Speaker Lyons: "Good afternoon, 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 Olin Sletto who is with Holy Trinity Lutheran Church in Elgin. Pastor Sletto is the guest of Representative Farnham. Members and guests are asked to please refrain from starting their laptop, turn off all electronic equipment, and rise for the Pledge of Allegiance. Reverend Olin Sletto."
"In 1965, I was a senior in high school and served as a Page in the Senate in the South Dakota Legislature. So, it feels really friendly and comfortable to be here with you today and I thank Mr. Farnham for inviting me. Abraham Lincoln and I share the same birthday, and so I would like to invoke his spirit today as we gather. And I'm going to quote from Howard Milkman, Jr. who gave an opening prayer at the Abraham Lincoln Association Annual Banquet, February 12, 1986. I quote, 'Because he is our ancient and old beyond years and yet was always boyish, because he was plain simple and yet unspeakably elegant in phrase and thought, because his sadness was inconsolable and his loneliness was desolate and yet his laughter fills us still and lives on in irony and humor. Because he was our humble obedient servant and yet asks us continually for more than we can give. Because he believed that slavery was an abomination and that each person was afforded dignity and honor and that God was in control of all of history. We give You thanks for Abraham Lincoln this day an instrument of Your peace, for Him who continuously and profoundly 09700132.doc 1 STATE OF ILLINOIS 97th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 132nd Legislative Day 5/8/2012 sought to do Your will who chose compassion over vindictiveness, effective and faithful government service over patronage and privilege and tolerance for all people. It breaks his heart that kings must murdernstill, that all his hours of travail here for us seem yet in vain. And who will bring peace that he may sleep upon his hill again? For the inconsolable man of Springfield may finally come here to rest. We will continue to speak of his saintliness while bigotry and oppression and war abide and above all enjoy his spirit and the comfort his dear memory brings. Feed us this day with Your grace and keep us with Your favor'. May this Body meet the standards set by Abraham Lincoln of equality, fairness, and justice for all people. Have a good Session."
"Mayor Rahm Emanuel, would you lead us in the Pledge of Allegiance."
"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 Currie, status of the Democrats."
"Thank you, Speaker. Please let the record reflect that no House Democrat is excused today."
"Old habits are hard to break, Mike. Leader Mike Bost, on the GOP."
"Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Let the record reflect that Representative Durkin, Mathias, and Mulligan are excused on the Republican side of the aisle today." 09700132.doc 2 STATE OF ILLINOIS 97th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 132nd Legislative Day 5/8/2012
Speaker Lyons: "Thank you, Leader. Mr. Clerk, we have 115 Members responding to the Roll Call, we have a quorum. We're prepared to do the work of the people of the State of Illinois. Mr. Clerk."
"Committee Reports. Representative Barbara Flynn Currie, Chairperson from the Committee on Rules reports the following committee action taken on May 7, 2012: recommends be adopted, referred to the floor is Floor Amendment #1 to Senate Bill 2950 and Floor Amendment #3 to Senate Bill 3638. Introduction of Resolutions. House Resolution 1022, offered by Representative Cavaletto. House Resolution 1029, offered by Respresentative Barickman. And House Joint Resolution 86, offered by Representative Cavaletto. These are referred to the Rules Committee."
"Mr. Clerk, Agreed Resolutions."
Clerk Hollman: "Agreed Resolutions. House Resolution 1021, offered by Representative Biss. House Resolution 1023, offered by Representative Jones. House Resolution 1024, offered by Representative Pihos. House Resolution 1025, offered by Representative William Davis. House Resolution 1027, offered by Representative Lang. House Resolution 1028, offered by Representative Reis. And House Joint Resolution 87, offered by Representative Acevedo."
