Illinois House Floor Debate — March 20, 2024

"The House will be in order. Members will be in their chairs. We shall be led in pray 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."

"We will be led in the Pledge of Allegiance today by Representative Croke."

"Roll Call for Attendance. Leader Manley is recognized to report any excused absences on the Democratic side of the aisle. Leader Manley."

"Mr. Speaker… there we go. Mr. Speaker, let the record show that Representatives Gill, Flowers, Slaughter, and Hanson are excused today."

"Thank you, Leader. Leader Keicher… let the record show that Representatives that she mentioned are absent 10300079.docx 1  STATE OF ILLINOIS 103rd GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 79th Legislative Day 3/20/2024 today. Leader Keicher is recognized to report any excused absences on the Republican side of the aisle."

Speaker Smith: "Let the record reflect that Representative Tipsword is excused today. Have all recorded themselves who wish? Mr. Clerk, please take the record. There being 113 present, we do have a quorum. Representative Canty wishes to be recognized."

"Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Point of personal privilege."

"Please state your point."

"I would like to introduce my Page for the day, Justin Robinson. Justin is 12 years old and a 7th grader at Westchester Middle School. His favorite classes include language arts and science, and he plays football for the Amhurst Bears, both defensive and offensive tackle and tight end. So, he's got those good hands. And he also plays golf with the Illinois Junior Golf Association. Justin loves acting, photography, making and flying paper airplanes. He has an engineer's mind. He loves to imagine things, build them, and also take them apart to see how they work. He's taken acting classes at Second City in Chicago and also read the Village of Westchester's Juneteenth Proclamation in 2023. Justin is an animal lover and also is an advocate for others. He's fearless in standing up for injustice and supporting his friends and family. He wants to be an actor, photographer, and football player when he grows up. He is joined by his mom, Victoria Vann, who is a trustee for the Village of 10300079.docx 2  STATE OF ILLINOIS 103rd GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 79th Legislative Day 3/20/2024 Westchester. So, can we please give Justin a warm Springfield welcome?"

"Representative Chung, for what reason do you wish to be recognized?"

"Point of personal privilege, Mr. Speaker."

"Please state your point."

"Thank you very much. It's not every day that a Representative gets to share exciting news on the floor regarding the announcement of a new university president in their district. The Illinois State University Board of Trustees named Dr. Aondover Tarhule as the university's 21st president on Monday, March 18. Trustees also appoint… approved a four-year contract for Dr. Tarhule that will expire on March 17, 2028. The transition to the new position takes place immediately following his yearlong interim president appointment and a national search led by a 29-member search committee composed of trustees, students, faculty, staff, and alumni. He is described by Board of Trustee's Chairperson Dr. Kathryn Bohn as a visionary, strategic, and approachable leader who brings a high level of integrity, knowledge, and thought to conversations that will continue our institutions 167-year legacy well into the future. Dr. Tarhule joined Illinois State University in 2020 as vice president for academic affairs and provost, and also serving as a professor in the Department of Geography, Geology, and the Environment. He previously served as vice provost and dean of the Graduate School at Binghamton University and was executive associate dean and department chair in the College of Atmospheric and Geographic Sciences at the University of Oklahoma. He's a 10300079.docx 3  STATE OF ILLINOIS 103rd GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 79th Legislative Day 3/20/2024 prolific researcher and widely published scholar. Dr. Tarhule was born and raised in Nigeria, is a first-generation college student, earning a bachelor's degree in geography and a master's degree in environmental resources planning from the University of Jos, Plateau State, in Nigeria. He later earned a master's degree and a doctoral degree in geography from McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, then received a postdoctoral fellowship from the Canadian Science Advisory Council to conduct research at Queens University in Kingston, Ontario. He is married to Dr. Roos Tarhule, who is a CPA with a Master of Accountancy and a PhD in geography. And they have two adult children, son Sesugh of Boston and daughter Doobee of Amsterdam. I have worked with President Tarhule for the past year while he was acting president and cannot say enough about his division and his dedication to university. I'm thrilled that we can now drop the acting interim part from his title, and I would like to wish him the best and ask that my colleagues here in the chamber offer their congratulations as well. Go Redbirds."

