois tax that is not regressive. We have the ability here to be growing Illinois and this is not the answer. Please vote 'no'."

"Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. To the Bill, Ladies and Gentlemen. You know, this Constitutional Amendment really does nothing to invest and grow our businesses in Illinois, large and small businesses in Illinois. The most recent noose around businesses' neck is the minimum wage which was passed by the Majority Party. And now, you're asking the electorate 10100058.docx 57  STATE OF ILLINOIS 101st GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 58th Legislative Day 5/27/2019 to believe that only 3 percent of taxpayers are going to be hit to raise 3.4 billion, and that a big chunk of that middle class will not be effected, eventually. Remember, if you will, the lottery was going to be the answer to all of educations problems in Illinois. How's that worked out for us? I don’t think very well. When history has shown us that the General Assembly cannot manage its finances, which has been eluded to here in our debate this afternoon, why would you throw more tax dollars at the problem without any reforms? Without any structural changes? Without anything that's going to help business and show business, not only do we want you to stay in Illinois, but we want you to grow in Illinois. To me, that's like tasting sour milk in your refrigerator and putting it in again and hoping it’s going to taste better the next day you take it out. It won't. I'll be voting 'no' on the Bill. Thank you, Mr. Speaker."

"Thank you, Mr. Speaker. To the Bill. Ladies and Gentlemen of the chamber, it's been discussed that this is something that is the… people should decide, we want to hear the will of the people. But, you know, proponents of this measure, I ask, and it has been asked earlier, why don’t we allow the same opportunity for fair maps? Why don’t we allow the same discussion for term limits? Why don’t we allow the same discussion for the Constitutional Protection Clause? None of which proponents on that side of the aisle will allow the voters to decide, so why is this item more important for the voters to decide? I would also argue that the voters have voted, they have made a decision. And we've seen tens of 10100058.docx 58  STATE OF ILLINOIS 101st GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 58th Legislative Day 5/27/2019 thousands of voters leave the State of Illinois because of measures like this which are a penalty on our working families. Those will not… those statistics will not change. This is not going to be a job creator. This is not going to incentivize people to stay in Illinois. Many on that side of the aisle, proponents of this legislation, also discuss how this is a tax on the rich. The rich should pay their fair share. The Governor, who has done quite well, goes out of his way to say the rich need to pay more. But at the same time, billions upon billions of taxes are being proposed by Members on that side of the aisle and by the Governor in a regressive fashion which will hit all taxpayers. So, is he really trying to protect lower income workers, those on minimum wage, when he proposes taxes on everybody? True, this one small tax, or this one big tax, I should say, will be a tax on the rich right now, but all the other taxes he's proposing will hit everybody. And when I say right now, as was mentioned earlier, more than half of the states that have a progressive tax at this very moment are hitting people at 70 or 80 thousand dollars or less. Some states, the highest rate is on less than $10 thousand of income. I think all of you realize that. The danger that this sets… the precedent that this sets, it'll be very easy to drive up these rate structures to charge more and more taxes and include everybody in the very highest rate. This is a dangerous proposal and one that will not help Illinois thrive. Please vote 'no'."

"Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Will the Sponsor yield?"

"Representative, did I hear you correctly a while ago, you said that was it about seven years ago you actually ran for this job on a graduated income tax platform?"

"Okay."

"It’s interesting you say it that way. Did you call it a fair tax at that time?"

"You did? You’ve always called it a fair tax?"

"Okay. And could you explain to me why you think that it's a fair tax? More fair than the flat income tax?"

"Well, the people that would argue that the flat tax is fair tax because the more you earn, the more you pay. The less you earn, the less you pay. And everybody would then participate. Is that not fair in your mind?" 10100058.docx 60  STATE OF ILLINOIS 101st GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 58th Legislative Day 5/27/2019

"Well, I'm going to disagree with you, Representative. I don’t call this a fair tax. As a matter of fact, I don’t think we would be talking about a graduated income tax if not for one reason and that is it will bring in to the state more money. If this… if your fair tax, if a graduated tax did not bring in more money, I'm not thinking we're even having this discussion today. It's all about bringing in more money to the state coffers. Am I on the right track there, Representative?"

"I'm sure you've looked at the numbers. As you eluded to earlier, there is a separate Bill that does set certain rates for certain levels of income that would attach to this Bill. 10100058.docx 61  STATE OF ILLINOIS 101st GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 58th Legislative Day 5/27/2019 And I'm sure you've looked at it, and a number of different people have looked at it, and said it might raise about 3.4 billion more dollars. Is that about what you're seeing?"

"Right. And we just did raise and take more money out of the private sector by going from the 3.5 to 4.95 just in this last General Assembly, just last year. Now, we're going to propose to take another $3.4 billion out of the private sector and put it in to the state coffers for us to spend at our whim. The people from my district would say that until the State Legislature can spend effectively the tax dollars they're sent, they're not deserving of any more dollars. How do you respond to that?"

"And I can see I'm running out of time, if I just may finish my thoughts."

"Okay. Thank you very much, Representative. I appreciate the engagement. For almost two decades, we've had deficit spending. They say… I've been told that the last actual budget that balanced goes back to the George Ryan administration. We don’t run our households that way. We don’t expect anyone in the State of Illinois to run their households that way. And yet, year after year, we continue to do that in the State Legislature. I'm telling you the people in my district and around the State of Illinois are saying enough is enough. Until you want to make the tough decisions on how you're going to spend that money effectively and hold down costs, you're not deserving of more of our capital. Thank you very much."

"Thank you, Mr. Speaker. To the Bill. I believe this Constitutional Amendment will hurt not only our small business community, but also our middle class. The future unknown of these rates will leave many Illinoisans regretting this day if this Constitutional Amendment would pass. Many Illinoisans are leaving this state. I was born here like many of you. I've never seen and never heard in all my years in politics, going over four decades, people saying I've had enough, I'm going to go. Think of the higher institutional learning facilities that we have, especially up in the Chicago area and in Chicago. I'm thinking about that future student that maybe is going to Northwestern. And maybe their spouse will be going to DePaul. They may meet at a summer festival 10100058.docx 63  STATE OF ILLINOIS 101st GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 58th Legislative Day 5/27/2019 in Chicago. They may meet at Wrigley field. And then after upon graduation, maybe they'll choose Illinois as their state. I believe that if this Constitutional Amendment is passed and they see the higher tax rates, that they will leave this state, maybe go back to the state they came from instead of settling here in Illinois. Never seen so many people say enough is enough, I am leaving Illinois. But that's what the people are saying and they will continue to leave if this Amendment passes. Please vote 'no'."

"Thank you, Mr. Speaker. To the Bill. So, what we hear today is we're talking about changing the Constitution. We're not talking about, you know, putting on the ballot fair maps. We're not talking about pension reforms. We're not talking about anything for job growth. Nothing to attract business. We're talking about changing the Constitution. So, I try to always keep my little pocket Constitution handy for when I need to pull it out. In case anyone ever wants to read it, it will be with me in committee. So, the Constitution was written, basically, to restrain government, not to restrain the people. And I think for the people in Illinois, our predecessors had the foresight enough to put in the flat tax protection. With the flat tax protection, it means we all get to pay the same on the flat tax. When we look out at how government is ran and what government has done, I've always believed that as an elected official, the number one charge that we have is to make sure that everyone is treated equally and fairly. I have people come to my office here in Springfield on a daily basis, and what they want is to be 10100058.docx 64  STATE OF ILLINOIS 101st GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 58th Legislative Day 5/27/2019 treated equally. And that's exactly what the flat tax does. It treats us all equally. When we have brackets that we can change, that we can adopt different numbers every year with a different… with a majority vote, what we end up having is economic class warfare. Saying that, don’t worry, vote for me, we're going to pass this and someone else will pay for it. We hear it all the time. We hear it how the millionaires don’t pay their fair share. We hear about the loopholes, but no one wants to address the loopholes. Why is that? So, well if it is, then good. So, what we have is wanting to create different tax brackets. And like I said, having someone that… creating economic class warfare in my opinion is wrong. Instead of addressing the issue of spending, we'll be addressing how to pay for Bills. We see Bill after Bill passed out of each house that's more money than we take in in revenue. And the only thing that's kept that spending under control is the fact that we have a flat tax and the State Representatives and Senators are afraid to raise taxes on everyone. That's the only thing that's been able to keep it. So, I ask everyone for a 'no' vote. Thank you."

"Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I have just a few comments to make. You know, I've heard some of the other comments and I certainly appreciate them from our aisle here, representing their folks back home. When we talk about the will of the people, something that I'm reminded quite often from the independent business people, the farmers, the families, and those members back in my district, is I did not give you a blank check. And that rings very loud and clear here today 10100058.docx 65  STATE OF ILLINOIS 101st GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 58th Legislative Day 5/27/2019 that this is a, potentially what we are giving, is as a blank check. Usually, that doesn’t work out too well for our constituents when that happens. So, I'm very solid in my belief that this is a blank check. And you know, I also think about the words that have been used before that we cannot tax ourselves into prosperity. You know, eventually, the well goes dry. And as the comments have been used here today is, enough is enough. The many emails I've received from members throughout my district, the phone calls we've been receiving in the office, is pretty much that message of enough is enough. So, I certainly will be voting 'no' on this Resolution and would certainly encourage more Members to do that. Thank you."

"Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I appreciate your indulgence. To my colleagues and friends on both sides of the aisle, we share thoughts and opinions quite often and sometimes we don’t. But we're all sincere about how we approach government. I jotted a few notes down here, just would like to give you some of my thoughts. My constituents, and I believe yours, need jobs. My daughters, perhaps your sons and daughters, and grandchildren, or members of your family, are looking for jobs. Not just jobs, but good jobs. Sustainable, good paying jobs and careers. Yet the General Assembly, to me, spends so much time and energy trying to grow taxes instead of growing job opportunities. All those individuals who get a job will pay taxes. That’s the true revenue growth that this state can have. Revenue growth through job growth across the state and in each of our communities. Let's work together to make 10100058.docx 66  STATE OF ILLINOIS 101st GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 58th Legislative Day 5/27/2019 Illinois and each of our communities… make Illinois a destination state. Make our communities and our neighborhoods places where people want to live and people can live and work. Higher taxes on our small businesses, and our job providers, and our entrepreneurs take away incentives and drive jobs and investments, and yes, our college grads away. You know, we can go to the airport, we look at the boards that say destinations and departures. Unfortunately, I think Illinois would be found under departures. I don’t have all the answers. I just encourage all of you to continue to work together on these issues to provide a better economy for the State of Illinois. All the other social issues we work on together, we can make progress. Let's work together to grow jobs and not grow taxes. I'm confident that by working together, we can make Illinois the state where people want to come. Those who aren't here now, who want to come. And it can encourage our high school graduates, our college graduates, our families to stay here. Please work together. We must find a solution."

"Thank you, Mr. Speaker. To the Amendment. Fair tax, graduated tax, progressive tax, we hear all the different words for this. But since the Governor has released the details of his income tax that he proposed in March, even the Senate Democrats have already changed the tax rates. With these changes, the number of taxpayers who would have received a tax cut has gone down and the number of taxpayers that will pay more has gone up. Nationally, we have seen the trends going away from a graduated, a progressive tax. And, once again, Illinois has it backwards. Ladies and Gentlemen, what 10100058.docx 67  STATE OF ILLINOIS 101st GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 58th Legislative Day 5/27/2019 we are discussing on this House Floor, today, is extremely important to the taxpayers of the State of Illinois, to the businesses in the State of Illinois. It's not an exercise in Facebook Live. It is serious business, Ladies and Gentlemen. Vote 'no'."

"To the Amendment. A graduated income tax is bad policy for Illinois. It will have a significant impact on farmers and their small businesses throughout my district and hurt economic development in rural Illinois. Because I am a farmer, I understand that farms and other small businesses often run in cycles. There are years when farmers don't make much money because of bad weather, such as the flooding this year, prices were low or both. And those factors farmers can't control. To get through the bad years farmers may not invest as much in their equipment or inputs or they may not have money to take on more debt. They have to add more debt. But when the good years come, because prices improved and the weather was perfect, farmers used their increased income to invest in their farms, they buy new equipment, invest in new grain bins, or pay down their debt, increasing the local economic activity in their community and their tax base. Creating a graduated income tax will punish farmers when the good years come. It may require them to pay higher tax rates and more in income taxes, keeping them from investing in their business and increasing economic activity in rural Illinois. The graduated income tax may take more of their money when they need it most to improve their business and decrease their debt load. Many small businesses operate the same way. Increased income 10100058.docx 68  STATE OF ILLINOIS 101st GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 58th Legislative Day 5/27/2019 in good years is important to grow and improve the business and pay down your debt and grow economic activity in your community. Punishing farmers and business owners for good years is a terrible tax policy. It will hurt economic activity in rural Illinois. A graduated income tax will only make it easier to increase taxes in the future. I keep hearing comments that only a small percentage of Illinois will see a tax increase from this proposal. We will hear that comment over, and over, and over again in the future if the General Assembly decides to change the tax packets and increase taxes for those with lower incomes. Increasing tax rates for one bracket or creating more brackets to increase rates for more people will only impact a small portion of Illinois just like the supporters of the graduated income tax rate are proposing now. We need to quit creating new programs, use the current revenue to pay down debt. A graduated income tax is bad policy for Illinois. It will hurt our farmers and our small businesses. It will hurt economic activity in Illinois and it will make it easier to increase taxes in the future. There is nothing good about this proposal. Vote 'no'."

