Illinois House Floor Debate — March 16, 2010

"Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Let the record reflect that Representative Myers, Mathias, Black and Durkin are excused on the Republican side of the aisle today." 09600113.doc 2  STATE OF ILLINOIS 96th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 113th Legislative Day 3/16/2010

"Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Ladies and Gentlemen of the House, it's my pleasure to introduce to you, Miss Haley Freedom… Freeman, the 2010 Miss Illinois County Fair from Menard County. Haley is a… Haley's the first young lady from Menard County to reach this status. She is also the daughter of Zach and Lori Freeman of Athens. She's a 2008 graduate of Athens High School and is a sophomore at Bradley, double majoring in health sciences. Please give her another warm hand of… to be in Springfield." 09600113.doc 3  STATE OF ILLINOIS 96th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 113th Legislative Day 3/16/2010

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

"I'd like to acknowledge the Eastland FFA from Lanark, Illinois. Their director, Mr. Stan Toepfer, joins us every year and with him is Shelby Corey, Jordon Price, William Murphy, Renee Palmer, Kailyne Palmer, Jacey Strohecker, Justin Santacruz and Dan Schoeninger. Would you please make them feel welcome. They're right back up here, our FFA."

"Point of personal privilege, Mr. Speaker."

"Mr. Speaker, I'm very honored today on behalf of Representative Black to have in the gallery behind me Miss Amie Burke and if she would stand. Amie is the State FFA 09600113.doc 4  STATE OF ILLINOIS 96th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 113th Legislative Day 3/16/2010 President, she's 18 years old, and is the President for '09 and '10. She's from Oakwood, which is in Representative Black's district. Her advisors are Darcy Nekolny and I probably butchered that, so I apologize, and Joel Gehrig. She's the daughter of Debbie Burke and Virgil Burke. She served as Section 18 president and reporter and was a three-year Chapter President. Her SAEs include nursery operations, specialty animal entrepreneurship. Her favorite CDE is Job Interview and her favorite FFA activity is serving as a delegate to the national convention. She plans to attend a four-year college and major in agricultural education and also sign language interpretation and communication. So, if we could please recognize Amie and thank her for her service to the FFA."

"Point of personal privilege."

"Joe Lyons, I'd just like to thank you for the delicious corned beef sandwiches."

"Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, under House Rule 18(g), I have filed the proper paperwork and I move to discharge House Bill 6086 from the House Rules Committee. Under House Rule 54(a)(2), as you know all Motions are assigned Standard Debate status, I wish to debate my Motion. Upon conclusion of the debate I ask for a recorded vote on the Motion to Discharge. Under Rule 49, Article IV, Section 8(c) of the Illinois Constitution, any vote shall be by recorded vote whenever five Representatives shall so request. There are at least five Members on my side of the aisle that wish for a recorded vote on the Motion to Discharge the measure from House Rules Committee." 09600113.doc 6  STATE OF ILLINOIS 96th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 113th Legislative Day 3/16/2010

"Mr. Speaker, it's House Bill 6086. 6086. I think the board had 6026, but 6086."

"Is it necessary to restate my Motion or…"

"Okay. Thank you."

"Mr. Speaker, I rise to a point of order. Specifically, requested a Roll Call vote on my Motion pursuant to rights granted in the House Rules and the Illinois Constitution. This breach of rules should be corrected immediately with a Roll Call vote on my Motion to Discharge. And Mr. Speaker, if I could, I just want to very, very quickly discuss the… the aspects of 6086 that make perfect sense and I'm not sure why anyone would object to bringing this out, discussing and debating it. This is a Bill that would certainly revitalize our sagging economy and I think you 09600113.doc 7  STATE OF ILLINOIS 96th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 113th Legislative Day 3/16/2010 would agree that it's vital that we encourage economic growth and investment throughout our state. House Bill 6086 would create an additional 50 enterprise zones that would offer tax advantages and incentives to businesses located within those zone boundaries. Mr. Speaker, Illinois does not stand a chance of becoming a business friendly state if we do nothing to foster economic growth and attract new business to our state. Enterprise zones are among Illinois' most important and effective tools to stimulate economic growth and neighborhood revitalization. The enterprise zone program is overseen and supervised at the state level by DCEO, but its ultimate success depends on the level of localized commitment and participation. I urge you, Mr. Speaker, to immediately discharge House Bill 6086 from Rules Committee, so that we can pass legislation that begins to send a message that Illinois is open for business, we're job friendly and we're ready to turn this economy around and there's no better way to do it than to start with House Bill 6086."

"Okay my Motion is to overrule the Chair and the recorded Roll Call vote on that Motion."

"Point of personal privilege."

"Mr. Speaker, I know it's early in the day, but that last Bill is so important. In my district alone, my little hometown of Greenville, 500… 500 union construction jobs await news about what we're going to do with our enterprise zones. Sending them a message that we're going to let them expire is exactly… exactly how we got in the mess we're in today in Illinois. We keep chasing good jobs away from Illinois. These jobs are going to go to Missouri. Five hundred construction jobs, $234 million investment in downstate Illinois is nothing to sneeze at, a hundred and sixty jobs, averaging sixty-five to eighty-five thousand dollars a year are of a permanent nature, spinoff industries of untold millions of dollars. All because you want to play politics and don't want to give the business tools to the business and community leaders that they need. Greenville cries out, please… please help us. And the Democrat Party says, no… no, not this year. No. We don't really mean jobs. We don't mean jobs, we mean, oh, another social program maybe. Maybe the President wants to talk to me about health care. I'll give you health care. Give my people jobs, they'll buy their health care."

"Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Under House Rule 18(g), I move for discharge of House Bill 4095 from the Rules Committee. Under the applicable House Rule 54(a)(2), all Motions are assigned Standard Debate status and I wish to debate my Motion. Upon conclusion of that debate I ask for a recorded vote on the Motion to Discharge. Under Rule 49 in Article IV, Section 8(c) of the Illinois Constitution, any vote shall be recorded whenever five Representatives so shall request. There's more than that raising their hands, Mr. Speaker. And therefore, I wish a recorded vote on my Motion to Discharge House Bill 4095 from the Rules Committee."

"House Bill 4095."

"Thank you, Mr. Speaker, I rise to a point of order. We specifically requested a Roll Call vote on the Motion pursuant to the rights granted in the House Rules and more importantly on the… under the Illinois Constitution. We request that a Roll Call vote on my Motion be taken. And Mr. Speaker, absent that, under House Rule 57(a) I would move to appeal the ruling of the Chair."

"Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I ask that before we take the vote, I think it's important that people know what exactly they're voting on. This would bring accrual accounting to the Illinois General Assembly into the state budget. It's amazing to me that the Illinois Comptroller's Office has to adhere to generally accepted accounting practices and principles and yearly uses accrual accounting in issuing its documents, but we don't have to do the same thing. We shouldn't need a law in place forcing lawmakers to spend money that we don't have, Ladies and Gentlemen. The time has come, no more gimmicks, no more accounting tricks. A budget that is based on the amount of revenue available and takes into account overspending from the previous year is what we need to do. This brings clarity, it brings transparency. Ladies and Gentlemen, it brings generally accepted accounting practices. We ought to all be for that. The people of Illinois deserve to know what is in 09600113.doc 11  STATE OF ILLINOIS 96th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 113th Legislative Day 3/16/2010 our budget and not in our budget. I don't know why we would be against that. And so with that, I would again renew my Motion for a vote, Mr. Speaker."

"Thank you, Mr. Speaker. To the Lady's points, I find it amazing that the Majority does not want to talk a balanced budget. She doesn't want to talk about a balanced budget. Why is that? Maybe because in seven years of complete 09600113.doc 12  STATE OF ILLINOIS 96th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 113th Legislative Day 3/16/2010 Democratic control of the State of Illinois we haven't had one balanced budget. Now, if the Lady wants to dispute whether I've actually read the State Constitution, in fact, I have. I've read it several times. I wonder sometime, whether anyone in the Majority has ever read the State Constitution. Thank you, Mr. Speaker."

"Mr. Speaker, under House Rule 18(g), I move to discharge House Bill 5812 from House Rules Committee. Under House 09600113.doc 13  STATE OF ILLINOIS 96th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 113th Legislative Day 3/16/2010 Rule 54(a)(2), all Motions are assigned Standard Debate status and I wish to debate my Motion. Upon the conclusion of the debate I ask for a recorded vote on the Motion to Discharge. Under Rule 49, Article IV, Section 8(c) of the Illinois Constitution, any vote shall be by record vote whenever five Representatives shall so request. There are at least five Members on my side of the aisle that wish for a recorded vote on the Motion to Discharge the measure from the House Rules Committee. In the spirit of job creation, I move for the discharge of House Bill 5812."

"Mr. Speaker, I rise now to a point of order. We specifically requested a Roll Call vote on my Motion pursuant to rights granted in the House Rules and the Illinois Constitution. This breach of rules should be corrected immediately with a Roll Call vote on my Motion to Discharge. And Mr. Speaker, if I might just say, we are not going to sit down, we are not going to be quiet when it comes to creating jobs and economic development in this state. We have been called do nothing. We, today, are proposing Bills for job growth and real economic development in this state. And to the Gentleman from 09600113.doc 14  STATE OF ILLINOIS 96th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 113th Legislative Day 3/16/2010 Madison, you can't protect jobs you don't have. And if you're not willing to help create them, you're not going to be able to… to worry about protecting them. Ladies and Gentlemen, during the past 10 years over 727 thousand people have left our state to look for better opportunities elsewhere. People are leaving for better opportunities because Illinois is unfriendly to business. We need to turn that around. House Bill 5812 is a good start. This Bill allows employers to receive a tax credit for all employees who participate in educational, vocational training. And to the… to the Majority Leader's point, you're voting on a Motion to Discharge a job creation Bill. That's the Motion. You're voting on a Motion that would allow us to debate on the House Floor the fact that Illinois is not moving in the right direction when it comes to jobs and job creation. The results of continuing education yield a more knowledgeable and experienced employee data… or base and a business friendly environment. Mr. Speaker, we know House Bill 5812 is not a cure all to all business problems, but it is a start. And if we're going to turn this state around, we're going to do it with job growth, Mr. Speaker. The key to solving our state's financial crisis is to get people working again. Mr. Speaker, reinstating the training expense credit will provide employers with a reason to hire and train more people. Right now our employers are hurting; they're looking for ways to cut expenses. By providing them with this credit, we can give them the financial incentive to hire new employees and turn this around. This, Ladies and 09600113.doc 15  STATE OF ILLINOIS 96th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 113th Legislative Day 3/16/2010 Gentlemen, is a Motion to Discharge a Bill that can create economic development. You're voting for the future of jobs in the State of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I ask for a recorded vote to overrule the Chair."

"Thank you, Mr. Speaker. So far on the three Motions that have been made, which are Bills that would be brought to this floor to deal with issues that we face here in the State of Illinois, the response from your side of the aisle is obviously we've talked… we talk too much. And obviously from the other comment that we don't care about the working men and women of the State of Illinois, really now? After seven years how do you care for the working men and women of the State of Illinois? Seven hundred and fifty thousand jobs out of this state. How do you think those working men and women feel? Huh? And then you sit over there and you just say, okay, well, this isn't really a vote on these issues. Well, really? Tell that to your constituents. 'Cause it's getting old. You sit there and tell us, oh no, no, we… we just want you to show up and vote when we want you to vote. Don't talk on the issue. Because we care for the working men and women. How about the working men and women's children that we've left in debt to the tune of about $130 billion, does that feel good? I'm sorry that you all have done that to my grandkids. And you have done 09600113.doc 16  STATE OF ILLINOIS 96th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 113th Legislative Day 3/16/2010 it. You've been in control, not us. You… your side of the aisle and you're showing it again today. You're sitting here and shoving these things and keeping them back and not allowing us to vote on them, not allowing us to work on them. And why? Because you… you, the Democrat side of the aisle, the Democrats in the State of Illinois are in control. Yeah, see the mess you've got us into. And you can't blame it on anybody else no matter how hard you try. Not… no matter how hard you try. We're deeper in debt; we're out of control. You get certain prime candidates up there. Let me see, one that holds a knife to his girlfriend's throat, but you throw him out. Is that the way you think it's right to handle government or just look over here and tell us to shut up and not talk? Well, we're getting tired of it. We're getting tired of being stifled in committees. We're getting tired of having this all shoved down our throats. My constituents are worth just as much as yours. And we want the opportunity to debate these Bills. And I know good and well that many of you…"

"Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Ladies and Gentlemen of the House, let's… let's talk about the process and what we're doing here. I think the Majority Leader is correct, I'm going to speak to the Motion. The Motion before you is… is whether or not we will overrule the Majority Leader and allow a vote to come to the House Floor. It's very simple. Last week the Governor talked about jobs, he talked about the importance of getting the economy turned around. Why 09600113.doc 17  STATE OF ILLINOIS 96th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 113th Legislative Day 3/16/2010 are we afraid to bring a Bill out to the House Floor that has a potential to create jobs. All I'm asking you to do is to bring the Bill out for a debate. If you want to vote against the Bill once it's on the House Floor, obviously you can vote against the Bill. Override the Chair. Let's get moving on… on the most important issue in the state to the men and women of this state and that's job creation."