Speaker Lyons: "Leader Barbara Flynn Currie moves for the adoption of the Agreed Resolutions. All those in favor signify by saying 'yes'; those opposed say 'no'. In the opinion of the Chair, the 'ayes' have it. And the Agreed Resolutions are adopted. Speaker Madigan in the Chair." 09700132.doc 3 STATE OF ILLINOIS 97th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 132nd Legislative Day 5/8/2012
"Ladies and Gentlemen, if we could take our seats, please. If everyone could take their chair and if the staff would retire to the rear of the chamber. We are very pleased today to have a very distinguished guest joining us. He's been here since early this morning; he's been visiting with multiple people. He's here on very serious business and we're very pleased to have with us the mayor of the City of Chicago, Mayor Rahm Emanuel."
"Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thank you to all the Members of the Legislature. As you probably know, I'll try to be first of all, quick 'cause I know you have important business. I hope that wasn't an editorial. But I… I came to speak today about the retirement system and the integrity of the retirement system, both for our public employees and our taxpayers. And as I said downstairs and without trying to repeat it all, but in general and the basic point, you didn't pick this issue, but you picked this time and the moment of truth has arrived. And I think that it requires a level of leadership that all of you have shown to date, and the commitment to public service to help resolve this issue for the fairness that our public employees deserve, the fairness our taxpayers deserve, and if we solve this issue, I think we remove a big piece of uncertainty around our economy. And both families that want to move to our state and our… the City of Chicago, and businesses that want to expand will know that we're a city and a state ready to face our challenges and attack them and shape our future. And as I like to always say, denial is not a long-term strategy, it's a river in Egypt. That's 09700132.doc 4 STATE OF ILLINOIS 97th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 132nd Legislative Day 5/8/2012 a joke back in the City of Chicago. Obviously, you guys are all working hard; it was lost on you. But I look forward to working with you in helping to solve this issue. We have formed great partnerships in the last time, and I'm coming on my one year anniversary, that have helped the city do what it needs to do to create strong schools, safe streets, and stable finances. This to me is the most important issue to remove that uncertainty and I look forward to being your partner in taking on a very difficult issue. I don't underestimate the politics, but I do see the promise of resolving it and what it could do for all the people we collectively and individually have to serve. So, thank you for your time, look forward to meeting you individually. Thank you."
"Representative Joe Lyons back in the saddle. Mr. Clerk, on page 17 of the Calendar, on the Order of Resolutions is House Joint Resolution 84. The Chair recognizes the Speaker of the House, Michael Madigan."
"Mr. Speaker and Ladies and Gentlemen of the House, House Joint Resolution 84 would provide for the reappointment of Mr. William Holland as the state's Auditor General. Mr. Holland currently serves in this position. He's already completed 20 years of service and this Resolution would provide for an additional 10. Bill Holland is a graduate of Seattle University in the Pacific Northwest, a graduate of Loyola Academy in Wilmette. I first met him when he was an intern on the House Democratic staff in the '70s. Later, he became the director of the House Democratic Appropriations staff. After that, he 09700132.doc 5 STATE OF ILLINOIS 97th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 132nd Legislative Day 5/8/2012 served as the director of the Office of the General Assembly in Washington D.C. which was part of the Intergovernmental Cooperation Commission. He returned from Washington to serve as Chief of Staff for Senator Phil Rock for 9 years, when Senator Rock was the President of the Senate. He has accumulated many professional awards. As an example, he was in the inaugural group elected to the Samuel Gove Legislative Internship Hall of Fame. Nationally his peers have awarded him honors for his contributions to state auditing practices. On a personal level, he's the father of three, the grandfather of four with yet another on the way, very shortly on the way. If you reflect on the history that I've just given you about Bill Holland, you can see that he grew up in the Legislature; started as a staffer, ascended to the directorship of the staff here in the House, worked for the legislature in Washington D.C., served as Chief of Staff to a Senate President. He's already served 20 years as the Auditor General. He clearly has the experience and the knowledge and the temperament to continue to serve