"Representative Caulkins, for what reason do you wish to be recognized?"

"State your point."

"Representative Walsh, for what reason do you wish to be recognized?"

"Thank you, Mr. Speaker. A point of personal privilege, please."

"Please state your point."

"Ladies and Gentlemen of the House, I'd like to… if you'd join me in welcoming back former Member Representative Pat Verschoore to the House Floor. And he's going to be here tonight just for the Sportsmen's Caucus. So, don’t forget, 5 to 7 at the Wyndham. A lot of stuff going on, raffles, et cetera. So, hope to see you all there tonight. Thank you."

"Representative Kifowit, for what reason do you wish to be recognized?"

"Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Point of personal privilege."

"Please state your point."

"Members of the House, I want to draw your attention to a special visitor that we have up in the gallery right above me, Mandy Jo Ganieany. She is the cochair of the International Women's Committee of the International Union of Painters and Allied Trades. She's also affiliated with Painters District Council 30. And she is here at the Capitol to help promote women in the trades, and we'd like to give her a well round of appreciation for coming today." 10300079.docx 5  STATE OF ILLINOIS 103rd GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 79th Legislative Day 3/20/2024

"Representative Didech, for what reason do you wish to be recognized?"

"A point of personal privilege, please."

"Please state your point."

"Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I'd like to introduce two very exciting guests we have in the gallery today above the Republican side. Coming here all the way from Vernon Hills, Illinois, Peter and Harper Pavlik. They are in sixth grade and fourth grade. They came here for the ICASA rally, and they are here to see how we do our work. So, please give them a very warm welcome here to Springfield."

"Representative Hirschauer, what reason do you wish to be recognized?"

"Point of personal privilege, please."

"Please state your point."

"Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I rise to welcome advocates and providers from the Illinois Coalition Against Domestic Violence who are here today rallying for the support they need from the State of Illinois. If anyone in the gallery is from ICASA, I invite you to stand up, please. Let's give them a round of applause. If you were in the rotunda around 12:00 today, you heard their fierce cries. They are doing really incredible work in every corner of this state, in every single one of our districts. They are the boots on the ground providers for survivors and victims of sexual assault, and I am glad that they are here today. I hope that each one of you take a little bit of time to meet the folks that are here and listen to their requests. Thank you, ICASA, for being here today." 10300079.docx 6  STATE OF ILLINOIS 103rd GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 79th Legislative Day 3/20/2024

"Representative Ugaste, for what reason do you wish to be recognized?"

"State your point."

"Representative Cassidy, for what reason do you wish to be recognized?"

"Point of personal privilege."

"Please state your point." 10300079.docx 7  STATE OF ILLINOIS 103rd GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 79th Legislative Day 3/20/2024

"Just a reminder, folks, today is the Sullivan Caucus celebration. There will be bagpipes. There will be refreshments. There will be Irish fun. Isn't everything Irish fun? Tonight from 6 to 10 at the Gin Mill. Hope to see you all there."

"Representative Benton, for what reason do you wish to be recognized?"

"Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Point of personal privilege."

"Please state your point."

"Today, you see a… a little gift in front of you, and this is to highlight small businesses within the district. And I want you to enjoy a custom blend that was made by Ten Drops Coffee, right here. Custom stamp, ethically sourced and labor sourced coffee. And this is the House blend 103rd General Assembly edition. So, this is a custom roast just for us. And as you go around the state and as you go back to your district, just remind everybody in your community to support local small businesses. And if you can, tag them on social media and let them know how good the coffee is. And this is in coordination with Leader Manley. This is right on our boarder. And they're just a great business, and we wanted to highlight them. And thank Constellation because every day they're giving us the energy to get through the day. That's a dad joke."

"Mr. Clerk, Rules Report."

"Thank you, Mr. Clerk. Representative Ladisch Douglass, for what reason do you wish to be recognized?"

"Point of personal privilege."

"Please state your point."

