Illinois House Floor Debate — April 5, 2006

“Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Let the record reflect that the following Members are excused today: Representative Lou Jones, Kevin Joyce, Milton Patterson, Jim Brosnahan, and Sara Feigenholtz.” Speaker Lyons, J.: "Thank you, Representative. Mr. Clerk, take the record. A hundred and twelve Members are reporting. There is a quorum, ready to do the business of the people of the State of Illinois. Mr. Clerk, Committee Reports.”

“Thank you, Mr. Speaker, Ladies and Gentlemen of the House. Senate Bill 2197 amends the Juvenile Court Act of 1967… 1987, excuse me. It authorizes counties and municipalities to adopt ordinances regulating truants within their jurisdiction and creates new chronic truancy provisions. It also authorizes the creation of community truancy review board, which is under the supervision of the regional superintendents of school. Also under Senate Bill 2197, prior to filing a petition against a truant minor in need of supervision, the regional superintendent or the community truancy review board must certify that the local school has provided appropriate truancy intervention services to the minor and his or her family, and these services are designed, of course, to assist the minor’s return to the educational system. If the school cannot provide the appropriate interventions, the minor shall be referred to community-based youth services. Also, as part of the ordinances, there may be a graduated fine schedule for repeat violations which may not exceed $100 or community service or both for violators 10 years of age or older and may provide for enforcement by citation. If the violator’s under 10 years of age, the parent or custodian of the violator is subject to the fine or community service. I can answer any questions.” Speaker Lyons, J.: "The Chair recognizes the Gentleman from Cook, Representative Jim Durkin.”

“Yes, that’s my understanding.”

“Well, in the…”

“A chro… a chronic truant is a minor required to attend school who is absent without valid cause for at least 10 percent of the previous a hundred and eighty calendar day.”

“You want me to repeat it?”

“Okay.” 09400114.doc 9  STATE OF ILLINOIS 94th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 114th Legislative Day 4/5/2006 Speaker Lyons, J.: "Wait a minute, Representative. Ladies and Gentlemen, again, we have a lot of noise on this House Floor. It’s awfully hard for people engaged in debate to hear each other’s questions and answers. Could I please ask for some silence on the floor? Shh. Thank you very much. Representative Kelly.”

“This is a person who is required to attend school and who is absent without valid cause for at least 10 percent of the previous 180 calendar days.”

“Well, either there’s community service or they’re subject to a fine, but it would be the responsibility of the parent or the custodian.”

“Well, it would be when you are supposed to attend school. I’m assuming first grade. It’s school-age children. So, if you’re in first grade but, of course, that would be on your parent or the custodian if you did not attend school.”

“Well, it’s below 10 there’s a certain fine, and then there’s above 10.” 09400114.doc 10  STATE OF ILLINOIS 94th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 114th Legislative Day 4/5/2006

“Yes, they do.”

“It’s the parent.”

“Yes. It could be up to $100.”

“Under the age of 10 it’s the parent or the custodian that is subject to the fine.”

“Over the age of 10.”

“There’s a… there could be a community truancy review board or the school itself.”

“This is what’s in the legislation.”

“Yes.”

“We can do it. We don’t have to…” 09400114.doc 11  STATE OF ILLINOIS 94th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 114th Legislative Day 4/5/2006

“…but we… it’s up to the school.”

“Actually, I’m not sure about that. I don’t know if some have and some don’t have.”

“Let me check. Hold on. I’m not sure, Representative.”

“I was saying… you asked do schools currently have it and I said I’m not…”

“…I’m not sure about that…”

“…if some already do.”

“No, it applies to every school district. But…”

“But they don’t have to create the truancy board.”

“Well, it’s under the supervision of the regional superintendent of schools, so they would be involved in…” 09400114.doc 12  STATE OF ILLINOIS 94th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 114th Legislative Day 4/5/2006

“It’s not defined who would be on the… who would make up the truancy board. It would be up to the regional…”

“Under the Bill, prior to filing a petition to have the minor adjudged a truant minor, the superintendent or community truancy review board must certify that the local school has provided appropriate truancy intervention services to the minor and his and her family. If a minor refuses to participate in intervention and continues to be a truant, the minor may have a second opportunity to participate in intervention services as part of a court order.” 09400114.doc 13  STATE OF ILLINOIS 94th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 114th Legislative Day 4/5/2006

“It would be as any truant is treated now, it’s not a permanent mark.”

“That’s a good question.”

“Actually, it depends on what part of the state they live in is how they’re treated.”

“You’re saying it’s probably… the parent has a lot of responsibility so the child shouldn’t suffer.”

“Well, according to what I’m looking at under the School Code, it’s the custodian that will have to bear the responsibility, not the child.”

“But in grammar school you’re under 10 years of age, typically, so the… it’s… in this Bill it’s the parent or the custodian that carries the responsibility.”

“What we’re trying to do with this Bill is offer services before they are adjudged.”

“So it won’t get to that point.”

“I think it makes a difference if they’re labeled that by the judge, which means they’ve already gone to court, or by the community review board, because that’s what we’re trying to prevent…”

“…so there will be nothing on the record.”

“Right.”

“It’s the superintendent.”

“The board under the superintendent.”

“The superintendent is ultimately responsible. And actually, their attendance record is going to show if they were truant without a valid cause.”

“No, we’re not giving them…”

“No, we’re not giving them blanket immunity.”

“Thank you, Mr. Speaker and Ladies and Gentlemen of the House. Will the Lady yield?” Speaker Lyons, J.: "She indicates she will."

“Representative, can you tell me how many truant officers do we have in the County of Cook, and specifically in the City of Chicago?”

“How many truant officers there are in Chicago?”

“Yes.”

“I don’t know, Representative.” 09400114.doc 17  STATE OF ILLINOIS 94th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 114th Legislative Day 4/5/2006

“Do you know if there’s any at all? And what their job is now in regards to truancy?”

“From my understanding, truancy and what’s done about it is very minimal in Chicago.”

“Okay. And so, would you not say that the people that should be doing their jobs now, they’re not doing their jobs in regards to the truancy and the reason why some of these children may be truant?”

“I don’t know if they’re… I’m not sure about if they’re doing their jobs or not or what all of the circumstances are, but what we’re trying to do is ensure that before a child goes to court that we do everything that we can do as far as intervention services, as far as counseling, working with the parents, and everything we can do to get the minor back to school.”

“My concern… I was reading the analysis here and it stated that if… it said, ‘Provides that if after review by the regional office of education or the community truancy review board it is determined that the local school did not provide the appropriate intervention then the minor shall be referred to a community-based youth community service agency for truancy intervention.’ And then it goes on to say, ‘Provides that if the community-based youth service agency is incapable or unwilling to provide intervention service then this requirement for services is not applicable.’ So, if the school board doesn’t do anything, if the regional office doesn’t do anything, if the community services people doesn’t do anything, nothing is applicable. But yet, it goes on to say that, ‘Provide that nothing is… nothing in 09400114.doc 18  STATE OF ILLINOIS 94th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 114th Legislative Day 4/5/2006 these provisions shall be constructed to create a private cause of action or rights of recovery against a regional office education, its superintendent or a staffer with respect to the truancy intervention.’ So once again, it seems like to me that you’ve provided a way so that the people that should be responsible are not responsible.”

“Representative, I spoke to some of the youth advocates that came to me about this and actually they said very few cases go to the community agencies anyway, that the school does take care of the intervention. So they don’t really see that this is going to be a big problem. And these are from the youth advocates from across the state that I was… I’ve been speaking with.”

“I understand what you’re saying, Representative, but my point is that you’ve carved out their responsibility. You’ve said to them, ‘You really don’t have to do a doggone thing about these kids being truant, but we are gonna charge the parent or the child.’ But nobody else really have to do anything and there’s no consequences for their action. So, therefore…”

“Their act…”

“Therefore, what is the point?”

“Before they go to court, anyway, they don’t have to do anything. It’s only after they go to court. So right now, they don’t have to do anything.”

“I’m sorry, Representative, I didn’t hear you.”

“I said they don’t have to do anything before they go to court anyway, it’s only after they go to court. And we’re trying to prevent them from going to court.” 09400114.doc 19  STATE OF ILLINOIS 94th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 114th Legislative Day 4/5/2006

“My… my point from reading the analysis here, it doesn’t say ‘before’ or ‘after’. It says that none of these people, if they are unwilling to do anything… if the school board and the region is unwilling… cannot do and then you go to a community service organization and they too are unwilling and cannot do, there shall not be a cause of action held against these people who did not do their job to intervene on this child truancy.”

“Representative, we’re actually not changing anything that’s in place now. Currently, they… they’re not doing anything. Only with the judge’s order can… can they do something now. So, we’re actually putting more in place on the front end. And once there’s a judge’s order, if it goes to that and if they don’t do anything, that’s when there are some consequences.”

