"The House will be in order. Members will be in their chairs. We shall be led in prayer today by Wayne Padget, the Assistant Doorkeeper. Members and guests are asked to refrain from starting their laptops, turn off all cell phones, and rise for the invocation and the Pledge of Allegiance. Mr. Padget."
"Let us pray. Dear heavenly Father, we ask today that you give those in authority wisdom in every decision and help them to think clearly. Grant them discernment and common sense so they'll be strong and effective leaders. Help them to land… excuse me, help them to lead and govern with integrity, and may their integrity guide them and keep them on track. Finally, Lord, we pray for your protection over our leaders. Protect their hearts and minds as well as their bodies so that no evil may befall them as they do their work. Bless them as well, for they carry a heavy burden on behalf of this great state. And, Lord, heal our state of hatred and evil that have been allowed to permeate our society and make whole so that we can truthfully say that we are one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. These things we pray, Amen."
"We will be led in the Pledge of Allegiance today by Representative Collins."
"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." 10300052.docx 1 STATE OF ILLINOIS 103rd GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 52nd Legislative Day 5/24/2023
Speaker Smith: "Roll Call for Attendance. Leader Gabel is recognized to report any excused absences on the Democratic side of the aisle."
"Speaker, let the record show that Representatives Blair- Sherlock, Will Davis, Guerrero-Cuellar, Jones, Ladisch Douglass, and Meyers-Martin are excused today."
"Let the record reflect all those excused on the Democratic side. Leader Keicher is recognized to report any excused absences on the Republican side of the aisle."
"Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Please let the record reflect that Representatives Hauter, Elik, Niemerg, Ozinga, Coffey, Sosnowski are excused for today."
"Let the record reflect the Republican excused absences today. Have all recorded themselves who wish? Mr. Clerk, please take the record. With 101 being present, we do have a quorum. Mr. Clerk, Rules Report."
"Rules Report. Representative Gabel, Chairperson from the Committee on Rules reports the following committee action taken on May 24, 2023: recommends be adopted is the Motion to Concur with Senate Amendment(s) 1 to House Bill 1076, Senate Amendment(s) 1 to House Bill 1119, Senate Amendment(s) 1 to House Bill 1612, Senate Amendment(s) to 1 House Bill 2089, Senate Amendment(s) to 1 House Bill 3326. Introduction of Resolutions. House Resolution 320, offered by Representative Ortiz; and House Resolution 325, offered by Representative Cassidy, are referred to the Rules Committee."
"Thank you, Mr. Clerk. Leader Spain is recognized."
"Thank you, Mr. Speaker. A point of personal privilege."
"Please state your point." 10300052.docx 2 STATE OF ILLINOIS 103rd GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 52nd Legislative Day 5/24/2023
"Ladies and Gentlemen, many of us who are spending time for the last several days in our district, I was doing the same last night. I was in the City of Princeton and received a very kind gift from the new mayor, Ray Mabry, of Princeton for some of the best pies that exist in the whole State of Illinois from Myrtle's Pie Shop in Princeton. So, just outside of the chamber, in… in my office around the corner, please, everyone, Members of the House, please feel free to go have a slice of pie and take it with you down to our caucus meetings later today. Thank you."
"Representative Schmidt, for what reason do you wish to be recognized?"
"Personal point of privilege."
"Please state your point."
"I have two Pages here today. I just wanted to recognize them. They're my sons, Luke and Dean. They are 10 and 12. They attend public school in Millstadt, enjoy athletics, football, wrestling, basketball, track. They also enjoy the outdoors, hunting, fishing, and the shooting sports. They're also Boy Scouts. So, if we could just give them a warm Springfield welcome, that'd be great. Thank you."
"Representative Johnson, for what reason do you wish to be recognized?"
"Point of personal privilege, Mr. Speaker."
"Please state your point."
"Mr. Speaker, about three weeks ago, I took a tour at Galesburg of the Henry Hill Correctional Center. And on that tour, I talked to the deputy director, the warden, and others about the… the feeling that employees have in these facilities 10300052.docx 3 STATE OF ILLINOIS 103rd GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 52nd Legislative Day 5/24/2023 about not feeling safe. And it reiterated to her that they have a responsibility to make sure that these employees go home at the end of the day. Yesterday, at East Moline Correctional Center, while working outside taking down trees that were taken down nearly three years ago by the derecho, a friend of mine died at East Moline Correctional Center. There's going to be a lot of questions. I'm not going to get into everything that took place here, but I can tell you this, there is going to be accountability. I don’t want to hear any more about how they value their employees when they try to save money. They had bids on these… on these jobs. They've refused to follow the bids. They had warnings. One of the maintenance craftsmen that worked at the facility absolutely refused to do this work. My friend decided to step up and do this work. Well, I'm going to talk about him. His name was Chris James. You know, a lot of you know, I worked over 30 years in the Department of Corrections. I came in as a baby. I left as a gray beard. I took in three in particular, three younger people, because I always believe you should leave something better than you found it. The same way with a local. Chris James was one of those three. He was my treasurer. Always, always, always willing to step up. Even when he argued with you, you would always come away smiling. Just… just the most easy-going guy you could ever imagine. And I will tell you that him stepping up yesterday was… was just always in his nature. He's got a military family. He's got a son over the pond. He's got a son in Arizona. They're coming back with the grandkids. They're going to bury their father. You know, Chris was the kind of guy, even though I retired several years 10300052.docx 4 STATE OF ILLINOIS 103rd GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 52nd Legislative Day 5/24/2023 ago, we all have those people in our lives that maybe we see every… every year, every year and half, but we pick up the conversation as if it were just yesterday. And that's just the kind of guy Chris was. Just a wonderful, wonderful person. So, I would ask that we have a moment of silence for my brother, for Chris and that we all keep his family in our prayers. Thank you."
"The Body will take a moment of silence. Thank you, Representative. Leader McCombie, for what reason do you wish to be recognized?"
"Thank you, Speaker. I would just like to add to Representative Johnson's words. Chris James is from my hometown, Savanna, Illinois, and a hometown boy, married a local girl, wonderful family. Chris has been talking about the conditions and the… I actually was going through some old texts of his last night after getting off the phone with Representative Johnson. He's been talking about the conditions of the East Moline's correction since I was elected, and it is absolutely right. The lack of regular maintenance on these facilities is terrible. And not just East Moline. Go around to any of them. I would almost say besides Kewanee Life Skills is the only one that seems livable. So, please, please, please, please visit these facilities, see first-hand the working conditions that our state workers have to be in every day. It… Chris' loss of life is going to be forever remembered in Savanna and within his family. And I know it will be as well in DOC. So, thank you, Representative, for bringing that forward and appreciate 10300052.docx 5 STATE OF ILLINOIS 103rd GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 52nd Legislative Day 5/24/2023 that. And all of our well wishes to him and his family during this terrible time. Thank you."
"Representative Williams, for what reason do you wish to be recognized?" Williams, A.: "Point of personal privilege, please."