"My point is to rise today for Women's History Month. I am honored to talk about a trailblazer in journalism and business, Katharine Graham. Born in 1917, Graham was the daughter of millionaire… of a millionaire financier who had purchased The Washington Post at a bankruptcy auction in 1933. Her father would eventually appoint Graham's husband as the paper's publisher. And until her mid-40s, Graham was often seen as having no real career prospects. Viewed only as an obedient daughter and self-described doormat wife, things quickly changed when her husband passed away in 1963. Immediately Graham took charge of The Washington Post, finding herself leading a male-dominated organization in a male-dominated industry. With few role models to look to, 10300079.docx 9  STATE OF ILLINOIS 103rd GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 79th Legislative Day 3/20/2024 Graham and The Washington Post would soon find themselves involved in some of the most historic moments in journalism history. In 1971, facing legal threats from the Nixon administration, Graham would authorize The Post to publish the Pentagon Papers, a secret 7-thousand-page document on the Vietnam War. Not long after, Graham became the first woman Fortune 500 CEO, and The Washington Post soon became the center of national attention as the paper's writers, Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein, worked to unravel the Watergate scandal. Despite threats of violence and intense pressure that threatened the business, Graham and The Washington Post continued to report on the landmark scandal that eventually resulted in Nixon's resignation. Graham would lead the paper into 1991 and receive numerous recognitions, including a Pulitzer Prize for her autobiography and a Presidential Medal of Freedom. Graham also maintained a relationship with the University of Chicago, serving as trustee for decades at the institution she had graduated from in 1938. Graham passed away in 2001, but her story remains inspirational and her work continues to be felt today. Thank you."

"Representative Grant, for what reason do you wish to be recognized?"

"State your point."

"Representative Stuart, for what reason do you wish to be recognized?"

"Point of personal privilege."

"Please state your point."

"Thank you. It may be cliché in 2024 to use the phrases 'shoot for the moon' or 'aim for the stars', but for Women's History Month in 2024, I want to talk about a remarkable woman who actually did both. Margaret Elaine Hamilton was born into a world where women were expected to defer to men, not get big ideas, and to just accept roles as homemakers and caretakers. But in spite of that, she became a mathematician, a software engineer, a computer scientist, and a major contributor to the U.S. space program. Hamilton studied mathematics and philosophy at the University of Michigan and Earlham College in Indiana before beginning work at MIT in 1959, where she developed weather predicting software and helped form the basis of modern chaos theory while working alongside Edward Norton Lorenz, who's often credited as the father of modern climate prediction and a chaos theory pioneer. Beginning in the early 1960s, Hamilton joined the MIT Lincoln Lab and was one of the programmers who created the software for computers used by the U.S. Air Force to detect hostile air craft. This experience led her to becoming a candidate for the position of NASA's lead developer for the 10300079.docx 11  STATE OF ILLINOIS 103rd GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 79th Legislative Day 3/20/2024 flight software for the Apollo program. In this role, Hamilton was the first female programmer in the Apollo project and worked on the Apollo guidance computer and the Apollo spacecrafts on-board in-flight software. Some of her most critical work was on the error detection and recovery software, which was instrumental during the moon landing when several computer alarms were triggered during the final descent to the lunar surface. Hamilton reflected later that Apollo 11 might have failed if it weren't for her fail-safes that had been capable of handling these errors automatically. Margaret Hamilton went on to have an illustrious clear in software… career in software engineering and computer science, founding two companies, coining the term software engineer, and legitimizing the field as an engineering science. She greatly contributed to the development of the core principles of computer programing and helped to program the world's first portable computer. She was also an important figure in opening the door for more women to enter into and succeed in software engineering, computer science, and other STEM fields. In 2016, Hamilton received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Barack Obama in recognition of her work for the space program and her many other achievements. In 2017, she became a Fellow of the Computer History Museum, an honor given to exceptional men and women whose computing ideas have changed the world. Women's history is full of stories of brilliant innovation, tireless work, and stubborn perseverance. Margaret Elaine Hamilton's story is just one example of this, but it's a notable one. This month, I challenge all of you to reflect on all of the 10300079.docx 12  STATE OF ILLINOIS 103rd GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 79th Legislative Day 3/20/2024 progress and contribution of women in all fields, in spite of adversity, hardship, and setbacks. When we value and welcome the contributions of everyone, as Margaret showed us, not even the sky is the limit. Thank you."

"Representative Schmidt, for what reason do you wish to be recognized?"

