"House Perfunctory Session will come to order. Committee Reports. Representative Barbara Flynn Currie, Chairperson from the Committee on Rules reports the following committee action taken on January 08, 2013: recommends be adopted, referred to the floor is Floor Amendment #11 to Senate Bill 1673; approved for consideration, referred to Second Reading is Senate Bill 2979. There being no further business, the House Perfunctory Session will stand adjourned."
"Well, Ladies and Gentlemen, for the last time, it's my privilege to say, good morning, Illinois. Your House of Representatives will come to order. Members please be at your desks. Thank you, everybody. Thank you very much. We shall be led in prayer today by Reverend Arthur Georges, who is with the Living Hope Community Church in Bartonville, Illinois. Members and guests are asked to please refrain from starting their laptops, turn off all electronic equipment and Members in the gallery and everybody I'm going to ask to please stand for the invocation and the Pledge of Allegiance. Reverend Arthur Georges."
"Members and guests, I would ask you to bow both your heads and your hearts with me this morning. Oh heavenly Father, we are mindful that You are God. Your word reminds us that before the mountains were born or before You gave birth to the earth and the world from everlasting to everlasting, You are God. Father, this morning we ask that You would give us joy in our hearts that though we are finite creatures You have allowed us to participate in the 09700166.doc 1 STATE OF ILLINOIS 97th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 166th Legislative Day 1/8/2013 ability to serve others. Father, I pray that we would have joy in that participation. Father, I pray for each of these Representatives knowing that they come here to do their work with individual lives and individual circumstances, concerns, grieves and joys. And Father, I pray that You would meet them in those needs and allow them to focus themselves at the business at hand. Father, I pray that You would grant this morning and the entire day a spirit of humility. The humility of representation as these men and women represent those whom they have been elected by. I pray that You would give them a spirit of humility and collegiality that they would work together, listening to one another considering, Father, that You would give grant the humility of common respect. And also, Father, that You would grant them the understanding that they, like many of us, are stewards. Grant them stewardship to be serving leaders over the people that have represented them, the people of Illinois and how we fit in our great nation. Father, we pray for spirit of wisdom, not necessarily doing and determining what is expedient but what is right and what is righteous. Father, our world today cries for leadership, not simply those who can represent, but represent with the spirit of leadership taking us to where we need to go, not necessarily where we would want to go. It's in that vein that I ask that you would grant wisdom and endurance. And I pray all of these things in the name of Jesus Christ, our Lord, Amen."
"For the last time, I'd ask all of us who are leaving, the Roll Call is: Rosemary Mulligan, Skip Saviano, 09700166.doc 2 STATE OF ILLINOIS 97th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 166th Legislative Day 1/8/2013 myself, Jerry Mitchell, Sid Mathias, Karen May, Chapin Rose, Lisa Dugan, Randy Ramey, Franco Coladipietro, Sandy Cole, Michael Connelly, Jason Barickman, Bill Cunningham, Richard Morthland, Chris Nybo, Kimberly du Buclet, Dena Carli, Scott Penny, Chuck Krezwick, Eddie Winters, Paul Evans. As our last day here, as Members of this House, let us lead our Mem… fellow Members in the Pledge of Allegiance." Representatives Mulligan, Saviano, Lyons, Jerry Mitchell, Mathias, May, Rose, Dugan, Ramey, Coladipietro, Cole, Connelly, Barickman, Cunningham, Morthland, Nybo, du Buclet, Carli, Penny, Krezwick, Eddie Winters, Paul Evans – 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."
Speaker Lyons: "Roll Call for Attendance. Majority Leader Barbara Flynn Currie, status of the Democrats."
"Thank you, Speaker. Please let the record reflect that there are no excused absences among House Democrats today."
"Thank you, Leader. Leader Mike Bost, GOP."
"Thank you, Mr. Speaker. On the Republican side of the aisle it is: Representative Barickman, Cole, Mulligan, Tryon, Brown and Bill Mitchell are excused. And you don't know how much I'm going to miss that voice asking me that question, my friend."
"Leader… Mr. Clerk, take the record. There's 112 Members responding to the Roll Call, we have a quorum. 09700166.doc 3 STATE OF ILLINOIS 97th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 166th Legislative Day 1/8/2013 We're prepared to do the work for the people of the State of Illinois. Leader Currie."
"Thank you, Speaker. We have a new Member to welcome this morning. It'll be a replacement for Representative Dan Biss who's on his way to the Senate on the other side of the rotunda. It's Laura Fine. And Laura has been a professor of political science at Northern Illinois University. And she comes with a wealth of community experience. She's also a trustee… clerk… clerk of Northfield Township. So, I hope you'll join me in welcoming this wonderful new addition to this Body."
Speaker Lyons: "Representative Fine, the floor is yours, Representative."
"Thank you so much for the warm welcome. I appreciate it. I can't tell you how excited I am to be here. And I look forward to working with everyone. So, thank you for being so welcoming."
Speaker Lyons: "Good luck, Laura. Welcome to the club. Representative Jim Sacia, a point of personal privilege."
"Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Ladies and Gentlemen, I think all of us here often welcome the opportunity to cosponsor legislation. Two years ago, in February, I cosponsored, with my good friend Keith Farnham on the other side of the aisle, a wonderful bipartisan Bill, House Bill 1263 that had to do with eliminating sexual abuse to children. Today that is a antigun Bill on the other side of the rotunda and I have learned that you cannot get your name off a Bill when it's in the other chamber. My question, Mr. Speaker, would the parliamentarian be able to make a comment on that 09700166.doc 4 STATE OF ILLINOIS 97th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 166th Legislative Day 1/8/2013 or is it something that can be researched or is my name stuck on an antigun Bill?"
Speaker Lyons: "Representative, let me consult with the parliamentarian. Representative, you asked for a comment and the parliamentarian doesn't have one. So, we'll look into it further and possibly get back to you. Representative Karen May."
"Thank you, Speaker. It may not be a surprise to people that… you don't always get to pass every Bill that you work hard on. So, I have for the Members, in the back of the chamber, some frogs that I got that was going to celebrate the passage of the Wetlands Protection Act, when I was a freshman. How I've learned since then. But I don't know if there are 118 for everyone, but if you want one, please go take a frog, my personal reminder to you to think of the environment. And somebody can pick up the Bill now. Thank you."
"Thank you, Representative. Representative Chuck Krezwick, point of personal privilege."
"Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I'd like to introduce a good friend of mine and his wife. Former Chief of Staff to Congressman Marty Russo, he's up in the gallery, Bob McCreary and his wife, Diane. Bob, would you stand up, you and Diane. You're up over here, right. Give him a big welcome. Thank you."
"Welcome to your Capitol. Representative Phelps, point of personal privilege, Brandon."
"Point of personal privilege, Mr. Speaker. Thank you, Mr. Speaker, Ladies and Gentlemen of the House. I'd just 09700166.doc 5 STATE OF ILLINOIS 97th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 166th Legislative Day 1/8/2013 like to welcome Representative Jerry Costello's daughter, Georgia Danielle Costello to Springfield. So, give her a round of applause, please. Welcome."
"Welcome to your Capitol. Keep an eye on your dad, will you, please. Representative Halbrook, for what purpose do you seek recognition?"
"A point of privilege, Mr. Speaker."
"Please proceed, Representative."
