Speaker Lyons: "Good morning, Illinois. Your House of Representatives will come to order. Members are asked to please be at your desks. We shall be led in prayer today by Pastor Mark McConnell, who is with the New Cornerstone Baptist Church in Peoria, Illinois. Pastor McConnell is the guest of Representative Gordon-Booth. Members and guests are asked to please refrain from starting their laptops, turn off all cell phones and pagers, and rise for the invocation and the Pledge of Allegiance. Reverend McConnell."
Reverend McConnell: "Our Father and our God, we come this morning in the most humble way that we know, with our heads bowed and our hearts unto Thee, with thanksgiving in our hearts. We recognize, Dear Lord, that You have been good to all of us. We pray now, Dear God, that You will bless this House of Representatives on today. Give them the wisdom that they need, Dear God, to make great decisions for the people of Illinois. Help them in their deliberations on today. We pray, Dear Lord, that You will bless the Governor as he shares on today, and bless every Member of this House of Representatives. And we pray, Dear God, that Your will will be done in each of their lives and in the life of all those who are part of the State of Illinois. Again, we ask Your presence in this place on today, and we thank You, and we pray this prayer in faith, Amen."
"We'll be led in the prayer today by the Sandys, Cole and Pihos." 09700096.doc 1 STATE OF ILLINOIS 97th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 96th Legislative Day 2/1/2012 Cole and Pihos – et al: "I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all."
"Roll Call for Attendance. Leader Barbara Flynn Turrie… Currie, the Democrats."
"Thank you, Speaker. Please let the record show that Representatives Dan Burke and Brandon Phelps are excused today."
Speaker Lyons: "Thank you, Leader. Leader Mike Bost, Republicans."
"Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Please let the record reflect that Representative Nybo and Watson are excused on the Republican side of the aisle today."
"Thank you, Leader. Mr. Clerk… Mr. Clerk, take the record. There's 114 Members re… responding to the quorum call, we're prepared to do the work of the people of the State of Illinois. Mr. Clerk."
Clerk Bolin: "Committee Reports. Representative Nekritz, Chairperson from the Committee on Judiciary I - Civil Law reports the following committee action taken on January 31, 2012: do pass Short Debate for House Bill 3950. Representative Berrios, Chairperson from the Committee on Consumer Protection reports the following committee action taken on February 01, 2012: do pass Short Debate for House Bill 3935. Representative D'Amico, Chairperson from the Committee on Transportation: Vehicles & Safety reports the following committee action taken on February 01, 2012: do pass Short Debate for House Bill 3948. Introduction of 09700096.doc 2 STATE OF ILLINOIS 97th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 96th Legislative Day 2/1/2012 Resolutions: House Resolution 727, offered by Representative Bellock. House Resolution 728, offered by Representative Bellock. House Resolution 729, offered by Representative Bellock. House Resolution 730, offered by Representative Jones. House Resolution 734, offered by Representative Kelly Burke. House Resolution 735, offered by Representative Durkin. House Resolution 737, offered by Representative Kay. And House Resolution 738, offered by Representative Sosnowski."
"Agreed Resolutions, Mr. Clerk."
Clerk Bolin: "Agreed Resolutions. House Resolution 731, offered by Representative Yarbrough. House Resolution 732, offered by Representative Kelly Burke. House Resolution 733, offered by Representative Kelly Burke. And House Resolution 736, offered by Representative Senger."
"Representative Currie moves for the passage of the Agreed Resolutions. All those in favor signify by saying 'aye'; those opposed say 'no'. In the opinion of the Chair, the 'ayes' have it. And the Agreed Resolutions are passed. Representative Randy Ramey on a point of personal privilege."
"Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Ladies and Gent…"
Speaker Lyons: "Wait a minute, Randy. Shhh. Thank you. Representative Ramey."
"Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I appreciate that. Ladies and Gentlemen, especially on the Republican side of the aisle, we come back to work yesterday and we find out one of our staff members is no longer going to be working with us, and well on her way to better… bigger and better things out in 09700096.doc 3 STATE OF ILLINOIS 97th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 96th Legislative Day 2/1/2012 the public sector. I want to give a personal than… thanks to Kathy Bruns. She certainly made me look good over the years and many of us here in this chamber. So, we wish Kathy the best in her new endeavors."
"Representative Jil Tracy."
"Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today, I would like to make an announcement that we have royalty on the floor of the House. And with that, I would like my page, Adelinn Ippensen, to stand up. She is Miss Quincy's Outstanding Teen for 2011, and her platform was introducing and making her peers more aware of governmental affairs. Thank you."
Speaker Lyons: "Congratulations and welcome to Springfield. Representative Jack Franks, for what purpose do you seek recognition, Sir?"
"A point of personal privilege, if I may, Mr. Speaker."
"Please proceed, Jack."
"Mr. Speaker, I just wanted to give a short report to a hearing that we had on Friday. Last Friday, Representative Harris and I convened a hearing to investigate lax oversight and cronyism that allowed a close friend, a former DCFS Director Erwin McEwen, nearly unsupervised control of more than $18 million in state grants. They were essentially no big contracts. In this large scale abuse was unearthed by a joint report by… by our Inspector General, Ricardo Meza, and the DCFS Inspector General, Denise Kane. Let me tell you, the sheer magnitude of these abuses that were uncovered were simply breathtaking. What the Inspector General found was ghost employees, and forged signatures, to excess billing for administrative costs, and 09700096.doc 4 STATE OF ILLINOIS 97th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 96th Legislative Day 2/1/2012 the administration of psychotropic drugs for DCFS wards without consent. And the finding painted a troubling picture of inadequate oversight and failure to monitor grant contracts across several state agencies with DCFS being the worst offender. Now, after receiving this scathing report detailing widespread negligence under McEwen's leadership, Governor Quinn waited approximately four months before finally accepting the director's resignation under the guise of business as usual. Now, during the Inspector General invest… investigation, Director McEwen refused to cooperate even though as a state employee he was legally required to do so. And Governor Quinn agreed with the report findings that detailed extensive fraud with DCFS, and was aware of McEwen's lack of cooperation; however, McEwen was not fired. Instead, he was given a delayed, triumphant sendoff. On August 25, four months after the Governor received the Inspector General's report and agreed with it, the Governor put out a press release announcing McEwen's departure, heralding him as a national leader. And the press release, Ladies and Gentlemen, is still on DCFS's website. Now, despite that misdirection in reality, the Governor had asked for McEwen's resignation instead of terminating him, after allowing him to continue collecting paychecks for months following the report's arrival. And here's the interesting part, without… one more minute. Without a middle level DCFS employee having been disciplined with a five-day suspension, we never would've known about this because the report would not have been made public. So, I asked at the 09700096.doc 5 STATE OF ILLINOIS 97th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 96th Legislative Day 2/1/2012 hearing, I ask it today, isn't it possible to be honest with the Illinois's citi… with Illinois's citizens without violating the Ethics Act. I want to know why the Governor didn't tell the public the truth. I don't know why the Governor didn't tell the General Assembly the truth. And I want to know why the Governor tried to sweep under the rug, corruption in his administration. Right now, the Attorney General is fighting to recover moneys and this has also been turned over to federal authorities. Representative Harris and I would be happy to answer any questions later, if you'd like to see us privately to tell you about what happened at these hearings. So, thank you."