"State your point."

"Representative Norma Hernandez, for what reason do you wish to be recognized?" Hernandez, N: "Point of personal privilege."

"Please state your point." Hernandez, N: "Women's History Month is full of stories of pioneers and trailblazers, and the woman I rise to tell you about today is no exception. María Cerda, who we tragically lost early into the COVID-19 pandemic, was the first Latino and the first Puerto Rican member of the Chicago School Board, appointed in 1969 by Mayor Richard Daley. Before that, she earned a psychology degree from the University of Puerto Rico before coming to Chicago in 1958 to work on a master's degree in social work. She has said to have marched with Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr. in Marquette Park in 1966. She was in passion… an impassioned advocate for bilingual education. In 1974, she gave a memorable speech to the school board after finding out that Spanish speaking students did not have access to lessons in Spanish and were still sitting like vegetables in classrooms, unable to understand lessons which were only in English. The board voted to direct the superintendent to devote over $1 million to bilingual education. At another board meeting, María switched to Spanish while addressing her colleagues. When they objected that they couldn't understand her, she replied, 'That's exactly the point. How can you learn if you can't understand?' She left the school board in 1974 and helped found the Latino Institute, Chicago's oldest Hispanic research organization. She was a member of the Bilingual Advisory Council for the Children's Television Workshop and consulted on Spanish language issues for shows 10300079.docx 14  STATE OF ILLINOIS 103rd GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 79th Legislative Day 3/20/2024 such as Sesame Street and the Electric Company. She was appointed to the National Center on Educational Research by President Jimmy Carter. She was a friend and an early supporter of mayor… of the late Mayor Harold Washington and became the director of his Mayor's Office of Employment and Training. It was in this role that she played a pivotal role in Chicago's establishment as a sanctuary city. María, like all Puerto Ricans, are U.S. citizens. But while entering the city building one day in 1985, she was stopped by a U.S. immigration agents and asked where she came from. María said, 'That day, immigration agents were stopping everyone with darker skin and asking about their citizenship status and what their business was in Chicago.' Mayor Washington was outraged when he heard about this, issued an executive order prohibiting discrimination and racial profiling for city services, and also prohibited city hall from helping other agencies to investigate citizenship status. Chicago's sterling reputation as a sanctuary city has continued ever since. Among other achievements, María also helped to found ASPIRA of Illinois, an organization that helps Hispanic children prepare for and get into college. María Cerda died in 2020, leaving behind a legacy of inclusivity, compassion, and visionary change making. She played a role in making Chicago the multi-cultural and inclusive place it is today. Sadly, this Women's History Month is taking place at a time where we once… once again hear suggestions of return to the bad ole' days when having the wrong skin color or cultural presentation invited scrutiny and harassment, a time that… that were once dull whispers have become louder and more 10300079.docx 15  STATE OF ILLINOIS 103rd GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 79th Legislative Day 3/20/2024 insistent. It is at times like these when the memory of a person like María Cerda matters most. Please join me today in honoring the example she set by recommitting yourself to moving Illinois forward and not backwards. When we accept and include everyone, when we live our values and convictions no matter where somebody comes from or what language they speak, that’s the path toward a better world. Today, let's walk that path together. Thank you."

"The Chair recognizes Leader Mah for the purpose of an announcement. Leader Mah."

"Mr. Speaker, the Democrats would request an immediate caucus in Room 114."

"The Democrats will caucus immediately in Room 114. Representative Windhorst, what reason do you wish to be recognized?"

"Republicans will caucus at adjournment in Room 118. Mr. Clerk, Agreed Resolutions."

"Leader Gabel moves for the adoption of the Agreed Resolutions. All those in favor say 'aye'; all opposed say 'nay'. In the opinion of the Chair, the 'ayes' have it. And the Agreed Resolutions are adopted. And now, allowing perfunctory time for the Clerk, Leader Gabel moves that the House stand adjourned until Thursday, March 21, at the hour of noon. All those in favor say 'aye'; all opposed say 'nay'. 10300079.docx 16  STATE OF ILLINOIS 103rd GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 79th Legislative Day 3/20/2024 In the opinion of the Chair, the 'ayes' have it. And the House stands adjourned."