"The House will be in order. Members will be in their chairs. We shall be led in prayer today by Lee Crawford, the Pastor of the Cathedral of Praise Christian Center in Springfield. Members and guests are asked to refrain from starting their laptops, turn off all cell phones and pagers, and rise for the invocation and Pledge of Allegiance. Pastor Crawford."
"Let us pray. Most gracious and most sovereign and holy God, you are the God of all power, the God of all might, the God of all wisdom and justice. It is through you, oh God, that all authority is rightly administered, laws are enacted, and judgement is decreed. God, assist us today, for we are in dire need, with your spirit of counsel and fortitude. I pray your blessings to be upon this august Assembly, the Speaker of this House, all of its Leaders, all of its Members. I pray today, God, that they may seek the ways of righteousness, the ways of justice, and the ways of mercy and great compassion. I pray that they will be enabled by your powerful protection and by your infinite wisdom, that they may lead this great state of such great people with great strength, great honesty, and with great integrity. This we ask in your name, Amen."
"We'll be led in the Pledge of Allegiance today by Representative Buckner."
"I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all." 10200060.docx 1 STATE OF ILLINOIS 102nd GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 60th Legislative Day 10/26/2021
"Roll Call for Attendance. Greenwood to report any excused absences on the Democrat side of the aisle."
"Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Let the record show that there are no excused absences on the Democratic side of the aisle today. Thank you."
"Leader Welter for the Republicans."
"Mr. Speaker, let the record reflect that Representative Stephens is excused for the day."
"All recorded themselves who wish? Mr. Clerk, please take the record. With 115 Members present, we have a quorum, and we are ready to conduct business. Mr. Clerk, committee announcements… Committee Reports. There being no Committee Reports, there is an announcement. This is a reminder of House Rule 51.5. Please remember to wear a face covering that covers the nose and mouth, except for when necessary for eating or drinking. Members may remove their face coverings when speaking on the microphone at their desk. Again, please remember to wear a face covering, pursuant to House Rule 51.5. Thank you. Will the Committee of Escort please make their way to the entrance of the chamber to escort the Chicago Sky into the House? Representative Nichols, Representative LaPointe, Representative Lilly, Representative Robinson, Representative Conroy, Representative Haas, Representative Hammond, Representative Elik. Ladies and Gentlemen, help us welcome the Championship Chicago Sky. Speaker Welch in the Chair."
"Ladies and Gentlemen, we have the World Champion WNBA Chicago Sky in the House. Mr. Clerk, please read House Resolution 520. Mr. Clerk." 10200060.docx 2 STATE OF ILLINOIS 102nd GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 60th Legislative Day 10/26/2021
"House Resolution 520. WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of Representatives wish to congratulate the Chicago Sky on winning the 2021 WNBA Championship; and WHEREAS, The Chicago Sky finished the regular season with an overall record of 16 wins and 16 losses and entered the playoffs as the No. 6 seed; and WHEREAS, The Chicago Sky defeated the Dallas Wings and the Minnesota Lynx in single-elimination games to start the playoffs; they then defeated the No. 1 seed Connecticut Sun in four games in the semifinals to advance to the WNBA Finals for the first time since 2014; and WHEREAS, In Game 1 of the finals, the Chicago Sky defeated the Phoenix Mercury 91-77; in Game 2, they dropped an overtime thriller to the Mercury; they dominated Game 3 and defeated the Mercury in front of a sellout crowd by 36 points (80-56), the largest margin of victory in WNBA Finals history; in Game 4, they rallied from a seven-point deficit in the fourth quarter to secure the franchise's first title; and WHEREAS, The Chicago Sky are led by General Manager and Head Coach James Wade; and WHEREAS, The Chicago Sky team members are Kahleah Copper, Candace Parker, Azura Stevens, Allie Quigley, Courtney Vandersloot, Diamond DeShields, Stefanie Dolson, Dana Evans, Astou Ndour-Fall, Lexie Brown, and Ruthy Hebard; therefore, be it RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE HUNDRED SECOND GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we congratulate the Chicago Sky on winning the 2021 WNBA 10200060.docx 3 STATE OF ILLINOIS 102nd GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 60th Legislative Day 10/26/2021 Championship, and we wish them many more successful seasons; and be it further RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be presented to the coaches and players of the Chicago Sky as a symbol of our respect and esteem."