"Please state your point." Williams, A.: "Yesterday, Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul released a multi-year report detailing the sexual abuse of 1,997 children by Illinois clergy and the systemic coverup by the church in Illinois and reported hundreds more abused children than first acknowledged. Today, I want to recognize and acknowledge the brave survivors who came forward as well as those who couldn't come forward. We are grateful for your efforts to release the shame and secrecy that have plagued the church for decades on this issue and allowed this horrific abuse to occur over and over and over. It is important to note, also, the years of painful and difficult work undertaken by the Illinois Attorney General's staff in compiling their report. I also want to acknowledge the many devoted and faithful Catholic parishioners, priests, and nuns, not just in Illinois, but beyond, who are also devastated by this turn of events. I also want to recognize a woman name Barbara Blaine, and if you were hanging around the Capitol in the late 90s you might remember her. She was the founder of a group called the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, called SNAP. And she was here telling her story long before anyone was talking about this. I remember seeing her walking around the Capitol and people would take note of her and kind of whisper, oh, that’s that woman that was abused by a priest. 10300052.docx 6 STATE OF ILLINOIS 103rd GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 52nd Legislative Day 5/24/2023 And it must have been so hard for her and how brave she was. She passed away in 2017, and I'm sorry she isn’t here to see this report come to light. I ask all of my colleagues, regardless of your party or faith background, to join together to acknowledge the gravity of what we see in this report and work together to ensure this doesn’t happen to even one more child. Thank you."
"Thank you, Representative. Leader Mah, for what reason do you wish to be recognized?"
"Mr. Speaker, the Democrats would request a caucus immediately in Room 114."
"Democrats are caucusing in Room 114. Leader Keicher, for what reason do you wish to be recognized?"
"The Republicans will caucus in Room 114… 118. Along with our peers on the other side of the aisle. We just want to get… we really… all we want to get is a look at the budget. So, we figured that's the best place to go see it."
"I suggest you caucus right outside of 114. Both sides will caucus. The House will stand in recess to the call of the Chair."
"Manley in the Chair. The Clerk is in receipt of Motions in Writing to waive the posting requirements for several Bills. Leader Barbara Hernandez on the Motion." Hernandez, B.: "Speaker, I move that the posting requirements be waived so the following Bills can be heard in committee this week: House Resolution 283 in Veterans' Affairs; House Resolution 282 in Veterans' Affairs; and House Resolution 292 in State Government Administration; along with Senate Joint Resolution 28 and Senate Joint Resolution 31 in 10300052.docx 7 STATE OF ILLINOIS 103rd GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 52nd Legislative Day 5/24/2023 Transportation: Regulations, Roads & Bridges; and Senate Bill 1462 in Gaming."
"Leader Barbara Hernandez has moved to waive the posting requirements. All those in favor say 'aye'; opposed say 'nay'. In the opinion of the Chair, the 'ayes' have it. And the posting requirements are waived."
"The House will come to order. We will go to page 6 of the Calendar, appears House Bill 1119, Representative Guzzardi. Please proceed."
"You all will remember this Bill which enables individuals with lived experience to have appointments on the Board of Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority, or ICJIA. We… when we passed this Bill in the House, we added three members with lived experience to that board. The Senate, in its infinite wisdom, decided to reduce that number from three to two. So, I move today, reluctantly, to concur with the Senate's changes."
"On the reluctant Motion, Leader Windhorst."
"Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Will the Sponsor yield?"
"Indicates he'll yield."
"Thank you. Representative, is there also an increase in the number of public members? Did I read that correct?"
"No. The… as I understand it, the… there were always six members of the general public who were appointed. Our Amendment had three… retained the three members and then it had three members who were people with lived experience. As I understand it, the Senate's Amendment has two members with lived experience and the remaining four are members of the general public." 10300052.docx 8 STATE OF ILLINOIS 103rd GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 52nd Legislative Day 5/24/2023
"Thank you. That makes sense. To Members on our side, the vote was 70 to 40 when it came through the House the first time."
"Representative Guzzardi to close."
"I appreciate an 'aye' vote."
"The question is, 'Shall the House concur in Senate Amendment #1 to House Bill 1119?' All those in favor vote 'aye'; opposed vote 'no'. The voting's open. Have all voted who wish? Have all voted who wish? Have all voted who wish? Mr. Clerk, please take the record. On this question, there are 69 voting 'yes', 34 voting 'no', 0 voting 'present'. And… and the House does concur in Senate Amendment #1 to House Bill 1119. And this Bill, having received the Constitutional Majority, is hereby declared passed. Remaining on the Order of Concurrence, we move to page 7 of the Calendar. Representative Ann Williams on House Bill 3326. Please proceed Representative Williams." Williams, A.: "Hi. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I move to concur in Amendment #1 to House Bill 3326. Senate Amendment #1."
"On this question, Leader Windhorst."
"Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Will the Sponsor yield?"
"Indicates she'll yield."
"Thank you. With regard to this Amendment, what change does it make?" Williams, A.: "These were technical changes suggested by the Governor's Office just to make the definitions comport with definitions elsewhere in the Illinois statutes." 10300052.docx 9 STATE OF ILLINOIS 103rd GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 52nd Legislative Day 5/24/2023
"Thank you. To Members on our side, again, these are technical changes with the Amendment. Our vote was 72 to 39. I suggest reviewing your vote and voting accordingly."
"Representative Williams to close." Williams, A.: "And just as a refresher, this is the Secretary of State's initiative to provide that law enforcement cannot share data collected with automatic license plate readers with law enforcement in other states if they are going to use it to prosecute health care that may be legal in Illinois but may be criminalized elsewhere. I appreciate an 'aye' vote."
"The question is, 'Shall the House concur in Senate Amendment #1 to House Bill 3326?' All those in favor vote 'aye'; all opposed vote 'nay'. The voting is open. Have all voted who wish? Have all voted who wish? West. Olickal. Have all voted who wish? Mr. Clerk, please take the record. On this question, there are 69 voting 'yes', 34 voting 'no', 0 voting 'present'. And the House does concur in Senate Amendment #1 to House Bill 3326. And this Bill, having received the Constitutional Majority, is hereby declared passed. Representative Kelly, for what reason do you seek recognition?"
"Point of personal privilege, Speaker."
"Please state your point."
"Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I rise today in commemoration of the 49th annual observance of National EMS Week. Since 1974, the invaluable work that emergency medical workers do in communities across Illinois and the United States has received extra attention and appreciation one week per year. Of course, one week a year isn’t enough. EMS workers are on 10300052.docx 10 STATE OF ILLINOIS 103rd GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 52nd Legislative Day 5/24/2023 the job 24/7, 365. And countless people and families are alive and better off because of them. No observance is sufficient to express the extent of our indebtedness to them or the depth of the gratitude we owe each of them. What EMS Week does do is provide an opportunity to single EMS practitioners out for the praise they should get every day and to support continuing efforts to raise public awareness of the important role of EMS in every Illinois community. Nearly two-thirds of all national reported 9-1-1 calls require emergency medical services or medical rescue services from fire departments. And Illinois families sleep safe in the knowledge that this help is just a call away and that, if given, a day turns out to be the worst of their lives, EMS providers will go above and beyond responding without hesitation to render critical and lifesaving aid. The theme of this year's EMS Week is 'EMS: Where Emergency Care Begins.' Community organizations, schools, and individuals are encouraged to reach out to their local EMS agency and ask what support or shows of appreciation are most needed or appropriate. I would also like to remind everyone listening that… not to forget private ambulance services that serve our communities, no less than EMS providers housed at fire departments. Each of us are fortunate to live in a communities protected by public servants of such skill and selfless fortitude. This week and every week, please keep EMS professionals in your thoughts and prayers. I am fortunate, in my job back in the city, to work with some of the best women and men in the EMS service. And I can speak on behalf of them when I say thank you to everybody in this Body for the legislation that we pass here year in and year out 10300052.docx 11 STATE OF ILLINOIS 103rd GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 52nd Legislative Day 5/24/2023 that provides support both financially for the tools that we need on the street, for the ambulances that we need, for help in retention of our paramedics and firefighters across this great state. And I just thank you guys for the work you do down here. Thanks."
"Representative Weaver."
"A point of personal privilege."
"Please state your point."
