"The House shall come to order. The Members shall be in their chairs. We shall be led in prayer today by Pastor Rex Black of the Calvary Memorial Baptist Church in Matteson, Illinois. Pastor Black is the guest of Representative Kosel. The guests in the gallery may wish to rise and join us for the invocation and the Pledge of Allegiance."
"I want to thank you for allowing me to come. Let's pray. Our Father, we come before You. We thank You for Your goodness to us. We also realize as these men and women meet together this day that they're making decisions that will affect many millions of people in this great state. I ask Father, that You would give them wisdom, give them direction. And that all of us who are truly in public service are stewards and servants and help us never to forget that. Even as David the king said, 'that he that ruleth over men must be just, ruling in the fear of God'. We do pray Your blessing upon the day, the decisions that are to be made. I pray for wisdom for each one here. In Jesus name, Amen."
Speaker Madigan: "We shall be led in the Pledge of Allegiance by Representative Hassert."
"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."
Speaker Madigan: "Roll Call for Attendance. Representative Currie."
"Thank you, Speaker. Please let the record show that there are no excused absences among House Democrats today."
"Mr. Bost."
"Yes, Mr. Speaker, let the record reflect that Ron 1 STATE OF ILLINOIS 92ND GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 4th Legislative Day January 31, 2001 Stephens, Representative Ron Stephens is excused today."
Speaker Madigan: "Let the record reflect that one excused absence. The Clerk shall take the record. There being 117 Members responding to the Attendance Roll Call, there is a quorum present. Mr. Clerk. Mr. Clerk, Agreed Resolutions."
Clerk Rossi: "Agreed Resolutions. House Resolution #5, offered by Representative Black. House Resolution #6, offered by Representative Krause. House Resolution #9, offered by Representative Capparelli; House Resolution #10, offered by Representative Garrett; House Resolution #11, offered by Representative Kurtz; House Resolution #12, offered by Representative Granberg; House Resolution 13, offered by Representative Zickus; House Resolution #14, offered by Representative Julie Curry; House Resolution #15, offered by Representative Cross; House Resolution 16, offered by Representative Schoenberg; House Resolution #17, offered by Representative Schoenberg; House Resolution #18, offered by Speaker Madigan; House Resolution 20, offered by Representative Mulligan; House Resolution 21, offered by Representative Monique Davis and House Resolution 23, offered by Representative Schoenberg; House Resolution #25, offered by Representative Osmond."
"The Clerk has read the Agreed Resolutions. Representative Barbara Currie moves for the adoption of the Agreed Resolutions. Those in favor say 'aye'; those opposed say 'no'. They 'ayes' have it. The Agreed Resolutions are adopted. Ladies and Gentlemen, if everybody would begin to take their chairs. If everyone would begin to take their seats, please. Everyone would please take their seats. The regular Session will stand in recess. The Chair recognizes the doorkeeper for an 2 STATE OF ILLINOIS 92ND GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 4th Legislative Day January 31, 2001 announcement."
"Mr. Speaker, the Honorable President Philip and the Members of the Senate are at the door and seek admission to the chamber."
"Mr. Doorkeeper, please admit the Honorable Senators. As designated in House Joint Resolution #3, the hour of 12:00 noon having arrived, the Joint Session of the 92nd General Assembly will now come to order. Will the Members of the House and our esteemed guests from the Senate, please take their seats. Mr. Clerk, is a quorum of the House present?"
"A quorum of the House is present."
"We need people to take their seats and for those that do not have seats, we need them to retire to the rear of the chamber. Senator Philip. Senator Philip. Senator Philip. Mr. President, is a quorum of the Senate present in this chamber?"
President Philip: "Thank you, Mr. Speaker. A quorum of the Senate is present."
"There being a quorum of the House and a quorum of the Senate in attendance, this Joint Session is convened. The Chair would like to recognize certain dignitaries who have joined us today. First, the Lieutenant Governor, Corinne Wood. Corinne. The Secretary of State, Jesse White. The Comptroller, Dan Hynes. The Treasurer, Judy Barr Topinka. The Attorney General, Jim Ryan. The Auditor General, Bill Holland. The Superintendent of Education, Max McGee. The Governor's Chief of Staff, Bob Newtson. The Chair recognizes the House Majority Leader, Representative Currie."
"Thank you, Speaker. Would the Clerk please read (sic-House) Joint Session Resolution 1." 3 STATE OF ILLINOIS 92ND GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 4th Legislative Day January 31, 2001
"Mr. Clerk."
"HOUSE JOINT SESSION RESOLUTION 1 RESOLVED, That a committee of ten be appointed, five from the House, by the Speaker of the House, and five from the Senate, by the President of the Senate, to await upon the Honorable Governor of the State of Illinois, George Ryan and invite him to address the Joint Assembly."
"The Chair recognizes the House Majority Leader, Representative Currie."
"Thank you, Speaker. I move for the adoption of (sic-House) Joint Session Resolution 1."
"Representative Currie moves for the adoption of the Resolution. All those in favor signify by saying 'yes'; all those opposed say 'no'. In the opinion of the Chair, the 'ayes' have it, the Resolution is adopted. Pursuant to the Resolution, the following Members are appointed as a Committee of Escort for the Governor. From the House, Representative Jim Durkin, Representative Sara Feigenholtz, Representative Mary Kay O'Brien, Representative Carole Pankau and Representative Doug Scott."
"The Members of the Senate are Senator Dan Cronin, Senator Debbie Halvorson, Senator William Mahar, Senator Christine Radogno and Senator Louie Viverito."
"Will the Committee of Escort please convene at the rear of the chamber and await his excellency, the Governor. I'm advised that the Governor has arrived, so if the committee would move quickly to the rear of the chamber. The doorkeeper is recognized for an announcement."
"Mr. Speaker, the Honorable Governor of the State of Illinois, George Ryan and his party wish to be 4 STATE OF ILLINOIS 92ND GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 4th Legislative Day January 31, 2001 admitted to this chamber."
"Admit the Honorable Governor. Mr. Governor."