"Representative Monique Davis, for what purpose do you seek recognition, Ma'am?" Davis, M.: "I rise to a point of personal privilege, Mr. Speaker."
"Please proceed, Monique." Davis, M.: "You know, we don’t get lunch or dinner breaks in the Illinois General Assembly. We work straight through. But there are some people in the building who really assist us in nourishing our bodies when we cannot hold out any longer. One of them is having a birthday today. One very diligent Page and assistant, Miss Carmella Crawford. Happy birthday, Carmella."
"Happy birthday, Carm. Ladies and Gentlemen, for anybody within the sound of my voice, we just want to inform you that Room 114 and Room 115 will have closed- captioned, will have television for the State of the State address. So, I'm repeating to all who hear this, that are 09700096.doc 6 STATE OF ILLINOIS 97th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 96th Legislative Day 2/1/2012 trying to get some place to watch this as well as hear it, there will be televisions available in Room 114 and 115, and both rooms have been posted. Representative Mary Flowers, for what purpose do you…"
"Thank you."
"…seek recognition, Ma'am."
"Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to acknowledge that this is the first day of Black History Month. And this is the month where we acknowledge all of the African- American people that have gone before us and made it possible that we could be where we are today. And today, I would like to bring to your attention a book called From Slave to State Legislator. His name is John W. E. Thomas. He was Illinois's first African… African-American lawmaker. And I would like to let the Body know that every day we will be announcing someone more innovative. Thank you."
"Which is the tradition of Black History Month, Mary; we all look forward to it. Thank you. The real Speaker's in the Chair."
"The House shall come to order. The House shall come to order. The regular Session will stand in recess. The Doorkeeper is recognized for an announcement."
Doorkeeper Crawford: "Mr. Speaker, the Honorable President Cullerton, and the Members of the Senate are at the door and seek admission to the chamber."
"Mr. Doorkeeper, please admit the Honorable Senators. As designated in House Joint Resolution #55, the hour of 12 noon having arrived, the Joint Session of the 97th General Assembly will now come to order. Will the 09700096.doc 7 STATE OF ILLINOIS 97th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 96th Legislative Day 2/1/2012 Members of the House and our guests from the Senate please take their seats. Mr. Quorum… Mr. Clerk, is there a quorum of the House present?"
"A quorum of the House is present."
"Mr. President, is a quorum of the Senate present in this chamber?"
"Thank you, Mr. Speaker. A quorum in the Senate is present."
"There being a quorum of the House and a quorum of the Senate in attendance, this Joint Session is convened. The Chair would like to recognize the attendance of certain dignitaries that have joined us today. Let's begin with the Lieutenant Governor of the State of Illinois, Sheila Simon. The Attorney General, Lisa Madigan. The Secretary of State, Jesse White. The Comptroller, Judy Baar Topinka. The Treasurer, Dan Rutherford. The Auditor General, Bill Holland. And the Superintendent of Education, Chris Koch. The Governor will be accompanied by his Chief Advisors: Jack Lavin, the Chief of Staff; Jerry Stermer, Senior Advisor; and Gary Hannig, Legislative Director to the Governor. The Chair recognizes the House Majority Leader, Representative Currie."
"Thank you, Speaker. I move for the adoption of Joint Session Resolution 2."
"Mr. Clerk, read Joint Session Resolution #2."
"Joint Session Resolution #2. RESOLVED, That a committee of ten be appointed, five from the House, by the Speaker of the House, and five from the Senate, by the President of the Senate, to wait upon The 09700096.doc 8 STATE OF ILLINOIS 97th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 96th Legislative Day 2/1/2012 Honorable Governor of the State of Illinois and invite him to address the Joint Assembly. Representative Sara Feigenholtz Representative Derrick Smith Representative Jerry Costello Representative Donald Moffitt Representative Sidney Mathias Senator Jeffrey Schoenberg Senator Edward Maloney Senator Annazette Collins Senator Larry Bomke Senator John Millner
Speaker Madigan: "Representative Currie has moved for the adoption of the Resolution. Those in favor say 'aye'; those opposed say 'no'. In the opinion of the Chair, the 'ayes' have it. And the Resolution is adopted. Pursuant to the Resolution, the following are appointed as a committee to escort the Governor. The appointments from the House are: Representative Feigenholtz, Derrick Smith, Jerry Costello, Don Moffitt and Sidney Mathias."
"The appointments from the Senate are: Senator Jeffrey Schoenberg, Senator Edward Maloney, Senator Annazette Collins, Senator Larry Bomke and Senator John Millner."
"Will the Committee of Escort please convene at the rear of the chamber and await his Excellency, the Governor. Again, will the Committee of Escort please convene at the rear of the chamber. The Doorkeeper is recognized for an announcement." 09700096.doc 9 STATE OF ILLINOIS 97th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 96th Legislative Day 2/1/2012
"Mr. Speaker, the Honorable Governor of the State of Illinois, Patrick J. Quinn and his party wish to be admitted to this chamber."
"Mr. Doorkeeper, admit the Honorable Governor. Ladies and Gentlemen, please take your seats. Please be seated. Mr. Governor."