"Thank you… thank you once again, Mr. Speaker. Under House Rule 18(g), I move for the discharge of House Bill 6626 from the House Rules Committee. Under House Rule 54(a)(2), all Motions are assigned Standard Debate status and I wish to debate my Motion. Upon conclusion of the debate, I ask for a recorded vote on the Motion to Discharge. And under Rule 49, Article IV, Section 8(c) of the Illinois Constitution, any vote shall be by record vote whenever five Representatives shall so request. There are at least five Members on my side that wish for a recorded vote on the Motion to Discharge the measure from the House Rules Committee."

"Thank you, Mr. Speaker."

"I… I noticed that. Mr. Speaker, though I rise to a point of order. And by the way, I… I wasn't shocked. We did specifically request a Roll Call vote on my Motion, though, pursuant to rights granted in House Rules and the Illinois Constitution. This breach of the Rules should be corrected immediately with a Roll Call vote on my Motion to Discharge. And… and if I could, Mr. Speaker, the Bill in question, House Bill 6626, as… as you know last week you heard, again, from our Governor about his agenda for the 09600113.doc 19  STATE OF ILLINOIS 96th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 113th Legislative Day 3/16/2010 coming year. He suggested a number of proposals that… that are not going to be pleasant for the residents of Illinois, we understand that. Those folks depend on state services, not going to be pleasant for taxpayers. He… he asked taxpayers to foot the Bill for what has become a fiscally incompetent State Government. But what this Body did for Governor Quinn, if you'll remember, was to give him the courtesy of an extra month to prepare his remarks. And all we're asking for today in this Motion to Discharge this Bill is to debate the same courtesy to the people of Illinois in order to allow them a full week to look at just how and where we plan to spend their hard earned tax dollars. House Bill 6626 would simply require any budget appropriation to be posted on the state web site for seven days prior to any vote. One week of sunshine. This is certainly not a controversial proposal. And with all of the talk of increased transparency, Mr. Speaker, I can't imagine a better place to be completely transparent than legislation that will result in the spendings of tens of billions of dollars being transparent to the citizens for seven days. Doesn't cost a dime, it's completely straightforward. And as long as we're… we're doing our jobs correctly and state funds are being spent responsibly there is absolutely no reason that we can't make this requirement a transparent one for the people of this state. I don't know if you've noticed, Mr. Speaker, but the citizens of Illinois are not trustful of State Government right now and I personally don't blame them. This isn't our money, Mr. Speaker, these funds belong to the people of 09600113.doc 20  STATE OF ILLINOIS 96th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 113th Legislative Day 3/16/2010 Illinois. And I think we owe them the common courtesy to review just how their money is going to be spent. Mr. Speaker, I move to override the Majority Leader."

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

"You know the hypocrisy in this room never ceases to amaze me. You guys want to talk about jobs, you got a Jobs Task Force that will do nothing. You talk about… you talk about doing measures to bring home jobs and you do every 09600113.doc 21  STATE OF ILLINOIS 96th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 113th Legislative Day 3/16/2010 Bill possible that kills jobs. The Gentleman from St. Clair, I bet you got a perfect record for job killing measures in this chamber. It's pathetic. You come in here and talk about jobs and then look at your record. But I have another point of hypocrisy. Say, we're supposed to have notes that we're supposed to read, well, these notes were written a long time ago. And I quote, 'two people of 118 elected to this chamber determined to kill a Bill, to table it, to make it impossible for the Bill to have any kind of hearing in any other forum in this Assembly.' So, two out of 118 to kill a Bill, doesn't seem like a fair and open practice to me. Doesn't seem like a fair and open procedure. Doesn't seem like there is any real opportunity for full participation. It's by the… Representative Currie, February 9, 1995. You remember what it's like to be in the Minority. It was outrageous that two people could kill a Bill, make it impossible to have the Bill have any kind of hearing. Well, Representative, only one thing worse than having two people kill a Bill and that's one. What are you so afraid of to vote on these? Vote them up, vote them down, but let the people have a hearing on these Bills. You want to talk about job creation, you want to talk about transparency, you want to talk about open government. Vote up or down on these Bills."

"Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, look, this is pretty simple. As you know, in the last couple of weeks we have been accused of having no ideas, do nothing, no… no input, that we… we don’t bring ideas forward for 09600113.doc 22  STATE OF ILLINOIS 96th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 113th Legislative Day 3/16/2010 this Body to consider. The fact of the matter is, the ideas we bring forward aren't even allowed the common courtesy of floor debate. Why in the world would we not look another direction? Do you have to look very far as to whether or not we've been successful in this state with our policies over the last seven years except to see where we are? Ladies and Gentlemen, we have to do something. What about jobs? What about transparency? This Bill is about transparency. Mr. Speaker, under House Rule 57(a), I move to appeal the ruling of the Chair and there be a recorded vote on my Motion."

"Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Point of personal privilege."

"Mr. Speaker, back on February the 1st, Representative Cavaletto introduced House Bill 5199. Two Members from the other side of the aisle, Representatives Careen Gordon and Lisa Dugan joined on board because it's an Illinois Income Tax Bill that increases the jobs tax credit for a trade or business located in an enterprise zone to $2,500 for each eligible employee hired to work in that enterprise zone. Very commonsense legislation, supported on both sides of the aisle. It was re-referred to Rules and Mr. Speaker, 09600113.doc 23  STATE OF ILLINOIS 96th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 113th Legislative Day 3/16/2010 under House Rule 18(g), I move for the discharge of House Bill 5199 from the House Rules Committee. Under House Rule 54(a)(2), all Motions are assigned Standard Debate status and I wish to debate my Motion. Upon the conclusion of the debate I ask for a recorded vote on the Motion to Discharge. Under Rule 49 in Article IV, Section 8(c) of the Illinois Constitution, any vote shall be by record vote whenever five Representatives shall so request. There are at least five Members on my side that wish for a recorded vote on the Motion to Discharge the measure from the House Rules Committee. I await your response, Sir."

"Mr. Speaker, under House Rule 57(a) I move to appeal the ruling of the Chair that there be no recorded vote to discharge House Bill 5199 from the House Rules Committee. And I ask for a recorded vote."

"I am… I am, Sir." 09600113.doc 24  STATE OF ILLINOIS 96th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 113th Legislative Day 3/16/2010

"Is to overrule the Chair, yes, Sir. Thank you."