"Thank you. To the Amendment. We need reform. You want math? Here's a simple equation. We need to spend less than we take in as a state. If we've done that, we wouldn’t be in the situation that we are now. All we want to do is to continue to spend and then we keep on raising taxes to say that we need that to cover what we've spent. Well, we need to spend less than we bring in. The Illinois Constitution requires a flat tax on income. The flat tax provides important protection 10100058.docx 69  STATE OF ILLINOIS 101st GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 58th Legislative Day 5/27/2019 for Illinois taxpayers by forcing politicians in Springfield to face the economic and spending realities. When the state raises income taxes, every taxpayer receives the same increase. The graduated tax will give Springfield the ability to raise taxes on whoever they want by manipulating rates and brackets. The result will be an increase on the middle class. We cannot trust Springfield with anymore of our money without real structural reform to our State Government and our political system. I urge a 'no' vote."

"Thank you, Mr. Speaker. To the Amendment. This Amendment will be a job killer. I recently read an article by the Tax Foundation that states, if this Amendment passes, we will have the third highest corporate rate and the fourth highest rate on pass-through businesses. These are our job creators. Our pass-through businesses alone, the smallest of all businesses, create 46 percent of our jobs. We must find ways to encourage job growth, not stymie it. That same article, they mentioned our neighboring states Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, and Missouri have all recently cut income taxes while Illinois will be going in the opposite direction. With the passage of this Amendment, our businesses and jobs will be going in the opposite direction of Illinois as well. So far in the 101st General Assembly, we have had no serious discussions how to create jobs, and as Representative Sommer just recently said, good jobs. We're not taking advantage of the fact of everything we have going for us, being in the middle of the state, our transportation system, our education system. We need to work on that and we need to work on it 10100058.docx 70  STATE OF ILLINOIS 101st GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 58th Legislative Day 5/27/2019 right now. We need good jobs in Illinois. Passing this Amendment will do nothing in regards for that. I strongly urge a 'no' vote."

"Thank you, Mr. Speaker. To the Amendment. We all are supposed to represent our districts to the best of our ability. Very few people back at home have the ability to see the information that we see, to see the depth and breadth of 10100058.docx 72  STATE OF ILLINOIS 101st GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 58th Legislative Day 5/27/2019 Bills that we debate here in Springfield in committee and here on the floor. And I think what our side is trying to stress, here on this Memorial Day when so many are enjoying time with their families or in remembering those who paid the ultimate sacrifice, our concern is that the residents aren't going to see a fair debate on this. You want to talk about fairness? They're not going to see a fair debate because of numbers cited by the other side. It's indisputable that people are leaving the State of Illinois. It's indisputable that we're losing residents by the thousands and cumulatively by the hundreds of thousands. That's tax revenue that Illinois loses. That's also sales tax revenue that Illinois loses as those individuals go and buy goods and services in other states. And so, what that necessitates is that the state will have to make up that revenue from everyone else who is left behind, from every other business that is left behind. That's the concern. And I've done the best job that I can in talking to people from all over my district. Former Senator Daniel Biss held a town hall meeting in my district a couple of weeks ago. I attended because these are my residents, I want to hear what they have to say. It was a meeting that was organized by our local Democratic Party, and so I assume that most the people in the audience there were from one side of the aisle in terms of their voting record. But even among that audience there was concern that there would not be a vote on pension reform, that there would not be a vote on the pension clause. And so, some of the residents, during the Q&A, they raised their hand and said why can't this be tied to some kind of pension reform? Because otherwise, the sky's 10100058.docx 73  STATE OF ILLINOIS 101st GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 58th Legislative Day 5/27/2019 the limit on where taxes will go. This Legislature, with help from the Governor, and maybe not even this Governor, maybe in the future, it will absolutely be easier to raise income taxes on middle income families, on dual income families, on those who work hard and work overtime to better themselves, to improve their lot in life, to improve their families, and that's just wrong. It’s wrong to force those individuals and those families, those business owners, to have to look elsewhere because this Legislature, this State Government, does not have the fiscal discipline to stop spending, to stop creating new programs, to stop over promising on the spending side. So, I will be voting 'no' today. I would encourage all of my colleagues to vote 'no'. And again, I cannot stress enough that when it comes to taxes, it's not just income taxes that afflict Illinois residents. Our property taxes are among the highest in the nation. We're not going to see any kind of relief on property taxes. And even if you're renting in the State of Illinois, who do you think pays the property tax? It's the owner of that building. Your rent is going to go up because we, as a General Assembly, fail to enact reforms on property taxes. I would plead the Body to vote 'no' on this. Thank you."

"Thank you, Mr. Speaker. To the Amendment. Once again, my colleagues from the northeast corner of the state continue to kick the rest of the people of Illinois in the head. Earlier this spring, the minimum wage was raised on all our employers and all of our farmers throughout Illinois. These folks are already squeezed to the point of no return, along 10100058.docx 74  STATE OF ILLINOIS 101st GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 58th Legislative Day 5/27/2019 with our manufacturers who are choosing not to expand and not to locate in Illinois. Where are the reforms on our property owners? Where are the reforms on our businesses and local units of government? Where is the property tax reform that's much needed? Where is the compensation worker's reform? Our rates are two to three times higher than our neighbors. What are we doing to address the backlog of unpaid bills that will get our vendors paid on a more timely manner? The Federal Government and many other states are reducing taxes and they are thriving. People are fleeing to these states in droves. Thankfully, due to recent federal tax cuts, our treasury received an extra $1.5 billion this past month. It's time to decide, do we embrace the new federal tax policy or do we continue to go down a road, a bad road, that loses more jobs and more families to our neighboring states and beyond? It's more spending, it's more borrowing, and it's more taxing and no talk of reforms. This is failed policy. This is the third time in nine years we've asked the taxpayers of the State of Illinois to send in more of their hard earned money. The tax policy that we are debating today has long term implications that we are not likely to recover from. Why don’t we talk about changing the Constitution to affect our spending like pension reform and other important reforms like term limits and fair maps? Reforms that the people are calling for. Over 600 thousand people have signed petitions to get these measures on the ballot. Let's let the people decide. Again, we need to be talking about these important changes and reforms. In closing, the people of Illinois have been voting. They've been voting with their feet. We are losing one person 10100058.docx 75  STATE OF ILLINOIS 101st GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 58th Legislative Day 5/27/2019 every four and a half minutes. Losing population every year equal to a town the size of Peoria. If there was ever an example of people not being properly represented or equally represented, this is it. I will be voting 'no' on this Amendment, and I ask every one of my colleagues in this chamber to vote 'no'. Thank you."

"Thank you, Mr. Speaker. To the Amendment. I'm a firm believer in the old adage that they who fail to learn the lessons of the past are condemned to repeat them. So, I'd like to take a little trip down memory lane, if you would. Back in 2008, at the height of the economic crash, Illinois' tax revenues in 2009, when our tax rate was 3 percent, dropped $1.6 billion in one year. $1.6 billion. If this Bill… if this Amendment passes and we get the rates that are indicated in the Senate's rate structure or whatever comes out of it… according to our analysis, there are 24 thousand people in this state who will pay the maximum rate on income of 7.95 percent, amounting to $2.4 billion of income. When the crash happened, our tax rates were low and they were flat. If we lose… if we have another downturn in the economy, the loss of revenue across that small number of people whose income is derived from the very things that will be the most… will suffer the most from the crash will be devastating. The response from most of the states that suffered the most in the 2008 crash was to raise income tax rates, and we were no different. In 2011, we raised our rate to five percent. It was supposed to be temporary and as it turned out, it was. But in 2014, Speaker Madigan proposed what he called the 10100058.docx 76  STATE OF ILLINOIS 101st GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 58th Legislative Day 5/27/2019 millionaires' tax. And if you look at it, it's not that much different from what's being proposed now. It was a 3 percent surcharge on our 3 percent tax rate. So, we're not talking a great deal of difference in terms of structure here. One of your colleagues, if you were here in 2014, said as follows, 'The real issue here is that this would help enable the Governor to continue business as usual and continue tax policies that have choked off Illinois' recovery, and I will not allow that to happen.' The speaker was my predecessor in office, Jack Franks. Jack was right. The millionaire tax was wrong then, this tax is wrong now. The Governor has said that this will raise $3.25 billion in the first year. But based upon the Bills we've passed this year, that money has already been spent. The big issue hanging over us is our debt. The Governor… looking at our backlogs of Bills is huge but the pension debt is worse. The Governor has said he's going to take $200 million out of his tax increase and put it toward the pensions. But you know something? When you're taking 25 percent of general revenue and putting it towards pensions now, and by 2045, the amount of money that we need to put into the pension plan to achieve 90 percent under the Edgar Ramp is going to be $20 billion. That’s a rounding error, folks. This plan will not work. Do we need tax reform? You bet we do. This isn’t the way to do it. We need a global review of our entire tax system, with an eye toward creating a system that tracks our economy, that doesn’t create class envy and class warfare and take money from those who are the most productive in our society. We need a tax system that tracks our economy. We need to talk about income taxes, sales 10100058.docx 77  STATE OF ILLINOIS 101st GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 58th Legislative Day 5/27/2019 taxes, property taxes, user fees, all of it. There's also a moral hazard here, because people are going to look at this and they're going to think that by passing this Amendment, we will have solved our state's problems and we know that that is not the case. We can start down the path of true tax reform, but it takes an acknowledgement on everybody's part that this is not going to work. If there is a principle Democrat on that side of the aisle who will listen to what Jack Franks said four years ago and vote 'no', we can do something good…"

"…for this state. Thank you, Mr. Speaker."

"Thank you, Mr. Speaker. To the Bill. Swapping our flat tax income… excuse me. Swapping our flat income tax for a graduated income tax won't make our economy better. It'll just make it easier for this Body to raise our taxes. Springfield has proven incapable of spending tax dollars wisely. So, giving them more of what we work hard to earn, will only give them more incentive to spend. This Body should keep… this Body should reject the graduated income tax. Someone will have to make up that money and that will more than likely be the middle class. The high income tax rates will gradually creep downward and no longer will only be the rich paying, it'll be the middle class. The middle class generates the most tax revenue for our state. And removing the flat tax will directly hurt the middle class over time. Governor Pritzker, himself, says no guarantee that the tax rate table won't change. Instead of pushing the flat (sic 10100058.docx 78  STATE OF ILLINOIS 101st GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 58th Legislative Day 5/27/2019 fair) tax hike plan in hopes of boosting revenue, we should push for structural reforms that allow the state to stop squandering revenue. Let us have new hires move into a 401K savings program and decrease property taxes immediately. That’s just for a start. Oh, I… vote."

"Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I've listened today as I've heard this described as a reform as a way to solve our state's problems and to… told that we should listen to our constituents, and I couldn’t agree more. I've heard from my constituents. I heard from my constituents while I've been meeting with them in the community, and I've heard from my constituents that have called in solely on this. And while I do not live in a district that has a majority of wealthy people who will be affected by the proposed rates that have been floated so far, the vast majority, the overwhelming majority, almost everybody who has contacted my office, has asked me to vote against this. And that's because we have a problem in this state. We have a trust problem. We have a trust problem that we won't do with the money what we tell voters we're going to do, and there's good reason for this. There's the 2011 tax increase that didn’t go to what it was supposed to. There's the 2017 tax increase that hasn't done what it was supposed to. And now, we're asking for yet more income taxes. This is causing a problem and it's causing my constituents, when I'm with them in the district and talking to them, telling me they're leaving. They're leaving already because taxes are too high. They're leaving because we have 10100058.docx 79  STATE OF ILLINOIS 101st GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 58th Legislative Day 5/27/2019 problems in this state we refuse to address. If we want reform, Representative Spain and Representative Halbrook talked about reforms we could actually start putting in place to start growing and expanding our economy, to lessen the tax burden on our residents, so that it's spread out over more people and we'd have more revenue coming in. That's the way to address this situation. These are antigrowth measures. This is an anti-growth measure. It's not going to work. We cannot tax our way out of the situation we are in. We are already one of the highest taxed states in this country. And passing this Amendment is just going to drive businesses and business owners out of the state, which will in turn cause the middle class to lose jobs and end up leaving the state as well. We're already driving these people out of the state. Numbers don’t lie, folks. They're coming in to us from all over. The Census Bureau is telling us we are losing population. We are losing population. We are losing businesses. And our youth, our youth are leaving. And I'm sure our youth are leaving for a number of reasons, but I also know that, again, in talking in my district with my constituents and my community, they're leaving because they don’t see opportunity here. And the saddest part is their parents, who have been here their entire lives, are telling these youth, go to school out of state and find an opportunity elsewhere because a future does not exist for you in Illinois the way it once did for me. I'm not looking to create the past. I'm looking to create a better future, a better future for our youth. I still have kids here. I still have grandkids here. I want them to stay. I want a better future for them. 10100058.docx 80  STATE OF ILLINOIS 101st GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 58th Legislative Day 5/27/2019 But trying to tax people further, to drive more people and more businesses, is not the way to do it. If we pass this Amendment, we are going to face a double loss before it even gets to the voters. We are going to lose high income earners and the potential revenue, whatever this tax increase seeks to capture from them, as well as the taxes they're already paying to our state. We're also going to lose the jobs that they provide to our workers here, and we're going to lose that tax revenue. And eventually then, this tax is going to have to fall on somebody. The flat tax is the last great protector from future General Assembly's doing the wrong thing. If you have a graduated tax, this Body, no matter who's in it, can take and increase taxes on small percentages of the population without facing any major repercussion at any time. It can hit the middle class, the lowest earning income members of our society, it can hit anybody at any time. If you have a flat tax though, and you raise it on the people of the entire state, you better have a very good reason for doing it because now you've just upset every single one of your constituents. Don’t change that protection. We are sending a message… if we vote for this today, we are sending a message to both people inside and outside the State of Illinois. Its saying don’t come to Illinois if you want to succeed. Because even if everything goes as being proposed currently, if you succeed, we're going to take more of your money from you. Business, you're not welcome. If you want to help this state, if you want to save this state, please do not vote for this Bill. Thank you."