"Yeah. I'd like to welcome to the House chamber today, Ladies and Gentlemen, a rather large delegation from central and eastern… central Illinois, supporters of the cause and true conservatives. Today, they're here to see what goes on in Springfield every day. The most important part of this group is my parents, Ed and Carolyn Halbrook that this September will celebrate 53 years of marriage. If we could have them stand right behind me and let's welcome them."
"Congratulations, Mr. and Mrs. Halbrook. It's an honor to have you in the gallery. Ladies and Gentlemen, we'll start on the bottom of page 4 on the Concurrence Calendar. Representative Carli, you have House Bill 1237. Mr. Clerk, House Bill 1237, Amendment #6. Representative Carli."
"Thank you and good afternoon, Members of this chamber. I ask for Concurrence of House Bill 1237. This is a Bill that I worked on throughout the summer with law enforcement, the Governor's Office, State Police, City of Chicago, Department of Health, Senator Munoz and myself. House Bill 1237 will give officers the ability to come 09700166.doc 6 STATE OF ILLINOIS 97th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 166th Legislative Day 1/8/2013 forward and seek voluntary treatment in a mental institution for less than 30 days without fear of having their FOID card revoked for an extended period of time. Not having their FOID card means they're unable to work for a certain limit with no pay status. This Bill will grant an officer an expedited process when they are determined to be well and their FOID card will be reinstated within 30 days. I know of no opposition to this. We've cleared all opposition on this. I respectfully request a 'yes' vote."
"You've heard the Lady's explanation. The Chair recognized Leader Mike Bost."
"Yes. Just for… for some legislative intent. All right. Will this only apply to pa… inpatient treatment? Is that outpatient treatment?"
"No. This is only intended for inpatient mental treatment only."
"It's for inpatient only, inpatient only."
"Inpatient specifically focused on mental health."
"And… and there is some cur… was some concerns from the Illinois Rifle Association and the National Rifle Association. And that has been worked out?"
"Yes. It's my understanding that they're… they agreed to a trailer Bill in the spring."
"Okay. Thank you."
"You're welcome."
"Seeing no further discussion, the question is, 'Shall the House concur with Senate Amendment #6 to House Bill 1237?' This is final action. All those in favor signify by voting 'yes'; those opposed vote 'no'. The 09700166.doc 7 STATE OF ILLINOIS 97th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 166th Legislative Day 1/8/2013 voting is open. Have all voted who wish? Have all voted who wish? Have all voted who wish? Jerry Mitchell. Mr. Clerk, take the record. On this question, there's 110 Members voting 'yes', 0 voting 'no', 2 voting 'present'. And the House does concur with Senate Amendment #6 to House Bill 1237. This Bill, having received the Constitutional Majority, is hereby declared passed. Representative Winters, for what purpose do you seek recognition, Representative?"
"Yes. House Bill… the previous House Bill, I meant to… 1237, should have been a 'yes' vote."
Speaker Lyons: "The Journal will reflect your request, Representative."
"Okay."
"Mr. Clerk, the Agreed Resolutions."
Clerk Hollman: "Agreed Resolutions. House Resolution 1372, offered by Representative Lilly. House Resolution 1373, offered by Representative Lilly. House Resolution 1374, offered by Representative Sacia. House Resolution 1375, offered by Representative Gabel. House Resolution 1390, offered by Representative Rose. And House Resolution 1391, offered by Representative Rose."
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. Ladies and Gentlemen, continuing on the Concurrence Calendar, on page 5 of the Calendar, Representative Patti Bellock, you have House Bill 2105. 09700166.doc 8 STATE OF ILLINOIS 97th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 166th Legislative Day 1/8/2013 House Bill 2105, Representative Patti Bellock on Amendment #1."
"Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. This Bill originally passed the House unanimously, went over to the Senate and Senate Amendment #1 passed unanimously over there. The Bill now requires all counties without a community mental health board and Cook County Township without certain programs to create volunteer mental health advisory committees. These committees have no taxing authority whatsoever. This is a very pro mental health book… law and there are no opponents to the law. All the mental health groups are for this. And I know of no opposition."
"You've heard the Lady's explanation. Is there any discussion? Seeing none, the question is, 'Shall the House concur with Senate Amendment #1 to House Bill 2105?' This is final action. 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? Brauer, Leitch, Mayfield, would you like to be recorded? Rita. Mr. Clerk… Rich Brauer. Take the record, Mr. Clerk. On this question, there's 112 Members voting 'yes', 0 voting 'no', 0 voting 'present'. And the House does concur with Senate Amendment #1 to House Bill 2105. This Bill, having received the Constitutional Majority, is hereby declared passed. Representative Mautino, Leader Mautino, on page 5 of the Calendar, you have House Bill 3450 on the Order of Concurrence. Senate Amendment #1, Leader Frank Mautino." 09700166.doc 9 STATE OF ILLINOIS 97th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 166th Legislative Day 1/8/2013
"Thank you. I move the House concur in Senate Amendment #1 to House Bill 3450. There are three items within this Bill that the Senate has attached. And it increases the amount of liquor that a craft distiller can manufacture. This was necessary… Illinois has three craft distillers. One of them which is the… A Few Spirits from Evanston, Illinois, expressed their plans to move their operations to Wisconsin because there was a cap that was in place. And they received an order for their product over that cap. So, all parties got together and agreed to raise the cap from its current 15 thousand gallons to 30 thousand gallons this year followed by an increase next year to the level of 35 thousand. This keeps a business in Illinois and allows for growth within this small sector of the industry known as craft distillers. There are three requests from the City of Chicago for liquor licenses, two businesses within 100 feet of a church. We have the letters from the pastors and from the applicable parties. University of Chicago, being one, is seeking an exemption for the… for the old Herald Building, which they use for special events which is located 72 feet from the United Church of Hyde Park. The pastor has given us a letter. The Chicago Marriot… or Hyatt, on the magnificent mile, is seeking an exemption so that on its outside patio, which is 72 feet from Northwestern Memorial Hospital's Galter Pavilion, would be able to serve alcohol. That's agreed to. We have the letters in hand. El Vigia Restaurant is seeking an exemption because they're within a hundred feet of Templo Misionero Internacional Christiano Pentecostes, Inc. I just 09700166.doc 10 STATE OF ILLINOIS 97th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 166th Legislative Day 1/8/2013 wanted to see if I could actually say that. I probably didn't right. The pastor has also given his consent. Final item is Illinois State University is seeking an exemption which we currently give to the U of I and Northern Illinois University so that at alumni events or events held on their properties, which would be public events, with the advice and consent of the trustees, they would be able to sell alcohol. I know of no opposition to any of the changes within the Bill itself. I believe the… And I'd ask for an 'aye' vote."
"You've heard the Gentleman's explanation. Is there any discussion? Chair recognizes the Gentleman from McLean, Leader Dan Brady."
"Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Will the Sponsor yield?"
"Sponsor yields."
"Representative, just a point of clarification, in particular as it pertains to Illinois State University. This legislation of that segment was prompted due to the new football stadium that's being built…"
"Somebody in the luxury boxes they could…"
"Correct. Correct."
"Correct."
"And all that would have to be, first off, approved by the Board of Trustees. Is that not correct?"
"Yes. That is correct."
"Thank you very much. And obviously, I stand in support of the legislation."