"Thank you. Well, President Cullerton, and Speaker Madigan, Leaders Radogno and Cross, Attorney General Madigan, Secretary White, Comptroller Topinka, Treasurer Rutherford, Members of our General Assembly, our distinguished guests and fellow citizens of Illinois, I’m here today to report to you on the state of our state. But before I begin, I know I speak for all of Illinois in wishing our Senator Mark Kirk a speedy recovery. We’re all pulling for you, Mark. And I know I speak for all of Illinois and all of America in thanking our service members in every branch of service who have volunteered to protect our democracy. We’re here today because of… of everything that our service members have done for us. And we're especially proud of our service members in the Illinois National Guard. In the early morning last December 18, a convoy of the Illinois National Guard’s 1644th transportation company, led by their commander Captain Michael Barton, crossed the desert of Southern Iraq into Kuwait. Their unit had made 73 dangerous convoy trips between Kuwait and Iraq. They drove nearly 4 million miles. Their convoy was one of the very last to leave Iraq. The war was over. And today, Captain Barton’s wife Kelli, and their daughter Myleigh are with us. And on behalf of a 09700096.doc 10 STATE OF ILLINOIS 97th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 96th Legislative Day 2/1/2012 grateful nation and a grateful state, thank you, Kelli; thank you, Myleigh; thank you, Captain Barton; and thank you, service members of the Illinois National Guard. You're our heroes. I’m very proud to be the Commander in Chief of the Illinois National Guard, and I’m proud to be Governor of our state, Illinois. It was almost exactly three years ago to this very day that I took the oath of office at this podium during one of the darkest moments in Illinois history. One former Governor was in jail; another was under arrest, impeached and removed from office. Both my predecessors had disgraced themselves and brought profound embarrassment to the people of our state. And at the same time, our nation was in the throes of a massive economic crisis caused by disgraceful conduct and greed on Wall Street. Our large and small businesses in Illinois were reeling. Our automakers were in dire straits. And across Illinois, families were losing their jobs, losing their homes, and watching their savings disappear. We were off course and adrift, lacking leadership, and weighed down by a culture of corruption. On the day I became Governor three years ago, I promised to restore integrity to Illinois government and we have. Through tough new ethics laws, campaign finance reform, and establishing the ability to recall a corrupt Governor, we have made Illinois a more ethical state, but we didn’t stop there. By legalizing civil unions, by raising the standard of care in nursing homes, by abolishing the death penalty and by protecting the funerals of our military men and women who gave their last full measure of devotion to our 09700096.doc 11 STATE OF ILLINOIS 97th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 96th Legislative Day 2/1/2012 de… democracy, we have made Illinois a better state. And all the while, we've never forgotten that we have to help everyday people by building and growing Illinois. We've invested in our state, making it a better place to do business. And we've invested in the people of Illinois, helping our working families and improving education. The results are in from major export growth and the largest public works construction program in state history to solid gains in education. We’re back on course and Illinois is moving forward. We all know that the economic storm is far from over. While we have downsized Illinois State Government more than ever before, we continue to face very difficult decisions to restore financial stability to our state. Suffice it to say, we must have Medicaid reform and public pension reform in the coming year. We must have. We took the first step in 2010 on public pension reform when we enacted landmark changes that will save taxpayers billions of dollars, but there’s much more to do. Fixing the pension problem will not be easy, but we have no choice. We must do it together in a way that's meaningful, constitutional, and fair to the employees who have faithfully contributed to the system. That’s why I’ve assembled a pension working group to propose a solution that can be enacted this year. I'll have more to say about these serious matters during my budget address three weeks from today. But we must always remember that strong economic growth is essential to resolving our financial challenges. Cuts alone will not get us to a better budget. We must build and grow our Illinois economy like never 09700096.doc 12 STATE OF ILLINOIS 97th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 96th Legislative Day 2/1/2012 before to keep Illinois moving forward. In the past three years… in the past three years, we’ve worked together to strengthen our economy and make Illinois a better place to do business. We’ve reformed our workers’ compensation system. The reforms we put in place will protect the safety of our workers and save Illinois businesses at least a half billion dollars every year. We’ve also reformed our unemployment insurance system. We’ve preserved benefits for unemployed workers while saving businesses $400 million. We’ve cut red tape for employers that need environmental permits. And we’ve worked with our union partners to overhaul workplace rules at McCormick Place to lower the cost of conventions. Already, new conventions are picking Illinois and putting our people to work. And each of these landmark reforms shows the power of bringing everyone to the table to repair broken systems. That’s moving forward. But we’ve just begun. We've not just made Illinois a better place to do business, we’ve also invested in our public works, our highways, our bridges, our railroads, our schools, to make Illinois stronger. We’ve created good-paying jobs while laying the foundation for future growth. Thanks to our Illinois Jobs Now! plan, Illinois has the largest capital construction program in our history. And over the past three years, we've been building, repairing, and modernizing. Every day, you see the fruits of our labor, all across Illinois. We've improved 5,948 miles of highways and 842 bridges. In southern Illinois, we’re building new lanes on Route 13. In Rockford, we’re building a new Morgan Street Bridge. 09700096.doc 13 STATE OF ILLINOIS 97th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 96th Legislative Day 2/1/2012 And in East Peoria, we’re building Technology Boulevard. We’ve also built and renovated more than 400 schools from Western Illinois University’s new riverfront campus in Moline to the new Transportation Education Center at SIU in Carbondale; from the repurposed Cole Hall at Northern Illinois University in DeKalb to the new electrical and computer engineering building at the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign. We’ve invested in more than 40 public transportation projects. We’re working with Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel to rebuild the CTA’s Red Line. We’re working with Rockford Mayor Larry Morrissey to build new passenger rail from Chicago to Rockford. We’re working with elected officials in the South Suburbs and in Will County to build a new airport. And we’re building high-speed rail from Chicago to St. Louis and a new bridge across the Mississippi River. All of these projects and many, many more have created thousands of jobs. I want to say thank you to the men and women of Illinois who are doing this hard work. Here in Illinois, unlike other states in the Midwest, we believe in the right of working people to organize. The hard work of our men and women is why Illinois is moving forward and speaking of hard work, I would like to salute our Secretary of State Jesse White. For the first time in history, we kept fatalities on the Illinois's highways below 1 thousand for three consecutive years. Thank you, Secretary White. There's a passage in scripture, if you save one life, you save the whole world. And I want to thank Secretary White for his commitment to highway safety and to saving lives. We all know that 09700096.doc 14 STATE OF ILLINOIS 97th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 96th Legislative Day 2/1/2012 automobiles are essential to life in Illinois and to the success of our economy. Our automakers and their suppliers are thriving today because State Government rose to the occasion and helped meet their needs. Three years ago, the Ford plant on the south side of Chicago