“Representative, the only thing I’m reading… now I’m reading the actual language from the Bill. At first I was reading from the analysis.” Speaker Lyons, J.: "Representative Flowers, your 5 minutes are up. I’ll give you one more minute.”

“Thank you, Mr. Speaker. This appeared to me to be new language and that’s my concern. And nothing is being done now. No adult is being held responsible for not doing their job, but yet you wanna put the onus on the mother who may or may not be able to afford to pay. And then if the 10-year- old cannot afford to pay, what are we gonna do? Take the keys and lock him or her up?”

“Well, it’s not only about payment. It may not be any payment, it may be just community service.” 09400114.doc 20  STATE OF ILLINOIS 94th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 114th Legislative Day 4/5/2006

“But that’s not the point. The adults haven’t done their job and you’ve carved them out. They are being held harmless. Thank you very much… thank you very much, Representative.” Speaker Lyons, J.: "The Chair recognizes the Gentleman from Crawford, Representative Roger Eddy.”

“Yes, Representative, that’s correct.”

“Yes, Representative. You put that quite well.”

“Right.” 09400114.doc 22  STATE OF ILLINOIS 94th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 114th Legislative Day 4/5/2006

“That’s correct.” Davis, M.: “When they’re… according to your Bill, when they’re taken to… Do they have hearings? Is that what it’ll be, a hearing?”

“Are you referring to the review board?” Davis, M.: “What kind of board will it be?”

“A truancy review board.” Davis, M.: “Okay, when they’re ta… who’ll set up the truancy review board?” 09400114.doc 23  STATE OF ILLINOIS 94th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 114th Legislative Day 4/5/2006

“It’s under the supervision of the regional superintendent.” Davis, M.: “The regional superintendent will set up another board, the truancy review board, and their purpose will be to establish a penalty or…”

“To offer community service. It doesn’t have to… the penalty can be community service or it can be, it doesn’t have to be, fines not to exceed $100. But actually, what the purpose of the Bill is to get the students back into school and to not see them go to court and to try give them as many services as possible before they’re sent to court.” Davis, M.: “You know, Representative, often when a student is chronically truant, most often that family hardly has a hundred dollars for groceries. Who would be responsible if the child is staying or in the home of a grandmother or a foster parent? Who would be responsible?”

“If there is a fine sanctioned, it would be… if the child is under 10 years old, it would be that parent or a custodian. But… but there may not be a fine sanctioned if it’s something… if it’s a case like you’re describing. It’s not…” Davis, M.: “Representative, you know, sometimes when we pass these types of Bills, things are done merely to get money. You know what I’m saying? Like it could become a situation in which, all right, we’re gonna bring these people in, we’re gonna bring these people in, we need that hundred dollars, we need that hundred dollars, and it helps to bolster the income of a particular region. Surely, we don’t wanna do that.” 09400114.doc 24  STATE OF ILLINOIS 94th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 114th Legislative Day 4/5/2006

“Really, I don’t look at it as all about the money. I look at it in trying to save a young person’s record and to make sure they finish school.” Davis, M.: “The original intent would be… your original intent would be to save the children and make sure they’re in school and not absent. But the actual effect could be that a region decides this is some income we can get. We can get those dollars. And where would the community service activity take place?”

“Well, I’m sure it’d be something like what happens in a lot of communities now, some type of volunteering at some designated facility.” Davis, M.: “Who would protect the children while they are performing the community service and who would have or accept liability?”

“Well, often when people have to do community service… I used to work for a municipality and when students came to work off, we accepted that. That’s why we volunteered, because we could accept it. We could accept volunteers in to do community service.” Davis, M.: “You know, usually when community service is, let’s say, provided or asked for, someone or some group has to make sure insurance to a particular degree is available so that that child or children are harmed as they, you know, perform community service, people don’t wanna be liable for what happens to them. You know what I mean? Like it could not be the agency’s fault where they’re performing the community service, but because they don’t have the necessary 09400114.doc 25  STATE OF ILLINOIS 94th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 114th Legislative Day 4/5/2006 supervision that children, especially chronic truants, would need, there could be suits filed against them.”

“Well, I don’t think an agency would volunteer to take in students who were… who were fined community service if they didn’t have the insurance to cover. Again, I’ve worked at places that allowed people to come in and work on community service, but those places would not have volunteered to do that if they didn’t have insurance coverage.” Davis, M.: “To the Bill.” Speaker Lyons, J.: "Representative, your 5 minutes are up. I’ll give you 1 minute to conclude your remarks.” Davis, M.: “Okay. I… I’m sorry. First of all, as a former educator, too frequently our attempt to solve problems is to further punish, to further punish. The children we’re speaking of today need counseling, their families may need counseling, but these are not people who have a hundred dollars or fifty dollars usually at their disposal to pay a fine with. And you haven’t solved the problem because you create a Bill for these people and say now you owe us a hundred dollars or fifty dollars. With all due respect to this most honorable Representative who I know has the very best intentions in the world, I believe this Bill would establish an awful burden and an awful precedent in reference to parents and children and their grandparents. Frequently, children who are chronically truant, there are many family issues that need to be dealt…” Speaker Lyons, J.: "One more minute. Representative, could you finish your…” Davis, M.: “I urge a ‘no’ vote. I urge a ‘no’ vote.” 09400114.doc 26  STATE OF ILLINOIS 94th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 114th Legislative Day 4/5/2006 Speaker Lyons, J.: "Thank you.” Davis, M.: “Protect our children.” Speaker Lyons, J.: "Thank you. Before Representative Kelly closes, there was an inquiry by Representative Jim Durkin in respect to how many votes this would need, 60 or 71. So the parliamentarian will address that issue.”

“Thank you. We have been working on this Bill for about 3 years. We’ve involved many people from all over the state to try to do it right. The idea of the Bill is to prevent a young person from going to court and to supply those intervention services as far as counseling for the young person and their family and other things. The $100 fine may never happen or the community service, it is up to the review board or the superintendent. I think this is a good way to try to help our young people and I urge an ‘aye’ vote.” Speaker Lyons, J.: "Thee question is, ‘Should Senate Bill 2197 pass?’ All those in favor 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? Have all voted who wish? Representative Hamos. Mr. Clerk, take the record. On this Bill, there’s 108 Members voting ‘yes’, 4 Members voting ‘no’. This Bill, having received the Constitutional Majority, is hereby declared passed. The 09400114.doc 27  STATE OF ILLINOIS 94th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 114th Legislative Day 4/5/2006 Chair recognizes the Gentleman from Madison, Representative Beiser. For what reason do you rise?”

"Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Point of personal privilege.” Speaker Lyons, J.: "Please proceed.”

"I’d like to have everyone welcome Beth Williams and her AP Government class from my hometown, from my alma mater, Marquette Catholic High School. Thank you for being here today. It’s a pleasure to have you. Thank you very much.” Speaker Lyons, J.: "Welcome, Marquette School. Glad to have you in Springfield. The Chair recognizes the Gentleman from Morgan, Representative Jim Watson. For what reason do you rise?”

“Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Senate Bill 2454 we talked about before, we spoke about it yesterday on the Motion to reconsider. This Bill would authorize the Historic Preservation to allow them to serve liquor for private 09400114.doc 29  STATE OF ILLINOIS 94th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 114th Legislative Day 4/5/2006 parties and private organizations and individuals at all their historic sites. I think it was mentioned yesterday probably, the library has a number of opportunities to have weddings and other interested groups that are wanting to use the museum for this purpose. I’d like to stress, and I think we touched a lot of this, Representative Black was nice enough to ask some questions yesterday to clarify this, but they cannot serve liquor after 5 p.m. and it will… it would be served. They will not ever sell any liquor. It will just be used to be served at the events. And food and beverage is only allowed in the open areas, but not the theaters or exhibits. And this is… they have… they must have a certificate of insurance be on file with the client and their vendors at least 30 days prior to the event and they have general public liability of a million dollars, bodily injury of 500 thousand, property damage not less than a hundred thousand. I think this is a very good Bill. It gives an opportunity to raise the revenues needed to help run the… the Presidential Library and Museum and as well as at our other historic sites. I think we got caught up in… the other day we got caught up in the wave that was going through, but I’d appreciate your support and be happy to answer any questions.” Speaker Lyons, J.: "The Chair recognizes the Gentleman from Menard, Representative Rich Brauer.”

“No, it won’t. It can only be served at receptions of weddings or whatever reception type there is, but they will not sell alcohol of any kind or any beverage. It will just be served there.”

“That’s correct. No cash bar at any time.”

“No. It’ll just be in the open areas and… of the library and the… in that case of these things. But this is good for various sites throughout Illinois. But as far as the Presidential Library and the Museum, no. It will just be in the open areas where they have the receptions.”

