“The House shall come to order. The Members shall be in their chairs. We shall be led in prayer today by the Reverend Ron Philpot of the Northcrest Calvary Baptist Church in Moline. Reverend Philpot is the guest of Representative Mike Boland. The guests in the gallery may wish to rise and join us for the invocation and the Pledge of Allegiance.”
“Our Father, great Creator, Sustainer, and Redeemer, we come to You thanking You for all these Representatives of the great State of Illinois. We recognize You, O God, as the supreme ruler of heaven and earth and all that exists. Further, we understand that it is You that set up kingdoms, nations, providences, and states. And You are responsible for those who are assembled here today. I pray that You look, as we look to You, as they look to You and as we, as citizens of Illinois look to them for the leadership may these Representatives with awesome tasks set before them look to You individually and collectively. Father, I not only lift up the Representatives of this 71st District, Mike Boland, who represents the district that I’m a citizen, but Lord, I lift up each man and woman that represents all the citizens throughout this great State of Illinois. O Lord, I pray for these Representatives as they tackle the tough issues, issues that deal with economics, taxations, employment, health benefits and many, many other issues. I pray for them as they deal with issues that not only affect this great state, but also our nation and quite possibly the 09300025.doc 1 STATE OF ILLINOIS 93rd GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 25th Legislative Day 3/5/2003 nations of the world. Father, I pray as they tackle these crucial issues that they seek Your guidance and accept Your direction. You know, Lord, what is on the agenda for this Session. May, these, Your servants, seek Your guidance and may we the people that they represent recognize and see Your hand upon all matters. So, Father, I thank You for these Representatives and be with them, bless their work and Father, may all things that are said and accomplished within this Session be pleasing to You and according to Your divine will. I thank You, once again, for all these servants. Let this prayer be lifted up to You in the wonderful name of Jesus. Amen.”
“We shall be led in the Pledge of Allegiance by Representative Hassert.” Hassert – et al: “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. Representative Currie.”
“Thank you, Speaker. Please let the record show that Representative Morrow is excused today.”
“Mr. Bost.”
“Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Let the refrect… record reflect that all Republicans are present today.”
“Mr. Clerk, take the record. There being 117 Members responding to the Attendance Roll Call, there is a quorum present. Mr. Sacia.” 09300025.doc 2 STATE OF ILLINOIS 93rd GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 25th Legislative Day 3/5/2003
“Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Point of personal privilege, please.”
“State your point.”
“Mr. Speaker, as a freshman Legislator, we have no choice of where we sit on this House Floor and I was placed next to Mr. David Wirsing. In spite of that, I have learned a great deal. My point of personal privilege is that some 51 years ago a lovely young lady by the name of Nancy Hardesty in Sycamore became acquainted with my seatmate, Mr. Wirsing, and some 43 years ago, on this very day, they joined hands in holy matrimony. And I think it’s a tremendous credit to that young lady to have stayed with him these 43 years and loved him and adored him as he has her. And I wish this great Body would join me in congratulating David and Nancy Wirsing on their 43rd wedding anniversary.”
“Mr. Winters.”
“A point of personal privilege.”
“State your point.”
“Mr. Speaker, it is… it’s quite appropriate that the first speaker on the floor today is Representative Jim Sacia, as today marks his first birthday, that is his first birthday on the House Floor. We have to realize that he represe… he represents a district formerly represented by Representative Ron Lawfer, and comparing Ron Lawfer to Jim Sacia it’s… there’s no comparison there. Jim is wearing a ribbon today that I think reflects both… both Jim and his attitude towards life. His ribbon says that he is older 09300025.doc 3 STATE OF ILLINOIS 93rd GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 25th Legislative Day 3/5/2003 than dirt. Now, that’s not correct. He’s only 59, but I would ask the House to join me in honoring Jim Sacia on his 59th birthday and then join him in cake down at the front.”
Speaker Madigan: “Representative Washington. Ladies and Gentlemen, please give your attention to Mr. Washington.”
“Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I ask this honorable Body if you would join me in moment of silence. The City of Waukegan, we lost our first Hispanic police chief in the history of Waukegan who died of a heart attack, Miguel Juarez. And as respect to the service that he rendered to the State of Illinois, please join me in a moment of silence.”
Speaker Madigan: “Ladies and Gentlemen, Mr. Washington has asked for a moment of silence. Thank you very much. Mr. Hartke in the Chair.”
“Committee Reports.”
Clerk Rossi: “Representative Reitz, Chairperson from the Committee on Agriculture & Conservation, to which the following measure/s was/were referred, action taken on Tuesday, March 04, 2003, reported the same back with the following recommendation/s: 'do pass Short Debate' House Bill 230, House Bill 2273, House Bill 2816, House Bill 2889, House Bill 2890, House Bill 2918, House Bill 2943, House Bill 2949 and House Bill 2950. Representative Brosnahan, Chairperson from the Committee on Consumer Protection, to which the following measure/s was/were referred, action taken on Tuesday, March 04, 2003, reported the same back with the following recommendation/s: 'do pass 09300025.doc 4 STATE OF ILLINOIS 93rd GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 25th Legislative Day 3/5/2003 Short Debate' House Bill 1486 and House Bill 2344; 'do pass as amended Short Debate' House Bill 70, House Bill 259, House Bill 2187 and House Bill 2188. Representative Boland, Chairperson from the Committee on Elections & Campaign Reform, to which the following measure/s was/were referred, action taken on Tuesday, March 04, 2003, reported the same back with the following recommendation/s: 'do pass' House Bill 1442, House Bill 1603, and House Bill 2508. Representative Joe Lyons, Chairperson from the Committee on Financial Institutions, to which the following measure/s was/were referred, action taken on Tuesday, March 04, 2003, reported the same back with the following recommendation/s: 'do pass Short Debate' House Bill 1150 and House Bill 2550; 'do pass as amended Short Debate' House Bill 1516, House Bill 1521 and House Bill 2543. Representative Flowers, Chairperson from the Committee on Health Care Availability & Access, to which the following measure/s was/were referred, action taken on Tuesday, March 04, 2003, reported the same back with the following recommendation/s: 'do pass Standard Debate' House Bill 2376. Representative Hamos, Chairperson from the Committee on Housing & Urban Development, to which the following measure/s was/were referred, action taken on Tuesday, March 04, 2003, reported the same back with the following recommendation/s: 'do pass Short Debate' House Bill 2345, House Bill 2382; 'do pass as amended Short Debate' House Bill 1529. Representative Mautino, Chairperson from the Committee on Insurance, to which the following measure/s 09300025.doc 5 STATE OF ILLINOIS 93rd GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 25th Legislative Day 3/5/2003 was/were referred, action taken on Tuesday, March 04, 2003, reported the same back with the following recommendation/s: 'do pass Short Debate' House Bill 1640; 'do pass as amended Short Debate' House Bill 1493. Representative Steve Davis, Chairperson from the Committee on Public Utilities, to which the following measure/s was/were referred, action taken on Tuesday, March 04, 2003, reported the same back with the following recommendation/s: 'do pass Short Debate' House Bill 2839; 'do pass as amended Short Debate' House Bill 1452 and House Bill 2489. Representative Hoffman, Chairperson from the Committee on Transportation & Motor Vehicles, to which the following measure/s was/were referred, action taken on Tuesday, March 04, 2003, reported the same back with the following recommendation/s: 'do pass as amended' House Bill 463 and House Bill 1532; 'do pass Short Debate' House Bill 2301 and House Bill 2302; 'do pass Standard Debate' House Bill 2824.”
“Ladies and Gentlemen, we’re going to move Bills from second to third. I would appreciate it if you’d be… be ready. If you have a… an Amendment in committee I will be skipping over that piece of legislation, or if there are fiscal notes that have not been filed I will not be calling those Bills until later. On page 2 on the Calendar appears House Bill 32, Representative Lang. Mr. Clerk, read the Bill.”
“House Bill 32, a Bill for an Act concerning state agencies. Second Reading of this House Bill. Amendment #1 09300025.doc 6 STATE OF ILLINOIS 93rd GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 25th Legislative Day 3/5/2003 was adopted in committee. No Motions have been filed. No Floor Amendments approved for consideration.”
“Third Reading. House Bill 44, Representative Lyons. Joe Lyons. Out of the record. House Bill 46, Mr. Reitz. Mr. Clerk, read the Bill.”
“House Bill 46, a Bill for an Act concerning taxes. Second Reading of this House Bill. Amendment #1 was adopted in committee. No Motions have been filed. No Floor Amendments approved for consideration.”
“Third Reading. House Bill 57, Mr. Lang. Mr. Clerk, read the Bill.”
“House Bill 57, a Bill for an Act concerning state employee health benefits. Second Reading of this House Bill. No Committee Amendments. No Floor Amendments. No Motions filed.”
“Third Reading. House Bill 91, Mr. Watson. Mr. Watson. Mr. Clerk, read the Bill.”
“House Bill 91, a Bill for an Act concerning taxes. Second Reading of this House Bill. No Committee Amendments. No Floor Amendments. No Motions filed.”
“Third Reading. House Bill 92, Mr. Schmitz. Out of the record. House Bill 93, Mr. Schmitz. Out of the record. House Bill 102, Mr. Boland. Mike Boland. Mr. Clerk, read the Bill.”
“House Bill 102, a Bill for an Act concerning forced labor. Second Reading of this House Bill. No Committee Amendments. No Floor Amendments. No Motions filed.” 09300025.doc 7 STATE OF ILLINOIS 93rd GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 25th Legislative Day 3/5/2003
“Third Reading. House Bill 117, Mr. Moffitt. Out of the record. House Bill 121, Mr. Watson. Mr. Clerk, read the Bill.”
“House Bill 121, a Bill for an Act in relation to fire equipment. Second Reading of this House Bill. Amendment #1 was adopted in committee. No Motions have been filed. No Floor Amendments approved for consideration.”
“Third Reading. House Bill 136, Representative Soto. This is the Bill we moved back yesterday. Are you ready now? Out of the record. Out of the record. Mr. Clerk, what is the status of House Bill 121?”
“House Bill 121 is on the Order of House Bills-Third Reading.”
“Move that Bill back to Second Reading at the request of the Sponsor. House Bill 186, Representative Kosel. Mr. Clerk, read the Bill.”
“House Bill 186, a Bill for an Act concerning condominiums. Second Reading of this House Bill. No Committee Amendments. No Floor Amendments. No Motions filed.”
“Third Reading. House Bill 206, Representative Monique Davis. Out of the record. House Bill 209, Mr. Franks. Out of the record. House Bill 216, Representative Jones. Mr. Clerk, read the Bill.”