"Members, you may be seated. And, once again, I want to say good morning… or good afternoon. As Speaker of the House, I am so excited about today. I want to welcome everyone to an extraordinary day of Session. We come here together to celebrate the outstanding achievement of our very own WNBA team, the Chicago Sky. Joining us today from the Sky team are co-owner John Rogers. Please welcome Mr. John Rogers. The head coach, James Wade. And we are truly honored to have the only rookie who played in the WNBA Finals, a native of Gary, Indiana, please welcome point guard Dana Evans with her family to represent the team. Before we get started, I also wanted to acknowledge and welcome some of our other special guests here today. Joining us today, we have my friend. We have the Honorable JB Pritzker, Governor of the State of Illinois. Let's please welcome our Governor. Joining him is our former colleague here in the House of Representatives, our fabulous Lieutenant Governor. Please welcome Juliana Stratton. We have our Attorney General. The General is in the House. Please welcome Kwame Raoul. Our State Treasurer is in the House. Please welcome Mike Frerichs. Also, a former Member of this chamber, please welcome our comptroller, Comptroller Susana Mendoza. Thank you all for joining us today to celebrate this historic achievement for our great state. Ladies and Gentlemen, Members of the House, and distinguished 10200060.docx 4 STATE OF ILLINOIS 102nd GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 60th Legislative Day 10/26/2021 guests, take heed that today we are in the presence of national champions. The Chicago Sky, our home team, for the very first time has won the WNBA Finals. Let's give them another round of applause, please. Act like somebody in your family won the WNBA Finals. Personally, I don’t think I've ever… I'll ever forget that afternoon. It's always a treasure to be able to witness history happen in the making. Many people thought that game was over and they were going back to Phoenix. But the Chicago Sky had other things in mind, and they truly made history happen. After more than a year in which we all felt the toll of constant crisis and distress, constant division and acrimony, it sure was refreshing to have some fun as neighbors, enjoy a good basketball game, and remember that Chicago is still, and always will be, the powerhouse of basketball. We have celebrated many teams in this chamber. The Chicago Cubs, the Chicago Blackhawks, the White House… the White Sox… sorry, South Siders, the White Sox… to name a few. We'd be foolish not to take a moment today to acknowledge what's different about this special occasion. Today, we celebrate women champions. And we are joined by women champions in this chamber who work every day to fight for women's equality across our state. To that point, as we celebrate the Chicago Sky team, it's not just the sport that we are celebrating. These players are leaders in our communities. As a team, they are role models for our children. As a team, they exemplify the values we should all carry. And as a team, they inspire us all to do better each and every day. So, to members of the Chicago Sky team who were not able join us today, to Dana Evans who did join us today, let's all 10200060.docx 5 STATE OF ILLINOIS 102nd GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 60th Legislative Day 10/26/2021 say congratulations and thank you for making this a special moment in our state's history. At this time, I would like to invite our Honorable Governor to the Clerk's microphone for a few remarks."
"Well, thank you, Mr. Speaker. I want to say how proud I am of our great championship team from Chicago. And I want to say thank you to all of the Constitutional Leaders that are here today to honor them, to the Members of the chamber, the House and the Senate, who care deeply about this victory for the State of Illinois. I'm also grateful that we have so many great guests among us, and I'll recognize a couple of them in a moment. Here, in the home city of the ultimate comeback leader of all time, Abraham Lincoln, today our state can boast that we're home to the greatest come- from-behind victors and the greatest team of women in the history of basketball, the 2021 WNBA National Champion Chicago Sky. You set great example. You have shown your fans and your rivals, alike, what it means to believe in a dream, to work hard and to achieve greatness. And for all that you've accomplished this season, nowhere have you proven yourselves to be better winners than off the court. You have pioneered and persevered as leaders, as athletes, and, most importantly, as role models for people around the world, especially women and young girls. There is no feeling quite like overcoming an 11-point deficit in the final minutes of a game. And if somethings going to hold a candle to that accomplishment, it’s the impact of the Sky Cares Foundation, supporting veterans, empowering women, and advancing diversity and inclusion. Yours is a team that lives and 10200060.docx 6 STATE OF ILLINOIS 102nd GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 60th Legislative Day 10/26/2021 breathes the values of community and family and giving. Dana, Dana Evans, a National Champion at barely 23 years old. I'm not going to pretend that I know what it's like, but I do know that you've been… you've achieved great things and you send a message, especially to girls and women everywhere, the sky's the limit. And to Coach James Wade, and to our owner of the Chicago Sky, John Rogers and Michael Alter and the rest of the ownership team, to every member of the Chicago Sky organization, to your many incredible teammates, Dana, including Illinois' own Candace Parker from Naperville originally, and Allie Quigley from Joliet, this team is what leadership looks like. Thank you for bringing home this victory of a lifetime for the State of Illinois. Thank you very much."
"Thank you, Mr. Governor. Before we hear from representatives of the Chicago Sky, we're going to hear from a few of our Members who seek recognition. At this time, the Chair will recognize Representative Nichols."