had one shift. In 2010, Ford added a second shift, and now they have started to hire for a third shift. Thank you, Ford. Tomorrow I’m traveling to the Chrysler plant in Belvidere to announce the creation of hundreds of new jobs to manufacture the new, 21st century Dodge Dart. Thank you, Chrysler. The reason that Ford and Chrysler are creating new jobs right here is because of our skilled workforce. Illinois is not only the land of skilled workers, it's also the land of creative entrepreneurs. People like Karrie Gibson and her company, Vintage Tech Recyclers in Romeoville. Our investment helped Karrie grow her recycling technology business from 1 person to 77 employees. Thank you, Karrie Gibson. Illinois is also a land of technology. We’re in the process of laying 4,100 miles of new broadband fiber optic cable to light up 5,000 of our schools, our libraries, our businesses, and our hospitals with a world class information network. We started Illinois’s first venture fund to encourage investors to jump in to these cutting edge technologies. We’ve renewed our Research and Development Tax Credit, which helps businesses bring new ideas to market. And our Innovation Council launched an Open Data Initiative which has made more than 5,200 Illinois data sets available online. We’re going to lead the nation in putting more public data online, in one 09700096.doc 15 STATE OF ILLINOIS 97th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 96th Legislative Day 2/1/2012 place, from communities and universities all across our state. Already, young innovators like Touré McClusky and Elizabeth Park have designed smart phone apps using our data to help everyday people, and both of them are here today. I want to thank Touré, and thank you, Elizabeth, for your innovation and your creativity. Please stand up. We’re going to continue to think big in Illinois. Today, I’m announcing a $2.3 million investment in 1871. That's a new technology center at the Merchandise Mart in Chicago to foster and launch digital start-ups. Today, I’m also announcing a $6 million statewide competition to build ultra high speed broadband in neighborhoods all across Illinois. Through this challenge, we want our neighborhoods to become Gigabit communities with Internet connections more than 100 times faster than today. Our goal is to build smart communities that will foster the job engines of the future. Illinois's already a leader in green technology. We lead the nation in operating wind turbines with 404 and we're still growing. We believe in wind. We're also working with Argonne National Laboratory, the University of Illinois, the University of Chicago, and Northwestern University to develop the next generation of energy efficient batteries. And even as we’ve fostered innovation and the industries of the future, we’ve also increased export opportunities for Illinois businesses to move their goods into new global markets. The Illinois economy is the 18th largest in the world, and our state has tremendous potential to grow a whole lot more. And we've aggressively pursued export opportunities from our mighty 09700096.doc 16 STATE OF ILLINOIS 97th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 96th Legislative Day 2/1/2012 agriculture to our mighty manufacturing. A quarter of our soybean crop is sold to just one country, China. Illinois farmers are feeding China’s new middle class. Thank you, agriculture, and thank you, Illinois's farmers. Our manufacturers, like John Deere in the Quad Cities and Caterpillar in Peoria, had outstanding years last year. Caterpillar’s increase in sales and revenue last year was record-breaking, the largest percentage increase in the last 64 years. And a lot of it was driven by foreign demand for Caterpillar products made by Illinois workers. Well, we ought to thank Caterpillar and thank those workers. Thank you. More exports to more foreign markets means more jobs for more Illinois workers. Our exports have jumped 30 percent this year, almost double the national average. And today, to strengthen that growth, we're announcing an Export Advisory Council made up of private sector leaders and chaired by Navistar CEO, Dan Ustian. This Council will help us reach our goal of doubling our exports by 2014. Navistar has recently added more than 500 new jobs and it employed more than 2 thousand union construction workers to renovate its new corporate headquarters in Lisle, Illinos. And since 2010, employers like Navistar have helped add almost 100 thousand jobs to our economy. Illinois businesses have created almost 20 thousand manufacturing jobs during this time. U.S. News & World Report placed Illinois in the top 5 'business friendly' states that are gaining business. That's good. CareerBuilder has ranked Illinois as one of the top 10 states to find a job. And last year, Money Magazine rated 09700096.doc 17 STATE OF ILLINOIS 97th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 96th Legislative Day 2/1/2012 Illinois as the top state for making a living. Now that's moving forward. That's good. We want to keep that going. And definitely, in this age of big bureaucracy, and big corporations, and big money, we can’t overlook the millions of Illinois consumers who need advocates to look out for them. And I want to thank Attorney General Lisa Madigan for joining me in our never-ending battle to protect Illinois consumers. Thank you, Lisa. I think we all believe in fighting for them. And I want to thank Attorney General Lisa Madigan for joining me in our never ending battle to protect Illinois consumers. Thank you, Lisa. I think we all believe in fighting for the moms and dads and children of Illinois and that’s why, for the first time in a decade, we significantly increased tax relief for working families. Thank you, Barbara Flynn Currie. Thank you, Representative John Bradley. Thank you, David Harris. And thank you, Senator Toi Hutchinson. You helped get the job done with your colleagues. By doubling the value of the Illinois Earned Income Tax Credit and improving the personal exemption, we are providing targeted tax relief to a million working families and their children. People like Rhonda Jones. Rhonda is a single mom who is raising five children on the south side of Chicago. She works as a public high school counselor for a modest salary. She knows what it’s like to live from paycheck to paycheck. Year after year, the federal and state Earned Income Tax Credit has been her saving grace. She uses that extra money to help pay bills and support her kids through school. Three of her children are now in college, and two more are 09700096.doc 18 STATE OF ILLINOIS 97th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 96th Legislative Day 2/1/2012 on the way. Thank you, Rhonda. Thank you for being a great person. From the moment I took office, my goal has been to advance education for everyone. That's why we passed landmark education laws that are a model for the entire nation. Laws that improve school report cards so that parents have more information about the schools that educate their kids. Laws that set clear benchmarks for teacher evaluation and put performance above tenure. And laws that lay the groundwork for a longer school day and a longer school year. Our education reforms put the children of Illinois first. That’s moving forward. And I want to thank Senator Kim Lightford and Representative Linda Chapa LaVia, and many, many more who helped lead this effort. We also took a big step forward by passing the Illinois DREAM Act to help high school graduates from immigrant families. In the years to come, more kids will go to college. More kids will chase their dreams. More kids will grow up to be Illinois residents who work hard and contribute to society because of the DREAM Act. I think it's very important that we understand that we all have a stake in the future of Illinois. Indeed, we are custodians of that future, and we owe it to the next generation to continue our progress of the past three years. To create jobs and grow our economy, we must continue to invest in Illinois and help everyday people. And with this in mind, I am proposing the Illinois Jobs Agenda for 2012 so that we can build and grow our economy today and tomorrow. The Illinois Jobs Agenda includes three targeted tax cuts that will help build and grow our economy by helping our employers, and helping our 09700096.doc 19 STATE OF ILLINOIS 97th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 96th Legislative Day 2/1/2012 working families, and helping our veterans. First, I propose that we permanently abolish the natural gas utility tax in Illinois. This is a tax that's unfair, it's regressive. It's not based on the