"Thank you, Mr. Speaker. To the Bill and to the Sponsor. I carry a very consistent message from Southeast Illinois and that message is very simple. We don’t trust you with our money. This has been proven time and time again. As a matter of fact, it was proven recently. July 4, 2017, we went through… it had a 32 percent tax increase that, I believe, was supposed to answer everything. And now, we are deeper in debt, we have more problems, and guess what? We need more money. What a dishonor it is to sit here, Memorial Day, 2019, and discuss a series of pathetic Bills that burden our citizens, that strip our citizens of their freedoms and of their moral convictions. But yet, here we are and this what we do in Illinois. When are we going to change this? This can be changed. I sit in Appropriations with the Human Services and Education. We made cuts, that looked good at first, and then we came back and all of a sudden more money pops up out of nowhere. We even met the Governor's budget and we still had money left over. And I just had a Representative from the other side of the aisle come over here and talk to me and tell that maybe I should give up money out of my district because I'm against this tax raise. This is a medieval attitude that exists in Illinois to suggest that you want to bilk my district for their taxes, yet we should have nothing in return for it. I am willing… I've invited many of you to come to my district to see the difference that exists between true Southern Illinois and the rest of the state. We don’t have the opportunities that you do. We cannot afford any further taxes. We simply can't. I want to show you that. But then, I also want to come and see what you have so I can gain 10100058.docx 82  STATE OF ILLINOIS 101st GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 58th Legislative Day 5/27/2019 a better understanding of why you have this attitude, because I don’t get it and neither do the residents of the 109th District. We need stuff. We need stuff bad. I've got eight grandkids all under the age of six and I am very concerned. I want them to live by me. I want them to function and flourish in Illinois. But you know, as well as I do, that those opportunities aren’t going to be here in 10 or 15 years. They're simply not going to be here. When are we going to be responsible to the taxpayers of Illinois? I farm for a living. I have good years, I have bad years. When I have bad years, we have to make cuts, we have to get by. I don’t get everything that I think that I need. We sacrifice, we do without. That’s what we do. Many of you have grown up that way, many of you have lived that way. Let's work together, let's go through some lean years, and let's get the foundation of our state solid. Thank you very much. We must vote 'no' on this to protect the future of this state."

"Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and I sure hope you're wearing good shoes today. I'm sure your feet are feeling great. To the Amendment, please. I'll be brief. That's tough for a preacher's son, but I'll do it because I know time is short and there's a lot of expansion of the State Government left 10100058.docx 86  STATE OF ILLINOIS 101st GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 58th Legislative Day 5/27/2019 to get to. Let me begin by saying I have not risen on this floor very often in my three years. Lou Lang knows I was always nervous. Here to offer broad, philosophical statements instead. I've used my time to introduce people from my district, to pass Bills important to my constituents, and to listen intently and make informed decisions when I vote on legislation. Today's a different story. Today, the free market is under attack in Illinois. Small business owners, like myself, are under attack. Job creators are under attack. Southern Illinois is under attack. During the Governor's first speech before this chamber, I took special note of one of his promises. I believe the words he used were something along these lines, he wanted to work with us to create a downstate revitalization plan. And I was really excited about that. I thought, hey, maybe this is a new day. Maybe this Governor gets it. Southern Illinois needs help. We need more jobs. We need investment and infrastructure improvements. We need to be more competitive with states like Indiana, Missouri, and Kentucky. We need relief from the over burdensome environmental regulations and the crushing mandates from the state. Sadly, folks, there has not been much words of encouragement coming to Southern Illinois and downstate. As I'd like to call it, the revitalization plan is yet to come. Instead the Super Majority of Democrats in this chamber and in this Senate rammed through a massive spike in the minimum wage during the first weeks of this Session. This action will mean our minimum wage will be aimed almost double the wages in our neighboring states. And when news broke out that Illinois took in more money than we were expecting, 10100058.docx 87  STATE OF ILLINOIS 101st GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 58th Legislative Day 5/27/2019 instead of steering toward fiscally sanity, we see radical expansions of access to taxpayer funded abortions, putting us on the eleventh hour, a government fingerprint registration data base that flies in the face of the Second Amendment of the Constitution, and now a progressive tax hike. None of the items I've just mentioned are going to revitalize Southern Illinois' economy. Let's for once, for once, stand for the citizens of the United States that are living in Illinois and paying the highest combined state, local, sales taxes in the nation already. I strongly urge a 'no' vote on this legislation and any of the legislation that raises taxes. We need more taxpayers, not more taxes. Let's get back to work to balance the budget using existing revenues, pay down our Bills, let's restore fiscal sanity. Thank you. I urge… I urge a 'no' vote. Thank you."

"Will the Sponsor yield?"

"Representative, are you of the opinion that the middle class need relief?"

"Thank you. To the Amendment. So, I live in a rural area that represents six counties. Takes me about an hour and half to get from one end of the district to the other. Generations of families have been there quite a long time. And the people in my district and the people throughout the State of Illinois are certainly tired of being tired. But I think we do share a lot of common interests. And we've all knocked a lot of doors, we've all gone to spaghetti dinners and pancake 10100058.docx 88  STATE OF ILLINOIS 101st GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 58th Legislative Day 5/27/2019 breakfast, and they asked us to do a few things, 'Will you please invest in public safety?' That's reasonably simple. Fix our roads, fund our schools, lower some property taxes. But most importantly, we want our kids and grandkids to want to come back here. That's very important. Now, this Body is going to take up a vote and my side of the aisle represents 4.8 million people and the Majority Party can't convince one person to say 'yes'. Not one in the House or the Senate will vote for this Constitutional Amendment. But in 1982, we did have an income tax of 2.5 percent, and surely we had roads, schools, and we invested in public safety. But we have a population loss and people are no longer saying 'yes' to Illinois. They are just simply leaving. We are now using the taxpayer as an ATM machine. Time and time again, more and more money, little, little results. But we decide the 'what' in this Assembly and the Governor decides the 'how'. We decide what our priorities are. Ninety seven percent get a tax break. So, to my progressive colleagues on the other side of the aisle, for somebody making $10 thousand, you are going to give them a tax break of $6.67. Cannot even buy a Jimmy Johns' sandwich, congratulations. Way to fight for the working poor. For somebody making 100 thousand or less, $37.75 cannot even fill up a tank of gas. Way to work for the middle class. So, how are you going to explain to your district, when you raise taxes on everybody, for the most part, in the State of Illinois, eventually, to the tune of 3.522 billion? And you're going to go back to your district and say somebody that makes $10 thousand or less, you gave $6.67 tax break. However, somebody making $100 thousand or less will receive $37.75. To 10100058.docx 89  STATE OF ILLINOIS 101st GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 58th Legislative Day 5/27/2019 my progressive Members on the other side of aisle, why are we not fighting for the middle class? Where's their voice? Is their voice not being heard? Six dollars and sixty-seven cents for the working poor. That's a heck of a negotiation. But the $37.75 will be erased when the Democratic Majority passes the gas tax. So, let me ask you this. Speaker Pelosi once famously said, a thousand dollars is crumbs. What is $37.75? To the working poor, $6.67, again, cannot even buy a Jimmy Johns' sandwich. But I know somebody in this chamber has been a Speaker for a very long time. And like many of you on the other side of the aisle, our first inauguration is something we never forget. And I heard it time and time again, we're just people helping people. Folks, this Amendment is people hurting people, and I strongly urge a 'no' vote."

"Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I'll go to the Constitutional Amendment. But I want to really, just briefly, address previous comments from the others side of the aisle directed at a colleague from Southern Illinois. And I would just say it is offensive to say that our communities and our education system shouldn’t receive money from tax increases just because we don’t vote for them. I've got a newsflash for you. People in our districts, they pay taxes as well. Yeah, people in Southern Illinois, they pay taxes. We're just as entitled to the spending as what you are. To this Bill. This state has major issues, nobody denies that. But low taxes is certainly not one of them. This Body has done nothing. It's done nothing to address the major issues that’s holding our economy at ransom. We've done nothing to relieve the pressure of middle 10100058.docx 90  STATE OF ILLINOIS 101st GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 58th Legislative Day 5/27/2019 class homeowners. All we ever do in this Body is asks for taxpayers to put up more money, to prop up an unsustainable government system that's led by politicians who have shown over and over they've proven themselves untrustworthy with that money. Illinois politicians need to grow a backbone. Dealing with these big issues requires political courage. That's what's called for at a time like this. Fiscal responsibility, fiscal restraint, proper prioritization. These are the principals that should be directed in our policy in this chamber. We can't address out of control property taxes, we can't properly fund our education system without addressing the major cost drivers. Pensions, Medicaid, the sheer volume of government, burdensome regulations on our industries. If we're going to open up the Constitution, let's talk about an Amendment that gives us the flexibility to make our pension systems fair and sustainable for future generations without crowding out the core services that we see right now. This Body needs to deal with the issues, the real issues. Taxpayers in my districts, in your districts, they deserve accountability and they're not getting it from this government. Here's an idea. Let's put some policies in place that would spur economic growth. Let's stop stifling our economy with job killing regulations like we do over and over in this chamber. And listen up, this is important. A growing economy that creates jobs and opportunities is the only sustainable revenue pathway that'll sustain the future of this state. Until this Body gets their fiscal act together, not another dime should be asked from hard working taxpayers, period. This legislation does nothing to address the 10100058.docx 91  STATE OF ILLINOIS 101st GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 58th Legislative Day 5/27/2019 structural issues. It does not promote economic growth. It increases the power of the permanent political class under this dome. I was sent here by hard working taxpayers in Southern Illinois to fight for real reform, promote sound fiscal policies, and limit our exposure to the career political class here in Springfield. This legislation completely flies in the face of every one of those principles. So, I'd urge all my colleagues to vote 'no' to the status quo. And for once, for once, I would ask this Body to stand up for the overtaxed, overburdened Illinois taxpayers. Vote 'no' on this Amendment. Thank you."

"Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I'm going to go straight to the Bill, but I know this has gone on for a really long time. And before I kind of speak to the Amendment, Representative, just in good fun, earlier I think you… I would say you kind of championed yourself as a constitutional champion of the people and just want to remind you that my seatmate here does t-shirts, and should you need a cape later, we might be able to get one for you. But in fun, I'm just saying that in fun because I know you're carrying this Bill, but in reality, this is really the Governor's plan. And so, today, I'm rising in opposition, specifically, of the Governor's plan, even though there are no… you know, we know that his tax plan is different than even what we are seeing from the Senate with whether you call it a graduated income tax or the progressive income tax. So, my opposition to this legislation really started back in January when I signed onto a House Resolution that stated that this side of aisle was 100 percent in opposition of the graduated tax system. So, I, like my colleagues over here, believe that the real reason behind the push for the legislation is the desire for unending government expansion and the expansion at the expense of the middle class and high earning small businesses and individual taxpayers. So, that being said, as offensive as the proposed rate increases are to farmers and small businesses, the increases to individuals are just as punitive. We're being told this is 10100058.docx 94  STATE OF ILLINOIS 101st GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 58th Legislative Day 5/27/2019 a financially responsible plan. This is coming from the same Majority Party that introduced, already this year, $12 billion in new spending in just this Session. To me, those actions and this attempt to change the Constitution from a system where everyone pays the same to one that punishes success, represents an insatiable appetite to grow the size, scope, and cost of government. What exactly will this $3.3 billion tax hike on the people of Illinois pay for? Let me just talk about a couple of them. How about taxpayer funding of elective abortions for any reason, at any time, during a pregnancy. How about a massive new bureaucracy that targets law abiding gun owners. How about a huge expansion of government because, according to some of my friends who are Chicago politicians which control every level of power in Illinois, that government knows best, not individuals. We're often told that this plan is the only fiscally responsible path forward. Well, House Republicans, for weeks, have argued that if the working groups would continue their efforts, that we could have a surplus using existing revenue streams. The working groups didn't even consider the Governor's 8 to 10 additional proposed sales tax hikes when they were putting the budget together and we still had enough money to meet our obligations and pass a responsible budget. House Republicans have also pointed out for weeks that the fiscal outlook for the State of Illinois is looking better for maybe as far out as the next five years. So, what's the rush to put a Constitutional Amendment on the ballot to forever enshrine a graduated tax system. Our state is losing businesses to neighboring states that border my district, Representative 10100058.docx 95  STATE OF ILLINOIS 101st GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 58th Legislative Day 5/27/2019 Windhorst's district, Representative Reitz's district, Representative Greenwood's district, Representative Stuart's district, Representative Bristow's district, all of us. In Illinois, what we're saying with this Constitutional Amendment and the accompanying Bill that sets the rates is this, the higher you climb, the more successful you are, the more jobs you create, the more the State of Illinois is going to tax you, regulate you, and increase fees on you. There's another way, folks. We can pay our bills, pass a balanced responsible budget, and eliminate this policy from consideration by simply using existing revenues. I'm asking those who represent deep Southern Illinois, the region that we all love and work together on, to join me today in voting 'no' on this jobs killing, tax hiking, progressive income tax. Vote 'no'."