"Okay. I know what everybody thinking right now. It's a celebration. This is a celebration, not only to Sky, but this is a celebration for women's sports all across this country. And I think we have to acknowledge that now, when we look at sports, women's sports, we got to look at the equality, the equality in pay and the equality of everything else they deserve when they on that floor. When they on that floor performing just like men, women should have the same equality afforded to them. Also, would like to thank all the people that helped this team win. The janitors, the assistant coaches, the trainers, the people that's not… that nobody 10200060.docx 7 STATE OF ILLINOIS 102nd GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 60th Legislative Day 10/26/2021 talks about all the time that put all that work in to help coach and help the players prepare to play a game. As a coach, as a former coach at a really high level, me and Coach Wade talked a couple years ago. We… City Colleges of Chicago is one of the few, few community colleges that had a memorandum of understanding to work together, to bring that team to Chicago and make them… really make them the Chicago team that they are today. So, I appreciate your time that day. I appreciate you guys for actually wanting to come out and be embraced by people that watch you every day. The way they won this thing was champions. This is how champions… we've talked about this. This is how champions win games, right? There's no ambiguity in what you guys did because it was almost short of just watching a miracle happen. I appreciate the way you coach. I appreciate the way you guys work hard on that court to always believe in each other, even in the beginning when it didn’t look that good, right? And that’s what champions is. And I'll leave you guys with this. Just as these are our champions, we are champions of everybody we represent in our districts. We should take that same work ethic, we should take the same ideology, and we should go and serve the people of this great State of Illinois. I thank y'all for listening to me. Thank you, Speaker, for giving me the opportunity to speak to the chamber today. I'll see you afterwards. And it's just an amazing opportunity. And we should embrace this opportunity the way it should be embraced, and that’s with all the pomp and circumstance because y'all deserve it. I'll start crying… but y'all deserve it. And I just… I cannot wait 10200060.docx 8 STATE OF ILLINOIS 102nd GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 60th Legislative Day 10/26/2021 to see the things that you guys are going to continue to do. Thank you very much."
"The Chair recognizes Representative LaPointe."
"Thank you, Mr. Speaker. On behalf of the entire General Assembly, let me say congratulations to the entire Chicago Sky team, and that includes those who work in front of the curtain. And as my colleague Rep. Nichols just said, those who work behind the curtain, you have a whole team effort. There's lots of people that made this happen. Some of… some are here today, and we are so thankful that you're here, and some are not here today. Your hard work and your daily grind, daily grind, it has paid off and it has uplifted our entire City of Chicago at a time when our city desperately needed to be uplifted. Things are just hard right now for everybody. We all know that, whether we're a player on the Sky team, or a Member of the General Assembly, or someone in our neighborhoods. You've uplifted women's sports and women's hoops at a time where we are so long overdue for uplifting. As a young woman who's played sports all my life, and I grew up watching Division III and Division I women's hoops… women's hoops, I didn’t actually watch men's hoops… I can't tell you how much it means to me to wake up and see people that look like me on the front page of our city's major newspaper. It's a visceral feeling of joy, and it's a feeling of relief. It's joyful because now every girl and everybody knows that there is a place for women in professional sports and a more prominent place for public recognition. Women can now, in basketball and in other sports, they can live out their passions, they can live out their talents, and there's a place 10200060.docx 9 STATE OF ILLINOIS 102nd GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 60th Legislative Day 10/26/2021 for their hard work to go after their DI season ends. I feel relief because the buzz and the riveting sports storylines that the Chicago Sky has created, you have finally captured the attention of everybody. And that is so long overdue. I grew up on… in the '80s on the east coast. The Celtics were my team growing up. And my goal in life, when I was a little girl, was to be the first woman in the NBA. So, 30 years later, didn’t work out for me. I'm not the first woman in the NBA. But I can stand here today with teammates and leaders from the World Champion Chicago Sky Team and we can all put our foot on the collective gas pedal to keep the momentum for the recognition of women sports moving forward. And so, the fact that we are all here recognizing you together and everything you've done, it means so much to me and for every young person growing up playing sports, whether it be the '80s, the '90s, and today. And as I close out, I just want to recognize one of the amazing women that our country is very lucky to have under the big umbrella of women's hoops, and that is Coach Dawn Staley from University of South Carolina who's done so much to elevate women's basketball and just women's sports in general. And if you've been paying attention, you know that Coach Staley recently got a big and well-deserved salary increase and a contract extension. So, I want to quote her when she talks about women's sports. And she says, 'We have to keep fighting. Now is the time for us to raise women's sports to where they deservedly belong. It's long overdue, but we're moving in the right direction and there is momentum to sustain it.' And we are all part of that momentum today. We're so thankful that some of you got to 10200060.docx 10 STATE OF ILLINOIS 102nd GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 60th Legislative Day 10/26/2021 come and meet us, and I hope you enjoy your day here in Springfield."