“House Bill 216, a Bill for an Act in relation to public health. Second Reading of this House Bill. No 09300025.doc 8 STATE OF ILLINOIS 93rd GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 25th Legislative Day 3/5/2003 Committee Amendments. No Floor Amendments. No Motions filed.”
“Third Reading. House Bill 220, Representative Slone. Representative Slone. Out of the record. House Bill 222, Representative Davis. Monique Davis. Out of the record. On page 4 of the Calendar appears House Bill 231, Representative Winters. Mr. Winters. Mr. Clerk, read the Bill.”
“House Bill 231, a Bill for an Act to create the Local Legacy Act. Second Reading of this House Bill. No Committee Amendments. No Floor Amendments. No Motions filed.”
“Third Reading. House Bill 237, Representative Franks. Mr. Clerk, read the Bill.”
“House Bill 237, a Bill for an Act in relation to taxation. Second Reading of this House Bill. No Committee Amendments. No Floor Amendments. No Motions filed.”
“Third Reading. House Bill 263, Representative Saviano. Mr. Clerk, read the Bill.”
“House Bill 263, a Bill for an Act concerning ports. Second Reading of this House Bill. No Committee Amendments. No Floor Amendments. No Motions filed.”
“Third Reading. House Bill 264, Representative Mautino. Mr. Clerk, read the Bill.”
“House Bill 264, a Bill for an Act to create the Agriculture Producer Protection Act. Second Reading of this House Bill. Amendment #1 was adopted in committee. 09300025.doc 9 STATE OF ILLINOIS 93rd GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 25th Legislative Day 3/5/2003 No Motions have been filed. No Floor Amendments approved for consideration.”
“Third Reading. House Bill 300, Mr. Mathias. Out of the record. House Bill 310, Representative Mendoza. Out of the record. House Bill 318, Representative Yarbrough. Out of the record. House Bill 339, Representative Kurtz. Representative Kurtz. Out of the record. House Bill 371, Representative Wirsing. Mr. Clerk, read the Bill.”
“House Bill 371, a Bill for an Act concerning teacher certification. Second Reading of this House Bill. Amendments 1 and 2 were adopted in committee. No Motions have been filed. No Floor Amendments approved for consideration.”
“Third Reading. House Bill 373, Representative Madigan… Molaro. Mr. Clerk, read the Bill.”
“House Bill 373, a Bill for an Act in relation to public employee benefits. Second Reading of this House Bill. Amendment #1 was adopted in committee. No Motions have been filed. No Floor Amendments approved for consideration.”
“Third Reading. House Bill 375, Representative Meyer. Out of the record. House Bill 386, Representative Novak. Mr. Clerk, read the Bill.”
“House Bill 386, a Bill for an Act concerning public utilities. Second Reading of this House Bill. Amendment #1 was adopted in committee. No Motions have 09300025.doc 10 STATE OF ILLINOIS 93rd GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 25th Legislative Day 3/5/2003 been filed. No Floor Amendments approved for consideration.”
“Third Reading. House Bill 407, Representative Davis, Steve Davis. Mr. Clerk, read the Bill.”
“House Bill 407, a Bill for an Act in relation to public employee benefits. Second Reading of this House Bill. No Committee Amendments. No Floor Amendments. No Motions filed.”
“Third Reading. On page 5 of the Calendar, on House Bills-Second Reading, appears House Bill 462, Representative Burke. Representative Burke. Out of the record. House Bill 479, Representative Flowers. Representative Flowers. Out of the record. House Bill 481, Representative Flowers. Out of the record. House Bill 483, Representative Flowers. Out of the record. House Bill 494, Representative Hassert. Representative Hassert. Out of the record. House Bill 516, Representative O’Brien. Mr. Clerk, read the Bill.”
“House Bill 516, a Bill for an Act in relation to criminal law. Second Reading of this House Bill. No Committee Amendments. No Floor Amendments. No Motions filed.”
“Third Reading. House Bill 517, Representative O’Brien. Mr. Clerk, read the Bill.”
“House Bill 517, a Bill for an Act in relation to vehicles. Second Reading of this House Bill. No Committee Amendments. No Floor Amendments. No Motions filed.” 09300025.doc 11 STATE OF ILLINOIS 93rd GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 25th Legislative Day 3/5/2003
“Third Reading. House Bill 524, Representative Turner. Representative Turner. Out of the record. House Bill 526, Representative Ryg. Mr. Clerk, read the Bill.”
“House Bill 526, a Bill for an Act in relation to local governments. Second Reading of this House Bill. No Committee Amendments. No Floor Amendments. No Motions filed.”
“Third Reading. House Bill 527, Representative Ryg. Mr. Clerk, read the Bill.”
“House Bill 527, a Bill for an Act in relation to local governments. Second Reading of this House Bill. No Committee Amendments. No Floor Amendments. No Motions filed.”
“Third Reading. House Bill 528, Representative Franks. Out of the record. House Bill 536, Representative Cross. Mr. Clerk, read the Bill.”
“House Bill 536, a Bill for an Act in relation to violence against women. Second Reading of this House Bill. No Committee Amendments. No Floor Amendments. No Motions filed.”
Speaker Hartke: “Third Reading. House Bill 1089, Representative Joyce. Out of the record. House Bill 1099, Representative Mitchell. Bill Mitchell. Mr. Clerk, read the Bill.”
“House Bill 1099, a Bill for an Act concerning the Department of Employment Security. Second Reading of this House Bill. No Committee Amendments. No Floor Amendments. No Motions filed.” 09300025.doc 12 STATE OF ILLINOIS 93rd GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 25th Legislative Day 3/5/2003
“Third Reading. On page 6 of the Calendar, on House Bills-Second Reading, appears House Bill 1100, Mr. Mitchell. Mr. Clerk, read the Bill.”
“House Bill 1100, a Bill for an Act concerning the executive branch. Second Reading of this House Bill. No Committee Amendments. No Floor Amendments. No Motions filed.”
Speaker Hartke: “Third Reading. House Bill 1118, Representative Joyce. Representative Joyce. Out of the record. You wanna run it? 1118. Out of the record. House Bill 1089. Mr. Clerk, read the Bill.”
“House Bill 1089, a Bill for an Act in relation to criminal law. Second Reading of this House Bill. Amendment #1 was adopted in committee. No Motions have been filed. No Floor Amendments approved for consideration.”
Speaker Hartke: “Third Reading. House Bill 1157, Representative Hamos. Mr. Clerk, read the Bill.”
“House Bill 1157, a Bill for an Act in relation to child custody. Second Reading of this House Bill. No Committee Amendments. No Floor Amendments. No Motions filed.”
Speaker Hartke: “Third Reading. House Bill 1166, Representative Colvin. Representative Colvin. Mr. Clerk, read the Bill. Out of the record. House Bill 1175, Representative Eddy. Mr. Clerk, read the Bill.”
“House Bill 1175, a Bill for an Act in relation to criminal law. Second Reading of this House Bill. No 09300025.doc 13 STATE OF ILLINOIS 93rd GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 25th Legislative Day 3/5/2003 Committee Amendments. No Floor Amendments. No Motions filed.”
Speaker Hartke: “Third Reading. House Bill 1178, Representative McGuire. Mr. Clerk, read the Bill.”
“House Bill 1178, a Bill for an Act concerning preventive services. Second Reading of this House Bill. No Committee Amendments. No Floor Amendments. No Motions filed.”
Speaker Hartke: “Third Reading. House Bill 1193, Representative Coulson. Beth Coulson. Mr. Clerk, read the Bill.”
“House Bill 1193, a Bill for an Act concerning health improvements. Second Reading of this House Bill. Amendment #1 was adopted in committee. No Motions have been filed. No Floor Amendments approved for consideration.”
Speaker Hartke: “Third Reading. House Bill 1209, Representative Kosel. Representative Kosel. Mr. Clerk, read the Bill.”
“House Bill 1209, a Bill for an Act concerning the Department of Human Services. Second Reading of this House Bill. Amendment #1 was adopted in committee. No Motions have been filed. No Floor Amendments approved for consideration.”
Speaker Hartke: “Third Reading. House Bill 1235, Representative Davis. Monique Davis. Mr. Clerk, read the Bill.” 09300025.doc 14 STATE OF ILLINOIS 93rd GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 25th Legislative Day 3/5/2003
“House Bill 1235, a Bill for an Act in relation to schools. Second Reading of this House Bill. No Committee Amendments. No Floor Amendments. No Motions filed.”
“Third Reading. On page 7 on the Calendar, on House Bills-Second Reading, appears House Bill 1268, Representative Coulson. Mr. Clerk, read the Bill.”
“House Bill 1268, a Bill for an Act in relation to public aid. Second Reading of this House Bill. No Committee Amendments. No Floor Amendments. No Motions filed.”
Speaker Hartke: “Third Reading. House Bill 1279, Representative Brosnahan. Representative Brosnahan. Out of the record. House Bill 1280, Representative Brosnahan. Out of the record. House Bill 1285, Representative May. Mr. Clerk, read the Bill.”
“House Bill 1285, a Bill for an Act concerning agriculture. Second Reading of this House Bill. No Committee Amendments. No Floor Amendments. No Motions filed.”
Speaker Hartke: “Third Reading. House Bill 1286, Representative Black. Mr. Black. Out of the record. House Bill 1353, Representative Howard. Connie Howard. Mr. Clerk, read the Bill.”
“House Bill 1353, a Bill for an Act concerning public health. Second Reading of this House Bill. No Committee Amendments. No Floor Amendments. No Motions filed.” 09300025.doc 15 STATE OF ILLINOIS 93rd GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 25th Legislative Day 3/5/2003
Speaker Hartke: “Third Reading. House Bill 1360, Representative Jones. Lou Jones. Mr. Clerk… Representative Jones. Mr. Clerk, read the Bill.”
“House Bill 1360, a Bill for an Act in relation to public aid. Second Reading of this House Bill. No Committee Amendments. No Floor Amendments. No Motions filed.”
Speaker Hartke: “Third Reading. House Bill 1372, Representative Lyons. Joe Lyons. Mr. Clerk… out of the record. I stand corrected. Start over. House Bill 1372, Representative Lyons. Eileen Lyons. Mr. Clerk, read the Bill.”
“House Bill 1372, a Bill for an Act in relation to criminal law. Second Reading of this House Bill. No Committee Amendments. No Floor Amendments. No Motions filed.”
Speaker Hartke: “Third Reading. House Bill 1373, Representative Lyons. Eileen Lyons. Mr. Clerk, read the Bill.”
“House Bill 1373, a Bill for an Act in relation to criminal law. Second Reading of this House Bill. No Committee Amendments. No Floor Amendments. No Motions filed.”
