"House Perfunctory Session will come to order. Introduction and First Reading of Senate Bill. Senate Bill 2683, offered by Representative Bunting, a Bill for an Act concerning finance. First Reading of this Senate Bill."
"The House will be in order. Members will be in their chairs. We will be led in prayer today by Pastor Kyle Blackerby. Pastor Blackerby is with the Catch the Fire Church in Cowden, Illinois. Pastor Blackerby is the guest of Representative Halbrook. 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. Pastor."
"Let us pray. Heavenly Father, we come before you today in that mighty, matchless name of our savior, Jesus, the name that's above every other name. And I lift up that name today, and we thank you, Lord, for this day that you have bestowed upon us, this beautiful day, Lord. And we will rejoice, and we will be glad in it. And, Lord, you've chosen all of us to live in this great state called Illinois, made up of 102 counties. And, Lord, we're… we're all knitted together in our mother's womb. You have created us. You have formed us. Some of us white, Black, Hispanic, Asian, but we are all equal, and we are all created in your image. And, Father, I pray that you would be glorified today. And, Lord, your word declares that the righteousness exalts a nation. And I pray, God, that, as our Illinois Constitution reminds us, that we are to be grateful to Almighty God for our civil, political, and religious liberties which has permitted us to enjoy. And so, today, Father, we acknowledge that you alone 10400060.docx 1 STATE OF ILLINOIS 104th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 60th Legislative Day 10/29/2025 are the source of truth, wisdom, justice, and peace. You are God, and beside you there is no other. You alone are our standard by which we must live. So, Father, as I pray to you right now, I lift up every Member of the Illinois House. Lord, I do pray blessings upon them. Lord, I know today is probably going to be a long day. So, Lord, I pray mental strength. Lord, I pray mental clarity. I pray that you touch each and every one of us from the top of our head to the soles of our feet today. But, Lord, I pray that every decision would be guided not by politics, not by political lines, not by pressure, not by… by votes or popularity. But, God, I pray that every decision made today in this House and every law that is passed is by your truth and by your righteousness. So, Lord, today, as I stand before you praying, I pray in Jesus' name that we would all realize that someday we are all going to stand before the throne of heaven, myself and every person here, and we're going to be judged according to things that we've said, things that we've done, choices we've made, laws that we've passed. So, Lord, I pray that that reality, knowing that we're going to stand before you someday, God, I pray that that reality would keep us humble. I pray that it would keep our motives pure and let every decision made in this House reflect your standard and your righteousness, O God. And, God, I pray that your spirit would rest heavy upon this great state from the north, the south, the east, and to the west, from Chicago to Metropolis, Lord God, from East St. Louis to Terre Haute. God, I pray that all 102 counties be filled with your spirit, in the name of Jesus, be glorified. And, God, I pray that this state, which I love, would be a 10400060.docx 2 STATE OF ILLINOIS 104th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 60th Legislative Day 10/29/2025 place of hope, a place that families would flourish. I pray, God, it would be a place of integrity and a place of revival. So, Lord, heal our land, heal our divisions, strengthen our people, both sides, Democrat, Republican. Strengthen us, God. Let your presence be felt in every courthouse, every classroom, and in this Capitol Building. Lord, your word says that 'blessed is a nation whose God is the Lord.' So, I declare today blessed is the state of Illinois whose God is our Lord. So, Lord, I declare your lordship over the state of Illinois in the name of Jesus. May your kingdom come, may your will be done, in Illinois as it is in heaven. And I pray all of this in that mighty, matchless name of our savior, Jesus. And everybody said amen."
"We will be led in the Pledge of Allegiance today by Representative Ford."
"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."
"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 Gordon- Booth, Mason, Moylan, and Tarver are excused today."
"The record will so reflect. Leader Keicher is recognized to report any absences on the Republican side of the aisle."
"Thank you, Speaker. Please let the record reflect that Representative Stephens is excused for today." 10400060.docx 3 STATE OF ILLINOIS 104th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 60th Legislative Day 10/29/2025
"The record will so reflect. Have all recorded themselves who wish? Mr. Clerk, please take the record. There being 113 Members answering the roll call, a quorum is present. Mr. Clerk, Committee Reports."
"Committee Reports. Representative Ann Williams, Chairperson from the Committee on the Executive reports the following committee action taken on October 29, 2025: recommends be adopted is Floor Amendment(s) 4 and 5 to Senate Bill 25, Floor Amendment(s) 2 to Senate Bill 1937, Floor Amendment(s) 2 to Senate Bill 2111. Representative Blair- Sherlock, Chairperson from the Committee on State Government Administration reports the following committee action taken on October 29, 2025: recommends be adopted is House Resolution 413, House Resolution 432, House Resolution 475, House Resolution 491, House Resolution 493. Representative Guzzardi, Chairperson from the Committee on Economic Opportunity & Equity reports the following action taken on October 29, 2025: recommends be adopted is Senate Joint Resolution 16 and Senate Joint Resolution 31. Representative Stava, Chairperson from the Committee on Public Health reports the following committee action taken on October 29, 2025: recommends be adopted is Senate Joint Resolution 36. Representative Tarver, Chairperson from the Committee on Revenue & Finance reports the following action taken on October 29, 2025: recommends be adopted is Floor Amendment(s) 1 to Senate Bill 1911. Introduction of Resolutions… Resolutions. House Resolution 532, offered by Representative Ford; House Resolution 538, offered by Representative Davidsmeyer; House Resolution 540, offered by Representative 10400060.docx 4 STATE OF ILLINOIS 104th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 60th Legislative Day 10/29/2025 Cabello; and House Resolution 542, offered by Representative Briel, are referred to the Rules Committee."
"Representative Chung is recognized on House Resolution 499. Representative Chung."
"Great. Thank you so much, Mr. Speaker. If I could have the body's attention, please. I rise today to pay tribute to and honor a great man, a tireless advocate for so many causes, a lifelong resident of McLean County, an ardent Fighting Illini supporter, Ryan Whitehouse. He was known as many things to so many people, but to me, he was my friend. Ryan was the consummate professional. He loved talking business. He loved getting to know people, getting to the bottom of what makes someone tick, what drives them. Because for Ryan, what drove him was service. He lived to serve his community, and that was evidenced by everything that he did. Ryan believed in investing in communities, which is why he served as the chair of the Bloomington-Normal Economic Development Council. He was also chair of the board of Connect Transit, our public… public transit system in Bloomington-Normal. And to be honest, with all the talk around transit recently, I found myself thinking of him quite a bit and wondering what he would say and how he thinks I should vote, even though I have a sneaking suspicion of what he would tell me: that I should vote for it and make Chicago pay. But he also believed in leading by example, which is why he also served as chair of the annual St. June… St. Jude Run/Walk committee. I know so many people who participated just because he asked them to, and maybe there was some guilt tripping or maybe some gentle ribbing, but I'm also sure that Ryan promised them that they 10400060.docx 5 STATE OF ILLINOIS 104th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 60th Legislative Day 10/29/2025 would have a great time. Which is why at this year's St. Jude's Walk/Run in Bloomington, which was held earlier this month, and it took place only 10 days after his passing, people wore T-shirts that said 'Run it for Ryan,' and his team raised over 10… over $100,000 for St. Jude. But Ryan at his core was a fervent advocate for farmers, which is why he was pretty much perfect in his role as the director of national legislation for the Illinois Farm Bureau. From his early days as a kid doing 4-H, he loved talking about farmers and their needs, the Farm Bill, and lobbying the Illinois congressional delegation. And just because of who he was, he was able to get you to care just as deeply about the issues as he… as he did. I knew Ryan in a more professional way. And in May, we spoke on the phone, and he kept calling me Representative, to which I said, 'Oh, jeez, Ryan, come off of it. You have to call me Sharon.' And he laughed and protested, and I said, 'Come on, we've had a few beers. That totally means you got to call me Sharon now.' And he relented, but insisted that he would still call me Representative in public, though. But since his passing, I've heard so many stories about people who knew him as a friend and as the life of a… life of the party. I heard a story about how once he insisted on renting scooters to navigate tailgating at an Illini football game once. And I also heard about the friend group, made up of people almost exclusively named Tommy and Ryan, and how he assigned nicknames for everyone. And I heard even more stories about Illini tailgates, but I can't repeat those today. But it's safe to say that Ryan was a friend to all and always wanted to make sure that people were enjoying 10400060.docx 6 STATE OF ILLINOIS 104th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 60th Legislative Day 10/29/2025 themselves. I remember the last time I saw Ryan. It was over the summer at a reception for the town of Normal, and it was my last event on my calendar for a very packed day. I was ready to go home, but then I saw him across the room and he saw me too. And he flashed that big electric smile, and we made our way towards each other for a big handshake and a big hug. And I don't really remember what we talked about that… then, but I don't think that that really matters. But knowing that's how I'll remember him, smiling, talking to folks in a packed room, and fostering those really important relationships, that's who he was in a nutshell. Ryan's family is here in the Speaker's Gallery. His mom, Michelle; sister, Mindy; brothers Mike, Craig, and Wayne; and his niece, Eve. And I wanted to pay tribute to a really great man and to commemorate him here in the House and hopefully paint a picture of who he was for those who did not know him. We share in your grief. McLean County really lost… has really lost one of the good ones, and we offer our sincere condolences to the Whitehouse family today. After some other tributes are made by my colleagues, I ask that the body take a moment of silence to honor my friend, Ryan Whitehouse."
"Thank you, Representative. On this measure, Leader Meier."
"To Ryan's family, I want to express my condolences. You lost a great family member. And to everybody in this chamber, you lost a good friend, if you knew it or not. Ryan is one that always would tell you the good and the bad of a bill. But I quickly learned, after our first conversation, to sit down and have a conversation with Ryan was like you were 10400060.docx 7 STATE OF ILLINOIS 104th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 60th Legislative Day 10/29/2025 talking to a friend that you started school with. You could talk about anything. You could talk about legislation. But he also could tell if you were having that bad day and you needed talking to and what your problems were. It's… it's a tragic loss to lose somebody like that. And I just want to say how much I appreciate your son and everything that he did for the residents of Illinois, through all the many organizations, groups, and for him being a friend of mine. Thank you."
"Further discussion? Representative Bunting."