"The Chair recognizes the Chair of our House Democratic Women's Caucus, Representative Lilly."
"Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And welcome to your Capitol, the champions of the 2021 women's basketball league. I'm State Representative Camille Lilly of the 78th District. I represent a good number of neighborhoods on the West Side of Chicago. Former basketball player, high school, when there was no sight of women's basketball. So, I would like to say, I dribbled a ball long enough in order to have a women's basketball team, having a professional women's basketball team, representing sports and excellence. As the Chair of the Illinois Women's House Democratic Caucus, it is our honor to congratulate you, each and every player, each and every member of the Chicago Sky organization. And on behalf of all the women here in the Illinois General Assembly, we congratulate you. We witnessed you, over and over again, overcoming obstacles to accomplish your goals and to achieve out the dreams you've been chasing. From decisive comeback victory to historic dominating winning performance, Chicago and all of America saw the Chicago Sky become the champions of women's basketball in 2021, making Illinois proud, making Chicago fabulous once again. It is truly inspiring to have seen and to watch many of the women and the coaching that made us champions. Yes, we are claiming your championship as ours, because we support and we believe in what you have done and will continue to do for our great state. As is witnessed here, everyone has come to congratulate you. Women of all ages, 10200060.docx 11 STATE OF ILLINOIS 102nd GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 60th Legislative Day 10/26/2021 backgrounds, and creed stood in support of the team. And your journey serves as a beacon of hope of what young girls and women can accomplish in our great country, on and off the court in our great world. Again, it was a pleasure to welcome you to your Capitol. Thank you for your continued efforts. Thank you for your historic moments that we all will remember and will live on forever. Congratulations to the owners, the organizations, Sky, the coaches. Thank you, Coach Wade. Thank you, John Rogers, for believing and investing in women and women's basketball. Player Evans, keep doing what you're doing, you point guard. I know you can handle it. Friends and family to the players and organizations, thank you, 'cause they could not do it without you. And, of course, the fans, and that’s us. Congratulations to each and every one of us as we go forth and represent Illinois the way we know how to represent Illinois. God Bless you. Keep coming back."
"The Chair recognizes the Gentlemen from the 5th District, home of Wintrust Arena where history happened, Representative Robinson."
"Mr. Speaker, thank you for this honor. And good afternoon to everyone. I rise today on a point of personal privilege, or should I call it a point of personal pride. Because in my 5th House District in Chicago, near McCormick Place, stands the Wintrust Arena. And inside the Wintrust Arena, the Chicago Sky gave Chicago and the State of Illinois the opportunity to celebrate their 2021 WNBA Championship. Their victory is being called a miracle run. The Sky set a WNBA record by winning the most postseason games ever in route to their first championship title. Friends, please let us 10200060.docx 12 STATE OF ILLINOIS 102nd GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 60th Legislative Day 10/26/2021 give our champions a round of applause. We should take pride in this accomplishment. They are hardly the odds on favorites to go all the way when the playoffs began. Yet, the Sky players came together to combine their individual strengths to play as one unit, one team, something, perhaps, we can all learn from. These young women are an inspiration to all of us. Dana, thank you again. Next season, I invite all of you to come to the Wintrust Arena in my district and watch this championship team play if, John, they can get a ticket. You see, as the Chair of the House Tourism Committee, as well as the Representative of the 5th District, I'm elated that the Sky sold out the Wintrust Arena during this championship run. Thousands of fans, Governor in attendance, joined local fans who could not get a ticket and packed local restaurants and bars on the Chicago's South Side. Like other professional sports teams in the city, the Sky gave us a big draw of fans and tourists, which we certainly needed in the State of Illinois and the City of Chicago. So, again, we give honor and thanks to this great team. So, congratulations to Chicago Sky owners, Michael Alter, and my friend who's with us today, John Rogers, Head Coach James Wade, and to all the Sky players for winning the 2021 WNBA Championship. We salute you. And lastly, if this Body could please make sure that we send Dana Evans with prayers as she is going to Hungary on November 12. Dana, we salute you, safe travels, and we know you will do us proud. And lastly, Governor Pritzker, if I may, we want to make Dana Evans an honorary Member of the Illinois family. So, Dana, all the best to you. And again, safe travels. Thank you." 10200060.docx 13 STATE OF ILLINOIS 102nd GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 60th Legislative Day 10/26/2021
"The Chair recognizes the Gentle Lady from DuPage County, Representative Conroy is recognized."