admirably as the Auditor General of the State of Illinois. Sometimes people forget the significance of the Office of Auditor General. The Office of Auditor General was created by the legislature; it is not part of the Executive Department. It's created by the Legislature; it's funded by the Legislature. It's a long-term position; it's a 10-year term. And the idea at the time of the Constitutional Convention was to provide that the Auditor General would be an auditor and a check on all aspects of State Government. This happened at the convention because 09700132.doc 6 STATE OF ILLINOIS 97th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 132nd Legislative Day 5/8/2012 there had been a huge scandal, in a previous office named the Auditor of Public Accounts. And it was still fresh on the minds of people at the convention when the convention provided for an Auditor General. We've learned here in the House the professionalism and the wisdom of Bill Holland in that office; simply from the audits that are returned periodically, auditing the Legislature, auditing the Executive Department, auditing the Constitutional Offices. We also know that on special occasions the office has been called upon to help us in terms of providing recommendations for legislative action. Most recently, we received a report from the Auditor General it was concerned with the conditions that existed in the case of the matter of Health Alliance and its provision of health care services to the State of Illinois. So, the record is very clear and very solid that Bill Holland has done a real solid job as the Auditor of the Gen… the Auditor General of the State of Illinois. And I think it's safe to say, having grown up in the Legislature and having established a record of unquestioned honesty and fairness, he's shown a commitment to do everything in his power to see that the public's money is spent wisely. I believe we are fortunate to have Bill on our side and on the side of the taxpayers. And I strongly urge your support for House Resolution 84."
"Representative Sandy Pihos."
"Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I strongly support the Resolution that is in front of us. It has been a privilege to serve on the Legislative Audit Commission. And I was part of the selection committee and Bill Holland is simply 09700132.doc 7 STATE OF ILLINOIS 97th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 132nd Legislative Day 5/8/2012 a stellar candidate. He serves with great integrity; he serves with great honesty. It's the one thing we can look to and say Illinois has certainly done right. His reports are very forthright; he is very accessible and we ought to take greater advantage of all the information that he gives us. But I would say that we are very fortunate to have him, to have had his application, and to have had his desire to return his service back to the State of Illinois again. Thank you."
"Leader Frank Mautino."
"Thank you, Speaker, Ladies and Gentlemen of the House. It's both an honor and a privilege to join with Speaker Madigan, Leader Cross, and Representative Pihos in sponsoring the Resolution that our Auditor General, Bill Holland be reappointed for the 10-year term. In the course of doing our statutory due diligence, we conducted nationwide, and actually worldwide search for candidates. We had a tremendous number of… we had about 24 prequalified folks that made it through the vetting process and in the end of the day after doing our vetting, our due diligence, we came down to the interview process. And Bill Holland through his career, his experience, his ability to run an office which is truly the… the honest broker, the outside set of eyes that looks at the… all the agencies in government and has played a tremendous role in safeguarding that integrity. Though things have been trying, he has come through in the… in many of the major investigations, MSI, the fact-finding, and the audits which were a central portion in taking out a sitting Governor through the 09700132.doc 8 STATE OF ILLINOIS 97th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 132nd Legislative Day 5/8/2012 Democratic process. So, he has been invaluable to the State of Illinois and I'm honored to join with this Resolution and submit for your consideration, Bill Holland as Auditor General."
"Speaker Madigan moves for the adoption of House Joint Resolution 84. All those in favor signify by voting 'yes'; those opposed vote 'no'. The voting is open. Have all voted who wish? Have all voted who wish? Have all voted who wish? Monique. Mr. Clerk, take the record. On this question, there's 115 Members voting 'yes', 0 voting 'no', 0 voting 'present'. And House Joint Resolution 84 is hereby adopted. Ladies and Gentlemen, in the back of the chamber talking to Speaker Madigan, let's acknowledge our Auditor General, Bill Holland. Leader Bost."
"Thank you, Mr. Speaker. For the point of a personal privilege, please."
"Please proceed, Leader."