“Actually, you prob… you won’t even be able to go because at that time they will have rented the museum out… whatever entity it is will have rented the museum and, according to their contract, they will just let the people in that they want for either that reception or that wedding. We’ll have our security there as always and make sure that they’re there. So the museum is not open at the time that people rent this.” 09400114.doc 31  STATE OF ILLINOIS 94th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 114th Legislative Day 4/5/2006

“Correct.”

“I would hope not. It’s up to the discretion of the department. This Bill doesn’t deal with that. This Bill just expands what groups. But I would… I would hope they… you know, they will use their discretion and not rent to any group that is not a favorable client for the State of Illinois.”

“It’s my understanding that that… that it won’t be sold, it will just be served.”

“That’s… Representative, I… I appreciate that. I’m going off of the… the contract that they have everyone sign for the museum. Says that it will be serve… be served only… it says, ‘Monetary transactions relating to the event… to your event should be taken care of prior and after your event. No monetary activities may occur on our premises, including cash bars or credit or debit card machines.’ I would request the Speaker would pull this out of the record, we’ll clarify that. ‘Cause that’s…”

“…not the intent of the legislation.” Speaker Lyons, J.: "Mr. Clerk, on the request of the Sponsor, pull the Bill out of the record. Mr. Clerk, on the bottom of page 3, Senate Bill 2869. Representative Susana Mendoza. Read the Bill, Mr. Clerk.”

"Thank you, Mr. Speaker, Ladies and Gentlemen of the House. Senate Bill 2869 deals with forfeited conveyances. In other words, when a car, for example, is forfeited during a drug bust or things of that nature, in the past the conveyance would have to be used for a full year before the vehicle could be used for any purpose other than just drug investigations. Under this Bill, we would allow for these conveyed vehicles, whether it’s, you know, aircrafts or cars or anything of that nature, to be used by the seizing agency 09400114.doc 35  STATE OF ILLINOIS 94th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 114th Legislative Day 4/5/2006 immediately rather than having to wait a year. And furthermore, any monetary proceeds and forfeitures could be used for law enforcement in the area of security cameras to be used in any type of law enforcement, not only drug law enforcement. So, there’s no known opposition to the Bill, plenty of supporters, and I would ask that you support this Bill today as well. Thank you.” Speaker Lyons, J.: "Since there’s no one speaking… seeking recognition, the question is, ‘Should Senate Bill 2869 pass?’ All those in favor 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? Mr. Clerk, take the record. On this Bill, there are 120… 112 Members voting ‘yes’, 0 voting ‘no’. This Bill, having received the Constitutional Majority, is hereby declared passed. On page 3 of the Calendar is Senate Bill 2870. Read the Bill, Mr. Clerk.”

"Thank you, Mr. Speaker, Ladies and Gentlemen of the House. Senate Bill 2870 names the Director of the Illinois State Police or his appointee as the chairman of the Public Safety Radio Committee. This legislation is designed to create a forum for law enforcement, fire protection, EMS, and other emergency response agencies to work together in order to improve our radio safety… our safety radio interoperability in this state. Currently, the agencies of 09400114.doc 36  STATE OF ILLINOIS 94th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 114th Legislative Day 4/5/2006 emergency and disaster response communicate on several different radio frequencies. What this Bill tries to do is to bring these agencies together so that they can plan an appropriate way and a better way to communicate with each other on public safety issues. Certainly in a post-9/11 climate, this is a very important Bill for the State of Illinois and I would ask for your support.” Speaker Lyons, J.: "The question is, ‘Should Senate Bill 2870 pass?’ All those in favor 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? Jerry Mitchell. Mr. Clerk, take the record. On this Bill, there are 112 Members voting ‘yes’, 0 voting ‘no’. This Bill, having received the Constitutional Majority, is hereby declared passed. The Chair recognizes the Gentleman from St. Clair, Representative Tom Holbrook. For what reason do you rise?”

“Speaker, I don’t know what’s going on here but I’m having trouble seeing the podium. Someone stuck this large, shiny object between me and the podium and I just really can’t figure out what’s going on here. Can we investigate and find out why?” Speaker Lyons, J.: "We’ll… we’ll be addressing that issue very shortly, Representative. But if you need sunglasses, though, I think somebody in the back row can arrange that for ya.”

“Well, thank you. Thank you. Well, I was wondering if Senator Hendon could come over and maybe move it over a spot or two.” 09400114.doc 37  STATE OF ILLINOIS 94th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 114th Legislative Day 4/5/2006 Speaker Lyons, J.: "Mr. Clerk, on the top of page 4 is Senate Bill 2985. Read the Bill, Mr. Clerk.”

"Thank you, Mr. Speaker, Ladies and Gentlemen of the House. Senate Bill 2985 simply states that anyone who is required by law to register under the Sex Offender Registry Act must submit a sample of their DNA. Most of the people already do this but there’s been a couple loopholes there, and so this Bill just simply tightens that up. And also says that the State Police must include in its report all evidence awaiting testing or analysis provided that the State Police has received written notice of any evidence prior to June 1. Would ask for an ‘aye’ vote.” Speaker Lyons, J.: "The Chair recognizes the Gentleman from Cook, Representative Jim Durkin.”

"Sure, Representative. It’s the same language that we added on originally to the… the first DNA Bill that we had moved out of here, basically stating that we wanna make sure that if the Illinois State Police has any evidence in writing that there’s other samples out there, that they are counted as part of that backlog. Because it’s important, as 09400114.doc 38  STATE OF ILLINOIS 94th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 114th Legislative Day 4/5/2006 you know, that we have a better understanding and a better grapple of what the actual backlog numbers are.”

"This report would only include the statistics that the Illinois State Police has and anything that they have in hand or any evidence that they’ve received in writing. So, the exact, I think, is in the custody of the State Police or local law enforcement…”

"That’s what the Bill says.”

"I know it’s not…”

"I do agree. And I think that I would be very much looking forward to working with you on that issue, as we’ve talked about.” 09400114.doc 39  STATE OF ILLINOIS 94th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 114th Legislative Day 4/5/2006

"Representative, the only reason I am not willing to do that at this point, because I had approached you about doing that earlier and you told me to go ahead and move my Bill forward, which is why…”

"No, no. No, no. That’s a different Bill.”

"That is a different Bill that… and I met with you about that. Representative Durkin, I’m a person of my word.”

"The… that other Bill in the Senate is an entirely different Bill. So, when I spoke to you about this, my indication from you was that it was fine to go because of other… other issues you had pending with your legislative language of the other Bill.”

"Thank you.” Speaker Lyons, J.: "Representative Mendoza to close.”

"Just ask for an ‘aye’ vote. Thank you.” Speaker Lyons, J.: "The question is, ‘Should Senate Bill 2985 pass?’ All those in favor 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? Representative Flider. Representative Dugan. Mr. Clerk, take the record. On this Bill, there are 112 Members voting ‘yes’, 0 voting ‘no’. This Bill, having received the Constitutional Majority, is hereby declared passed. Mr. Clerk, back to page 3 with everybody’s favorite Bill, Senate Bill 2454. The Chair recognizes the Gentleman from Vermilion, Representative Bill Black.”

“Thank you, Mr. Speaker. A point of personal privilege.” Speaker Lyons, J.: "Please proceed.”

“Today we’re also joined by a group from Alden-Hebron High School in McHenry County up on the Wisconsin border behind us. It’s a senior class of, I believe… is there 19? 09400114.doc 42  STATE OF ILLINOIS 94th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 114th Legislative Day 4/5/2006 All going to college, brought down my Kim Qualls, their teacher. And you probably know Hebron, Illinois, they were the smallest school ever to win the IHSA Championship in basketball. So, I’d like to give ‘em a Springfield welcome.” Speaker Lyons, J.: "Welcome to Springfield, Alden-Hebron. Glad to have you here. Congratulations on your graduation this spring. Mr. Clerk, on page 5 of the Calendar, under the Order of Senate Bills-Second Reading, Representative Sid Mathias has Senate Bill 2295. Take that Bill out of the record. The Chair… the Chair recognizes the Lady from Lake, Representative Karen May. For what reason do you rise, Representative?”

“Yes, point of personal privilege.” Speaker Lyons, J.: "Please proceed.”