Speaker Hartke: “Third Reading. House Bill 1374, Representative Lyons. Out of the record. House Bill 1382, Representative Fritchey. Mr. Clerk, read the Bill.” 09300025.doc 16 STATE OF ILLINOIS 93rd GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 25th Legislative Day 3/5/2003
“House Bill 1382 has been read a second time, previously. No Committee Amendments. No Floor Amendments. No Motions filed.”
“Mr. Fritchey.”
“Thank you, Speaker. I just wanna state for the record, there was an agreement originally to hold this Bill for an Amendment. However, we’ve reached an agreement and Representative Parke can verify this, that we are gonna make that Amendment on the Senate side and so with his acquiescence, we’re gonna move this to Third Reading.”
“Third Reading. Mr. Parke.”
“Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Sponsor is correct, but that… the agreement is that he will amend it in the Senate and that… and unless there’s an agreement, the Bill will not be moved to passage. Is that the understanding of the Sponsor? He is nodding in the affirmative. Thank you. We have no problems.”
“House Bill 1412, Representative Lyons. Joe Lyons. Mr. Clerk, read the Bill.”
“House Bill 1412, a Bill for an Act concerning assisted living. Second Reading of this House Bill. Amendment #1 was adopted in committee. No Motions have been filed. No Floor Amendments approved for consideration.”
Speaker Hartke: “Third Reading. House Bill 1436, Representative McGuire. Mr. Clerk, read the Bill.” 09300025.doc 17 STATE OF ILLINOIS 93rd GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 25th Legislative Day 3/5/2003
“House Bill 1436, a Bill for an Act in relation to aging. Second Reading of this House Bill. No Committee Amendments. No Floor Amendments. No Motions filed.”
Speaker Hartke: “Third Reading. House Bill 1445, Representative Rita. Representative Rita. Mr. Clerk, read the Bill.”
“House Bill 1445, a Bill for an Act concerning municipalities. Second Reading of this House Bill. Floor Amendment #1, offered by Representative Osterman, has been approved for consideration.”
Speaker Hartke: “Representative Osterman on Floor Amendment #1.”
“Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Now, Floor Amendment 1 to House Bill 1445 adds six additional members to a TIF advisory council. Those six members would be community representatives and would be geographically added throughout the State of Illinois. Ask for an ‘aye’ vote.”
“Is there any discussion on Floor Amendment #1 to House Bill 1445? Seeing no one is seeking recognition, the question is, ‘Shall the House adopt Floor Amendment #1 to House Bill 1445?’ Mr. Parke, is your light on?”
“Yes, it was. Is it… did you just not notice or was it not on?”
“I don’t see it on, maybe I have some problems up here with my console.”
“Okay.”
“We’ll check it out. Mr. Parke.” 09300025.doc 18 STATE OF ILLINOIS 93rd GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 25th Legislative Day 3/5/2003
“Yes. Is there an agreement on this with all the parties to make sure that this additional members and it’s okay with everybody? I…”
“This is an Amendment that came before the Local Government Committee and was agreed to by everybody on the Local Government Committee. So, I don’t know that there’s any opposition to this measure.”
“When you… is this a new concept to expand the number on this board? Have you talked about it in committee when you were making the original presentation?”
“The board is a new committee. So, it’s a new initiative as far as being a board. The goal of the Amendment is to add community representatives on this advisory council that would look at TIF issues across the State of Illinois.”
“Okay. There is no… now, is this Amendment 1… is this Amendment 1 we’re talking about?”
“Amendment #1.”
“So, there’s no fiscal impact by adding the new members ‘cause they’ll be… serve without compensation or reimbursement. Is that your understanding?”
“Correct. Yes.”
“I have no problems with the Amendment. Thank you.”
“Further discussion? Since no one is seeking recognition, the question is, ‘Shall the House adopt Floor Amendment #1 to House Bill 1445?’ All those in favor signify by saying ‘aye’; opposed ‘no’. In the opinion of 09300025.doc 19 STATE OF ILLINOIS 93rd GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 25th Legislative Day 3/5/2003 the Chair, the ‘ayes’ have it. And the Amendment is adopted. Further Amendments?”
“No further Amendments.”
Speaker Hartke: “Third Reading. House Bill 1451, Representative Brosnahan. Out of the record. House Bill 1457, Representative O’Brien. Mr. Clerk, read the Bill.”
“House Bill 1457, a Bill for an Act in relation to educational labor relations. Second Reading of this House Bill. No Committee Amendments. No Floor Amendments. No Motions filed.”
“House Bill 1462… Third Reading. House Bill 1462, Representative McAuliffe. Mr. Clerk, read the Bill.”
“House Bill 1462, a Bill for an Act concerning employment. Second Reading of this House Bill. No Committee Amendments. No Floor Amendments. No Motions filed.”
“Third Reading. House Bill 479, Representative Flowers. Mr. Clerk, read the Bill.”
“House Bill 479, a Bill for an Act in relation to public health. Second Reading of this House Bill. No Committee Amendments. No Floor Amendments. No Motions filed.”
“Third Reading. House Bill 481, Representative Flowers. Mr. Clerk, read the Bill.”
“House Bill 481, a Bill for an Act in relation to persons wrongfully imprisoned, amending named Acts. Second Reading of this House Bill. No Committee Amendments. No Floor Amendments. No Motions filed.” 09300025.doc 20 STATE OF ILLINOIS 93rd GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 25th Legislative Day 3/5/2003
“Third Reading. House Bill 483, Representative Flowers. Mr. Clerk, read the Bill.”
“House Bill 483, a Bill for an Act regarding education. Second Reading of this House Bill. No Committee Amendments. No Floor Amendments. No Motions filed.”
“Third Reading. Now, back on page 8, House Bill 1484, Representative Flowers. 1484. Mr. Clerk, read the Bill.”
“House Bill 1484, a Bill for an Act concerning senior citizens. Second Reading of this House Bill. No Committee Amendments. No Floor Amendments. No Motions filed.”
“Take that Bill out of the record. House Bill 1514, Representative Franks. Mr. Clerk, read the Bill. Excuse me. Okay. Take 1514 out of the record. House Bill 1534, Representative Winters. Representative Winters. Out of the record. Okay. House Bill 1534. Mr. Clerk, read the Bill.”
“House Bill 1534, a Bill for an Act concerning fees. Second Reading of this House Bill. No Committee Amendments. No Floor Amendments. No Motions filed.”
Speaker Hartke: “Third Reading. House Bill 1536, Representative Mendoza. Representative Mendoza. Mr. Clerk, read the Bill.”
“House Bill 1536, a Bill for an Act in relation to firearms. Second Reading of this House Bill. Amendment #1 09300025.doc 21 STATE OF ILLINOIS 93rd GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 25th Legislative Day 3/5/2003 was adopted in committee. No Motions have been filed. No Floor Amendments approved for consideration.”
Speaker Hartke: “Third Reading. House Bill 1577, Representative Mathias. Out of the record. House Bill 1584, Representative Feigenholtz. Mr. Clerk, read the Bill.”
“House Bill 1584, a Bill for an Act in relation to property. Second Reading of this House Bill. No Committee Amendments. No Floor Amendments. No Motions filed.”
Speaker Hartke: “Third Reading. House Bill 1604, Representative Mathias. Out of the record. House Bill 1614, Representative Holbrook. Mr. Clerk, read the Bill.”
“House Bill 1614, a Bill for an Act in relation to disabled persons. Second Reading of this House Bill. No Committee Amendments. No Floor Amendments. No Motions filed.”
Speaker Hartke: “Third Reading. House Bill 1629, Representative Scully. Mr. Clerk, read the Bill.”
“House Bill 1629, a Bill for an Act concerning marriage. Second Reading of this House Bill. No Committee Amendments. No Floor Amendments. No Motions filed.”
Speaker Hartke: “Third Reading. House Bill 2136, Representative Feigenholtz. Mr. Clerk, read the Bill.”
“House Bill 2136, a Bill for an Act concerning adoption. Second Reading of this House Bill. No Committee Amendments. No Floor Amendments. No Motions filed.” 09300025.doc 22 STATE OF ILLINOIS 93rd GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 25th Legislative Day 3/5/2003
Speaker Hartke: “Third Reading. House Bill 2205, Representative Currie. Barbara Currie. Mr. Clerk, read the Bill.”
“House Bill 2205, a Bill for an Act concerning lobbyists. Second Reading of this House Bill. No Committee Amendments. No Floor Amendments. No Motions filed.”
Speaker Hartke: “Third Reading. House Bill 2235, Representative Currie. Mr. Clerk, read the Bill.”
“House Bill 2235, a Bill for an Act regarding education. Second Reading of this House Bill. No Committee Amendments. No Floor Amendments. No Motions filed.”
Speaker Hartke: “Third Reading. House Bill 2244, Representative Winters. Mr. Clerk, read the Bill.”
“House Bill 2244, a Bill for an Act in relation to fees. Second Reading of this House Bill. No Committee Amendments. No Floor Amendments. No Motions filed.”
Speaker Hartke: “Third Reading. House Bill 2250, Representative Black. Out of the record. House Bill 2262, Representative Davis. Mr. Clerk, read the Bill.”
“House Bill 22… House Bill 2262, a Bill for an Act concerning trust and payable on death accounts. Second Reading of this House Bill. No Committee Amendments. No Floor Amendments. No Motions filed.”
Speaker Hartke: “Third Reading. House Bill 2277, Representative Hannig. Mr… Mr. Clerk, read the Bill.” 09300025.doc 23 STATE OF ILLINOIS 93rd GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 25th Legislative Day 3/5/2003
“House Bill 2277, a Bill for an Act regarding higher education. Second Reading of this House Bill. No Committee Amendments. No Floor Amendments. No Motions filed.”
Speaker Hartke: “Third Reading. House Bill 2279, Representative Leitch. Mr. Clerk, read the Bill.”
“House Bill 2279, a Bill for an Act concerning education. Second Reading of this House Bill. Amendment #1 was adopted in committee. No Motions have been filed. No Floor Amendments approved for consideration.”
Speaker Hartke: “Third Reading. House Bill 2284, Representative Mautino. Out of the record. House Bill 2299, Representative Brosnahan. Mr. Clerk, read the Bill.”
“House Bill 2299, a Bill for an Act in relation to municipalities. Second Reading of this House Bill. No Committee Amendments. No Floor Amendments. No Motions filed.”
Speaker Hartke: “Third Reading. House Bill 2350, Representative Colvin. Representative Colvin. Mr. Clerk, read the Bill.”