"Ladies and Gentlemen, today is May 24. We are here a couple days further than we hoped to. That being said, we all know what we signed up for and I think we owe a… just a huge debt of gratitude to our wonderful staff who's here beyond our deadline. So, to the policy experts, the folks in the well, the legislative aides, the security guards, the press, everybody here whose putting in extra hours for us, I know sometimes we give a round applause to folks and it's kind of meh, but if everybody could please give it the best applause you can get for the amazing staff that we have that makes all of this work. Thank you very much."
"Remaining on page 7 of the Calendar. Under the Order of Concurrences appears House Bill 2089, Representative DeLuca on behalf of Representative Jones. Please proceed."
"Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I move to concur with Senate Amendment #1 to House Bill 2089. And it requires that every insurance company authorized to do business in Illinois that has assets totaling at least 50 million to submit a yearly report on its supplier diversity program or procurement program."
"On this question, Leader Windhorst." 10300052.docx 12 STATE OF ILLINOIS 103rd GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 52nd Legislative Day 5/24/2023
"Thank you, Mr. Speaker. To the Motion."
"To the Motion."
"To Members on our side, the Amendment as it came over from the Senate has identical language from House Bill 2088, which passed this Body 70 to 38. I believe all of the Republican Members voted 'no'. While we were a unanimous 'yes' on the underlying Bill, that Amendment may change your vote, if you want to take a look at it. Thank you."
"On this question, Leader Keicher."
"Mr. Speaker, will the Sponsor yield?"
"Indicates he'll yield."
"I have a very lengthy number of technical questions to ask you, Mr. Representative. No, I wanted to dovetail with what Leader Windhorst had said that we, in the Senate, for some reason, combined a really good Bill with a really questionable Bill. And that's what we got before us here. We vote… voted on both measures. And our side, we did vote all down on the bad side of that Bill. But there are some very good things that we're cleaning up with the Department of Insurance on this as well. Thank you."
"Representative DeLuca to close."
"Well, this is the first time I'm presenting a Bill on behalf of someone who was going to present it on behalf of someone. So, I ask for your 'yes' vote. Thank you."
"The question is, 'Shall the House concur in Senate Amendment #1 to House Bill 2089?' All those in favor vote 'aye'; all opposed vote 'nay'. The voting is open. Have all voted who wish? Have all voted who wish? Have all voted who wish? Mr. Clerk, please take the record. On this question, 10300052.docx 13 STATE OF ILLINOIS 103rd GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 52nd Legislative Day 5/24/2023 there are 68 voting 'yes', 34 voting 'no', 0 voting 'present'. And the House does concur in Senate Amendment #1 to House Bill 2089. And this Bill, having received the Constitutional Majority, is hereby declared passed. Mr. Clerk, committee announcements."
"The following committees will be meeting at 3:30: State Government Administration is meeting in Room 118; Veterans' Affairs is meeting in Room 122B; Transportation: Regulation, Roads & Bridges is meeting in Room 115; and the Gaming Committee is meeting in Room 114."
"Members, committees are meeting at 3:30. We will return to the floor following committee meetings. We will stand at recess to the call of the Chair. Members, we will going… be going to the Order of Resolutions. If you have a Resolution that is pending, you may wish to head to the chambers. Mr. Clerk, Committee Reports."
Clerk Hollman: "Committee Reports. Representative Walker, Chairperson from the Committee on State Government Administration reports the following committee action on May 24, 2023: recommends be adopted is House Resolution 292. Representative Yednock, Chairperson from the Committee on Veterans' Affairs reports the following committee action on May 24, 2023: recommends be adopted is House Resolution 282 and House Resolution 283. Representative Moylan, Chairperson from the Committee on Transportation: Regulations, Roads & Bridges reports the following committee action taken on May 24, 2023: recommends be adopted is Senate Joint Resolution 28 and Senate Joint Resolution 31. Representative Didech, Chairperson from the Committee on Gaming reports the 10300052.docx 14 STATE OF ILLINOIS 103rd GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 52nd Legislative Day 5/24/2023 following committee action taken on May 24, 2023: do pass Short Debate is Senate Bill 1462."
"Moving to page 8 of the Calendar. On the Order of Resolutions appears House Joint Resolution 36, Representative Severin. Please proceed. Representative Severin."
"Thank you, Mr. Speaker. House Joint Resolution 36 designates a portion of Route 148 from Christopher to the south commemorating a… in memory of Firefighter Kody M. Vanfossan Memorial Highway. This actually passed in the 102nd General Assembly out of the House with hundred percent support, and we appreciate that very much. It did not pass out of the Senate, as it was not called. So, I brought it back again this 103rd General Assembly. And my plan is, with no disrespect to the Senate, as long as I'm here to present this, to get this passed… this young man actually gave his life fighting a fire next to his father in the City of Christopher. So, I ask for a vote of… in support of House Joint Resolution 36 to commemorate the Firefighter Kody M. Vanfossan Memorial Highway on Route 148 in Christopher. Thank you."
"Thank you, Representative. This requires a recorded roll call. Representative Severin moves… Severin moves for the adoption of House Joint Resolution 36. All those in favor vote 'aye'; all opposed vote 'nay'. The voting is open. Have all voted who wish? Have all voted who wish? Have all voted who wish? Mr. Clerk, please take the record. On this question, there are 101 voting 'yes', 0 voting 'no', 0 voting 'present'. And this Resolution, having received the 10300052.docx 15 STATE OF ILLINOIS 103rd GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 52nd Legislative Day 5/24/2023 Constitutional Majority, is hereby adopted. Leader Keicher, for what reason do you rise?"
"Mr. Speaker, if you could please excuse Representative Wilhour for the remainder of the day."
"The record shall so reflect. Remaining on page 8 of the Calendar, appears House Joint Resolution 37. Representative Caulkins will present for Representative Wilhour. Representative Caulkins."
"Thank you, Mr. Speaker. This is a Joint Resolution… House Joint Resolution 37, honoring the life of Lance Corporal Kleiboeker. Hang on just a second. Lance Corporal Kleiboeker was a combat engineer in the Marine Corps. This Resolution will honor his passing. And we will name a section of U.S. Route 50 that runs through Odin as the corporal… 'Lance Cpl. Nicholas Brian Kleiboeker Highway'. And this is a… will be placed at a suitable location by IDOT. And we ask that the House concur with this Resolution."
"Seeing no one seeking recognition, Members, we need a recorded roll call. The question is, 'Shall House Joint Resolution 37 be adopted?' All those in favor vote 'aye'; all opposed vote 'nay'. The voting is open. Have all voted who wish? Have all voted who wish? Have all voted who wish? Mr. Clerk, please take the record. On this question, there are 101 voting 'yes', 0 voting 'no', 0 voting 'present'. And this Resolution, having receiving the Constitutional Majority, is hereby adopted. Moving to page 10 of the Calendar, appears House Resolution 247, Leader McCombie."