"Thank you, Mr. Speaker. To the Amendment. I'm very disappointed, today, in the process that has gone on with this Amendment and how we're proceeding. You know, I think that we were, before this year, on a relatively good path of working together, of working in bipartisan fashion, and of showing what we can get done when we do work together. Many of you know in this Body that I thought it was unconscionable, immoral, unacceptable when we slipped into a third fiscal year without a budget. And there was many people that worked together in getting the 2018 budget. And because of that, because of that working together, we were able to continue working together and passed very good education reform funding… education funding reforms that some in this Body had 10100058.docx 96  STATE OF ILLINOIS 101st GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 58th Legislative Day 5/27/2019 fought for, for three decades. And we were able to do that by working together… because we worked together in 2018. Then we continued on to the 2019 budget and because of the success that we showed and the 2018 budget, we were able to get a balanced 2019 budget by working together. Now, fast forward to this year, we've seen that bipartisanship disappear. We've seen the minimum wage that is going to be so bad for jobs in our area. And now, we've seen this process continue to go forward. There is nothing bipartisan about this process. Make no mistake, there is no reason, right now, that any Illinoisan should see a tax increase. There is no reason for any Illinoisan to see a tax increase. We have proven what we can do when we work together in bipartisan fashion. We've seen the education reform pass when many people thought it was unacceptable, when many people thought there was no way, no possible way that it could get done. We got it done. Why don't we continue to go down the path of working together in bipartisan fashion? Why don’t we continue to work together for real meaningful workers compensation reform, for pension reforms, for other reforms to bring jobs and confidence back to the State of Illinois? We've started that path. We've proven that we can do it. We should not eliminate that path right now. Please vote 'no'."

"Thank you, Mr. Speaker. To the Bill. I'm going to use a quote that was stolen from somebody, but it wasn’t IPI, who I've disagreed with in the past. I'm going to steal a quote from the Sponsor of the Bill. He mentioned earlier our inability to manage our finances. For years, the Majority 10100058.docx 97  STATE OF ILLINOIS 101st GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 58th Legislative Day 5/27/2019 Party has proven the inability to manage our finances. For decades, the Majority Party has proven their inability to manage our finances. He spoke of reform. It's interesting that his version of reform is to continue to watch taxes or push taxes up on Illinoisans in our great state, while being unwilling to make reforms on the other side of the balance sheet that affect the spending. A colleague earlier mentioned that just this year, $12 billion in new spending has been proposed. Twelve billion dollars in new spending. Just a couple years ago, taxes were raised and brought in $5 billion of new funds. Every year, annual, $5 billion. This proposes to increase taxes another three and a half billion dollars. And then, other various proposals that will directly affect the middle class, propose to bring in an additional $3.4 billion, for a total of $11.9 billion of new revenue. That does not even cover the proposed new spending just from this year. If a business saw their sales go down, what do they do? Do they raise prices if their sales are going down? No, they don’t. That's what we're proposing. We are losing customers. Those are Illinoisans that are moving to other states. There is a reason why Apple is investing in new cell phones and not in the rotary phone. We have to invest in a new process, a new State of Illinois. We have to reform the efficiencies to allow us to earn the dollars that the State of Illinois brings in. If we provide a better product for the people of the State of Illinois, people will move here. They will want to be Illinoisans instead of wanting to move out of the State of Illinois. This Bill relies on the fairytale that somebody else is going to pay the Bill. We all know there is no such 10100058.docx 98  STATE OF ILLINOIS 101st GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 58th Legislative Day 5/27/2019 thing as a free lunch, somebody has to pay for it. But as overburdened taxpayers, the taxpayers that are paying the most taxes, as they leave, who is going to be left to continue to cover all of this additional spending? It's going to be the middle class, and most of them are going to be looking for jobs because the businesses have left with them. The Majority Party has not only proven their inability to manage our finances, they have shown a complete unwillingness to do so. Raising taxes on the people of Illinois is not the answer. I urge a 'no' vote."

"Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Long afternoon. Thank you very much for your patience, Sir. To the Resolution, if I may. Nine states have no income tax, nine have a flat tax, meaning about a third of the states have either a flat state income tax or none at all. Illinois has forfeited the title of the fifth most populous state to the Common Wealth of Pennsylvania. And the five most populous states to have no 10100058.docx 100  STATE OF ILLINOIS 101st GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 58th Legislative Day 5/27/2019 income tax, that being Florida and Texas, and Pennsylvania has a flat tax. The trend across the nation has been a shift away from the progressive taxation that we're talking about today. In 2011, Utah switched to a flat tax. In 2014, North Carolina followed suit. Just last year, our neighbor Kentucky did the same. Twice in the last five years, Colorado voters have rejected ballot initiatives to adopt a graduated income tax there. Twice. In fact, the last state to implement a graduated income tax, my friends, was Connecticut 30 years ago. Thirty, with disastrous results. Before the change, they had higher than average employment and lower than average poverty. Their tax was sold to be, believe it or not, middle class relief. Ah, heard that before. And would reduce property tax. And it said more taxes, more middle class was hit, jobs were lost, and as you can imagine, the labor force shrank. We're talking about raising our taxes at a time when the states around us, some of our competitors, are headed in the opposite direction. Every year, the Tax Foundation publishes a new addition of the State Business Tax Climate Index. It’s a measure of state structure. And Illinois currently ranks, I'm very sorry to say, number 36 overall. However, if the state were to adopt the graduated rate structure we're talking about today that is proposed, the state's overall rank would drop even lower, perhaps even as low as 48. Not much farther to go, guys. It reminds me of an old saying that we’ve heard before but is very relevant today. When you are digging a hole, and yes we are, the first thing you do is to stop digging. Friends, we received $1.2 billion more than we expected this year. We're planning for 800 million, perhaps 10100058.docx 101  STATE OF ILLINOIS 101st GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 58th Legislative Day 5/27/2019 more next year, to keep in our budget for next time. Instead of talking about how we want to spend this on new programs or expand programs in our work groups, we need to take a look at how this money can be used to help pay down the debt, spend down the $130 billion pension that is growing every day. If we just added $250 million to the pension payment every year for 25 years, just 25 million… or 250 million, excuse me, we would have over $15 billion to help pay down the debt. And as Senator Dirksen once said, that is real money. My friends, I know this is important priority for our Governor but I would encourage this Body and this administration to change our focus toward improving this economy and encouraging job growth and encouraging new businesses to come here in Illinois, and this doesn’t do that. And also, help find ways to reward the businesses that we have here today. Businesses, my friends, are watching what we are doing today and they are watching what we are going to do very, very soon. This income tax, or income Resolution that we're talking about, is not the way to do it. And along with the minimum wage Bill we passed a little while back it will stifle growth again. Stop digging. Thank you."

"Thank you, Mr. Speaker. To the Amendment. Illinois managed for the first 150 years of its existence without an income tax and the other states that have avoided it like 10100058.docx 102  STATE OF ILLINOIS 101st GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 58th Legislative Day 5/27/2019 Texas, Tennessee, and Florida have skyrocketing economies. The notion we need this type of Amendment and tax scheme going forward is a lie. It's a lie that this is a fair tax. The top income earners in this state already pay in the largest percentage of overall taxes. This tax system you propose is going to be a tax system where the politically privileged win and the ordinary people lose. It's a lie that this tax scheme is going to solve our budget problems. Billion dollar windfall in tax revenue this year, and did you put it towards paying down our debt, paying down our Bill backlog? No, you proposed more new spending. And by the way, if you want to help spending on education, quit imposing politically correct mandates on our schools and free them up for reading, math, and science. It's a lie that the unfixed rates are going to provide 97 percent of citizens with a tax cut. Everyone will pay more than they did in 2014. Fifty years ago, it was a lie that instituting the income tax in the first place would allow Illinois to pay down all its outstanding pension debt. That 2.5 percent income tax rate, the money came in and the Legislature refused to control spending and failed to keep that pension promise. That temporary three percent increase in the 1980's was also promised to pay down the pension debt, and that was a lie. The pension liability never went away. Same was true in the 1990s. And then we even had the pension ramp. So, what a shocker the idea that restructuring debt by adding more debt, that didn’t work either. Legislators promised that in 2011 that an increase of five percent would solve the state's debt problems and unfunded liabilities. Some of you were here. You promised it was temporary and you 10100058.docx 103  STATE OF ILLINOIS 101st GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 58th Legislative Day 5/27/2019 were wrong. That was a lie. And again, our debt is now at a point one step above junk status. Never in my generation's history have Illinois tax increases ever been a long term solution to balancing our budget. And if history is any indication, it's not going to work this time either. From the time the income tax went into effect until today, the funding ratio for our pension programs was 41.8 percent, today it's 41.2 percent. But our promises have skyrocketed from 2.5 billion to over 130 billion or more today. I put forth a Constitutional Amendment to fix that problem and you wouldn’t even give that a public hearing, Representative Martwick. My district tells me that Illinois is already number one when it comes to overall tax burden whether you are rich, poor, or middle class. We are taxed out. And as I think about the very sad events of the countdown to the end of this Session, all I see are more unseemly schemes. We're here today on a holiday weekend when we should be honoring those who gave all for our nation. And instead, our colleagues in the Super Majority have determined that Constitutional Amendments and mandates that are meant to be treated carefully and tread on with the utmost caution, we can toss all that aside in less than a day of debate. I know some people on the other side of the aisle love the notion of soaking the rich for more money. Forget for the time being that most of these so called evil income earners that your side of the aisle hates, despises, and frequently denigrates are actually our state's job creators. And unlike our Governor, they didn’t inherit their wealth, they actually earned it. If you want to talk about equity, they've contributed more than anyone else to the Illinois 10100058.docx 104  STATE OF ILLINOIS 101st GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 58th Legislative Day 5/27/2019 Treasury and they take out little. They don’t get the billions spent on food stamps, Medicaid, social services, financial aid. They pay for that for everyone else. And if you want to talk about equity, it's going to take one year of 2021 revenue to figure out that you're soaking the rich plan only provides so much extra revenue and we're still deficit spending. It won't ever be enough when this Body's desire to spend is so insatiable. So, to the middle class, you'll go next. To the working poor, you'll go next. And you'll be pulling copper wire out of the last pennies of hard working families and workers in Illinois and it still is not going to satiate your spending. Who does this Amendment really benefit? It's a windfall for all the political players who have made a mess of our finances, who stand to profit from political insiderism, and it will be a disaster for the State of Illinois because the best and brightest will leave. I was at an event a few weeks ago in Chicago with people who have long invested in the city. And a question was asked of the room, how many of you have started to hedge your investment into other states with a…"

"Thank you. They all raised their hands. That's your districts Democrats. Your own voters are planning on getting out. That money won't come back. That talent won't come back. The jobs won't come back. Short term thinking, long term paying, no structural reform. I urge a 'no' vote. Thank you."