“House Bill 2350, a Bill for an Act concerning education. Second Reading of this House Bill. No Committee Amendments. No Floor Amendments. No Motions filed.”
Speaker Hartke: “Third Reading. House Bill 2525, Representative Jones. Lou Jones. 2525. Mr. Clerk, read the Bill.” 09300025.doc 24 STATE OF ILLINOIS 93rd GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 25th Legislative Day 3/5/2003
“House Bill 2525, a Bill for an Act in relation to criminal law. Second Reading of this House Bill. Amendment #1 was adopted in committee. No Motions have been filed. No Floor Amendments approved for consideration.”
“Third Reading. House Bill… Mr. Brunsvold, for what reason do you seek recognition?”
“Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Just like to make the Body aware that my former seatmate and former Congressman from southern Illinois, David Phelps, is on the floor here in the centel… center aisle. David Phelps.”
“Welcome to the Illinois General Assembly, Mr. Phelps. House Bill 1514, Representative Franks. Mr. Clerk, read the Bill.”
“House Bill 1514 has been read a second time, previously. Amendment #1 was adopted in committee. No Motions have been filed. No Floor Amendments approved for consideration.”
“Third Reading. Mr. Clerk, what is the status of House Bill 1208?”
“House Bill 1208 is on the Order of House Bills-Third Reading.”
“Move that Bill back to the Order of Second Reading for the purpose of an Amendment at the request of the Sponsor. House Bill 373. Mr. Clerk. 373.”
“House Bill 373 is on the Order of House Bills-Third Reading.” 09300025.doc 25 STATE OF ILLINOIS 93rd GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 25th Legislative Day 3/5/2003
“Move that Bill back to the Order of Second Reading for the purpose of an Amendment at the request of the Sponsor.”
“Rules Report. Representative Currie, Chairperson from the Committee on Rules, to which the following measure/s was/were referred, action taken on Wednesday, March 05, 2003, reported the same back with the following recommendation/s: 'to the floor for consideration' Floor Amendment #1 to House Bill 60, Floor Amendment #2 to House Bill 85, Floor Amendment #2 to House Bill 115, Floor Amendment #1 to House Bill 176, Floor Amendment #2 to House Bill 184, Floor Amendment #3 to House Bill 429, Floor Amendment #1 to House Bill 486, Floor Amendment #1 to House Bill 1166, and Floor Amendment #3 to House Bill 1383.”
“House Bill 1286, Representative Black. Mr. Black. Mr. Black. Out of the record. On page 2 on the Calendar, on Second Reading, appears House Bill 60, Representative Acevedo. Mr. Clerk, read the Bill.”
Clerk Rossi: "House Bill 60 has been read a second time, previously. No Committee Amendments. Floor Amendment #1, offered by Representative Ace… Acevedo, has been approved for consideration.”
“Representative Acevedo.”
“Thank you, Mr. Speaker, Ladies and Gentlemen of the House. I ask for adoption of Amendment #1 to House Bill 60 which one, it specifies that the University Income Fund will cover the cost, this is tuition fund, which is appropriate source. Two, it makes the Bill comply with 09300025.doc 26 STATE OF ILLINOIS 93rd GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 25th Legislative Day 3/5/2003 Federal Law by insuring that all citizens will pay in-state tuition if they attend an Illinois high school for three years. And three, it removes section ‘C’, which deals with the Child Support Payment Act. I ask for its adoption.”
“Is there any discussion on Floor Amendment #1? The Chair recognizes Representative Parke.”
“Thank you, Mr. Sp… Speaker. Will the Sponsor of Amendment 1 yield? I presume he is yielding. We have… we have a question about the true meaning of the statement, is that University Income Fund. Is the meaning of the statement that the university may not ask for additional state dollars to compensate for lost revenue? Or must they deal with the lost revenue in-house? What is… what is your intent?”
“That any cost that would… would be covered by the university itself, which the cost would be minimal.”
“Do you have any idea, Representative, what that… what ‘minimal’ means?”
“Representative, it would vary from university to university.”
“Are we talking a million dollars or are we talking $10 thousand? What do you think?”
“I wouldn’t… I couldn’t be able to give you the specific amount as far as each different university.”
“Is the University Income Fund that’s… is there any way that your intent is to get some reimbursement within that University Fund… Income Fund from the state or is it just gonna have to be absorbed by the people who pay into it?” 09300025.doc 27 STATE OF ILLINOIS 93rd GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 25th Legislative Day 3/5/2003
“It would have to be absorbed by the people paying into it.”
“Okay. Do you have any idea how many students we’re talking?”
“We’re talking approximately 22 hundred. And that’s approximately, Representative.”
“Twenty-two hundred per the… through the state… all the state universities?”
“All state universities, yes.”
“So, let’s say that half of those… or a thousand of those go to the University of Illinois, don’t you think that that might be a pretty heavy hit on that fund?”
“Not necessarily, Representative. If you look at it, the parents of these undocumented students, approximately in taxes, pay alone 29.5 million, where the cost would probably be approximately 3.3 million. Representative, if I can…”
“Okay…”
“If I can also add… if I can also add, there’s universities who currently are already charging in-state tuition. So, the absor… the absorption would be, like I said, very minimal.”
“Do… did the universities speak in the Rules Committee on this? Or did you get any feedback whether or not they think this is a good idea? Do you… have you had any input from them on this?”
“I have not heard of any opposition from the universities.” 09300025.doc 28 STATE OF ILLINOIS 93rd GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 25th Legislative Day 3/5/2003
“But we just did it this morning, though, didn’t we? It came out of Rules today, right?”
“Yes, it did.”
“And so they really may not know that this is being proposed. Is that correct?”
“Representative, there were some universities that were spoken to and they had no opposition to my Amendment.”
“Okay, well, I guess if there’s no opposition… I just… I just want to point out to the Body that this could be kind of expensive. I just don’t wanna make sure that other… other projects that are funded by this fund are jeopardized. And again, I don’t know what that is. And I just want to make sure you think about this, along with the universities, now that we’ve highlighted… the Amendment’s sound so there’ll be time for them to talk to you about it. But I just want to make sure that we’re not jeopardizing other programs that this fund may… may fund. But again, I think this is a source of revenue that you’re looking to help solve your problem, and I’m sympathetic to that. So, I… I guess I will not have any opposition to the Amendment. I just want to make sure that there’s dialog on it. Thank you, Representative.”
“Thank you, Representative.”
“Further discussion on the Amendment? The Chair recognizes Representative Wirsing. Ladies and Gentlemen, please. It’s very difficult to hear in here. Would you please lower your voices just a little bit? Representative Wirsing.” 09300025.doc 29 STATE OF ILLINOIS 93rd GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 25th Legislative Day 3/5/2003
“Will the Sponsor yield?"
“The Sponsor indicates he will yield.”
“Representative, I… help me understand something here. In committee, when we looked at this Bill, you said that there was no Amendments to be added to it. Is that… help me out here, I’m a little confused by…”
“Representative, if you can recall, you asked me if I would be available to any Amendments added. There were some organizations that came to me… as a matter of fact, Chairman McCarthy asked about the child support. We removed that completely off the Bill. And this other… for the compliance with Federal Law. That’s being added for the fact is that a citizen, an undocumented citizen, cannot receive any benefits that a United States’ citizen cannot receive.”
“Okay. All right, thank you. I just needed to clarify that. To the Bill. I think…”
“To the Amendment.”
“To the Amendment. I think this really strengthens the… the underlying Bill in the way that it had to be. There was great debate on the underlying Bill in committee to clarify exactly what is being attempted here. And there was good support in committee as well for that. So, I thank you, Representative, for doing what you said you were going to do. And I… and I support you in that.”
“Further discussion on the Amendment? The Chair recognizes Representative Lang.”
“Thank you. Will the Sponsor yield?" 09300025.doc 30 STATE OF ILLINOIS 93rd GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 25th Legislative Day 3/5/2003
“The Sponsor indicates he will yield.”
“Thank you. Representative, I’m inclined to want to support you on your Amendment, but I do have a couple of questions. The first question is, it deals with immigration issues. And so, where these young people come from families that are undocumented, isn’t it possible that doing this would alert federal authorities to where their families might be? And is it… does this create a danger for the families?”
“Not necessarily, Representative. For the fact is, there’s four other states that currently have this program implemented, which is California, Texas, Utah, and New York was an executive order. And there’s been no repercussions from the Federal Government.”
“So, in those states there have been no increased incidences of INS arrests or deportations or anything like that?”
“Nothing that would raise a red flag with the Coalition of Immigrant Rights.”
“All right. The other question is, as part of your Bill, if… if these students are to get in-state tuition, are the families required to make an effort to be documented?”
“Yes, and… and I will explain that further when I do… read on the Bill.”
“All right. Thank you very much.”
“Further discussion? The Chair recognizes the Gentleman from Jackson, Mr. Bost.”
“Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Will the Sponsor yield?" 09300025.doc 31 STATE OF ILLINOIS 93rd GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 25th Legislative Day 3/5/2003
“The Sponsor indicates that he will yield.”
“And I’m sorry, Representative, if I… if I missed it earlier. Can… can you explain, because I’m very familiar with the Bill, we’ve talked about the Bill, what exactly this Amendment does?”
“Well, there were three… three changes. One, as I mentioned, Representative, Rep… Chairman McCarthy had some concerns as far as that a child would be penalized for his… his or her parent not paying child support. And he asked that that be removed… that section be removed. And that is removed from the Bill itself. Another one… another change in the Amendment would help this Bill comply with Federal Law by insuring that all citizens pay in-state tuition if they attend Illinois high schools for three years. And the other one, it specifies that the University Income Fund will cover the cost.”
“I’m sorry, I didn’t hear the last one. I’m sorry.”
“It specifies that the University Income Fund will cover the cost.”
“Okay. Thank you. I… I just didn’t hear a while ago when you first explained. Thank you very much.”
“Further discussion? Since no one is seeking recognition, the question is, ‘Shall the House adopt Floor Amendment #1 to House Bill 60?’ All in favor signify by saying ‘aye’; opposed ‘no’. In the opinion of the Chair the ‘ayes’ have it. And the Amendment is adopted. Further Amendments?”
“No further Amendments.” 09300025.doc 32 STATE OF ILLINOIS 93rd GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 25th Legislative Day 3/5/2003
“Third Reading. On page 7 of the Calendar appears House Bill 1279, Mr. Brosnahan. Mr. Clerk, read the Bill.”
“House Bill 1279, a Bill for an Act concerning hazardous materials. Second Reading of this House Bill. No Committee Amendments. No Floor Amendments. No Motions filed.”