"If… if I may direct my comments to the Body. Ladies and Gentlemen what we just did was we stood in support of a person that we trust to do audits, to make sure that there's a check and balance that occurs. You know, that's another reason why we could probably take those two offices, the Treasurer and the Comptroller, and combine them because we do have an Auditor General that has the ability to do the checks and balances necessary. So, those of you who have argued that we don't need to get rid of the office 'cause they have checks and balances against each other, we have in our Constitution and in our laws in the State of Illinois an opportunity for the Auditor General of 09700132.doc 9 STATE OF ILLINOIS 97th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 132nd Legislative Day 5/8/2012 the State of Illinois to monitor that. We could combine those offices and save that money, I'd stand in support of… we would move that Bill and encourage that that Bill would be moved out. Thank you."
"Speaker Madigan."
"Would Mr. Bost yield to a question?"
"Mr. Bost. He yields, Speaker Madigan."
"Are you familiar with recent developments in the City of Dixon, Illinois?"
"Yes, Sir, I am."
"And… and are you aware that the one person held both jobs in the Village…"
"Yes."
"…the City of Dixon."
"I am. And I also know that they don't have an auditor like we have, like we just put back in office that in that city, like we have here in the state that could actually save us that $15 million, Mr. Speaker."
"It's growing."
"Leader Acevedo."
"Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I rise on a point of personal privilege."
"Please proceed, Ed."
"This last year with the remapping I was fortunate enough to pick up the area of Chinatown which is now part of my district and some of my constituents are here today to the… to the right of the chambers. My constituents from Chinatown; please help and welcome me to Springfield." 09700132.doc 10 STATE OF ILLINOIS 97th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 132nd Legislative Day 5/8/2012
"Welcome to your Capitol, we're proud to have you. And we all love Chinatown in Chicago; glad to have you here. Representative Cavaletto, Representative John Cavaletto, you have House Resolution 1026. Mr. Clerk, House Resolution 1026."
"House Resolution 1026, offered by Representative Cavaletto. RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY- SEVENTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we congratulate the members of the Ainad Shriners on the occasion of the organization's 100th anniversary, thank them for their dedicated service to the people of the State of Illinois, and wish them success and happiness in their future endeavors; and be it further RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to the Ainad Shriners as a symbol of our esteem and respect."
"Representative Cavaletto."
"Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I'd like to welcome the Ainad Shriners from southern Illinois for 100 years of service. Welcome to your Capitol."
"Welcome Shriners, congratulations. We're proud to have you at your Capitol. Thanks for coming down. Representative Cavaletto moves for the adoption of the Resolution. All those in favor signify by saying 'yes'; those opposed say 'no'. In the opinion of the Chair, the 'ayes' have it. And House Resolution 1026 is adopted. Representative Ann Williams, for what purpose do you seek recognition, Ann?" 09700132.doc 11 STATE OF ILLINOIS 97th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 132nd Legislative Day 5/8/2012
"Point of personal privilege."
"Please proceed."
"Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I just wanted to point out I'm honored to represent two amazing organizations who are here with us today. First, the Korean-American Community Services and also, the Cambodian American Heritage Museum and Kelly Fields Memorial. We are represented by several Cambodians here in the gallery. They can stand and we wish them a warm welcome. And you've all heard me talk about the Cambodians and acknowledging their day of remembrance and we look forward to celebrating that with you next year. Welcome."
"Welcome to you Capitol, we're proud to have you. Thanks for coming down. Mr. Clerk, on page 4 of the Calendar, Leader Currie has House Bill 5761, on the Order of House Bills-Third Reading. Read the Bill, Mr. Clerk."
"House Bill 5761, a Bill for an Act concerning revenue. Third Reading of this House Bill."
Speaker Lyons: "Leader Barbara Flynn Currie on House Bill 5761."