"Thank you, Speaker. House Resolution 247 is, if you all remember, Captain Garrett E. Ramos died in the line of 10300052.docx 16 STATE OF ILLINOIS 103rd GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 52nd Legislative Day 5/24/2023 duty in the early hours of Saturday, December 4 of 2021, 38 at the time, in a fire in Whiteside County. His wife has been an advocate to change the culture in our fire system. So, this Resolution is about that change in culture. Between 2016 and 2021, over 374 firefighters in the United States have lost their lives in the line of duty. The National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health, NIOSH, has identified five top causal factors of the line-of-duty firefighter deaths and injuries. The list has evolved to include five key causal factors, which are improper risk assessment, lack of incident command, lack of accountability, inadequate communications, and a lack of standard operating procedures or a failure to follow standard operating procedures. The House of Representatives of the 103rd General Assembly of the State of Illinois, we urge fire departments and other public safety agencies to analyze the culture of their respective departments and to ensure a culture is in place that promotes training, communication, and accountability in order to help mitigate the NIOSH 5 from occurring. We urge fire departments to continue to critique their response after fires to learn from past experiences and to include in their culture and procedures open discussion about NIOSH 5. We encourage departments to upgrade their radio communications to ensure each portable radio has an emergency alert button. We encourage fire chiefs and city personnel to promote a culture of training, communication, and accountability through utilizing crew resource management training to improve departments and help prevent line-of-duty deaths. We pledge to support the state's firefighters, fire departments, and 10300052.docx 17 STATE OF ILLINOIS 103rd GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 52nd Legislative Day 5/24/2023 public safety agencies in this endeavor. We recognize that the continued deaths and injuries of our brave firefighters and first responders are a stark reminder of the importance of reiterating the basic concepts of firefighting and the top five occupational factors distinctly shown that a fire department's culture can land to line-of-duty deaths. So, in memory of Captain Garrett E. Ramos, on behalf of his wife, Brittney, and their family, I ask that you support House Resolution 247. And I would like to say thank you to Representative Kelly for your assistance with this. Thank you."
"Seeing no one seeking recognition, Leader McCombie moves for the adoption of House Resolution 247. All those in favor say 'aye'; all opposed 'nay'. In the opinion of the Chair, the 'ayes' have it. And the Resolution is adopted. Moving back to page 9 of the Calendar, appears House Joint Resolution 38, Representative Friess. Please proceed."
"Thank you, Mr. Speaker. House Joint Resolution 38 designates the new Chester Bridge over the Mississippi River along Illinois Route 150 and Missouri Route 51 as the 'Don Welge Memorial Bridge'. Mr. Welge was a very smart business man. He had businesses on both sides of the river and was actually one of the most generous people you would ever like to meet. A huge supporter of local charities and the Boy Scouts. And would appreciate your support."
"Members, this requires a recorded roll call. Representative Friess moves for the adoption of House Joint Resolution 38. All those in favor vote 'aye'; all opposed vote 'nay'. The voting's open. Have all voted who wish? Have 10300052.docx 18 STATE OF ILLINOIS 103rd GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 52nd Legislative Day 5/24/2023 all voted who wish? Have all voted who wish? Mr. Clerk, please take the record. On this question, there are 101 voting 'yes', 0 voting 'no', 0 voting 'present'. And this Resolution, having received a Constitutional Majority, is hereby adopted. Moving on to page 10 of the Calendar, appears House Resolution 203, Representative Slaughter. Out of the record. Representative Meier on House Resolution 275. Representative Meier."
"Yes. House Resolution…"
"Excuse me, Leader Meier."
"House Resolution 275 is Illinois will unplug or take a break from using electronic devices to enjoy everything that their local parks, recreation sites, and conservation areas have to offer; and WHEREAS, Unplug Illinois Day, a public service campaign by the Illinois Park and Recreation Association, was designed to help communicate the value of unplugging offers to residents; and WHEREAS, The studies have shown that unplugging is essential to maintain a healthy lifestyle; and WHEREAS, On average, children spend over seven hours a day in front of a screen outside of school and homework; and WHEREAS, Approximately 43% of the American aged 18 to 29 use their smartphones at least four hours per day; and WHEREAS, At present, 80% of Americans do not get enough exercise on a daily basis; and WHEREAS, Unplugging at Illinois parks and facilities is one of the most convenient ways to stay active, get exercise; therefore, be it 10300052.docx 19 STATE OF ILLINOIS 103rd GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 52nd Legislative Day 5/24/2023 RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE HUNDRED AND THIRD GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we declare July 15, 2023 as Unplug Illinois Day in the State of Illinois; and be it further RESOLVED, That we encourage all citizens to participate in this opportunity by unplugging from their electronic devices and visiting their local parks, recreation sites, and conservation areas. Thank you."
"Seeing no one seeking recognition, Leader Meier moves for the adoption of House Resolution 275. All those in favor say 'aye'; all opposed 'nay'. In the opinion of the Chair, the 'ayes' have it. And the Amendment (sic-Resolution) is adopted. Leader Mah, on page 10 of the Calendar, House Resolution 279. Please proceed."
"Thank you, Mr. Speaker. House Resolution 279 declares May to be Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month. And we've been doing a good job celebrating this all month long, and it's been wonderful to have the tributes read on the floor. It's fitting to have this official Resolution to recognize the largest, fastest-growing racial group in the state that numbers at almost 900 thousand members. So… but instead of saying more about the Resolution and the heritage month in general, I actually would like to take this opportunity to share a tribute to a friend of mine, Jonathan Laxamana, who passed away prematurely and unexpectedly December 7, 2022 at the age of 52. For the last 10 years, Jonathan was the program director for the Chicago Asian American Showcase, a film festival held annually at the Gene Siskel Film Center in downtown Chicago. He was involved at 10300052.docx 20 STATE OF ILLINOIS 103rd GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 52nd Legislative Day 5/24/2023 every level, from the selection of the films, to print traffic, to marketing on social media. He did similar work and even more for the Chicago Filipino American Film Festival in the role of program director from 2004 to 2013. He was also the founding board member of Full Spectrum Features, a nonprofit film production company supporting diversity in film. Jonathan was a modest, behind the scenes kind of guy, but he made such a huge impact on the Asian American community. Like clockwork every year, he was the force of nature that I would see at the Asian American Showcase and you knew that he played an essential role in making the film festival happen. Last year, I had the privilege and the honor of presenting the House… a House Resolution recognizing the film festival's 25th anniversary. That’s 25 years of showcasing Asian American stories, supporting artists and film makers and story tellers needed… and storytellers needed and deserved… that needed and deserved a wide audience. Jonathan… Jonathan devoted his life to the promotion of Asian American artists and the arts, assuring that their work had a chance to make an impact on the world. He cared deeply about increasing the diversity of representation in the film industry and truly made a difference by doing the tireless, hard work over the years in bringing Asian American film makers, artists, and films and their voices into the spotlight. I will miss Jonathan, especially this week. Last weekend, when I attended this year's showcase, he was deeply loved by many and will be sorely missed by an entire community. I ask for a moment of silence and hope that he is resting in peace." 10300052.docx 21 STATE OF ILLINOIS 103rd GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 52nd Legislative Day 5/24/2023
"The chamber shall have a moment of silence. Thank you. Leader Mah moves for the adoption of House Resolution 279. All those in favor say 'aye'; all opposed 'nay'. In the opinion of the Chair, the 'ayes' have it. The Amendment (sic-Resolution) is adopted. On page 11 of the Calendar appears Senate Joint Resolution 30, Representative Ammons. Representative Ammons."
"Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Senate Joint Resolution 30 is calling for an expansion of the 211 service in Illinois, which is an extremely important service for our communities. The pilots have been run in four or five counties, I believe, in the State of Illinois. And it has been extremely successful to have the resource available for people throughout the entire state. That's what this Resolution calls for, and I ask for its approval."
Speaker Hoffman: "Seeing no one seeking recognition, Representative Ammons moves for the adoption of Senate Joint Resolution 30. All those in favor say 'aye'; all opposed 'nay'. In the opinion of the Chair, the 'ayes' have it. And the Amendment (sic-Joint Resolution) is adopted. Leader Keicher."
"Mr. Speaker, if the record could please reflect that Representative Rosenthal is excused for the remainder of Session… day."
Speaker Hoffman: "The record shall reflect. Senate Joint Resolution 32, Representative Marron. Please proceed."
"Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Senate Joint Resolution 32 designates a section of Interstate 74 from Route 45 in Champaign-Urbana to the Indiana state line as the 'Senator 10300052.docx 22 STATE OF ILLINOIS 103rd GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 52nd Legislative Day 5/24/2023 Scott M. Bennett Memorial Highway'. I can't think of a more fitting stretch of road to be named after Senator Bennett than that stretch of road because he traveled that road many, many times every week from the west side of the district, Champaign-Urbana, to Danville on the east side of the district. And that's the kind of public servant that Scott was. The east side of the district, my side, is a more conservative, very Republican part of the district, while his side of the district, the west side of the district, Champaign-Urbana, is pretty liberal and pretty Democratic. And just because of the population numbers, Scott didn’t have to come to our side of the district, didn’t have to do anything, and he would've been politically fine. He could've got re-elected and never spent any time in our area. But you would see him multiple times, maybe at an event in Champaign- Urbana in the morning and then he would be Danville that afternoon. And he wore out many, many sets of tires and maybe even a vehicle or two making that drive from Champaign-Urbana to Danville, and that’s the kind of person that he was because he cared about people. Party affiliation didn’t matter. He was there to help anybody in the district that he could. He was an outstanding public servant. He was an outstanding Senator, and he was a good friend. And I miss him frequently. I would ask for an 'aye' vote to honor the late Senator Scott Bennett."
"Representative Ammons."
"Thank you, Mr. Speaker. To the Resolution. Certainly, the passing of Scott was shocking to this entire institution, to our communities across the board. And I worked with him 10300052.docx 23 STATE OF ILLINOIS 103rd GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 52nd Legislative Day 5/24/2023 for eight years straight. We also worked together even prior to him becoming a Senator here and prior to me becoming a Representative. We worked on our community on various issues, organized activities together, had town halls together. I don’t think I had a single town hall without Senator Bennett. So, he is truly missed. And unfortunately, we will not be able to get that time back, but certainly we can honor him and recognize his memory. And I ask Representative Marron to add me as chief-co onto this Resolution, if you'd be so kind? Thank you, Mr. Speaker."
"I know that I'm in the Chair, but I would like to just say that Senator Bennett was a heck of a man who's greatly missed and our hearts go out to him and his family. Representative Marron moves… this is a recorded roll call. Representative Marron moves for the adoption of Senate Joint Resolution 32. All of those in favor vote 'aye'; all opposed 'nay'. The voting is open. Have all voted who wish? Have all voted who wish? Have all voted who wish? Mr. Clerk, please take the record. On this question, there are 101 voting 'yes', 0 voting 'no', 0 voting 'present'. And this Resolution, having received a Constitutional Majority, is hereby declared adopted. Moving to Supplemental Calendar #1, appears Senate Bill 1462. Senate Bill on the Order of Second Reading. Please read the Bill, Mr. Clerk."
"Senate Bill 1462, a Bill for an Act concerning gaming. Second Reading of this Senate Bill. No Committee Amendments. No Floor Amendments. No Motions are filed."
"Third Reading. On Supplemental Calendar #1, Order of Resolutions, appears House Resolution 282, 10300052.docx 24 STATE OF ILLINOIS 103rd GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 52nd Legislative Day 5/24/2023 Representative Kifowit. Out of the record. House Resolution 292, Representative Ammons. Please proceed."
"Thank you, Mr. Speaker. House Resolution 292 acknowledges the upcoming Eighth Pan-African Congress that will be held in Zimbabwe, South Africa. Illinois has a long history, as you read the Resolution, of participation in the Pan-African Congresses that has been held since the 1800s. Starting with Dr. W.E.B. Du Bois, who led the first four of those convenings. The importance of this conference is so that people of African descent, African Americans who were separated from our continental home, will have an opportunity to reconnect to our cultural and native homes. This Resolution is an important step toward what we have done in Illinois by establishing the commission on repatriation. And I look forward to the adoption of this Resolution and the continued work to acknowledge not only the contributions of African Americans to this continent, but to the world at large. And I ask for its adoption. Thank you, Mr. Speaker."
"Representative Ammons moves for adoption of House Resolution 292. All those in favor say 'aye'; all opposed 'nay'. In the opinion of the Chair, the 'ayes' have it. And the Amendment (sic-Resolution) is adopted. House Resolution 282, Representative Kifowit. Please proceed."
"Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I'm presenting House Resolution 282. House Resolution recognizes Military Spouse Appreciation Day on May 12, 2023. I recognize that May 12 has already passed. However, it's always important to recognize our military spouses on appreciation day. And I believe that there might be leave for the chamber for all Members to be added to 10300052.docx 25 STATE OF ILLINOIS 103rd GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 52nd Legislative Day 5/24/2023 this Resolution to support our military spouses that give so much for our service members."
"Mr. Clerk, could we add all Members to this Resolution? Representative Kifowit moves for the adoption of House Resolution 282. All those in favor signify by saying 'aye'; all opposed 'nay'. In the opinion of the Chair, the 'ayes' have it. And the Amendment (sic-Resolution) is adopted. House Resolution 283, Representative Kifowit."
"Thank you, Mr. Speaker. This is another Resolution that declares June 12, 2023 as Women Veterans Day to commemorate the day that women were officially added as regular members of the U.S. military. This day, on June 12, 1948, President Harry S. Truman signed the Women's Armed Forces Integration Act into law, which, again, allows women to serve as regular members of the United States military. And it also commemorates the sacrifices and valor displayed by Illinois women veterans. And I do request that all Members be added to this Resolution as well to signify and honor women veterans on June 12, 2023."
"Mr. Clerk, please add all Members to this Resolution. Representative Kifowit moves for the adoption of House Resolution 283. All those in favor signify by saying 'aye'; all opposed 'nay'. In the opinion of the Chair, the 'ayes' have it. And the Amendment (sic-Resolution) is adopted. Remaining on Supplemental Calendar #1, appears Senate Joint Resolution 28, Representative Caulkins. Please proceed."
"Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Senate Joint Resolution 28 is an initiative to honor the life and service of former State 10300052.docx 26 STATE OF ILLINOIS 103rd GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 52nd Legislative Day 5/24/2023 Trooper Todd Hanneken. Officer Hanneken died while on duty. And we had previously… had addressed this, but just a little bit. Officer Hanneken was a graduate of Mt. Zion High School, received a bachelor's degree from ISU. He married the love of his life, Shelley, in 2001. He was a second-generation Illinois State Police Trooper, the Cadet Class of 100, and worked out of District 15 and District 10, where he was highly decorated for… for his service. This will honor the life and service of… of Trooper Hanneken, at the intersection of Route 121 and Route 36 in Decatur will be known as the 'Trooper Todd Hanneken Memorial Highway'. And I ask for your support."
"This requires a recorded roll call. Seeing no one seeking recognition, Representative Caulkins moves for the adoption of Senate Joint Resolution 28. All those in favor vote 'aye'; all opposed 'nay'. The voting is open. Have all voted who wish? Have all voted who wish? Have all voted who wish? Mr. Clerk, please take the record. On this question, there are 101 voting 'yes', 0 voting 'no', 0 voting 'present'. And this Resolution, having received the Constitutional Majority, is hereby adopted. Representative Jacobs on Senate Joint Resolution 31. Please proceed."
