"The House shall come to order. The Members shall be in their chairs. We ask the Members and our guests in the gallery to turn off laptop computers, cell phones and pagers. And we ask our guests in the gallery to rise and join us for the invocation and the Pledge of Allegiance. We shall be led in prayer today by the Reverend Richard Wollard who is the Pastor of the Meadowland Community Church in Johnsburg, Illinois. Reverend Wollard is the guest of Representative Jack Franks."
Pastor Wollard: "Good afternoon. Would you pray with me? Almighty God, we give You praise for all the benefits that we have received from Your hand. We praise You today for life, for the right that we have to pursue it and to enjoy it. Every breathe that we take comes from Your hand. We praise You today for Your provision that are supplied regularly for us. We often take those things for granted. We praise You for Your relationship that we can have with You. God, we just thank You for how good You are to us. And we praise You for our country, for our freedoms that we enjoy, knowing that great costs have been paid and continue to be paid to maintain them. And we praise You today for this great State of Illinois, for its Leaders that You have ordained to lead it. For all these blessings, we give You praise. We now invite You Almighty God, to give wisdom, counsel, and understanding strength to all the Leadership of this great state. We pray especially for the House as they deliberate over matters at hand. May they have the courage to choose what is right and best for the citizens 09500230.doc 1 STATE OF ILLINOIS 95th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 230th Legislative Day 2/26/2008 of Illinois. May they have the conviction to stand firm in what is just. May they have the integrity and the boldness not to waiver in the face of criticism and opposition. God, enlighten their minds on dark issues, clarify their thinking on clouded and unclear points. Minister to those who may be discouraged. Almighty God, we recognize today our need of Your help. The complexities of life are challenging, and the decisions made here within these walls are far-reaching. Humbly, I ask You to walk with our Representatives through this short day. Make them adequate to confront the agenda at hand. We give You thanks for Your strength, for Your wisdom and counsel and help in advance. And again, we acknowledge our dependence on You and we pray all these things for Your glory. Amen."
"We shall be led in the Pledge Allegiance by Representative Franks."
"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 Representatives Rich Bradley, Danny Burke, Feigenholtz, Lyons, Molaro, and Washington are excused today."
"Mr. Bost."
"Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Let the record reflect that Representative Watson is excused today. Semper Fi." 09500230.doc 2 STATE OF ILLINOIS 95th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 230th Legislative Day 2/26/2008
"The Clerk shall take the record. There being 110 Members responding to the Attendance Roll Call, there is a quorum present. Mr. Clerk."
"Rules Report. Representative Barbara Flynn Currie, Chairperson from the Committee on Rules, to which the following legislative measures and or Joint Action Motions were referred, action taken on February 25, 2008, reported the following back with the following recommendations: 'approved for floor consideration' are referred to the Order of Second Reading is House Bill 3653. Referred to the House Committee on Rules is House Resolution 1026, offered by Representative Cross; House Resolution 1027, offered by Representative Bellock; House Joint Resolution 107, offered by Representative Franks and House Joint Resolution 108, offered by Representative Eddy."
Speaker Madigan: "The Chair recognizes Representative Rich Myers on House Resolution 1014. Representative Myers."
"Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Few of us down here have an opportunity to honor state championship teams. But those of us who do have that honor, it's a great privilege to recognize a team from our district that goes all the way to a state tournament and ultimately ends up winning that tournament. In this particular case, we have with us today in the Speaker's gallery, the players and coaches of the Illini Central Cougars seventh grade boys' basketball team from Mason City, Illinois. They have won the seventh grade Class 2A State Championship in basketball. I was asking earlier when they were here for pictures, I was asking one 09500230.doc 3 STATE OF ILLINOIS 95th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 230th Legislative Day 2/26/2008 of the mothers, referencing the championship game about how exciting it probably was, and she says, 'They were all exciting.' And looking at those young men up there and their coaches, I can only imagine how exciting it was for those individual players for this entire season as they… as they journeyed on their trek to the championship. So I would like for you to join me in congratulating a great group of fine young men on their seventh grade championship basketball team. Thank you, Mr. Speaker."
Speaker Madigan: "Mr. Myers moves for the adoption of the Resolution. Those in favor say 'yes'; those opposed say 'no'. The 'ayes' have it. The Resolution is adopted. Mr. Clerk, Agreed Resolutions."
"On the Order of Agreed Resolutions is House Resolution 1020, offered by Representative Moffitt. House Resolution 1022, offered by Representative Bellock. House Resolution 1023, offered by Representative Froehlich. House Resolution 1024, offered by Representative Mathias. House Resolution 1025, offered by Representative Lyons. And House Resolution…"
"The Clerk has read the Agreed Resolutions. Representative Currie moves that the House adopt the Agreed Resolutions. Those in favor say 'aye'; those opposed say 'no'. The 'ayes' have it. The Agreed Resolutions are adopted. The Chair recognizes Representative Boland on House Bill 4284. Mr. Boland."
"Yes, Mr. Speaker, thank you very much. I move to table House Bill 4284." 09500230.doc 4 STATE OF ILLINOIS 95th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 230th Legislative Day 2/26/2008
"You've all heard the Gentleman's Motion. Is there leave? Leave is granted and the Bill is tabled. On page 6 of the Calendar, on the Order of House Bills-Third Reading, there's House Bill 4459. Representative Yarbrough. Mr. Clerk, read the Bill."
"House Bill 4459, a Bill for an Act concerning appropriations. Third Reading of this House Bill."
"Representative Yarbrough."