"Thank you, Mr. Speaker. To the Amendment. I am blessed to represent some truly great communities in the 104th District. Those communities are home to some of just the most 10100058.docx 106  STATE OF ILLINOIS 101st GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 58th Legislative Day 5/27/2019 outstanding people. Wonderful people that are hardworking, they're tough, and they're resilient. And they needed to be resilient because the two largest communities in my district, over the last 25 years, lost their two biggest economic engines. The City of Danville lost a General Motors foundry that employed over a thousand jobs, high paying UAW jobs. And the City of Rantoul lost Chanute Air Force Base. Now, the resilience has been important because we have worked hard and struggled to redefine ourselves economically. But every time there is a glimmer of hope, we get our legs cut out from underneath of us by the State of Illinois. On the face of it, we have a lot going for us. We're centrally located between major metropolitan areas. We have a good transportation infrastructure network. We have access to interstate highways and to rails. And we have strong local leadership that does what it can to incentivize job growth and encourages business to locate in our communities. But we are increasingly challenged by the policies of the State of Illinois. A few years ago, one of the major employers in Danville told me that he could relocate his business just a few miles to the east across the state line in Indiana and pay for a brand new facility in one year with the difference in worker's comp rates. In a few short years, those competitors in Indiana will be paying half the minimum wage that we do here. And now this. We are already over taxed and this is going to exacerbate the problem. My home town of Fithian, a little over a decade ago, lost out to Greensburg, Indiana as a location of a Honda plant. And time and time again, we have lost major manufacturing projects to states like Tennessee 10100058.docx 107  STATE OF ILLINOIS 101st GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 58th Legislative Day 5/27/2019 and Texas. These policies are hurtful to communities like Danville. They're hurtful to communities like Rantoul. They're hurtful to the State of Illinois and I encourage a 'no' vote. Thank you."

"Thank you, Mr. Speaker. To the Amendment. Ladies and Gentlemen, I hear all the time people taking about their districts, so I want to tell you a little bit about the one that I'm honored enough to represent. Every weekend when we've been going home, I've been going to the grocery store and to other places and I keep getting stopped from the people saying, don't raise my taxes. Don't raise my taxes. Do whatever you need to do, but please do not raise my taxes. 10100058.docx 110  STATE OF ILLINOIS 101st GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 58th Legislative Day 5/27/2019 That is what is being said over, and over, and over. So I ask, how do you think we can get ourselves out of this mess? And I don’t point fingers as to how we got there because it doesn’t really matter. What matters is how are we going to move forward. Well, we're not going to move forward by doing things in a partisan way. Because when we do things in a partisan way, it's horrible. And when we work in a bipartisan way, we do great things. So, as I'm telling these folks what I see and hear, they say, well, why don’t you talk about some cuts? And I say, well, we try. And they say, well, what do you mean? And I say, well, we had a working group for public safety appropriations in Chicago where we actually were talking about cuts. We were talking about a six percent cut across the board. And I was actually good with that. Let's do a six percent cut across the board. And they liked that idea. Then we come back here and we are now talking about a six percent increase across the board. So, a 12 point swing. They are not happy with that. They don’t want to see that. Ladies and Gentlemen, we have to understand that when we do things of this nature, we are pushing more people out. Which means the people that stay have to make up for the people that left. So, why are we not trying to find ways of bringing people back in so that we can all pay less? It's not hard to understand. We have a $1.5 billion increase, thanks to President Trump's economy. I'm very happy for that. But we shouldn’t be spending it now. Let's do it to… let's use that money to do all of the things that we've already done. We have $15 billion in unpaid bills, yet we want a 6 percent increase. Ladies and Gentlemen, I'm going to urge a 'no' vote 10100058.docx 111  STATE OF ILLINOIS 101st GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 58th Legislative Day 5/27/2019 to this piece of legislation. And I shouldn’t call it a piece of legislation because it's a piece of something, but it's not legislation."

"Mr. Speaker, does the Sponsor yield?"

"Mr. Martwick…"

"Do you believe the people of Illinois trust this Body to spend this new tax revenue appropriately?"

"So, to the Amendment. I can tell you, overwhelmingly, the people of the 75th District don’t trust us to do much. They don’t trust us to protect children in our care because too often we have failed them. They don’t trust that we're actually spending lottery revenue on education because that was all just a shell game as well. They don’t trust us to fully fund pensions because for far too often we took holidays and shorted the funds. And we were about to do that again this year under the Governor's proposed budget. They don’t trust us because of the corruption we've allowed to flourish in Illinois. Teach for a day and receive a pension for life. Four Governors elected since 1960 have gone to prison. No other state can match that. We have a trust issue. The facts are clear. Illinois residents don’t trust us and why should they? What are we offering them? Any real reforms that would provide true relief to the people across our state? No, we're not. Based on official numbers from the Department of Revenue, we have the money to pass a balanced budget with no tax increase and no cuts to essential services. Programs that we all care about. Illinois does not need, and our taxpayers can't afford, a graduated income tax. Passing this Amendment sends the wrong message to working families and job creators throughout Illinois. Make no mistake, Governor Pritzker's candid admission that we can't give any guarantees that there won't be more changes to the state's rates, meaning higher taxes on the middle class earners. I choose to stand with the taxpayers of Grundy, Kendall, LaSalle, and Will Counties and I'm voting 'no' today."

"Thank you, Mr. Speaker. To the Amendment. Our state is losing people by the tens of thousands every year. Many people are leaving because we have the highest overall tax burden of any state in the union. Raising taxes is not the answer. It will only make our situation worse. We will continue to lose population and the burden will be worse on the rest of us. We have to grow our way out of this problem by adding taxpayers. With fiscal sanity, we have the ability to balance our budget and bring down our debt without a tax increase. This Amendment will remove protections for the middle class, will result in higher taxes for our job creators, and will cause more people to flee our state. I strongly urge a 'no' vote."

"Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Will the Sponsor yield?"

"All right, Representative Martwick, a couple yes or no questions for you 'cause we got a clock running. Trying to get everybody out of here in a reasonable time. Could be 1 a.m., that’s all right. Can you tell me, the average Illinois family makes approximately a 162 or sorry, $62 thousand a year?"

"Okay. And can you tell me we are moving from a 4.95 to a 4.9 percent income tax rate at that $62 thousand a year?"

"4.9… Okay."

"4.9, right?"

"Okay. And can you tell me is the approximate savings on that $62 thousand household approximately $43 a year?"

"A non-homeowner?"

"Non homeowner?"

"Non homeowner?"

"Okay."

"Moving forward. Can you share with me whether this sounds right, that the Minnesota rate right now at $85 thousand is 7.85 percent?"

"The Iowa rate at $71,910 is approximately 8.98 percent? Does that sound about right?"

"Missouri rate, that we just heard mentioned, for a household earning in excess of $9,253 is being charged 5.9 percent. Does that sound right?" 10100058.docx 117  STATE OF ILLINOIS 101st GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 58th Legislative Day 5/27/2019

"Okay. In Wisconsin, a family earning in excess of $22,470 is paying 6.27 percent. Does that sound about right?"

"Okay. And so, it sounds like all these other states have a heck of a deal going on that we're able to make here in our state. To the Amendment."

"We live in a state… yeah, I kind of get that. I get it. We live in a state where we found accountability a difficult concept to implement time and again. I've been here a short time and have been amazed at the number of consequential spending plans that we've passed. We’re in a state where we call taxes resources and we don’t refer to it as other people's money. I have so many constituents that have voiced their concern on this, it easily leads to issues where folks tell me they can't wait to leave. When I share with my taxpayers the amount of money that they will save under this plan where the 97 percent will allegedly not save, they tell me just take the money and pay down the pensions and that’s still not part. We look at the farmers and the job creators in this state and the income taxes that they already pay on incomes in excess of $77 thousand. Depending on the range, the first tier at the federal income tax level is somewhere between 22 and 35 percent federal income tax. If you're a self-employed individual, you pay an additional 15.3 percent in social security, Medicare, and what we like to call self- employment tax. And then currently, here in Illinois, we pay an additional 4.95 percent today. Before we get to any new 10100058.docx 118  STATE OF ILLINOIS 101st GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 58th Legislative Day 5/27/2019 rates, they are already paying 42 to 55 percent on every dollar they earn above $77 thousand. That's before they pay our high sales taxes. That’s before they pay our high real- estate taxes and that’s before the job creators pay payroll. This Bill offers no rates, no certainty to the constituents in my district that we will act judiciously. Further, earlier, I had one of our peers from Skokie a short time ago say, why would someone oppose the will of the people. I'm glad he asked. Because on May 5, 2014, 298,399 voters asked for a fair maps Amendment to be presented. It was challenged by the Majority Party in Cook County court case and defeated. Again, two years later, May 6, 2016, after making modifications, the underlying court decision advised, an effort again was undertaken where we had 550 thousand voters again ask for a Constitutional Amendment for independent legislative maps. Again, a Cook County judge struck down the voters following a challenge by the Majority Party. The will of the people has been denied time and again. The hypocrisy is obvious to any of the voters in Sycamore, Grayslake, or Northbrook that are watching us here today. We're talking about the biggest opening for potential abuse in spending with no boundaries. Please vote 'no'. Thank you."

"Thank you, Mr. Speaker. To the Resolution… or the Amendment, rather. Our national economy brings us great news. There's good data out there. Businesses are flourishing. Production is increasing. Entrepreneurship is on the rise. Why? Because we've taken burdens off of American free enterprise and we've encouraged entrepreneurship. And that, 10100058.docx 119  STATE OF ILLINOIS 101st GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 58th Legislative Day 5/27/2019 in all honesty, has helped many states around our great nation. California received a windfall of $10 billion due to that economic growth. Illinois, $1.6 billion in new revenues due to economic growth. It has other benefits that impact everyone. Unemployment across all categories is at historic and record lows. More people are working. That grows the economy which puts money in to government's pockets. That is how we get out of this situation, we grow our economy. But there's also cautionary tale in those numbers. When we talk of states receiving higher incomes due to our growing economy, the caution comes from New York who passed a similar bit of legislation to tax the wealthy. What did Mayor Bloomberg say in February when New York's budget was hit by a decline of $2.3 billion? Well, we taxed the rich and they left. We heard from the other side of the aisle that this is a hard and difficult vote. I argue it's the easiest vote you are all ever going to take. Why? Because the hard work, the hard votes, are on the reform side. The things that people want to see when we want to provide them with economic stability and an optimistic future and a place where they can tell their kids to stay here, go to school here, instead of fleeing the state for prosperity elsewhere. Those votes along the lines of anyone that’s had to deal with the services we deliver. If you're a parent of special needs, you know exactly what I'm talking about. When you go to the state agency, and you sit there for hours, and you get the run around, and you still don’t have an answer. We are extremely inefficient in how we deliver our state services and yet, we're not talking about reforming that. When we are talking about state universities 10100058.docx 120  STATE OF ILLINOIS 101st GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 58th Legislative Day 5/27/2019 and how they're so expensive and what can we do to make them more affordable for Illinois residents to stay here, we're not talking about the Procurement Code. We're not putting that hard vote on the board. Instead, you're going to take the easy way out and you're going to dig deeper into people's pockets and they're going to leave. Right now, our economy, nationally, is doing quite well. But guess what, it won't always be that way. Illinois is ill prepared for the next recession. And I hope it doesn’t come for quite some time, but when it does, under this tax strategy, under this tax plan, under this proposal with no reforms, I'm not sure Illinois can survive. So, your rates that right now you say are only on the wealthy and those that can afford it, when that recession comes, I guarantee you you're going to have to lower those rates and hit the middle class that you so desperately want to protect. But all you're doing is kicking the can down the road until the time when they can least afford it, you're going to hit them even harder. We also heard that there is dark money driving this. The only dark money I know that’s being spent right now is the man that sits down in 200. Think Big Illinois is spending millions of dollars saying this is a fair tax. That’s the dark money. You know what else you should do for the Governor, is you should listen to him when he answered a question about fair maps. And this was his answer when he said, and I quote, to the fair maps question, 'Yes, I will pledge to veto. We should amend the Constitution to create an independent commission to draw legislative maps.' That would be a really easy vote for most of us but yet the hard work remains. Instead of the reforms 10100058.docx 121  STATE OF ILLINOIS 101st GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 58th Legislative Day 5/27/2019 we desperately need to save our great state, we're just going to drive it more and more and deeper and deeper into the ditch. Our brain drain will continue. Our brightest students will continue to flee the state. More in corporal will leave. Congressionally, we will lose two seats and yet we will have nothing to show on any reforms. This is a bad policy that will have devastating impacts for years. Vote 'no'."

"Thank you, Mr. Speaker. To the Amendment. It's really unfortunate that we are here today to take up this issue. However, we are here for a reason and Illinoisans need to know the truth of why we are doing this today. Now, at the beginning of this debate a few hours ago, I listened to the woes of the State of Illinois by the Sponsor. Cruel cuts, underfunding of vital services, et cetera, et cetera, et cetera. And if you listened to the Sponsor's statements, it would lead one to believe that the Republicans may have led this chamber for these decades or for a great number of them. Here is the truth. The Illinois House of Representatives has been run by the Democrat Party of Illinois and Speaker Madigan for 34 years. Those woes, those troubles, those painful cuts. Those were decisions made by the Majority Party. That's the truth. So, here's my advice to the House Democrats today, take responsibility for this mess before you ask more of its citizens. Let's make no mistake, today's vote is the end result of the Illinois Democrats historical reckless, irresponsible budgeting and spending. However, it is also clear today that today's vote is a fate to complete. It’s a forgone conclusion. Now, I will tell you this, I am secure with my vote today. But I honestly believe that many of you on the other side of the aisle can't say the same. You know why? I know how this Bill went down. I know how this Amendment went down. And please, don’t think there wasn’t any horse 10100058.docx 124  STATE OF ILLINOIS 101st GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 58th Legislative Day 5/27/2019 trading to get these votes. I know better, you know better, we know better. Now, I have one last statement to make and it is not meant for anyone in this chamber. It’s meant for the Illinois citizens. And this should be the constitutional question that should be on the ballot before this one is posed. It's very simple. Based on their past practices, can you trust the Illinois House Democrats and Democrat Party of Illinois with spending more of your money to solve its budget problems?"