"Thank you, Mr. Speaker, Members of the House. I rise for this Senate Joint Resolution. This officer that I'm talking about, Officer Brian Pierce Jr., looked to serve his community, including the Raymond/Harvel Fire Explorer program, Illinois State Police Junior Police Academy, the Christian County Drug and Alcohol Task Force, the Elkville Fire Department. After graduating from Elkville High School, Officer Pierce became the trainer and treasurer of the 10300052.docx 27 STATE OF ILLINOIS 103rd GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 52nd Legislative Day 5/24/2023 Elkville Fire Department as well as a correctional officer at Menard Correctional Facility. In 2017, Officer Pierce moved to Makanda, Illinois, where he joined the Makanda Township Fire Department. While there, he spent every Monday night training younger firefighters. And then in 2019, Officer Pierce assisted the mayor of Spillertown in constructing a police department that had not existed for 10 years, which included assisting and applying for funding and grants and helping with day-to-day operation. Officer Pierce became an officer in Brooklyn, Illinois, near St. Clair, in St. Clair County and was killed in the line of duty on August 4. He was deploying stop sticks to halt a vehicle. We want to name and honor of this (unintelligible) young man, the Senate would like to honor this guy, this gentleman, this police officer. By the 103rd Assembly, we want to do… at the street on Illinois Route 37 from Longstreet near Spillertown to Prosperity Road as it passes Spillertown as the 'Officer Brian Pierce Jr. Memorial Highway'. I respectfully request an 'aye' vote. Thank you very much."
"Members, this requires a recorded roll call. Representative Jacobs moves for the adoption of Senate Joint Resolution 31. All those in favor vote 'aye'; all opposed vote 'nay'. The voting's open. Have all voted who wish? Have all voted who wish? Have all voted who wish? Mr. Clerk, please take the record. On this question, there are 101 voting 'yes', 0 voting 'no', 0 voting 'present'. And this Resolution, having received the Constitutional Majority, is hereby declared adopted. Returning to the Calendar. On page 9 of the Calendar, under the Order of Resolutions, appears House Resolution 180, 10300052.docx 28 STATE OF ILLINOIS 103rd GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 52nd Legislative Day 5/24/2023 Representative Slaughter on behalf of Representative Will Davis. Please proceed."
"Yeah. Good afternoon, or maybe good evening. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. On behalf of Representative Davis, we wanted to shed light on a great organization, Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated. I spoke on the… this Resolution a few weeks ago. This is the first black sorority founded in our country. What the Resolution does is declare May 10, 2023 as Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated Day here in the State of Illinois. I move for its adoption." Speaker Hoffman: "Seeing no one seeking recognition, Representative Slaughter moves for the adoption of House Resolution 180. All those in favor signify by saying 'aye'; all opposed 'nay'. In the opinion of the Chair, the 'ayes' have it. And the Amendment (sic-Resolution) is adopted. On page 10 of the Calendar, House Resolution 203, Representative Slaughter. Please proceed."
"Yeah, good evening. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Big shoutout to all the Alphas. Again, I belong to this illustrious organization, spoke on the Resolution a few weeks ago. Speaker Welch and I wanted to have this Resolution to recognize Alpha Phi Alpha Day at the Capitol and declare April 19, 2023 as Alpha Phi Alpha Day. Our organization was founded on December 4, 1906. Ever since then, we've been doing great things to uplift underserved communities. I move for its adoption. Thank you, Mr. Speaker."
"Representative Slaughter moves for the adoption of House Resolution 203. All those in favor say 'aye'; all opposed 'nay'. In the opinion of the Chair, the 'ayes' have 10300052.docx 29 STATE OF ILLINOIS 103rd GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 52nd Legislative Day 5/24/2023 it. The Amendment's (sic-Resolution) adopted. The Resolution is adopted, sorry."
"Ortiz in the Chair. Clerk, Rules Report."
"Rules Report. Representative Gabel, Chairperson from the Committee on Rules reports the following committee action taken on May 24, 2023: recommends be adopted, referred to the floor is Floor Amendment(s) 5 to Senate Bill 2123."
"On page 5 of the Calendar, Senate Bills-Second Reading, appears Senate Bill 2123, Representative Stuart. Please read the Bill, Mr. Clerk."
"Senate Bill 2123, a Bill for an Act concerning government. This Bill was read a second time previously. Amendment 1 was adopted in committee. Floor Amendments 3, 4, and 5 have been approved for consideration. Floor Amendment #3 is offered by Representative Mah."
"Representative Stuart on Floor Amendment #3."
"I move to withdraw Floor Amendment 3."
"Floor Amendment #3 is withdrawn."
"Floor Amendment #4 is offered by Representative Stuart."
"Representative Stuart on Floor Amendment #4."
"I move to adopt Floor Amendment 4. And Floor Amendment 4 really becomes the Bill. So, can we adopt it and then discuss it on Third?"
"Representative Stuart moves for the adoption of Floor Amendment #4 to Senate Bill 2123. All those in favor say 'aye'; all opposed 'nay'. In the opinion of the Chair, the 'ayes' have it. And the Amendment is adopted. Any further Amendments, Mr. Clerk?" 10300052.docx 30 STATE OF ILLINOIS 103rd GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 52nd Legislative Day 5/24/2023
"Floor Amendment #5 is offered by Representative Stuart."
"Representative Stuart."
"I move to adopt Floor Amendment 5. Floor Amendment 5 is some technical changes to Floor Amendment 4. So, I would like to adopt the Amendment and then discuss it on Third."
"Representative Stuart moves for the adoption of Floor Amendment #5 to Senate Bill 2123. All those in favor say 'aye'; all opposed 'nay'. In the opinion of the Chair, the 'ayes' have it. And the Amendment is adopted. Third Reading. Please read the Bill, Mr. Clerk."
"Senate Bill 2123, a Bill for an Act concerning government. Third Reading of this Senate Bill."
"Representative Stuart, for one second. Leader Keicher, for what reason do you rise?"
"Thank you, Mr. Speaker. If you could please excuse Representative Spain for the remainder of the day."
"The record will reflect. Representative Stuart on Senate Bill 2123."