ability to pay. And regardless of income or whether or not you’re making a profit, you pay this tax. By abolishing it altogether, we can provide targeted tax relief to both consumers and businesses. The elimination of this tax will save money for our households and cut costs for our employers all across Illinois. Illinois will be the only state in the Midwest without a natural gas utility tax on manufacturers, on retailers and on everyday families. In addition, we need to establish a Child Tax Credit in Illinois for parents raising children. There’s no more important mission in life than raising a child. Investing in our families is good for Illinois. And the Illinois Child Tax Credit will provide $100 of direct tax relief every year to the typical family of four. This targeted tax relief will stimulate consumer demand, which is 70 percent of our economy and it will create jobs for our local merchants. And finally, we must adopt a tax credit that helps our veterans find employment. Unemployment for young returning veterans in our country is 30 percent. That’s shameful. Our military men and women are heroes who have served our country and they deserve our everlasting gratitude. Veterans are committed, disciplined, and experienced. They know leadership, and how to accomplish a mission. We need these heroes in our workplaces. So today, I'm proposing a Hiring Veterans Tax Credit. We will provide a significant 09700096.doc 20 STATE OF ILLINOIS 97th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 96th Legislative Day 2/1/2012 tax credit for every unemployed veteran of Iraq and Afghanistan that a company hires. This tax credit will help businesses create jobs and it will give those jobs to veterans who have sacrificed so much in serving our state and serving our country. The Illinois Jobs Agenda will also move our state forward by investing in education. The best economic tool a state can have is a strong, innovative education system. Jobs follow brainpower. And so I want to thank our Lieutenant Governor, Sheila Simon, for doing an outstanding job on her community colleges report. She visited all of Illinois’s 48 community colleges, She has proposed many, many re… good reforms that need to be implemented this year. And Sheila and I have a mission; by 2025, we want at least 60 percent of adults in our state to have a college degree, an associate degree or a career certificate. Right now, we’re at 43 percent. That's better than the national average, but it's not good enough. If we want 60 percent of Illinois adults to have a meaningful career certificate or a degree by 2025, we must invest in our students from birth to higher ed., and that starts with investing more dollars in Early Childhood Education. Learning begins at birth, and those first years of a child’s life are the most important. Our youngest and our most vulnerable citizens need our strongest support. Research has shown that without an early childhood learning foundation, children fall behind in school. Illinois, we can’t leave our youngest behind. And that’s why I’m calling for a major investment in early childhood education this year. We've got to do it. Last week, our President, 09700096.doc 21 STATE OF ILLINOIS 97th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 96th Legislative Day 2/1/2012 President Obama called for states to raise the minimum attendance age of students in school to 18. President Obama, we hear you in Illinois. We know how important it is to do everything possible to keep our kids in school to earn that diploma. And that’s why we must answer the President’s call. We must raise the minimum school attendance age to 18, and we must work together this Session to do it. We can do it. Now, at… now, at a time when student loan debt in our country is more than credit card debt, too many disturb… deserving students don’t have access to higher education. And while nearly 150 thousand Illinois students received state MAP scholarships last year to attend college, just as many qualified applicants were denied because of lack of funding. So today, I ask the members of the General Assembly to invest in our students. I urge you to act in the coming year to make a significant investment in more state MAP scholarships to help our bright young students attend college. We cannot leave our high school graduates unprepared to compete for the jobs in the future. And our students won’t be prepared for college or 21st century jobs if we don’t educate them in 21st century school buildings. So I call today for a major investment in our classrooms. This investment will create jobs now and upgrade our classrooms with modern labs, smart technology, digital books, high-speed Internet access, and 21st century efficiency. These investments in our students will keep Illinois moving forward. The Illinois… the Illinois Jobs Agenda for this year includes a commitment to affordable housing, which is vital to our economic 09700096.doc 22 STATE OF ILLINOIS 97th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 96th Legislative Day 2/1/2012 recovery. While we’ve helped thousands of families stay in their homes and find affordable housing, we must do more. So today, we’re launching the Illinois Foreclosure Prevention Network to connect struggling homeowners with every resource available, from counseling to legal assistance, to mortgage relief. In the coming week, I’ll join with Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle to announce a major housing initiative that will help return vacant properties to good use. That will move us forward. Finally, we have to move forward on clean water. Clean water is the lifeblood of our people and our communities. Illinois is blessed with abundant water from Lake Michigan, to the Illinois River, to the Mighty Mississippi, but many Illinois residents are living with aging water mains that are nearly 100 years old and scores of wastewater treatment facilities are in dire need of repair. The Illinois Jobs Agenda for 2012 will put thousands of people to work replacing broken water mains, building treatment plants, upgrading sewers, and cleaning up environmental threats. We're going to be working with mayors from Chicago and the suburbs to every part of downstate. We're going to invest in our Clean Water Initiative. We believe in clean water. It's very important that we understand that we work together for something as important as clean water. Now, Members of the General Assembly, the Illinois Jobs Agenda is a comprehensive jobs initiative for the people of our state. To create jobs and grow the economy, we must enact targeted tax relief for Illinois employers, for Illinois families, and for our veterans. We must invest in college 09700096.doc 23 STATE OF ILLINOIS 97th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 96th Legislative Day 2/1/2012 scholarships, in early childhood education, and 21st century schools. We must invest in affordable housing for our residents and clean water for our communities. And I look forward to working with you to find the proper funding to meet these urgent needs. By investing in Illinois and investing in our people, we are building and growing our economy. We are moving Illinois forward. Now, I know that no reform is easy. Reforming our Medicaid and reforming our public pension systems will require political courage. By the same token, no major investment is easy. Moving forward on the vision that I've laid out today will require true partnership. We have real challenges to tackle. And like all of you, I recognize the severity of our financial situation, but cuts alone will not resolve this situation. We must build and grow our economy. Now is not the time to pull back, to abandon our children, to abandon our parents, and to abandon the unemployed among us. Their will… well- being is our common cause. And our commitment to them requires that we join as partners to invest in our state and invest in our people. I'm proud of what we've accomplished together over these last three years. Abraham Lincoln once said, 'I like to see a man proud of the place in which he lives'. Abraham Lincoln said, 'I like to see a man live so that his place will be proud of him.' So, after three years of hard work and tough decisions, Illinois is back on course. Illinois is moving forward. And Illinois is a place that we can be proud to claim as our own. I look forward to working with you in the coming year to make the people of Illinois even prouder of our 09700096.doc 24 STATE OF ILLINOIS 97th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 96th Legislative Day 2/1/2012 state. Together, we can make the will of the people the law of the land. Thank you very much."