Speaker Hartke: “Third Reading. House Bill 1280, Representative Brosnahan. Mr. Clerk, read the Bill.”
“House Bill 1280, a Bill for an Act in relation to criminal law. Second Reading of this House Bill. No Committee Amendments. No Floor Amendments. No Motions filed.”
“Third Reading. House Bill 339, Representative Kurtz. Representative Kurtz. House Bill 339. Mr. Clerk, read the Bill.”
“House Bill 339, a Bill for an Act in relation to gambling. Second Reading of this House Bill. No Committee Amendments. No Floor Amendments. No Motions filed.”
“Third Reading. Mr. Clerk, House Bill 60. What is the status of that Bill?”
“House Bill 60 is on the Order of House Bills-Third Reading.”
“Mr. Clerk, read the Bill.”
"House Bill 60, a Bill for an Act concerning higher education. Third Reading of this House Bill.”
“Mr. Aceveda… Mr. Acevedo.” 09300025.doc 33 STATE OF ILLINOIS 93rd GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 25th Legislative Day 3/5/2003
“Thank you, Mr. Speaker, Ladies and Gentlemen of the House. House Bill 60 requires that for tuition purposes public universities in Illinois classify an individual who is not a citizen or permanent resident of the United States as an Illinois resident if certain conditions are met: 1) If the individual resides with his or her parent or guardian while attending a public or private school in the state; 2) The individual graduated from a public or private high school or received the equivalent of a high school diploma in the state; 3) If the individual resided in this state for at least three years as of the date the individual grad… graduated from high school or received the equivalent of a high school diploma; and 4) If the individual register… registers as an entering student in a nu… university not earlier than 2003 fall semester; 5) If the individual provides to the universities an affidavit stating that the individual will file an application to become a permanent resident of the United States at the earliest opportunity the individual is eligible to do so. This Bill has overwhelming support from wide varieties of interest groups including the likes of educators, business, labor, and faith-based groups, children and youth groups, civil rights and immigra… immigrant rights groups, and numerous community groups.”
“Is there any discussion? The Chair recognizes Representative Aguilar.”
“Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, and Ladies and Gentlemen… Speaker, to the Bill. Just an example of many 09300025.doc 34 STATE OF ILLINOIS 93rd GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 25th Legislative Day 3/5/2003 that… I know an individual student who’s an immigrant, went out, worked very hard, lived in a grocery store. He paid himself through college, graduated with honors, and went on to law school. And that’s just one example that immigrant students are here to work and contribute. And I, personally, this person in my district, very honored in really highlighting his… his accomplishments that he comes here, working very hard to contribute to our economy and contribute to our great State of Illinois. Thank you.”
“Further discussion? The Chair recognizes Representative Bost.”
“Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Will the Sponsor yield?"
“The Sponsor indicates he will yield.”
“Representative, the people that will benefit from this in the actual having the state tuition rate that they can pay, like in-state citizens, do their parents pay taxes?”
“Yes.”
“And many of these… many of these people who will receive this benefit, the concern I have, too, they… they come to the United States as small children by their own choice or how does that happen?”
“Well, actually, I wouldn’t say by their own choice, Representative. For the fact is, if they’re three-year-old… if it’s a three-year-old student or a four-year-old, they’re not brought here by their own choice, they’re brought here by their parents’ choice.” 09300025.doc 35 STATE OF ILLINOIS 93rd GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 25th Legislative Day 3/5/2003
“And… and then they’re… they’re educated in our schools here in the United States and many of ‘em, this is the only country they’ve known.”
“Yes.”
“Okay. Mr. Speaker, to the Bill.”
“To the Bill.”
“Ladies and Gentlemen of the House, this is a Bill that last year I stood in opposition and… and actually did everything I could to block it out of committee. I have studied this Bill very closely and I understand the importance of this Bill’s passage. This is a case where we have students, many of them students that are excellent students in our scho… in our high schools. All they know is to live in… all they have known is to live in this country. My original questions whenever the Bill first came up, well, why aren’t you trying for your citizenship? Many of them are. But because of problems that exist in our Federal Government and the immigration laws, they can’t get their citizenship. Many of them want their citizenship. Their parents do pay taxes, as the Representative spoke about awhile ago. They are participants in our state and in our state economy. They have the opportunity, we’re not giving them something free here. All this says is, is that they will pay the same as our in-state tuition. Now, what does that mean? On an average, probably they would pay where… where an in-state tuition is 6 thousand, if not they’d be paying in the neighborhood of $9 thousand to go, which maybe they 09300025.doc 36 STATE OF ILLINOIS 93rd GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 25th Legislative Day 3/5/2003 couldn’t afford. And if they couldn’t afford that higher education, what would happen is they then cannot go out and do anything but have possibly a minimum wage job, instead of possibly getting a degree as an engineer, as a teacher, as lawyers, as doctors. And they can contribute to society and pay more in our communities and maybe keep them and their children from being a burden to society, and make them an active part of our society. Ladies and Gentlemen, I had to look at this very closely. I will be supporting this Bill and I encourage you to do the same.”
Speaker Hartke: “Further discussion? The Chair recognizes Representative Delgado.”
“Thank you, Mr. Speaker. To the Bill. I want to congratulate all my colleagues on the other side and on this side who have studied this Bill intensely and diligently because this is about equality. Many, many young people who have been able to come here to this great country through their parents as children, as infants, are now speaking English as well as I, or better than most of us in this chamber. But when they don’t have an opportunity to go on to higher education, we… we’re reducing a particular population to becoming the assistant to the assistant to the assistant. And we want to be able to have the same production, to enjoy the same abilities to be presidents of banks, to be airline pilots, to become Legislators, to do all the things that’s necessary. And we have a community that has strong morals, a strong work ethic, and a very strong faith. So, I strongly, stron… I 09300025.doc 37 STATE OF ILLINOIS 93rd GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 25th Legislative Day 3/5/2003 stand in strong support of House Bill 60. I commend the Sponsor and I am very proud to say that Illinois is on the right road and we’re bringing this state to one. And that’s parity and justice when it comes to education and all of immigrants rights. And the beauty of this Bill is that it also applies to a student that might come from Nebraska, but they’re in Iowa studying, and they want to study in Illinois. They, too, will benefit, and they’re U.S. citizens. I want to commend the Sponsor. And I hope that we see nothing but ‘green’ lights up on that board.”
Speaker Hartke: “Further discussion? The Chair recognizes Representative Soto.”
"Thank you, Speaker. Thank you, Members of the House. I, too, stand in support of House Bill 60. And I am raising my voice because I want you to all hear me. I am urging you to support this Bill. It is a very important Bill. And it means a lot to the people that you see up there looking at us. If you can just send them a little wave and say hello to them. Because these are the model citizens that are here today and sacrifice… and their parents took the day off. Because, you know, their parents don’t get the day paid off. So, they’re here today and urging us to support them. Let’s help those who help themselves like we would want them to do for us. So, again, I urge you to support this Bill. It’s very important to our communities… all… all of our communities. Because they also come from your communities. Some of them are here from Chicago, some of them are here from Rolling 09300025.doc 38 STATE OF ILLINOIS 93rd GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 25th Legislative Day 3/5/2003 Meadows, Elgin, Des Plains, Waukegan, Palatine, all over the State of Illinois. So, believe me, some of those are your constituents. And we urge your ‘aye’ vote today. Thank you very much. And may God bless you.”
“Ladies and Gentlemen of the gallery, I might remind you that demonstrations are not allowed. So, please refain… refrain yourselves. The Chair recognizes Representative Biggins.”
"Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Will the Sponsor yield to some questions?"
“The Sponsor indicates he will yield.”
"Representative, I’m not too clear on some of these immigration and citizenship laws that we have in our country. But I heard you answer some questions that the parents of these students are taxpayers. Is that correct?”
“Yes.”
"And does that mean that the parents are citizens?”
“In some cases they are, in some cases they’re not. They may be legal residents.”
"And… but some cases they are what’s called ‘illegal aliens’. Is that right?”
“Yes, if you would call them that, Representative. But they are moving towards citizenship.”
"Well, how long does it take to become a citizen?”
“Sometimes 8 to… 8 to 10 years.”
"Why would these future students of ours not be citizens, now?” 09300025.doc 39 STATE OF ILLINOIS 93rd GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 25th Legislative Day 3/5/2003
“Well, actually, Representative, in the Bill… if you read part of the Bill, part of it in the last… the last part states that they have to be… they have to provide an affidavit stating that at the earliest opportunity the individual… the individual will become a permanent resident or a United States’ citizen.”
"Well, that’s not the same as being a citizen. Why would they… why would they have been through 12 years of school would they not have obtained the citizenship yet?”
“Actually, I believe there’s… that… that’s the way the law’s written, Representative. As far as these students, they’re still under 18 years of age and they’re still under their parents’ guardianship.”
"And the parents, some of them le… are legal but they still don’t have to be citizens either?”
“Correct.”
"But wouldn’t it be natural to… since… to take advantage of… of… the citizen’s advantage that they should become citizens and therefore, they have more eligibility for perhaps this benefit and perhaps even more.”
“Well, most of ‘em, as I said, Representative, are in the process of becoming citizens. We can… we can call ‘em what you like. But we can take their tax dollars for all their hard work they’ve done in this country. So, I think it’s only fair that if their parents are being… like I said, approximately $29.5 million contributed to this state alone, I feel that they should be eligible to receive the in-state tuition.” 09300025.doc 40 STATE OF ILLINOIS 93rd GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 25th Legislative Day 3/5/2003
"Well, that’s about the cost of the program, but what is the total cost of the program to the state?”
“Pardon, Representative? I’m sorry.”
"What is the total cost of the program if this Bill becomes law?”
“It becomes minimal, approximately $3.3 million.”
"It goes higher than that. About 3.3 million?”
“If you go over a period of four years, it’s approximately 46 million, over a period of four years. But does that… that does not allow for the 22 hundred undocumented students who will be eligible to pay in-state tuition, which will bring more revenue to these universities and to the state.”
"Okay, thank you.”
Speaker Hartke: “Further discussion? The Chair recognizes Representative Parke. The Gentleman from Cook.”
“Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Will the Sponsor yield?"
“The Sponsor indicates he will yield.”
“Representative, did anybody speak in opposition to your legislation in committee?”
“I’m sorry. Representative, can you repeat that, please?”
“Yes, did anybody speak in opposition to your legislation in committee?”
“No.”
“Who… who supports your legislation?”
“I don’t…” 09300025.doc 41 STATE OF ILLINOIS 93rd GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 25th Legislative Day 3/5/2003
“Do the universities of Illinois… I mean, the universities… state universities in our state support it?”