"Thank you, Speaker. Representative Chung, thank you for bringing this House Resolution to the floor today so we can respectfully recognize a great man that we have lost too soon. My relationship with Ryan started back in 2013 when he began his career with the Illinois Farm Bureau and I was a newly elected county president of Livingston County. There was two things certain about Ryan. He did not like his picture taken, and he is not one of those friends that you wanted to put on speakerphone. In my eyes, passionate is the best way to describe Ryan Whitehouse. As chairman of both the Bloomington-Normal Economic Development Council and Connect Transit, his community prospered from his leadership and his hard work. As an advocate and a fundraiser for the St. Jude Children's Hospital… excuse me, Research Hospital, he provided guidance, financial support, emotional support to the kids and their families at their most difficult time. As the Illinois Farm Bureau national legislative director, he fought tirelessly for Illinois farmers, not only here in our state but also in the halls of Washington, D.C. And even in the end, as he passed away, his donation of his organs and 10400060.docx 8 STATE OF ILLINOIS 104th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 60th Legislative Day 10/29/2025 his tissues provided life and relief to families. To his mother, Michelle, and his family up there in the Speaker's Gallery, thank you for sharing Ryan with us. To honor him, let's live our lives the way that he did, selflessly. Thank you."
"Thank you. On this measure, Representative Guerrero-Cuellar."
"Thank you, Speaker. To Ryan's family, I had the pleasure of meeting Ryan through the Illinois Farm Bureau's program. And Representative Bunting said one word, 'passionate,' and that was very, very much true. I introduced tamales to Ryan, and I don't know if the red or the green ones were his favorite. We were still having that debate. But he looked at this food and said, 'This is another component of agriculture that we didn't know existed in Illinois. This is something that we can figure out how to work together.' He was trying to always promote agriculture. I said I always wanted to put agriculture as a requirement in schools because it is extremely important and vital to the state of Illinois. When he came to my district, I think he was amazed and… of how a… a demographic that exists in Illinois, the Latino community, how we prepare and how we include agriculture into our culture. And he always wanted to make sure he could try to bridge that and promote that through the Farm Bureau and through other programs. And so, I… I want to say thank you for sharing Ryan with us. He was an amazing individual, and I will miss him dearly."
"Thank you, Members. The body will take a moment of silence. Thank you, Members. This resolution has been 10400060.docx 9 STATE OF ILLINOIS 104th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 60th Legislative Day 10/29/2025 adopted on a previous day. Mr. Clerk, please proceed to House Resolution 509."
"House Resolution 509, offered by Representative Will Davis. RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE HUNDRED FOURTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn the passing of Illinois Education Association (IEA) President Albert "Al" Llorens and extend our sincere condolences to his family, friends, and all who knew and loved him."
"On this measure, Representative Will Davis." Davis, W.: "Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. And thank you very much, ladies and gentlemen of the House, for indulging us for another opportunity to mourn but to acknowledge someone that was extremely important to all of us. Al Llorens, we all knew as a fierce advocate for education, working with the IEA. I know many of us encountered him on various occasions, but when I heard of his passing, I thought it'd be appropriate to introduce a… a death resolution, as we often do, but also invite his wife, Wanda, who's standing in the gallery there in front of us, to join us on this day so that we would have the opportunity to acknowledge him in the way that we all knew and loved Al Llorens. Now, I'm using Al as his first name 'cause that's what it was. But out of respect for him, I would still always call him Mr. Llorens. And the reason being is that, in the resolution, it talks about his 30-year education career. He was a math teacher at Thornridge High School, where I went to school, and he was teaching math when I was a student at Thornridge High School. So, just out of 10400060.docx 10 STATE OF ILLINOIS 104th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 60th Legislative Day 10/29/2025 respect, he's always Mr. Llorens to me. And when I would see him in the hallway, Mr. Llorens. And even as a professional, and he's a professional, I would still refer to him as that 'cause I just got this weird way of how I want to acknowledge, you know, individuals sometimes. So, he's always going to be Mr. Llorens to me. But many of us know him as Al and have worked with him. If there was ever a gentleman who was passionate about public education, it was him. And in that, it's the education of young people, regardless of where they are, who they are, where they're from, what zip code they live in, what part of the state they're… they're from. He was always about just making sure that we stood up public education. And I know there are some things that we often disagreed on in terms of mandates and how we want to make our districts do things in some ways. There… there are things, but with him, it was always still making sure that we upheld what I call the number one principle, and that was making sure that young people in the state of Illinois always had access to high-quality education. And that's something that I live by in my role as chair of the appropriations committee, but also as an advocate for education also. And while we didn't read the entire resolution, I did want to read an excerpt from the resolution that simply says that 'Al Llorens was a highly respected and beloved high school math teacher at Thornridge High School for over 30 years, where he also served as a girls cross country coach; he was noted for believing that every student had the potential to change the world for the better.' And he 'was a dedicated, tireless advocate for public education, racial justice, spearheading 10400060.docx 11 STATE OF ILLINOIS 104th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 60th Legislative Day 10/29/2025 the Ethnic Minority and Emerging Leadership Training that supported all IEA members, but especially Black and Brown members, on their journey to leadership.' And if that doesn't exemplify who he was as a person, then I'm not sure what else could exemplify him. When we lose someone like that, when we lose someone like that, it's… it's tough for all of us. And whether or not you knew Al personally or had any interaction with him, he was just a giant in this space. And I'm proud to say that the South Suburbs of Chicago, and where my district is, is the product of not only Al Llorens and his role in leadership at IEA, but past presidents Anne Davis, Reg Weaver, presidents of the National Education Association hailed from Harvey School District 152, which is the same school district that I was raised in and communities that I represent. So, I'm pleased to have this opportunity just to say thank you for allowing us to have him for the period of time that he was here on this earth with us and everything that he did to support young people here in the state of Illinois. So, with that, if there are any other Members that would like to speak, please, I welcome that. But, again, thank you very much, and appreciate you joining us today in the gallery. Thank you."
Speaker Guzzardi: "On this measure, Representative Meyers- Martin."
"Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I'll be brief because I think that my colleague, Representative Davis, has said everything. But I just wanted to give my deepest and most sincere sympathy to the family of the… Mr. Llorens. I met him when I first came to the General Assembly because I had a candidates' forum with IEA, but he was always supportive and 10400060.docx 12 STATE OF ILLINOIS 104th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 60th Legislative Day 10/29/2025 uplifting and encouraging and made me think that I could… I could survive this candidates' forum. So, I really appreciate his passion for young people, his passion for education and the importance of that, and certainly his ability to weigh in and to assist Members in this chamber who could be beneficial to IEA and the students of Illinois. So, I thank you for being here today. I thank Representative Davis for putting this resolution forward, and certainly I will miss Mr. Llorens on the landscape of education here in Illinois. So, thank you again."
"The body will take a moment of silence. Thank you, Members. This resolution has been adopted on a previous day. Representative Ford, for what reason do you seek recognition?"
"Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Point of personal privilege."
"Please state your point."
"Mr. Speaker and Members of the House, I wouldn't want the day to go by without raising awareness about a current situation on the ground. Hurricane Melissa struck Jamaica on Tuesday, October 28 as a Category 5 storm with 185 miles-per- hour winds, the strongest hurricane to hit Jamaica in 174 years of recordkeeping. Because of it, over 400,000 people were directly impacted across Jamaica. International Federation of Red Cross projects that up to 1.5 million people may be ultimately impacted. The prime minister of Jamaica has declared Jamaica a disaster zone, and St. Elizabeth Parish has declared that Jamaica is underwater. Over 500 to 600,000 residents without power as of Wednesday morning. Four hospitals survived damage, including one that has lost the 10400060.docx 13 STATE OF ILLINOIS 104th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 60th Legislative Day 10/29/2025 entire roof. Every parish affected with blocked roads, downed trees, power lines, and severe flooding. Approximately 15,000 people have sought refuge in shelter, 28,000 were ordered to evacuate, 25,000 tourists currently stranded on the island. At least seven have been confirmed dead across the island: three in Jamaica, three in Haiti, and one in the Dominican Republic as of Tuesday morning. And so, I want to make sure that we don't forget our brothers and sisters in America because there are about 25, I've been told, that are from the Chicago, Illinois area. And so, while those people in Jamaica are not American, America should remember the brothers and sisters that are in trouble right now in Jamaica. So, for that, I would like to add to the prayers of today the brothers and sisters in Jamaica. Thank you very much."
"Thank you, Representative. Representative Stava, for what reason do you seek recognition?"
"Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Point of personal privilege."
"Please state your point."
"Thank you. I rise today to introduce my page for a day, Stirling Hebda. Stirling is a seventh grader at Thomas Jefferson Junior High in Woodridge, Illinois. He is a gifted potential future finance professional who's already been honored for outstanding achievement in the area of financial education. Last year, while in sixth grade, Stirling participated in the year-long Stock Market Game, a hands-on program where students learn the fundamentals of investing, saving, and economics. As part of the program, students from across the country entered the InvestWrite competition. Stirling's essay stood out among over 700 entries nationwide, 10400060.docx 14 STATE OF ILLINOIS 104th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 60th Legislative Day 10/29/2025 and he was named the Illinois state champion of the middle school division and the national second place winner of the middle school division. Please… outside of school, Stirling enjoys volunteering in his local community and playing soccer and flag football on local teams. He is 12 years old, plays clarinet in his school's band, saxophone in the jazz band, and is a member of the student council. Please join me in warmly welcoming this outstanding young man to the House."
"Congratulations, and welcome to the Capitol. Representative Swanson, for what reason do you seek recognition?"
"Thank you, Mr. Speaker. A point of personal privilege."
"Please state your point."
"Thank you, sir. With me today is my honorary page, Demetrius Williams III. He's from Colona, Illinois, and he's a senior at United Township High School. With him today is his mother, Rebecca Hinman, who's in the gallery, and his grandma, Kathleen Ahrens. Demetrius' father, Demetrius Williams, Sr., is deceased. His activities include the United Township marching band, where he plays baritone. He… he's a performer with the Panther Players, and he is in the musical honor society. His community activities include brass ensembles, handbell choir at St. John's Lutheran Church, and he volunteers at St. John's Lutheran Church in the food pantry. His special recognition, he's a drill instructor. And if you're in the military, you know what a drill instructor is. I asked him if he's that tough, and he said yes. For the UT marching band, he works part time at Whitey's Ice Cream. His future plans are to join the military in either the Navy 10400060.docx 15 STATE OF ILLINOIS 104th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 60th Legislative Day 10/29/2025 or the Air Force. And wherever he goes to college, he'd like to be in the ROTC program. And his future lies looking toward cyberwarfare engineering. So, potential future military member in a potential new venture with cyberwarfare. So, please help me welcome Demetrius here today. Thank you."