"Representative DeLuca, do you seek recognition? The Gentleman declines. Seeing no further discussion, the 09700166.doc 11 STATE OF ILLINOIS 97th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 166th Legislative Day 1/8/2013 question is, 'Should the House concur with Senate Amendment #1 to House Bill 3450?' This is final action. All those in favor of the option of Amendment #1 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? Representative Nybo, Chris, would you like to be recorded? Mr. Clerk, take the record. On this Bill, there's 87 Members voting 'yes', 25 voting 'no', 0 voting 'present'. And the House does concur with Senate Amendment #1 to House Bill 3450. This Bill, having received the Constitutional Majority, is hereby declared passed. The Chair would like to give an acknowledge and a warm welcome to the President of the Illinois Senate, Senator John Cullerton. Welcome to the chamber you started at, Senator. Leader Chuck Jefferson, for what purpose do you seek recognition, Leader."
"Thank you, Mr. Speaker, Members of the General Assembly. A point of announcement, if I may. The Illinois Legislative Black Caucus who will immediately from the Inauguration parties on Wednesday, we will be having a celebration at the Hilton Hotel. It's going to be off the chain. So, if you're up there, you're going to miss this. It's going to be from 3:00 to 6:00 at the Hilton Hotel in the banquet room. Second announcement. The Illinois Legislative Black Caucus will meet immediately following Session today in Room 115 for caucus business. Thank you."
Speaker Lyons: "Thank you, Leader. Representative Mike Zalewski, if you're within the sound of my voice, you have a Bill on Concurrence, House Bill 5019. House Bill 5019. 09700166.doc 12 STATE OF ILLINOIS 97th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 166th Legislative Day 1/8/2013 Mikie, are you around? Representative Mike Zalewski on House Bill 5019. You have a Senate Amendment to adopt, Representative."
"Correct. Mr. Speaker, I wish to adopt Senate Amendment #1 to House Bill 5019. It simply makes extension provisions of a Homeowner Protection Act that the AG wishes to extend to homeowners by the Federal Government works towards a resolution. I'd ask for an 'aye' vote."
"You've heard the Gentleman's explanation. Is there any discussion? Seeing none, the question is, 'Should the House adopt Amendment… Senate Amendment #1 to House Bill 5019. This is final action. 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? Frank Mautino, Tim Schmitz, would you like to be recorded? Mr. Clerk, take the record. There's 112 Members voting 'yes', 0 voting 'no', 0 voting 'present'. And the House does concur with Senate Amendment #1 to House Bill 5019. This Bill, having received the Constitutional Majority, is hereby declared passed. Representative Elaine Nekritz, on page 5 of the Calendar, under the Order of Concurrences, you have House Bill 5495."
"Thank you, Mr. Speaker. This is a piece of legislation that deals with a school district in mine and Representative Fine's district that went to referendum last spring and was successful in that referendum in raising about… approximately a million and a half dollars. After that referendum came out, there were some changes that the county announced… some significant changes to their 09700166.doc 13 STATE OF ILLINOIS 97th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 166th Legislative Day 1/8/2013 equalized assessed value and their… the value of the new property in the district that took… that made it impossible for them to take advantage of the increased revenue that the voters had approved. This legislation allows the… the school district to indeed take advantage of the referendum that the voters approved in School District 31. And I ask for your support."
"You've heard the Lady's explanation. Is there any discussion? The Chair recognizes the Gentleman from Lake, Representative Ed Sullivan."
"Thank you, Mr. Speaker. To the Bill. Ladies and Gentlemen, through your districts you've seen a historic and unprecedented decrease in property values over the last several years. One of the unintended consequences of this decrease in property value is how it affects rates and levies and the ability to raise revenue at the local level. Property tax limitation law was never designed for such a decrease in assessed value. What we have in this district… this school district passed a referendum. The will of the people was that they were going to increase revenues for their school. They took a vote and they said, yes, we would… This is our choice. Unfortunately, because of how PTELL works, they were never able to receive the dollars that they voted to raise for their school district. So, the Lady has a simple fix, so the will of the people will be established to help support this school system. For that reason, I stand in strong support of this legislation."
"Elaine Nekritz to close."
"I ask for your support." 09700166.doc 14 STATE OF ILLINOIS 97th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 166th Legislative Day 1/8/2013
"The question is, 'Should the House concur with Senate Amendments #1 and 5 to House Bill 5495?' This is final action. 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? Kelly Burke, Scott Penny, Jil Tracy, Mike Zalewski, would you like to be recorded? Mr. Clerk, take the record. On this Bill, there's 80 Members voting 'yes', 30 Members voting 'no', 1 Member voting 'present'. And the House does concur with Senate Amendments #1 and 5 to House Bill 5495. This Bill, having received the Constitutional Majority, is hereby declared passed. Representative Dwight Kay, on page 3 of the Calendar, under Senate Bills-Second Readings, you have Senate Bill 1076. What's the status on that Bill, Mr. Clerk?"
"Senate Bill 1076 was read a second time on a previous day. No Committee Amendments. No Floor Amendments. No Motions are filed."
"Third Reading, Mr. Clerk, and read the Bill."
"Senate Bill 1076, a Bill for an Act concerning civil law. Third Reading of this Senate Bill."
"Representative Kay."
"Thank you, Mr. Speaker. This is a Bill that comes to us from the Village of Maryville. And just to give you a little history so that there's a complete understanding of the Bill, some 25 years ago the land was given to them by the State of Illinois for the purpose of a fire department building a facility likewise a police department and other government facilities. The village today has the desire to 09700166.doc 15 STATE OF ILLINOIS 97th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 166th Legislative Day 1/8/2013 build a library on this particular premise and they will use some 3 acres of about 15 acres of ground which was given to them by the state. They wish to lease… that is the village, wishes to lease the property back to the village for one dollar. The balance of the property would be used for other purposes presumably according to the city for other government agencies, buildings, a possible extension to the City Hall. The ground has laid fallow for about 25 years and at this point in time, serves no useful purpose nor will it in the future if we don't act this legislation today. So, I ask for an 'aye' vote."
"You've heard the Gentleman's explanation. Is there any discussion? Seeing none, all those in favor of the passage of Senate Bill 1076 should 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? Representative Hammond, Norine, would you like to be recorded? Jil. Mr. Clerk, take the record. On this Bill, there's 112 Members voting 'yes', 0 voting 'no'. This Bill, having received the Constitutional Majority, is hereby declared passed. Representative Jim Sacia, on the Supplemental Calendar #1, you have Senate Bill 2979. What's the status on that Bill, Mr. Clerk?"
"Senate Bill 2979 was read a second time on a previous day. No Committee Amendments. No Floor Amendments. No Motions are filed."
"Third Reading. And read the Bill, Mr. Clerk."
"Senate Bill 2979, a Bill for an Act concerning economic development. Third Reading of this Senate Bill." 09700166.doc 16 STATE OF ILLINOIS 97th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 166th Legislative Day 1/8/2013
"Representative Jim Sacia."
"Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Ladies and Gentlemen of the House, this Bill comes from Senator Bivins. It… it is a culmination of a group of individuals who collect former marked police cars and emergency vehicles. In order for them to legally travel on our highways, we want for them not to be mistaken for police cars or emergency vehicles. The Bill simply allows, and there is no opposition to it that I am aware of, that placards be on all sides simply stating out of service or not an emergency vehicle. It's a very logical Bill. And again, I know of no objections. And I ask for your support."
"You've heard the Gentleman's explanation. Is there any discussion? The Chair recognizes the Gentleman from McHenry, Representative Jack Franks."
"Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Will the Sponsor yield?"
"He's thinking it over. I'll get back to you. Sponsor yields."
"So, this is a serious problem that we need a legislative fix for, Representative?"
"Jack, surprisingly, it's becoming more so. I personally have two vehicles myself; however, this came about long before I had these vehicles. And I was not aware of the significance, but Senator Bivins and the group in his district tells me that it has become a problem in that law enforcement is stopping these vehicles and they simply don't know what to do with them."
"But these people aren't acting like police officers and pulling anybody over?" 09700166.doc 17 STATE OF ILLINOIS 97th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 166th Legislative Day 1/8/2013
"No, no, no, no. The vehicle obviously you can't activate any emergency equipment. It's just getting from show to show or going from repair center back to your place of business, what have you. It's… it's simply to make the vehicle legal to transport on our highways."
"But what you're saying is, what this solution would be to put a sign on the sides of the vehicle so when you're driving down the street there'll be signs on the side saying this is not an emergency vehicle, correct?"
"Actually, the Bill reads all four sides, Representative."
"Okay. Okay. Isn't there an ancillary benefit though, if you think about it, having a police… a car that looks like a police car on the road. Don't you always wonder that when you're driving and you see it in the rear view mirror and don't you tend to slow down?"
"But when it's a '49 Hudson, you know, it's kind of a clue."
"Well, you want to slow down and look at it, then."
"That… that may be, Representative."
"All right. Well, if you tell us it's a problem, I'll believe you, Mr. Sacia."
"Thank you, Representative."
"Thank you."
"Representative Jim Sacia moves for the passage of Senate Bill 2979. 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? Mike Bost. Mr. Clerk, take the record. On this 09700166.doc 18 STATE OF ILLINOIS 97th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 166th Legislative Day 1/8/2013 question, there's 113 Members voting 'yes', 0 voting 'no', 0 voting 'present'. This Bill, having received the Constitutional Majority, is hereby declared passed. Representative Jil Tracy, for what purpose do you seek recognition, Representative?"
"Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I did want to say, please say it ain't so, Joe. But I do have another matter. I would like to amend the record to reflect that on House Bill 3450 I was recorded as a 'no' and I wish to be recorded as a 'yes'."
"Representative, the Journal will reflect your request."
"Thank you."
Speaker Lyons: "Representative Dennis Reboletti, for what purpose do you seek recognition, Sir?"
"Mr. Speaker, I was wondering what the parliamentary ruling was on House Bill 1263 with the individuals who are originally listed as Chief cosponsors and Sponsors that want to be removed. I know that you turned it over to your dutiful attorneys up there and I was wondering what the ruling of the Chair was."
"The Chair, as of right now, is not prepared to make a comment on that, but the parliamentarian is aware of the request. Representative Sara Feigenholtz, for what purpose do you seek recognition, Representative?"
"Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I rise on a point of personal privilege during this moment."
"Sara, can you possibly wait a minute for that, please? Mr. Clerk, on page 3 of the Calendar, under Senate 09700166.doc 19 STATE OF ILLINOIS 97th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 166th Legislative Day 1/8/2013 Bills-Second Reading, Representative Acevedo… Leader Acevedo has Senate Bill 957. What's the status on that Bill, Mr. Clerk?"
"Senate Bill 957 was read a second time on a previous day. No Committee Amendments. No Floor Amendments. A housing note has been requested but not filed."
"Third Reading. And read the Bill, Mr… There's still a note on that, Mr. Clerk. We'll hold that Bill on the Order of Second Reading. Leader Bost."
"Mr. Speaker, I've got an inquiry of the Chair."
"State your inquiry."
"Is a Motion to adjourn, sine die, a nondebatable Motion?"
"We will get back to you on that. That's a promise."
"I was just check… just checking."
"We will get back to you. Mr. Clerk."
"Senate Bill 95…"
"957."
"…957 was read a second time on a previous day. No Committee Amendments. No Floor Amendments. No Motions are filed."
"Third Reading. And read the Bill, Mr. Clerk."
"Senate Bill 957, a Bill for an Act concerning transportation. Third Reading of this Senate Bill."
"Leader Ed Acevedo on Senate Bill 957."
"Thank you, Mr. Speaker, Ladies and Gentlemen of the House. This legislation has been a long-time coming. The Senate Bill 957 is a commonsense Bill that seeks to improve 09700166.doc 20 STATE OF ILLINOIS 97th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 166th Legislative Day 1/8/2013 the safety of our roads and ensure that all motorists can be trained, tested, licensed and insured. Under current law, Illinois law, anyone who applies for a driver's license must provide a Social Security number. This law prevents 250 thousand Illinois motorists who cannot get a Social Security number because of their immigration status from getting their license. These undocumented immigrants must still take to our roads in order to work, go to school, attend worship services and otherwise, just basically support their family. The entire state will benefit from Senate Bill 957. If only half of the 250 thousand undocumented motorists get TVDLs and get insurance, Illinois insurance policyholders will save $46 million a year. Police officers will be able to know who they are stopping. And motorists with TVDLs can use it… cannot use the card… can use the card as bond and does not tie up the police and jail resources that go toward handling arrests. First responders and medical personnel would know who they are treating if the TVDL holder is hurt. And if… and the experience of states like Utah, New Mexico is any indication, more of trained and licensed driver will mean fewer crashes. At the same time Senate Bill 957 include many protections against fraud and abuse. TVDLs look different from regular license, are marked as valid… are not valid for identification. So, they cannot be used to vote, buy firearms, board airplanes or enter secure government buildings. To get a TVDL an immigrant needs to provide a valid passport, or consular ID card from the issuing government that the issuing government can verify. 09700166.doc 21 STATE OF ILLINOIS 97th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 166th Legislative Day 1/8/2013 Applicants must show that they have lived in Illinois for at least one year, so that people cannot just come to Illinois and simply claim a sham address in order to get a driver's license. The Secretary of State will photograph applicants and run the pictures through facial recognition database to prevent applicants from claiming multiple identities. Finally, thanks to Senator Millner over in the Senate side, we have language that invalidates the TVDL of any driver who is stopped and cannot show proof of insurance. The driver will be ticketed for both driving without insurance and driving without a license. This language, it further encourages TVDL holders to make sure that the vehicle they are driving are insured. I'd be happy to answer any question."
"Okay. Ladies and Gentlemen, we're going to have a… a good discussion on this thing. We're going to limit the time to… we're going to set the timer to two minutes. If you need an extra minute, I'll accommodate you, but there a lot of people who would like to speak. You know it's a very serious and contentious issue, but I would appreciate everybody trying to stay within that two minute time frame. The first speaker is State Representative Fortner, Mike Fortner."
"Thank you, Speaker. To the Bill. I rise in support of this measure and I rise with the background of perhaps a unique experience with respect to this measure. I had the honor and privilege, in the early 2000s, as serving six years as the mayor of the City of West Chicago. A city with a very large immigrant population and by estimates, we may 09700166.doc 22 STATE OF ILLINOIS 97th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 166th Legislative Day 1/8/2013 based on the 2000 census in working with my police force probably as much as 15 percent of the population of my city was undocumented. As mayor, I met regularly with the law enforcement officials of my town and my police chief in particular. And as we looked at things that we could do to improve public safety in town, which is why we met, over and again one of the things that always we saw that would have been a great benefit was if there was something that would be held by all of our population or certainly the population most likely to be involved in stops by law enforcement that indicated who they were provided some form of identification particularly for those in motor vehicles. This TVDL would provide what we're looking for. And just to be sure, I checked that with my chief this last weekend to say, are things still the same as they were back when I served as mayor 10 years ago and he said, that hasn't changed. It's still one of the best things we could do. For that reason, I would encourage everyone to consider their support. Thank you."