"Thank you, Speaker. Senate Amendment 2123 is an elections omnibus Bill for this year. I appreciate your patience. There's a lot of different provisions in the Bill. I will try to be as quick as I can, but I don’t want to omit anything. So, I'll just go through them all. The… the Bill will allow… we, right now, have required voting centers at each jurisdiction during a General Election. This will just extend that requirement, requiring that there's at least one universal vote center in each jurisdiction and they have to provide curbside voting and make that available for voters. 10300052.docx 31 STATE OF ILLINOIS 103rd GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 52nd Legislative Day 5/24/2023 And there's the option to establish more than one vote center on election day, unless you have a population over 500 thousand, then you must establish 2 vote centers. There is also a provision about preregistration for 16-year-olds. So, allowing persons who are 16 years of age or older to preregister using the State Board of Elections website. That information is then held in abeyance until they can lawfully vote. And the reason for doing this is that lots of times your first interaction with state is when you're getting your license at 16. And the information there that determines whether you're eligible to get that license is very similar to the information about being eligible to register to vote. So, this should encourage more young people to be registered by the time they're 18 and participate in our elections. There is a provision about new citizen voter registration. Again, looking at Illinois wants people to vote. And we think it's important, especially for new citizens, to make that as easy as possible. So, this would go through the… DHS, and that voter registration information and voter registration applications and the collection of those completed registration applications would happen at all the naturalization ceremonies. There is a provision for making General Election Day a state holiday. In 2024, on General Election Day, it'll apply to K-12 schools, which will allow those buildings to be used as polling places. There is a provision to make sure that the county clerk is notified of objections in consolidated elections. So, what frequently happens is in some of kind of smaller, local elections, things like school boards or townships or park districts, the 10300052.docx 32 STATE OF ILLINOIS 103rd GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 52nd Legislative Day 5/24/2023 objections are not filed at the county clerk. They're filed elsewhere, and the county clerk begins to prepare the ballot and is not informed that there's an objection moving forward. So, this just will make sure that those county clerks are notified. We… during the pandemic, we wanted to make sure that everybody knew the advantages of voting by mail. We made sure that people were informed of those abilities to sign up to vote by mail. And we created what's considered a permanent vote by mail list, but we put some duplicative work on our election authorities. So, we are fixing some of those changes so they no longer have to continue to notify voters of the ability to vote to be on the permanent list if they have already signed up for the permanent list. And it also… they do not have to send out that notification before a consolidated election, only before a General Election. There's a provision just for some consistency in lettering, the format of lettering on the different ballots, to make sure that we're just going to use consistent kind of standard English lettering on ballots. There's a provision about proposed Constitutional Amendments, making sure that they are printed at the top of the official ballot, rather than separately. And also, that when newspapers are publishing their proposed Amendment, they also have to publish on their electronic or digital formats. There is a provision about ballot information. Data transfer, vote by mail, early vote, and rejected ballot information that's maintained by each election authority will be synchronized with the authority's information on the statewide list at least once every 24 hours. There's a… we're moving the requirement that a 10300052.docx 33 STATE OF ILLINOIS 103rd GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 52nd Legislative Day 5/24/2023 political committee statement of organization discloses what's considered a sponsoring entity. We're also raising, this has not been done for decades, the cost of the discovery recount from $10 to $50 per precinct to help our clerks with the expense of doing those recounts. Also, requiring a security deposit for candidates that are requesting a recount. That is also a provision in here. There were… there's a provision about… back to vote by mail. When you do a vote by mail application, there's an attestation to how long you've lived at your address and just clarifying that language and making it simpler for the voters. There's some language about adjusting a county convention date and just giving some flexibility in the timing of that. Putting it between the 29th and 50th days, where before it used to have to be on a specific day. There's a provision about additional time to elect park district board commissioners. There are a couple of task force being created. One is a Ranked-Choice Voting Task Force. And then in Amendment 5, there is balancing of representation on that task force because we realized that there was a discrepancy there. There will also be a Security of Remote Vote by Mail Task Force, which is created by this. And then we have an existing Judicial Elections Task Force, and we are just extending the date by which they have to submit their report. We're giving them an extra year. They'll get to June 20… June 30 of 2024. State Senate petition challenges. When the legislative… so, this is just in the State Senate. When the Legislative District is entirely in the… in Cook County, that those petition challenges will be… heard by the Cook County Clerk. But if the legislative 10300052.docx 34 STATE OF ILLINOIS 103rd GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 52nd Legislative Day 5/24/2023 district is wholly or partially within the City of Chicago, it will be before the Chicago Board of Elections Commissioners. There is a provision about honorary members to the State Central Committee, adding the Governor, the Senate President, and the House Speaker on the Democratic State Central Committee, as long as they're members of the Democratic Party. And then the final provision has to do with the Metropolitan Pier and Exposition Authority appointments. Sorry. And the… so, appointments that are made within… appointments made within 45 days of the end of the mayor's term will be subject to this provision. They're terminated six months after the effective date. And then that membership is recreated and then to be reappointed by the mayor. And the person who is appointed originally can still be reappointed to that. And that goes over… I know I didn’t do them all perfectly clearly, but that does go over all the provisions. And I'd be happy to take questions and clarify."
"On this question, Leader Windhorst."
"Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Will the Sponsor yield?"
"She indicates she'll yield."
"Thank you. Representative, I appreciate you going through the… the Bill so thoroughly. That will limit some of the questions I have, so I appreciate that. It looks like we are creating, with this Bill, two task forces and modifying two others?"
"Correct."
"Do I have that correct? First, with regard to the Ranked-Choice Voting Task Force, I believe you said the original, earlier version had differences between the 10300052.docx 35 STATE OF ILLINOIS 103rd GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 52nd Legislative Day 5/24/2023 legislative appointments. And the Amendment 5 makes those in parity or the same. Is that accurate?"
"Yeah. Based on our discussion in committee, we've made those and gave parity. Yes."
"And with regard to the Security of Remote Vote by Mail Task Force, what is the purpose of that task force?"
"Sorry. It will study the feasibility of implement… of implementing a remote vote by mail system that will allow an election authority to transmit a vote by mail ballot electronically to a voter and allow the voter to mark, verify, and return the ballot to the election authority electronically. This came out of… equipped for the blind. But just visually impaired individuals wanting the ability to vote securely and privately like everybody else and not need to have assistance in returning that ballot."
"It appeared to me that there were also some military members or former military members that will be appointed to that task force. Is it envisioned that those individuals will be able to receive the electronic vote?"
"I… I think that's the thought behind it, is that's a possible use of this. So, they should have an input on that task force."
"And then with regard… there's also the Voting for Persons with Disabilities Advisory Task Force. And that is an extension of the sunset. I believe that's correct."
"Right. I think it's another six months that it's added to the… to that task force." 10300052.docx 36 STATE OF ILLINOIS 103rd GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 52nd Legislative Day 5/24/2023
"And then the Public Financing of Judicial Elections Task Force allows those members of the task force to receive expenses."
"Correct."
"Or reimbursement for expenses."
"Correct."
"The Bill establishes election day as a state holiday. Is that just for General Election 2024?"
"Yes."
"And who would receive that holiday?"
"It would just be K-12 schools."
"So, state agencies would not receive the holiday or other…"
"No. And universities would not either. Just K-12 schools."
"With regard to the naturalization ceremonies and providing the ability to register to vote for those who go through the naturalization process, who will be performing the registration?"
"That'll be under DHS."
"And is that something they do currently for other individuals?"
"Yes."
"There's also a preregistration for 16-year-olds. Would you explain that and how that will work?"
"Yeah. And I… I know I did go through that pretty quickly. And I know we had a great… earlier, not our most recent committee hearing, but in a prior subject matter hearing, we did have this. This was House Bill 2446, for anybody else's 10300052.docx 37 STATE OF ILLINOIS 103rd GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 52nd Legislative Day 5/24/2023 reference, that we did see in that. So, I mean, I'm… I'm a little bit of oversimplifying it maybe, but when someone is, like I said, going to get their driver's license or otherwise interacting, you know, with a state agency, their information that indicates that they would be an eligible voter is held in abeyance. So, they're pre-registering… they're kind of pre-applying and then it turns into a registration application when they are of proper age."
"And I think a concern that I've heard expressed is 16- or 17-year-old's voting before they are eligible and what mechanisms will be in place to ensure that does not occur?"
"Well, we already allow 17-year-olds to register. And then that is held in abeyance, right, until they turn 18. And this is just extending this to 16-year-olds."
"With regard to the County Central Committee and conventions in the election of State Central Committee members, we have in our law Alternative A and Alternative B. We made changes to Alternative B. Is that accurate?"
"Yes. Just to Alternative B."
"And there are no changes to Alternative A?"
"That's correct. That's correct."
"And just for our edification, alternative… which political party currently uses Alternative B?"
"The Democratic Party."
"And which party then uses Alternative A?"
"The Republican Party."
"An earlier version had changes to Alternative A, but those are not in Amendment 5. Is that correct?"
"Yeah, and it was my understanding that was agreed upon." 10300052.docx 38 STATE OF ILLINOIS 103rd GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 52nd Legislative Day 5/24/2023
"I believe that's accurate."
"Thank you."
"If you could explain the change for the Metropolitan Pier and Exposition Authority Act. Why was that change put into law?"
"Are you talking about the Amendment 5 change or just the change overall?"
"Why that was put into law and then… and as it relates to Amendment 5?"