Governor Ryan: "Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker and good afternoon to all you Ladies and Gentlemen. Before we begin, I'd like to you indulge me for a couple of minutes on some personal matters. First, I think that before I begin I'd like to take a minute or two and recognize a friend of all of ours who's unable to be here with us here today and that's Senator John Maitland. John is still recovering from an illness that struck him a few months ago or a few weeks ago. I understand he is on his way home maybe today or tomorrow. So if you get a chance, drop John a note. John's dedication to this state, to the education of our children and to the people of his district and certainly his service in the General Assembly is unequaled. So Senator, I know that you're listening someplace, in the hospital or back home in Bloomington and we all want you to get well soon and get back because this place isn't the same without you. Hurry back, John, we need you. You know, there is another person that's not here with us today that I'd just like to take a minute to recognize and that's Linda Ladley. And I'm sure all of you know Linda. She's been with me as my assistant ever since I became a Member of the Illinois General Assembly and got involved in State Government some 28 years ago. She's in the hospital and she has an illness that she's battling with. She's also listening today and we all wish that she were here with us. And we all wish you to get well Linda, where, I know you're in the hospital, so get well and hurry back because the office certainly isn't the same without you either. We need you back in the office. One more thing and I want to take a minute or two to talk about is that it was about 28 5 STATE OF ILLINOIS 92ND GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 4th Legislative Day January 31, 2001 years ago, as a matter of fact, it was 28 years ago this month that I stood in this chamber about right over there and got sworn in as a Member of the Illinois General Assembly. And Lura Lynn was with me, along with six young children that we had, from the ages of, I think 15 to 5 or 15 to whatever, I don't remember. But there were a lot of them and they were crawling around the chamber. You all know what swearing in day is like. And we did our best to keep them together and make sure they understood what was going on. So today I invited them all to come here, today and to bring their children. And I have in the gallery with me, my wife, who is with us today, Lura Lynn and I asked Mike Madigan specifically not to introduce her because I wanted to have that privilege. So Lura Lynn, I know you're up there, I don't see ya, but stand up and wave to all these folks. Now, I asked my children to bring their children, my grandchildren down today 'cause I wanted them to have an understanding of what their grandfather really does and what we're involved in. And so today I asked them to come down and they were all very disappointed that they were going to have to miss school to be here today, but they made the sacrifice and I appreciate that very much. But to get them down here I had to entice them a little bit and I told them that I introduce them all by name. We lined them up by age when we brought them in here this morning and I had to take a double look myself, frankly. But we have with us this morning: Mike, John, Kristen, Ann, Kathryn, Andrea, Lauren, Nick, Mary Kathryn, Alex, Nora, Molly and Elizabeth. Stand up all you guys. Thank you. You know, I asked a couple of the younger ones if they're gonna applaud for me today when they saw me and they told me no. And I noticed they didn't. But I 6 STATE OF ILLINOIS 92ND GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 4th Legislative Day January 31, 2001 appreciate all of you for being here and I want to say thanks to you for your dedication over the years and for your love and your concern and your care. Thank you. Speaker Madigan and President Philip and all of my fellow Constitutional Officers that are here today. And my friends, and my colleagues in the Illinois General Assembly. Members of the Cabinet and our guests in the gallery. And the fellow citizens from all over the State of Illinois. Two years ago, from this House, I asked you to join me in 'Building a New Illinois'. And I asked all of you in the General Assembly to set aside partisanship and to work on achieving the noble hopes and dreams that I know that we share for this state. I extended a hand of friendship and cooperation to everyone in Illinois, no matter who you were, where you live, or what you did for a living or who may have voted for me or who didn't vote for me. I told you that the door to my office would always be open and that I would be ready to listen. And together, with those principles guiding us, we are succeeding. We are building a 'New Illinois'. And together, we have improved education. We have expanded economic opportunity. We've strengthened the care of the sick, the elderly and the disabled. And we've certainly secured the safety of our neighborhoods and our schoolyards. We have enriched our inaugural heritage. And, most importantly, we're building an Illinois where our legacy to our future children are protected, cared for and given opportunity to reach their full potential. I can report to you today that the State of Illinois and its people are confident and ready to face the future and the state of the state is strong. Probably as strong as it's ever been. It was just a month ago that we began the year 2001. And this new 7 STATE OF ILLINOIS 92ND GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 4th Legislative Day January 31, 2001 year, like the century, I believe dawns full of promise. I know that we're gonna meet the challenge, but our work isn't done. Through better cooperation, more hard work, an ongoing dedication to our neighbors in every part of this state, we together will continue to build a 'New Illinois'. And over these last two years, you and I developed and followed a well-structured, comprehensive blueprint for our 'New Illinois'. This plan contained five general goals: safeguarding and improving the lives of children; expanding and retooling our economy; rehabilitating and strengthening our human infrastructure; managing State Government more efficiently; and most importantly, loosening the restraints of partisanship that, in the past, led to government gridlock. In all of these tasks we have more than succeeded. Ya know, we had a poet laureate by the name of Gwendolyn Brooks. She was a wonderful lady. She was a Pulitzer Prize winner. And in her Pulitzer Prize-winning collection of poems, she wrote of her parents, Maxie and Andrew. And she wrote the way that they tackled life and all of its challenges. And they knew what had to be done and they took care of things. And a line from one poem is an appropriate summary, I think, of our work here during the last two years. She wrote, and I quote, 'But one by one, they got things done'. And one by one, we found common ground to solve some of the problems that we faced. And one by one, we met the challenges laid before us. And as a result, Illinois is a better place today than it was two years ago. We're a better-educated state, a more prosperous state, a healthier state, and a safer state. If you're a parent, you should know that our high school students scored higher on the ACT placement test than the national average and lead the country in scoring on 8 STATE OF ILLINOIS 92ND GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 4th Legislative Day January 31, 2001 advanced placement exams for college credit. You should also know that our universities and our community colleges are rated the best overall in the United States. Remember, the best overall in the United States. Our unemployment rate is the lowest in a generation and we rank in the top ten among the states in providing health care services to poor children. Our KidCare enrollment is up over 400% in the last two years and teen pregnancies have dropped to a 40-year low. And if you're one of the 3 million Illinoisans who receive health care through HMOs, you can take comfort that we have in place a Patients' 'Bill of Rights'. Our caseload in the Temporary Assistance to Needy Families Program is the lowest it's been in 31 years and Illinois has been recognized as a leader among all the states in moving people from welfare to work. Thanks, in part, to common sense gun laws and no-nonsense anticrime laws we have enacted, Illinois is a safer place today than it was two years ago. The violent crime rate has dropped 8% last year, and it's the biggest decline in 27 years and Illinois is a better place. Our successes during the last two years are a shining testament to a government that places people before politics. We've proven that without being enemies, we can be partisan. And it's possible to reach across the line and work for the good of everyone. One by one, we've gotten things done, and this state is all the better for it. It's been said that our children are the living