"Thank you, Mr. Speaker and Ladies and Gentlemen of the House. I would hope everybody would join to rise to overrule the Chair here so we could actually have a debate on a jobs Bill. Representative Hoffman says he was glad to see us talking about jobs. Where were we when we were talking about prevailing wage? Well, you know what, this isn't a state that's just about union jobs, it's about all jobs. What good is it to be the highest paid union worker in the unemployment line because that's what we've got. Twenty percent of our union workers are unemployed and we can't talk about having a Bill debated that's going to help attract business to our state? We got a request, we got a Bill out here to do a sales tux… Sales Tax Adjusted Revenue Bond over in St. Clair County or Madison County to try to help promote the construction of a… of a business that could employ several hundred jobs. And you know what, right across the border they have that law. They have the ability to do that. We need these types of tools here so we can attract jobs. You have an opportunity now here to debate this and you're going to say no. And everybody's going to be 69, 44, just like it was before. Because I don't know, why don't you vote once just to say let's put the Motion up, let's debate it. There's nothing wrong with 09600113.doc 25  STATE OF ILLINOIS 96th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 113th Legislative Day 3/16/2010 this Bill. It's got good bipartisan support, let's hear it. Why should the Rules Committee have the say on what we're going to debate? Give it a fair chance. Everybody in this state wants a fiscally secure state, they want a job. They're worried, they're scared. You go back, you go to your districts and you can see it in their faces and we're down here not debating good jobs Bill? Stand up, have some guts. Vote for jobs. Vote to override the Speaker's ruling. Let's get the debate started."

"Yes, I would. And I thank Representative Tryon for his comments. Again, Ladies and Gentlemen, this is very much a bipartisan issue. As I pointed out, Representative Gordon, Representative Dugan, two very highly respected Members on your side of the aisle advocated for this. It will encourage growth and provide badly needed new jobs to our state. And… and it's just such a significant piece of legislation that it's beneficial to the entire state, both Parties, all folks in this great state. And I ask for your support. Thank you."

"Mr. Speaker, ahead of the previous Bill I did have my light on and I wanted to make a comment. A point of personal privilege, please?"

"Back on 3/3, introduced by Representative Darlene Senger, was House Bill 6625. A very important Bill, Ladies and Gentlemen, one we all agreed to a year ago. And synopsizing, the General Assembly Compensation Act requires Members of the General Assembly to forfeit 12 days of compensation in fiscal 2011 and we did it in 2010. It certainly stands in line with a state that is in a critical financial issue. And Mr. Speaker, under House Rule 18(g), I move for the discharge of House Bill 6625 from House Rules. Under House Rule 54(a)(2), all Motions are assigned Standard Debate status and I wish to debate my Motion. Upon the conclusion of the debate I ask for a recorded vote on the Motion to Discharge. Under Rule 49 in Article IV, Section 8(c) of the Illinois Constitution, any vote shall be by record vote whenever five Representatives shall so request. There are at least five Members on my side that wish for a recorded vote on the Motion to Discharge the measure from the House Rules Committee." 09600113.doc 27  STATE OF ILLINOIS 96th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 113th Legislative Day 3/16/2010

"I… I heard the Lady's objection. And I will happily make it a priority Bill if that will have her recognize it with a little more understanding. Would she remove her objection if it is my number one priority?"

"Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Lady insinuated that someone else has made a determination whether or not this should be my priority. Nobody tells me what I'm going to introduce, Representative Currie. It is my decision. And I ask that it be debated and released from Rules."

"Well, thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Majority Leader suggested, rather directly, that we have now a list that we provide to her of our priorities. So, I have not given her a list. I will provide the appropriate list within the hour and included in that list, Majority Leader, will be three of the Bills that for some reason Democrats don't want to discuss. So, I… I take you as a woman of your word and we will… we will put those three Bills on the Calendar and we will begin that debate, I suppose, as early as this afternoon if… the Majority Leader can make that happen. We know that. And I know it… as a woman of her word, she'll let me provide that list and… and honor it. There still is a sense of honor in this chamber, isn't there?"

"Mr. Speaker, under House Rule 57(a) I move to rule… I move to appeal the ruling of the Chair on House Bill 6625. And I ask for a recorded vote."

"I did make such a Motion, Sir. At the outset, I said I move for the discharge of House Bill 6625 from the House Rules Committee. Is that not correct?"

"So, we're gonna play a little…"

"…administrative game now…"

"…and tell me to shut up and sit down, right? You won't give me a recorded vote, is that correct? Do I understand I don't get a recorded vote on this? I don't believe you'd do that, Representative."

"Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I think what you're suggesting is that Representative Sacia should start over with his Motion. And he has every right to do that under the Rules of the House. So, perhaps if Representative Sacia began from the top. We were trying to… to get a recorded vote, business took place in between. I understand what you're saying. So, perhaps Representative Sacia should start from the top on that and go through his Motion? If the… if the Chair… he has that right as a Member, I believe?"

"I think that… I think that has occurred. And… and I think he should be extended the courtesy of a vote on his Motion. If that takes going back through the Motion, I think, Mr. Speaker, you're a fair man. He did not get his vote. Allow him that courtesy."

"Thank you, Mr. Speaker."

"Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And I truly appreciate your indulgence. You honor… you are an honorable man. Mr. Speaker, under House Rule 18(g), I move for the discharge 09600113.doc 31  STATE OF ILLINOIS 96th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 113th Legislative Day 3/16/2010 of House Bill 6625 from the House Rules Committee. Under House Rule 54(a)(2), all Motions are assigned Standard Debate status and I wish to debate my Motion. Upon the conclusion of the debate I ask for a recorded vote on the Motion to Discharge. Under Rule 49 in Article IV, Section 8(c) of the Illinois Constitution, any vote shall by record vote whenever five Representatives shall so request. There are at least… at least five Members on my side that wish for a recorded vote on the Motion to Discharge the measure from the House Rules Committee."

"Mr. Speaker, under House Rule 57(a) I move to appeal the ruling of the Chair."

"Mr. Speaker, on a point of personal privilege."

"I would… I would request, Mr. Speaker, if we could have the Body's attention. One of your staff, a certain Mr. Steve Brown, does not have speaking privileges in this chamber and for him to stand virtually face to face with Representative Sacia in a mocking manner is the least… the 09600113.doc 32  STATE OF ILLINOIS 96th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 113th Legislative Day 3/16/2010 least polite thing that I can think of anyone doing. For it to be on your staff and for you to stand there and allow it means that you don't mind that a Member of this General Assembly is mocked. Mr. Brown was rude and unattractive. I demand his apology directly to Representative Sacia and I hope that you will put him on a shorter leash. I am tired of his personal theatrics. This chamber belongs to the people, not to Mr. Brown."