"Will the Committee of Escort please come forward to escort the Governor from the chamber? The President of the Senate is recognized for a Motion."
"Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I move that the Joint Session do now arise."
"The President of the Senate has moved that the Joint Session do now arise. Those is favor say 'aye'; those opposed say 'no'. The 'ayes' have it. And the Joint Session will now arise. The regular Session will come to order."
"Representative Joe Lyons in the Chair. And now, seeing no further business to come before the Illinois House of Representatives, Leader Barbara Flynn Currie moves that the House stand adjourned 'til the hour of 1 p.m. on Tuesday, February 7. All those in favor signify by saying 'aye'; those opposed say 'no'. In the opinion of the Chair, the 'ayes' have it. And allowing perfunctory time for the Clerk, the House stands adjourned 'til the hour of 1 p.m. on Tuesday, February 7. Have a safe trip home and a great weekend. See you Tuesday."
"House Perfunctory Session will come to order. Introduction and First Reading of Bills. House Bill 4545, offered by Representative Cassidy, a Bill for an Act concerning local government. House Bill 4546, offered by Representative Phelps, a Bill for an Act concerning safety. House Bill 4547, offered by Representative Phelps, a Bill for an Act concerning government. House Bill 4548, offered 09700096.doc 25 STATE OF ILLINOIS 97th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 96th Legislative Day 2/1/2012 by Representative Bellock, a Bill for an Act concerning public health. House Bill 4549, offered by Representative Chapa LaVia, a Bill for an Act concerning education. House Bill 4550, offered by Representative Chapa LaVia, a Bill for an Act concerning education. House Bill 4551, offered by Representative Chapa LaVia, a Bill for an Act concerning education. House Bill 4552, offered by Representative Chapa LaVia, a Bill for an Act concerning education. House Bill 4553, offered by Representative… Representative Chapa LaVia, a Bill for an Act concerning education. House Bill 4554, offered by Representative Chapa LaVia, a Bill for an Act concerning education. House Bill 4555, offered by Representative Chapa LaVia, a Bill for an Act concerning education. House Bill 4556, offered by Representative Chapa LaVia, a Bill for an Act concerning education. House Bill 4557, offered by Representative Chapa LaVia, a Bill for an Act concerning education. House Bill 4558, offered by Representative Chapa LaVia, a Bill for an Act concerning education. House Bill 4559, offered by Representative Thapedi, a Bill for an Act concerning regulation. House Bill 4560, offered by Representative Thapedi, a Bill for an Act concerning civil law. House Bill 4561, offered by Representative Mell, a Bill for an Act concerning vehicles. House Bill 4562, offered by Representative Riley, a Bill for an Act concerning local government. House Bill 4563, offered by Representative Riley, a Bill for an Act concerning State government. House Bill 4564, offered by Representative Feigenholtz, a Bill for an Act concerning local government. House Bill 4565, offered by 09700096.doc 26 STATE OF ILLINOIS 97th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 96th Legislative Day 2/1/2012 Representative Lang, a Bill for an Act concerning safety. House Bill 4566, offered by Representative Brauer, a Bill for an Act concerning children. House Bill 4567, offered by Representative Brauer, a Bill for an Act concerning State government. House Bill 4568, offered by Representative Bradley, a Bill for an Act concerning finance. House Bill 4569, offered by Representative Lang, a Bill for an Act concerning State government. House Bill 4570, offered by Representative Lang, a Bill for an Act concerning finance. House Bill 4571, offered by Representative Lang, a Bill for an Act concerning local government. House Bill 4572, offered by Representative Phelps, a Bill for an Act concerning State government. House Bill 4573, offered by Representative Phelps, a Bill for an Act concerning regulation. House Bill 4574, offered by Representative Osmond, a Bill for an Act concerning insurance. House Bill 4575, offered by Representative Costello, a Bill for an Act concerning revenue. House Bill 4576, offered by Representative Moffitt, a Bill for an Act concerning inter-mutual… or, excuse me, interstate mutual emergency aid. House Bill 4577, offered by Representative Moffitt, a Bill for an Act concerning transportation. House Bill 4578, offered by Representative Moffitt, a Bill for an Act concerning local government. House Bill 4579, offered by Representative Moffitt, a Bill for an Act concerning State government. House Bill 4580, offered by Representative Moffitt, a Bill for an Act concerning local government. House Bill 4581, offered by Representative Moffitt, a Bill for an Act concerning transportation. 09700096.doc 27 STATE OF ILLINOIS 97th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 96th Legislative Day 2/1/2012 House Bill 4582, offered by Representative Moffitt, a Bill for an Act concerning regulation. House Bill 4583, offered by Representative Moffitt, a Bill for an Act concerning transportation. House Bill 4584, offered by Representative Moffitt, a Bill for an Act concerning transportation. House Bill 4585, offered by Representative Will Davis, a Bill for an Act concerning public aid. House Bill 4586, offered by Representative Will Davis, a Bill for an Act concerning conservation. House Bill 4587, offered by Representative Zalewski, a Bill for an Act concerning revenue. House Bill 4588, offered by Representative Cunningham, a Bill for an Act concerning business practices. House Bill 4589, offered by Representative Osmond, a Bill for an Act concerning State government. House Bill 4590, offered by Representative Cunningham, a Bill for an Act concerning corrections. House Bill 4591, offered by Representative Osmond, a Bill for an Act concerning business. House Bill 4592, offered by Representative Cunningham, a Bill for an Act concerning government. House Bill 4593, offered by Representative Bellock, a… a Bill for an Act concerning public health. House Bill 4594, offered by Representative Cunningham, a Bill for an Act concerning State government. House Bill 4595, offered by Representative Cunningham, a Bill for an Act concerning public employee benefits. House Bill 4596, offered by Representative Durkin, a Bill for an Act concerning government. House Bill 4597, offered by Representative Sacia, a Bill for an Act concerning transportation. House Bill 4598, offered by Representative 09700096.doc 28 STATE OF ILLINOIS 97th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 96th Legislative Day 2/1/2012 Verschoore, a Bill for an Act concerning transportation. House Bill 4599, offered by Representative David Harris, a Bill for an Act concerning finance. House Bill 4600, offered by Representative Lyons, a Bill for an Act concerning local government. House Bill 4601, offered by Representative Dugan, a Bill for an Act concerning government. House Bill 4602, offered by Representative Kelly Burke, a Bill for an Act concerning education. House Bill 4603, offered by Representative Jakobsson, a Bill for an Act concerning business. House Bill 4604, offered by Representative Mayfield, a Bill for an Act concerning local government. House Bill 4605, offered by Representative Colvin, a Bill for an Act concerning criminal law. House Bill 4606, offered by Representative May, a Bill for an Act concerning regulation. House Bill 4607, offered by Representative Cole, a Bill for an Act concerning public employee benefits. House Bill 4608, offered by Representative Franks, a Bill for an Act concerning revenue. House Bill 4609, offered by Representative Lilly, a Bill for… a Bill for an Act concerning State government. House Bill 4610, offered by