“As we are introducing special guests in the gallery, right here over my shoulder the lady who I hope doesn’t… Dorothy. Dorothy Andries, a very special constituent. She is the trend editor of Pioneer Press. And back before I was elected, before even on the city council, Dorothy and I worked together at the Pioneer Press newspaper. So, she’s the one who covers all the charities and events. And her grandson is my Page today who is a constituent of Joe Dunn. So, let’s welcome Dorothy and show her what we do in Springfield.” Speaker Lyons, J.: "Welcome to Springfield. Mr. Clerk, on page 6 of the Calendar, under Senate Bills-Second Reading… Representative Dan Brady, you have Senate Bill 2709. Read the Bill, Mr. Clerk.” 09400114.doc 43  STATE OF ILLINOIS 94th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 114th Legislative Day 4/5/2006

“Thank you, Mr. Speaker, Ladies and Gentlemen of the House. This Amendment that was added in the Senate was because of a question that was asked on the House Floor: what if the current municipality doesn’t charge anything? So, this Amendment starts it at 25 and I’d just like an ‘aye’ vote to concur with the Amendment.” Speaker Lyons, J.: "The Chair recognizes the Gentleman from Vermilion, Representative Bill Black.”

“Yep.” Speaker Lyons, J.: "She indicates she will."

“The purpose was because some municipalities were raising the fee by more than 150 percent. So…”

“A lot of the vendors were not in favor of it. But with the Amendment, the Illinois Municipal League is in favor of the Bill.”

“And it can. We’re just setting guidelines so that…”

“…some of these aren’t outrageous.” 09400114.doc 46  STATE OF ILLINOIS 94th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 114th Legislative Day 4/5/2006

“Don’t think so. I don’t think so. No.”

“Okay. No.” Speaker Lyons, J.: "State your inquiry, Representative.”

“Well, I know while we’re waiting for this inquiry… I don’t know what happened. I think the Senate may have completely adjourned for the day and I think… I don’t even know if they went in. And it might have to be… have to do with that shiny object. I don’t even know if they’re gonna 09400114.doc 47  STATE OF ILLINOIS 94th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 114th Legislative Day 4/5/2006 be… wanna be near the floor all day. Just thought I’d let ya know that, Mr. Chairman.” Speaker Lyons, J.: "Thank you, Representative Molaro. You… you’re in charge of sunglasses for the back row if it gets too shiny back there. Representative Black, the parliamentarian has an answer regarding your inquiry on the number of votes needed.”

“Yes, let me point out the procedure here so we’re clear on what we’re gonna do with this Bill. Well, let… let me explain. This is a Motion… it’s a Motion to Concur to a Senate Amendment. So let me make an inquiry of the Chair. Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I’m talking over here.” Speaker Lyons, J.: "Proceed, Representative.”

“All right. Thank you.” Speaker Lyons, J.: "We’re listening to every word you’re saying, Representative.”

“I have… I have an inquiry of the Chair. On a Motion…” Speaker Lyons, J.: "State your inquiry.”

“Okay. We have a Motion to Concur. If it’s defeated, okay, then we can file a Motion to Nonconur, right? Which, of course, would be granted.” Speaker Lyons, J.: "Correct.”

“Then what happens is it goes back to the Senate and they have to decide whether they’re gonna insist on their… on their Amendment. So let me point out to the people over 09400114.doc 50  STATE OF ILLINOIS 94th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 114th Legislative Day 4/5/2006 there. This Bill has already passed. It got 74 votes. This Senate Amendment makes it better for the Municipal League, makes it a better Bill on the avenue that the previous speaker was talking about. Wasn’t real clear. If we kill this Bill, all we’re doing is killing the Amendment. It’ll go back to the Senate, they’ll recede, and we’ll have a much worse Bill on the Governor’s desk. Now, I understand what the previous speaker talked about, the right Reverend Dr. Black. So if he wants to stand up, I’ll say his name. But what we’re doing here is if we wind up killing this Bill now, it will just go back and it will be the Bill that we passed. They were just trying to make it clearer in the Senate for the Municipal League. They’ll recede from their Amendment and what’ll happen is the original Bill, which isn’t as good as this one, talking about what we talked about earlier, will then go to the Governor’s desk. All I’m saying is, I guess, that the objections that we… were made earlier by the previous speaker are a tad late because we got the 74 votes. So I just wanna look at the process and not just get a victory so we get out of here with 62 votes and we kill this Motion, ‘cause then we’re gonna have a worse Bill goin’ to the Governor. So, for that reason… first of all, I think it’s a good Amendment. But even if you don’t, for that reason we should vote ‘yes’ ‘cause at least we get a better Bill. A ‘no’ vote gets us a worse Bill. Thank you.” Speaker Lyons, J.: "Representative Berrios to close.”

“Thank you. As mentioned before, it is a pro-consumer Bill and the Illinois Municipal League now does agree with 09400114.doc 51  STATE OF ILLINOIS 94th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 114th Legislative Day 4/5/2006 the Bill because we did add this Amendment. So, I’d ask for a favorable vote. Thank you.” Speaker Lyons, J.: "The question is, ‘Shall the House concur in Senate Amendment #1 to House Bill 874?’ This is final action. All those in favor 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? Have all voted who wish? Mr. Clerk, take the record. On this question, there are 73 Members voting ‘yes’… 73 Members voting ‘yes’, 38 Members voting ‘no’. The House does concur in Senate Amendment #1 to House Bill 834 (sic-874). This Bill, having received the Constitutional Majority, is hereby declared passed. In this case, this Bill, having received the Three-fifths Constitutional Majority, is hereby declared passed. The Chair recognizes the Gentleman from Vermilion, Representative Bill Black.”

“Well, maybe I got carried away with the ballgame last night. It was… it was sort of a… obviously he doesn’t. we all know that. So, if there was any offense taken, of course, we take that back. And I don’t ev… I don’t even know if said that. But if I did, Bill, I apologize. Thanks.” Speaker Lyons, J.: "The Chair recognizes the Gentleman from Cook, Representative Art Turner.”

“Thank you, Mr. Speaker and Ladies and Gentlemen of the House. I know earlier today while we were taking care of a little business in the back, people were distracted at the lighting… or the object that was reflecting on the light here in the chamber. And I’m happy to speak on behalf of 09400114.doc 53  STATE OF ILLINOIS 94th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 114th Legislative Day 4/5/2006 the… myself and co-captain Osterman to give you a little update as to what happened last night here in the capital city. I, first of all, want to thank the team because we certainly played as a team and in that bipartisan spirit we brought the trophy back to its rightful chamber. Some of you heard the final score last night was 29-7. There were… there were a couple real standouts in yesterday’s game. The MVPs for the game was Representative Randy Hultgren and Representative Calvin Giles. Now, in saying that, I’m sad to say that we’re gonna be losing both of those guys next year so we’ll have to see what we can do, but I think we… we look like we’re gonna be in pretty good shape. Of course, Randy’s goin’ over to the Senate. We’ve already had a sidebar with him and explained to him what it means to be a freshman Senator when he just left playin’ the House. So we… we don’t expect the same game out of Randy Hultgren next year. Then we have the old team. We had Johnny D… Johnny D’Amico, we had Willy Delgado, and Bobby Molaro. And I can’t say enough about those guys other than we all know Molaro spent a little time in the Senate. He got together with Rich Bradley, who has been our man on the mound for God knows how many years, and he laid the whole strategy out. Molaro having been over there played with those guys, he knew what it took. And so, they agreed. Bradley decided to do the infield and we put Molaro on the mound. And I can’t tell you enough about old silver-haired himself. He threw the ball right where it was supposed to be. We also had… he was three for three as well. We also had the Bradley… I spoke of Rich Bradley, but we also had John Bradley. 09400114.doc 54  STATE OF ILLINOIS 94th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 114th Legislative Day 4/5/2006 Downstaters did their part. John Bradley, of course, he’s had Harry… not Harry, but he’s had Bobby blowin’ in his ear all year tellin’ him about the difference between that little ball and the big ball and Bradley came through. He played an excellent game. McCarthy wasn’t there yesterday. He decided… he and Hoffman had some other business. And these are the guys that’ve been stalwarts. You know… Joe, you know what I mean, a few of us old-timers there that are still around. But McCarthy wasn’t there, but we had a few guys that made up for it. We had… our rookie of the year this year was Representative Ramey. He was our star in the outfield. You tell Pate he did the right thing, Ramey. We appreciate him. He made a big difference for us here in the House. And of course, we had Bobby Rita, our little guy at short center. He and… he and Representative Sullivan, ol’ sure-hand Sullivan, he did an excellent job in the short center and second field. And then we also had Will Davis, who… an up-and-coming star. Giles, I think you will be missed but Will’s gonna take your place. We’re gonna be all right there. And then there were those that we had pulling up the side. We had four-fingers Winters at first base. He did an excellent job. He was… he was coached by the ex- first baseman Dan Reitz, and Dan still was around. He put in an inning or two. But, Winters played an excellent role there at first base. And then the Ladies, I should say, they… they held their own. Representative Annazette Collins and, of course, the star Representative Susie Mendoza who was three for three. Front page in today’s paper. We are an equal gender team and when you’re ahead… when you’re 09400114.doc 55  STATE OF ILLINOIS 94th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 114th Legislative Day 4/5/2006 ahead 17 runs it’s very easy to be very equal. And we also had Representative… my seatmate, Representative Ken Dunkin, who actually came to bat at… towards the very end. He got there a little late. We’re working him and his time schedules, but he showed up to do his part. And for those who didn’t know, ya found out yesterday he can, in fact, hit a softball. I knew he could do it. He played a lot of it around his home and so we’re proud of Ken Dunkin and his play last night. I think I hit everybody except myself, and that was good. I showed up. Harry. What do I wanna say about Harry? Harry Osterman, the co-captain of the team, the guy who… who invented softball. Harry ‘I don’t need a gun because I have a bat’ Osterman. He played a helluva game, as always. And of course, it’s an honor sharing the captain’s privilege with him. And I will be remiss if I don’t honor the Speaker, Joe Lyons. Joe’s still very much a part of this team. He was the guy yesterday that also helped keep the score and he just couldn’t do enough of going around that batting order two or three times, but Joe has been… And I forget about our… our back catcher. And you read about the Pete Rose dive. And he looks like he’s in pretty good shape today but our back catcher, Chuck Jefferson from the great city of Rockford, did an excellent job. He was… he held his own back there at the plate. I believe we got everybody covered. I… and the only reason I’m a little apprehensive is some of you know I showed about two innings late. Played the old-timer’s trick and let ‘em got up 17 runs. But, we appreciate everybody. We appreciate all those who came out to the game. We will 09400114.doc 56  STATE OF ILLINOIS 94th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 114th Legislative Day 4/5/2006 certainly want to thank our sponsors, RCGA, the group… the Regional Commerce and Growth Association, who has been our sponsors in years past and we appreciate their support again. And of course, it is in honor in the memory of Pete Miller who’s the guy that helped… first started these annual games. And so, we have the trophy here. It’s in its rightful place. And if I were to make a prediction, I think it’s gonna be around for a long time. And at some point, we’re going to march this over to the Senate to give ‘em one last look at this. But, it’s ours, gang. We’ll be ready and we’ll see ‘em again next year.” Speaker Lyons, J.: "The Chair recognize the co captain of the victorious House team, Representative Harry Osterman. Harry ‘homerun’ Osterman.”

“Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Representative Molaro mentioned earlier, the Senate is out and all of us know that they’re taking their naps. They’ll be back later and we’ll bring the trophy over. But, I wanna thank everyone in the House that came out to the game. Last night there were a lot of House Members that were there. It brought everyone together in a bipartisan way. The next couple of weeks may be a little tense, but last night was indicative of all of us working together. Over the last 7 years, the House has won six games and they’ve done so as a team. Everyone has contributed as a team. Last night when we put up three touchdowns or four touchdowns on the Senate, we did it as a team. And truly indicative of that teamwork are the two MVPs, Randy Hultgren and Calvin Giles. Both have exemplified that teamwork over the last 6 and 7 years as 09400114.doc 57  STATE OF ILLINOIS 94th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 114th Legislative Day 4/5/2006 Members, but also in the softball game. So, I’d like everyone to give them both a big hand.” Speaker Lyons, J.: "The Chair recognizes Representative Calvin Giles.”

“Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I really appreciate that coming from who I feel that’s truly the MVP of the game last night. And let me just say that I truly am a man that believe that things should be done in the right place and should be done in the order. Even though I appreciate the good gesture of having the MVP award and shared by Repre… shared by Randy, but I truly believe that 2 years ago, Representative Osterman, when you wasn’t here, it was… I should’ve been co- MVP with Representative Hoffman, who’s not here right now. And so, on… on that note, with an individual that hit, say, in-the-park homerun and, of course, managed all of us, you are truly the MVP. So, I am going to march this MVP award over to its rightful place. Thank you.” Speaker Lyons, J.: "Representative Randy Hultgren.”

“Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. I am going to concur in Amendment #4, which becom… that’s Senate Amendment #4, which becomes the Bill and creates the Predator Accountability Act. This Act provides civil liability for persons or entities that recruit, profit from, or maintain persons in the sex trade. This Amendment clarifies the definition of ‘sex trade’ as based on preexisting elements of the Criminal Code in an attempt to outline elements necessary for a prima facie case. It specifically defines the persons who are considered victims of the sex trade, and it also protects victims of the sex trade by delaying the running of the limitations period for civil recovery so that it does not commence until after the statute of limitations for any criminal prosecutions against the plaintiff have expired. That is Senate Amendment #4. Senate Amendment #5 clarifies that civil liability for harming the victim of a sex trade act applies to intentionally abusing, defined by the Domestic Violence Act, and includes but it not limited to: physical abuse, harassment, intimidation of a defendant, or intentionally causing bodily harm, as defined by the Criminal Code, including by not limited to: sexually transmitted disease, pregnancy, and impotence. This Amendment also states that a person or entity providing goods or services to the general public is not liable under the Act unless they market or provide their services 09400114.doc 59  STATE OF ILLINOIS 94th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 114th Legislative Day 4/5/2006 primarily to receive extra compensation from or exercise control over a person or entity that is liable under this Act to a victim of the sex trade. I am ready for questions.” Speaker Lyons, J.: "The Chair recognizes the Gentleman from Cook, Representative Bob Molaro. She indicates…”

“Will the Sponsor yield?" Speaker Lyons, J.: "She indicates she will."

“Thank you. Representative Howard, this Bill is intended… or at least Amendment 5, I forget which one… is intended to stop the abuse of prostitutes by their pimps, so to speak, right?”

“That is correct.”

“Okay. Now… and I don’t think you’re intending… and this is not intended to limit artistic entertainment or the broadcasting industry from legitimate activities.”

“That is correct as well.”

“All right. Thank you.” Speaker Lyons, J.: "No one seeking further recognition, the question is, ‘Shall the House concur in Senate Amendments #4 and #5 to House Bill 1299?’ This is final action. All those in favor 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? Mr. Clerk, take the record. On this question, there are 112 Members voting ‘yes’, 0 voting ‘no’, 0 voting ‘present’. And the House does concur in Senate Amendments #4 and #5 to House Bill 1299. This Bill, having received the Constitutional Majority, is hereby declared passed. Mr. Clerk, on the 09400114.doc 60  STATE OF ILLINOIS 94th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 114th Legislative Day 4/5/2006 bottom of page 8 of the Calendar under concurrences, Representative Flider has House Bill 4147. The Gentleman from Macon, Representative Bob Flider.”

"Thank you, Mr. Speaker, Ladies and Gentlemen of the House. House Bill 4147 is a Bill that was passed out of here earlier this year and it creates the Central Illinois Economic Development Authority. And as we were passing this Bill, there was a similar Bill in the Senate, sponsored by Senator Demuzio, which also created a Central Illinois Economic Development Authority and it included different counties than the one we included, some the same, some different. So what we’ve agreed to do is… she had consolidated all of our counties together and removed one county which had a… a desire to join another Economic Development Authority and we placed them in… everything in this Bill, House Bill 4147. So, we now have included, in the one that passed out of the House, the counties of Macoupin, Calhoun, Greene, and Jersey. So, I’d ask for your support of the Motion and I’d be happy to address any questions you might have.” Speaker Lyons, J.: "The Chair recognizes the Gentleman from Cook, Representative Jim Durkin.”

"I’m sorry, I didn’t hear you question.”

"Yes, it does.” 09400114.doc 61  STATE OF ILLINOIS 94th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 114th Legislative Day 4/5/2006

"Yes, it does.”

"Well, what would happen is that according to the provisions of this authority, which is very similar to authorities which have passed here recently, one of which I was a cosponsor of last year. The authority would get together… the counties and the authority would get together and they would agree upon a certain level of bonding and there would be financial institutions or others who would be involved in providing the funding. So, the bonds would be paid back in accordance with the authority’s wishes or rules.”

"That’s absolutely correct.”

"Thank you.” Speaker Lyons, J.: "The Chair recognizes the Gentleman from Bureau, Representative Frank Mautino.”

“Thank you. Representative, is there… and I haven’t had a chance to look at the language of the Bill. This is dealing specifically with your region? Are there any… are 09400114.doc 62  STATE OF ILLINOIS 94th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 114th Legislative Day 4/5/2006 there any other authorities in here? Upper Illinois River Development, Southwest, any of those other authorities involved in the Bill?”

"No. This would be a brand new authority and the counties within this authority are not included in any other authority that I’m aware of.”

“Okay. So, there’s no impact on any of the existing authorities?”

"No, there’s not.”