"I ask for a recorded vote, Mr. Speaker."

"Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Clearly, there are individuals on our side of the aisle who are trying to work within their rights as Members of the House to have Motions heard. The Motions have been filed, the individuals are waiting. They're… they're elected Representatives just like on your 09600113.doc 34  STATE OF ILLINOIS 96th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 113th Legislative Day 3/16/2010 side of the aisle. I… I would hope that you would provide Representative Tryon the courtesy of his Motion. He's filed that Motion and I appreciate the fact that we're trying to get to Second Readings and, yes, please move my Bill to Third. But please recognize Representative Tryon. He's within his rights to speak, he's filed the proper Motion. Give him the respect he deserves as an elected official in the State of Illinois."

"Thank you, Mr. Speaker. An inquiry of the Chair. I, unfortunately, had to leave for a minute. I know there were a couple of Members on our side of the aisle with their hands up and lights on and filed a Motion or several Motions to discharge Bills from committee. I… we'd like to proceed on those. I… I know the Majority Leader would rather we not, but I think we have every right to pursue those. They're significant Bills, they're substantive 09600113.doc 36  STATE OF ILLINOIS 96th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 113th Legislative Day 3/16/2010 Bills and we'd like to move forward on those right now. What's the intention of the Chair on that?"

"Mr. Speaker…"

"All right. Let me ask you this."

"We… we have every right to move forward on these. It's the prerogative of the Members to, on a point of personal privilege, to move on a Motion to Discharge. We can stay later today if the concern is that we can't move Bills from Second to Third 'cause we don't have enough time. We've been leaving relatively early most every day. We are ready and willing and able to sit here as long as it takes to move Bills from Second to Third, but first, if a Member stands up and wishes to be heard on a Motion he or she should have every right to move forward on that and then we'll proceed to Second or Thirds at the appropriate time. And if that means we have to stay a little later, we are willing and ready to stay a little later, but we would like to move forward now. I know Representative Tryon has his light on. We'd like to move forward on his Bills and then followed by Representative Chapin. These are important 09600113.doc 37  STATE OF ILLINOIS 96th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 113th Legislative Day 3/16/2010 Bills, they're not Bills that we take lightly. One of the Bills I know Representative Rose has deals with redistricting. Every major newspaper in the State of Illinois has advocated for a different way to do redistricting in the State of Illinois. The State Senate, across the chamber… across the building, even on the Democrat side has acknowledged that we need to do redistricting differently. So, I'm curious why we can't move forward right now with our Motions when a Member stands up?"

"No, I asked… I'm asking a question. Why can we not move forward right now with our Motions?"

"Well, Mr. Speaker we're going to go to caucus. And we'll… we'll be back in a little later, we'll get to you when we can. And then we'll see what other Motions we have ready to go."

"No, I don't right now, but I'll let you know. Thank you very much." 09600113.doc 38  STATE OF ILLINOIS 96th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 113th Legislative Day 3/16/2010

"Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I rise for a point of personal privilege."

"Thank you. In January, I filed House Bill 5212. According to the request from the Speaker's Office I made numerous attempts by e-mailing, asking that this be discharged from the Rules Committee. And therefore, under House Rule 18(g) I move for the discharge of House Bill 5212 from the House Rules Committee. And under House Rule 54(a)(2) all Motions are assigned to Standard Debate status and I wish to debate this Motion. Upon conclusion of the debate, I'm asking for a recorded vote on the Motion to Discharge. And under Rule 49, Article IV, Section 8(c) of the Illinois Constitution any vote shall be recorded… a recorded vote whenever there is five Representatives who so request. And I believe there are five Representatives on my side of the aisle who are going to make that request and, therefore, I request that this Motion be discharged from the Rules Committee."

"I rise to a point of order because we specifically requested that a Roll Call be made and that that vote be recorded and I had five Members on my side of the aisle make that with me."

"Well, the… well, I move to appeal the ruling of the Chair if you're going to declare a 'no' vote. And…"

"I would just like to say the importance of what we're about to do here. We are $13 billion in debt. We've heard it from the Commercial Club, we've heard it from about every major newspaper in the state. COGFA gives us the number 13.6 billion. The Governor's Office of Management and Budget gives us 13 billion. And you know what, what is the true debt of the… of the state? In addition to that, we have $82 billion of unfunded pension liability, $22 billion of bonds that have been sold, another $32 billion of bonds that have been issued. We have $25 thousand of debt for every household in this state. And what this Bill will do is require that the General Assembly adopt an accrual base financial statement that gives every Representative here a true financial picture of what the state's finances are prior to a vote on the budget. Now, how is that a bad thing? How is it a bad thing to say before we vote on a budget that's going to create a $13 billion deficit, we shouldn't have the right to know where 09600113.doc 40  STATE OF ILLINOIS 96th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 113th Legislative Day 3/16/2010 we are? In addition to that, on page 147 of the Comptroller's Consolidated Annual Financial Report he says in his report that the General Assembly did not pass a balanced budget last year. Our Constitution requires that we have a balanced budget. We don't have a balanced budget and as Members we don't even get the opportunity to know what the true financial position of the state is. Once again, this is something we should all be able to agree on. Every county board in this state files a resolution to accept the financial condition from their auditor's report, every county. Every municipality does this. State Government doesn't do it. I hope that you will move to override the ruling of the Chair so that we can get this Bill discharged from the committee, get it heard, make this a law, so that each one of us gets to vote on a budget knowing what the financial position of the state…"

"I am seeking recognition under my rights to rise for a point of personal privilege. And I'm also going to make a Motion under House Rule 18(g) to move for the discharge of 09600113.doc 41  STATE OF ILLINOIS 96th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 113th Legislative Day 3/16/2010 House Bill 5008 from the Rules Committee. Under the House Rule 54(a)(2), all Motions are assigned Standard Debate status; therefore, I wish to debate this Motion. Upon the conclusion of the debate, I'm asking that we have a recorded vote on the Motion to Discharge. Under Rule 49 in Article IV, Section 8(c) of the Illinois Constitution, any vote shall be a record vote whenever five Representatives so request and I believe there are five Members on my side of the aisle that are requesting to have this vote. Therefore, I move that this Motion be discharged from the Rules Committee."

"Okay. I… I do have a point of inquiry then…"

"…and I agree that while you can set the motions of the order of the day, this has nothing to do with the order of the day. And I'm making a point of personal privilege. And when I'm recognized as a point of personal privilege and I make a… Motion, I believe I have the right to make that Motion and you have to… you have to hear that Motion."