"Thank you, Mr. Speaker, Members of the House. House Bill 4459 appropriates nine hundred and fifty thousand (950,000) to the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity to develop and administer work therapy pilot programs for homeless adults. These programs will allow homeless structured work opportunities and are targeted to those with mental illness, substance abuse problems, and those with disability. The goal is to restore a sense of self-worth and self-esteem while imparting job skills and strengthening work ethics. Most of the studies done on work therapy have been done in conjunction with the Federal Veterans' Administration Department, and according to the results the VA's compensated work therapy work programs was associated with better addiction status, fewer episodes of homelessness and incarceration, and appears to prevent further deterioration in medical status and physical functioning. The program curriculum includes stabilization in support of housing, intensive job readiness and work therapy, transitional job placement and counseling, and placement in unsubsidized job and job retention counseling. Afterwards, a person will 09500230.doc 5 STATE OF ILLINOIS 95th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 230th Legislative Day 2/26/2008 receive continuous case management and the development will focus on preparing the individual in a variety of functions in retail, food service, clerical, hotel transportation, and light industrial employment. I'd be happy to answer any questions."
"The Lady moves for the passage of the Bill. The Chair recognizes Mr. Eddy."
"Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Would the Sponsor yield?"
"The Sponsor yields."
"Representative, was this item, the nine hundred and fifty thousand dollars ($950,000), in an appropriation budget that passed the General Assembly in the spring or is this a new program…"
"This is new."
"Okay. So, this… this particular item was not part of any of the Vetoes that the Governor made to the budget?"
"No, this is a brand new program."
"Okay. Has this then gone before the General Services Appropriation Committee?"
"It has and there was no opposition to the appropriation Bill."
"Okay. And very quickly, again, your… your feeling regarding this is that this type of a program will lead to employment. Is that the overall goal, employ…"
"Yes. The ultimate goal is to lead to employment, but because people who fall into homelessness, they need the therapy surrounding the getting ready for work. This program is modeled after… the Veterans' Administration has a program similar to this and they've been very successful. 09500230.doc 6 STATE OF ILLINOIS 95th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 230th Legislative Day 2/26/2008 This initiative was brought to me by the homelessness group here and they feel it'll be a great opportunity to help people who are homeless."
"Okay. Walk me through then. Is this a RFP process? Will people have to apply for these funds and…"
"Well, it'll probably be administered through… there are a couple of places already. The PADS… West Suburban PADS, South Suburban PADS, and they haven't selected the other group."
"So…"
"I'm not sure what the process will be in identifying where the other programs… this, again, is a pilot program and it would be selected, I guess, probably somewhere in another area."
"Okay. So, in the appropriation, does it specifically mention the two (2) programs that you have referenced by name?"
"I don't believe it's in there, but since I know the group that brought the Bill to me, I know that West Suburban PADS is an organization that deals with homelessness as well as South Suburban PADS, and I'm sure if there's some other agencies they certainly could apply."
"Okay. I'll get to my… I guess, bottom line question. How do you know for sure, the way the appropriations Bill is written, that the appropriation will go specifically to the program that you want it to, given all of the other concerns in this Body regarding specifics in language? How do you know that that's exactly where this money will go?" 09500230.doc 7 STATE OF ILLINOIS 95th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 230th Legislative Day 2/26/2008
"Representative, that came up in committee and I certainly have some of the same concerns. I want the… obviously, the dollars to go to the program that we're talking about here to help homelessness people. I don't think I can answer your question how I can personally make sure that that happens."
"And I appreciate that. I just know the kind of climate we're operating under and there's been, I think, an effort this year to tighten up language and make sure that if legislation makes it out of this chamber that we take as many safeguards as we possibly can to ensure that the intent of legislation is carried out. And I guess… you know, I'm kind of wondering about that. Also, obviously, nine hundred fifty thousand dollars ($950,000) at a time when we know that there are around 1.7 billion dollars ($1,700,000,000) in unpaid bills in the state and I don't know what number you are using or what you hear regarding the end of FY08 negative balance. We're hearing seven hundred and fifty million dollars ($750,000,000). I guess the final question I have is, where will the money come from? Is there a revenue source tied to this?"
"No. And you know, I understand your concerns. I think that the Senate Sponsor… probably I'll talk to the Senate Sponsor perhaps about amending the Bill to make sure that, you know, it definitely can go to the source where it's supposed to go to. I mean, I took this Bill because I looked at the model and I'm really feeling like this can really help a lot of people. In my district as well… West Suburban PADS, and West Suburban PADS does an excellent job 09500230.doc 8 STATE OF ILLINOIS 95th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 230th Legislative Day 2/26/2008 of addressing homelessness needs. This would just be an additional way to help them. And the Coalition for the Homeless, like I said, I got the Bill from them and they really feel like a work therapy program would be advantageous."
"Representative, I appreciate you answering my question. I understand your concern and realize that your cause here is one that at the end of the day, would provide folks maybe with an opportunity they don't have. I am concerned however, with the fact that we've seen what the Governor does. He doesn't even need a line item to transfer. I mean, he creates spending. If we have a situation where we're appropriating money without any specific tie-down, I'm concerned whether or not that money will go to your good intended purpose, number one, and I have real doubts whether the money may be there at the end of the year. Thank you."
"Mr. Winters."
"Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Will the Sponsor yield?"
"The Sponsor yields."
"Representative, I was not in committee, but did the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity slip this Bill in favor or opposed to this?"
"They had… they had no position on the Bill."
"So, the depart… it would be fair to say then that DCEO is not supporting this appropriation?"
"I'm sorry, I didn't hear you."
"It would be fair to say then that they are not supporting this appropriation." 09500230.doc 9 STATE OF ILLINOIS 95th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 230th Legislative Day 2/26/2008
"They…"
"It is not part of their recommended budget and this is an initiative that you're adding to what they actually want."
"They just simply had no position on the merit."
"Well, they're not supporting it."
"I didn’t take it as not supporting it, I took it as not having a position. They're not… they didn't… if they were against it, I think they would have slipped it being against it."