messages that we send to the future and all of us want that message to be one of unlimited hope and opportunity, and a message that's defined only by the dreams of each child. As parents and grandparents, we'll define our generation by the improvements that we make in preparation for those who come next. Our top priority over 9 STATE OF ILLINOIS 92ND GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 4th Legislative Day January 31, 2001 these last two years has been to improve the lives of children everywhere in Illinois. They deserve the best that we can give them, whether it's schooling, or their health care, their safety or their recreation programs. We together have done much to make sure that every child has an opportunity to move ahead. And when we talk about improving the human infrastructure of our state, the children come first. We started two years ago with an unprecedented commitment to education. Two years ago we began dedicating at least 51% of all new state revenues to education and to job training. And we kept our word, and we've raised school funding by nearly a billion dollars. And we are making educational progress. Illinois has the best 'advanced placement performance' scores in the nation, that's ahead of Iowa, New York, California, North Carolina and even Texas. This year, we must keep our funded commitment to our school children. A special commission, as you know, has recommended an annual increase of $135 in the foundation level of state education for every student. Together, with the help of parents, teachers, and school officials, we're going to hash out the details of a new funding level, one that's appropriate, affordable and one that does the most to improve children's education. With added resources, we focused on literacy and reading, setting the goal that every child should be able to read by the 3rd grade and thanks to additional support for the summer bridge program all over this great state, some 30,000 children were helped last year and we need to do more. I'm gonna appoint a special panel to design a plan for universal access to preschool and full-day kindergarten, ensuring that all our students have the same chance for hope and opportunity. We have made a commitment 10 STATE OF ILLINOIS 92ND GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 4th Legislative Day January 31, 2001 that in Illinois no child should have to learn in an antiquated school. And over the last two years, I've visited too many schools where children are forced to learn math and reading in the hallway or in a converted closet or a boiler room or in classrooms that have buckets where water from rain are falling into the classroom. Students make the best of what they have, along with their parents, but they know , as we all know, that that's just not good enough for our children and we have to do better. We can't have our children in second-rate schools. And we can't leave those kids in those schools and we won't. And over the last two years we've provided $3 billion more to rebuilding crumbling school buildings, and we've added 5,000 new classrooms throughout Illinois. It's an investment that will advance our state for the rest of this century. You know, I'm especially proud of what we've been able to do for the East St. Louis School District, School District 189. The East St. Louis School District is the poorest school district in the state and it's been neglected for a long time. And over the last two years, we've dedicated more than $82 million to the construction of seven brand new school districts in East St. Louis. And we're also working very hard to meet the basic needs of low-income and at-risk children who come to school with no encouragement, no preparation, no enthusiasm, and in some cases, empty stomachs. Kids can't learn when they're hungry and we have way too many children that go to school every day without eating breakfast and not carrying a lunch. We cannot and will not let that happen. We said that we would improve our school technology and we have and we intend to keep our students ahead of the curve when it comes to technology in the classroom. Just this month, we 11 STATE OF ILLINOIS 92ND GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 4th Legislative Day January 31, 2001 opened the Illinois Virtual High School, it's a marvelous opportunity for distance learning that could serve 600,000 students when it's fully operational. We also said that we'd give Illinois' parents more choices for educating their children and we've done that, too. We've provided $22 million for charter schools. In our blueprint for a 'New Illinois', we said that we would raise basic learning standards for our children, and that we would also set clear goals for our schools and teachers and demand greater accountability. We said that we would work to improve teacher training. It's important that we continue to strengthen our annual measurements of students in order to ensure the accountability of all school districts. We should begin to take the appropriate steps this year to require that every child in Illinois have their skills tested on an annual basis. And we must strengthen the accountability for students, teachers and local schools. It's time that we take a good, hard look at the education bureaucracy of the State Government. And next month I'll propose that we reform the State Board of Education to reduce the bureaucracy, eliminate some of the red tape, and to make that agency more accountable to you and me. I, without question, believe that our record in the education of our children is very impressive. We've increased funding. We've put more emphasis on reading and early learning. We're improving parents and we're improving choice. We're harnessing technology; we're building new schools and classrooms; we're raising standards for children and teachers; and we're strengthening accountability; and providing hope for every child. One by one, we got these things done. When our children have our elementary and high schools; well, what do they face in 12 STATE OF ILLINOIS 92ND GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 4th Legislative Day January 31, 2001 higher education when they leave there? Simply put, in Illinois, our students can become part of the best system of community colleges, state universities and private institutions in the United States. In the first-ever national report card on higher education, the National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education gave Illinois the top overall score among the 50 states. Our commitment to colleges and universities is succeeding. We are assuring quality, affordability and accessibility for the highest education in Illinois. Our current budget for higher education is the largest in history, and the vast majority of our record commitment goes right into the classrooms, the laboratories, into financial aid programs that benefit students of all ages. In the new national study, Illinois bettered all other states in helping low and moderate income students go to college and over the last two years, we boosted our scholarship programs by 15%, so that 12,000 more kids in this state could attend college. We've invested heavily, through the Illinois VentureTECH Program and Illinois FIRST, in a series of research parks strategically located throughout the state. The idea is to encourage research and new concepts at universities and labs, then provide the basic infrastructure and support services necessary to make these projects viable, commercial enterprises. These investments are absolutely necessary for Illinois to compete in the new economy of the 21st century. Altogether, our commitment to enhancing higher education's infrastructure grew to record levels during the last two years. A new business school at Illinois State. A new fine arts center at Eastern Illinois University. A new engineering building at Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville. A new resident hall 13 STATE OF ILLINOIS 92ND GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 4th Legislative Day January 31, 2001 at the University of Illinois in Springfield, and that's to implement the new Capital Scholars Program that'll make UIS a four-year institution. A new convocation center and a new library at Chicago State University. We created the new University Center of Lake County, the fastest growing area in the state. And we earmarked $30 million for a new biomedical research building on Northwestern University's Chicago campus. And, at the University of Illinois, we dedicated $30 million to expand the National Center for Supercomputing Applications and $75 million for a post genomics institute that will make our state a leader in advanced science for agriculture and human health. These investments, and more, are truly investments in our future. But we need to do even more. This year, to expand our commitment to the basic infrastructure of higher education, I propose that we embark on a significant new construction program dedicated solely to helping each of the state's 47 community colleges