"A point of parliamentary inquiry."

"I'm trying to find out from Mr. Ellis if the point of… of procedure here is that when I make an inquiry or Mr. Tryon makes an inquiry, a point of personal privilege, if that trumps anything else here as far as the order of the day and the order of… of what's on the Calendar? It does, according to my interpretation. I'm asking for Mr. Ellis's interpretation."

"This is not… Speaker, this is not a point of business, Speaker."

"Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I move to discharge House Joint Resolution Constitutional Amendment #56 from the House Rules Committee. As you know, under House Rule 54(a)(2) all Motions are to be assigned Standard Debate status and therefore, I wish to debate my Motion. At the conclusion of the debate, I wish for and request a recorded vote on the Motion to Discharge. Under Rule 49(a), in 09600113.doc 43  STATE OF ILLINOIS 96th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 113th Legislative Day 3/16/2010 Article IV, Section 8(c) of the Constitution any vote shall be recorded by vote whenever five Representatives so request. There are at least five people on my side of the aisle so making such a request, Mr. Speaker. House Joint Resolution Constitutional Amendment 56 is exactly what is needed to stop what happened here today. It is the Fair Map Amendment, which has been endorsed by every major newspaper in the State of Illinois. It is the Fair Map Amendment, which has been endorsed by virtually every good government in the State of Illinois. It is the Fair Map Amendment that's been endorsed by the League of Women Voters, the Illinois Chamber of Commerce and the Illinois Farm Bureau and a whole host of people who want their democracy back in the State of Illinois. What happened here today is exactly why we need the Fair Map Amendment. Mr. Speaker, I respectfully request that House Joint Resolution Constitutional Amendment #56 be discharged from Rules."

"Mr. Speaker, I rose to a point of order on that. We specifically requested a Roll Call, Mr. Speaker, on my Motion. And pursuant to the House… pursuant to the House Rules and the Illinois Constitution, this is a breach that must be corrected, Mr. Speaker. Therefore, under the applicable House Rule 57(a), I move to appeal your ruling, Mr. Speaker, and go to a discharge to… to not discharge House Joint Resolution Constitutional Amendment 56. As you know, this Amendment is exactly what is needed in this state, exactly what is needed in this state. And while not asked, this would be my top priority to restore democracy to the people of Illinois. Thank you, Mr. Speaker."

"Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I will simply say, what are you all afraid of? You don't want the citizens of Illinois to take back their democracy? Members… Members, forget Leadership. Members, this is your right to stand up for your constituents. These Bills are your right to stand up for your constituents. You don't agree with it, fine, vote 'no', but at least take the vote. Every one of these today, whether it was budget transparency, the Fair Map Amendment, any of them, it's your right to represent your 09600113.doc 46  STATE OF ILLINOIS 96th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 113th Legislative Day 3/16/2010 constituents. You've just given that up. Last week we had 10 or 15 of you… 10 or 15 of you were joining with us on these. What happened to you? This is your rights as Members to represent your constituents. Do the right thing, take back the State of Illinois, overrule the ruling of the Chair and let's have a vote on the Fair Map."

"Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I rise to a point of personal privilege."

"Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I rise under a point of personal privilege and under House Rule 18(g), not House Rule 31, I move for a discharge of House Bill 3948 from the Rules Committee. Under House Rule 54(a)(2) all Motions are assigned Standard Debate status and I wish to debate my Motion. Upon the conclusion of this debate, I ask for a recorded vote on the Motion to Discharge. Under Rule 49 of Article IV, Section 8(c) of the Illinois Constitution, any vote shall be a recorded vote whenever five Representatives of this House shall so request and I believe there are five Representatives on my side of the aisle. Therefore, I move the Motion to Discharge from the Rules Committee." 09600113.doc 47  STATE OF ILLINOIS 96th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 113th Legislative Day 3/16/2010

"Mr. Speaker, I would like to appeal the ruling of the Chair and ask for… that we override the Chair. I think this is a very important piece of legislation. This is legislation that would repeal the sales tax increase in Cook County and in this economic times, we have heard from people in Cook County, all over the county, about the higher sales tax. The fact that the cities in Cook County have even had debates about trying to withdraw from Cook County because it's affecting their sales tax base. I would hope that at least on this Motion we could come to an agreement since we already did half of this. That we… we could appeal this one and… and send it back for… at least have a debate on this House Floor about it. Therefore, I am overruling… I'm requesting that we overrule your decision."

"Mr. Speaker, Ladies and Gentlemen of the House, it's our right to come here and debate Bills. It's our right to file Bills. Each one of these Bills has significant merit. This Rules Committee that just bottles it up and doesn't let it be heard, it's time that we rethink that process. When our Bill deadline passed last week, I only have the Bill that day. So, I have to come here today and do this. I have one more of these. I'll hope you'll accommodate these so I don't have to come back tomorrow, but let me have a fair chance to get these on the floor for debate so they can move through the process. Let these Bills have a chance to have a fair two weeks to be moved. Let these 09600113.doc 49  STATE OF ILLINOIS 96th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 113th Legislative Day 3/16/2010 Bills have the same process that those Bills have if they're good enough to be heard. How can you be against commonsense legislation like this? One, we've already passed half of this already. Let's finish the job. Two, the other Bills are about good government, so let's let one or two of these get heard in the next two weeks. That's all I'm asking. All I'm asking. Don't bottle all my Bills up in the Rules Committee. This is wrong."

"Thank you… thank you, Mr. Speaker. Representative, could you once again state what the intent of this Amendment is? Describe it for us? How does it change the underlying Bill?"

"Well, according to our analysis it provides for the forcible annexation of territory within the City of Rockford. Is that the intent of the Amendment to allow for the annexation of territory within the City of Rockford?"

"So, are there certain parameters or rules regarding what territory can be annexed? Does it have to be contiguous? Does it have to be a certain size? Are there any other… are there any other requirements?"

"What… an acre? Can they… can they go pick up an acre here, a football field there, seven acres? How… how large of parcels… what are the requirements?"

"So, that's the… it has to be larger than 60 acres in order for the…"

"…at least 60?"

"So, what's the purpose? Why is this necessary for Rockford to be able to… to forcibly annex parcels of 60 acres or more? Representative, I… the question was, what is the purpose? Why is this necessary?"

"So, right now the city can do this on parcels under 60 acres and you're trying to extend that over 60 acres. And I… Ladies and Gentlemen, to the Amendment. Actually, I… I don't see why it's necessary. I don't think the Representative has given us specific reasons as to why it would be necessary for the City of Rockford to be able to… to have some kind of forcible annexation power of 60 acres or more. Mr. Speaker, I would request a Roll Call vote on the Amendment and I would urge Members to vote 'no'."