"I didn't say that they were against it, I said they were not supporting. The… I believe you said earlier there are thr… this would set up three (3) pilot projects?"
"Yes."
"And are those locations determined already? How would those be selected?"
"They probably would be selected by, perhaps DCEO and probably the homelessness groups."
"At what…"
"There were a couple that were mentioned already, the South Suburban PADS as well as West Suburban PADS."
"Are there… are you giving DCEO then the power to determine by rule where those would be? We can't just willy-nilly give them almost a million dollars ($1,000,000) and let them select whatever programs they want without some criteria."
"I think it would be done… I think it would be done with those who have come to the table with the Bill, the Coalition." 09500230.doc 10 STATE OF ILLINOIS 95th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 230th Legislative Day 2/26/2008
"So, if you come to a Legislator and get her to put an appropriation in, that means you get the money? That's basically what you just said."
"I can't… I'm sorry, I can't hear you."
"What I… what I am implying is, if a community organization then comes, finds a Legislator interested in that particular program to Sponsor the Bill, if they initiated the request, they would get the money. I believe that's what you just said."
"No, I don't think that's what I said."
"You said that the program…"
"I said they brought… they brought the Bill to me. I believe in the… what they put forth here as something that's worthy to support. DCEO was an, you know, an agency to go to administer this. And I’m sure they would have something to say about where the money went. We can make suggestions on where it should go to address it."
"To the Bill, Mr. Speaker. This, I believe, is a… it's a Bill that appropriates almost a million dollars ($1,000,000) of new money with no dedicated source of that money. We already know that the budget is under significant pressure. We don't have enough money for the needs that are already programmed in for next year. Instead of spending additional money on a program where there are no criteria set forth in the Bill on how the money will be spent, what areas of the state it will be spent, what the follow-up and the testing of the efficacy of this program will be, I simply urge a 'no' vote until we can get the programs more carefully defined and find a 09500230.doc 11 STATE OF ILLINOIS 95th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 230th Legislative Day 2/26/2008 revenue source that is not ephemeral but is an actual revenue source. Thank you."
"Representative Mulligan."
"Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Will the Sponsor yield?"
"Sponsor yields."
"Representative, did the Chicago Coalition for the Homeless talk to the Workforce Investment Board at all or did they just come up with this on their own?"
"Did… I'm sorry, I can't hear you."
"Did the Chicago Coalition for the Homeless come up with this on their own or did they have a discussion with DCEO about the Workforce Investment Board?"
"You know, I really don't know whether they had… I would think that they would have had a conversation with them initially."
"I used to be on that board for a number of years, mainly because I was welfare to work person from our caucus, but then I left after five (5) years of my own volition because I felt that the new administration wasn't doing what they needed to do with the money. Of your program… or your Bill, would all this go to Chicago or would some of it be spent in other parts of the state?"
"They would be spent in other parts of the state. Currently, they're looking at two (2), one in South Suburban Chicago and then one in West Suburban, and then there are… if they have enough money they certainly can go… they're looking at three (3) pilot programs though. And what it does is, this will serve a hundred and fifty (150) homeless individuals in fiscal year '09." 09500230.doc 12 STATE OF ILLINOIS 95th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 230th Legislative Day 2/26/2008
"All right. Chicago gets some of their own workforce development money from the Federal Government, it doesn't get it from the state. But I would think that perhaps instead of this being all new money, since new money is at a real premium now, that maybe some of the money, and I'm not sure what the Governor has does and I probably should ask someone for an accounting of what's happened with the Workforce Investment Board money, depending on how they… how they work with the Federal Government and if they follow the guidelines also depends on how much money they get. But I would think that what might be more appropriate for your nine hundred and fifty thousand dollars ($950,000) or at least some of it would be for that money to come through money we're getting partly from the Federal Government for workforce investment. It seems to me that that would be a good way to do it. I certainly think this is a good idea, particularly since we have a problem with people being on TANF or not being on TANF and how much money they can get and I presume that a lot of these people are men that don't qualify for anything else. And so, in some areas we used to have a lot of programs that weren't just state programs, it turned out that the private programs particularly in Chicago got better jobs for the grants, did a better job of training than what the state did. And some of those programs have slowly not been funded over the last couple of years, so I… I hate to speak like I know because I haven't tracked it as well as I wish I had, but I think this is a good idea. I'm just concerned over the money… where the money would come from. And just 09500230.doc 13 STATE OF ILLINOIS 95th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 230th Legislative Day 2/26/2008 for the record, I would like to see some of it come out of Workforce Development Funds that are already there as opposed to new money, because I think then it would be a laudable goal to follow. So I intend to support your Bill, but I'm hopeful that some of us can get together and delve into that a little better and find out where the money is coming from and see if we can't get it out of the Workforce Development Funds that would be… some of them federal funds."
"Thank you."
"Mr. Riley."
"Will the Sponsor yield?"
"Sponsor yields."
"Representative, I can tell you that one of the things that you have done and others have done in support of this Bill is the Bill consensus about its necessity. Now I can speak for the South Suburban PADS. Mike Wasserberg, who's the executive director of that organization, has talked to me many times and he has gained a lot of consensus, you know, including, you know, talking to the state about job training. One of the things about this program, I was just wondering were you aware, work therapy especially for this particular client group has gone back to the old job training programs in the 1960s, where what they were trying to do was to alleviate poverty and improve what they coined as the human capital development of the individual that they were trying to serve. Can you speak on those components?" 09500230.doc 14 STATE OF ILLINOIS 95th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 230th Legislative Day 2/26/2008
"I just learned very recently about work therapy and it's an area of rehabilitation that really shows great promise. West Suburban PADS have a relationship with them and in fact went… just went recently to an event that they had and they shared the same information to me that you just shared, you know, that they really need to have more help in terms of helping to transition people. You know, they said that one thing the ongoing management and having the time to spend with people to help them to make sure they don't fall back into the same situation they've come out of. One thing they know that's very promising is when you share and encourage people and they identify a job. But in order to get to that job, you know, even if they got a job they probably couldn't do it, but they do need the therapy."