and I'll provide more details during the budget address next month. We can dedicate substantial resources to the construction of a new, permanent classroom and laboratory buildings at community colleges. Our plan calls for an expansion of lifelong learning opportunities as a way to keep the state's economy moving forward. Nothing extends an economic expansion faster than a workforce that is able to meet the challenged demands of the marketplace. And over the last two years we placed a greater responsibility for our workforce in the hands of the Department of Employment Security. We consolidated 18 different job training programs run by six different agencies into a single workforce system. And we completed the long-overdue transfer of adult education and literacy program to the community colleges, and beefed up state 14 STATE OF ILLINOIS 92ND GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 4th Legislative Day January 31, 2001 support for the regional economic development centers, places where private companies of all sizes can go for advice and help to succeed. Yes, my friends here in the General Assembly, in higher education and workforce training, one by one, we got a lot of things done and I hope we can continue in the next year. Last year when I came before you, I spoke about the fact that America in the 21st century presents new economic challenges. A new knowledge-based economy has replaced manufacturing economy that dominated our lives for the past 100 years. We're seeing business and industry expand in Illinois. But we can't escape the cold hard fact that the national economy is slowing down, and as a result, thousands of jobs in Illinois have been cut in the last few weeks. To anyone who has received a pink slip in the last few weeks, I want you to know that we haven't forgotten you and we will not forget you. Over the past two years, we've put programs in place that prepared us and our whole workforce for a downturn in the economy. We have done our best to expand and strengthen job training programs and education. The Department of Commerce and Community Affairs, along with the Department of Employment Security, will have teams in place to help displaced workers with their needs and we also have been on a crusade to create new jobs and opportunities over the last two years. Our programs and policies have helped secure more than $5 billion in new private investment, and we've created 32,000 new jobs and we've retained 30,000. At the end of 2000, we'll set a record with more than 6 million people working. Last year we had an unemployment rate of 4.3 percent, the lowest level in a generation. And I think that's important because the business world is really taking notice of our 15 STATE OF ILLINOIS 92ND GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 4th Legislative Day January 31, 2001 state. _______________ Site Selection magazine says Illinois has the nation's third best business climate. __________ Info Week magazine ranks us second in their 'e-business 100' survey. And we're at the top of the list, number one, in ________ Industry Week's ______ survey of where you would find the world's largest manufacturing companies. Since January of 1999, the policies that we've enacted have led to numerous successes. From Chicago to Deerfield and Bolingbrook to Springfield, Pinckneyville and Mount Vernon, we've created several thousand new jobs and one by one, we've got all of them done. But as you know, most of our economic development policies invest heavily in our talented workforce and their skills. Nothing is more important to the future of our economy than the people who work every day in factories, and stores, and offices, and schools and restaurants, as well as farms and construction sites. We enhanced our industrial training program, providing job training funds to help workers learn new skills. Since this administration began, we've created or retained more than 43,000 jobs through this program. I also propose that we continue to work with the Illinois business community and organized labor to reform those parts of our business climate that restrict opportunity and new development, and especially the creation of new jobs. And we must continue to review our workers' compensation system to ensure its fairness to all stakeholders, as well as its financial security. Over the last two years, we've redoubled our effort to help the backbone of our economy, Illinois' 650,000 small business owners. We increased support for our regional small business development centers by 62%. With the help of our state's new small business advocate, Phyllis Scott, we're developing a universal certification 16 STATE OF ILLINOIS 92ND GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 4th Legislative Day January 31, 2001 system that'll allow small businesses to reduce the red tape that slows down the government procurement process. Our long-term strategy involves developing more opportunity for those companies as the century moves forward and we intend to succeed. Another aspect of our long-term strategy is our commitment to tourism. Our state's tourism industry generates $22 billion in economic activity every year. From Chicago's 'Magnificent Mile' and the quiet, turn of the century charms of Galena to the beauty of Giant City State Park, our state offers much to visitors that they can enjoy. And in two weeks, Lura Lynn and I and hopefully, all of you will join us in the celebration of a groundbreaking of another landmark that'll bring visitors from all over the world, and that's the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum. In order to prepare Illinois for the new global economy, we have to go past our traditional borders. We have to strengthen our commitment to international exports. Illinois is a player on the world stage and we have to stay there. We market more than $33 billion worth of products every year to foreign shores. And while slightly more than half of our exports are high-tech products, Illinois remains an international leader in food production. The bottom line is, one out of every eight jobs in Illinois depends on international trade. And that's why we've worked together over the last two years to expand our international market. Last year we opened two new offices that'll pay great dividends in the future, Shanghai, China and Johannesburg, South Africa. China's economic activity with other countries last year was nearly half a trillion dollars and we worked very hard to make sure that Illinois secures a fair share of business with the world's most populous country. As a number of you 17 STATE OF ILLINOIS 92ND GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 4th Legislative Day January 31, 2001 in the General Assembly know, our state also took a trade mission to South Africa last spring. That mission was a huge success. We've opened a lot of doors and we've made some relationships in the one country that'll determine the future economic growth for all of Africa. It's a huge market for consumers goods. And last year, I participated in a very productive discussions with Mexico's new president, Vincente Fox, during a visit to Mexico City. Mexico is our second-largest international trading partner, and with your help, and with the help of new friends that we have made in Mexico, Illinois will have a good relationship that will flourish and grow even stronger and hopefully, increase the amount of business that we can do there. As a state, we continue to lead the national curve in breaking down the barriers and developing new ties with the people of Cuba. A very large part of our long-term economic strategy involves help for the hundreds of small cities and towns in rural areas of Illinois that many times haven't shared in the economic boom. We're working hard to build up all of Illinois and we're succeeding. In Ottawa, nine companies have set up shop during the last 18 months, creating about 600 jobs in the local economy. In Washburn, Illinois, population 1,100, they banded together to buy the town's only grocery store. It's the anchor of their block-long business district and they saved it from closing. We're starting to see a small rebound in Illinois' coal industry which, despite hard times, still is a $1.2 billion business for our state. And over the next 10 years, the experts predict that the demand for Illinois coal will increase by 15 to 20 million ton. We're contributing more than $27 million in assistance to the industry to help create environmentally friendly uses for 18 STATE OF ILLINOIS 92ND GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 4th Legislative Day January 31, 2001 our coal. And over the last two years, together we have allocated $30 million to food and agriculture for the research that helps support the future of Illinois' largest industry, a 25% increase. For every dollar that we spend on the future of growing and processing food and agricultural-related products, we see $8 in public benefits. Not bad, an 8 to 1 return. Throughout 2000, we continued our commitment to the production of ethanol, which