"So, it's in response to the fact that very late lame duck appointments, when a vote is already taken and there is going to be an incoming mayor and this late lame duck appointment isn't putting someone in a position that, you know, has a lot of influence and authority over others. Inserting them into the next person's administration."
"And with this Amendment 5, that, I guess, only applies to one appointment. Is that accurate?"
"So, the way it's written, yes, but it provides that for future appointments that could no longer happen."
"Meaning future appointments would not be a… a mayor in a future appointment could not make a lame duck appointment. Is that…"
"Correct. Correct."
"So, we're eliminating the ability to make lame duck appointments?"
"Yes."
"Do you know if that exists anywhere else in the law where we limit lame duck appointments?"
"I would have to get back to you with specifics." 10300052.docx 39 STATE OF ILLINOIS 103rd GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 52nd Legislative Day 5/24/2023
"Because it appears that we're really picking out one person that was appointed by former Mayor Lightfoot and singling that situation out. I understand it's going to apply going forward, but that appears to be the driving force behind it. So, you had mentioned we will be removing the sponsoring entity languages, language rather, for political action committees in the state."
"Yes. It's been very… it hasn’t been always used consistently. There's been a lot of inconsistencies in the application of it. And so, it's cleaning that up."
"All… there's no change to the disclosure requirements that currently exist, however, meaning that the…"
"No. No."
"…contributions or expenditures over the certain amount will still be reported as previously."
"Right. Right."
"We are also dealing with some of the costs for discovery recounts and election challenges. First, as regards to discovery recounts, we're going from $10 to $50 per precinct for discovery recount?"
"Yeah. Like I said, the clerks have brought this to our attention for years. And the $10 amount has been in place for over four decades and has just not been adjusted. And like I said, clerks have been asking for years to be able to deal with these expenses. So, I think we're finally… and frankly, they had asked for a much higher raise, but we… we think that 50 is adequate."
"And the election challenge lawsuit security deposit, that is a new requirement that will be under this law?" 10300052.docx 40 STATE OF ILLINOIS 103rd GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 52nd Legislative Day 5/24/2023
"So, before it was just the election authority, but now the motion can be made by the election authority or any party to the case."
"You're speaking about the security deposit?"
"Yes."
"Who will determine the amount of the security deposit?"
"The parties could agree or the court could order it or the election authority could request the amount."
"But there's no guidelines in statute as far as the amount?"
"There is language that says that it's cost as reasonably needed to compensate the election authority for the costs incurred in relation to the contest."
"I guess a concern is that might prevent people who are able to get into court to challenge an election not being able to. Do you want to respond to that?"
"They can make that plea to the court."
"Representative, I appreciate your answers and the changes that you made in committee that we requested. I'm not going to be able to support your Bill today, but I do appreciate you making the changes that were referenced in committee. Thank you."
"Thank you. I appreciate your questions."
"On this question, Leader Flowers."
"Thank you. Will the Sponsor yield?"
"She indicates she'll yield."
"First of all, the board is not correct. We're not talking about counseling. Am I correct?" 10300052.docx 41 STATE OF ILLINOIS 103rd GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 52nd Legislative Day 5/24/2023
"You're correct. There's… this was a gut and replace."
"Okay. And so, in… because I don’t know which Bill or which Amendment this is, this is Amendment #1 just for the record."
"Amendment 4 is the guts of the Bill and then Amendment 5 are some clarifications to that Amendment 4. So, it's Amendments 4 and 5."
"Okay. So… so, we're talking about Amendment 4 and 5. And we're not talking about the counseling compact. This is a total gut and replace?"
"Correct."
"Thank you."
Speaker Hoffman: "Representative Guzzardi. Representative Moeller."
"Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Will the Sponsor yield?"
"She indicates she'll yield."
"Thank you. Representative, thank you for the time that you've put into crafting this Bill along with Chairman West. Back in March, we had a subject matter hearing on a Bill that I introduced, House Bill 3965, which would've included email addresses for candidates in local and state offices to give the public and the press the opportunity to reach out to those candidates and find out more about their… their campaigns. It's my understanding that House Floor Amendment #5 deletes the provision that was included in House Amendment #4 that attempted to address that, correct?"
"Yeah. I think that's correct. I think we've… the original… the attempt in Amendment 4 wasn’t really going to reach the aims of what… what you were originally proposing. 10300052.docx 42 STATE OF ILLINOIS 103rd GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 52nd Legislative Day 5/24/2023 So, instead of putting something in that's kind of half- baked, it was let's start over. And I agree, I think your provision is a really important thing for voter access to information about candidates. And I'm looking forward to making sure that we put that in any next Bill that we discuss about elections."
"Thank you. And… and I also want to thank staff for attempting to address that at the last minute. It's my understanding that it was the Senate that decided they did not want to include the compromised language that we attempted to draft to include that provision. Okay. Thank you."
"Representative Avelar."
"Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Will the Sponsor yield for a question?"
"She indicates she'll yield."
"I just want to make sure that I'm going over this correctly when it comes to ex-officio members. Do they have any voting rights?"
"No, they do not."
"Okay. Thank you."
"Representative Syed."
"Thank you, Mr. Speaker. To the Bill."
"To the Bill."
"I just wanted to talk about an aspect of this Bill that I'm very excited about. As lawmakers, I believe that we should be doing everything in our power to increase participation in elections, especially among an important subset of voters who will live with the consequences and the benefits of the decisions that we make here in Springfield much longer than 10300052.docx 43 STATE OF ILLINOIS 103rd GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 52nd Legislative Day 5/24/2023 many of us will. By allowing 16-year-olds to preregister to vote, we will encourage more young people to take part in this process. And support for this Bill will strengthen our democracy and make voting a more welcoming experience for the next generation. I urge an 'aye' vote. Thank you."
"Representative Stuart."
"Thank you. Thank you, Representative Syed. I agree with you, and I'm excited about this provision too. But, Mr. Speaker, can I temporarily withdraw this from the record because there's some clarification that needs to be completed?"
"Out of the record. Chair recognizes Leader Mah."
"Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Democrats request a caucus at 9:30 p.m. tonight in Room 114. Thank you."
"The Democrats will caucus in Room 114 at 9:30. Mr. Clerk, Agreed Resolutions."
"Agreed Resolutions. House Resolution 318, offered by Representative Haas. House Resolution 319, offered by… offered by Representative Kifowit. House Resolution 321, offered by Representative Slaughter. House Resolution 322, offered by Representative Ammons. House Resolution 323, offered by Representative Tarver. House Resolution 324, offered by Representative Swanson. House Resolution 326, offered by Speaker Welch. House Resolution 327, offered by Representative Gonzalez. And House Resolution 328, offered by Representative Swanson."
"Leader Gabel moves for the adoption of the Agreed Resolutions. All those in favor say 'aye'; all opposed 'nay'. In the opinion of the Chair, the 'ayes' have it. And 10300052.docx 44 STATE OF ILLINOIS 103rd GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 52nd Legislative Day 5/24/2023 the Agreed Resolutions are adopted. And now, allowing perfunctory time for the Clerk, Leader Gabel moves that the House stand adjourned until Thursday May 25, at the hour of 10 a.m. All those in favor say 'aye'; all opposed 'nay'. In the opinion of the Chair, the 'ayes' have it. And the House stands adjourned."
"House Perfunctory Session will come to order. Introduction of Resolutions. Senate Joint Resolution 17, offered by Representative Hammond. Senate Joint Resolution 29, offered by Representative Halbrook. Senate Joint Resolution 37, offered by Representative Friess. Senate Joint Resolution 41, offered by Representative Gabel. These are referred to the Rules Committee. There being no further business, the House Perfunctory Session will stand adjourned." 10300052.docx 45