"Welcome to the Capitol. Representative Katz Muhl, for what reason do you seek recognition?"
"Point of personal privilege, please, Mr. Speaker."
"Please state your point, Representative."
"I rise this afternoon to introduce my page for the day. Ariel Lozner is from Wheeling. He is a first-year student at the University of Illinois Champaign-Urbana studying history and philosophy. His background in debate inspired his strong and active interest in public service and in political organizing. I would also like the chamber to recognize Wheeling High School, his alma mater, and their congressional debate team, which follows the same procedures as we Representatives use here in Springfield. He is a recent graduate of the high school and served as the team captain for several years prior to his graduation last May. In last year's season, the team placed sixth at the Illinois Congressional Debate Association state tournament, and he proudly represented Wheeling at the National Speech and Debate Tournament in July… or June, excuse me. In '25-'26 season, we'll be marking the 40th anniversary of the team. Wheeling has continued to excel, earning first place in the first two tournaments of the series in the state, back-to- back. I want to acknowledge and thank the team's current and former coaches, including Mr. Thomas Schwermin, Mr. John 10400060.docx 16 STATE OF ILLINOIS 104th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 60th Legislative Day 10/29/2025 Uhrik, Mrs. Adriana Radcliff, Mr. Chad Scoggins, and Mrs. Thida Chong, and the generations of Wheeling students who have built the successful program over the past four decades. I wish the team the best as they compete in their third tournament this Saturday and throughout the season. Please join me in congratulating the team and thanking Ariel for being my page today."
"Congratulations, and welcome. Representative Niemerg, for what reason do you seek recognition?"
"Thank you, Mr. Speaker. A point of personal privilege, please."
"Please state your point, Representative."
"With me today I have a couple of folks. One is my district director, Hyleri Bowlin, up in the gallery, up from my district office in Dietrich. And with me as my page for today is the future prime minister of Norway, I think, right? This is Victoria Ellingsen. She is a foreign exchange student from Oslo, Norway and is sponsored by Eric Hartmann. She resides in Effingham right now, which I share with Representative Brad Halbrook. She speaks six languages, six languages, and her interests include playing the piano, skiing, traveling, and politics. She currently plays on the tennis team and currently serves as the varsity cheerleader. In Norway, Victoria is an active member of Norway's second- largest youth political party, Young Conservatives, where she previously served on Oslo's county board before moving to the United States. After high school, Victoria plans to serve in the Norwegian Navy, study law, focusing on international relations or criminology. Welcome to Springfield." 10400060.docx 17 STATE OF ILLINOIS 104th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 60th Legislative Day 10/29/2025
"Welcome to the Capitol. Representative Stava, for what reason do you seek recognition?"
"Point of personal privilege."
"Please state your point, Representative."
"I apologize, my district has been so productive this past season, I had to rise to recognize two outstanding athletic achievements that took place in my district. As a former cross-country runner myself, I was especially proud that Thomas Jefferson Junior High's cross-country team recently won the championship of the 4A boys division in the cross- country finals organized by the Illinois Elementary School Association. That same weekend, Brynn Bartkus, of St. Mary of Gostyn School in Downers Grove was named the 1A girls cross- country state champion as well. The IESA represents almost 500,000 student-athletes across Illinois, so to rise to the stops… top speaks to the great ability, hard work, amazing talents, and, quite frankly, if you know this sport, grit of these young people. So, please join me in congratulating them with a round of applause."
"Congratulations to those young champions. Representative Reick, for what reason do you seek recognition?"
"Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Point of personal privilege."
"Please state your point, Representative."
"I will preface this by saying, I don't know if this is a hoax or if this is the real thing, but I'm holding in my hand a statement that is presumably from the Illinois Department of Human Services called 'A Message Regarding SNAP Benefits.' 'Dear Partner, I'… a constituent of mine sent this to me this 10400060.docx 18 STATE OF ILLINOIS 104th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 60th Legislative Day 10/29/2025 morning. He received it as an email. 'Federal officials in the Trump administration have notified all states that it will not fund November's Supplemental Nutrition Assistance, SNAP, benefits if the Republican federal government shutdown continues.' Now, I'm not in favor of SNAP benefits being suspended. I'm not saying this from the standpoint of what the policy is or is not or should be, but I don't know if this came from IDHS. But if it came from IDHS, I think a statement is appropriate from the agency as to what they mean by saying, 'the Republican federal government shutdown continues.' This is a bipartisan shutdown, folks. We're all suffering the… the downfall from it. We're all having to compensate for it in one way or the other. But if this is the kind of thing that's coming out from either advocates for certain political positions or it's coming from IDHS itself, somebody, somebody at the agency needs to provide an… either an explanation or a denial that this happened. This is… we've got too many other things dividing us in this state. We've got a lot of things going on right now. We don't need this kind of crap clogging up… clogging up the conversations. So, I'm calling on IDHS to either acknowledge it, deny it, and if they're denying it, find out who sent this out to my constituent. Thank you."
"Proceeding to the Order of Senate Bills on Second Reading. On page 2 of the calendar, we have Senate Bill 618, Leader Rita. Mr. Clerk, please read the bill."
"Senate Bill 618, a Bill for an Act concerning liquor. The bill was read for a second time previously. No 10400060.docx 19 STATE OF ILLINOIS 104th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 60th Legislative Day 10/29/2025 Committee Amendments. No Floor Amendments. No motions are filed."
"Third Reading. Mr. Clerk, please read the bill."
"Senate Bill 618, a Bill for an Act concerning liquor. Third Reading of this Senate Bill."
"On this measure, Leader Rita."
"Thank you, Mr. Speaker. We have Senate Bill 618, which is a liquor package, and it does a number of things. First, I'd like to point out in Senate Bill 618 that it's an agreement between the Wine and Spirits Distributors of Illinois and Illinois Craft Distillers Association, and it makes these following changes: It creates a new class 3 craft distillers' license. It authorizes spirits showcase permit and provides self-distribution exemption. And it allows for operations for distilling pumps. Also in this bill, the agreement between the Associated Beer Distributors of Illinois and the Illinois Craft Brewers. What it does, it extends the special events retailers license to include both on and off-site premise locations, and it also allows for the creation and defines a loyalty program for the craft brewers. In addition, in 2019, we created a cocktails to go statute with a sunset, and Senate Bill 18… 618 removes that sunset and makes that a permanent program, and it clarifies what cocktails are to go within that. One of the other things that was not addressed that I'm making a commitment and made this commitment in committee is to address this third-party dealer's license. So, in the spring or when we get into the… after January, we're going to get all the stakeholders together and try to figure out the 10400060.docx 20 STATE OF ILLINOIS 104th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 60th Legislative Day 10/29/2025 licensing and/or permitting for those for third-party deliveries. I'd be happy to answer any questions."
"On this measure, is there any discussion? Leader Windhorst."
"Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Will the sponsor yield?"
"He indicates that he will."
"Thank you. Leader, on the craft distiller license, why was that brought forward?"
"What was that? I didn't hear you. I'm sorry."
"Why… why is that provision included? What are we hoping to accomplish with creating that license?"
"The original one or what we're changing here? We're going to expand it out so that they could distill more gallons, also do some self-distributing, expand that out for the… in that… in this class of this license, to extend it out for these distillers."
"And the change regarding special event retailer to sell for off-premises consumption, why was that change being made?"
"So, it… it allows so they could do off-premise, and not just on-premises, just to… to allow them to showcase their… their products."
"As you mentioned, the repeal date for cocktails to- go is being removed. Why is that repeal date being… or the sunset being removed?"
"Well, it's… it's the sunset. We originally did it. And we put a sunset that was done in '19 to see how it goes. It… believes that it's a pretty successful program. It helps a lot of these establishments. And it does clarify that on these 10400060.docx 21 STATE OF ILLINOIS 104th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 60th Legislative Day 10/29/2025 deliveries of that day, you have to have signature, and it's… it's the cocktails that they create at their locations."
"And just to be clear, we're removing the sunset, not extending it, correct?"
"We're just removing the sunset so it's a permanent program."
"And it also appeared there were some changes to investigations done by law enforcement for underage consumption relating to the ages of individuals who were used and how they are… how they must appear during the investigation. If you could, hit those… describe those points and why those changes were made."
"So, that… that is part of what I said at the very end of my description is this is that third-party deliveries that we need to address. It's pretty complicated in terms of… of how to come up with legislation to… to address what the Illinois Liquor Control commissioner… Commission is faced with. And that's why I'm making that commitment to work with all the stakeholders, the Senate to come up with a… a language in a… in a bill that would… that will be able to enforce but also work for these establishments in… in terms of having enforcement and them doing… so they could do the right thing."
"And maybe I was not… either not understanding or not clear. I was referring to when law enforcement goes to a premises using someone who's underage to purchase, sometimes referred to as a sting operation, that they… there are some additional requirements now that didn't previously exist in the law."
"So, that part of it was removed in this… in this." 10400060.docx 22 STATE OF ILLINOIS 104th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 60th Legislative Day 10/29/2025
"In the… with the amendment?"
"Yes. Yes."
"And then we show that the Illinois Municipal League is opposed. Are they still opposed?"
"The who?"
"Illinois Municipal League."
"Illinois Municipal League is opposed. They did testify in committee on terms of, you know, the home rule preemption."
"The preemption of home rule is the reason there, and on what issue are we preempting home rule?"
"On the deliveries and enforcement of… that just… it wouldn't… how I understood it, 'cause we're preempting home rule on deliveries. And they used an example if they had a dry town that they still would be able to receive deliveries is what was explained in committee."
"And we are also prohibiting a municipality from requiring a separate license for delivery as well. Is that correct?"
"Yes, in taxing."
"And this bill passed unanimously out of the Senate. Is that correct?"
"Yes."
"Thank you."
Speaker Guzzardi: "On this question, further discussion? Representative Ford."
"Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Will the sponsor yield?"
"He indicates that he will."
"Thank you. Leader Rita, I just have one question. I know over the summer and for some time some of the independent 10400060.docx 23 STATE OF ILLINOIS 104th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 60th Legislative Day 10/29/2025 craft brewers have been meeting with Members and meeting with me about being able to be a part of distribution. Will this bill allow for the independent growers to… craft… not craft growers, but craft brewers to be a part of distribution?"
"Did… you referring to the distillers or to the craft brewers?"
"Craft. Craft."
"In this bill, it just allows the distillers to do self- distribution."
"OK. So, no, it does not. Thank you."
"There being no further discussion, Leader Rita to close."