“Yes, I was just gonna say that. Also, the Chicago… I mean, community colleges and the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights.”
“And the reason they support it is that there’s a reality that they are faced with. Is that what you… would you surmise that that’s why they’re supporting this?”
“Yes, Representative. And if you’d like me to give you a list of organizations that do support this legislation, I’d probably be here an hour.”
“Well, I just wanna point out that the universities are in support of this. And is there anything in your legislation that would say to an undocumented person that’s gonna go to college and use your Bill as the entrée into our universities, that they will get their public education and stay in Illinois or stay in the United States? Or will they take that expertise and go back to Mexico, or Central America, or to Poland, or to Russia? Is there anything that encourages them to move forward with becoming citizens? Because we’re helping to provide them with an education, a quality education. Is there any way that… anything in here that says we would like you to move forward with becoming a citizen?”
“Yes, yes, Representative. The very last part of the requirement states that an individual had a… must apply to be a permanent resident or a United States citizen at the earliest convenience.” 09300025.doc 42 STATE OF ILLINOIS 93rd GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 25th Legislative Day 3/5/2003
“Now, does that put them at risk? I mean, if they’re an undocumented alien and they now are going to go to our university and they now are seeking residency, do they have to go back to their… to their… to the country in which they are citizens to do the process? Because they’re here now and many of them have never been back to their… to their homeland. Do they have to go back under the immigration system to become a naturalized citizen? Or can they stay here in the United States, go forward with their lives, and then go through the process of being… or could they put ‘em at risk for our national immigration service to deport them? Is that a concern?”
“I… I don’t think that would be of at risk at all. As I stated before to Representative Lang, as far as the four other states that now has this legislation that there has been none whatsoever that raised a red flag as far as immigration’s concerned or that would jeopardize these students. I’d also like to add that currently there are colleges, public universities, that have this program, but it is not State Law.”
“Yeah.”
“And what this legislation does, it will make it State Law.”
“I just want to make sure they’re protected. That if they’re gonna proceed with your legislation and then sign up, that they don’t get deported back to their mainland and then have to do the process of getting their citizenship somewhere else. I… I think that’s a… that needs… they need 09300025.doc 43 STATE OF ILLINOIS 93rd GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 25th Legislative Day 3/5/2003 to be protected here at home, or wherever they are… they’re living. Would you agree?”
“Yeah, Representative, by all means. I don’t… on behalf of myself and my cosponsor of this legislation, or anyone in this chamber who supports this legislation, we will not jeopardize or put at risk these students.”
“Okay. Has any other state done this or something similar to this legislation?”
“Yes, there’s four states: California, Texas, Utah, and New York was iss… issued an executive order.”
“And aren’t all, or at least three of those, heavily Hispanic population areas?”
“Yes, they are.”
“And what is Illinois now, in Hispanic population? Do you know? Are we fifth, sixth, seventh? I mean, we’re up there, aren’t we?”
“I can’t give you the… I can’t give you the correct number, Representative. But every year the Hispanic community just grows more and more in the State of Illinois.”
“Okay. Thank you, Representative. To the Bill.”
“To the Bill.”
“Ladies and Gentlemen, the Sponsor’s worked hard on this. He’s… there’s a reality that we must face in this state, is that there are, as the Sponsor says, approximately 22 hundred men and women who are looking to move forward with their college education. They are paying taxes, they are faced with problems… everyday problems with 09300025.doc 44 STATE OF ILLINOIS 93rd GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 25th Legislative Day 3/5/2003 the language and with employment and having to work and go to school. I think this goes a long way to say as a state that we realize that there’s a struggle and that we believe that if they’ve gone through our high school system and gone through our community college system that they ought to be able to get a full degree. I know that this leaves open concern on people who are citizens, but I think we have to face reality. And that reality is is that these people deserve an opportunity for higher education so that they can become meaningful and productive citizens. So, I rise in support of this legislation.”
“Further discussion? Ladies and Gentlemen, we have six people still seeking recognition. We’re due to adjourn at about 2 o’clock. So, I would ask Representative McCarthy, Mendoza, Wirsing, Stephens, Turner, and Chapa LaVia to make their remarks brief. Representative McCarthy.”
“Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and Ladies and Gentlemen of the House. Will the Sponsor yield?"
“The Sponsor will yield."
“Thank you. Representative Acevedo, the Amendment that was presented today, that did address the problem of the dual states, correct? I mean, no longer will the part where the people have… there’s a… there was a chance in the original Bill where some citizens would have two states that they could call their state of residence. And… and that was one of the objections we brought up in committee.” 09300025.doc 45 STATE OF ILLINOIS 93rd GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 25th Legislative Day 3/5/2003
“This would take care of it as far as complying with Federal Law, yes.”
“Okay. The other thing, Mr. Speaker, very quickly, is that I compliment the Sponsor for being willing to work on these materials. I do think it is a better Bill now than it was before. I do have some serious questions about the procedures that allowed the Bill to come this quickly to the floor. I would’ve appreciated the Amendment coming back to our committee for a little bit more thorough discussion, but that’s not his fault. It’s probably something I should talk out with the Speaker. The… the other thing is that, as I mentioned in committee, the immigration policy of the United States is basically set in the U.S. Congress, not in the Illinois General Assembly. And I have grave concerns about procedures that we’re pushing through the Illinois General Assembly that have… you know, can affect the immigration policy of this country. I think they need to correct it. And… and I don’t know if us standing on their toes is the best thing. But I… I have great respect for the Sponsor. I think he’s done a good job at making this a better Bill. I still don’t know if I support it in this form. But I do think that he has proven that he’s willing to work with everybody and I compliment him for that.”
“Further discussion? That Chair recognizes Representative Mendoza.”
"Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I rise in strong support of this piece of legislation. I want to commend everyone 09300025.doc 46 STATE OF ILLINOIS 93rd GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 25th Legislative Day 3/5/2003 who’s been involved on both sides of the aisle in making this come to where it is so far. Some of the concerns that we’ve heard, I mean, we appreciate hearing them, but really I just want to reiterate the importance that there’s nothing to fear in terms of this legislation. It’s a great piece of legislation which talks about one thing, and that is re… helping young students realize their dreams and realize their potential as participants and partners in this American society and in the State of Illinois. My parents, when they came to this country, they were illegal aliens, as it would be called technically. But today, because they were able to at some point fix their residency status and then go on to proudly become American citizens, I can be a State Representative who is so proud to be an American. I guarantee you the vast majority of these students, they’re obviously here of not their own intention, they came here with their parents seeking a better life. And I think it’s our obligation to help them realize themselves as participants in America’s society. Some of these kids don’t even remember what it was like to be in their native country or have no connection to it whatsoever. They feel that they are Americans. We’re in a state of… very close to being in a state of war. And some of these people might be the first who would volunteer to go serve on behalf of the United States of America, to die for what they believe is their country. So, I think when we talk about ‘Leaving No Child Behind’, we should mean it. We should realize that these kids exist. Whether they are 09300025.doc 47 STATE OF ILLINOIS 93rd GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 25th Legislative Day 3/5/2003 documented or undocumented, they are living, breathing, human beings who deserve every opportunity to go to school. Who, if we say it’s okay for them to be in grammar school and in high school, we should say it’s okay for them to also be considered in-state residents when going on to college. Because I can tell you one thing, down the line, not only is it the morally responsible thing to do to support this, but it’s also fiscally responsible because I would rather have people who can eventually become contributing residents of this society, contributing citizens of this society, who can also be doctors, attorneys, teachers, you name it, but who will be having a lot more to offer our tax base and will be contributing economic partners in our society. So, I just urge everyone to… let’s think about that. Let’s not be afraid of this legislation. Let’s embrace it and let’s say, if my kid has every right to go to college, so should the person who is cleaning my dishes at the restaurant that I’m eating at. Their child should also have the right to go to college. And their child should also have the right to be, perhaps, much more successful than their parent, who had to leave everything behind in their ho… home country, ever had the ability to do. That’s why these people come to this country, that’s why my parents came to this country. And thank God that their sacrifice and support of other people, I can be here today arguing on behalf of this legislation. I ask for an ‘aye’ vote as well.” 09300025.doc 48 STATE OF ILLINOIS 93rd GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 25th Legislative Day 3/5/2003
Speaker Hartke: “Further discussion? The Chair recognizes Representative Wirsing.”
“Thank you, Mr. Speaker. To the Sponsor of the Bill. Now, there’s been talk about there’s a cost to this Bill. And I… for the life of me, I can’t figure out where there’s a cost ‘cause all it’s doing is allowing this clientele of people to… to enroll in a public higher education system at an in-state rate.”
“Representative, you’re… you’re absolutely right. That’s why I said the cost is minimal according…”
“No, no, no. But there is no cost.”
“Ab… absolutely.”
“Unless you want to look at them… an individual paying an outstate… out-of-state rate tuition, and now this Bill would say it’s an in-state, then you can say that’s a loss. But that’s not really a loss because that’s why… that’s why we want this Bill, is so they can afford to go onto… to higher education. Am I right?”
“Actually, I believe it will generate more income into our universities and the state.”
“Okay. I… I supported this Bill in… in committee and I… and I think we’re… it’s very simple. It’s nothing difficult. It’s not changing immigration laws or attempting to deal with federal immigration laws. It’s simply… as I stated in committee, we have a clientele of people who came to this country, not of their own decision, okay, their parents made the choice to improve their life and come to this great country. Their… their young 09300025.doc 49 STATE OF ILLINOIS 93rd GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 25th Legislative Day 3/5/2003 children had to come with them. And here they are today being barred from continuing their education because they do… are being educated here in our public education systems and they’ve been barred from going onto higher education simply because of the out-of-state tuition fee. Am I… am I on track here, Representative? Is that right?”
“No, Representative, you’re absolutely right. You hit the nail right on the head.”
“So, if we don’t deal… if this Legislature… if we don’t deal with this clientele of people, then we end up paying for them and they become a nonpaying… ya know, productive citizen in this state is how I see it. We’ve got to give them the opportunity to advance their education at an affordable rate as… as the same as anybody else. And I think that’s only fair, because they didn’t make the decision to come to this country in the first place. And now it’s… I think that’s the best way we can help this kind of people and to improve and so that they do become a even more productive citizen than what they are today. And they do become a citizen, because this is their country. As… as we heard some young people, high school age people, in committee testify that, ‘I don’t know, I came… mine came from Mexico, but I was two years old. I’ve never been back there. This is my country. Mexico is not my country.’ And I think this Bill really moves us in the right direction to give people, a certain clientele of people, in this state the opportunity. And I support your Bill, as you know I have all along. And thank you for your work 09300025.doc 50 STATE OF ILLINOIS 93rd GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 25th Legislative Day 3/5/2003 and, ya know, putting up with our questioning and wanting you to try to get it defined so it really was a good piece of legislation. I fully support it and encourage every Member in the House to vote for it.”