"Thank you, Speaker. Good afternoon, Ladies and Gentlemen of the House. Illinois has a historically rich record of grooming world-class athletes into national champions. We know this because of the teams' successes and legacies of the 1985 Chicago Bears, the 1990 Chicago Bulls, the 2005 Chicago White Sox, the 2010 Chicago Blackhawks, and the 2016 Chicago Cubs. I ask you all, what's the difference in this moment in history between those teams and this team? Ladies and Gentlemen, we can now formerly recognize the 2021 Chicago Sky as part of the legacy of outstanding athletes in sports icons in Illinois. Please join me in congratulating the Chicago Sky as 2021's Women's NBA Champions. Welcome to the House of Representatives."
"The Chair, seeing no other Members seeking recognition, at this time, I'd like to welcome to the Clerk's microphone team owner John Rogers. Please welcome Mr. Rogers."
"Thank you very, very much, Mr. Speaker. This has been an extraordinary opportunity for us to be here to celebrate with all of you. I want to thank the Governor, and Constitutional Leaders that are here today, and all of you at the House of Representatives. It's really something special for all of us that are a part of the Chicago Sky family. What I wanted to say today is just to say that it's unfortunate that Michael Alter couldn't be here. He was under the weather. But many of you know it was Michael's vision 15 years ago to bring the Chicago Sky to Chicago. We are one of the major 10200060.docx 14 STATE OF ILLINOIS 102nd GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 60th Legislative Day 10/26/2021 cities that didn't have a team. And he felt it was important to be able to show that we could bring a World Championship to Chicago with these extraordinary women players. You know, we had a lot… a lot of lean years. It was really, really difficult. A lot of us, and many of you know, we were in Rosemont, we were at UIC, we would often have a thousand people there, nobody cared. The newspapers wouldn't write about us, and we wouldn’t be on the sports pages. This year, this extraordinary, magical team changed all that. And all of your support made all the difference. The magic there in Wintrust Arena really willed us to victory. It was electric. There was so much energy there. There was so much passion in that arena. It was truly, truly special. So, what I'd just like to say today, say briefly is that it's an honor to be here with the General Manager and Coach James Wade. He is an extraordinary leader. Many of you know that. He put this team together. He put the puzzle pieces together. He recruited Candace Parker against all the odds and had her come and join here… join us here in Chicago. He figured out a way to get Dana to be our primary substitute as a point guard for Courtney Vandersloot. So helpful during the Finals and really crunched crucial times. But Coach Wade was absolutely brilliant throughout the playoffs, making strategic decisions, making tough decisions, and out-coaching every other coach by far, and making history as the third African American male to win a World Championship in the WNBA. It's just truly really special. One of the things that… the last thing that I'd like to say is we also out-worked. In the way that Chicago… we know Chicago is a gritty city, a hard-working 10200060.docx 15 STATE OF ILLINOIS 102nd GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 60th Legislative Day 10/26/2021 city. James and his assistant coaches and all the folks that were a part of Chicago Sky organization out-worked everyone. And that's what helped us to bring this World Championship to Chicago. So, hopefully next year we'll look forward to seeing all of you again. It's been a special occasion. I'm still on cloud nine. I know our city and state are still on cloud nine. This has been a magical, magical journey. Thank you."
"And now, the General Manager and Coach of the World Champion WNBA Chicago Sky, please welcome to the Clerk's podium, James Wade."
"Hello, everybody. Thank you, Speaker Welch, Governor, and the rest of the Leadership. I'm trying to show a little nervousness to help ease Dana's pain, who's going to speak next. It was… this season was very special for us because of everything that it entailed. We started off the season in May when the pandemic limited fans. So, we went from playing in front of nobody to playing in front of 11 thousand in one season. And it just epitomized everything that we had been through. We started from the bottom, and now we're here. Okay? I would like to give a special thanks to the city of what is represented. When I got here, I studied a lot, and I wanted to know what Chicago represented, what Illinois represented. And the one thing that I kept coming across was blue collar, blue collar. This is a state of people that just put their head down and just work, just work, and that's what we try to instill in the players. We just have to work, no matter if the odds are against us, no matter if we lose seven in a row, no matter if our best player is injured. It doesn’t matter. It doesn’t matter if… have a rookie that’s drafted in the 10200060.docx 16 STATE OF ILLINOIS 102nd GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 60th Legislative Day 10/26/2021 second round and maybe she's the best player in college, but people are looking at her like she's too small. But the one thing about her is, just like our team, the heart can't be measured, and that's the attitude that we brought to work every day. And so, even when we were on that seven-game losing streak, even when we were playing in front of zero fans, we said, hey, it's about us. It's about us playing for each other and doing the thing that we love to do and doing it with a sense of pride that would make Chicago and would make Illinois proud. And so, that's what ended up happening. And we started to see it coming together toward the end of the season. And I'm just telling you, you're… we feel your pride that you have in us, but the pride in seeing them work every day would even be… would even be more. So, I would just like to thank the players for everything they did this season to not only turn our season around, but turn around how… how people looked at our franchise, how people looked at Chicago's basketball, how people look at women's basketball. This season, we, as a WNBA organization, the viewership raised 43 percent. The Chicago Sky, they sold more merchandise in 24 hours than any other champion did in the 30 days after winning a championship. So, it just goes to show you that not only is Chicago basketball on the map, but women basketball, in general, is something that's growing. And for those of you that are not aware, it's time to jump on board. It's time jump on board because women's basketball has arrived. Women's sport has arrived, and it's just going to be a pleasure to see. And we appreciate all of you guys' support, and we're going to keep on making you proud. We promise that." 10200060.docx 17 STATE OF ILLINOIS 102nd GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 60th Legislative Day 10/26/2021
"Ladies and Gentlemen of the House, it gives me great honor and privilege to bring to you the only rookie to play in the WNBA Finals, got a ring in her first year, from Gary, Indiana. Please stand to your feet, Members, special guests, put your hands together and welcome WNBA Champion player Dana Evans."