"Before… in closing, I do have some legislative intent that I'd like to read into the record. So, the current law already prohibits craft brewers from delivering alcohol, and this legislation reaffirms that prohibition. To avoid any confusion and inconsistent interpretations, the intent is to maintain the existing restriction. We will provide clarifying language through the spring through amendments, if needed, as I stated before. In addition… in addition, along with the Senate sponsor and key stakeholders, I'm committed to addressing an outstanding licensing and permitting issue this spring at the request of the Illinois Liquor Control Commission. We also intend to adjust the effective date for the new craft distillers license provision from July to August during that spring session. So, encourage an 'aye' vote. Thank you."
"The question is, 'Shall Senate Bill 618 pass?' All in favor vote 'aye'; all opposed vote 'nay.' The voting's 10400060.docx 24 STATE OF ILLINOIS 104th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 60th Legislative Day 10/29/2025 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 104 voting 'yes,' 6 voting 'no,' 0 voting 'present.' And this bill, having received a constitutional amendment, is hereby declared passed. Excuse me. This bill, having received a constitutional majority, is hereby declared passed. Leader Keicher, for what reason do you seek recognition?"
"Thank you, Speaker. Please let the record reflect that Representative Hauter is excused for the remainder of the day."
"The record will so reflect. Leader Keicher, for what reason do you seek recognition?"
"Thank you once again, Speaker. Please excuse Representative Meier for the remainder of the day."
"We sure will. On Supplemental Calendar #1, under the Order of Resolutions, we have House Resolution 432, presented by Representative Ammons. Representative Ammons on the resolution."
"Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Sorry. I rise in support… what's happening with the board? The resolution ain't listed on it."
"Just a moment, please, Representative."
"I'm sorry?"
"One moment, please."
"Thank you."
"Mr. Clerk, out of the record. Chair recognizes Leader Mah for the purposes of an announcement." 10400060.docx 25 STATE OF ILLINOIS 104th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 60th Legislative Day 10/29/2025
"Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Democrats would request a caucus meeting at 4:30 in Room 114."
"The Democrats will caucus in Room 114 at 4:30 p.m. Leader Keicher."
"Thank you, Speaker. The Republicans would request a caucus in Room 118, please."
"The Republicans will caucus in Room 118. The Democrats will caucus in Room 114. We will be returning to the floor after caucus for further action. Please return to the floor at the close of caucus. The House stands in recess to the call of the Chair. Mr. Clerk, Rules Report."
Clerk Bolin: "Representative Gabel, Chairperson from the Committee on Rules reports the following committee action taken on October 29, 2025: recommends be adopted and referred to the Order of Resolutions is House Resolution 161."
"Leader Windhorst, for what reason do you seek recognition?"
"Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Please excuse Representative Rosenthal for the remainder of the day."
"He will be excused. On page 2 of the calendar, on the Order of Senate Bills-Second Reading, we have Senate Bill 25. Mr. Clerk, please read the bill."
"Senate Bill 25, a Bill for an Act concerning regulation. The bill was read for a second time previously. No Committee Amendments. Floor Amendments 4 and 5 have been approved for consideration. Floor Amendment #5 is offered by Representative Hoffman. Correction, Floor Amendment #4 is offered by Representative Hoffman."
"Leader Hoffman on the amendment." 10400060.docx 26 STATE OF ILLINOIS 104th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 60th Legislative Day 10/29/2025
"I would like to adopt amendments #4 and 5, and then I would like to hear the bill on… and debate the bill on Third Reading, if that's OK. And I believe…"
"Leader Hoffman moves for the adoption of Floor Amendment #4. All those in favor say 'aye'; those opposed say 'nay.' In the opinion of the Chair, the 'ayes' have it. And the amendment is adopted. Any further amendments, Mr. Clerk?"
"Floor Amendment #5, offered by Representative Hoffman."
Speaker Guzzardi: "Leader Hoffman moves adoption of Floor Amendment #5. All those in favor say 'aye'; those opposed say 'nay.' In the opinion of the Chair, the 'ayes' have it. And the amendment is adopted. Any further amendments, Mr. Clerk?"
"No further amendments, but notes have been requested and have not been filed."
"Leader Hoffman."
"I would withdraw my request for all of these notes."
"Mr. Clerk, please withdraw the request for notes. Mr. Clerk."
"No further amendments. No motions are filed."
"Third Reading. Mr. Clerk, please read the bill."
"Senate Bill 25, a Bill for an Act concerning regulation. Third Reading of this Senate Bill."
"Leader Hoffman on Senate Bill 25."
"Thank you, Mr. Speaker, ladies and gentlemen of the… the House. Senate Bill 25 is the omnibus energy bill that we've been negotiating for well over a year and a half. We negotiated with the House, the Senate, developers of 10400060.docx 27 STATE OF ILLINOIS 104th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 60th Legislative Day 10/29/2025 renewable energy, developers of storage facilities, battery storage facilities. We worked with the Illinois Power Agency, the Illinois Commerce Commission. We worked with labor. We worked with equity eligible contractors. And we have an agreement with all those folks, including the various environmental… environmental organizations, that they would support Senate Bill 25. The real question is, who would not support Senate Bill 25? And I would… I would submit to you that the individuals who would not support it do not have the consumer's best… best thoughts… or their best pocketbook in mind. In addition, the Citizens Utility Board is 100% in support. As you know, the Citizens Utility Board is the watchdog for electric rates and… and gas rates in the state of Illinois as well as water rates. And they are 100% percent in favor of this bill because they know that what this bill will actually do is it will eventually, and soon, will begin to reduce individuals' power bills. Let me just tell you, I guess, beginning in June, individuals in not only the Ameren territory but also the ComEd territory began to receive huge increases in electric rates. This is a result of simple supply and demand. What has happened is we have seen demand increase for the use of energy through things like data centers, while at the same time, we have not seen supply keep up. So, what are we doing about it? We're doing several things in this bill. First, we would build three gigawatts of utility-scale energy storage, which… which, when it goes into effect, would provide low-cost credits to consumers. And this index credits for these projects would get paid if market prices are low and provide credits to consumers if market prices are high. 10400060.docx 28 STATE OF ILLINOIS 104th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 60th Legislative Day 10/29/2025 This would provide about 9%, a 9% of our peak electric use. In addition, we will build an estimated 1.8 gigawatts of virtual power plants. We'll incentivize an estimated 1.8 gigawatts for these virtual power plants, which is energy storage, demand response, and other technologies at homes and businesses. And this will be about 5.5 of our peak load. We have identified new transmission options. We have provide for an integrated resource planning so the Illinois Commerce Commission could take the lead, like many other… like most other states in the nation, for doing long-term planning for our electrical needs so we don't get in the same type of situation we are in, where our demand is much greater or is… is as great as our supply. So, this is long-term planning we're talking about, where they will make recommendations on how to make sure that doesn't happen. The Illinois… Illinois procurement agency… Power Agency indicated that this would save, this would save consumers of electricity over… over $13 billion over the life of this… this bill. In addition, this would get rid of the nuclear moratorium that is currently in Illinois to allow for not only the construction of new nuclear power, but also for small nuclear reactors and power plants. We would provide for the extension of and ensure that the energy efficiency programs that are currently in place are extended, and it would make sure that the utilities do not receive formula rates that they currently receive. And we will make sure that that program is extended for gas energy efficiency as well. The bill does many things, but what it does most, I think, is make sure that we don't see these types of spikes by addressing supply and demand. Now, some would 10400060.docx 29 STATE OF ILLINOIS 104th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 60th Legislative Day 10/29/2025 say, let's do nothing. Let's put our head in the sand and act like just everything's going to be OK and do nothing. Don't do planning. Don't put more capacity on… on the grid. Don't make sure that we have energy efficiency. But let me tell you this: Without immediate actions, Illinois stands to pay 9.5 billion in increased energy costs by 2034, utility bills will directly increase by 1 billion by 2030, and Illinois will lose more than 50,000 manufacturing and energy jobs because of the federal budget cuts. What will happen is we will see the capacity problem continue to exacerbate. We will see the amount of our bills continue to… to escalate. That is why we must act now, we must act today, and I would ask for a favorable roll call."
"On this question, Leader Ugaste is recognized."
"Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Will the sponsor yield?"
"He indicates that he will."
"Thank you. Leader Hoffman, I want to make certain that the ratepayers of Illinois know that I'm on their side as well, so I have a few questions, if… if I may. The cost of connecting these batteries, the… the storage facility you're talking about that we're going to have ratepayers pay for, does the cost of connecting that to the grid, is that included in this?"
"It is my understanding that these are performance contracts and we would provide index credits. And that would… would not be for… to pay for connection to the grid."
"OK. So, those costs would be separate. Do we have any idea how much it would cost to connect that to the grid, out of curiosity?" 10400060.docx 30 STATE OF ILLINOIS 104th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 60th Legislative Day 10/29/2025
"Well, it… it really depends on where they're built. If they're built, you know, next to a transmission line, it… it would be much cheaper than if they're… they're built far away."
"OK."
"And those… those costs are borne by the developer."
"And the… the battery… the battery… the companies who are installing these large storage facilities, they will receive money guaranteed under this bill to cover the cost of those batteries. Is that correct, through the ratepayers?"
"The… much like what we do for wind and solar currently, where we will provide… we provide RECs. The Illinois power agency will conduct auctions. They will then… they will then award these index credits, which they are called under the storage. Yes."
"OK. And under this bill, will those companies be guaranteed profits for at least 20 years?"
"No. No, they're not… they're not guaranteed a profit, no."
"They're not? OK. As far as the… those batteries themselves, have you heard any testimony about whether or not those batteries are… are rapidly developing and today's technology is going to be out of date in the not-too-distant future?"
"Well, I know, like everything, things… technology is rapidly developing all sorts of… of manufacturing. I'm sure that the batteries will be developing. And I can probably assure you that they will have technological advances in the future." 10400060.docx 31 STATE OF ILLINOIS 104th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 60th Legislative Day 10/29/2025
"And…"
"They already have from, you know, when we first started storage."
"OK. And are these projects built in Illinois or in other states without this type of price guarantee?"
"Other states are not like Illinois because many of… most of them are all regulated. We have a deregulated environment. And so, in order to make these competitive, we believe that you need to have these index credits."
"OK. Thank you. To the bill. Ladies and gentlemen…"
"To the bill."