"Well, two (2) important components. As you know, how I feel about research. There is a research component to this. It's going to be sort of a longitudinal study of all of the people going through the program and they're going to basically measure certain variables to see whether or not, you know, there were not only increases in a person's employability…"
"Yeah."
"…but other factors, also. And at the same time, another important component of this program was job development, the people who were actually going to go out and find jobs for these clients. One other thing I'd just like to ask you, it's been my experience, I just want to ask about your experience, that when a state agency takes 09500230.doc 15 STATE OF ILLINOIS 95th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 230th Legislative Day 2/26/2008 no position, essentially they're not really opposing the Bill because most the time if they wanted to oppose the Bill they oppose it for fiscal reasons or other reasons. Is that your characterization?"
"That's exactly right. That's right."
"Okay. Mr. Speaker, to the Bill. I think this is a good Bill. I think many of us are aware of the organizations that were mentioned, South Suburban, West Suburban PADS. PADS is all over the place and they do a tremendous job, matter of fact, I would imagine that many of us in this Body have been PADS volunteers helping this very, very important client group. So I would ask for its support."
"Representative Graham."
"Thank you, Mr. Speaker. To the Bill. Most of you know that my background is in social service. I used to work with an agency called Inner Voice, housing homeless men and women. That program was very instrumental to helping the families become self-sufficient. I think it's very important… this is a very important piece of legislation. When you talk about relieving the pressures that the state has, if we help people become self- sufficient they'll be less of a burden on the state of trying to provide for their families. We can restore pride to these families to help them be self-sufficient and when you have been out of the workforce for quite some time, it's hard for people to understand what it takes to get up and going again. And for an agency to be willing to support an individual by encouraging them and showing them 09500230.doc 16 STATE OF ILLINOIS 95th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 230th Legislative Day 2/26/2008 hands-on skills and giving them that therapy that they need. I think it's vitally important. And I think it's time for all of us to put aside the politics that we play here and do some… some things that will continue to support the families of this great state. And I will stand with any one here who would stand to say that we don’t want those funds to be transferred any place other than where we are asking for them to go, and that is serve the homeless people who are looking for this… this… this physical therapy type program, this job therapy program. It's very important. So, I would urge my colleagues for an 'aye' vote. Thank you."
Speaker Madigan: "Representative Yarbrough to finish… to close."
"Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I took this Bill because I've had a lot of experience the last five (5) years working with the Coalition and the last several years they've shared with me some of the barriers that they have. I've visited South Suburban PADS, I've visited West Suburban PADS and just recently attended one of their events and they kind of shared some of the challenges they have in working with their clients. I think this is really a good piece of legislation that will address some of the issues. Remember, this is a pilot program. If this works for these folks, I mean, this gives them a real leg up. So I ask for an 'aye' vote."
"The Lady moves for the passage of the Bill. Those in favor signify by voting 'yes'; those opposed by voting 'no'. Have all voted who wish? Have all voted who 09500230.doc 17 STATE OF ILLINOIS 95th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 230th Legislative Day 2/26/2008 wish? The Clerk shall take the record. On this question, there are 80 people voting 'yes', 28 people voting 'no'. This Bill, having received a Constitutional Majority, is hereby declared passed. Mr. Pritchard, do you wish to call House Bill 4522? Mr. Clerk, read the Bill."
"House Bill 4522, a Bill for an Act concerning education. Third Reading of this House Bill."
"Mr. Speaker, this Bill would codify a practice that we in the General Assembly have supported and the Governor has implemented over the last several years and that's to make sure our school districts receive all of their general state aid payments in a timely fashion rather than spanning two (2) different fiscal years. As you well know, that this oftentimes creates poor financial ratings for our school systems as well as a lot of anxiety as they try to manage on a cash basis how they receive funds in the General State Aid Fund. What this Bill would do, instead of making twenty-four (24) payments each year, would divide up the amount of money that goes to each school districts into twenty-two (22) month… annual payments. So this Bill would remove some of that anxiety, would help them plan and would help them stay in a financially prudent way. I ask for your support."
"The Gentleman moves for the passage of the Bill. The Chair recognizes Mr. Eddy."
"Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Will the Sponsor yield?"
"Sponsor yields." 09500230.doc 18 STATE OF ILLINOIS 95th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 230th Legislative Day 2/26/2008
"Representative Pritchard, very quickly, this Bill or this legislation passed previously from this Body to the Senate?"
"We have certainly endorsed the concept of making these payments in the fiscal year by June 30."
"I… I think… I think this is a reaffirmation of this Body's desire that the number of payments in general state aid are made in a manner that cuts those payments to twenty-two (22), while also securing those payments during the fiscal year that districts can be assured that they will receive that money then for budgetary purposes. And that's your intent is to make sure school districts receive those dollars in the same fiscal year by eliminating the twenty-third and twenty-fourth that always has to be advanced."
"Correct. And we have that discussion here every year, worried about the twenty-third and twenty-fourth payment. And I know you, as a school superintendent, have a lot of sleepless nights and we're trying to help you in this situation, too."
"I stand in strong support of this legislation. It passed, if my memory is correct, unanimously before. It provides school districts with the assurance, that even if they're prorated as they are from time to time, all general state aid payments will be given to school districts in the fiscal year for which they have planned those payments when they did their budget during the first quarter of the fiscal year. This is a good Bill. I appreciate the fact 09500230.doc 19 STATE OF ILLINOIS 95th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 230th Legislative Day 2/26/2008 you brought it before the Body again. And I would urge an 'aye' vote."