"Thank you, everyone. First and foremost, I always want to thank God, because without him none of this would ever be possible. Thank you. I also wanted to thank our first- ever black African American Speaker, which is amazing. I also wanted to thank the coach and one of our owners as well for just installing confidence in this team and always making sure that we believed in ourselves when everybody else didn’t. Also, I wanted to thank you guys for coming out and inviting us here and being able to spend time with you here and… at the Capitol for the very first time, which is something that is pretty awesome, obviously. And just… let's just talk about this season, how this season went. It wasn’t always perfect, but our fans and the State of Illinois was just always behind us and cheered us on and stayed with us between… within everything. When everything was going bad, you guys were here to uplift us and make sure that we… we kept fighting. This team showed resilience. We stayed together and we just… we just made sure we got through it. Also, just being able to sell out games as a WNBA player is just something that we've dreamed of. As a kid growing up in Gary, Indiana, I've dreamed to play for the Sky to win a WNBA Championship, and this is something that I've done my rookie year. So, I'm extremely blessed… I'm extremely blessed and just still on a high. So, 10200060.docx 18 STATE OF ILLINOIS 102nd GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 60th Legislative Day 10/26/2021 thank you for having me and thank you for being behind us in supporting this team. Thank you."
"Representative Nichols filed House Resolution 520, and Representative Nichols moves for the adoption of House Resolution 520. All those in favor say 'aye'; all those opposed say 'nay'. In the opinion of the Chair, the 'ayes' have it. And the Resolution is adopted. Let's give them another round of applause, please. Leader Harris will be back in the Chair and will give us further instructions. Leader Harris."
"Members, we have a tradition of giving people an opportunity to greet and take photographs with our guests. We're going to try to do that during this time of COVID, but we're going to have some special precautions to be sure things are appropriately socially distanced. So, please bear with us. Remain in your chairs. And if you'd like to have your photograph taken, we'll be asking Members to make their way up in groups alphabetically. A reminder of House Rule 51.5. Please remember to wear a face covering that covers the nose and mouth. Members should keep their masks on at all times while taking photos. Again, Members should keep their masks on at all times while taking photos. The Chicago Sky folks will also be available in Room 402 for additional photos, including for guests. So, at this point, Members with the last names starting with A through D, please make your way up to the front of the chamber for photos if you wish. A through D. Thanks, folks. And Members with last name… last names starting with E through J, please come up to the front. E's through J's. Thank you, folks. And Members with the last names 10200060.docx 19 STATE OF ILLINOIS 102nd GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 60th Legislative Day 10/26/2021 starting with K through O, please make your way up to the front for a photo if you'd like. K through O. Okay. Thank you. Members with last name starting with P through Zalewski. P through Zalewski, please come to the front. Okay. Ladies and Gentlemen, at this point, could we have the Speaker and the Constitutional Officers for a photo? The Speaker and the Constitutional Officers. Okay. Our last photo will be all the women Members. All the women Members with the Sky. So… also, Members, emeritus. Mr. Clerk, Rules Report."
Clerk Hollman: "Committee Report. Representative Harris, Chairperson from the Committee on Rules reports the following committee action taken on October 26, 2021: approved for consideration, referred to Second Reading is Senate Bill 280."
"Representative Kifowit, for what reason do you seek recognition?"
"Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Point of personal privilege."
"Please state your point."
"Thank you. Members, this is just an announcement that ABATE of Illinois has an electric motorcycle, the Zero SR/S, available to… for pictures and for information, parked between the Capitol and the Stratton Building. It's out there today. So, I would want to encourage you to check out the electric motorcycle that is on display between the Capitol Building and the Stratton. Thank you."
"Representative Welter, for what reason do you seek recognition?"