“Thank you, Representative.”
“Further discussion? And final… presenter, Representative Chapa LaVia.”
“Thank you, Speaker and Gentlemen and Ladies of the House. First of all, I’d like to thank the originators of this… this Bill, it’s a long time coming. Second of all, I’d like to congratulate our participants in the gallery for coming. This is part of what… what the whole process is about, is getting involved. Once people hear your voice, we listen to you, and we carry out what you want us to do. Hopefully, it will lead to a lot of documented cases up the line and citizens for this great nation. I am a fifth-generation Mexican-American and I… certain things taken advantage of because I’m an American citizen. My parents’ parents’ parents’ parents’ came here for the same reason, the golden apple, the apple pie, the baseball, all that. We owe it to these children up here in the gallery and throughout the State of Illinois. Please, support this Bill. I’m a strong supporter of this Bill. And also, we left out, there’s some constituents from Aurora. No clapping, guys? C’mon. And please, help me support this Bill. Thank you.”
“Representative Acevedo to close.” 09300025.doc 51 STATE OF ILLINOIS 93rd GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 25th Legislative Day 3/5/2003
“Mr. Speaker, my esteemed colleagues, today we can make history. This legislation upholds our country’s commitment to our youth by ensuring gifted and hardworking immigrant students access to a high quality, affordable college education. We, as a society, say that we value education, but at the same time we cut the wings of these students. Many of these students are excellent students who, if given the opportunity, can excel. These students are American in every sense of the word. Many of these students have lived in the United States most of their lives. Their parents came to this country looking for the American dream. They worked hard, hoping to ensure that their children would be able to continue their search for that American dream. These parents encar… encouraged their children to excel at school, only to see them turned away from a higher education in their home state because of the high cost of out-of-state tuition. This is not a hand out. This is not a freebie. This is about allowing students who are residents of this state to be considered a resident of this state for tuition purposes. These students have lived here, they’ve been schooled here, and their parents have paid taxes here. This is about this Legislature opening its collective eyes to see the children, who up to now, have been invisible. Ladies and Gentlemen, if you look around the gallery, this is what it’s all about. This is our future. Today I need your help. Help me to help these young people to reach their full potential. Help me to help them become the future leaders of our state and of 09300025.doc 52 STATE OF ILLINOIS 93rd GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 25th Legislative Day 3/5/2003 this great country. If House Bill 60 fails, it will not only be a loss to their parents, not only would it be a loss to these students, not only would it be a loss to this great state, but most importantly, it would be a loss to this great country, the land where dreams are made. Thank you.”
“The question is, ‘Shall the House adopt… House pass House Bill 60?’ All those in favor will signify by voting ‘yes’; those opposed vote ‘no’. The voting is open. Have all voted who wish? Have all voted who wish? Have all voted who wish? Chapa LaVia. Mr. Clerk, take the record. On this question, there were 112 Members voting ‘yes’, 4 Members voting ‘no’, 1 Member voting ‘present’. And the House does pass House Bill 60. And this Bill, having received the Constitutional Majority, is hereby declared passed. Agreed Resolutions.”
“House Resolution 86, offered by Representative Churchill. House Resolution 89, offered by Representative Daniels. House Resolution 90, offered by Representative Daniels. House Resolution 94, offered by Representative Dunn. House Resolution 97, offered by Representative Chapa LaVia. House Resolution 98, offered by Representative Joyce. House Resolution 99, offered by Representative Churchill. House Resolution 100, offered by Representative Cross. House Resolution 103, offered by Representative Forby. House Resolution 104, offered by Representative Lang. House Resolution 105, offered by Representative Mendoza. House Resolution 106, offered by Representative 09300025.doc 53 STATE OF ILLINOIS 93rd GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 25th Legislative Day 3/5/2003 Wyvetter Younge. House Resolution 107, offered by Representative Joe Lyons. House Resolution 108, offered by Representative Coulson. House Resolution 109, offered by Representative Joyce. House Resolution 110, offered by Representative Bill Mitchell. House Resolution 111, offered by Representative Molaro.”
“You’ve heard the Agreed Resolutions. All those in favor signify by saying ‘aye’; opposed ‘no’. In the opinion of the Chair, the ‘ayes’ have it. And the Agreed Resolutions are adopted. House Resolution 100. Mr. Clerk, put it on the board. The Chair recognizes Representative Cross. Mr. Clerk, read the Resolution.”
“House Resolution 100, offered by Representative Cross. WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of Representatives wish to congratulate Kathleen L. "Kay" Wojcik on her service to the people of the 45th House District; and WHEREAS, Kay Wojcik was elected to serve as State Representative of the 45th District in 1982; she has been a strong advocate for women and children since her election; she worked with Governor Edgar to ensure that the best interests of children were considered in adoption cases; she crafted legislation to establish an Osteoporosis Prevention and Education program, insurance coverage for in-vitro fertilization, and to change the 24 hour drive-through delivery policy, giving women 48 to 96 hours in the hospital after giving birth; and 09300025.doc 54 STATE OF ILLINOIS 93rd GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 25th Legislative Day 3/5/2003 WHEREAS, She was appointed to serve as the Assistant Republican Leader in 1991; she was appointed to serve on the Executive Committee of the National Conference of State Legislators and she is the State Chair for Women in Government, Washington, D.C.; and WHEREAS, She has been recognized by several organizations for her contributions to Illinois legislation; she received the first ever Legislative Service Award from the Illinois chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics; the Illinois Nurses Association and the Illinois Dietetic Association named her Legislator of the Year; the Illinois Small Business Administration, Illinois Association of Homes for the Aging, the Illinois Hospital Association, and the Association of Condominiums, Townhouses, and Homeowners have also recognized her efforts; and WHEREAS, She has also received honors from the Illinois Chamber of Commerce, Legislative Education Network of DuPage, Illinois State Medical Society, Illinois Realtors Association, and the Illinois Farm Bureau; the Taxpayers’ Federation of Illinois handed her a supreme (sic-superior) rating, and her efforts on behalf of the Illinois Credit Union League's issues earned her the Perfect Voting Record; she is mentioned in (sic-Marquis) Who's Who of American Women, Who's Who in the Midwest, and Who's Who in America; and 09300025.doc 55 STATE OF ILLINOIS 93rd GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 25th Legislative Day 3/5/2003 WHEREAS, She is dedicated to her community and her public service has been continuous for over 33 years; she is a licensed real estate broker, small business woman, and a former Schaumburg Township Clerk; and WHEREAS, She was born and raised in the Chicago area and attended William Rainey Harper College in Palatine; she resides in Schaumburg with her husband, Norbert; they have two children, both married, Norbert, Jr. and Noreen, and five grandchildren, Norbert III, Nicole Kathleen, Rochelle Marie, Cait, and Tess; and WHEREAS, After serving so admirably in the House, she was appointed recently to fill a vacancy in the Illinois Senate; therefore, be it RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-THIRD GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we congratulate Kay Wojcik on a job well done and we wish her continued success in the Illinois Senate; and be it further RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to Kathleen L. "Kay" Wojcik as an expression of our respect and esteem.”
“The Chair recognizes Representative Black.”
“Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker and Ladies and Gentlemen of the House. Standing beside me is someone I’ve 09300025.doc 56 STATE OF ILLINOIS 93rd GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 25th Legislative Day 3/5/2003 had the pleasure of serving with as a Member of this House for more than 17 years.”
“Shhh.”
“And she recently had an opportunity and had served in this chamber and had had an illustrious career in this chamber, so she felt that she could take the demotion and go across the rotunda and serve in the Senate where her talents will probably be largely wasted. But she has told me that she does enjoy the afternoon nap. And she looks great, but the stress and strain, as you can see, of the Senate… who, by the way, did… did they see their shadow on Ground Hog Day and go home for six weeks? But whatever, I… I… I just wanted to say what a pleasure it was to serve with this Lady. We were officemates for a number of years. We lived in the same apartment house for a number of years. Kay wants you to know that I was on the top floor. But just a delightful Lady. I have often referred to her as the official wine taster of the State of Illinois. There is a… quite a winery in her district and she has long been a champion of that business that is a much bigger business, I must admit, than I ever knew existed in the State of Illinois before I got to know Kay Wojcik. For those of you who, like I have, worked with her for many, many years in the House, her word was her bond, she was always upbeat, always pleasant, always sat in front of me for many years, and on occasion brought in a hardhat just to show me up, I think. But it’s… it’s been a wonderful relationship and when people like Kay leave and go to the Senate, it’s 09300025.doc 57 STATE OF ILLINOIS 93rd GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 25th Legislative Day 3/5/2003 always difficult to say goodbye to somebody that you’ve worked so closely with for so many years. But I know all of you would join me in wishing her the very best and I know that her talents will certainly boost the productivity of the Senate, but may live… may leave us in the House with a void to fill. Kay, we wish you the very best in the Senate and if your schedule will allow, we’d hope that you might come back and visit us from time to time.”
“Further comments. Representative Daniels.”
“Mr. Speaker, Ladies and Gentlemen of the House. It was my pleasure to be Kay’s running mate in the adjoining Legislative District for 20 years. It was also my pleasure to serve with her in the Leadership on the Republican side of the aisle and to receive her continued input of excellent vision and compassion for causes that she believed in. Many of you know her advocacy for children and for the disabled and for individuals that needed our help. She was most articulate in that advocacy which told a lot about the individual that we now call ‘Senator Wojcik’. I was extremely pleased to serve with her, extremely pleased to be one of her running mates, extremely pleased to be a Member of the House with her. We wish her nothing but the best in the Senate because, Kay, you reprevent (sic-represent) what is best in government. You represent compassion, you represent understanding, commitment, and dedication. And I guess one of the indications of that are by this group of people that run around and call themselves the ‘Wojcik wonder workers’, and 09300025.doc 58 STATE OF ILLINOIS 93rd GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 25th Legislative Day 3/5/2003 what a great group of people they are. Ladies and Gentlemen of the House, this is the best of the best. We’re delighted for you, Kay. Thank you for your service to the people of Illinois.”
Speaker Hartke: “Further discussion on the Resolution? Representative Lindner.”