"Thank you."
"The question is, 'Shall this Bill pass?' Those in favor signify by voting 'yes'; those opposed by voting 'no'. Have all voted who wish? Have all voted who wish? Have all voted who wish? The Clerk shall take the record. On this questions, there are 109 people voting 'yes', 0 voting 'no'. This Bill, having received a Constitutional Majority, is hereby declared passed. House Resolution 1028. Mr. Rita. Mr. Rita."
"Thank you, Mr. Speaker, Ladies and Gentlemen of the House. I'd like to present House Resolution 1028."
Speaker Madigan: "Mr. Rita. And would the Members please rise."
Clerk Mahoney: "House Resolution 1028, offered by Representative Rita. WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of Representatives are saddened to learn of the death of United States Army Captain David Schultz II of Blue Island, who was killed in Scania, Iraq on January 31, 2008; and WHEREAS, Captain David Schultz II graduated from Eisenhower High School and Northern Illinois University, receiving his college degree in 2005; and WHEREAS, Captain David Schultz II joined the United States Army after graduating from Northern Illinois University; he was assigned to the 3rd Squadron, 73rd Cavalry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team of the 82nd Airborne Division out 09500230.doc 20 STATE OF ILLINOIS 95th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 230th Legislative Day 2/26/2008 of Fort Bragg, North Carolina in 2006; he first left for Iraq in June of 2007; and WHEREAS, While serving in Iraq, Captain David Schultz II managed to orchestrate a campaign to get soccer equipment and school supplies to Iraqi children in need, a true measure of the great compassion he felt for his fellow man; and WHEREAS, Captain David Schultz II enjoyed hunting, fishing, and country music; he was proud of his hometown and Eisenhower High School, where he wrestled and played football; and WHEREAS, Captain David Schultz II is survived by his wife, Sabrina; his son, Logan; his siblings, Rebecca and Doug; and his parents, David and Marjorie Schultz; and WHEREAS, Captain David Schultz II will be remembered by all who knew and loved him as a wonderful and caring young man whose compassion and caring for the Iraqi people was only matched by his love and dedication to his family, friends, and fellow Americans; therefore, be it RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-FIFTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn, along with his family and friends, the passing of United States Army Captain David Schultz II; and be it further RESOLVED, That we honor the memory of Captain David Schultz II and his willingness to serve our country, which led to him making the ultimate sacrifice; and be it further RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to the family of Captain David Schultz II as an expression of our sympathy." 09500230.doc 21 STATE OF ILLINOIS 95th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 230th Legislative Day 2/26/2008
"Mr. Rita."
"Capitan Schultz is… I knew David. He was brought up in Blue Island and was family… I know his family very well. Behind me in the gallery, his mother, Marjorie Schultz, is here. You know, we present a lot of things on this floor and address Bills and this is probably one of the most difficult things to do is to do a Resolution of Captain Schultz who was killed in Iraq. As it was stated in the Resolution, all the things that he enjoyed doing. He was a family man. He's leaving behind a seven-month-old daughter… son, Logan and his wife. He was, you know, he was only twenty-five (25) years old. But I wasn't able to attend the service due to some circumstances that was held in Blue Island. I was supposed to go with Representative McCarthy and I was told what a wonderful service it was and moving service. But Captain Schultz, in closing, was a true hero and he'll be missed. Thank you."
"Mr. McCarthy."
"Thank you, Mr. Speaker and Ladies and Gentlemen of the House. As Representative Rita mentioned, when we first learned about the untimely death of Captain Schultz, we spoke of going to the ceremony together because, of course, being… it's a lot easier going with a friend than going to those things alone, but then, as Bob said, some planned vacation that he had that he could not change, I ended up going by myself. And I did tell Bob later what a wonderful ceremony it was. And as I sat there on February 11, in the First Lutheran Church in Blue Island, there were just such a strong, strong feeling of, you know, terribly painful 09500230.doc 22 STATE OF ILLINOIS 95th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 230th Legislative Day 2/26/2008 sadness, but there's also a great pride throughout the church in the… celebrating what a remarkable man, remarkable young man, David Schultz was. David was, granted, a mere twenty-five (25) years as Bob had stated on this earth, but he can certainly go to his final reward knowing that he made a difference that many of us who have had many more days on this earth can claim. The ceremony that they started with the flag-draped coffin being escorted to the front of the church by Dave's fellow members of the United States 82nd Airborne and when you see these guys walk forward with a casket, you don't have to be a great patriot to know that they more than anybody understood the sacrifice that David had made for his country and you could also tell by the looks on their faces that if called upon, each and every one of them would probably make the same sacrifice. The casket was followed by Dave's wife, Sabrina and their son Logan. It was terribly difficult to look at this little seven-month-old boy and I was somewhat grateful knowing that he did not really comprehend what was going around… going on around him and I know that the loss will be felt much greater by him at a later time when he gets older. And I thought to myself, I hope that the support structure that was there for the family and his mother and Dave's parents and family, that the support structure that was there right then would also be there for Logan as he grew up. Dave's wife, of course, was probably as devastated as anyone as I've ever seen, who was still walking, as she walked behind the casket carrying young Logan. And you could tell just 09500230.doc 23 STATE OF ILLINOIS 95th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 230th Legislative Day 2/26/2008 that the only thing that kept her going was her… not only her love for Dave but also the pride