"…my understanding is… and I… I applaud Leader Hoffman on his candor that these cost savings are not going to be seen right away. As a matter of fact, it's going to be the 2030s, if at all, before we see these cost savings. And I say if at all because as we know, and anyone who's paid attention to this for a while or been in this House for a while, both FEJA and CEJA told us about the cost savings that have never materialized, never materialized. And now, we're taking another swipe at it, hoping we get some cost savings at some point in the not-too-distant future. Our ratepayers are suffering now. Our ratepayers are suffering now, and the easy answer for this, and not that we do nothing, not that we bury our heads in the sand, but is that we do something with clean- burning natural gas, we do something on the nukes, such as we're doing, some of this bill I… I can support, and we do something with clean-burning coal to make sure we have enough power on the grid to sustain things. The reason we are having our ratepayers subsidize this is because it's not cost 10400060.docx 32 STATE OF ILLINOIS 104th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 60th Legislative Day 10/29/2025 efficient in our state. We are not Texas. We are not Arizona. And these companies possibly can't turn a profit. I don't know. But it's my understanding that there's one being built in Western Illinois on its own, with its own financing and its own money. So, I don't know why we need to do this for whatever company is going to come about and put these in place. But it's something we shouldn't be doing to our ratepayers who are suffering so much at this time and having trouble affording their bills. But to refer to the jobs that the leader spoke of when he first started presenting this bill, you're absolutely right. We are going to lose jobs. But we're not going to lose jobs if we don't pass this bill, we're going to lose jobs if we do. These are union jobs, many of them. They're our largest manufacturing companies in Illinois, which is why that consortium of companies has remained opposed, why the manufacturers have remained opposed, because a lot of those jobs are going to be lost because they know that their prices for electricity under this bill are going to skyrocket. And when that happens, they have to make decisions. They have to make decisions about whether they can remain competitive, whether they can expand payrolls, whether they can give raises, or whether they leave the state. And, unfortunately, again, we are choosing a path, instead of looking at the obvious path, it is a way to save our ratepayers money and start expanding economic opportunity in Illinois, we're choosing the opposite path. And has there been some give and take? I understand there has been. And… and, you know, the leader has been good about conducting these hearings for quite some time, and that's to his credit. But 10400060.docx 33 STATE OF ILLINOIS 104th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 60th Legislative Day 10/29/2025 it doesn't mean the bill's where it needs to be or what we should be doing. We are going to lose more Illinois jobs, more revenue to the state, more revenue to our local property taxing authorities because we once again are doubling down on policy that has not been shown to save money for the people of Illinois but cost us more money and have us buying power from out-of-state facilities, where people are be… are working at those facilities, but they're certainly not working in Illinois. Vote 'no.'"
"On this question, Representative Walsh is recognized."
"Thank… thank you, Mr. Speaker. Will the sponsor yield for a question?"
"He indicates that he will."
"So, Leader Hoffman, thank you for all the work you put into this and the rest of the team that negotiated this bill. I know personally, as being chairman of Public Utilities, that these issues are very, very complicated and complex and there's a lot of work that goes in it. So, thank you for putting that work together. I do have a question for legislative intent regarding the integrated resource plan. The protections of residential customers from unpredictable changes in their electricity cost is a particular concern to this legislative body and to our constituents. Does this bill authorize the Illinois Power Agency to procure and the Illinois Commerce Commission to approve an integrated resource plan, including long-term capacity from new and existing clean energy resources, specifically for residential 10400060.docx 34 STATE OF ILLINOIS 104th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 60th Legislative Day 10/29/2025 customers to give them the financial hedge against price creases… volatility down the road?"
"Yes, the bill allows the commission and the agency to leverage all clean resources, including existing and new resources, in an integrated resource plan and subsequent procurements to mitigate price volatility in a cost- effective, affordable, timely, and clean manner. If the commission and agency determine that a clean capacity procurement of existing resources, specifically for residential customers, offers a… a least-cost means to meet the needs of those customers in the near term, then such a procurement is an option."
"Thank you, Leader Hoffman, and thanks for wearing your glasses here tonight."
Speaker Guzzardi: "Further discussion on this measure? Representative Halbrook is recognized."
"Thank you, Mr. Speaker. To the bill. CEJA…"
"To the bill."
"…and the last few iterations of the so-called energy legislation, the green energy legislation are not about helping Illinois families. They are a worship service at the altar of the dead green god. We were told about her… their ideology, but the audits, the rising bills, the failing reliability, and the empty promises speak for themselves. We were promised clean energy would mean lower cost, more jobs, and a stronger grid. They promise a climate salvation that doesn't exist, all the while driving up cost, shutting down reliable energy, and putting our power grid and communities at risk. What we got instead were higher bills, fewer reliable 10400060.docx 35 STATE OF ILLINOIS 104th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 60th Legislative Day 10/29/2025 sources of power, and agencies that can't even meet their own goals. Families are paying more every month. Manufacturers are struggling to stay open, and our grid is stretched beyond the breaking point. This bill doubles down on a failed experiment that's hurting everyone in the state of Illinois. Ladies and gentlemen, this is not progress. It's a political religion built on failure, and Illinois families and manufacturers and employers are all paying the price. It's time to stop chasing political slogans and start delivering results. Let's stand for common sense and affordable, reliable energy. Please vote 'no.' Thank you."
"On this question, Leader Ann Williams is recognized." Williams, A.: "Will the sponsor yield?"
"He indicates that he will." Williams, A.: "Leader Hoffman, just want to walk through a couple points with you. I was confused by some of the points made on the other side of the aisle about savings never having materialized from CEJA because, in fact, was there not a refund due customers in 2026 based on the carbon mitigation credits, which would total an average of seven… six to 11 dollars a month back to ComEd customers based on CEJA?"
"Yes, it's my understanding that more than $2 billion, I think 2.6 billion, in CEJA credits were made available ComEd customers." Williams, A.: "OK. So, I just did a little math, and that's not my strong suit, but my neighbor here, who was a math teacher, told me I showed my work nicely. And what I figured out, based on just… let's just take the first five years this bill would 10400060.docx 36 STATE OF ILLINOIS 104th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 60th Legislative Day 10/29/2025 be in effect. Based on the carbon mitigation credits, consumers are going to save an average of $102 per year. That actually is in 2026. But when you take the investment costs, which are $103, then you throw in what savings we see in 2029, the net benefit just in the ComEd region for the first five years is a savings of $93 per year on the bills. So, yes, we're investing, but we're gaining money back, even in the first five years. And I'm not even talking yet about 2030 and beyond because that's where we start to see the big-time savings for customers. For ComEd alone, starting in 2030, we're going to see savings between $2.80 and $3.50 a month per bill. And Ameren, a range between $6.29 a month and $12 a month savings in Ameren territory. So, when you add up these numbers, you end up with a really good deal for consumers. The thought of going back to the district without being able to say we've done anything about utility bills is concerning. So, to the bill. How do we accomplish these goals? There are several ways and several parts of this bill that go directly to address consumer price concerns. In fact, I would say affordability is at the very heart of this energy package and a direct response to consumer concerns about rising utility rates. First, battery storage. How many times have I been up here talking about wind and solar, and my friends on the other side of the aisle said, well, the wind doesn't always blow, the sun doesn't always shine? Well, we've got an answer now, and that's in the form of battery storage. So, that's one way to increase power on the grid and keep costs down. Again, basically supply and demand. Second, energy efficiency. Obviously, the least expensive energy is the energy you don't 10400060.docx 37 STATE OF ILLINOIS 104th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 60th Legislative Day 10/29/2025 use. We are looking to save two to three dollars for every dollar invested in energy efficiency savings. Another valuable tool, kind of new technology piece that's incorporated is the virtual power plant. That means if you use battery storage at your home, you drive an EV, you put solar panels up, any of these really neat new technologies that will not only save you money, but it will save everyone money because you are increasing capacity, putting more supply on the grid. Increased use of renewables. We are removing barriers that keep us from getting the renewable development, including geothermal, solar, wind on the grid. And that's a big… a big part of the savings. And finally, I think one of the more important strategies is the integrated resource plan. And that's giving us the flexibility to address market fluctuations without waiting till after the fact. So, as we see fluctuations in the market, we can address them in real time. And that will allow us to use… meet our energy needs at the lowest cost in the most reliable fashion, and, of course, address our escalating climate crisis. This is a strong bill. Just look at the list of proponents. I urge an 'aye' vote."
Speaker Guzzardi: "Further discussion on this measure? The gentleman from Franklin, Representative Severin, is recognized."
"Thank you, Mr. Speaker. To the bill. So…"
"To the bill."
"…many of you know that a lot of times I give the MISO report. So, I want to give that to you right now. As we speak this evening, on the MISO grid, 31% of the power right now 10400060.docx 38 STATE OF ILLINOIS 104th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 60th Legislative Day 10/29/2025 that's being generated comes from coal; 38% natural gas; 12 and a half percent nuclear; 13% wind; and, of course, solar, it's dark, is zero. So, I just wanted to share with you the MISO report. And I want to give you just a little history lesson on coal because coal right now is the highest percentage of power being generated on that MISO grid. We talk about this… the bill being a… a job creator. Well, let me tell you a little bit about coal. Most coal mines have three to 500 workers that make over $100,000 a year. The coal mines that have been closed, for every coal mine job, it generates seven spin-off jobs. So, if you have a coal mine with 500 workers, multiply it times seven. That's 3500 workers that a coal mine provides jobs for. So, when you say this is a job creator, coal mines were a job creator. And let me say this about coal. I know maybe you're tired of hearing about it, and we're trying to put coal out of business in the state of Illinois, but it's never been cleaner. And actually, what we found out from Ameren, on August the 18th got an email that Ameren has stated that 80% of the power that's being generated on the grid from Ameren is being imported from other states because of coal being closed in the state of Illinois. So, I just want to share that with you. And something else that I want to share with you is this, that in committee today, that Jonathan from the ICC shared that the six gigawatt is now going to go down to three gigawatts. And so, he said, if there's possibly a brownout or a blackout, what are we going to do? How are we going to address that? Well, we would increase that from three gigawatt to six gigawatt, but that isn't something that you just do in two or three minutes or 10400060.docx 39 STATE OF ILLINOIS 104th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 60th Legislative Day 10/29/2025 two or three months. It takes a long time to build those batteries. And the other thing is, we right now have the… the potential with the peaker plants with natural gas to provide that power now. But what we're doing is the companies that have those peaker plants, they're closing them, putting them on a trailer, and moving them to Texas. And so, if, in fact, we have brownouts, blackouts, we can't call them and say, hey, we need to fire up that peaker plant because it's gone. And so, coal's going to be gone. Natural gas will be gone. You can figure out how to build your battery capacity, but it's not going to happen in just a few months. And I want to share this with you also that, of course, the moratorium on nukes. If, in fact, that we were going to build a nuclear plant, it takes five to seven years. It isn't something that you just do overnight. And I'll share this, and then I'll sit down. So, how much more per month is this bill going to cost my constituents? This past summer, electricity bills went completely out of control. I had businesses in my district who paid 3,000 last year in July for their electric bills, more than 10,000 this last July. Financial aid packages from this state and from Ameren and ComEd for customers don't come close to touching the increases that they've seen. My question is, why do you think small businesses and working families can afford another hit on their utility bills? My final comment is this. In this building, it's clear to me that we're continuously confusing a difference in doing something to the people and doing something for the people. If you want to do something to the people, pass this bill and watch electric rates go through the roof. If you want to do something for 10400060.docx 40 STATE OF ILLINOIS 104th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 60th Legislative Day 10/29/2025 the people, stop this Green New Deal stuff. It isn't working. It's costing people hundreds and thousands of more dollars a month they can't afford. Thank you."