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

"Representative, how many people live in… in that affected area? What if… if you describe the type of… of property that's there? Is it commercial, retail, is it mixed, residential?"

"Would you… is there a thousand people there? Is there… do you know?"

"Are… are these… are the citizens that live in this affected area, are they supportive of forced annexation? I have unincorporated areas in my communities that do not want to be a part of the municipalities that they border. So, I want to make sure that we're not forcing somebody against their will into the City of Rockford."

"Well, I… I guess that goes to the heart of the question, Representative. Is… do the people that live outside of Rockford want to become Rockford citizens? They're usually is… there's a petition process if they want to do that. And I was wondering what the history of… of that petition process was, if there was one?"

"Thank you, Representative."

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

"Representative, it strikes me that this is an unusual circumstance. This is a parcel greater than 60 acres is that correct, that Rockford is seeking to annex?"

"Up to? As I'm reading this, so… so this is still a parcel less than 60 acres? Is…"

"The way I read the Bill it looks like it's affecting a parcel in excess of 60 acres. It… it… this looks likes it's a very big tract of land that's surrounded by Rockford, not a small… these types of annexations usually take place with a very small number of small lots that are wholly surrounded. This looks like it deals with a… an area that's much, much larger the way I read the Bill. And I just want to…"

"It's a number of small parcels, but the total area is very large is… is what it looks like. Is that… is that correct?"

"The… I guess my concern here is that… To the Bill… to the Amendment, sorry, to the Amendment. The… normally municipalities seeking to annex islets, it happens in municipalities all the time that they have surrounded 09600113.doc 57  STATE OF ILLINOIS 96th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 113th Legislative Day 3/16/2010 islands. Generally, and I would say what should continue to be our state policy, is that is restricted to those islands that are under 60 acres in size. In this case we're dealing with islands some of which would be substantially larger than 60 acres. And even though I can see the Representative's tried to provide some relief to the owners through a short transitional period of tax abatement, I think that… and even though it only is written right now for the City of Rockford, I think that still opens the door to a number of other municipalities who would also then be seeking this same authority from this Body and this Amendment would take us on a path that I think takes us to a policy that would not be beneficial. And I would urge that we do not accept this Amendment."

"Thank you. Would the speaker yield?"

"Chuck, is this the great land grab Bill for the City of Rockford that we killed in the city and municipality because the people did not want it? And we were able to kill it, but then you took it to a different committee? And then most of this area that you want to grab and put into Rockford is in my district and my people do not want to be forced to be annexed to Rockford, is that true?"

"Yes. But it was the same Bill though, isn't it? The same… it's the same purpose, to force people to be annexed who do not want to be annexed. In fact, I understand Zeke Giorgi for 20, 30 years has been down here trying to do this. Even the great Zeke Giorgi was trying to do this. Are you trying to do something that even Zeke Giorgi could not do?"

"Well… to the Bill. Ladies and Gentlemen of the House, this is strictly a land grab Bill by the City of Rockford. They're hurting for money like every municipality, but if this is to through for Rockford, this could also happen to your community. These people do not want to be annexed to Rockford. This would move the… the limits from 60 acres. They want to annex between five and six hundred acres, 10 times what we currently have. That would be like taking in a whole nother community. Would you like to have them come down there and force your community into this? I would hope when this comes up on Third Reading or on the Amendment that you would vote 'no' and kill this land grab by the City of Rockford. Thank you."

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

"Representative Jefferson, I believe Representative Joyce asked you a question. I wasn't sure that the question was phrased or the understanding was to the… to 09600113.doc 60  STATE OF ILLINOIS 96th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 113th Legislative Day 3/16/2010 the General Assembly. This deals with parcels of greater than 60 acres, is that not the case?"

"It does not. If you read the Bill, this is exclusively designed…"

"…for parcels exceeding 60 acres. The language, if you read it, is for parcels larger than 60 acres. You've misread the Bill."

"The… the question I have is, we have… we have a real… there are two different ways to read this. Could you pull this out of the record until we could… we can talk without the time pressure…"

"…of the clocks?"

"Representative, I hate to break in… that's not the question I was trying to deal with."

"We have an… we have an issue on the interpretation of how the language is… is written in the Bill. I would appreciate it if you could call it out or pull it out of the record until we can determine whether this is for under or over 60. If it's in fact… if it in fact limits it to parcels under 60 acres they already have that right. They already have the right to forcibly annex under 60 acres."

"I take your point. I… we will discuss this further before Third Reading. Thank you."

"Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Will the Sponsor yield?"

"I wanted to ask since this seems to be so controversial about annexation of people who don't give their permission, was the Illinois Municipal League opposed to this Amendment #2?"

"Have they taken a position on the Bill… on the Amendment?"

"But it is annexation by a municipality of people who do not want to be annexed? Their permission has not been given."

"It would be forced annexation without the permission of the people who own the property?"

"Of Amendment #2?"

"Thank you. But just the second question… thank you, Representative Jefferson… was, it is forced annexation of people who have not given their permission on the property?"

"Thank you for your comments." 09600113.doc 63  STATE OF ILLINOIS 96th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 113th Legislative Day 3/16/2010

"Mr. Speaker, I have an inquiry of the Chair. Is it possible for me to give up my time to Representative Tryon at this point?"

"Oh, okay. One… one moment please about the Bill."

"I have to look at it 'cause I can't quite remember at this point."

"Oh, here it is." 09600113.doc 65  STATE OF ILLINOIS 96th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 113th Legislative Day 3/16/2010

"Yes, there is, Mr. Speaker. And I would like to ask the Amendment be adopted."

"Yes, we have to do that. Right, do that."

"It's on… it's on Third, Mr. Speaker? I ask to call the Bill."

"Yes, Sir."

"Thank you, Mr. Speaker. House Bill 6262 amends the State Officials and Employee Ethics Act. Under this Act, currently, public service announcements on behalf of a state agency by a State Representative, a State Senator or a Constitutional Officer cannot appear on broadcast TV or radio, printed commercial newspaper or a printed commercial magazine. This Bill amends the Ethics Act adding billboard or electronic message board to the number of… to the places where a state employee cannot use their image or their voice or their name on these billboards. Be happy to answer… I ask for an 'aye' vote."

"Correct. Currently, billboards are within the Ethics Act. Electronic billboards such as the video billboards would also be part of the Bill."

"Because it's more of a video."

"…as a TV would be."