"Thank you. With the indulgence, there's a lot of people standing and everybody moved since last Session so I'm having a hard time here. Representative Cassidy?"

"Okay. Yup, see someone is blocking me there. Representative Reitz? Did I pronounce that correctly?"

"All right. Representative Gabel?"

"Okay. Representative Edly-Allen?"

"Okay. Representative Lilly?"

"Representative Pappas?"

"Representative Stava-Murray?"

"Representative Mussman? Representative Costa Howard?"

"We fold."

"Thank you, Madam Speaker. I'm going to go straight to the Bill. This Bill was voted 8-5 by committee. Sheriffs oppose, Chicago FOP and ISP are reviewing. My guess is because they haven't had enough time to review this Floor Amendment. This isn't the way we should be acting. I strongly urge my side to vote 'no'."

"Yes. Thank you, Madam Speaker. Will the Sponsor yield?"

"Representative, we talked about this Bill in committee and I just want to make sure that we're on the same page here. This is effectively an extension of things that were originally negotiated out of the Trust Act a couple years ago, maybe three years ago, that are now kind of being put back in. Is that accurate?"

"Okay. But however, our friends at the Illinois Sheriffs remain opposed. I asked a question about that and the impression I got was, and you can add your comment here, that if we don't follow through on these 287(g) agreements that already exist in many cases, that instead ICE will just send more agents to Illinois. Is that a possibility?"

"Okay, then… the ultimate… I think the result of the Bill may not be your intended affect and that's why I bring this up. Again, if there were an agreement on this Bill, that would be a different story, and unfortunately there isn’t. At this time, I urge a 'no' vote. Thank you."

"Thank you, Madam Speaker. Will the Sponsor yield?"

"Here's what I'm curious about. I represent McHenry County which has an ICE detention center, and I believe of three other ICE detention centers in the State of Illinois. Will this interfere with the Kane… I'm sorry, McHenry County government interacting and forming a contract with ICE for this detention center?"

"If you don’t know, you can pull the Bill from the record."

"So, is that a 'yes' that the McHenry County Sheriff cannot enter into a contract with ICE?"

"So, that sounds like a 'yes'. What do you expect to do with people that are illegal immigrants that have a federal INS detainer, what do you expect these sheriff's departments and other law enforcement agencies to do with them?"

"To the Bill. I heard the insinuation of protect and serve. I go back to a few people that get these INS detainers. They're not nice people. First off, they broke Federal Law by coming in here illegally. Second off, they're already in the system. Some of these people are domestic robbers… domestic abusers. These are not nice people and, effectively, we're letting some just go off in the streets. This is wrong and, frankly, I represent McHenry County, this will be a massive property tax hike for the people of McHenry County because the Federal Government pays millions of dollars to house these people in the McHenry County Jail. And there's three other 10100058.docx 134  STATE OF ILLINOIS 101st GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 58th Legislative Day 5/27/2019 counties like that in the State of Illinois. This is significant. This is full on sanctuary and this is something that we have to vote down. This is a bad Bill, vote 'no'."

"I'm patient, too, by the way. Thank you."

"That is on the record. Thank you. Thank you. There goes your Christmas card. To the Bill. This Bill, under the United States Constitution, has separation and preemptive concerns. States cannot dictate to federal entities and federal law enforcement what they can and cannot do. I have a strong suspicion that this Bill will be brought up in a court case rather quickly and therefore, would just urge a 'no' vote just so we follow the law around here."

"Thank you, Madam Speaker. On March 7 of this year, McHenry County Sheriff's Deputy Jacob Keltner was killed in the line of duty while serving on a federal task force, attempting to serve a warrant on a fugitive in Rockford. He left behind a wife, two sons, a grieving community, but a grateful community. We previously honored Deputy Keltner with our Resolution #186, and my House Joint Resolution 66 seeks to further honor him by designating the new overpass that's being constructed at Routes 23 and 90 in McHenry County as the 'Deputy Jacob Keltner Memorial Overpass'. I hope that what it will do is remind us always of the sacrifice of this fine man and the sacrifice and dedication of all of our first responders. And I would ask that all Members of this Body be added as cosponsors of this Resolution. Thank you, Madam Speaker."

"Thank you, Madam Chair… Madam Speaker. House Resolution 69 declares May 29 as '529 College Savings Day' in the State of Illinois, and urges all Illinoisans to explore the benefits 10100058.docx 137  STATE OF ILLINOIS 101st GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 58th Legislative Day 5/27/2019 that 529 plans offer for families. I'd appreciate your support and, unbelievably, we are doing a Resolution that is naming a day that hasn’t happened yet. Kudos to us. Thank you, Madam Speaker."

"Thank you, Madam Chair. What an honor to present this Joint Resolution on Memorial Day and to be joined by the Director of the Illinois Department of VA, you might recognize as Director Chapa-LaVia, here with me. What House Joint Resolution 70 does, it memorializes two great Americans. Although I was Army, these are great Americans who served in the Navy. Petty Officer Second Class Holloway and Petty Officer Third Class Crose. Both gentlemen were born in the small town of Keithsburg, Illinois. Petty Officer Holloway was 24 years old when he died in the South China Sea. He served from 1961 to 1966. It's amazing enough to know that people still post birthday wishes on his memorial wall that can be found on the internet. His name is listed on panel 13E, line 48, at the Vietnam Wall. Petty Officer Third Class Crose, Gunner's Mate Third Class. He entered service 21, November 64, and was killed November 24, 1967. He was killed when a small boat he was operating was hit by a land mine or water mine planted by a Vietcong. You can find his name on panel 30E, row 75, on the Vietnam Memorial. What this Resolution does, it names what was commonly referred to as a 10100058.docx 138  STATE OF ILLINOIS 101st GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 58th Legislative Day 5/27/2019 Keithsburg spur near Keithsburg, Illinois, as a Holloway Crosse Highway. I'd urge an 'aye' vote. Thank you."

"Thank you, Madam Speaker and Ladies and Gentlemen of the chamber. House Joint Resolution 71 designates a section of Interstate 57 from I-74 South to exit 233 as the Congressman Tim Johnson Highway. Congressman Johnson came to this chamber in 1976 until 2000, when he was elected to Congress, and served there for many more years. I would appreciate an 'aye' vote."

"Thank you, Madam Chair. On this Memorial Day, as we celebrate this day and remember those who gave their… gave the ultimate sacrifice in defense of our nation, it's highly appropriate that we pay tribute to another who unfortunately met an early demise in the service of others. It's highly fitting that the Illinois General Assembly pay honor and respect to these individuals. This particular individual, Trooper April C. Styburski, on Friday, January 5, 1990, her watch ended. She was responding to an accident near Pingree Grove on U.S. 20 when she was killed. Trooper Styburski was a four year veteran of the Illinois Police. And at the time of her untimely demise, Trooper Styburski was survived by her husband and a son. Therefore, it is appropriate to remember and pay tribute to this Trooper and that we designate the section of Illinois Route 20 between Plank Road and Switzer 10100058.docx 140  STATE OF ILLINOIS 101st GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 58th Legislative Day 5/27/2019 Road as Trooper April C. Styburski Memorial Highway. I ask for your support in this Resolution."

"Thank you, Madam Speaker. It is important, of course, to remember and honor those who gave the ultimate sacrifice and service to the State of Illinois. I rise today for House Joint Resolution 77, as it gives recognition and honors Illinois State Trooper Marvin C. Archer for standing in harm's way and dying in the line of duty. Trooper Archer served in World War II as a combat engineer in the Pacific. After the war, he returned to his Illinois State Police duties, on June 18, 1946. Six months after he had returned home from World War II, he and his partner Vernon Harper spotted a stolen vehicle and initiated a traffic stop. Two suspects opened fire and both officers took cover and returned fire. The Trooper was shot and killed at the scene. Trooper Archer is an example of the dedication and sacrifice of the Illinois State Police and it is truly fitting that we remember his sacrifice today. Madam Speaker, I ask for an 'aye' vote. I ask for a moment of silence and that we may add everyone to this Resolution, please." 10100058.docx 141  STATE OF ILLINOIS 101st GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 58th Legislative Day 5/27/2019

"Thank you, Madam Speaker. House Joint Resolution 78 honors a young girl from Indian Head Park who was brutally murdered some eight years ago, who made the mistake of coming home from school in the afternoon on a nice pleasant day. Her name is Kelli O'Laughlin. Tore up our community, tore up a good portion of Chicago. This is a beautiful young girl who many of us knew the family, know her. And as I said earlier, made the mistake of coming home after school where she walked into a vicious home invader who proceeded to kill her in a very violent, violent manner. It is something that has touched our community, as every community gets touched by the loss of a young child. Since then, the family… they've had multiple runs, they've been raising money on her behalf. But the occurrence occurred right off at her home, Plainfield Road, where 294… there is a Plainfield Road Bridge at 294, just off… just north of I-55. The family and also the friends have asked if we could name that bridge in her honor. Every day since then, there have been solo cups that have been placed in the bridge, in the fencing area, expressing their love and also loss for Kelli. And I would ask that we would remember 10100058.docx 142  STATE OF ILLINOIS 101st GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 58th Legislative Day 5/27/2019 her for the joy that she gave to so many people, including her family and friends, by designating that Plainfield Bridge in her honor."

"Thank you, Madam Speaker. Will the Sponsor yield?"

"Representative, I see that this was unanimous in committee and almost there in the Senate. I had one line, I think most of the people on my side will be supporting this Bill, but it said it amends the Hypodermic Syringes and Needles Act, provides that the Act shall not prohibit the sale, possession, or use of hypodermic syringes or hypodermic needles by staff person, volunteer, or participant in a needle or hypodermic syringe access program. Can you talk about that a little bit?"

"I'm sorry, I didn’t hear that. Could you repeat that?"

"Okay. Thank you for the answer." 10100058.docx 144  STATE OF ILLINOIS 101st GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 58th Legislative Day 5/27/2019

"I yield my time to Representative Keith Wheeler."

"Thank you, Madam Speaker. Will the Sponsor yield?"

"Thank you. Representative, you had this in the Executive Committee the other day. I just want to run through a couple things we talked about that day, I believe. Originally, this Bill had some opponents in its original draft, I believe those were taken away in some Amendments. Can you walk me through that?"

"Right, because this is a unique situation with short sales and how we can help allow some of these non-for-profits 10100058.docx 146  STATE OF ILLINOIS 101st GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 58th Legislative Day 5/27/2019 to be a part of that process, even those more useable, I guess, into the situation for people who need housing. Is that a fair account?"

"Right, and it's agreed to now. So, I appreciate you answering the questions. Thank you, Representative."

"Thank you, Madam Speaker. Will the Sponsor yield?"

"Representative, my understanding is, is that if we don’t pass this Bill, it may not match some of the requirements that the unions have and we may lose out on some of the production work that would be done in the state. Is that correct? And this is to help with that."

"Okay. That's… All right, that’s where we are with our analysis, but that was just a plug for a thumbs up. So, thank you for kind of not agreeing with me but we're going to vote for this. Thank you."

"Thank you, Madam Chair. Will the Sponsor yield?"

"Thank you, Representative, for putting this forward. I don’t think… I think sometimes these child actors and stuff get ignored, and it's unfortunate. So, the gist of this Bill is that there's going to be a trust fund established. Who manages and runs that trust fund?"

"And are there any other industries that do this? I mean, let's think of when children work, so child labor specifically. They don’t work in that many fields, but I can think of like farming and stuff. Is there… are there any other fields like farming that has a similar trust fund created?"

"Thank you. To the Bill. I think it's admirable that we'd want to protect some of these child actors. I think that they're probably abused… they're not abused, but taken advantage of by the system. I still don’t know if it really should be the role of the state to do this. We haven’t set our own example of being very responsible, so I wonder if there's an outside organization, even the actual, you know, organized labor in this case could do something similar. So, even though I like the idea of protecting these children that are probably taken advantage of, I still don’t think it's going to be role of the government, so I'm not going to support your Bill. But thank you."