means $1 billion a year to Illinois and more than 4,800 jobs. And thanks to our VentureTECH program, rural doctors are going to expand telemedicine links into communities that don't have sufficient medical services. Only one by one, we're getting things done and that's an important part of what we have to do. As everyone in this chamber knows, a huge portion of our blueprint for a 'New Illinois' revolves around improvements to Illinois' physical infrastructure, roads, mass transit, utilities, water and sewer systems, as well as parks, and public recreation and other projects that enhance the overall quality of life for our workforce. And of course, I'm talking about our Illinois FIRST program. And yes, I mean our program, because Illinois FIRST is, and always will be, a program born from the ground up. This is our program. It's our way to address the quality of life in your communities. And Illinois FIRST continues to be one of the few ways that our constituents, and your neighbors can see their dreams and plans to their towns turn into reality, now, not 10 or 15 or 20 years from now. Whether it's a new water tower in Carthage, supplies and equipment for after-school programs at the Aurora Recreation Center, a new child care facility at the Lake County Family YMCA, a new fire station in Cypress, six new police cars for 19 STATE OF ILLINOIS 92ND GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 4th Legislative Day January 31, 2001 Bartonville, new playground equipment in Equality or a new backhoe for Ludlow. Illinois FIRST has helped communities in every part of this state. But perhaps the most important part of Illinois FIRST's legacy for the future consists of the improvements to our overall quality of life. Many of these projects have been dismissed as legislative 'pork' except, of course, by those who asked for them. We funded more than 3,300 local projects during the year 2000. And Illinois FIRST is a children's museum in Bronzeville, on the south side of Chicago. It's a senior center in Quincy, and a youth center in East St. Louis. Illinois FIRST is a library in Elmwood Park. It's helped rebuild an historic theater in Rockford, and an opera house in Sesser, Illinois. New sidewalks in the small towns of Sidney and Mazon. And Illinois FIRST helped build a new YMCA in the Pilsen neighborhood of Chicago. We need to tell the truth about this program. The people need to know that these projects are not 'pork'. They are necessary, local projects that make our communities in Illinois better and safer places in which to live and to work. We've worked hard for two years and we will continue to improve our Illinois' basic infrastructure. But there remains one infrastructure challenge that's left undone, that's a new airport in Peotone to serve Northeastern Illinois. The business of air travel continues to change on a daily basis as airlines struggle to meet the needs of the traveling public. More than 1 billion people will be flying every year for businesses or pleasure. Air traffic is big business for Chicago and for Illinois. But O'Hare is no longer the world's busiest airport and it's reached its operational capacity. The answer to this problem is the construction of a new airport in Peotone, not to 20 STATE OF ILLINOIS 92ND GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 4th Legislative Day January 31, 2001 replace O'Hare and Midway, but to help Chicago keep its place in the air traffic industry. The time is right politically, economically, and practically to begin some very serious discussions about a new airport in Peotone. The time is right to frame this debate as a growth opportunity for the entire state and not as a line in the sand or a political tug-of-war... about the toll system for a couple of years. And the final infrastructure challenge that we need to face this year is the needed reform of our state's toll highway system. The commuters who find themselves tied up in tollway traffic every day want us to fix this system. I've heard their pleas loud and clear, and so have you. I plan on meeting soon with the Toll Highway Authority to start discussing ways that we can make improvement in those roads and make them less congested. Over the last two years, we've shown together that we can build our economy and enhance our infrastructure while still preserving and strengthening our environment and our natural heritage. We have been good stewards to our land, our waters, and our air. And over the last two years we have invested $95 million in new technologies and strategies to fight pollutants, especially those from coal-fired power plants, which is an 80% increase in resources. Ozone levels and carbon monoxide and lead concentrations in our air continue to drop. And according to the latest air quality statistics, there have been no smog alerts in the Chicago Metropolitan area in the past two years. We've seen a steady increase in the number of streams, lakes, and waterways rated as 'good quality' places where our families can swim, fish, and go boating. Our efforts to clean up and rehabilitate urban brownfields, abandoned landfills, and leaking oil wells that we talked 21 STATE OF ILLINOIS 92ND GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 4th Legislative Day January 31, 2001 about two years ago and last year is the fastest cleanup effort in state history. Another of our top priorities has been to secure and preserve open spaces for future generations like new parks, natural areas, recreational and sporting preserves. And again, over the last two years, we have returned more land to the public trust than at any other point in our history, 28,000 acres of streams, forests, prairies, hills and wetlands. And the 500 miles of bike trails that we've funded over the last two years is 10 times more land devoted to trails than State Government funded during the previous 10 years. We joined with Chicago to develop a very unique multiuse state park in the Lake Calumet region, one of the most ecologically diverse areas in the state. And what's more, we dedicated $42 million in Illinois FIRST funds for the long-overdue restoration of breakwaters that protect the city's Lake Michigan shoreline from erosion and decay. And with the leadership of Lieutenant Governor Wood, we've set in motion an important project to protect the Illinois River watershed, the Illinois Rivers 2020 program. Our 'Illinois Tomorrow' program provides incentives for communities and developers to help slow those disparities by offering incentives to communities that reduce traffic congestion, preserve existing open space and redevelop older, once-used parcels of land. With heating bills rising faster than the temperature is dropping and with the rolling blackouts that have plagued California, last month I created the state's first-ever 'Energy Cabinet'. The new 'Energy Cabinet' will create long-term policies and programs that'll encourage dependable and affordable supplies of energy and will help you in the General Assembly make the right decision regarding fuel supplies and uses. We took quick action 22 STATE OF ILLINOIS 92ND GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 4th Legislative Day January 31, 2001 earlier this month to expand the state's Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program so that an additional 142,000 households can tap into more than $175 million that is available this year to help pay their home heating bills. Illinois' commitment to this program was $65 million. It's the largest of any of the states in the United States. Once again, over the last two years, we've budgeted $1.5 billion more for services to strengthen our human infrastructure. We've been able to do that because we're doing a better job of capturing federal funds and our commitment is showing some real results. The group 'Voices for Illinois Children' made the following conclusion in their 2001 annual report: 'The quality of life for children in Illinois has seen real progress the last few years. Fewer teens are having babies, more are graduating from high school. More children are covered by KidCare and Medicaid and fewer are being abused or neglected. Welfare dependency and child poverty rates are down dramatically, and more babies are living past their first year'. But we need to expand our efforts. I want to point out that we're joined today by Jerry Schermer who's in the balcony with my children. I said if anybody ought to be responsible for looking after kids, it's Jerry Schermer and I charged him to make sure that none of them fell over the balcony. Jerry, thanks very much for being here with us today. You do a great job for the kids. Right now, we're helping 200,000 more disadvantaged or at-risk children to lead better lives than we were two years ago. Through the leadership of my wife's 'Futures for Kids Program', we've increased funding by more than 50% for Teen REACH which are after school programs, youth employment initiatives, early childhood programs, drug prevention, intervention and 23 STATE OF ILLINOIS 92ND GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 