in the young man that he was. Behind Sabrina and Logan were Dave's parents with their other two (2) children and you always relate in different ways, but I looking at the parents thinking they're like my age and I have a twenty-six-year-old son, too, who I'm grateful is not in harm's way. But you could feel their pain, but you also knew about their pride and I’m sure it was just a matter of making one step after another because at that point it had only been eleven (11) days since they found out about Dave's death and I'm sure they were still operating as robots. The readings and the songs that day could not have been more appropriate and were really inspiring. As Bob said, Dave was a country western fan so they picked about five (5) or six (6) of these country western patriotic songs. They're the songs that when you're driving in your car or you're sitting in your rec room, you get a little lump in your throat if you're listening to them and you're thinking about our soldiers over there, just being there, but you can imagine how intense the effect was listening to these songs while the flag-draped casket was only a matter of, you know, twenty (20) or thirty (30) feet away. As stated in the Resolution, Dave was sent to Iraq last June and he had to leave his wife Sabrina while she was two (2) weeks away from delivering their firstborn. What a terrible, terrible sacrifice, but Dave went ahead and did it. Thankfully, Dave was able to come home for a two-week leave at Christmastime and he returned to Iraq on January 9 of this 09500230.doc 24 STATE OF ILLINOIS 95th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 230th Legislative Day 2/26/2008 year and of course, twenty-two (22) days later is when Dave gave his life for his country. The sad thing is, if you think about it, those are the only two (2) weeks, you know, of Logan's life that he'll be able to share with his dad and I felt kind of selfish thinking that I've had fifty- seven (57) years with my dad and I don't think I've had enough yet and here's this little boy that's got two (2) weeks. The… another thing I said… heard, is you heard the… anybody that lives in the southland, and the Daily Southtown is our main paper out there, they had talked about Dave earlier as when he first got over there. I remember my generation, a lot of people my age when to Vietnam. I was an Army Reservist, I didn't have to go, thank God, but my brother did and my cousin did, but people would tell you when you're leaving for Vietnam to get in, get out, and get home, and that was the best advice they could give to you. And I don't know what they say nowadays to the soldiers, but whatever that advice was, it was obvious from Dave's commitment that he went over there and was not worried about getting out and getting home. I’m sure he would have loved to have gone home any day that he was there to see his wife and his son and his parents, but he decided to make a difference when he was over there. And when Dave first got there, he noticed a lot of the young Iraqi children who were playing soccer but the thing they missed the most was they were playing soccer without a ball. They was just kicking a rock around and he thought, boy, how desperate could you be. So, David had been involved in a charity project when he was at Eisenhower 09500230.doc 25 STATE OF ILLINOIS 95th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 230th Legislative Day 2/26/2008 High School, he decided I'm going to contact some of my friends back there. It was carried in our local paper. And when he saw the success of asking people could you just please send a soccer ball, whether it's used or new or whatever, that it would mean so much to these kids. And when the soccer balls started rolling in Dave said well maybe we could ask for school supplies, too. And both of the ventures were very, very successful. And he then wrote home and the letter was included in the missal that they handed out at the church telling everyone about how their donations had, you know, made life different for so many of these unfortunate children that as Dave wrote, you just… you know, people who think they have it tough over here know nothing until they see something like this. And I thought to myself when I was sitting there that many people who strongly oppose this war in Iraq, I do believe that they do support our soldiers, but many people on different grounds do not support the war in Iraq and they talk about how these Iraqis are going to remember us as the country that came over here and destroyed some of their cities and maybe brought death to their own families. But I thought to myself as I was sitting in the church that I hope that these hundreds of young children that Dave brought school supplies to and soccer balls to, that they'd have a much brighter and a much better feeling toward Americans and hopefully, when they grow bigger and they hear about the evil United States maybe they can stand up and say, 'Well, there was a smiling G.I. who came to our school and brought us some pencils and crayons and brought us soccer balls 09500230.doc 26 STATE OF ILLINOIS 95th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 230th Legislative Day 2/26/2008 with which to play.' So, hopefully, that will have an effect down the road. Finally, they had different tributes there and too hard for me to think about it now, but Dave's wife Sabrina, actually got up and told in a few words about her love for her husband and her pride in her husband. And when people lose things many times, especially you say, 'How can God do this?' You know, we talk about these Resolutions for how can God do this? And I was so struck by the fact that she wasn't doing that. She wasn't, you know, she was very unhappy, she'd felt the terrible loss, but she simply said at the end of her remarks that, 'God must have needed another hero and he took mine.' And of course the church was, you know, it was hard to control the emotions in the church at the time. So, I'd just like to finish by saying, you know, God bless Captain David Schultz, all of his family and friends, and we thank him for reminding all of us why we're so proud to be an American. Thank you, Mr. Speaker."
"Representative Rita moves that all Members of the House be added as cosponsors of the Resolution and he moves that the House adopt the Resolution. Those in favor say 'aye'; those opposed say 'no'. The Resolution is adopted. The Chair recognizes Mr. Jefferson. And Mr. Turner will be in the Chair."