"Mr. Speaker, the House Republicans request a caucus in Room 114, immediately." 10200060.docx 20 STATE OF ILLINOIS 102nd GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 60th Legislative Day 10/26/2021
"Can you give us an estimate how long you'll be, Representative?"
"Hour."
"The Republicans request an immediate caucus in Room 114. Democrats will stand at ease, and we should come back to the floor in about an hour. So, that'd be about 2:20. So, House shall stand at ease to the call of the Chair."
"The House shall be in order. The House shall be in order. The Chair recognizes Leader Harris for a Motion."
"Mr. Speaker, I move that Representative Tom Morrison be allowed to participate and vote remotely."
Speaker Evans: "Leader Harris has made a Motion to allow Representative Morrison to vote remotely. All those in favor vote 'aye'; all those opposed vote 'nay'. The voting is open. All voted who wish? All voted who wish? All voted who wish? Mr. Clerk, please take the record. On this question, there are 107 voting in 'favor', 4 voting 'against', 1 voting 'present'. And this Motion passes. Mr. Clerk."
"Is Representative Morrison present?"
"Yes."
"Representative Morrison, are you present?"
"Yes, I'm present."
"Representative Morrison is present."
"On page 3 of the Calendar, we have Senate Bill… we're proceeding to Senate Bills on Second Reading. We have Senate Bill 1040, Leader Harris. Mr. Clerk, please read the Bill."
"Senate Bill 1040, a Bill for an Act concerning public aid. The Bill was read for a second time previously. 10200060.docx 21 STATE OF ILLINOIS 102nd GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 60th Legislative Day 10/26/2021 Amendment #2 was adopted in committee. No Floor Amendments. No Motions are filed."
"Third Reading. Mr. Clerk, please read the Bill on Third."
"Senate Bill 1040, a Bill for an Act concerning public aid. Third Reading of this Senate Bill."
"Leader Harris."
"Thank you, Mr. Speaker, Ladies and Gentlemen of the House. This Bill is to assist in restarting hospitals that have been closed in the State of Illinois. So, right now, when a hospital closes they become ineligible for some Medicaid payments. This Bill would allow new owners to come in and restart the hospitals and access those payments. This would apply to any hospital that is closed in Illinois. Currently, it would apply to the former Westlake, MetroSouth, and Lakeshore hospitals. Be happy to answer any questions."
"Is there any discussion? Leader Demmer."
"Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Will the Sponsor yield?"
"Indicates he will."
"Thank you, Leader Harris, for that explanation. Just to clarify a few points on this. While there are three hospitals, currently, that this would apply to, with a potential closure of the hospital in the future, this would also apply to those hospitals as well. Is that correct?"
"Yes. This closes that loophole, and it would keep it closed for any other hospital that, unfortunately, closed."
"And this allows for a hospital that reopens to begin to establish their own history of utilization trends. And when they have a sufficient history, they would then be operating 10200060.docx 22 STATE OF ILLINOIS 102nd GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 60th Legislative Day 10/26/2021 on their own numbers and no longer operating on the numbers of their previous tenant?"
"Right. There is a period where the MI… three year period where the MIUR is recalculated and then they would be on their own new plan."
"And then, another point that we discussed last week, just to clarify that the payments that are going to be received at the hospital are still utilization-based, right? So, if a new hospital opens up and has a substantially lower volume than the hospital that closed, they would not receive the previously high volume payment. They would simply receive it proportionately based on their utilization."
"It is based on utilization. Yes."
"Okay. Thank you. I encourage a 'yes' vote."
"Leader Harris to close."
"Please vote 'yes'."
"Seeing no further debate, the question is, 'Shall Senate Bill 1040 pass?' All those in favor vote 'aye'; all those opposed vote 'nay'. The voting is open. Have all voted who wish? Have all voted who wish? Have all voted who wish? Ammons. Gordon Booth. Mr. Clerk."
"Representative Morrison."
"Yes."
"Representative Morrison votes 'yes'."
"Mr. Clerk, please take the record. On this question, there are 115 voting in 'favor', 0 voting 'against', 0 voting 'present'. And this Bill, having received a Constitutional Majority, is hereby declared passed. Representative Elik, for what reason do you rise?" 10200060.docx 23 STATE OF ILLINOIS 102nd GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 60th Legislative Day 10/26/2021
"Point of personal privilege, please."
"Please speak your point."
"Could I have the Body's attention, please? I rise today to share some very sad news. This morning, in Pontoon Beach, Illinois, a police officer lost his life in the line of duty. Officer Tyler Timmins of the Pontoon Beach Police Department was responding to a suspected stolen vehicle when he was shot by the suspect. He was airlifted to a St. Louis hospital and passed away there from his injuries. His family's lives are now changed forever, and they grieve along with his colleagues in law enforcement and our entire community. I ask you to please keep officer Timmins' family, colleagues, and friends in your prayers. And I would like to ask the Body to observe a moment of silence, please."