Speaker Guzzardi: "Further discussion? Leader Spain is recognized."
"Thank you, Mr. Speaker. To the bill."
"To the bill."
"Well, ladies and gentlemen of the House and, more importantly, taxpayers of the state of Illinois, let's take stock and have an update of what's happened in Springfield today. On the second-to-last day of the legislative session for 2025, we've had action taken today to pass a massive 7% amusement tax on the entire state of Illinois for transit. We're setting in motion massive property tax increases throughout the state of Illinois with changes to our pension system. And now, here, in this bill, we're raising energy prices on Illinois families and businesses yet again. The sponsor of this bill has talked about supply and demand. The supply damage that has been done in the state of Illinois through actions of this and previous General Assemblies is devastating. We have taken gigawatt after gigawatt of reliable baseload power away from our energy system in the state of Illinois. Demand has gone up, and we are responsible for reducing supply at the same time. I am all in favor of wind and solar, now battery storage opportunities. But we don't have enough wind, solar, and now, when the sun isn't shining and the wind isn't blowing, battery storage to make up for the damage that we've done to the supply, the generation of energy in the state of Illinois. You know, we 10400060.docx 41 STATE OF ILLINOIS 104th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 60th Legislative Day 10/29/2025 have a lot of challenges in the state, and it was always a strength of pride that energy was not one of them. The state of Illinois was a net energy exporting state. We had reliable and affordable energy in Illinois, and it was one thing that we could always turn to for economic development opportunities and use it as a competitive advantage. Those days are long gone. And so, now, we're looking at a third- times-a-charm strategy, from FEJA to CEJA and now CRGA. We are making a wild bet on battery storage, a bet that other states are not willing to make. Certainly, battery storage is important, but let's do what other states have done and allow the market forces that have been created with massive price spikes, showing that there is a market for battery storage. And if we really want, we can help figure out a way to finance that battery storage. But instead, we're doing something very different. We're making it a mandatory procurement paid for by ratepayers. All of us, all of our constituents, families, and businesses will be stuck with the bill for these actions here today. We've talked about and I heard other speakers speak about some of the changes that have been made, the carbon mitigation credits that offered refunds to some of our constituents. I… I would just remind you that Illinois is a big and diverse state, and that we have two energy markets for the state of Illinois. And the policies that are made in the Chicagoland area don't work the same way as downstate communities, like those that I represent and other Members of my caucus. We have been devastated by detrimental energy decisions made by elected officials of this body. We cannot afford to continue raising prices on our families and 10400060.docx 42 STATE OF ILLINOIS 104th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 60th Legislative Day 10/29/2025 businesses in the state of Illinois. The other thing that's really important in this bill, and it's a big concern, and every one of us should… should share a hesitation when the General Assembly, when the Legislature, takes power that's entrusted to us as policymakers and we give it away. And once we give it away, we will never, ever get it back. That is what we are doing with this type of IRP planning and giving the Illinois Commerce Commission the ability to make our decisions for us to lift rate caps that we've imposed in the past to protect consumers, to make policy decisions that will change how much battery storage should be required in the state of Illinois, how much rate increases should be imposed on the people of Illinois. Once we give that away, we do not get it back, and it's one of the most concerning parts of this bill. And it really is a… a terrible failure of the Legislature to protect ourselves as a coequal branch of government. I think that this is greatly disappointing. Of all the things we've talked about this week, massive bills with major implications, this is the one that is going to hurt communities more than ever throughout the state of Illinois. We had an opportunity to work together in a bipartisan basis. There are things we could do immediately that would relieve the pressure on high utility prices for all of our constituents throughout the state of Illinois. None of that is in this bill. We're making a bet on batteries that will be four or five, six years in the future, and in the meantime, energy bills will continue to rise on all of our constituents. If we do nothing, that will be the case. And when we vote on this bill, it will be furthermore the 10400060.docx 43 STATE OF ILLINOIS 104th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 60th Legislative Day 10/29/2025 case. This is our third try. And fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me. But when you do it a third time, I don't know who's being fooled anymore. It doesn't even seem like a joke. It seems that we are taking deliberate actions to create harm to families, businesses in the State of Illinois. Please vote 'no.'"
Speaker Guzzardi: "Further discussion? Leader Windhorst is recognized."
"Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Will the sponsor yield?"
"He indicates that he will."
"Thank you. Leader Hoffman, I wanted to ask a question regarding the integrated resource plan development, specifically on amendment 4, page 883. We discussed that if the commission, the ICC's final order under this section, the integrated resource plan development section, if the final order under this section includes an approval of rate increases through the expansion of existing programs, creation of new programs, or the increase of limitations placed on procurement as described in this section, the General Assembly can override that. You understand the section I'm talking about? The concern I have is if…"
"I didn't know it was on page 83, but I'll trust you know."
"I thought you might know that. But the concern I have is the language we use for the override seems irregular from the normal language that we use as it relates to adopting of resolutions. In fact, the Section (h)(1)… subsection (1) says, 'If the General Assembly passes a joint resolution under this subsection (8) that takes effect prior to the effective 10400060.docx 44 STATE OF ILLINOIS 104th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 60th Legislative Day 10/29/2025 date of the Commission's final order, the General Assembly shall send notice to the Commission of the resolution, and the Commission shall suspend its final order.' My first question is, it says 'the General Assembly shall send notice.' I'm going to make an assumption, which is dangerous under the law, but I'm guessing you're meaning that the Speaker and the President would send that notice."
"By courier."
"By courier? That's very specific."
"No, I'm kidding. Yes."
"Yeah. The other question relates to the fact that it says 'if the General Assembly passes a joint resolution.' Now, the typical language you use is 'adopt a joint resolution' or 'adopt a resolution.' What is the… and this… the language in the amendment does not specify the vote threshold. That's why we use the term 'adopt.' So, is the vote threshold for our chamber 60 votes for that resolution, or would it be of just a majority of those voting on the resolution?"
"I can tell you that my understanding is whatever the parliamentarian would say at the time, but I… I really haven't thought about that. And I don't believe the terminology, at least it's not my intent to change the way we do resolutions. A joint resolution, if… if it says 'pass' in this bill, 'adopt' would… would be, in my mind, would have the same effect. And I would… I would… I would read that… I would say that for legislative intent as well."
"Appreciate that clarification. The other provision I would like to ask you about involve changes to what we 10400060.docx 45 STATE OF ILLINOIS 104th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 60th Legislative Day 10/29/2025 commonly refer to as local control. We are limiting local control in several areas in the bill. We're removing the ability of counties to require a wind or solar facility to provide a U.S. Fish and Wildlife review. We're restricting local zoning authority for energy storage projects, prohibiting the exercise of any power by a municipality or county that prohibits or has the effect of prohibiting the installation of solar energy systems. We're creating the Siting of Qualified Energy Facilities Article to establish a procedure for the ICC to review disputes regarding local siting for storage facilities and allows the commission to issue a siting approval certificate. And that an energy storage local… we have an energy storage local zoning override. Restricts the local zoning authority for energy storage projects. My… my question is, why are we limiting local control in so many areas in this bill?"
"The attempt is to… is to have uniform standards throughout the state for this type of siting approval. But in addition, I've heard from… I've heard from counties who have concerns, some of my counties. So, we were very deliberate in allowing for a kind of appeal process, and that would be before the ICC."
"I've also heard concerns, not under this bill necessarily, but under prior legislation, where we have restricted local control in the energy field specifically. And my constituents and other local governments I deal with, they have expressed grave concern that we continue to restrict local control in this area and impede on their rights to basically represent their constituents as we normally allow 10400060.docx 46 STATE OF ILLINOIS 104th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 60th Legislative Day 10/29/2025 them to as counties and municipalities. So, I have real concerns about our continued effort to restrict local control. Thank you for your answers."
"Further discussion? Representative Deering is recognized."
"Thank you. Will the sponsor yield?"
"He indicates that he will."
"Leader Hoffman, it's my understanding that currently CEJA is investing about $80 million a year towards our clean energy workforce. Does that sound about right?"
"I… I'm not going to dispute."
"OK."
"I don't… I don't have that at my fingertips."
"OK. Well, interestingly, I have a workforce hub in… just outside my district in Decatur in our community college, and it's been my understanding, along with about 14 around the state, that since its implementation, even the Chicago Jobs Council says that there's been a majority of delays. Has that been your understanding of these programs?"
"I would say that the majority of delays were getting the… the hubs up and running. It took the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity, I think, too long to do it."
"OK. So, is there any structure for an audit on these programs and if they have, in fact, spent the money allocated to them already in the past years' budgets?"
"I think any grantee, you can always… you can always have an audit of to make sure that the money is being spent properly." 10400060.docx 47 STATE OF ILLINOIS 104th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 60th Legislative Day 10/29/2025
"But DCEO is currently not doing that?"
"I don't know that."
"OK. 'Cause it's my understanding from our summary here that we are looking to add an additional $5.5 million to the… in totality: Clean Jobs for Workforce Network, the Clean Energy Contractor Incubator Program, the Barrier Reduction Program, and the energy transition navigation system. Is that your understanding?"
"I believe that that was for the Kankakee hub, which was set up and never funded."
"So, that's specifically for one program?"
"That's… I don't know if that $5 million totally for that program. But the… I'm told that the money that was put in there was to… I think we passed the Kankakee hub at some point after CEJA, and then it was never funded. So, this is intending to fund that."