"Representative, I think it would make it more clear that these electronic billboards are also… fall under the Ethics Act. And this Bill, it just… just for reference, this Bill has passed the House and the Senate several times. This is not the first time…"

"…we've had it go through."

"Thank you. I ask for an 'aye' vote."

"Thank you, Mr. Speaker, Members of the House. House Bill 6132 will clarify that honey whether on the comb or off the comb in its natural state is a raw agricultural commodity and should be treated as such in terms of regulations, not subject to the stricter regulations that one would expect for processed food. I'd be happy to answer any questions."

"Thank you, Speaker. The legislation that's before the House today covers what I hope may be a big step going forward for an open and more transparent approach to our fiscal approach to legislation in this state. This sets specific guidelines whenever the Comptroller's report should be made public to both the Legislators and the public."

"Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Years ago the county treasurer and the county collector were slated to take office at a different time than the rest of the, excuse me, township officials. The township assessor takes office in January after being elected in April. This leaves him with an eight month lame-duck period. This Bill would shorten that lame-duck period, not for the sitting assessor, but for the 09600113.doc 73  STATE OF ILLINOIS 96th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 113th Legislative Day 3/16/2010 assessor after that. So, it would not affect anyone now. It would eliminate very, very bad public policy of having someone with an eight-month lame-duck period. There has been quite a few people who have told me horror stories about what can happen during this eight-month period. And I would ask for your support on this Bill."

"Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I rise in objection to this Bill. The Assessors Association is against the Bill. And I don't know of a single assessor, except the one that's in this chamber, that's for this Bill in Illinois. And it's a bad policy… public policy to start changing the tax lien date or assessment lien date for purposes of valuing real estate does not coincide with the terms of office of the assessors who are elected currently in spring and have to wait until January, I understand that. But the taxing of property for governmental purposes, which is what this is, is not to be started in the middle of May. It's supposed to be started before… around January 1. You're going to put all the taxing bodies at a disadvantage that are due to receive these moneys, any moneys. And there's very little groundswell for the Bill. Mr. Speaker, can I ask a question of the Sponsor?"

"Yes, Representative, does… are there any supporters for this Bill?"

"Yes, there's quite a few people who are supporting it, including many, many local newspaper editorial boards, 09600113.doc 74  STATE OF ILLINOIS 96th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 113th Legislative Day 3/16/2010 local citizens. And I have received positive comments from many assessors across the state, saying that this Bill made absolutely perfect sense in the good old days when assessment was kept in paper and pencil and in your head, but now any assessor worth… worth his salt can absolutely take over in the middle of someone's terms because it's… it's done in so much more contemporary form than it ever has been before. This is just a plain good government Bill. No one needs to have an eight-month lame-duck period."

"Well, do you want to finish your comments or can I ask another question?"

"Yeah. I have a…"

"…I have a letter…"

"Oh, thank you. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I do have a letter from the Will County Assessor's Association, I think they're unanimously opposed to the Bill. I believe the Sponsor lives in Will County. Other than that, everybody's for it she said. Okay. That's all."

"Thank you… thank you, Mr. Speaker. Ladies and Gentlemen, this Bill affects what I do when I'm not down here. As you can see, I am a Sponsor of this Bill. You will hear many assessors that are opposed to this; that is somewhat of a turf war that's going on. They don't want to 09600113.doc 75  STATE OF ILLINOIS 96th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 113th Legislative Day 3/16/2010 change what affects their… their job. They will say that you do not want to change the assessor qualifications in the middle of an assessment cycle. What happens is January 1, technically, the assessment cycle begins and if you change it to the middle of May that it will be undue pressure for an assessor to complete their work. I completely disagree with them, quite frankly. And… and I'll give you a couple reasons why. First off, the Department of Revenue when they give us our data by which we do our assessments, they do not even transmit the data to us until April. So, the reality is you're only talking about a month lag time by which you can start your… start your work. Second, and Representative Kosel actually said it the best, in the past when you're doing paper to pencil to do your assessments it took awhile to do those assessments. Nowadays with computer assisted mass appraisal programs you could do this much faster, much quicker and much more accurately. Second, assessors are one of the few people that have to have continuing education to even run and they have to have a certification called a CIAO to even run in the first place. So, the idea that you can't do your job when you start in May should have no bearing because you should already know how to do your job 'cause you have to take classes to do it. So, hopefully you understood what I meant by that. But it… it… it's fairly straightforward. Here are the problems, you have assessors that have a lame dunk… lame-duck period from April to January. We see problems after problems after 09600113.doc 76  STATE OF ILLINOIS 96th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 113th Legislative Day 3/16/2010 problems where they spend down their budget and leave nothing for the few months before the new fiscal year…"

"Yes, it would."

"That is correct. All township officers under this Bill would take office at the same time."

"They are not. Assessors and collectors both take office eight months after their collected, allowing for all kinds of things to happen during that eight-month period."

"Thank… thank you, Mr. Chairman. I have one more point and it's actually the most important point. When an assessor fails to do their job because they choose not to, they don't bring on new property for tax purposes. When they don't do that, that hurts every taxing body out there by not doing their job. So, if you want to continue that practice, don't vote for this Bill. If you want to streamline what goes on and… and not allow the problems that go on, please vote for this."

"Thank you very much. This is… this is a great good government vote. This is… this is something that will make a difference, this is something that is great for the people of… of the State of Illinois. And I can show you just stacks and stacks of newspaper articles that come out of just one assessor in… in my district. Maybe the assessors aren't for it, but I will tell you the people are. It's something we need to do. First of all, I also want to let you know that… that assessors in Cook County don't assess property. So… so, this does not… the arguments that we are hearing do not affect the assessors in Cook County because they don't actually assess and in the City of Chicago there actually are no assessors. So, I would ask for your vote. A great good government vote, a 09600113.doc 79  STATE OF ILLINOIS 96th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 113th Legislative Day 3/16/2010 great vote for tightening something that has been wrong for years."

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

"Representative, the original… the underlying Bill and of course that's all we have because you didn't go with the Amendment, but is there opposition to the legislation as presented?"

"Well, what about the Illinois Association of Realtors?"

"Okay. So, the… Amendment #1 was adopted, that removed the opposition of the Realtors Association."

"It did not remove the opposition of Housing Action Illinois and it did not remove the opposition of Chicagoland Apartment Association. Amendment #2, which you 09600113.doc 81  STATE OF ILLINOIS 96th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 113th Legislative Day 3/16/2010 did not choose to attach, was that an effort to remove the rest of the opposition?"

"Okay. So, the significant opponent that was removed by the Amendment that you did adopt was the Association of Realtors, they are now proponents with the Amendment?"

"Okay. And that was adopted. Thank you."