4th Legislative Day January 31, 2001 treatment. And we've strengthened intervention programs designed to keep families together and young people out of jail. The First Lady and the 'Futures for Kids Program' is going to coordinate the policies and programs for young people through a new Illinois Children and Youth Commission. And with this effort, Illinois will join 27 other states that are committed to bringing high level of visibility to the opportunities and promises for children and turning those promises into action. Also, the 'Futures for Kids' advisory board recently issued recommendations on dealing with the growing challenges of our state's juvenile justice system. One of the key recommendations is that we must address the critical mental health needs of young people coming into contact with the juvenile justice system and I look forward to working with you on solutions to those challenges. Our record commitment to child care services is helping 218,000 children lead productive and safe lives in a stable setting while their parents earn a living. Working ______________ Mother magazine ranked Illinois among the top state for children care and development programs in 1999 and in the top six for innovations in the year 2000. Our hard work and dedication toward the state's child care, health care insurance programs for at-risk children is very encouraging. And the partnerships we have established throughout Illinois have resulted in an increase in enrollments of about 400%. Illinois ranks seventh among the states in providing health care services for children in low-income households. And for the third year in a row, and I'm really proud of this one, I want to tell you, Illinois is the nation's leader in moving children with troubled backgrounds out of temporary foster care and putting them into permanent, adoptive homes, more than 24 STATE OF ILLINOIS 92ND GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 4th Legislative Day January 31, 2001 13,000 adoptions last year, alone. In our 'New Illinois', that we've built together, right now we are helping nearly one million families see progress where they used to see blockades to a better life. We're taking a bold step right now to help at-risk families and communities with our new Illinois Workforce Advantage Program. In six pilot areas: Harvey, East St. Louis, the state's southern counties and the Chicago neighborhoods of Elmwood, North Lawndale and Humboldt Park, we're strengthening our long-term commitment to people and families. In these communities, Illinois Workforce Advantage teams will work closely with community organizations, local government officials, community leaders, faith groups and people on the street to develop the best delivery of state services for that area. We are also trying to help Illinois families by proposing a series of measures to curb predatory and abusive lending practices in the state and to stop unscrupulous lenders from offering loans to people who they know can't afford to repay. Last year you passed a law that requires the regulation of this particular industry and that was the right thing to do. And I urge all of you to support the proposals that we've made to safeguard homes and neighborhoods. Illinois continues to be a national leader in welfare reform. Illinois has the top ranking among the largest industrial states for getting former clients back into the workforce and over the last two years the number of welfare cases has dropped to the lowest level in 31 years. For all of the people whose lives are improved by our commitment to their well being quality, accessible health care remains the foundation of our state's human infrastructure. Our expansion of public health programs at the local levels has meant tangible results for people in every part of our 25 STATE OF ILLINOIS 92ND GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 4th Legislative Day January 31, 2001 state. More than 93,000 of our citizens are receiving health care through our expansion programs for the aged, blind and disabled. Five thousand more women are receiving the care that they need because we doubled state funding for the Women's Health Initiative. And for the first time, State Government helps pay for breast and cervical cancer screening for low-income women in 102 of our counties. And I offer my thanks to the Commission on the Status of Women, who are here with us someplace today. I want to say thanks to them. And to the Lieutenant Governor for her untiring efforts. They have pushed hard for many initiatives that affect the health and future of women and girls in Illinois. We budgeted $30 million last year for smoking prevention efforts based in schools and local health departments that'll help some young people quit smoking and hopefully, help others to never start. And our commitment to helping persons with disabilities remains a top priority. We put an additional $29 million into the state's developmental disabilities budget to increase the wages of those very important people who provide daily direct care services to the developmentally disabled. And last year we funded the largest single pay increase ever for personal service attendants. Those hard-working people deserve more. We have steadily, over the last two years, increased the number of people who can take advantage of Community Integrated Living Arrangements and those who can remain in their homes. Nonetheless, we still have to work in this important Olmstead decision. The U. S. Supreme Court delivered a reminder to all of the states that it's wrong to subject any disabled person to unnecessary institutionalization against their will. At the same time, the court recognized that State Governments have limited 26 STATE OF ILLINOIS 92ND GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 4th Legislative Day January 31, 2001 resources, even though they must provide a wide range of services for disabled persons with vastly different needs. We've begun the task of working with the disabled community and their advocates to determine how best to meet the challenges of the Olmstead decision. We must bring all agencies that serve the disabled population together to coordinate our efforts and eliminate wasteful competition for resources throughout this process. We have to work together to improve the lines of communication so that persons with disabilities can exercise informed decisions and self-determination when possible. Thanks to our cooperative efforts, last year we strengthened the lives of more than 400,000 seniors who depend on us every day to help them remain healthy, active, productive and independent. We boosted funding for the Community Care Program by 15%, enabling 38,000 seniors to stay independent. And through our support of senior citizen nutrition services, we served 10 million meals. And perhaps most importantly, we expanded the scope of the state's pharmaceutical assistance program to 100,000 more seniors by bumping up the ceiling on benefits, expanding the type of medications that are eligible for state payments. In addition to drugs for heart disease, blood pressure, diabetes, and arthritis, seniors can now get state assistance for medication against Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, glaucoma, lung disease and smoking-related illnesses. In all of these areas, one by one, we're getting the job done. The safety of our homes, and our neighborhoods, and our school yards and our businesses continue to be a top priority for the people of Illinois and a major goal of our plan for the 21st century. Our latest crime statistics show that an 8% drop in crime to 27 STATE OF ILLINOIS 92ND GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 4th Legislative Day January 31, 2001 the lowest statewide rate in 27 years. We've developed strategies to fight guns, and gangs and drugs which is a key element. Crime is dropping in Illinois because we're sending strong messages to criminals. We sent a strong message when we renewed the Safe Neighborhoods Act. We initiated 'Operation Windy City', a program that puts state parole agents on the streets to help them identify paroled felons who are abusing the privilege of their release and that's a pretty strong message. We're putting 250 more state troopers out on patrol and we've released and replaced 1,100 unsafe police vehicles. And this year you're going to see the development of a new $25 million statewide radio system that'll improve communications between law enforcement and public safety services. We've created a committee that is rewriting the state's 40-year-old Criminal Code to make it more modern, more efficient and certainly more fair. You may know that it was a year ago today, that I declared what is, in effect, a moratorium on executions in Illinois. With the 13 exonerations, I could not go forward with so many questions about the fairness of the death penalty in Illinois. I don't believe any of us can support a system which in the administration, has proven to be so fraught with error and has come so very close to the ultimate