"Minority Leader Tom Cross."
"Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Not to this Bill but a point of personal privilege. I, contrary to popular belief and things you may read in certain documents, I just want to announce again that my good friend, President of the Senate, is standing next to me. John Cullerton, I want to welcome on the Republican side of the Illinois House."
"Kumba… Kumbaya. Nice gesture, Leaders."
"My good friend, President Cullerton." 09700166.doc 23 STATE OF ILLINOIS 97th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 166th Legislative Day 1/8/2013
"Press, are you getting the pictures there. Get the pictures going, get the cameras."
"That was under oath."
"And now, for something completely different, back to the Bill. Representative Saviano."
"Thank… thank you, Mr. Speaker, Members of the House. I rise in support of this… of this Bill. This Bill's been a long-time coming. We voted for a version of this in 2007. It passed and out of this chamber. Since then, there's been a lot of work done. My community… my communities, we have probably 30 or 35 percent immigrant population: Latinos, Polish, Italian, Irish. Talking to my police departments over the years, this would be a great tool for them in saving money and saving my… my legal residents from the aggravation of getting in an accident with an uninsured motorist. Which at the end of the day, increases all of our insurance premiums, number 1 and also, puts my other residents at risk that we have people driving that are not trained as we all were over the years to get a legitimate driver's license. So, with that, I would ask for this Body'll approve this measure. It's very, very important. I know it's a regional issue in a lot of cases, but it's very important to areas that I represent and also, the area I live in. With that, I have some questions of the Sponsor as far as legislative intent and it could clear up some concerns. Representative, is it true that anyone who gets a TVDL must obey all of the requirements of the Vehicle Code including the mandatory insurance provisions?"
"Yes, Sir, Representative." 09700166.doc 24 STATE OF ILLINOIS 97th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 166th Legislative Day 1/8/2013
"Doesn't the Secretary of State already require that anyone applying for any license show proof that the vehicle they want…"
"Skip, we'll give you another minute."
"I'll start over. Doesn't the Secretary of State already require that anyone applying for any license show proof that the vehicle they want to use for their road test is insured?"
"Yes, Representative."
"So, to get a license you must already have insurance on your vehicle, right?"
"Yes, Representative."
"And that would apply to TVDLs as well, right?"
"Yes, Representative."
"This Bill has another provision regarding insurance, doesn't it?"
"Yes, it does."
"Is that the one that Senator Millner added in Amendment that says that if someone with a TVDL gets pulled over and cannot provide proof of insurance that the TVDL would be invalid and the driver can be ticketed for driving without a license?"
"Yes, Representative, that… that's on behalf of Senator Millner, yes."
"Thank you. What happens if this… what if… what happens if this happens but the person then gets insurance before his court date?"
"Yes, it's the same thing. The driver can show up in court and showed proof of valid insurance." 09700166.doc 25 STATE OF ILLINOIS 97th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 166th Legislative Day 1/8/2013
"And then have the TVDL reinstated, correct?"
"Yes, Sir."
"So, this Amendment is a further incentive for people with TVDLS to keep up their insurance. Is that correct?"
"That is correct."
"Thank you. And I'd ask for its passage."
"Representative Greg Harris, two minutes." Harris, G.: "Thank you, Mr. Speaker, Ladies and Gentlemen of the House. I just want to rise and talk about the penalties that are involved with this piece of legislation. And because the penalties are very strict, I rise in support of SB957. I want to emphasize that if someone does not get one of these TVDLs but continues to drive, that person would be putting himself or herself at significant risk. Anyone who drives without a license can already be prosecuted for a Class B misdemeanor, but just as important, if people are driving without one of these, they will get arrested. If you or I got pulled over, we could give the officer our license as a bond card, get ticketed and be sent on our way. This does not happen with people who do not have licenses. The police would need to arrest them and book them. In the booking process, however, their names and their fingerprints would be run through law enforcement databases which include immigration databases. These drivers would get… end up getting flagged as undocumented immigrants subject to ICE holds and taken into immigrant custody, all for a traffic stop. In contrast, if you have a TVDL, you'll be able to show your TVDL to the officer and use it as a bond and not get arrested. If someone with a 09700166.doc 26 STATE OF ILLINOIS 97th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 166th Legislative Day 1/8/2013 TVDL just leaves their wallet at home, it would still show up in the state databases so that those drivers would not be arrested for driving without a license. People in the immigrant and refugee community know the risks and consequences of driving without a license. SB957 would enable them to get licensed and knowing these risks and consequences, many of these immigrants who need to drive will take advantage of this law to get legally licensed. We should not ask for further penalties. Ladies and Gentlemen, I urge an 'aye' vote."
Speaker Lyons: "The Gentleman from DuPage, Representative Dennis Reboletti, two minutes."
"First, I have an inquiry of the Chair, Mr. Speaker."
"State your inquiry."
"It's my understanding that there were additional notes filed on this legislation today. Have those notes been cleared?"
"Mr. Clerk."
"All notes that were requested have been filed."
"That's not what I'm… I'm showing, but I'll have… Representative Ramey could discuss that further. Ladies and Gentlemen, to the Bill. As we try to decide if we should provide privileges for people who are noncitzens here, I'll take a look at it at least from the public safety aspect. The documents that are necessary to show the Secretary of State in and of themselves aren't foolproof. Consular cards are very easy to come by. So, now that leaves us, as a state, to try to make sure that the person who's making 09700166.doc 27 STATE OF ILLINOIS 97th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 166th Legislative Day 1/8/2013 application for this permit is actually the person making the application. In every state that has had these TVDLS or some type of other form of driving permit or license, either that state has rescinded it by legislation or is in the process of trying to rescind it. There were just federal indictments, within the last few days, in the State of New Mexico because foreign nationals were using sham addresses to get these permits. There is nothing in this legislation that says I can't show a phony lease that I have and show that that's what I'm… where I live and I've lived here for one year. We already have that issue with establishing residency for the State of Illinois when it comes to Medicaid, if people are from this country or from another state. We have no idea how long they've lived here. In other states that have had this program, there has not been an increase or very little…"
Speaker Lyons: "Dennis, continue. We'll give you another minute."
"Thank you. There has not been an increase in participation of people becoming insured. So, that is a fallacy that I have seen. And the other issue is that the argument has been made that people are using this to go to school or go to work. Where is that requirement to get the TVDL? It's not there. If other states that have had this permit issued haven't seen an increase in state income tax being paid. The Federal Government needs to come to some conclusion on this immediately. This should not have been put off for the last four years by the President of the United States who hails from this building. Unfortunately, 09700166.doc 28 STATE OF ILLINOIS 97th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 166th Legislative Day 1/8/2013 it has been deferred and left to us to try to administer. I believe that fingerprints should be part of this legislation. Fingerprints are a positive identifier of the people that are approaching to try to get this application. I believe federal tax ID numbers is something else we could track. And I'm hoping somebody will yield me time, Mr. Speaker, later 'cause I have other points to make. And I appreciate your time."
Speaker Lyons: "The Chair representative… recognizes Representative Ed Sullivan."