“Thank you, Mr. Speaker. From all the women in the House, we certainly will say that we will miss Kay. Kay is certainly a very thoughtful person. The Republican women took Kay out to dinner and the next day we had beautiful roses on our desks as a ‘thank you’ from her, so thank you for that, Kay. That was so thoughtful of you. But I think if… if there’s anything this position is about, it’s about our relationship with people. And that’s why Kay has always been a wonderful Representative and will make a wonderful Senator. She has a great relationship with people and she always treated everybody the same. I think she truly cares about peoples’ lives and what they think, whether it be a colleague, whether somebody from back home or whether she was talking to one of the secretaries or one of the staff. And it comes naturally to her. As we know, I think those of us who office with her, Bill and I, up on the sixth floor, with Bill’s rock ‘n’ roll music blasting out, Kay was always the ‘hostess with the mostest’. I would call her the Pearl Mesta of the General Assembly. And that certainly dates me to talk about Pearl Mesta. I don’t know if anyone else knows who that is. But Kay has a wonderful relationship at home with her constituents. She 09300025.doc 59 STATE OF ILLINOIS 93rd GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 25th Legislative Day 3/5/2003 still goes to everything in her district. And believe me, if those ‘Wojcik wonder workers’ are available, they are always out there to help everybody and many of us have appreciated that and had the benefit of that. So, Kay, we’ll miss you. Best of luck to you in the Senate.”
Speaker Hartke: “Further discussion? Chair recognizes Representative Mendoza.”
“Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I just wanted to say, Kay without having taken a single drop of wine, I love you. You are the greatest. It’s been a pleasure for me to have been working with you in the… in the House of Reps as a freshman last term and a little bit of time we’ve had together so far. But I just wanna wish you the best of luck. The Senate is so lucky to have you over there. We’re gonna miss ya, but you’re just a few feet away. And I will continue to see you very often as my bipartisan dinner companion along with our regular crew. So, Kay, again, if there’s… I’m sure that this is… we meet a lot of people here in the House, you’re gonna meet a lot of people in the Senate, but they’re… we’re lucky if we can count a few people amongst our true friends and I’d like you to know you can count me as one of those. Love you, Kay.”
“Representative Burke.”
“Thank you, Mr. Speaker. An inquiry of the Chair. Does the Bill… or the Resolution…”
“Resolution.”
“… happen to suggest that we don’t wanna let her go? I think we should…” 09300025.doc 60 STATE OF ILLINOIS 93rd GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 25th Legislative Day 3/5/2003
“We’ll review.”
“… by acclamation, insist that we not let Representative Kay Wojcik leave this chamber.”
“It’s too late…”
“Kay, you’re stayin’ right where you’re at. You are forever in our minds and hearts, Representative Kay Wojcik. You are, indeed, my very, very dear friend. One of the very first people that has offered your kindness, your wisdom, your love and your sincere friendship. You are not leaving this chamber. I will always look over to see what is Kay Wojcik up to. I know that you’ll only be a few feet away, but certainly you aren’t even inches away from my heart forever. You are the best, Kay.”
“Representative Brunsvold.”
“Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Kay, you and I have spent a lot of time on this House Floor. When we were sworn in, in 1983, as classmates and you and I are only the two continuous servers of that 1983 class. I’ve been with Kay through her thin years and her not so thin years. And I say that lovingly, Kay. Kay and I’ve worked on a lot of issues over those years and probably one of the most memorable is the civic center’s Bill that we worked on together, her and I, Kay and I worked together on these… on this Bill of… ended up to be like $240 million. Yeah. And today I sit with a beautiful arena, The Mark in Moline that is ranked as one of the number… top ten civic centers in the nation and Kay Wojcik sits today with still no civic center. So, thank you for your help on those… those issues 09300025.doc 61 STATE OF ILLINOIS 93rd GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 25th Legislative Day 3/5/2003 and riverboat gambling and especially on the wine. Kay is my wine connoisseur. She… she knows the wines. When we go to dinner, I let her order the wine because she does such an excellent job and… and we’ve had a lot of glasses of wine together. So, Kay, I know you’re just moving across the rotunda here and so… we’re not really losing ya. Dan Burke… it’d be different if you were going home with your husband, Norb, but you know, you don’t wanna go home and be with him anyway, so you can stay down here with your friends. So, this is not goodbye, Kay, it’s just we’ll see you across the rotunda on other issues. Regardless of what I do, I’m sure I will see you in the future and we will again have wine and talk about old times with our classmates, who on the floor right now is Bob Churchill and Ron Wait… are a part of our class. But they took a little hiatus in the… in the process, so they’re not continual 1983 class Members. So, pretty soon, in a short while, I guess, our class will have disappeared from the board. So, congratulations, Kay and… and good luck in the future.”
“The Chair recognizes Representative Dunkin.”
“Kay Wojcik, I know we just met, but I’m here to tell you that everyday, since January, for lunch I get the Kay Wojcik salad. So, thanks to you and your salad legacy, I’m that much more healthy.”
“Representative Stephens.”
“Mr. Speaker, the… a lot of words of praise and love for Kay and she deserves all of that, but I’d like to send a heads up to the freshman class in the Illinois State 09300025.doc 62 STATE OF ILLINOIS 93rd GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 25th Legislative Day 3/5/2003 Senate. They don’t know what they’re in for yet because Kay has a particular style, shall we say, in relating to freshmen. Having sat next to Kay when I was a freshman, I was a little bit surprised that I had to keep underneath my desk, shall we say, a vintage of liquid. We were not allowed to partake, of course, but Kay needed a place to keep some things and so, talking to the… well, you know, it might have had coffee in it, I don’t know what it had and that’s not the point. This point is that the freshman class has to watch over these certain items that may make it to the House Floor. Kay, you made being a Legislator as a freshman a joy and we are indeed going to miss you. I love you very much and I wish I could have been more open in my remarks.”
“Further discussion? Representative Leitch.”
“Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I, too, would like to offer my word of thanks to Kay Wojcik for being such a wonderful Leader and an inspirational Member of this House. My favorite memory, frankly, of Kay is one perhaps she has forgotten. When I was a freshman, working with Kay and Loleta Didrickson and others, we were able to actually pass, for the first time, the mammography legislation. And that would not have happened without the insights, the leadership, and the courage of Kay Wojcik. And every time of… as we all know, we go to seek her counsel or to share a joke or a laugh, Kay is always there. Kay’s always been there and I’m sure, even though she’s in the Senate, she’ll always be there. So, we love you, we respect you, we’ll 09300025.doc 63 STATE OF ILLINOIS 93rd GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 25th Legislative Day 3/5/2003 miss you, but we want not to have you go too far away from your true home here in the House. Congratulations, Kay.”
“Representative Capparelli.”
“Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Kay, I don’t know if you consider this a demotion or a promotion, but congratulations. First time I met Kay is when the late Roger McAuliffe invited her out to dinner, and then since then we’ve… have been having dinner together for all these years and we also travel a lot together. Norby and my wife and Kay, we do a lot of traveling and we’re gonna do some this year again, aren’t we, Kay? So, congratulations to you and you’re still invited to eat with us anytime you want to, Kay.”
“Representative Cross.”
“Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And just briefly, Kay, we’re gonna miss ya. And I… for those of you that are new in this chamber, as you know, and you’ve heard toady, Kay served over 20 years in the House. And she was someone who many of us went to for advice when we had problems early on. And Kay’s not a flashy person, Kay’s not someone that brags about what she does, but she’s someone that was a leader on legislation involving women, children and seniors. And so, she was a good resource for many of us and we could go to her for advice either on the floor or outside the chamber, which… that’s where a lot of things are learned. And I think, Kay, you would be the one to say that it’s after hours when we can get a lot of things done in this chamber and where you can work with both sides of 09300025.doc 64 STATE OF ILLINOIS 93rd GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 25th Legislative Day 3/5/2003 the aisle in a better way. And we don’t do that enough like we used to and you were someone that always understood that and I… and you just have to watch Kay doing that. She was someone that had a great deal of respect for this institution, but also, didn’t take herself too seriously. Kay, thank you for all your… all you’ve done for this chamber. And we wish you best of luck over in the Senate. I don’t think it’ll be as exciting over there, but I know you will… you will serve the Senate well and your constituents well. And Mr. Speaker, I would ask that the rest of the chamber be added on as cosponsors. And again, Kay, best of luck in the Senate. Thank you.”
“The question is, ‘Shall the House pass House Resolution 100… adopt House Resolution 100’? All in favor signify by saying ‘aye’; opposed ‘no’. In the opinion of the Chair, the ‘ayes’ have it. And the Resolution is adopted. Congratulations, Kay. Representative Black’s… Representative Wojcik.”
“Well, Danny wants me to stay, so I just took over Representative Black’s seat. So, he’s gonna wear the hat, see. Your words were just so beautiful and I think you know how dearly I feel for all of you. I’ve made such wonderful friends and we shared so many memories together and I can only thank you for being so kind to me today. It doesn’t seem like it’s me that you’re talking about, but I’ll have to go back and listen to that and say, wow. It’s just very interesting on the other side of the aisle. Occasionally, I come over here for my fix because I need to 09300025.doc 65 STATE OF ILLINOIS 93rd GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 25th Legislative Day 3/5/2003 wake up or get some oxygen. Very, very… and I even hear the debate. When someone asks me about a Bill now, I think I know what it’s about and I’m like, oh, this can’t be true, you know. But it’s interesting, it’s fun. I feel like I’ve taken 25 years off my life because I’m getting reborn again. It’s very interesting. But most of all, this is the most interesting place, right here in this House. You’re the most interesting people, you’re the most kind and concerned and people that I love dearly and I… I miss you all. And I have to say, when I had the dinner last week with the girls, it was so touching and so rewarding to me to be back with them. So, thank you for your words and thank you for everything and I’m here. Come on over to the other side and I love you all. Thanks a lot.”
Speaker Hartke: “The Chair recognizes Representative Brady. Representative Brady.”
“Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to remind the House Republicans will be caucusing immediately after adjournment of Session, Room 118. House Republican Caucus. Thank you.”
“The Members should be advised that the 2 o’clock schedule for committees have been moved back to 3 o’clock. Same rooms, just an hour later. Allowing perfunctory time for the Clerk, Representative Currie now moves that the House stand adjourned ‘til the hour of 1 p.m., March 6th. All those in favor signify by 09300025.doc 66 STATE OF ILLINOIS 93rd GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 25th Legislative Day 3/5/2003 saying ‘aye’; opposed ‘no’. In the opinion of the Chair, the ‘ayes’ have it. And the House stands adjourned.”
“The House Perfunctory Session will come to order. Introduction of House Resolutions. House Resolution 112, offered by Representative Brauer and House Joint Resolution 24, offered by Representative McKeon. These Resolutions are assigned to the House Rules Committee. There being no further business, House Perfunctory Session shall stand adjourned.” 09300025.doc 67