nightmare, and that's the state's taking of an innocent life. There's no margin for error when it comes to putting a person to death. Thank you. Thank you. That doesn't hurt. Thanks very much. Thank you. Thanks to all of you. I appreciate that very much. Last year, you know, I appointed a commission to deliberate on this issue and to bring me their recommendations. The Illinois Supreme Court, after two years of study, recently adopted some new rules and 28 STATE OF ILLINOIS 92ND GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 4th Legislative Day January 31, 2001 procedures for capital cases. That's welcome news and I commend the court for taking this step. But I say today, it will not be the last step, my commission must complete its study. And I've charged them with examining issues which go beyond just those considered by the Supreme Court and it's a huge task. There are still many questions, very serious questions, about our system and I'm a strong proponent of tough, criminal penalties. But we have to ensure the public safety of our citizens. But in doing so, we must ensure that the ends of justice are served. It's merely a question of fairness and what's right. And I'm going to do what's right. Together, I believe, our record over these last two years shows that we have been responsible in managing the people's money. Over the last two years State Government has returned 1.1 billion to taxpayers, 1.1 billion. I'm really proud of all of you for that. We've worked together to do this. And I know we often hear about people who say, you raise your wages, and you raise the taxes, and you raise the fees, but we don't get tax relief. Well, I got to tell you, we got tax relief, $1.1 billion we provided for the people of Illinois. I think that's pretty admirable. The state's income tax personal exemption has been doubled. The earned income tax credit is helping low-income families keep more of the money that they earn. The tax credit for school expenses will mean more money in the pockets of 200,000 families. The income eligibility rules for the Senior Circuit Breaker Program is a savings of $100 million for hundreds of thousands of older adults in drug costs and property taxes. And last year's property tax rebate, a total of $280 million, put an average of $125 in the pockets of homeowners. Pretty good record. Our spending 29 STATE OF ILLINOIS 92ND GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 4th Legislative Day January 31, 2001 over the last two years, as well as the 1.1 billion that we've returned to taxpayers, has been prudent and responsible. Illinois' fiscal house is sound and it's going to remain so for the coming year. I'll provide more details to you during the budget message in February, but let me assure you that we're in good shape and we still expect to end the 2001 fiscal year with a balance of 1.2 billion, not including a $225 million in our first-ever 'rainy day fund'. In each of the last two fiscal years, we've recorded the highest end of the year balance in state history, indicators that led Wall Street last year to upgrade our bond rating. And that's a good record of managing money. And we're going to have to watch our money closely this year. You bet we are. And then we're going to have make some tough decisions again this spring, but I'm confident that together we can develop a spending plan for State Government that sustains the needs of the people and continue to work as hard as we can to integrate advanced technology and time-saving programs into the inner workings of State Government. Our national ratings in the use of technology to make life better for our citizens have improved in every area. The National Center for Digital Government recently ranked Illinois 4th among the states in our use of information technology to disclose and to deliver services to our citizens. That's especially significant when you realize that our ranking two years ago was 49th. We moved from 49th to 4th. Our technology office is undertaking a very extensive review of office automation standards throughout the government, and I'm confident we're going to make continued progress this year. Illinois has become the first state to launch a comprehensive electronic government initiative. And over 30 STATE OF ILLINOIS 92ND GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 4th Legislative Day January 31, 2001 the next 18 months, we hope to distribute over a million digital IDs to citizens and businesses, to enable them to do business with the state as an integrated, secure, web-driven government. And during the past year, a number of states have been working on a streamline sales tax project, designed in part to address concerns that the Internet sales may unfairly penalize main street retailers. We need to address that issue this year, as well. But before we do that, I want to make absolutely sure that we do everything that we can to change the current sales tax system to make sure that we treat everyone fairly before we make any changes. We're making progress in the return of federal dollars flowing back to Illinois. Last year we got back more than $55 billion. That was an increase of 1.4 billion over the previous year and it was because we worked very hard at getting it done. We had the state receive federal dollars back in the same proportion if we had received it back to our population, we would have received about 10 billion more in federal spending. So, we're still way short. Our new federal resources clearinghouse is addressing this imbalance, and we're going to continue to keep fighting for our fair share in Washington. Our statewide performance review program continues to weed out the unnecessary and outdated in our statutes, rules, and programs. This year, we'll recommend the elimination of nearly 100 more boards. And additionally, as part of the performance review effort, I'll propose a consolidation of 16 separate bonding authorities into one state financing authority, establishing a singular authority that'll increase our fiscal oversight, provide for greater efficiencies, streamline functions, and improve communication and cooperation among compelling interests. 31 STATE OF ILLINOIS 92ND GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 4th Legislative Day January 31, 2001 A consolidation will also save us money in overhead costs. And in the end, it will simply help us to manage the government better. And finally, I believe it's important that we stop now the fundamental errors with our political system and government structure that give rise to impropriety and to an opportunity for wrongdoing. By executive order, when I became Governor, I have prevented more than 70,000 state employees, who are under my direction from soliciting or making contributions to my political fund. That policy should be the law of this land, and it should apply to everybody that works for State Government. I proposed that law last year and passed it through the House. I would hope that we can talk about it, work it out, and pass it again. I think regardless of whatever anybody's political affiliations are, we need to do that. So, this spring I'm going to send you legislation that'll make that prohibition a law. Right now, the constitutionality of the state's 'Gift Ban Act' is being questioned in court and despite these challenges, I've ordered that this law remain in effect for all employees under my control. We must be prepared, if necessary, to keep the 'Gift Ban Act' intact, period. And in this State address, I have outlined to you not the things that we have accomplished, but things that all of us, as a people, have accomplished over the last two years, not just the General Assembly and the Governor but people all over this great state that have worked together to put the programs together, that have come up with ideas and the thoughts that have made all of these accomplishments possible, that I talked about here today. I think our record is remarkable. I think it's a great story and it's one that all of us can be proud of because we have worked together 32 STATE OF ILLINOIS 92ND GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 4th Legislative Day January 31, 2001 to provide the kind of services in government that the people of Illinois want. It is a remarkable story. And so, as I said at the beginning, the state of the state is very strong. We've prepared our state for the future. And we've prepared it well and we still have a lot to do. We still have tasks that we can't and will not shy away from. And with your help, a strong faith in our Maker, our state'll continue to move forward into the 21st century. And today, at this hour, let us renew our pledge to the people of Illinois. Let's assure them that we're working together in dreaming great dreams. And let's assure them that we're putting people before politics and pulling in the same direction to build their 'New Illinois' today. Today is the start of another new partnership. And one by one, let's get a lot of things done. Thank you, and God bless all of you. I appreciate your patience."