"OK. And then those funds are going into what is the Energy Transition Assistance Funds. And it's noted here that your bill requires DCEO to transfer up to 84,800,000 annually from said Energy Transition Assistance Fund to the Electric Vehicle and Charging Fund."
"I'm going to answer. I just have to double-check."
"Take your time."
"It's a current beneficial electrification program. That's my understanding, that it… it's to transition beneficial electric starting in 2029. Current spending for those programs transferred over and are run by utilities."
"So, we're not prioritizing the workforce funding. We're shifting it to electrification." 10400060.docx 48 STATE OF ILLINOIS 104th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 60th Legislative Day 10/29/2025
"This is an additional to what is being spent."
"So, is there a surplus in the fund of the energy assistance… excuse me, the Energy Transition Assistance Fund? 'Cause we're looking for them to transfer up to 84 million annually."
"I will… I'll get back to you on that."
"OK. Because I'll just say, as a current Ameren customer, I have about 15% of my bill which is accounting for mandated charges that Ameren is recovering based on CEJA's implementation in 2021. And a lot of them are energy efficiency, et cetera. But I… I'm not seeing the benefit of that because I have too high of an income level to have an energy assessment done in my home. Is that going to continue to be the case?"
"We haven't changed that… that level for the assessment."
"So, yes. OK. To the bill."
"To the bill."
"There are so many things in this 800-plus page Senate Bill 25 that are just going to continue to crush our ratepayers. You know, we're allowing our utility companies to recover these costs, and therefore they are going to be continued to be passed on to ratepayers. So, nowhere is it my understanding that this is going to continue to save ratepayers money. Thank you."
Speaker Guzzardi: "Further discussion on this measure? Representative McLaughlin is recognized."
"Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I will be brief. To the bill."
"To the bill." 10400060.docx 49 STATE OF ILLINOIS 104th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 60th Legislative Day 10/29/2025
"Just to summarize the help that the Democrats have given the utility payers in Illinois, let's just break this down. We can get into the finite nature of batteries and the rest of it, but the Democrats have a long history of helping utility payers. Former Speaker Mike Madigan, that I had a brief period of working with, about 26 days, and a former head of a major power company and the number two nationally are both in prison for helping utility payers in the state of Illinois. Then we have CEJA a few years ago, and we got within 24 hours of shutting down two nuclear plants. And my Democrat friends in the aisle combined the threat of a shutdown of Seneca and Byron with a bunch of crummy ideas in a CEJA bill. So, I decided to work with the Democrats and voted for CEJA. I've regretted it ever since. And now, we have this nonguarantee of future rate reduction. Please, please, Democrats, stop helping utility payers across the state of Illinois. They cannot afford any more of your expensive help. Ronald Reagan said it best. The scariest words from politicians are, 'I'm here from the Government, and I'm here to help.' Utility payers in Illinois cannot afford your well- intentioned, bad, expensive ideas. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Please vote 'no.'"
Speaker Guzzardi: "Further discussion on this measure? Representative Davidsmeyer… Leader Davidsmeyer is recognized."
"Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Will the sponsor yield?"
"He indicates that he will."
"Leader Hoffman, we were a little bit rushed in committee today, I feel like. We went through three major 10400060.docx 50 STATE OF ILLINOIS 104th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 60th Legislative Day 10/29/2025 bills, two of which were yours, so I'm sure you're a… a little worn out today as well. But this is the only one that was… actually sounded like it was going to go anywhere. We were a little bit limited in time, but I'm going to… I'm going to go through some of my… some of the questions that I asked in committee. First off, I want to say I… I agree that efficiency is great, right? If we can decrease… I think when we talk about doing good things for the environment, we forget about the first two Rs: reduce, reuse, and then recycle. That type of stuff. We need to focus on what we can do up front to decrease the impact on the environment. The problem here is we are requiring utilities to do these efficiency programs, and who ultimately pays for it?"
"Well, what the… what happens is there is an assessment on the bills, so the individuals who pay the bills. However, as we move forward, there's going to be a very significant decrease in the bills because of more capacity."
"Because of more capacity. We… we already know that we're adding electric cars, and then we're adding data centers, and we're adding all these different things that increase the need for energy. So, at best, we can hope that the energy needs stay level, which we know they won't. So, ultimately, taxpayers… ratepayers, not taxpayers, ratepayers, who are also taxpayers, will pay the cost of this. Also, if… if the cost of energy does go down, the cost to deliver that energy will go up because you still have to maintain the same infrastructure to deliver less megawatts. As… as we talk about the… the battery portion of this, I read… I read a… a little piece from the IPA study that talked about RECs, renewable 10400060.docx 51 STATE OF ILLINOIS 104th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 60th Legislative Day 10/29/2025 energy credits. And what it said was purchases of RECs would be paid for using ratepayer collections made by that utility. So, the ratepayers are paying for RECs. We're adding RECs to the battery portion, which I… I forget what they called it. It was something a little bit different, but pretty much the… the same… same idea. And it also says that ratepayers are going to pay for those as well. So, we've got them paying for efficiency programs. We've got them paying for RECs from prior bills. We've got them paying for the new RECs for the batteries. The only thing that I'm seeing in this bill is guaranteed rate increases. There's no guaranteed cuts, including the power that we're giving to the ICC and the IPA that will allow them to choose what their rate cap is. If they believe they need to raise prices, they will be allowed to do that, and it will require us to actively step in and deny that. They don't have to come to us for permission. So, everybody in here, really quick, this bill gives up our authority. I've told people over and over, the good thing about elected Representatives is if we screw up, they can get rid of us. But at the ICC, the only person that can get rid of them is the governor. So, the reality is we are turning over the authority of us, the General Assembly, as elected officials, to an unelected bureaucracy. In the early 2000s, leader, the state of Illinois deregulated, right?"
"I think… I think it was 1997."
"1997, OK. So, 1997, and the ICC and the IPA keep saying that we haven't had an energy plan since then. I would argue that we don't need… they don't need our authority to put forward an energy plan. They would probably need our 10400060.docx 52 STATE OF ILLINOIS 104th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 60th Legislative Day 10/29/2025 authority to purchase the energy on our behalf and to decide what type of energy they're purchasing, but they don't need and have never needed the authority to come up with a plan to ensure that we have energy and energy production. The only thing that would help us at this point is energy production, the actual production of energy, right? The reason why we've seen prices go up nationwide is because of policies like the state of Illinois has… has produced, right? Taking baseload generation, that's the stuff that you can rely on all the time, and replace it with solar panels that produce energy when the sun's shining or wind mills that produce when the wind's blowing. Now, when it's super hot or really cold, grandma's going to want to make sure that she's warm enough in her home or cool enough in the winter. What guarantee do you have for grandma, who's on a fixed income, that her rates are not going to go up? Because the only guarantees, as I said earlier, are ratepayers are paying more for something."
"Well, I can guarantee you this. If we do nothing, our rates are going to continue to climb through the roof. It's happening not just here. It's happening throughout the entire Midwest. It's happening on the East Coast. It's happening on the West Coast. There are a lot of reasons for that. I would say it's simple supply and demand. The demand is increasing and the supply isn't, right? So, this bill attempts to address that. What the study, the IPA study, indicates is if we do not take immediate action, Illinois stands to pay 9.5 billion in increased energy cost by 2034, utility bills will directly increase by 1 billion by 2030." 10400060.docx 53 STATE OF ILLINOIS 104th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 60th Legislative Day 10/29/2025
"And… and, you've already mentioned that. And I don't want to…"
"So… so, I can guarantee you if we do nothing, it's going to be catastrophic. The idea here is to compete… is to supply… increase supply so that when demand increases, we can meet it, and we don't face brownouts and blackouts, and we don't have these high costs to capacity markets."
"We are… we are saving. We are saving, in a battery, energy that's already being produced. We need energy production, and the wind and solar and batteries are not going to do it. We need… we need to look at natural gas. The… the reason why prices have soared is because you have the needs going up, as you said, but you also have… you also have the production going down because of policies that the state of Illinois has… has produced."
"But that's incorrect. That's incorrect."
"That absolutely is correct."
"It is not correct."
"That is supply and demand."
"That is supply and demand, but… but it isn't the…"
"You have supply… you have supply going down…"
"If you would let me answer, I'll answer."
"I…"
"And then… then you can… you then can disagree with me. It's OK. I'm a big boy, I can understand."
"I… I understand. I can too."
"So… so…"
"I've done it a million times." 10400060.docx 54 STATE OF ILLINOIS 104th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 60th Legislative Day 10/29/2025
"…what has happened is CEJA, the… nothing goes into effect for any closures in CEJA until 2030. There have… there have been closures, but a lot of it had to do with federal law and the… and the… the mercury emissions. And so, some of them were closed."
"Which is suspended now."
"But… but the… but the CEJA… the CEJA closures do not go into effect until 2030. Nothing in this bill, nothing in this bill does anything to the closure of fossil fuel plants in Illinois."
"If… if I told you that in 10 years I'm going to close your facility, how much are you going to invest in the… continuing to run that facility, especially as they're older facilities? And I won't disagree with you that some of them were on track to go offline eventually. This has sped it up. These policies has sped it up. We should be looking at natural gas to produce more energy, not just find a way to store a nonbaseload production. The reality is we've passed FEJA, which increased rates; we've passed CEJA, which increased rates; and now we're going back to ratepayers saying, oh, give us one more try. Third time's a charm. Let… let us pass this, and it'll lower your rates. The reality is that none of this will be online for at least five years, so energy prices are going to continue to rise because of FEJA and CEJA. They're going to continue to rise. And when this comes online, that's when they're going to add the additional cost of the battery storage that ratepayers are going to have to pay for. If you vote for this bill, it is a guaranteed rate… it is a guaranteed rate increase to ratepayers, and there may 10400060.docx 55 STATE OF ILLINOIS 104th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 60th Legislative Day 10/29/2025 possibly be some savings down the line. Now, I agree that we need to do something, but basic battery storage in five years? We could have real production in seven years. So, I urge everyone to vote 'no.' If you vote for this, you are voting to raise energy rates on your constituents."
"I… I would just, Mr. Speaker, make a… a quick point that it's not correct that this will not… this will not decrease immediately bills. The… the virtual power plant program will reduce bills by up to $4.34 per month for Ameren customers immediately when it is put into effect and $1.11 per month for ComEd customers. Not a lot, but it's a reduction. The Energy Efficiency Program, the Illinois Power Agency estimates that it will help reduce energy bills by up to $1.41 per month on Ameren customers immediately and up to… up to $0.30 per month for ComEd customers. Not a lot, but it's a reduction."