"Please take a moment of silence. Thank you. Representative Scherer, for what reason do you rise?"
"Thank you, Mr. Speaker. On a different note, a little happier note, I would like to do a point of personal privilege for Bryant Morrison who is our new Democratic videographer. He was my student way back when. And I must say he was very intelligent, kind, and hard working. So, I don’t see him right this minute, but they come and go a lot off the floor. So, if we could give a round of applause to Bryant Morrison, our new videographer and my former student."
"Mr. Clerk, Agreed Resolutions."
"Agreed Resolutions. House Resolution 515, offered by Representative Hoffman. House Resolution 518, offered by Representative Welter. House Resolution 519, offered by Representative Frese. House Resolution 521, offered by 10200060.docx 24 STATE OF ILLINOIS 102nd GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 60th Legislative Day 10/26/2021 Representative Didech. House Resolution 522, offered by Representative Robinson. House Resolution 523, offered by Representative Walsh. House Resolution 525, offered by Representative Spain. House Resolution 526, offered by Speaker Welch. House Resolution 527, offered by Representative Hoffman. House Resolution 530, offered by Representative Welter. And House Resolution 531, offered by Representative Walsh."
"Leader Greenwood moves for the adoption of Agreed Resolutions. All those in favor say 'aye'; all those opposed say 'nay'. In the opinion of the Chair, the 'ayes' have it. And the Agreed Resolutions are adopted. Mr. Clerk, committee announcements."
"The 3 p.m. committees will meet immediately. The 3:30… the committees scheduled for 3:30 p.m. will meet at 4:00."
"And now, allowing perfunctory time for the Clerk, Leader Greenwood moves that the House stand adjourned until Wednesday, October 27, at the hour of noon. All those in favor say 'aye'; all those opposed say 'nay'. In the opinion of the Chair, the 'ayes' have it. And the House stands adjourned."
"House Perfunctory Session will come to order. Committee Reports. Representative Mah, Chairperson from the Committee on Health Care Licenses reports the following committee action taken on October 26, 2021: recommends be adopted is the Motion to Concur with Senate Amendment Amendment(s) 1 and 2 to House Bill 3401. Representative Mussman, Chairperson from the Committee on Elementary & Secondary Education: School Curriculum & Policies reports the 10200060.docx 25 STATE OF ILLINOIS 102nd GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 60th Legislative Day 10/26/2021 following committee action taken on October 26, 2021: recommends be adopted is the Motion to Concur with Senate Amendment(s) 2 to House Bill 1975. Representative Moeller, Chairperson from the Committee on Human Services reports the following committee action taken on October 26, 2021: recommends be adopted is Floor Amendment(s) 1 to Senate Bill 336. Representative Rita, Chairperson from the Committee on Executive reports the following committee action taken on October 26, 2021: recommends be adopted is the Motion to Concur with Senate Amendment(s) 1 and 2 to House Bill 307, Floor Amendment(s) 2 to Senate Bill 1139, Floor Amendment(s) 2 to Senate Bill 1169, and Floor Amendment(s) 2 to Senate Bill 1784. Representative Kifowit, Chairperson from the Committee on Veterans' Affairs reports the following committee action taken on October 26, 2021: recommends be adopted is the Motion to Concur Senate Amendment(s) 1 to House Bill 359. Introduction and First Reading of House Bills. House Bill 4189, offered by Representative Flowers, a Bill for an Act to establish the Marshall Plan for Moms Interagency Task Force. House Bill 4190, offered by Representative Caulkins, a Bill for an Act concerning criminal law. House Bill 4191, offered by Representative Caulkins, a Bill for an Act concerning finance. House Bill 4192, offered by Representative Williams, Ann Williams, a Bill for an Act concerning civil law. House Bill 4193, offered by Representative Guerrero-Cuellar, a Bill for an Act concerning finance. House Bill 4194, offered by Representative Ford, a Bill for an Act concerning health. House Bill 4195, offered by Representative Ford, a Bill for an Act concerning health. 10200060.docx 26 STATE OF ILLINOIS 102nd GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 60th Legislative Day 10/26/2021 First Reading of these House Bills. Introduction of Resolutions. House Resolution 516, offered by Representative Harris; House Resolution 517, offered by Representative Mussman; House Resolution 524, offered by Representative Niemerg; House Resolution 529, offered by Representative Hammond; House Joint Resolution 54, offered by Representative Harris; House Joint Resolution 55, offered by Representative Buckner; and House Joint Resolution 56, offered by Representative Haas, are referred to the Rules Committee. There being no further business, the House Perfunctory Session will stand adjourned." 10200060.docx 27