“Okay. Thank you.” Speaker Lyons, J.: "The question is, ‘Shall Senate Amendment #1 to House Bill 4147 be adopted?’ All those in favor… This is final action. All those in favor signify by voting ‘aye’; those opposed vote ‘no’. The voting is open. Have all voted who wish? Have all voted who wish? Have all voted who wish? Mr. Clerk, take the record. On this question, there are 111 Members voting ‘yes’ and 0 voting ‘no’. And the House does concur in Senate Amendment #1 to House Bill 4147. This Bill, having received the Constitutional Majority, is hereby declared passed. Mr. Clerk.”

“Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I just wanna make a brief comment because this gentleman represents a long line of dedicated personnel to their country and to this state. Not only his father, Brian, but for the old-timers around here, his great… his grandfather, Tom, who is a… a real gentleman around Springfield and the Capitol. So he’s continuing this line of dedicated service and we’re very, very proud of him and his heritage.” Speaker Lyons, J.: "Representative McAuliffe.”

“Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would just like the House to concur with Amendments 1 and 2 of Sen… House Bill 2067. I ask for an ‘aye’ vote.” Speaker Lyons, J.: "The Lady moves the adoption of Senate Amendment #s 1 and 2 to House Bill 2067. This is final action. All those in favor 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? Mr. Clerk, take the record. On this question, there are 62 Members voting ‘yes’, 48 Members voting ‘no’, 1 Member voting ‘present’. The House does concur with Senate Amendments #1 and 2 to House Bill 2067. This Bill, having received the Constitutional Majority, is hereby declared passed. The Chair recognizes the Lady from Cook, Representative Rosemary Mulligan.”

Speaker Turner: “Representative Turner in the Chair. The Gentleman from Bond, Representative Stephens, for what reason do you rise? The Gentleman from Bond, Representative Stephens, for what reason do you rise?” 09400114.doc 70  STATE OF ILLINOIS 94th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 114th Legislative Day 4/5/2006

“That means you have an apartment here in town? On the Order of Concurrences, page 9 of the Calendar, we have Representative Mulligan on House Bill 4195.”

“Seeing no questions, the question is, ‘Shall the House receded from House Amendments 1 to Senate Bill… to House Bill 4195?’ All those in favor should vote ‘aye’; all those… all those in favor should say ‘aye’; all those opposed say ‘no’. In the opinion of the Chair, the ‘ayes’ have it. And the House does recede… refuse to recede from 09400114.doc 71  STATE OF ILLINOIS 94th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 114th Legislative Day 4/5/2006 Amendment #1. Okay, let me start over. So all those in favor should say ‘aye’; all those opposed say ‘no’. And the opinion of the Chair is the ‘ayes’ have it. And the House does nonconcur in Senate Amendment 1 to House Bill 4195. On the Order of Concurrences, we have Representative Watson on House Bill 4222.”

“Seeing no question, the question is, ‘Shall the House concur in Senate Amendments 1 and 2 to House Bill 4222?’ This is final action. All those in favor should signify by voting ‘aye’; those opposed vote ‘no’. The voting is now open. Have all voted who wish? Have all voted who wish? Have all voted who wish? Joe Lyons. Flowers. Beaubien. The Clerk shall take the record. On this question, there are 110 voting ‘aye’, 1 voting ‘no’, 1 ‘present’. And this Bill, having received the Constitutional Majority, is hereby declared passed. And the House does concur in Senate Amendments 1 and 2 to House Bill 4222. And this Bill, having received the Constitutional Majority… no. Fine. The Gentleman from Morgan, Representative Watson.”

Speaker Turner: “The Gentleman from DuPage, Representative Ramey, for what reason do you rise?”

“He indicates he will."

Speaker Turner: “The Gentleman from Cook, Representative Fritchey, for what reason do you rise?”

“Thank you, Speaker. Will the Sponsor yield?"

“Indicates he will.”

“Representative, I want you to clarify for people because this is one of those votes that people start to play politics with and see it as a lessening of the restrictions on sexual offenders. What this Amendment does is maintain the law that we have today on the books.”

“There is nothing in this Amendment that is a lessening of the present laws as it reports… as it pertains to sexual offender reporting. Is that correct?”

“I hope that everybody paid attention because this is not a lessening of crimes. This is a refusal to stiffen it, but the Amendment simply brings us back to what the law is today and what the law has been for several years now.”

“Thank you for your candid answers.”

“Seeing no further questions, the question is, ‘Shall the House concur in Senate Amendment 3 to House Bill 4222?’ This is final action. All those in favor should signify by voting ‘aye’; all those opposed signify by voting ‘no’. The voting is now open. Have all voted who wish? Have all voted who wish? Have all voted who wish? Yarbrough. The Clerk shall take the record. On this question, there are 78 voting ‘aye’, 34 voting ‘no’. And 09400114.doc 74  STATE OF ILLINOIS 94th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 114th Legislative Day 4/5/2006 this Bill, having received the Constitutional Majority, is hereby declared passed. And the House does concur in Senate Amendment 3 to House Bill 4222. And this Bill, having received the Constitutional Majority, is hereby declared passed. On the Order of Concurrences, page 9, we have House Bill 4161. Representative Lyons.” Lyons, J.: “Thank you, Mr. Speaker and Ladies and Gentlemen of the House. I wish to nonconcur with Senate Amendment #1 to House Bill 4161. The underlying issue dealt with some property in my district, the Dunning property of the former state mental institution. I put a program package together here that was supposed to allow the city to purchase part of this property for some type of future development along with the Chicago Park District, and that part of the Bill was taken off in the Senate. So, I… I wish to nonconcur with Senate Amendment #1.”

“Seeing no questions, the question is, ‘Shall the House nonconcur in Senate Amendment 1 to House Bill 4161?’ All those in favor should say ‘aye’; all those opposed say ‘no’. In the opinion of the Chair is ‘ayes’ have it. And the House does nonconcur to Senate Amendment 1 to House Bill 4161. On page 9 of the Calendar, we have Representative Verschoore on House Bill 4298. Representative Verschoore. Out of the record. On the Order of Concurrences, we have Representative Rose on House Bill 4300. Read the Bill, Mr. Clerk. I’m sorry, Representative Rose.”

“Seeing no questions, the question is, ‘Shall the House in Senate Amendment 1 to House Bill 4300?’ This is final action. All those in favor should signify by voting ‘aye’; all those opposed vote ‘no’. The voting is now open. Have all voted who wish? Have all voted who wish? Dunn. The Clerk shall take the record. On this question, there are 112 voting ‘aye’, 0 ‘noes’, 0 ‘presents’. And the House does concur in Senate Amendment 1 to House Bill 4300. And this Bill, having received the Constitutional Majority, is hereby declared passed. On page 10 of the Calendar, Representative Osmond, we have House Bill 40… Out of the record. Representative Acevedo. House Bill 4719. On the Order of Concurrences.”

“Thank you, Mr. Speaker, Ladies and Gentlemen of the House. I wish to concur with Senate Amendment #1 to House Bill 4719.”

“Seeing no questions, the question is, ‘Does the House concur in Senate Amendment 1 to House Bill 4719?’ This is final action. All those in favor should signify by voting ‘aye’; all those opposed vote ‘no’. The voting is now open. Have all voted who wish? Have all voted who 09400114.doc 76  STATE OF ILLINOIS 94th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 114th Legislative Day 4/5/2006 wish? Have all voted who wish? Yvetter. Have all voted who wish? The Clerk shall take the record. On this question, there are 112 voting ‘aye’, 0 ‘noes’, 0 ‘presents’. And the House does concur in Senate Amendment #1 to House Bill 4719. And this Bill, having received the Constitutional Majority, is hereby declared passed. Representative Durkin on House Bill 5260. The Gentleman from Cook, Representative Durkin.”

“Seeing no questions, the question is, ‘Shall the House concur in Senate Amendment 1 to House Bill 5260?’ All those in favor should vote ‘aye’; all those opposed vote ‘no’. This is final action and the voting is now open. Have all voted who wish? Have all voted who wish? The Clerk shall take the record. On this question, there are 112 voting ‘aye’, 0 ‘noes’, 0 ‘presents’. And this Bill, having received… no. And the House does concur in Senate Amendment 1 to House Bill 5260. And this Bill, having received the Constitutional Majority, is hereby declared passed. The Gentleman from Cook, Representative Dunkin, for what reason do you rise?”

"Thank you, Mr. Speaker and Members of the House. Point of personal privilege.”

“State your point."

"Members of the House, I’d like to have us welcome the youth from the Kenwood-Oakland Community Organization from… and from Reavis School that are visiting our great House of Representatives today. To my left right here. Can we all give ‘em a round of applause?”

“Welcome to Springfield.”

"Wave. Hello. And to my left… and to my right right here. So, welcome to your State Capitol.”

Speaker Turner: “Welcome Kenwood-Oakland. Representative Moffitt on House Bill 5348.”