"Mr. Speaker, I'd like to yield my two minutes to Rep… Representative Reboletti."
"Representative Reboletti, two minutes."
"One of the issues we have is this federal tax ID number which is a number that we could at least be able to assign to an individual to track them. If somebody with these TVDLS were to get a DUI or an offense outside of the State of Illinois, I have no idea how reciprocity will work and how that will be tracked back to our Secretary of State. That's where the problem is, Ladies and Gentlemen. We use Social Security numbers and our birth certificates to provide the driver's licenses. That's not going to be the case here. So, it invites fraud into the process. And I appreciate the Sponsor's work on this. I know how hard he's tried to… to accomplish some type of means because obviously this is an issue. When I was a prosecutor, we saw this time and time again. One of the things that hasn't been talked about and there are already have been noncitizens already driving that have been suspended, that 09700166.doc 29 STATE OF ILLINOIS 97th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 166th Legislative Day 1/8/2013 continue to be suspended because they drove without a license which is a misdemeanor. And so, now they're going to be suspended. They're going to go over to the Secretary of State's Office and find out that they have to begin to serve a suspension, some of them may be for years, before they're going to be eligible. So, for the fact that we can't track what happens in other states, for the fact that there are going to be so many people who are going to be suspended and not be eligible and for all the other reasons I've mentioned, I stand opposed to this legislation. And I ask my colleagues to do the same. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker."
"Leader Tom Cross."
"Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I rise in support of this Bill. And I realize that there's some folks on… in this state in this chamber that aren't supportive of it and I certainly respect that. And I… there are those that are opposed to it for some specific reasons on the way it's written and I respect that. And the previous speaker is a very, very capable lawyer and a very good student I think of the Criminal Code and has his own opinions and they're usually, as I believe, always valid. He's a very, very bright articulate guy. There are other people though that oppose this for reasons that aren't so technical and that is one of the reasons I rise in support of this Bill. The reality is and the realization we have to come to terms with is that we have 11 to 12 million people in this country that want to be citizens and a number of them reside in the State of Illinois. And the Federal Government has done 09700166.doc 30 STATE OF ILLINOIS 97th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 166th Legislative Day 1/8/2013 absolutely nothing to address that issue, as we all are painfully aware. So, what do we do? Do we just sit here and say we're not going to do anything. Are we going to sit here and just continuously blame the Federal Government for their lack of action? It would be nice if the Federal Government took action. I remember back in 1986 when Ronald Reagan signed a Bill dealing with amnesty. I don't know if that's the best approach now. I'll let the Federal Government do that. But the reality is we have a number of folks here in the state that may be of Irish descent, they may be Vietnamese, they may be Polish, they may be Lithuanian, they may be Indian who aren't here legally and we have to address it. We have prided ourselves as a country that embraced the idea of people coming here. We've done that since the beginning of time. We want people to come here. We say that 'cause we are proud of our country. We are the best country in the world. We offer opportunity; we offer hope; we offer a place for people to come and come and prosper. And we shouldn't shy from that; we shouldn't stop that. We are, as I said, the best country in the world. And we have to address this issue. And the Sponsor has done a very good job in trying to address the issue that I know is very difficult and is a problem for some of you in this chamber, but for us to just say we're not going to do it because we don't like the fact that people are here and aren't legal is… is not fair. I think you've heard from Representative Saviano, you've heard from the Speaker the variety of reasons that we should do this and what this Bill does. You know, you can't use this card to vote; you 09700166.doc 31 STATE OF ILLINOIS 97th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 166th Legislative Day 1/8/2013 can't use it going in a governmental be it building. You can't use it to board an airplane, but you can use it for the purposes of driving. You can use it for the purposes of getting to work, in getting to the doctor and in getting your kids to school and in getting them to a variety of places. You have to take a test; you have to take a vision test; you have to take a written test. And one of the things that struck me, a couple of weeks ago is I had a judge call me from home who said, Tom, I have a number of cases that clog up my courtroom on a daily basis on just people that don't have driver's license. And she says this is not an insignificant number; this is a very significant number and if you pass this Bill, I can assure that around this… across the state the court log will diminish significantly. And we often hear as Legislators on different topics about how overrun our court systems are. This is an opportunity to address that. And I think that… I think, this will go a long way to doing that. You… like many of you, I've had a number of folks that have called my office and said, I got hit by somebody without a driver's license… da, da, da, da, da. You all know the story. Now I'll have a response to that and you can say we've addressed it head on and if the Federal Government wants to come along and do something better, then they can and I welcome them actually trying to get something done on this issue and a variety of others. But at the end of the day… the end of the day… forgetting just the nuances of this particular Bill, I would like to think that we would continue to be a country and a state… a country and a state 09700166.doc 32 STATE OF ILLINOIS 97th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 166th Legislative Day 1/8/2013 that remains open to the idea of people coming to our country who want to do better, who want to have better lives, who want to work, who want to be part of our communities. And we should work with them, not fight with them, as we move ahead as a state and as a country. And for those reasons, Mr. Speaker, I support the Bill and I hope it passes. Thank you very much."
"Thank you, Leader. Representative Arroyo, two minutes, Lou."
"Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I also rise in support of this Bill. This is a very important Bill in my district and this is a… a Bill that people want to go to work. People want to be able to have insurance so they can go back and forth to work, take the kids to the doctor, be able to come back. Immigrants come here to the United States to work. I consider this just as good as a jobs Bill. You want to be able to go to work. You want to pay for the insurance. When you have an accident, you want to be able to get your car fixed. So do I. If somebody hit me and didn't have insurance, I wish that… that's why I'm supporting this driver's license Bill so they're able to buy the insurance and be able to fix other people's cars. I also want to thank the Sponsor of the Bill for the hard work he's been doing on this Bill. I want to also thank ICER for the heavy lifting they're doing in both chambers. They've been following this Bill very hard along and I'm not going to keep you no longer. I just ask for an 'aye' vote for everybody. I think this is very important for all of us. Thank you." 09700166.doc 33 STATE OF ILLINOIS 97th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 166th Legislative Day 1/8/2013
"Representative Crespo."
"Thank you, Speaker, Members of the House. Will the Sponsor yield?"
"Sponsor yields."
"Representative Acevedo, just a couple of questions. My understanding, as I read the Bill, that these folks can use a passport or consulate card to get a driver's license, correct?"
"That's correct."
"Okay. My understanding, also, is that the only countries that for which we accept the consulate cards are Mexico, Guatemala, Brazil, Columbia, as of last week, Ecuador because they all participate in the ID Card Act."
"You're correct."
"So, folks from Ireland, India, Philippines, Koreans, they need a passport 'cause we won't accept their consulate card, would you say?"
"Correct."
"Okay. Also, I understand that the Secretary of State has stated that's going to cost approximately $800 thousand on year one just to implement the program."
"Correct."
"And after that, $250 thousand a year to continue the program. Do you think they'll get those through the fees that it'll collect from the driver's licenses?"
"That… that's a rough estimate, yes."
"Okay. I have a couple of questions, real quick. Fingerprints, there's some confusion on this side of the 09700166.doc 34 STATE OF ILLINOIS 97th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 166th Legislative Day 1/8/2013 aisle that I heard there's going to be a trailer Bill to address the fingerprinting situation?"
"Representative, I'm always open to discussion. I have given my commitment, due to the time limit that we have today, that I will be willing to sit down and talk about the finger… fingerprint… fingerprinting program, also as far as other issues that con…"
"Okay."