"Thank you, Mr. Speaker, Members of the House. This is Black History Month and we feel it befitting that we should recognize people who have gone before us, African Americans who have contributed and made a difference in the world that we live in today. It's befitting that we 09500230.doc 27 STATE OF ILLINOIS 95th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 230th Legislative Day 2/26/2008 recognize today Granville T. Woods, who was the father of the modern day railroad. He was born in 1856 and he passed in 1910. He was born in Columbus, Ohio, April 23, 1856. Granville T. Woods would overcome hardship with hard work to become one of America's greatest inventors. With over sixty (60) patents to his credit, Woods had an immeasurable impact. His patents stretched from egg incubators and furnaces to the very elevated railroads that span Chicago's skyline. In addition to founding his own company, Woods sold many of his designs to fledgling companies that would later become American icons: AT&T, General Electric, and Westinghouse. Attended school in Columbus until age ten (10). He served an apprenticeship in a machine shop and learned the trades of machinist and blacksmith. During his youth, he also went to night school and took private lessons. In 1982, I'm sorry, in 1872 he obtained a job as a fireman on the Danville and Southern Railroad in Missouri, eventually becoming an engineer. He invested his spare time in studying electronics. In 1874, Woods moved to Springfield, Illinois, working in a role of milling. In 1878, he became an engineer about… aboard the Ironsides, a British steamer, and without… within two (2) years he became chief engineer of the steamer. By 1880, he had established his own shop in Cincinnati, Ohio. Woods again… along with his brother, went to organize the Woods Electric Company in Cincinnati, Ohio. Woods inventions would include incubators, furnaces, and air brakes. Most importantly, he would become the father of the modern railroad. In 1888, Granville Woods developed and patented 09500230.doc 28 STATE OF ILLINOIS 95th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 230th Legislative Day 2/26/2008 a system for overhead electric conducting lines for railroads which aided in the development of the overhead railroad system found in contemporary metropolitan cities such as Chicago and New York. In 1892, a completed electric railroad system was operated at Coney Island, New York. The railroad system had no exposed wires, no secondary batteries, or slotted causeway, all previously necessary for the electronic railroads. Granville T. Woods attained great fame. He was a great electrician, a great inventor, a great man. Between 1888 and 1907 he received over sixty (60) patents for his inventions from the U.S. Patent Office. More importantly, Woods benefited mankind through his inventions of exceptional interest to the world of communication and science. He will be remembered as a ingenious American and a profile inventor. Granville T. Woods died in New York on January 30, 1910. And that's why it's fitting for us as African-American Legislators to make sure that we continue to recognize the accomplishments of the people that have gone before us. So I applaud Mr. Woods for all his accomplishments, who made a tremendous difference in the way we live today. Thank you, Mr. Speaker."
Speaker Turner: "Thank you. Representative Turner in the Chair. Mr. Clerk, committee announcements."
"The following announcements for cancellations and committee time changes: the 4:00 p.m. committees today, two committees have been canceled. The Consumer Protection Committee that was to meet at 4:00 p.m. in C-1 is canceled. Consumer Protection is canceled. The Fire Protection 09500230.doc 29 STATE OF ILLINOIS 95th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 230th Legislative Day 2/26/2008 Committee is also canceled that, was to meet at 1:15. Fire Protection has been canceled. Tomorrow morning two committees that were to meet at 8:30 are now meeting at 9:30. Elementary & Secondary Education will meet at 9:30 a.m. Elementary & Secondary Education will meet at 9:30, Judiciary-Civil Law Jud I will meet at 9:30 as well. Jud I-Civil Law will meet at 9:30."
"Mr. Clerk, could you read House Resolution 982."
"House Resolution 982, offered by Representative Madigan. WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of Representatives are saddened to learn of the death of former State Representative Andrew J. McGann of Chicago, who recently passed away; and WHEREAS, Andrew McGann was born August 3, 1925 in Chicago; he was educated at the Worsham College of Mortuary Science and was employed as a funeral director; he was the director of Southwest Financial Banks, Inc.; and WHEREAS, He was a veteran of World War II, serving with the United States Navy, and the Korean War, serving with the United States Marine Corps; as a result of his military service, he received the Presidential unit citation, the Sir Knight-Sovereign Military, and the Order of MALTA; and WHEREAS, Representative McGann began serving in the Illinois House of Representatives in 1983; he served as vice-chairman on the Committees on Higher Education, a member of the Implementation of Chicago School Reform Committee, chairman of the Mental Health Committee, 09500230.doc 30 STATE OF ILLINOIS 95th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 230th Legislative Day 2/26/2008 vice-chairman of the Revenue Committee, and as a member of the Legislative Audit Commission; and WHEREAS, Andrew McGann was the beloved husband of Lois (nee Zumerling) and the late Mary Elizabeth McGann (nee Windle); the devoted father of Elizabeth Marie (James) Hogan C.C.S.P.D., Eileen Marie, and the late Andrew J. (Wendy) McGann Jr.; the cherished grandfather of Adam, Craig, Mary Miller, James Andrew Hogan, Kyle Brinker, Amy, Betsy, Erin, and Katie McGann; the fond stepfather of Karl (Mila) and Brian (Gina) Brinker; the memorable brother of Peg (the late Thomas) Redmond, the late Patrick (the late Mary) McGann Jr. Lt. C.P.D., and Mary Sarah "Sally" (the late John Sgt. C.P.D.) Fitzgerald; the loving uncle of the Honorable Judge Patrick E. (Kathy), William (Sue), Dr. John (Marie), Edward McGann, Virginia McGann Evans, Michael (Joyce) Windle, Mary Margaret Redmond, Kathleen (Mike) Caliendo, Patricia (Seamus) McGlinchey, and the late Timothy (Diane) McGann; and a great uncle to many; therefore, be it RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-FIFTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn, along with his family, friends, and former colleagues, the passing of former State Representative Andrew McGann; and be it further RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to the family of former State Representative Andrew J. McGann as a symbol of our sincere sympathy."