Speaker Madigan: "Will the Committee of Escort please come forward to escort the Governor from the chamber? The President of the Senate is recognized for a Motion."
"Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I move that the Joint Session do now arise."
Speaker Madigan: "The President of the Senate has moved that the Joint Session do now arise. All those in favor signify by saying 'aye'; those opposed say 'no'. The 'ayes' have it and the Joint Session will now arise. The regular Session will come to order. The Chair recognizes the Clerk."
Clerk Rossi: "House Joint Resolution #5, offered by Representative Currie. HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION 5 33 STATE OF ILLINOIS 92ND GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 4th Legislative Day January 31, 2001 RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-SECOND GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, THE SENATE CONCURRING HEREIN, that when the House of Representatives adjourns on Wednesday, January 31, 2001, it stands adjourned until Monday, February 5, 2001, in Perfunctory Session, and when it adjourns on that day, it stands adjourned until Tuesday, February 6, 2001 at 1:00 o'clock p.m., and when it adjourns on that day, it stands adjourned until Wednesday, February 7, 2001, and when it adjourns on that day, it stands adjourned until Thursday, February 8, 2001, and when it adjourns on that day, it stands adjourned until Tuesday, February 13, 2001 in Perfunctory Session, and when it adjourns on that day, it stands adjourned until Wednesday, February 14, 2001 at 1:00 o'clock p.m., and when it adjourns on that day, it stands adjourned until Thursday, February 15, 2001, and when it adjourns on that day, it stands adjourned until Friday, February 16, 2001, and when it adjourns on that day, it stands adjourned until Tuesday, February 20, 2001 in Perfunctory Session, and when it adjourns on that day, it stands adjourned until Wednesday, February 21, 2001 at 11:30 a.m.; and when the Senate adjourns on Thursday, February 1, 2001 it stands adjourned until Tuesday, February 20, 2001 at 1:00 o'clock p.m., and when it adjourns on that day, it stands adjourned until Wednesday, February 21, 2001."
"The Clerk has read the Adjournment Resolution. Representative Currie moves for the adoption of the Resolution. Those in favor say 'aye'; those opposed say 'no'. The 'ayes' have it. The Adjournment Resolution is adopted. The Chair is prepared to adjourn. Representative Currie moves that the House does stand adjourned until Tuesday, February 6th, at 1:00 p.m., providing perfunctory time for the Clerk. Those in favor say 'aye'; those opposed say 'no'. The 'ayes' have it. The House does 34 STATE OF ILLINOIS 92ND GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 4th Legislative Day January 31, 2001 stand adjourned until February 6, at 1:00 p.m., providing perfunctory time for the Clerk."
Clerk Rossi: "This Perfunctory Session will come to order. Introduction and First Reading of House Bills. House Bill 475, offered by Representative Capparelli, a Bill for an Act in relation to vehicles. House Bill 476, offered by Representative Black, a Bill for an Act in relation to emergency telephone systems. House Bill 477, offered by Representative Hoeft, a Bill for an Act in relation to public employee benefits. House Bill 478, offered by Representative Capparelli, a Bill for an Act in relation to public employee benefits. House Bill 479, offered by Representative Younge, a Bill for an Act concerning the Department of Commerce and Community Affairs. House Bill 480, offered by Representative Younge, a Bill for an Act concerning guaranteed job opportunity projects. House Bill 481, offered by Representative Younge, a Bill for an Act concerning the Department of Commerce and Community Affairs. House Bill 482, offered by Representative Bost, a Bill for an Act concerning the local regulation of firearms. House Bill 483, offered by Representative Bost, a Bill for an Act in relation to hunting. House Bill 484, offered by Representative Hartke, a Bill for an Act in relation to public employee benefits. House Bill 485, offered by Representative Hartke, a Bill for an Act concerning townships. House Bill 486, offered by Representative Leitch, a Bill for an Act concerning redevelopment. House Bill 487, offered by Representative Leitch, a Bill for an Act concerning redevelopment. House Bill 488, offered by Representative Joe Lyons, a Bill for an Act concerning taxes. House Bill 489, offered by Representative Curry, a Bill for an Act in relation to 35 STATE OF ILLINOIS 92ND GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 4th Legislative Day January 31, 2001 state employees group insurance. House Bill 490, offered by Representative Wirsing, a Bill for an Act relating to schools. House Bill 491, offered by Representative McCarthy, a Bill for an Act in relation to health care information. House Bill 492, offered by Representative Steve Davis, a Bill for an Act relating to telecommunications. House Bill 493, offered by Representative Davis, a Bill for an Act to amend the Illinois Pension Code. House Bill 494, offered by Representative Holbrook, a Bill for an Act concerning corrections. House Bill 495, offered by Representative Franks, a Bill for an Act making appropriations. House Bill 496, offered by Representative Giles, a Bill for an Act concerning elections. House Bill 497, offered by Representative Hamos, a Bill for an Act concerning family leave. House Bill 498, offered by Representative Hamos, a Bill for an Act in relation to unemployment insurance. House Bill 499, offered by Representative Hamos, a Bill for an Act concerning telecommunications. House Bill 500, offered by Representative Hamos, a Bill for an Act concerning mortgage foreclosures. House Bill 501, offered by Representative Scully, a Bill for an Act making appropriations. House Bill 502, offered by Representative Scully, a Bill for an Act respecting education. House Bill 503, offered by Representative Jay Hoffman, a Bill for an Act with regard to vehicles. House Bill 504, offered by Representative Scott, a Bill for an Act concerning housing affordability. House Bill 505, offered by Representative Scott, a Bill for an Act in relation to planning. Introduction and First Reading of these House Bills. This Perfunctory Session stands adjourned." 36