"Thank you, Madam Speaker. To the Bill. This came up in Revenue Committee and I expressed some concerns with this at the time and the truckers… one of the truckers associations also raised some concerns, more with the process and not so much with the project. I believe… and I don’t know a lot about the project itself that may be good. But they certainly raised 10100058.docx 156  STATE OF ILLINOIS 101st GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 58th Legislative Day 5/27/2019 some valid concerns about how the process went down, their involvement in these discussions. And as we know, truckers will pay the vast majority of these tolls in these types of agreements. And some of the concern that was raised in committee is that there's, other than a local municipal or county board review, there's not really a public hearing process that's set up to review these tolls. There was also concerns raised about the overall discussion of the project and truckers not being brought into these conversations. You know, I raise some of these concerns because I think, as a process, we definitely want to have these organizations involved. And again, they were on the record saying the project itself may be an okay project but they weren't brought in and not a part of it. There's also some concerns raised on access points. There used to be three access points in this particular area. One was closed recently, leaving this project and one other access point. So of course, they also have a concern, will that other access point still be available. So, I'm prepared to vote 'no' on this. I think this Bill needed a little bit more discussion. It would have been nice to have the stakeholders that raised some concern brought to the table, and I think many of their concerns could have been worked through and addressed. Certainly, you know, there will be tolls at this location but I think some of the other concerns that they raised in committee are certainly valid. I would urge a 'no' vote."

"I'm on the fence, ma'am, if I may."

"So, how many do you have then? How many…"

"All right. Thank you."

"I rise in support and urge an 'aye' vote on my Republican colleagues."

"Thank you, Madam Speaker. While I like Short Debate, I'm going to request that this particular Bill be put on Standard Debate."

"Thank you."

"I do have a question or two, Madam Speaker. Will the Representative yield?"

"Representative, I appreciate some of the work that you did on this and I know that there was an amendment that was going to take off a whole bunch of the opponents. Can you speak to that Amendment?"

"I'm hearing that there's a problem with the constitutionality and rulemaking because this would require clean up within 18 months. Has that been one of the issues that's been brought forth by some of the opponents? Rulemaking is going to take up to 18 months, but they're required to 10100058.docx 162  STATE OF ILLINOIS 101st GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 58th Legislative Day 5/27/2019 clean up immediately. How do they start cleaning up immediately if it takes time for the rule making?"

"Okay. So, you have… I mean, you have a Vista Energy, you have the AFLCIO opposed, along with the IMA opposed, Illinois Energy Association, Chamber of Commerce is opposed, IBEW, Illinois Environmental Regulatory Group, Illinois Coal Association, although I believe they may be neutral now, Illinois Municipal Utilities Association, Operating Engineers. So, you have a mix of business groups and unions that are opposed to this and you have some environmental groups that are for it. I'm going to actually try and do something here, and let's just try and simplify down what happened in Vermilion County so everybody can understand it 'cause it's really a mish mosh of proponents and opponents. So, you have the coal ash from what, about 70 years, correct? That's built up on the banks of the river?"

"Okay, and what does your Bill do to propose that it immediately starts the clean up?"

"So, how do they start immediate clean up if the rules aren’t going to be set for 18 months?"

"Right. Now, there was an issue with… the Amendment wanted to allow bonding so you could get an insurance bond so that you don’t bankrupt some of these companies. So, some of the concerns that I've heard from Members of our Caucus is that if you enact this Bill as is, without some of the ideas that were in the Amendment, you're going to have companies go bankrupt and then the state or, you know, the local… I don’t know would then be in charge of the clean-up. Can you speak to that? Because that sounds important. If you're asking them to clean it up immediately, there's a high cost, right?"

"I don’t disagree with you, but I don’t want them to go bankrupt. So, we’re on the same page on that. I want to be 10100058.docx 164  STATE OF ILLINOIS 101st GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 58th Legislative Day 5/27/2019 clear. I want these cleaned up as much as you do. What I want to understand is that if we pass up legislation that bankrupts the companies that will be responsible for the clean-up, it's not going to be cleaned up on their dime."

"So, how many coal plants in Illinois does this effect? My understanding is there might be one bad actor, there are seven or eight other coal plants. Is that correct?"

"Okay. And one bad actor that we know of. So, what will happen to those other seven or eight? Will they be in financial duress with the passage of this Bill?"

"Okay. That's where my concern lies. I'm going to go ahead and speak to the Bill. I think we've fared this out enough to kind of explain what it does. These are difficult situations where we're trying to make decisions to protect the citizens from bad ground water. But the issue is, is we're trying to force these companies to pay for the clean-up. But if we force it in too much of an onerous way, they may just go belly up, go bankrupt, and leave the state and we're going to be on the hook. So, I'm going to sit back and listen to 10100058.docx 165  STATE OF ILLINOIS 101st GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 58th Legislative Day 5/27/2019 the rest of the debate. I very much thank you for your answers. Thank you, Madam Speaker."

"Yes, Madam Speaker. Thank you. To the Bill. I'd like to thank Representative Ammons for bringing this Bill forward and for her hard work on this very important issue. I want to thank her for her willingness, along with Senator Bennett, to address a few more issues in a trailer Bill. And this is a very, very important issue to my district. It is so critically important to Vermillion County. We are home to the only National Scenic River in the State of Illinois. And on the banks of that river are 3.3 million cubic yards of coal ash. So, not only do you have the short-term environmental liability of ground water contamination from the toxins and the coal ash, you also have a chance for a catastrophic spill into the only National Scenic River in this state, as the bank of that river erodes over the years. Not only do you have an environmental liability there, you have an economic liability because the river has become a very, very strong destination for people around the Midwest coming to Vermilion County. It's become and economic engine for the City of Danville and surrounding communities as people come to enjoy the river and the natural amenities that it provides the area. And finally the last thing, the taxpayers of Vermillion County and the taxpayers of the State of Illinois should not be on the hook for cleaning up this liability. And although this actual issue is tied up in litigation right now, it is very important to the residents of Vermilion County that no other 10100058.docx 166  STATE OF ILLINOIS 101st GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 58th Legislative Day 5/27/2019 areas have to go through the same problem that we see with our beautiful river. So, I ask for an 'aye' vote. And thank you, Representative Ammons."

"I voted 'no' in the committee and I have questions for the Sponsor."

"Thank you. Will the Sponsor yield?"

"Thank you. Representative… Representative, we did… you had a great discussion in committee. I appreciate that all of those questions got asked. I want to clarify a few things that were brought up in that committee meeting regarding the insurance element. That was an important aspect to me and I wanted to go back to what was said in committee from the representatives of the Illinois EPA who were asked to come and speak. Do you remember that part of the committee?"

"Vaguely. Well, I'll try and refresh your memory then. The representatives of the Illinois EPA got up and they said that they use insurance in other situations like landfills which have a similarity to this situation. And they were willing to accept that approach. Is that why the Amendment that was drafted had that element in it? Is that something you were willing to accept as an approach on this?"

"Regarding the insurance?"

"Okay. Because my impression is that insurance companies, if they write the policy, as long as the insurance company is solvent, even if the company who had, you know, wrote… actually bought the policy goes out of business, that insurance is still in effect. Is that your understanding as well?"

"Didn't some of the business community folks, who were testifying, tell us in that hearing that they were willing to let the IEPA actually pretty much pick the insurance policy that they would accept to clarify that problem, to clear it up so that could not happen?"

"So then, my question becomes the trailer Bill. You mentioned it, I think, in your earlier statement. Is that something that would be a component of that trailer Bill, Representative?" 10100058.docx 168  STATE OF ILLINOIS 101st GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 58th Legislative Day 5/27/2019

"I ask 'cause it's very important to all of us that this measure… that something happened here to take a positive effect. We all want this to be cleaned up, but I understand also that the company who owns that now purchased this site after much of this had already taken place. The people who are now responsible for it are not the ones who actually put the coal ash in the current situation. I think it would be appropriate for us to give them some flexibility to move forward with this. We don’t want the Floor Leader had mentioned earlier, a company not owning up to this and somehow the taxpayers of Illinois being on the hook. We all want to prevent that from happening, but I think some measured flexibility would be in order for this. Would you agree with that?"

"Thank you. To the Bill. Ladies and Gentlemen, this is an issue where we are, I think, really close to getting 10100058.docx 169  STATE OF ILLINOIS 101st GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 58th Legislative Day 5/27/2019 something done that meets everyone's standards here. I know that there's questions about promulgation of rules. As a member of JCAR, I'm always paying attention to those situations closely. I wish that we got a little further on this part of it. I really wanted to vote 'yes' on this Bill. I'm not there yet. Representative, if there's more we can do to get this done right, please reach out. I'd love to work with you on it. But this is something I'm not ready to vote 'yes' on yet, but I'm so darn close. I wish we could. Thank you, Representative."

"That is correct. Thank you. To the Bill. Illinois is a national leader, I believe, in the amount or the quantity of coal ash pits that we have in our state. And some of them that are still currently being used, or are in need of being cleaned up, date back to the 1950's. Now, when this practice started, technology was different, and now here we find ourselves down the road with the problems still remaining. And this is not something that is just Illinois centric, but we are seeing this issue all across the nation. And when we take no action, we see this leach into rivers where it has a serious environmental impact on those bodies of water. I am glad to hear that there is mention of a trailer Bill, because I do believe the concerns of the business community are real and they're worthy of us addressing. So, when I hear a trailer Bill, that to me is good. And I look forward to working collaboratively on those solutions as well. But here we are today with this Bill in front of us, and it's a time for action in the sense that we don’t know when this environmental 10100058.docx 170  STATE OF ILLINOIS 101st GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 58th Legislative Day 5/27/2019 disaster could potentially happen. But to do nothing in hopes of coming up with the perfect solution, you know, I'm not going to let perfect be the enemy of good. This is a healthy first step. I remain open to the business communities concerns. I want to address those, but we have to stop this now, because once it gets into our water, into our environment, it takes years and decades to clean up. With that, I strongly urge an 'aye' vote."

"Thank you, Madam Speaker. Will the Sponsor yield?"

"A couple of… just before we get into the meat of this, curiosity thing. Landscape architecture sunset, Representative, and I don’t see an Amendment on this. How did this start as a landscape? This is anything but a landscape architecture sunset Bill. Do you have any explanation for that?"

"Okay."

"Okay. So… and I believe I want to simplify what you just went through in your introduction. Basically, somebody changed… was it Blue Cross Blue Shield, changed the way that they calculate billable hours. So, depending on quarter hours, half hours, however they calculate billable hours, 10100058.docx 173  STATE OF ILLINOIS 101st GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 58th Legislative Day 5/27/2019 their system was changed, correct? It’s a little bit different than what some of the other insurers used. Is that correct?"

"However, my understanding was that it does exactly what the contract allows, right? So, this is something where the contract is… we're legislating away something that was already allowed by contract. Isn't this a dispute that could be solved by the two parties the next time they renew their contract?"

"I certainly didn’t vote for the locomotive engineers Bill."

"But my understanding is, is what they're doing is, is allowed in current practice and it's within the agreement. Madam Speaker, if you would indulge me to move this to Standard Debate, that would be swell."

"Okay. Thank you."

"Okay. So… and the reason I know this Bill, I think it went through Labor Committee. I believe this Bill was at some point, some version of it, was going to go through insurance company, correct? It was in one of my insurance packets. My issue was, sometimes it was a win loss. We're talking about the way we calculate billable hours if there's quarterly hours, half hours, and how the billing gets worked that way. I think at this point, there are some others that want to speak on it and might be able to provide more clarity. My issue is that this is something that's allowed under their contract and then just when the contract gets redone, it’s something that could be renegotiated. But I'm sure you and others will have other things to say, so I appreciate the answers to my questions, Representative."

"Thank you very much, Madam Speaker. Will the Sponsor yield?"

"Representative, in Insurance Committee, which you're the Chair of and I'm Minority Spokes of, I came out with an understanding from the action that day, even though the Bill was voted out, that we had… I thought was a clear understanding that the parties were going back to have 10100058.docx 175  STATE OF ILLINOIS 101st GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 58th Legislative Day 5/27/2019 discussions and that this Bill would not move to Third Reading. Am I mistaken on that?"

"Okay. Well, I thought I saw or read where the audit finding the change that they made was in 2017. And then I also had, what I thought, was an understanding that negotiations were going to continue. So, if I'm mistaken there, I'm sorry for that, but I was a 'no' in committee and I'm going to stay a 'no' on the House Floor because we're entering into a private business contracts' ability here. And I think it's a bigger picture, especially when the companies were testifying in front of us, that they were going to negotiate on the legislation and get things resolved. Thank you."

"Thank you very much. Representative, my understanding though is that, I mean, the company certainly has the ability to do what they want when they enter into the contracts. And if the contract spells this out, federal or otherwise, they still have that flexibility under the contract, from my understanding, of what they did with those they negotiated the contracts with. And so, I came away with the understanding, and if that's my mistake, that this was going to be… something that was going to be worked through and worked on before we stand on the House Floor like this today."

"Thank you, Madam Speaker. Will the Sponsor yield?"

"Representative, during committee, I think there was a little bit of confusion because there was talk about a professional audit being done, but I think there needs to be some clarification. The company was not audited, and then in those audit findings, it was reported that they had to change this policy. Is that correct? The company actually hired another company to do an audit to see if there were findings in areas where they could save costs."

"So… and that was my point, that Blue Cross Blue Shield was not audited. They did not have somebody come in and audit them. They actually hired a company. They hired a company to audit those codes for ways where they could save costs."

"And so… and I think that’s where the confusion was in committee. In committee, I think some Members thought that there was a… like revenue came in and audited them, and that wasn’t the case. It was that they actually hired a company to come in and audit those codes."