"…that they have concerns about."
"To the Bill, real quick. We… this is being sold as a highway safety Bill. There is some value there. I'm not going to dispute that. I think this Bill has been exaggerated, but there's some value and I think something to consider. After the Federal Government passes some immigration reform Bill, I think this becomes a moot point, a moot issue; however, for those of you who had Latino folks, Latino communities in your district and you want to help those folks, please keep in mind this is not the only Latino issue."
"We'll give you another minute, Fred. Please conclude your remarks."
"If you care about Latinos in your district, I'll tell you what the biggest issues are. Dropout rate in high school, we have one of the highest dropout rates among any other group. Teenage pregnancies, we have one of the highest teenage pregnancies percent of any other group. We have kids that are not really ready for kindergarten. These are real Latino issues and we ask for your support on those things. How am I going to vote on this thing? I still don't 09700166.doc 35 STATE OF ILLINOIS 97th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 166th Legislative Day 1/8/2013 know, but I'll tell you one thing, if I do vote 'yes', let me make something very clear. I am not intimidated by a group coming and protesting in front of my house because they think I oppose this Bill. Those militant tactics do not work. They do not work. So, if I do vote 'yes', I'll make it very clear that had nothing to do with my vote. This is a vote about real people, people who need to get to work, people who need to get their kids to the doctor. I want to thank also Father Brendan Curran from St. Pius. I think God spoke to me today. I went to St. Pius back in 1898, a long time ago, and I haven't been there since and Father Curran did not know that. And he came to my office today and I said, oh my God, St. Pius here to talk to me. And I appreciate your stories, Father. I'll continue listening to the debate. I went from a strong 'no' to try to decide what's going to happen. But please, for those of you who care, and I hear you talk about Latino issues, Latino concerns, please keep in mind whether you vote for the Bill this is not the only issue that concerns Latinos. If you don't vote for the Bill and you do care about Latino communities, keep in mind the real issues that we really need your help on. Speaker, I thank you very much and I want to thank Representative Acevedo. Mi buena suerte, mi hermano. (Translation: my good luck, my brother)."
"Representative Ramey."
"Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Inquiry of the Chair."
"State your inquiry, Sir." 09700166.doc 36 STATE OF ILLINOIS 97th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 166th Legislative Day 1/8/2013
"There are various notes placed on this Bill and there are 2 notes that remain unanswered. Where are those answers?"
"Mr. Clerk."
"All notes that have been requested have been filed."
"There were 10 notes filed… requested to be filed. There are 8 with answers, 2 are not. Home Rule note, state mandate fiscal note."
"Mr. Clerk, your record."
"We have a Home Rule note and a state mandates note."
"Where are those notes now? They're not on the computer and I have not received a copy."
"We're making copies for you, Randy. They'll be delivered to your desk."
"I appreciate that, Mr. Speaker. In waiting for that, another inquiry. With these notes being filed and some of them seem to be answered properly, not so much the others, I ask that when notes are put on our Bills it usually takes a week to get answers and here you're getting answers within 12 hours. I find that odd. Is there an explanation for that?"
"No."
"Well, that's certainly unfortunate, Joe. And I'm sure you and I will talk about this in our retirement year and laugh about it. But it's unfortunate that rules are placed… put in place and they're not abided by equally. And you know, that's obviously a discussion for another matter." 09700166.doc 37 STATE OF ILLINOIS 97th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 166th Legislative Day 1/8/2013
"Point taken."
"Will the Sponsor yield for some questions?"
"Sponsor yields. Representative Ramey."
"Thank you. Representative, first of all, we're calling this a visitor card… temporary visitor's driver's license, right?"
"Yes."
"And so, you're saying that these people are visiting, right?"
"Yes."
"How long do they get to visit?"
"Well, the… the Bill… the Bill is… I mean, I'm sorry. I apologize. The driver's license is valid for three years."
"What happens after those three years?"
"They will have to reapply and show the same credentials."
"So, they're still visiting?"
"Yes."
"That sounds like an awful long visit to me. I think, when you read about what the current visiting license deals with those people are here for school, going back to their countries of origin, or if they're visiting family for extended periods, maybe a month or two, they can get these licenses. But this seems to be stating that these people really aren't leaving."
"Well, truthfully, Representative, if you were from a foreign country and you came to visit the United States of 09700166.doc 38 STATE OF ILLINOIS 97th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 166th Legislative Day 1/8/2013 America, would you want to leave? It's the greatest country in the world."
"It certainly is, but I would probably go through the right process to become an American citizen. That means I would be an immigrant not an alien. An alien is a person here who's illegal. That's due to our Constitution; it's called the Fourteenth Amendment. Thank you for the copies. And that's why… another reason why I have problems is when language is used that isn't actually correct in its usage and… and I'll… when I get to my close and I explain a little bit about that. But so, after three years, they get to try again and get another three-year license. Is that what you're saying, Sir?"
"Yes."
"In the requirements for, to receive this license, we accept a valid passport or a consular card, correct?"
"Correct."
"You mentioned there are four… five countries that we get consular cards from, correct?"
"Correct."
"They all seem…"
"Representative, another minute."
"Speaker, I implore you to have more time 'cause I have many questions. Unless we're going to keep going through the process of, you know, yielding time?"
"Randy, I've got almost 20 people that want to speak to the issue."
"Thank you, Mr. Speaker." 09700166.doc 39 STATE OF ILLINOIS 97th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 166th Legislative Day 1/8/2013
"So, I understand your… your concern here, but I'm trying to be as fair as I can. It's not often easy. So, I'll give you another minute."
"I appreciate it. Why do we not then… you're basically limiting five countries who have these cards that we accept to allow people to get these licenses. So, you're saying the people of India, China, Japan, Germany, throughout Europe, throughout Asia, that it's going to be much harder for them to get these licenses. Why is that?"
"All they have to do… It's either/or. You have to… if you have a passport, you can show the passport. If you…"
"If they don't have a valid passport…"
"Then it will be more difficult for them to receive the driver's license. Abso…"
"Absolutely, it's going to be very difficult and that's why I think one of these notes it talks about, you know… you know, equal protection here. This Bill doesn't offer that. Why didn't you ask for getting people who apply for this to get a tax ID number?"
"Well, there's… the Illinois State Police and the Secretary of State are concerned as far as how secure the taxpayer ID is and in the process."
"It's offered by the United States Government and that would make those people be paying taxes that would help pay for this program."
"Oh, we require the same documents as well as the individuals."
"But they don't have a tax ID number, so they have no reason or ability to see if they are paying their taxes." 09700166.doc 40 STATE OF ILLINOIS 97th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 166th Legislative Day 1/8/2013
"That is correct."
"That's very unfortunate. Why wasn't fingerprinting put into this Bill? Because then you would have had the State Police… or the Chiefs of Police in favor of this Bill."
"Do you want me to answer, Representative, 'cause you…"
"I want you to answer."
"…answered the questions."
"Why isn't fingerprinting not a part of this Bill?"
"The reason why the fingerprinting is not put into part of this Bill due to the fact that the Secretary of State does not deal with the fingerprinting issue. They deal with the facial… profiling that they take on other driver's license. It would just be too much of a burden for them to implement the program through the Secretary of State when the State Police already deals with that process of fingerprinting."
"Yeah, but they're not going to fingerprint them until they break the law which they already have at least once. Finger…"
"Last question, Representative."