Representative Durkin, a Bill for an Act concerning criminal law. House Bill 4611, offered by Representative Lilly, a Bill for an Act concerning corrections. House Bill 4612, offered by Representative Lilly, a Bill for an Act concerning corrections. House Bill 4613, offered by Representative Tracy, a Bill for an Act concerning employment. House Bill 4614, offered by Representative Tracy, a Bill for an Act concerning employment. House Bill 4615, offered by 09700096.doc 29 STATE OF ILLINOIS 97th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 96th Legislative Day 2/1/2012 Representative Lilly, a Bill for an Act concerning housing. House Bill 4616, offered by Representative Lilly, a Bill for an Act concerning education. House Bill 4617, offered by Representative Hernandez, a Bill for an Act concerning employment. House Bill 4618, offered by Representative Hernandez, a Bill for an Act concerning employment. House Bill 4619, offered by Representative Connelly, a Bill for an Act concerning courts. House Bill 4620, offered by Representative Gabel, a Bill for an Act concerning public aid. House Bill 4621, offered by Representative Chapa LaVia, a Bill for an Act concerning education. House Bill 4622, offered by Representative Nekritz, a Bill for an Act concerning public employee benefits. House Bill 4623, offered by Representative Bellock, a Bill for an Act concerning health. House Bill 4624, offered by Representative Berrios, a Bill for an Act concerning elections. House Bill 4625, offered by Representative Ford, a Bill for an Act concerning business. House Bill 4626, offered by Representative Biss, a Bill for an Act concerning State government. House Bill 4627, offered by Representative Biss, a Bill for an Act concerning State government. House Bill 4628, offered by Representative Biss, a Bill for an Act concerning public employee benefits. House Bill 4629, offered by Representative Biss, a Bill for an Act concerning public employee benefits. House Bill 4630, offered by Representative Biss, a Bill for an Act concerning public employee benefits. House Bill 4631, offered by Representative Biss, a Bill for an Act concerning public employee benefits. House Bill 4632, 09700096.doc 30 STATE OF ILLINOIS 97th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 96th Legislative Day 2/1/2012 offered by Representative Senger, a Bill for an Act concerning local government. House Bill 4633, offered by Representative Biss, a Bill for an Act concerning regulation. House Bill 4634, offered by Representative Rita, a Bill for an Act concerning regulation. House Bill 4635, offered by Representative Lilly, a Bill for an Act concerning public aid. House Bill 4636, offered by Representative McAsey, a Bill for an Act concerning criminal law. House Bill 4637, offered by Representative McAsey, a Bill for an Act concerning criminal law. House Bill 4638, offered by Representative McAsey, a Bill for an Act concerning safety. House Bill 4639, offered by Representative Senger, a Bill for an Act concerning revenue. House Bill 46… correction, House Bill 4640, offered by Representative Senger, a Bill for an Act concerning criminal law. House Bill 4641, offered by Representative Senger, a Bill for an Act concerning civil law. House Bill 4642, offered by Representative Senger, a Bill for an Act concerning criminal law. House Bill 4643, offered by Representative Senger, a Bill for an Act concerning local government. House Bill 4644, offered by Representative Senger, a Bill for an Act concerning education. House Bill 4645, offered by Representative Senger, a Bill for an Act concerning State government. House Bill 4646, offered by Representative Sosnowski, a Bill for an Act concerning public employee benefits. House Bill 4647, offered by Representative Hatcher, a Bill for an Act concerning employment. House Bill 4648, offered by Representative Hatcher, a Bill for an Act concerning 09700096.doc 31 STATE OF ILLINOIS 97th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 96th Legislative Day 2/1/2012 elections. House Bill 4649, offered by Representative Hatcher, a Bill for an Act concerning local government. House Bill 4650, offered by Representative Brady, a Bill for an Act concerning elections. House Bill 4651, offered by Representative Brady, a Bill for an Act concerning elections. House Bill 4652, offered by Representative Cavaletto, a Bill for an Act concerning family law. House Bill 4653, offered by Representative Cavaletto, a Bill for an Act concerning public aid. House Bill 4654, offered by Representative Cavaletto, a Bill for an Act concerning assumed business names. House Bill 4655, offered by Representative Cavaletto, a Bill for an Act concerning minors. House Bill 4656, offered by Representative Cavaletto, a Bill for an Act concerning criminal law. House Bill 4657, offered by Representative Cavaletto, a Bill for an Act concerning criminal law. House Bill 4658, offered by Representative Cavaletto, a Bill for an Act concerning public employee benefits. House Bill 4659, offered by Representative Dunkin, a Bill for an Act concerning transportation. House Bill 4660, offered by Representative Tryon, a Bill for an Act concerning transportation. House Bill 4661, offered by Representative Cassidy, a Bill for an Act concerning safety. This is First Reading of House and Joint Resolution Constitutional… Constitutional Amendment #32, offered by Representative Brauer. RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-SEVENTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, THE SENATE CONCURRING HEREIN, that there shall be submitted 09700096.doc 32 STATE OF ILLINOIS 97th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 96th Legislative Day 2/1/2012 to the electors of the State for adoption or rejection at the general election next occurring at least 6 months after the adoption of this resolution a proposition to add Section 5 to Article VIII of the Illinois Constitution as follows: ARTICLE VIII FINANCE SECTION 5. ACTUARY GENERAL (a)The General Assembly shall provide by law for a comprehensive review of State-funded retirement systems to ensure the use of sound actuarial standards and assumptions. (b)The General Assembly, by a vote of three-fifths of the members elected to each house, shall appoint an Actuary General and may remove him or her for cause by a similar vote. The Actuary General shall serve for a term of ten years. His or her compensation shall be established by law and shall not be diminished during his or her term. (c)The Actuary General shall conduct reviews of the actuarial practices of the State-funded retirement systems and may mandate changes to those practices to ensure that all actuarial assumptions are sound and based on the best information available. The Actuary General shall make additional investigations and reports as directed by the General Assembly. The Actuary General shall report his or her findings and recommendations to the General Assembly and to the Governor. SCHEDULE 09700096.doc 33 STATE OF ILLINOIS 97th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 96th Legislative Day 2/1/2012 This Constitutional Amendment takes effect upon being declared adopted in accordance with Section 7 of the Illinois Constitutional Amendment Act. This has been First Reading of House Joint Resolution Constitutional Amendment #32. This is First Reading of House Joint Resolution Constitutional Amendment #33, offered by Representative Biss. RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-SEVENTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, THE SENATE CONCURRING HEREIN, that there shall be submitted to the electors of the State for adoption or rejection at the general election next occurring at least 6 months after the adoption of this resolution a proposition to amend Section 5 of Article XIII of the Illinois Constitution as follows: ARTICLE XIII GENERAL PROVISIONS SECTION 5. PENSION AND RETIREMENT RIGHTS Membership in any pension or retirement system of the State, any unit of local government or school district, or any agency or instrumentality thereof, shall be an enforceable contractual relationship, the benefits of which shall not be diminished or impaired. SCHEDULE This Constitutional Amendment takes effect upon being declared adopted in accordance with Section 7 of the Illinois Constitutional Amendment Act. This has been First Reading of House Joint Resolution Constitutional Amendment #33." 09700096.doc 34 STATE OF ILLINOIS 97th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 96th Legislative Day 2/1/2012