"So, if I'm not mistaken, Representative, current AMA guidelines say that if there is a therapist… it doesn’t even have to be a physical therapist, correct? We could be talking about any type of therapy, speech therapy, occupational 10100058.docx 178  STATE OF ILLINOIS 101st GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 58th Legislative Day 5/27/2019 therapy, it could be any of those. And if they bill for… if they do work for… let's say, one unit is 15 minutes. Anything over half of that, AMA guidelines say that you can bill for one unit."

"And so, this would then change, in the middle of the game, change the rules and say that no longer can they bill that one unit the way the rest of the insurance companies… the way I understand it, the way the rest of the private insurance companies do, as they follow AMA guidelines."

"You know where the hospitals or the med society weighs in on this?"

"And there's only one insurance company that has made this change. Is that correct?"

"Thank you. I urge an 'aye' vote."

"Can we have Standard Debate, please?"

"So, Jay, on this Bill, we've debated this before. It's going to place the Granite City Mayor on this Metro East Sanitary District?"

"Okay. Is that a conflict of interest with him being on the Granite City sewer system already? He's on… that’s a separate board than him being mayor."

"Is he paid to be on the Granite City Sewer District?"

"He would receive 14 thousand a year for being on this board, according to what I've been told. Wouldn’t that be a conflict between his mayor's salary and being on the other Granite City sewer board? Why is he going to be on another sewer board?"

"Well, doesn’t Granite City Sewer District receive about $789 thousand a year from the Metro East Sanitary District? Would that be a conflict of interest?"

"But is not that a conflict of interest?"

"The town he's representing does."

"In the past, there has been massive flooding because of this pumps and this district has not been run correctly. We've just went through the fifth largest flood ever in the St. Louis area and there was no flooding. Why would we want to go back to when only half the pumps were working and this district was losing a million dollars a year when there's been a turnaround in the last couple of years and this district is operating in the black?" 10100058.docx 182  STATE OF ILLINOIS 101st GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 58th Legislative Day 5/27/2019

"The sweetheart deal is for the taxpayers in that area right now.

"They don’t have to worry about flooding. They don’t have to worry about the cost of their flood insurance going up because the system is running correctly now."

"For years, I've read in the BND how this district is not working correctly, it's losing money, it's causing flooding issues. This cost our businesses and all of our taxpayers in that area money."

"Representative, a lot of my constituents…"

"…work in the Metro East Sanitary District. And when there's flooding there because half the pumps don’t work, that effects their jobs, their paychecks, their businesses 10100058.docx 183  STATE OF ILLINOIS 101st GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 58th Legislative Day 5/27/2019 that they have to go to. So, you can't say that this doesn’t affect my district."

"That’s a statement. We have a district that’s finally running correctly. You have people on that board that live in the Granite City address already on this board. So, it seems to be, the power grab right now, seems to be this Bill. And it's not for the taxpayers of the Metro East Sanitary District. It seems to be a power grab just to try to take over something that you're no longer in charge of and something that was running very poorly for the last several years. You can reference many articles in the Bellville News- Democrat talking about the problems this district had. I haven't seen that now in the last couple years."

"The Bellville News-Democrat is in my district. It goes to my district. I see the articles. I hear from people who can't work when there's flooding there. I would encourage everybody to be a 'no' vote and let this be decided amongst the two districts, not come up to Springfield and try to dictate the way this is changed. You wouldn’t be changing this right now if a Republican wouldn’t have been elected in Madison County. You would have it going on the same way as it has. I am in favor of whoever does the best job. And right now, this district seems to be running correctly and that's good for the taxpayers. So, I encourage everybody to vote 'no'."

"Thank you, Madam Speaker. Representative, hello. Over here. Is this your first Bill?" Williams, J.: "Yes."

"Can you tell me when Bill introduction deadline was?" Williams, J.: "I'm sorry, repeat the question."

"Madam, can take this off Standard… put this on Standard Debate, possibly, for a first Bill?"

"Unlimited Debate?" 10100058.docx 188  STATE OF ILLINOIS 101st GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 58th Legislative Day 5/27/2019

"Sure. Representative, do you know when Bill introduction deadline is?" Williams, J.: "I didn't hear you. (inaudible) I really didn’t hear you, say it again."

"Do you know when Bill introduction deadline is?" Williams, J.: "No."

"Okay. Representative, when were you sworn into office?" Williams, J.: "May 17."

"Very good. Well, what do you know about structural engineering?" Williams, J.: "Well…"

"Are you an engineer?" Williams, J.: "No. No, Sir."

"Do you know engineers?" Williams, J.: "I do know engineers."

"You like engineers?" Williams, J.: "Sometimes."

"Okay. I've got a few engineers in my family so you better watch what you're saying there." Williams, J.: "Well, I work with a lot of operating engineers."

"I don’t think they're structural engineers though." Williams, J.: "Well, they're not as good as structural engineers, but they're still engineers."

"Mechanical engineers, civil engineers?" Williams, J.: "Mechanical engineers, civil engineers, yes."

"Aerospace engineers?" Williams, J.: "I don’t know any aerospace engineers." 10100058.docx 189  STATE OF ILLINOIS 101st GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 58th Legislative Day 5/27/2019

"Very good. Congratulations, Representative, on your first Bill." Williams, J.: "Thank you, Sir."

"Thank you, Madam Speaker. Will the Sponsor yield?"

"Representative, I see that it's subject to appropriation, I think you said that twice. Do you know what the cost of this would be if it was appropriated?"

"I mean, do you have… is this millions, hundreds of thousands, tens of millions, do you have any idea how many people would be in adult vocational community college that you know?"

"Okay. Thank you."

"Very Short Debate, Madam Speaker. Will the Sponsor yield?"

"Representative, and by the way, would prefer to call you something other than Representative. So, whatever you want me to address you as is fine by me. What is the cost of this particular program that's subject to appropriation?"

"I mean, do you expect this to be something in the hundreds of thousands, millions, tens of millions?" 10100058.docx 196  STATE OF ILLINOIS 101st GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 58th Legislative Day 5/27/2019

"Less than hundreds of thousands?"

"In the tens of thousands."

"Even with staff? You think they have staff to implement this?"

"Thank you for your questions. Actually, thank you for your answers."

"Thank you, Madam Speaker. Will the Sponsor yield?"

"Representative, we… you did a nice job presenting the Bill, both here and in committee. I believe that the language you have with respect to the RND Tax Credit is something I have filed myself. So, I am wholly in favor of that, as well as we've done apprenticeships. I do want to just alert Members of the Body, that while we are in favor of these measures, the Bill on the board says tax preventing data centers. This is not that Bill anymore, correct, Representative?"

"So, we are yet to work through, with my friend Representative Zalewski, a tax center… a data center tax credit program. This is not this, but I whole heartedly support what you're doing here and I urge an 'aye' vote. Thank you."

"Thank you, Madam Speaker. Will the Sponsor yield?"

"Leader Turner, this is an important measure for Illinois' film industry. I do want to just clear… I think our analysis says this actually goes through 2027. Is that what you show in yours as well?"

"Okay. Well, thank you for the clarification. I wanted to make sure we are on the right page here. This is an important thing for Illinois to be competitive with other states when it comes to film and television production. I fully support your Bill. Thank you."

"Thank you, Madam Speaker. I move for Standard Debate, please."

"Thank you, Madam Speaker. Will the Sponsor yield?"

"Representative, we had a very good discussion about this Bill in committee. I know that my friends in the community bankers and some of the credit unions, I believe, had some concerns about this Bill here, and I know you addressed some of those in your opening statement. I want to 10100058.docx 203  STATE OF ILLINOIS 101st GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 58th Legislative Day 5/27/2019 just put on the record that I made a commitment to them in committee that we would follow this up over the summer."

"And we would work through a trailer Bill, if necessary, we would try and find a way to get that done to alleviate their concerns. You agree with that approach, Sir?"

"You know, I want to… I appreciate that. I would put on the record, again, also that this is a concern about who owns data and how breaches are responded to appropriately. This is an issue we are seeing in many different facets in our environment here…"

"…regarding legislations coming forward. That's why we have an important committee like cybersecurity. I'm glad you Chair it. But at the same time, this is something we have to work through and so the companies understand, the associations understand, their responsibilities and how we address them when something doesn’t go right. So, again…"

"No, I think…"

"I think the approach really should go in the direction of let's have the thoughtful discussion over the summertime, get to a resolution that clears up the maybe uncertainties or concerns that still exist. I look forward to that. I'll be voting 'aye', today. Again, with that in mind, that we'll have some discussions and a trailer Bill to follow up if needed."

"I'm grateful for that as well, my friend, and I look forward to further discussions on this Bill. Thank you."

"You bet."

"In opposition." 10100058.docx 205  STATE OF ILLINOIS 101st GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 58th Legislative Day 5/27/2019

"I'm a member of a credit union, and the credit unions oppose. And I also have the Illinois Insurance Association and State Farm in opposition. I think that the Bill lacks parity. There is reporting requirements for owners only which is of the financial institutions and not for the merchants to notify. So, if you're going to have a notification requirement, I think that you need to have both the owners and the merchants be required to report, or neither required to report. The reporting requirements require the financial institutions, like the credit union, to report on the breach, but they don’t have the factual details concerning a breach that they didn’t commit. Yet, the merchant who… where the breach occurred, does not have to report. There is a lack of parity. It's not appropriate just to have one side of this equation report and not the other side report. Under your Bill, the merchants that cause the breach, would be exempt from recording the breach to the Attorney General's Office. The financial institutions who did not cause the breach but who are required to report it, must describe the nature of the breach, not merely the type of personal information compromised. So, the financial institutions will have difficulty submitting an accurate report to the Attorney General under the proposed standard because they don’t have the factual details concerning a breach that they didn’t commit. Describing the nature of the breach may require disclosure of the business entity at which the breach occurred, thereby creating liability exposure for these financial institutions, especially for credit unions. So, 10100058.docx 206  STATE OF ILLINOIS 101st GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 58th Legislative Day 5/27/2019 mandating a legal requirement for credit unions to report incomplete third hand information on data breaches is burdensome to the community and their compliance departments doesn’t make any sense. I think that you need to have both the merchants and the financial institutions report, or neither report. So, I would urge a 'no' vote. Thank you."

"Please excuse Representative Unes for the rest of the day."

"I have a question, I'm not sure. I'd like a point of clarification, Ma'am. If Sponsor will yield?"

"Thank you. What is the reporting requirement, the time line? How long, is it stated?"

"So, reasonable to whom?"

"Okay. I was curious as to what that is. I know that there's some issues with reporting and this solves, I guess, the question in my mind. Most reasonable, expedient, we expect the breach to be reported as quickly as possible?" 10100058.docx 207  STATE OF ILLINOIS 101st GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 58th Legislative Day 5/27/2019

"Okay."

"Thank you for your answer."

"Thank you, Madam Speaker. Will the Sponsor yield?"

"Representative, I caught the gist of it despite the noise. I actually caught the gist of pretty much everything you said there. I see the IML, City of Rockford, J&J Venture Gaming are proponents. Yet, the Illinois Gaming Machine Operators Association is opposed. Can you speak to that?"

"You know what, I'm actually not overly concerned about that. I was just buying a little time."

"So, my bigger concern here is the… you can raise… well, let's start with this. Rockford's not a Home Rule city?"

"Okay. So, this allows them, just for Rockford, to levy a special video game terminal annual sticker fee of up to $250 per year?" 10100058.docx 211  STATE OF ILLINOIS 101st GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 58th Legislative Day 5/27/2019

"And right now, it's $25 per year?"

"Okay. So, what we're going to vote on right here is allowing one town to raise a fee from $25 to 250."

"I had a Bill we debated for about three hours. Could have used a little help, Representative. Maybe tomorrow. Maybe tomorrow. Okay. What do Home Rule entities get to do here with these situations?"

"Unlimitedly?"

"Up to a thousand dollars. So, what you're doing is is you're taking a city where the residents did not want to be Home Rule, taking the Bill here and giving them the ability to be almost Home Rule in terms of the rates that they can charge for video gaming sticker fees, correct?"

"Okay, I'm just trying to clarify the Bill for our… for some of our Representatives on our side of the aisle. I'm 10100058.docx 212  STATE OF ILLINOIS 101st GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 58th Legislative Day 5/27/2019 being asked to do Standard Debate real quick on this one so somebody could speak in support on our side, if that would be okay, Madam Speaker. Thank you. Thank you for your answers."

"Thank you, Madam Chair. Will the Sponsor yield?"

"Representative West, can you tell me that the gaming industry that’s located in Rockford, did they meet with the City of Rockford and stakeholders and agree to this through an agreement and a signed letter to the mayor and the General Assembly?"

"So, they are actually in agreement with this, and is there a moratorium on how… when they can come back and ask for more fee increases?"

"It's a few years, I believe. But…"

"To the Bill. Ladies and Gentlemen, this is an agreement between the City of Rockford and the gamers. I would respectfully ask for an 'aye' vote."