Illinois House Floor Debate — May 5, 2009

"Representative Jackson, I like that. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Please let the record reflect that Representative Dan Brady is excused today on the Republican side of the aisle."

"Yes. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. I'm not aware that our spokesperson or our staff has been talked to about the waiver of this posting requirement. My spokesperson isn't here on the floor right now. Staff doesn't know anything about it. I serve on the committee, and I certainly don't know anything about it. Could we hold this in abeyance until we can find out if, in fact, anybody on our side of the aisle was asked about waiving the posting requirement?"

"Yes, thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. And thank you for your indulgence. We've had an opportunity… there was an e-mail transmission that somehow didn't get back to everybody. Our spokesperson is in agreement with the suspension. We're fine with it. Thank you."

"Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. A point of personal privilege."

"I just wanted to remind all those who are in the Capitol Capers production that the dress rehearsal is tonight at 5:00 or anytime thereafter at the Hilton Hotel. 09600048.doc 3  STATE OF ILLINOIS 96th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 48th Legislative Day 5/5/2009 And then to all those who have been so supportive, tomorrow night will be the actual Capers presentation at the Hilton at… I think the show is at 6:00. Thank you very much."

"Inquiry of the Chair."

"You know, I've been around here for about 12 years, and kinda curious as to how one gets a Bill posted for committee after it's been sent out of the Rules Committee. Who makes the decision on whether a Bill will be posted?"

"Thank you."

"Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I made a… thought a very straightforward, simple… you know, request… if you… about 15, 20 minutes ago. I want to know if I'll get that response before we break for committee?"

"I want to know… of… how does a Bill become posted?"

"I mean, here's the situation. We have Bills that are… that are finally seeing the light of day in the substantive committee after dying in the Rules Committee for years. But they sit in… in a standing committee and they're not posted. So, they die in that other committee. So, it's a 09600048.doc 4  STATE OF ILLINOIS 96th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 48th Legislative Day 5/5/2009 bit disingenuous to have these Bills kicked out of Rules, but they're just dying a slow death in a standing committee. And I'll give you an example. House Bill 252, which is a Bill that will reform this ridiculous, childish compensation system that we have in the House of Representatives and the Senate. It sat in the Rules Committee for two years. It was finally sent to the Executive Committee this year. I made two requests to the Chair, and also to the staff member two weeks prior to the deadline of the committee to have it posted. And they stated they'll look into it. I showed up at committee both times. They said we're not calling your Bill because it's not posted. I'd like to know how you get a Bill posted. We've got three pages of Senate Bills, the Republican Sponsors that are now sitting in the Executive Committee. This is our deadline this week. None of them have been posted. So, I'd like to see how we can get these posted. What do we have to do to get them posted?"

"Mr. Speaker, I'll follow up in a little bit. Representative Durkin and I are just seeking a response. And it's… it's a simple answer, you know. I… I… I'm in the same position. I just want to know how I get a Bill posted. Got one to committee last week and was told by a Democrat staff person, no, Bill isn't posted, will not be posted, and will not be heard. I'm an elected official. I'm not sure the rules allow for a staff person to tell an elected Member of the Illinois House of Representative that the Bill is not posted, will not be posted, and will not be heard. That sounds a little strange to me. And Mr. Durkin and I just can't find these capricious and arbitrary rules in the rule book. We're just trying to figure out how we can do our job. These Bills don't benefit me. The Bill I have was brought to me by a constituent. I just want to know what to tell the constituent. He wants to know if he can come down and testify. What am I going to tell him? 09600048.doc 6  STATE OF ILLINOIS 96th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 48th Legislative Day 5/5/2009 Don't waste your time? Then he's going to want to know why. Well, maybe he'll get an answer. I can't get an answer."

"Maybe I can help. I think there's a simple answer. I think… I don't know what the… what the delay is. Are we… is our parliamentarian checking into the rules? Are you re-reading the Constitution? Or… how are we going to determine the answer to the question?"

"Well, we… we appreciate that. I… I wonder if Leader… Leader Currie is on the floor. Maybe she can help us. I know she was very helpful last week. As a matter of fact, my… my bride and I were reading the Sunday papers and we were looking at the Chicago Tribune and lo and behold, much to my surprise, Leader Currie was quoted as to why we couldn't follow current rules. And the problem was… the problem is Mr. Cross just needs to elect more Republicans. If you want transparency in government, if you want to talk about the issues important to Illinois, Leader Currie had the answer. Elect more Republicans."

"Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Ladies and Gentlemen of the House, in my short seven years in the General Assembly, this is the fourth time I've stood before you with a fallen military person from the 89th District. And, many of you have experienced similar tributes. On March the 16th I received a call. And it was a lady. She said Representative Sacia, could you hold for General Celletti. General Celletti, as all of you know, is the Deputy Adjutant General of the Illinois National Guard. I knew immediately that it would not be good news. When General Celletti came on the phone he said, 'Representative, it is with great sadness that I must inform you that a constituent of yours has been killed in Afghanistan.' He went on to tell me that Specialist Cain, along with Specialist Weinger, led by Sergeant Abada, along with an airman were the lead vehicle in a convoy patrolling in eastern Afghanistan, when they struck a roadside bomb. All were immediately killed. I attended an unbelievable funeral on March the 27th, held in the gymnasium of Freeport High School. Also there was Governor Quinn. And, I think it would be appropriate at this time simply to mention that since the war began in 2003, then Lieutenant Governor Quinn, now Governor Quinn, has never missed a funeral for a fallen soldier, Marine, airman, or sailor. I spoke with him briefly at the Governor's Mansion recently 09600048.doc 10  STATE OF ILLINOIS 96th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 48th Legislative Day 5/5/2009 simply to ask how many he has attended. He said 'Jim, now it's more than 250, but less than 300. I've lost count.' Norman Cain left an amazing legacy for such a young man. You heard in the Resolution that he was considered the spark of his squad. The other men and women of the 178th Infantry, headquartered in Woodstock, Illinois, all considered him an exceptional soldier. The tribute was amazing. The Governor spoke. Senator Bivens spoke. Mayor Galrap spoke. And I had the privilege as well. And it was a packed gymnasium. And among other things that occurred, two songs were played: I'm a Lucky Man, by Montgomery Gentry, one of Norman Cain's favorite songs, and A Simple Man, also one of his favorite songs. Norman was that kind of a person and I truly regret that I've only been able to meet him through his family since his sad passing. To die at such a young age, I'm reminded of words of a former United States President, who made the comment, 'nobody's remembered for what they got in life, they're remembered for what they gave.' Certainly, Specialist Norman Cain gave his all. Many times one wonders what happens following the loss of life of a soldier in a far-off land. I would encourage every Member of this Body to rent or find the movie Taking Chance. It is the story of a fallen service person and his trip home. It is extremely touching, and it shows the honor, and the dignity that is shown to our fallen service persons in defense of their country. We are joined in the gallery today by the extended family of Norman Cain, his lovely wife Brigette, and they have two young children, Toryn and a step-daugher, 09600048.doc 11  STATE OF ILLINOIS 96th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 48th Legislative Day 5/5/2009 Fallon. They are behind me up here. And the remaining members of the family that are here are Deb Clagus, Sue Skofield, Lisa Otto, Mark Otto, Zachary Otto, Breanna Otto, Norman Cain, Jr., Tina Casten, Courtney Bower, Michael Bower, Andrew Bower, JoAnne Cain, Brigette Cain, Christine Blair, and Dennis Cain. And once again, Brigette is the widow of the late Specialist Norman Cain. I would ask all of you to join me in a moment silence in paying tribute to this tremendously fine young man who truly did what President Calvin Coolidge said again, 'no one's remembered for what they got; they're remembered for what they gave.' He was a proud young man. He was proud to be an infantryman. And we mourn his loss. Thank you."

"Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And thank you, Jim, for your comments. I'll try to make this short. Ladies and Gentlemen of the House of Representatives, it is my honor to welcome to our chambers the family and friends of Sgt. Bob Weinger. I have heard so many wonderful stories about Bob for the past month, from the newspaper, and from all the wonderful comments by his family, friends, and acquaintances on Facebook. He was a friend, a loving son, a big brother, and a prankster. I… I've kind of found out about that today when I met his little brother who certainly is not little. He traveled through his life with a great sense of humor and a tremendous sense of duty. He loved his country, and he put his heart and soul into whatever he did. I am very deeply honored to stand here and in Bob's absence to thank those that he loved, who have traveled here to Springfield to accept our condolences. His mother Sue is here. His dad Howard is at home recovering from pneumonia and I'm sure he's listening. His little brother, Paul, is here. And certainly the love of Robert's life, Tanya Colatori. Please join me in a moment of silence." 09600048.doc 14  STATE OF ILLINOIS 96th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 48th Legislative Day 5/5/2009

"Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Republicans will caucus in Room 118."

"Thank you, Mr. Speaker. About 45 minutes ago I made a request, and I still haven't received a response yet on that inquiry I made. And I'd like to hear the response prior to our going to caucus and then going off to committee."

"You still haven't answered my question. How do you get a Bill posted? We have Bills that are sent out of the Rules Committee. They're sent to a substantive committee. I've checked through the House Rules. It says that the Chairperson shall post those Bills within six days of the hearing. How does the Chair decide which Bills are going to be posted and which ones aren't? The Rules do not give unbridled discretion to the Chairs of those committees to decide whether or not a Bill is going to be posted. I'd like to know how does a Bill get posted?"

"Well, I appreciate your willingness to look into it, but I don't feel that I've been given an appropriate response. And I'll make this request every day for the balance of this week. We have committee deadlines, and we did give you just a sheet of some Bills that have been assigned to committee, but are not posted. But there are a number of other committees that have the same problem. And I don’t see anywhere in the rules where it states that once a Bill is sent to committee that it is going to sit and die. It should be posted. I want to know who decides whether or not a Bill is going to be posted. And I'll make that request every day. I'll give you… your… your 09600048.doc 16  STATE OF ILLINOIS 96th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 48th Legislative Day 5/5/2009 parliamentarian time to ponder it, but I'll make that same request tomorrow."

"Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I thought it'd be just a lot in… lot easier if you would just answer the Gentleman's question straight out. You're in charge. You make the decisions, and whenever it gets posted, it gets posted. Be honest with the people of the State of Illinois. Tell them you have total control and that's the way it's going to be. Everybody understands and everybody knows."

"Thank you, Mr. Speaker. If your staff and your committee Chairman are having a really hard time doing this, we have some crack staff that would be happy to assist, and also some spokesman for committees that could sit down with your Chairs and explain to them how it's done."