"Thank you, Speaker. There are two provisions in this Bill. One would establish that MASAS, the Mutual Alarm Box Alarm society which is a quasi-governmental unit that provides help to some 1100 fire and police departments across the state operate in 100 counties during emergencies, so there can be good communication, is exempt from property taxation. The other part of the Bill, which we have discussed many times on this floor, says that… that leases between governmental units in the state also will 09700132.doc 12 STATE OF ILLINOIS 97th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 132nd Legislative Day 5/8/2012 not be subject to property taxes. I would be happy to answer your questions and I'd appreciate your 'aye' votes."
"Chair recognizes the Gentleman from McHenry, Representative Jack Franks."
"Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Will the Sponsor yield… will the Majority Leader yield?"
"Majority Leader yields."
"Thank you. Representative, you and I have had a… a few discussions on this and my concern is that the Mutual Aid Box Alarm System is not a governmental agency."
"Except that the only purpose it serves is to provide assistance and information to units of local government. So, it seems to me that since the only purpose that it has, it's not a for-profit entity, the only purpose that it serves is to note… is to act as a liaison between and among emergency response units: police, ambulance, fire, that it ought to be treated as a governmental agency."
"But right now they're a renter. The reason why we’re bringing this Bill is because they are renting from the Village of Wheeling, correct?"
"I believe that's right."
"And what we're trying to do is to give them a special tax break so they don't have to pay any taxes."
"They… they would no longer… they would not be subject to the property tax, as far as I know they never have been. But there is now a determination on the part of the local assessor that they should be. My only point is that if you have an entity that walks like a duck, talks like a duck, and acts like a duck, that you ought to act as if it were a 09700132.doc 13 STATE OF ILLINOIS 97th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 132nd Legislative Day 5/8/2012 duck. Here is a… here is a not-for-profit organization th… whose only purpose…"
"But…"
"…is… is to provide this interface."
"…but…"
"And it seems to me they ought to be property tax- exempt."
"But they… but they have an administrative process now; and they've gone through the administrative process and the Cook County Board of Review actually found in their favor, correct?"
"That I'm not certain about. I know this Bill came to us through Representative Mathias because there was a question at the local level whether they would be taxed. Since the only funding they have comes from taxpayers, I don't understand why there's any question about their property tax-exempt status."
"I'm… I'm… my question is this. I'm concerned if we do individual legislation for individual entities, regardless of how they're created, and I think this opens… we had… a few weeks ago we had some others doing something similar for a nongovernmental entity that got a tax break. Now, right now it's… if our analysis is to believe, there was an administrative process and the Cook County Board of Review approved the certificate of use for the property tax exemption. So, right now it's in the Department of Revenue. It's at the bottom if you look just above the proponents and opponents." 09700132.doc 14 STATE OF ILLINOIS 97th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 132nd Legislative Day 5/8/2012
"I think the point of the Bill, as I say, initially, this was an initiative of Representative Mathias, at an earlier point in the process when there was a question raised and we don't know the answer from the Department of Revenue, this is entirely…"
"But…"
"…governmental in the sense that the tax payers pay for it and its only activity is to work as the interface between units of local government in the face of emergencies. There's no reason we should not go ahead and say, yes, this is a property tax-exempt entity."
"But can't… I'm loathed to get the General Assembly involved in every one of these parochial disputes and this is the third one that we've seen so far this Session; and this is something, since the Department of Revenue is handling and on behalf of the Governor, I presume the Governor could via Executive Order make this determination or… or direct the Department of Revenue to make this determination."
"I don't know that he can do either of those things. Certainly, I wouldn't expect that the Governor would be telling the Department of Revenue how to make a determination since the department has its own standards and processes…"
"Well, shouldn't we…"
"…to make that decision."
"Well, shouldn't we let it play out?"
"All… all I'm saying is on the merits, this is essentially a governmental unit funded entirely by 09700132.doc 15 STATE OF ILLINOIS 97th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 132nd Legislative Day 5/8/2012 taxpayers. Its only purpose is to offer help to the taxpayers at the local level. And I don't see any reason we should not declare it statutorily to be property tax- exempt. We may not need to, but we know there was enough of an issue and we don't know what the outcome would be. We are here today and I… I think on the merits we ought to act."