The Gentleman from Cook, Speaker Madigan." 09500230.doc 31 STATE OF ILLINOIS 95th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 230th Legislative Day 2/26/2008
"Mr. Speaker and Ladies and Gentlemen of the House, I rise in support of this Resolution concerning the recent death of former Representative Andy McGann. Andy served as a Member of the House for about ten (10) years. And during those years he was dedicated to providing additional support for education and for mental health. And for those of you who knew him, either because of his service here or knew him because of his presence in Chicago, you know that he always brought with him an unbelievable amount of belief and dedication, and intestinal fortitude to whatever activity he was engaged in. And this would bring him to the point where he would speak on the floor on different issues, why you really didn't need a microphone because he would simply bellow out how he felt about a Bill or an issue which was under debate and that happened because of his unbelievable belief in what he was doing. In addition to his service here in the House of Representatives, it's mentioned in the Resolution he was a undertaker and a funeral director on the southwest side of Chicago where there's a facility at 107th and Pulaski in the City of Chicago which bears his name. In that regard, he was a legend on the southwest side of Chicago. It was frequently said by many people that when their time came they wanted McGann to handle the funeral service. He did it better than any body had ever experienced. He did it better than any priest that I've ever seen handle a funeral service. And he had one trait which was unbelievable and I don't know why he had this trait, but he had a remarkable memory for addresses. And I would see him from time to time and 09500230.doc 32 STATE OF ILLINOIS 95th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 230th Legislative Day 2/26/2008 just we would sit and reminisce and then I would quiz him about some of the history out on the southwest side of Chicago and of course, it related to Catholic churches. And my quiz would be concerned, well, who was the pastor of a church at a particular time and who preceded him and who followed him, and of course, Andy would have all the answers to these questions, but throughout that conversation, he would still remember the address of the church and the rectory, the address. You would ask, well, where did one of your relatives live? He would know the address. It was a remarkable trait, I don't know why he had it, I don't know why he practiced it, but if you were sitting in a casual conversation with him you would say to yourself, wow, why does he remember all of these addresses? He was a beautiful, beautiful person. Harbored close to no ill will in his mind about anything. He would have regret. He would have regret that he had not accomplished more here in the House of Representatives. He would have regret that certain aspects of his life and his family's life did not work out too well, but he was always carried forward by his faith in God and his faith in his church. And at the very end, it was so typical that when we all gathered for the funeral mass, why the priest who did the mass explained that every detail of the funeral and the mass had been arranged by Andy just before his death. And so the priest explained to the younger people in the audience that if they heard some songs during the service that they didn't recognize it was because Andy had selected the song and it was… currently was not popular, but it was popular in 09500230.doc 33 STATE OF ILLINOIS 95th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 230th Legislative Day 2/26/2008 Andy's day. So, in conclusion, those of us who knew him, those of us who so greatly enjoyed him, those of us who loved him so dearly will miss him very, very much, but the general community will miss everything that he brought to his life, especially in terms of his service to others and his caring for anybody who ever came across the path of Andrew J. McGann. Mr. Speaker, I would move for the adoption of the Resolution."
"The Gentleman from Vermilion, Representative Black, for what reason do you rise?"
"Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Just to share some recollection and memories that I have of Andy McGann and I don't think anyone certainly can put it more eloquently than Speaker Madigan has. He was a delightfully wonderful man. He had great passion for the City of Chicago. He had great passion for his faith and he had great passion for this process. And long before it was fashionable, I don't recall ever seeing Representative McGann without a lapel pin of the American flag and the flag of the City of Chicago. He was, as Speaker Madigan said, the quintessential… the quintessential funeral director. He dressed the part, he looked the part, and when I would go over to talk to him I always got the feeling that he was sizing me up. Well, you know, there's a little bit of Andy McGann that rubbed off on any of us who served with him. Andy would often beseech the chamber and ask the chamber and plead with the chamber to pass certain Bills that he was very interested in, and he could become quite animated. And the Speaker is absolutely correct, he certainly did not 09500230.doc 34 STATE OF ILLINOIS 95th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 230th Legislative Day 2/26/2008 need a microphone and Andy could get very, very, very red in the face. In fact, to the point where you would worry if that particular speech might be his last. And I went over to speak to him one day about that, and he said, 'Let me tell you something, William, when you think you're right, you don't really need the microphone.' I’m sure many of you are saddened to know that I took that advice to heart. He was just the quintessential gentleman. He was a passionate Democrat, but never let the center aisle act as a barrier to civil discourse and to try and get support from the Republicans and/or Democrats and/or Independents for his ideas. He loved this chamber and I think everyone who had the privilege of serving with him, loved Andy McGann. A delightful storyteller, just an all-around gentleman, the likes of whom we so seldom see anymore in this chamber. Those of us who were privileged to work with him are richer for the experience and I know Andy looks down on me every once in awhile and says, 'William, when I told you you didn't need the microphone if you thought you were right, don't take it to extreme.' And Andy, I'll try to remember that in the coming days as I finish my tenure of service in the General Assembly. But I will always remember him affectionately and fondly and remember how that one man tried so very, very hard to make a difference, to make a difference for all the people of Illinois and to particularly make a difference for the people in his district and the people in his beloved City of Chicago, and would could engage Andy McGann in… in opposition and it could sometimes become rather heated, but the thing I 09500230.doc 35 STATE OF ILLINOIS 95th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 230th Legislative Day 2/26/2008 always liked about him is when it was over, it was over. And he'd loved to have a cup of coffee with you, he'd loved to share an anecdote with you, loved to go out to dinner with you. Never, ever did I see Andy McGann take anything personally, no matter how intensely involved he might have been in an issue that may or may not have gone his way. But he was… once it was over, it was over and you couldn't have asked for a more convivial companion, dinner companion, breakfast companion, or just somebody to talk to about this process and about as a downstater, I often asked him, just how does the City of Chicago really work, Andy? And he said, 'I don't have time to go into it here, but someday we'll sit down and I'll tell you how I think the City of Chicago really worked and really works over the period of time.' My biggest regret is that we never had an opportunity to have that conversation. He will be missed by all those who knew him. My condolences to his children and grandchildren. It was a privilege and a rare pleasure to serve with a gentleman like Andy McGann."
"Speaker Madigan moves for the adoption of House Resolution 982. All those in favor should say 'aye'; all those opposed say 'no'. In the opinion of the Chair, the 'ayes' have it. And the Resolution is adopted. Now Representative Currie moves that the House stands adjourned 'til Wednesday, February 27, at the hour of 12 noon. Wednesday, February 27, at the hour of 12 noon. The House now stands adjourned, allowing perfunctory time for the Clerk." 09500230.doc 36