“Seeing no questions, the question is, ‘Does the House concur in Senate Amendment 1 and 2 to House Bill 5348?’ All those in favor should vote ‘aye’; all those opposed vote ‘no’. The voting is now open. Have all voted who wish? Have all voted who wish? Have all voted who wish? The Clerk shall take the record. On this question, there are 112 voting ‘aye’, 0 ‘noes’, 0 ‘presents’. And the House does concur in Senate Amendments 1 and 2 to House Bill 5348. And this Bill, having received the Constitutional Majority, is hereby declared passed. On the Order of 09400114.doc 79  STATE OF ILLINOIS 94th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 114th Legislative Day 4/5/2006 Concurrences, we have Representative Munson on House Bill 4461.”

“Seeing no questions, the question is, ‘Shall the House concur in Senate Amendment 1 to House Bill 4461?’ All those in favor should vote ‘aye’; all those opposed vote ‘no’. The voting is now open. Have all voted who wish? Have all voted who wish? This if final action. Have all voted who wish? The Clerk shall take the record. On this question, there are 112 voting ‘aye’, 0 ‘noes’, 0 ‘presents’. And the House does concur in Senate Amendment 1 to House Bill 4461. And this Bill, having received the Constitutional Majority, is hereby declared passed. The Gentleman from Cook, Representative Acevedo, for what reason do you rise?”

“Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I rise on point of personal privilege.”

“State your point."

“Mr. Speaker, I’d just like to remind the Members on both sides of the aisle and the staff that today we will be hosting a pre Lati… Cinco de Mayo party at Mojo’s, 225 Monroe Street. All are invited on behalf of the Latino Caucus.”

“Thank you, Representative. The Lady from Cook, Representative Howard, on House Bill 4406.” 09400114.doc 80  STATE OF ILLINOIS 94th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 114th Legislative Day 4/5/2006

“Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Senate Amendment 1 to House Bill 4406 is up for concurrence. As amended by House Amendments 1 and 2, this Bill would create a scholarship for high school seniors raised by their grandparents and the scholarship would be in the amount of $1 thousand and be renewable. The Amendment requires that the individual have been in the legal custody of his or her grandparents for at least 1 year preceding… or prior to submitting an application. And it also stipulates that the grant, in combination with any other financial aid, would not exceed the total cost of attendance at the institution and, of course, that the commission would adopt any and all necessary rules for the implementation of the Bill. I ask for… I Motion for a concurrence.”

“The Lady from Cook, Representative Currie, for what reason do you rise?”

"Thank you, Speaker. A question of the Sponsor.”

“She indicates she…”

"I want just to clarify, Representative, that when they limit the amount of the scholarship, that limit would include things like room and board, those kinds of costs. It wouldn’t mean that if a child had a scholarship or some kind of aid from an institution, that the total limit would be the tuition charged by that institution. So the understanding would be that room and board would qualify for purposes of meeting the limit that is imposed under the Senate Amendment. Is that accurate?”

“That is accurate. Thank you.”

"Thank you. Thank you. It’s a good Bill.” 09400114.doc 81  STATE OF ILLINOIS 94th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 114th Legislative Day 4/5/2006

“The Lady from Cook, Representative Mulligan, for what reason do you rise?”

“She indicates she will."

“This is… this is not subject to appropriations, Representative.”

“It is not subject to appropriation.”

“Let me just say that as far as I understand, it’s not. What is… The purpose of this Bill is to provide some kind of equity between those who are able to receive this higher educational opportunity because they are in the… in the system and those who are not able to receive the higher education opportunity.”

“Therefore, when Representative Jones…”

“Excuse me. Would you repeat that?”

“I… I appreciate you pointing that out, but I thought you were asking the question. I did not know the answer 09400114.doc 82  STATE OF ILLINOIS 94th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 114th Legislative Day 4/5/2006 until just now. But you knew that it was subject to appropriation all along?”

“Oh, somebody pointed that out. Well, I appreciate the fact that you’ve pointed that out. And now that I… and I do know now that it is subject to appropriation.”

“Thank you.”

“They would be re… they would be eligible, but the amount of the grant cannot go over a certain… a certain level.”

“So that, yes, they would be eligible for other grants, as well.”

“Seeing no further questions, the question is, ‘Shall the House concur in Senate Amendment #1 to House Bill 4406?’ All those in favor should vote ‘aye’; all those opposed vote ‘no’. The voting is now open. Have all voted who wish? Have all voted who wish? Have all voted who wish? The Clerk shall… Tryon. The Clerk shall take the record. On this question, 112 voting ‘aye’, 0 ‘noes’, 0 ‘presents’. And the House does concur in Senate Amendment 1 09400114.doc 83  STATE OF ILLINOIS 94th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 114th Legislative Day 4/5/2006 to House Bill 4406. And this Bill, having received the Constitutional Majority, is hereby declared passed. The Gentleman from Cook, Representative Saviano, for what reason do you rise?”

Speaker Turner: “Welcome to Springfield, Mannheim. Representative Will… Willhelmy on… I should say Representative Saviano. Representative Saviano on House Bill 2390… Senate Bill 2395.”

“Let’s… let’s do this again. First of all, let me have the Clerk read the Bill. Mr. Clerk, read the Bill, 2395. Start all over. 2395. Senate Bill 2395. Read the Bill, Mr. Clerk.”

Speaker Turner: “The Gentleman from Cook, Representative Saviano.” 09400114.doc 84  STATE OF ILLINOIS 94th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 114th Legislative Day 4/5/2006

“Seeing no questions… The Gentleman from Cook, Representative Miller, for what reason do you rise?”

“A question for the Sponsor.”

“He indicates he will.”

“Representative, on our analysis is says that Department of Professional Regs… or whatever agency it’s called now, is against the Bill. I know… can you just comment on that? I… I believe they’re okay with… I believe we’re okay with Senate Amendment 1, but it’s on our analysis. There’s some confusion.”

“The Gentleman asks leave to take the Bill out of the record. Take the Bill out of the record. The Gentleman from Lee, Representative Mitchell, Jerry Mitchell, for what reason do you rise?” Mitchell, J.: “Mr. Speaker, was… was that Representative Saviano’s first Bill?”

“Senator Watson. Let’s welcome Senator Watson to the chamber, Gentlemen… Ladies and Gentlemen. He came over to look and see what the trophy looks like here in its 09400114.doc 85  STATE OF ILLINOIS 94th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 114th Legislative Day 4/5/2006 rightful place. Senator Watson. We appreciate Minority Leader Watson here. Yeah, it’ll be here for a while, Senator. On the Order of Second Readings, page 6 of the Calendar, we have Senate Bill 2395. Representative Saviano one more time. Read the Bill, Mr. Clerk.”

“Representative Saviano on Amendment #1.”

“Seeing no questions… Dave, you all right? Seeing no questions, the question is, ‘Shall the House adopt Senate Amendment 1… Floor Amendment 1 to Senate Bill 2395?’ All those in favor should say ‘aye’; all those opposed say ‘no’. In the opinion of the Chair is the ‘ayes’ have it. And the Amendment’s adopted. Further Amendments?”

Speaker Turner: “Third Reading. The Gentleman from Cook, Representative Giles, for what reason do you rise?”

“Thank you, Mr. Speaker. A purpose of an announcement.”

“State your purpose.”

“Thank you, Mr. Speaker. After the adjournment, the Elementary & Secondary Education Committee will convene. 09400114.doc 86  STATE OF ILLINOIS 94th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 114th Legislative Day 4/5/2006 Our subject matter will be the ISAT. We’re asking Members of the Elementary & Secondary Education Committee to please be there and be on time so that we can begin. Also, we’re inviting Members of the Illinois… I mean, Members of the Elementary & Secondary Appropriations Committee to please be there as well. And of course, any Member in this Body that would like to ask questions of the state superintendent as well. Thank you.”

Speaker Turner: “Representative Berrios. On the Order of Concurrences, we have House Bill 4606. Representative Berrios.”

“Thank you, Mr. Speaker, Ladies and Gentlemen of the House. With this Senate Amendment change, we are just cha… the original Bill got rid of the 2-year reporting requirement. In the Senate they said we should change that, so we are just changing it. Instead of 2 years, which is what it currently does, to 3 years after the commission of the offense, so that the person would have the 10-year statute of limitations to work on the crime.”

“Seeing no questions, the question is, ‘Shall the House concur in Senate Amendment 1 to House Bill 4606?’ This is final action. All those in favor should vote ‘aye’; all those opposed vote ‘no’. The voting is now open. Have all voted who wish? Have all voted who wish? Have all voted who wish? Representative Bost. Clerk shall take the record. On this question, there are 112 voting ‘aye’, 0 ‘noes’, and 0 ‘presents’. And the House does concur in Senate Amendment 1 to House Bill 4606. And this Bill, having received the Constitutional Majority, is hereby 09400114.doc 87  STATE OF ILLINOIS 94th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 114th Legislative Day 4/5/2006 declared passed. On the Order of Second Readings, page 2 of the Calendar, Representative Currie, we have House Bill 70… 1732. Read the Bill, Mr. Clerk.”