"Our final speaker on this matter, Leader Gabel is recognized."
"Thank you, Mr. Speaker. To the bill."
"To the bill."
"So, I would like to… to stand to appreciate the hard work of the members of the legislative working group on energy that has been working for more than a year to help chart a path forward on these urgent energy issues: Leader Hoffman, Leader Evans, Leader Williams, Senator Cunningham, Senator Stadelman, Deputy Governor Bria Scudder, and the amazing House and Senate staff. First, I'd like to talk a little bit about process. I know some people don't like process, but process matters. This has been an incredible effort, dozens 10400060.docx 56 STATE OF ILLINOIS 104th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 60th Legislative Day 10/29/2025 of hours of subject matter hearings, both on big idea topics and nitty-gritty details. This has been a thoughtful process and one that continues to prove that we can tackle big things. We started with recognizing that we have a problem. We've talked about that here this evening: rising electric bills, potential power shortages in the coming years, threats to clean energy development from Donald Trump and his coal cronies in D.C. And then we identified the root cause: surging new demand from data centers, rising costs from tariffs, and a failure on the part of the grid operators to plan and procure for the one thing we are paying them to do, keeping the lights on. Once we identified the problem, we had a choice to make. Do we throw up our hands and hope that someone else figures it out, or do we do something about it? Do we hope the magic of the free market will solve this problem for us? Do we think Donald Trump is going to solve this problem for us? Do we think that energy will suddenly get cheaper if we don't do anything about it? I took this job because I choose to do something about the problems we face. I want to fight for things, not hide from things. Sometimes that means we have to make tough decisions. Sometimes that means we have to make decisions on complicated issues that we don't fully understand at the start. So, we pull in the best and the brightest from around the state to figure out what makes the most sense, what is reasonable, and what is feasible. And then we have to make the decisions. You see very clearly in those processes who is there to solve the problem and who is not, who is looking for excuses and who is trying to move us forward as a state. I urge you here today that you join the 10400060.docx 57 STATE OF ILLINOIS 104th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 60th Legislative Day 10/29/2025 team of the problem solvers, the team of the doers, the movers, the team that gets things done for people. You don't want rates to go up? Neither do I. Pass this bill. You want jobs for your community? So do I. Pass this bill. You want to make sure the power stays on? So do I. Pass this bill. Is this the end of our work on energy? It most certainly is not, but these are the steps that we have to take right now to do what is right for our communities and also do what's right by the world to limit climate change, to reduce carbon in our atmosphere. Thank you all for your time and for your vote."
"Seeing no further discussion, Leader Hoffman to close."
"Well, thank you, Mr. Speaker. And I need to read something for the purpose of legislative intent before I close. The Geothermal Homes and Business Program will help mitigate peak demand and consumer energy costs. Current language proposed procurement delivery year through 2035. It's the intent of this legislation that the agency will also be authorized at its discretion to propose and administer additional delivery years beginning in 2036 and thereafter, subject to the ICC approval. The agency will assess the cost and benefits of the program and then will determine whether additional delivery years beyond 2035 would be appropriate. First of all, I… I'd just like to thank Leader Gabel. I don't think that I could have said it any better in my closing than she did. But I'd like to thank Leader Gabel for her leadership, Leader Ann Williams, Leader Marcus Evans, also Chairman Larry Walsh for all their work on this… on this energy bill. It was a lot of hours, a lot of work, and this 10400060.docx 58 STATE OF ILLINOIS 104th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 60th Legislative Day 10/29/2025 is a very complicated matter, as has been stated. I just want to answer a few of the statements that were made, and… and I… it's OK to agree to disagree. But a statement was made about reducing the storage from three… from six megawatts to three megawatts. Why was that done? It was done for cost, to help reduce the cost of this bill and the burden on consumers. The statement was made that it's going to take a long time to build a new nuclear power plant. Well, if there is a moratorium on nuclear power plants, there'll be no new… nuclear power plants forever. So, this addresses an issue that many of the folks on the other side of the aisle have brought to my attention for many, many years, that we would like to get rid of the nuclear power plant moratorium. And it does just that. In addition, you want to talk about the problem. The problem is… I don't believe has been created by us. You may disagree. It wouldn't be happening in every other state in the nation if it was created by us. It was created by FEJA and CEJA, and it's happening everywhere. It's happening in Missouri, Indiana, Iowa, Wisconsin. It's happening in California. It's happening in Maryland. It's happening in Virginia. And the list goes on and on. And it's simple. It's simple. For a very complicated question, there's a simple answer. There's more demand than supply is going onto the grid. Simple. Now, we can talk about whether we could have clean natural gas. I'd be willing to talk about that. Some folks on my side of the aisle probably wouldn't, but I would be. I was a leader in providing for carbon capture and sequestration that… that we passed about a year ago so that we could capture the carbon in fossil fuel plants and we could 10400060.docx 59 STATE OF ILLINOIS 104th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 60th Legislative Day 10/29/2025 use the topography and geology in Illinois to sequester and start a whole new industry. This bill does not close any fossil fuel plants in Illinois. It does not. What it does is it tries to address the issue of not putting more supply onto the grid. It does that through storage. It does that through virtual power plants. It does that through energy efficiency. And I would just say, if we do nothing, if we choose to do nothing, by 2030, 2030 we're going to see an increase of a billion dollars on our ratepayers' bill. So, we can't choose to do nothing. We have to do something, and this bill addresses that issue. I ask for an 'aye' vote."
"The question is, 'Shall Senate Bill 25 pass?' All 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 70 voting 'in favor,' 37 voting 'opposed,' 0 voting 'present.' And this bill, having received a constitutional majority, is hereby declared passed. The clerk is in receipt of Motions in Writing to waive the posting requirements for several legislative measures. If there leave, we will take these motions together in a single vote. Is there leave? Leave is granted. Leader Gabel on the motion."
"Speaker, I move that the posting requirements be waived so the following measures can be heard in committee: House Resolution 497, House Resolution 498, House Resolution 520, House Resolution 521, House Resolution 525, House Resolution 526, House Resolution 530, all in State Government Administrative Committee; House Joint Resolution 46 in Transportation: Regulation, Roads & Bridges; Senate Bill 2683 10400060.docx 60 STATE OF ILLINOIS 104th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 60th Legislative Day 10/29/2025 in Elementary & Secondary Education: Administration, Licensing & Charter Schools."
"Leader Gabel has moved to waive the posting requirements. We will take these measures in one vote. It'll be a recorded vote. Leader Windhorst is recognized."
"Thank you, Mr. Speaker. First, would you excuse Representative Sheehan for the remainder of the day? And, yes, we would request a record vote on this motion."
Speaker Guzzardi: "Your request has been received, leader. Representative Sheehan will be excused. We'll take a vote on this motion now. All 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. There being 73 voting 'in favor,' 34 voting 'opposed,' 0 voting 'present.' This motion, having received a constitutional majority, the posting requirements are waived. Leader Mah is recognized."
"Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Democrats would request a caucus meeting at 8 p.m. tonight after adjournment in Room 114."
"Democrats will caucus in Room 114 at 8 p.m. this evening. Mr. Clerk, committee announcements."
"The following committees will be meeting after the caucus: Elementary & Secondary Education: Administration, Licensing & Charter Schools will meet in Room 115. The Executive Committee will meet in Room 114. State Government Administration will meet in Room 122. Transportation: Regulation, Roads & Bridges will meet in Room 118."
"Leader Spain, for what reason do you seek recognition?" 10400060.docx 61 STATE OF ILLINOIS 104th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 60th Legislative Day 10/29/2025
"Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As an inquiry, is there an estimated duration for the Democratic caucus meeting?"
"As… as brief as humanly possible, leader."
"I'm sure that's the case. Just if… if there's a heads up so we can plan for committees, that'd be appreciated."
"We're inquiring. Just a moment, leader."
"Thank you."
"Leader, we're anticipating in the vicinity of 15 to 30 minutes. Mr. Clerk, Agreed Resolutions."
"Agreed Resolutions. House Resolution 531, offered by Representative Katz Muhl. House Resolution 533, offered by Representative Ford. House Resolution 534, offered by Representative Spain. House Resolution 535, offered by Representative Cabello. House Resolution 536, offered by Representative West. House Resolution 537, offered by Representative Mason. House Resolution 539, offered by Representative Grasse. And House Resolution 541, offered by Representative Crawford."
"Leader Gabel moves for the adoption of the Agreed Resolutions. All those in favor say 'aye'; all those opposed say 'nay.' In the opinion of the Chair, the 'ayes' have it. And the Agreed Resolutions are adopted. And now, allowing for perfunctory time for the clerk, Leader Gabel moves that the House stand adjourned until Thursday, October 30, at the hour of 11 a.m. All those in favor say 'aye'; all those opposed say 'nay.' In the opinion of the Chair, the 'ayes' have it. And the House stands adjourned."
"House Perfunctory Session will come to order. Committee Reports. Representative Scherer, Chairperson from 10400060.docx 62 STATE OF ILLINOIS 104th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 60th Legislative Day 10/29/2025 the Committee on Elementary & Secondary Education: Administration, Licensing & Charter Schools reports the following committee action taken on October 29, 2025: do pass Short Debate is Senate Bill 2683. Representative Ann Williams, Chairperson from the Committee on the Executive reports the following committee action taken on October 29, 2025: recommends be adopted is the Motion to Concur with Senate Amendment(s) 2 to House Bill 250. Representative Blair-Sherlock, Chairperson from the Committee on State Government Administration reports the following committee action taken on October 29, 2025: recommends be adopted is the Motion to Concur with Senate Amendment(s) 1, 2, and 3 to House Bill 1863, House Resolution 498, House Resolution 520, House Resolution 521, House Resolution 525, House Resolution 526, and House Resolution 530. Representative Moylan, Chairperson from the Committee on Transportation: Regulation, Roads & Bridges reports the following committee action taken on October 29, 2025: recommends be adopted is House Joint Resolution 46. Introduction of House Bills. House Bill 4190, offered by Representative McLaughlin, a Bill for an Act concerning revenue. House Bill 4191, offered by Representative Tarver, a Bill for an Act concerning transportation. House Bill 4192, offered by Representative Cassidy, a Bill for an Act concerning education. House Bill 4193, offered by Representative West, a Bill for an Act concerning health. House Bill 4194, offered by Representative Jiménez, a Bill for an Act concerning regulation. First Reading of these House Bills. There being no further business, the House Perfunctory Session will stand adjourned." 10400060.docx 63