Clerk Bolin: "This is the First Reading of House Joint Resolution Constitutional Amendment #34, offered by Representative Lilly. RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-SEVENTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, THE SENATE CONCURRING HEREIN, that there shall be submitted to the electors of the State for adoption or rejection at the general election next occurring at least 6 months after the adoption of this resolution a proposition to amend Sections 2 and 5 of Article IV of the Illinois Constitution as follows: ARTICLE IV THE LEGISLATURE SECTION 2. LEGISLATIVE COMPOSITION (a)One Senator shall be elected from each Legislative District. Immediately following each decennial redistricting, the General Assembly by law shall divide the Legislative Districts as equally as possible into three groups. Senators from one group shall be elected for terms of four years, four years and two years; Senators from the second group, for terms of four years, two years and four years; and Senators from the third group, for terms of two years, four years and four years. The Legislative Districts in each group shall be distributed substantially equally over the State. (b)Each Legislative District shall be divided into two Representative Districts. One Representative shall be elected from each Representative District. During each ten-year period, beginning with the general election in 09700096.doc 35 STATE OF ILLINOIS 97th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 96th Legislative Day 2/1/2012 2014, Representatives shall first be elected for terms of four years, then for terms of two years, and then for terms of four years. (c)To be eligible to serve as a member of the General Assembly, a person must be a United States citizen, at least 21 years old, and for the two years preceding his election or appointment a resident of the district which he is to represent. In the general election following a redistricting, a candidate for the General … a candidate for the General Assembly may be elected from any district which contains a part of the district in which he resided at the time of the redistricting and reelected if a resident of the new district he represents for 18 months prior to reelection. (d)Within thirty days after a vacancy occurs, it shall be filled by appointment as provided by law. If the vacancy is in a Senatorial or Representative office with more than twenty-eight months remaining in the term, the appointed Senator or Representative shall serve until the next general election, at which time a Senator or Representative shall be elected to serve for the remainder of the term. If the vacancy is in any other Senatorial or Representative office, the appointment shall be for the remainder of the term. An appointee to fill a vacancy shall be a member of the same political party as the person he succeeds. (e)No member of the General Assembly shall receive compensation as a public officer or employee from any other governmental entity for time during which he is in attendance as a member of the General Assembly. No member 09700096.doc 36 STATE OF ILLINOIS 97th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 96th Legislative Day 2/1/2012 of the General Assembly during the term for which he was elected or appointed shall be appointed to a public office which shall have been created or the compensation for which shall have been increased by the General Assembly during that term. SECTION 5. SESSIONS (a)The General Assembly shall convene each year on the second Wednesday of January. The General Assembly shall be a continuous body for a period beginning and ending at noon on the second Wednesday of January of consecutive even-numbered years. (b)The Governor may convene the General Assembly or the Senate alone in special session by a proclamation stating the purpose of the session; and only business encompassed by such purpose, together with any impeachments or confirmation of appointments shall be transacted. Special sessions of the General Assembly may also be convened by joint proclamation of the presiding officers of both houses, issued as provided by law. (c)Sessions of each house of the General Assembly and meetings of committees, joint committees and legislative commissions shall be open to the public. Sessions and committee meetings of a house may be closed to the public if two-thirds of the members elected to that house determine that the public interest so requires; and meetings of joint committees and legislative commissions may be so closed if two-thirds of the members elected to each house so determine. SCHEDULE 09700096.doc 37 STATE OF ILLINOIS 97th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 96th Legislative Day 2/1/2012 This Constitutional Amendment takes effect upon being declared adopted in accordance with Section 7 of the Illinois Constitutional Amendment Act and applies to the terms of Representatives elected in 2014 and thereafter. This has been the First Reading of House Joint Resolution Constitutional Amendment #34. This is the First Reading of House Joint Resolution Constitutional Amendment #35, offered by Representative Cavaletto. RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-SEVENTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, THE SENATE CONCURRING HEREIN, that there shall be submitted to the electors of the State for adoption or rejection at the general election next occurring at least 6 months after the adoption of this resolution a proposition to amend the Illinois Constitution by adding Section 2.5 to Article IV and by changing Section 2 of Article 5 as follows: ARTICLE IV THE LEGISLATURE SECTION 2.5. TERM LIMITS (a)A person may not serve more than 12 total years of office as a Representative. (b)A person may not serve more than 12 total years of office as a Senator. (c)A person is considered to serve a term of office for the purpose of this Section if the person is elected or appointed to serve any portion of the term. ARTICLE V THE EXECUTIVE SECTION 2. TERMS 09700096.doc 38 STATE OF ILLINOIS 97th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 96th Legislative Day 2/1/2012 (a)These elected officers of the Executive Branch shall hold office for four years beginning on the second Monday of January after their election and, except in the case of the Lieutenant Governor, until their successors are qualified. They shall be elected at the general election in 1978 and every four years thereafter. (b)A person may not serve more than 3 consecutive terms of office within the same Executive Branch office. A person is considered to serve a term of office for the purpose of this subsection if the person is elected or appointed to serve any portion of the term. SCHEDULE This Constitutional Amendment takes effect upon being declared adopted in accordance with Section 7 of the Illinois Constitutional Amendment Act and applies to the election of members of the General Assembly beginning in the first general election that occurs after that date. This has been the First Reading of House Joint Resolution Constitutional Amendment #35. There being no further business, the House Perfunctory Session will stand adjourned." 09700096.doc 39