“Third Reading. Read the Bill, Mr. Clerk.”

“The Lady from Cook, Representative Currie on…”

“Thank you.”

“…House Bill 1732.”

“Thank you, Speaker and Members of the House. This is a measure that would require the tax bills in Cook County, next time those tax bills arrive in our mail boxes, to identify which residential owner/occupiers are winners and which are losers and which stay the same because of the expanded Homestead Exemption, also known as the 7 percent solution. I’d appreciate your support for this measure. There’s a sense in the land that everybody wins because of the 7 percent solution, the reality is that not everybody does and we think it’s important for individuals to know which end of the equation fits them. That’s all this measure does and I’d appreciate your support.”

“The Lady from Cook, Representative Krause, for what reason do you rise?”

“Indicates she will.”

“Representative, first of all, when it comes to cost we’re told that the cost would not be substantial. Now, they are reporting that there may be a delay, we’re not sure exactly of what length time, nor what that effect will be. But I propose to move this Bill today. This is a House Bill in the House. There would still be time in the Senate to consider not only the answer to the question but what we could do to ameliorate any delay that might otherwise ensue. And I would be more than happy to work with you and all comers to see to it. I do wanna point out to you and the Members that the variety of note requests you filed yesterday, it turns out they’ve all come back and there aren’t any, fiscal or pension or any other kind of impacts because of this Bill.”

“To say that, doesn’t say that I don’t think that the question that you’re raising right now is a legitimate and a serious one, but I do think it’s important to try to move this along and continue to search, not just for an answer, but also for ways to ameliorate any problems that local districts… taxing districts, schools among others, might… might find.”

“Well, again, I just reiterate, we are hopeful that we’re nearing the end of Spring Session, at least I hope we are, and this is a House Bill in the House that means that if it succeeds in this chamber, it still requires three readings across the rotunda. I think that gives us more time and I think, Representative, if it’s clear that this would be… would pose an undue burden for local school 09400114.doc 90  STATE OF ILLINOIS 94th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 114th Legislative Day 4/5/2006 districts, we will either drop the idea or find a way to make them whole.”

Speaker Turner: “The Gentleman from Cook, Representative Fritchey, for what reason do you rise?”

“Thank you, Speaker. Will the Sponsor yield?”

“She indicates she will.”

“Representative, I apologize for having my back to you here, I don’t have a choice. How many counties have enacted the 7 percent Bill?”

“How many…”

“How many counties have enacted the 7 percent Bill?”

“Only one, only the county of Cook.”

“And that’ll be the county of Cook. Has the Cook County assessor weighed in on this Bill?”

“They took no position on this Bill when it was in committee two days ago.”

“But it would fall upon them to derive the formula that… by which they would inform homeowners of what the impact of the legislation was on them.”

“Under this legislation, the assessor’s office would be required to work with the clerk’s office in figuring out how to determine whether you are a winner or a loser.”

“Well, I would submit to you that, based on my discussions with the assessor’s office, they’re not even sure how this would be done because there are numerous pressures upward and downward on a tax bill and isolating 09400114.doc 91  STATE OF ILLINOIS 94th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 114th Legislative Day 4/5/2006 that just to the effect of the 7 percent Bill is easier said than done. You’re aware of that?”

“Yeah, I am, but the reality… all we’re asking for and I do think they understand this and I know the clerk’s office says they can do it. We’re asking them to make the calculation, all other things being equal, that is the Homestead Exemption, the (inaudible), da, da, da, da, all other things being equal, except the expanded homeowner exemption.”

“Okay.”

“So, you do it two ways: you do it once with, you do it once with… without. And in both situations, you are dealing in the ‘real’ world.”

“Thank you. To… to the Bill. Ladies and Gentlemen, let me tell you what will happen in my district. In my district, the overwhelming number of homeowners will get a tax bill that says that their tax bill was lower than it would have been but for that 7 percent Bill. They will also then be faced with the reality that that 7 percent Bill is about to sunset and that unless this Body takes action, their tax bills will skyrocket again accordingly. Are there losers under the Bill? Yes, there are. Nobody ever denied that. The majority of homeowners came out ahead as a result of this. At the risk of sounding redundant, at the risk of being repetitive of other messages that have been given, I’ve been here for 10 years now, there’s Legislators that have been here two or three times as I… as long as I have been. With… with all due respect, you wear it well, Speaker. The issue about how to fund schools predates any 09400114.doc 92  STATE OF ILLINOIS 94th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 114th Legislative Day 4/5/2006 Member in this chamber and we can dance around the issue of property tax reform, we can dance around the issue of whether or not we’re gonna take substantive action. The bottom line is we cannot keep ducking the issue that we are overly relying on property taxes to fund our schools which results not only in underfunded schools but inequitably funded schools. We are dead last, folks, in the country when it comes to inequity in school funding. This is not a Chicago issue. Rural districts feel this just as much as my di… as my schools do. We have to fix this issue. I am not going to support this measure because this is simply avoiding the real issues. The two real issues in my mind right now are number one, renewing the 7 percent Bill and two, we have the backbone to fix the number one issue which is fixing how we fund schools. I don’t like being in opposition to the Ma… any of the Majority Leader’s Bills, but this is simply a disservice and a ducking of the real issue. I’m not looking forward to going home this summer and telling my constituents that we haven’t taken this issue on. None of us will look forward to going home this summer and telling our constituents that we still don’t know how to fund schools in Illinois. We have to fix this problem soon. It’s not gonna get done in the terms of an election cycle, so we can’t keep ducking it 2-year and 4-year periods. We have to take this issue on. We are doing a disservice to the seniors in our districts who are being forced out of their homes by property tax escalation. We’re doing a disservice to parents that are trying to get a good education for their children. And we are doing disservice 09400114.doc 93  STATE OF ILLINOIS 94th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 114th Legislative Day 4/5/2006 to another generation of Illinois kids that are gonna go through schools that are inequitably and underfunded. Thank you.”

“The Lady from Cook, Representative Currie to close.”

“Thank you, Speaker and Members of the House. This is not about how to… how to reform the school funding crisis. I wish it were. This is a simple measure. We have a program in place that is said to be good for homeowners in the county of Cook, for many homeowners in the county of Cook, it isn’t. For many homeowners in the county of Cook, in fact, it means a higher tax bill at the end of the day. The point of this measure is to say, let people know if they’re winners or if they’re losers. That’s all this Bill does. It’s gonna let John Fritchey know whether he is paying more because somebody else is paying less or whether, in fact, he’s paying less ‘cause somebody else is paying more. And I think this is good, transparent, accountable government. I encourage your ‘yes’ vote.”

“Seeing no further questions, the question is, ‘Shall the House pass House Bill 1732?’ All those in favor should vote ‘aye’; all those opposed vote ‘no’. The voting is now open. This is final action. All those… Have all voted who wish? Have all voted who wish? Mendoza. The Clerk shall take the record. On this question, there are 82 voting ‘aye’, 29 voting ‘no’. And this Bill, having received the Constitutional Majority, is hereby declared passed. The Gentleman from Peoria, Representative Schock, for what reason do you rise?” 09400114.doc 94  STATE OF ILLINOIS 94th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 114th Legislative Day 4/5/2006

“State your personal privilege.”

“Welcome to Springfield, St. Vincent. The Lady from Cook, Representative Deborah Graham, for what reason do you rise?”

“Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Point of personal privilege.”

“State your point.”

“There will be a brief COWL meeting at 4:30 today in Room 319 behind the Senate chambers. A very brief meeting for COWL Members. So, please come out. We have some issues we need to discuss.”

“Senate chambers or the House chamber?”

“Behind the Senate chambers in Room 319.”

“The COWLs…”

“At 4:30.”

“The COWLs will meet behind 319 at 4:30.”

“4:30.”

“COWL… COWL Members will meet…”

“COWL Members. COWL Members.”

“COWL Members will meet at 4:30 in 319…”

“Behind the Senate chambers.”

“…behind the Senate chambers. If anybody’s lost, just go mmm. Mr. Clerk, Agreed Resolutions.” 09400114.doc 95  STATE OF ILLINOIS 94th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 114th Legislative Day 4/5/2006

“The Clerk moves for the adoption of the Agreed Resolutions. All those in favor say ‘aye’; all those opposed say ‘no’. The opinion of the Chair is the ‘ayes’ have it. And the Resolutions are adopted. And allowing perfunctory time for the Clerk, Representative Currie moves that the House stands adjourned ‘til Thursday, April 6, at the hour of 12 noon. House stands adjourned ‘til Thursday, April 6, at the hour of 12 noon. The House is adjourned.”