"I appreciate that. And to the Bill. And I appreciate what the Majority Leader's trying to do. I just think it's… our public policy should not be to insert ourselves in these unless necessary. Right now, the local governing board has already ruled in favor of what we're trying to do here; it's simply held up in the Department of Revenue. I think that we should allow them to do their job and if there's a problem, then we can present it. But at this point, we would simply be getting involved in something that is already started, that has not been finished and we'd be taking away the autonomy of that agency. Let them make the right decision and we don't have to get involved. If they do… if they don't make the right decision, then we can do this. This is not the right time."
"Representative Sullivan, Ed."
"Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Will the Sponsor yield?"
"Sponsor yields."
"Representative, in here we have Amendment #2. Is that still on the Bill?"
"Absolutely."
"Okay. And so…"
"Right where it belongs, Representative." 09700132.doc 16 STATE OF ILLINOIS 97th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 132nd Legislative Day 5/8/2012
"Wonderful, wonderful. I'm glad you think so. To the Bill. Ladies and Gentlemen, we have gone over this Bill several times and several times this Bill has not made it to the other side of the chamber. The reason is very simple. Amendment #2, we have a sitting Legislator that has an issue with a lease. This person didn't do anything wrong. They entered into a lease that is now contractual obligation to this state. This person put that lease before the Speaker's Office, who okayed it, and so now, there's a problem. There is some tax liability. Under this lease that this person signed, authorized by the Speaker's Office, they said they will have a leasehold interest in taxes. These taxes have not been paid over about a decade and are now to the point of about $450 thousand owed to the Chicago Public Schools. So, by voting for this Bill, you're going to undo a lease that is before the courts, one. And two, you're going to get rid of $450 thousand owed to the Chicago Public Schools. Is that what you want to do? Do you want to cut education funding to the Chicago Public Schools to the tune of $450 thousand because the state is a deadbeat state and wants to legislate away a signed contract. Ladies and Gentlemen, that is what's before you. Unfortunately, the Majority Leader has highjacked a very good Bill dealing with MABAS to fix a problem that the Speaker's Office caused. So, we can do what we want to do. As for the exempt status, the Department of Revenue has already declared, already declared that this is nonexempt property. So, our own Department of Revenue has already ruled on this issue, but here we are, for a third time at 09700132.doc 17 STATE OF ILLINOIS 97th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 132nd Legislative Day 5/8/2012 the apple, to try and pass a Bill to declare, once again, the State of Illinois's is a deadbeat state and we're just going to cut money to education because we can. We can legislate it. So, go ahead and vote for it, if you'd like."
"Representative Elaine Nekritz."
"Thank you, Mr. Speaker. To the Bill. I just wanted to address the comments from the Gentleman from McHenry as to why this is necessary. MABUS, the Mutual Aid Box Alarm System is a unique entity in the State of Illinois. It is a cons… it is fully taxpayer funded. It is where the fire departments and all the fire service agencies around the state come together to… to put together equipment such as the… the folks that crawl into buildings and save people in emergencies… and oh, I forget the… those folks, but it is unique. And so, I think for us to address this in statute is perfectly acceptable because it is a one of a kind thing; it's not been addressed before and this is… this is what we… this is a perfectly acceptable thing for the Majority Leader to be doing, is to address this one unique situation for this one very, again, unique kind of governmental agency. So, I just wanted to… I would urge an 'aye' vote."
"Representative Dennis Reboletti."
"Thank you… thank you, Speaker. This Bill has no problems if you could just remove Floor Amendment #2, but I know that's not going to happen since we are going to now involve ourselves in contractual issues that should be best resolved in a court of law. And I would ask for a 09700132.doc 18 STATE OF ILLINOIS 97th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 132nd Legislative Day 5/8/2012 verification, if this were to get the Constitutional Majority."
"Your verification is so noted, Representative. Leader Mike Bost."
"Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I move the previous question."
"You're the last speaker anyways, Mike. So, we're ready to rock and roll. Ladies and Gentlemen, there's been a request for verification. Members, there's been a request for verification, so push your own switches and be in your seat for the purpose of the verification. The question is 'Should House Bill 5761 pass?' All those in favor vote 'yes'; those opposed vote 'no'. The voting is open. Have all voted who wish? Have all voted who wish? Have all voted who wish? Mr. Clerk, take the record. On this Bill, there are 60 Members voting 'yes', 54 Members voting 'no', and 1 Member voting 'present'. Mr. Bos… Mr. Reboletti, you wish to proceed with your verification? Mr. Clerk, those voting in the affirmative."
"A poll of those voting in the affirmative. Representative Acevedo; Representative Arroyo; Representative Beiser; Representative Berrios; Representative Biss; Representative Bradley; Representative Dan Burke; Representative Kelly Burke; Representative Carli; Representative Cassidy; Representative Chapa LaVia; Representative Costello; Representative Crespo; Representative Cunningham; Representative Currie; Representative D'Amico; Representative Will Davis; Representative DeLuca; Representative du Buclet; Representative Dugan; Representative Dunkin; Representative 09700132.doc 19 STATE OF ILLINOIS 97th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 132nd Legislative Day 5/8/2012 Marcus Evans; Representative Farnham; Representative Feigenholtz; Representative Flowers; Representative Ford; Representative Gabel; Representative Golar; Representative Gordon; Representative Greg Harris; Representative Hernandez; Representative Howard; Representative Jackson; Representative Jakobsson; Representative Jefferson; Representative Jones; Representative Krezwick; Representative Lang; Representative Lilly; Representative Lyons; Representative Mautino; Representative Mayfield; Representative Mayfield; Representative McAsey; Representative Mell; Representative Mussman; Representative Nekritz; Representative Penny; Representative Riley; Representative Rita; Representative Sente; Representative Smith; Representative Soto; Representative Thapedi; Representative Turner; Representative Walsh; Representative Williams; Representative Yarbrough; Representative Zalewski; and Mr. Speaker."
Speaker Lyons: "Staff, please retire to the rear of the chamber. Representative Reboletti."
"Representative Sente."
"Representative Sente's in her desk… at her desk."
"Costello."
"Representative Costello's in his seat."
"Representative Beiser."
"Dan Beiser's in his seat, Representative."
"Representative Mautino."
Speaker Lyons: "Frank's up at the Chair with me, Representative." 09700132.doc 20 STATE OF ILLINOIS 97th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 132nd Legislative Day 5/8/2012
"And Representative Bradley."
"Representative John Bradley is in the center aisle. That's it Representative?"
"We'll remove our verification."
"Mr. Clerk, take the record. On this Bill, we have 60 Members voting 'yes', 54 Members voting 'no', 1 Member voting 'present'. This Bill, having received the Constitutional Majority, is hereby declared passed. Leader JoAnn Osmond, for what purpose do you seek recognition, JoAnn?"
"Thank you, Mr. Speaker. A point of personal privilege."
"Please proceed."
"Members of the General Assembly, I would like to ask you to give a warm welcome to Antioch Township Supervisor, Steve Smouse; he's up in the gallery, Steve."
"Steve, welcome to your Capitol. We're proud to have you here. Leader Dan Burke." Burke, D.: "Thank you, Mr. Speaker and Ladies and Gentlemen of the chamber. On a point of personal privilege."
"Please proceed, Dan." Burke, D.: "Ladies and Gentlemen, I'm delighted to introduce you to a couple of young ladies who have been serving our constituency for many, many years in the order of the Sisters of Mercy. Sister JoAnn Persch and Sister Patricia Murphy are with us. Ladies, if you'd stand and be acknowledged. Mr. Speaker, I might also add that last month this Body was gracious enough to vote in favor of a Resolution to acknowledge the work that these ladies have 09700132.doc 21 STATE OF ILLINOIS 97th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 132nd Legislative Day 5/8/2012 been doing for many, many years. I want to thank the Body for that gracious accommodation."
"Thank you, Leader. Thank you, Sisters, for coming down to your Capitol, great to have you in Springfield. Represent… Leader Dan Brady."
"Thank you much… very much, Mr. Speaker. Point of personal privilege."
"Please proceed, Dan."
"Mr. Speaker, if you could help me get order of the House for just a moment…"
"Okay."
"…I'd like to ask for…"
"Ladies and Gentlemen, Representative Brady's requesting that we have a little quiet on the House Floor. Shhh. Go ahead, Dan."
"Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Ladies and Gentlemen of the House, to so many of us here, we know our good friend Roger Marquardt, former Representative and Member of this Body. Over the weekend, Roger suffered a medical mishap that has left him in a very serious critical condition. I had the opportunity to visit with his wife briefly today at the hospital. And we know his son, Scott, many of us know other members of his family, but a good friend he's been to so many of us and obviously as a former Member of this Body. If we could just have a moment of silence, keep he and his family in our prayers at this very difficult time. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker and Ladies and Gentlemen of the House" 09700132.doc 22 STATE OF ILLINOIS 97th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 132nd Legislative Day 5/8/2012
"Thank you Leader. Roger, you're in all our prayers. Mr. Clerk, on page 4 of the Calendar, under House Bills-Second Readings, House Bill 5073. What's the status on that Bill, Mr. Clerk?"
"House Bill 5073, a Bill for an Act concerning the Secretary of State. This Bill was read a second time on a previous day. Amendment #1 was adopted in committee. No Floor Amendments. No Motions are filed."
"Third Reading, Mr. Clerk, and read the Bill."
"House Bill 5073, a Bill for an Act concerning the Secretary of State. Third Reading of this House Bill."
"Representative Brandon Phelps."
"Thank you, Mr. Speaker. This is an initiative of the Secretary of State. I'm trying to get my computer going here. I got a… my seatmate is a slow typer. Can you come back to me, Mr. Speaker?"
Speaker Lyons: "We'll take that Bill out of the record. Representative Cavaletto, for what purpose do you seek recognition, Sir?"
"A point of personal privilege, Mr…"
"Please proceed."
"Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to give a warm welcome to the eighth-grade girls from Breese District 12 here today visiting the Capitol. Welcome to your Capitol."
"Welcome, ladies, enjoy your day in Springfield. Seeing no further business to come before the House of Representatives, Leader Barbara Flynn Currie moves that the House stand adjourned to the hour of 12 p.m. on Wednesday, May 9. All those in favor of adjournment signify by saying 09700132.doc 23 STATE OF ILLINOIS 97th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 132nd Legislative Day 5/8/2012 'yes'; those opposed say 'no'. In the opinion of the Chair, the 'ayes' have it. Allowing perfunctory time for the Clerk, the House stands adjourned 'til 12 p.m. tomorrow, Wednesday, May 9. Representative May, do you have something you wanted to add here?"
"Yes, yes, please, Speaker. Just a reminder, 5:30 tonight at the Crowne Plaza is dress rehearsal for the COWL Capers event our cruise cabaret that's tomorrow night. Thank you. We hope to add people to the acts. Everybody who's got talent or spirit show up and we'll add you to our acts. Thank you."
"The House is adjourned."
"House Perfunctory Session will come to order. Introduction and First Reading of House Bills. House Bill 6164, offered by Representative Feigenholtz, a Bill for an Act making appropriations. House Bill 6165, offered by Representative Crespo, a Bill for an Act concerning appropriations. First Reading of Senate Bills. Senate Bill 3253 (sic-3252), offered by Representative Mathias, a Bill for an Act concerning education. These Bills are referred to the Rules Committee. There being no further business, the House Perfunctory Session will stand adjourned." 09700132.doc 24