"What's that?"
"Last question."
"Fingerprinting would at least help us identify people better because when fingerprinting is required there's at least 15 percent of those people are found to be felons. So, it's very… very hard to understand why we don't have it. Last question, Mr. Speaker. What are the training requirements for these drivers?" 09700166.doc 41 STATE OF ILLINOIS 97th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 166th Legislative Day 1/8/2013
"I'm sorry. I didn't hear the question."
"What are the training requirements for these drivers?"
"The same as all the other individuals who apply for a driver's license."
"Which is what? You're a police officer. What are those training requirements?"
"Well, you have to take a driver's test. You have to operate a motor vehicle. You have to have proof of insurance."
"And… I have so many more questions. To…"
"Representative…"
"…to the Bill."
"Representative, your time has expired."
"May I address the Bill, Sir? No."
"This is it, Randy. Go ahead, I'll give you another half a minute."
"Ladies and Gentlemen, there are far too many questions that are not answered in this Bill. There are going to be far too new people who will get these cards. There'll be fraud, abuse. All I have to say is that people have called me a hater, a racist. All I am doing is standing by what the Constitution of the United States of America says. And if the Federal Government would like to change the rules, I will stand by that. But we are not allowed to address the issue of illegal aliens in this state and it's costing us $4 billion on our budget and we have a hundred billion dollars worth of debt in this state that we can't take care of and here we're going to add some more. I ask for a 'no' vote." 09700166.doc 42 STATE OF ILLINOIS 97th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 166th Legislative Day 1/8/2013
"Representative Chapa LaVia."
"Thank you, Speaker and Members of the General Assembly. Will the Sponsor yield for questions?"
"Sponsor yields."
"Mr. Acevedo… Representative Acevedo, other states have… have issued licenses to undocumented immigrants, right?"
"Correct."
"Can you tell me which states those are?"
"We have Tennessee, New Mexico, Utah."
"Correct. And does Tennessee still do that?"
"I believe so."
"Are you sure about that, Representative Acevedo?"
"I… I apologize. Washing… it's Washington state."
"Okay. Well, what we found in Tennessee's law that they no longer do it because there is license fraud. Could you tell me how this Bill is going to differ from that or what we learned from that to make sure that doesn't happen here in Illinois?"
"Well, I… I think it's… it's already shown and I believe another individual who was speaking on the Bill talked about an indictment in New Mexico. Well, it just goes to show how much this program is looked at and how much scrutiny they put this program through that indictments were issued for individuals who were doing the wrong processing of the law."
"Okay. And didn't the Secretary of State ask for that one-year requirement in the… in the legislation?"
"Yes, it did." 09700166.doc 43 STATE OF ILLINOIS 97th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 166th Legislative Day 1/8/2013
"And he supports it, correct?"
"Yes."
"Okay. Now, the Cath… Catholic Charities supports this, too, in the State of Illinois, correct?"
"Yes, they do."
"Okay. Thank you. No further questions."
"Representative Cassidy. Kelly, two minutes."
"Thank you. A question for the Sponsor?"
"Sponsor awaits your questions."
"Representative, an earlier speaker started to talk about the cost of the program. Has the Secretary of State said anything about whether it will be able to pay the startup cost of $800 thousand?"
"Yes. Yes, Representative. The Secretary of State did testify in committee that they have the funds to start it up and the rest would be coming from the new license that have been issued."
"And… and to that, people applying for TVDLs will be paying a fee. Do you know how much that fee will be?"
"I believe it's $30."
"So, what you're suggesting is that the… you expect a sufficient number of… of immigrants to apply for TVDLs that will pay the cost for setting up the program and the ongoing costs?"
"Yes. Yes, we believe the costs would be covered."
"Thank you very much. To the Bill. As a child of an immigrant, I am well aware of how fortunate I am and what my father did and why to… to make my life and my brothers and sisters' lives better. I am here because of what he 09700166.doc 44 STATE OF ILLINOIS 97th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 166th Legislative Day 1/8/2013 did. And I am proud to stand up and am so thankful to Representative Acevedo for the hard work he's done. And I strongly urge an 'aye' vote on this Bill."
"Leader Dan Burke." Burke, D.: "Thank you, Mr. Speaker. To the Bill. First of all, Father Curran, welcome. I think we need a little more of your visits to turn some of these cold hearts around. If one visit to an office would change somebody's mind, congratulations, Father. I think the Holy Spirit is with us today and maybe that's something we need a little more of in this chamber. Ladies and Gentlemen, the previous speakers have talked about the details of this initiative. We've talked about what forms of identification can be used. Let's face it, Ladies and Gentlemen, this is a bigger issue than we are prepared to attend to. The Federal Government is going to have to act eventually. They've been dragging their feet, but guess what, Ladies and Gentlemen, with over 12 million undocumented immigrants in our country, we do not have the resources to identify, apprehend and ship them back. Is there one of you here that would allocate the resources necessary to do something like that? I seriously doubt it. Certainly, our state does not have any extra dollars to enforce immigration on behalf of the Federal Government. We have considered these issues for several years now. I, myself, introduced a Bill a few years ago that would afford religious counsel to those who have been detained and sent to immigration detention centers managed by the Federal Government. That Bill passed unanimously in both chambers at the time. I would ask those 09700166.doc 45 STATE OF ILLINOIS 97th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 166th Legislative Day 1/8/2013 particularly that voted in favor of that to consider what they thought of at that moment when they decided to say that human beings should be treated in a fair and equitable fashion. Our neighbors, my community, has a very serious issue with…"
"Go ahead, Dan, we'll give you another minute." Burke, D.: "…with those who have had no driving training, have no insurance. If a traffic incident occurs, they are more concerned about being apprehended and separated from their families for a minor bumper accident. This is unconscionable, Ladies and Gentlemen. Please, for those of you who do not have immigrations issues in your community, consider that we in the inner city and the surrounding areas of Chicago do, in fact, every day I have observed myself countless incidents. I would insist to you, on no other reason, just simply a public safety issue, you should give this very considerate thought. I would encourage you, as I support some of your downstate issues and I don't think I've ever disappointed any of the farmers in this state, please give us in the City of Chicago and the surrounding suburban communities the same consideration. Understand this is crucial. This is not only a basising law, but certainly a humanitarian issue. Please vote 'aye' in favor of this Bill. Thank you."
"Representative Toni Berrios."
"To the Bill. Thank you, Mr. Speaker and Ladies and Gentlemen of the House. This Bill isn't a Latino issue or an undocumented issue. This is a human rights issue. This is about a mom being able to take her kids to school 09700166.doc 46 STATE OF ILLINOIS 97th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 166th Legislative Day 1/8/2013 without the fear of getting profiled and then deported. It's about a child knowing he or she will see his parents when they get out of school or at the end of the day. This is an issue of everyone feeling safe. As I said, it's not only a Latino issue. This is every country. Everyone who is in Illinois will benefit from this legislation being passed. I implore you to vote 'aye' for it. Thank you."
"Representative Monique Davis." Davis, M.: "Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I rise to speak for a group of people who most people don't speak for and that is former inmates in the State of Illinois. Currently, if an inmate owes child support, that bill is growing and growing and growing as he or she languishes in prison. There's even interest added to that child support. So, sometimes the bill may go up to 170 thousand and this is to a person who has been incarcerated who will find it very difficult to even get a job in Illinois. He'll have a very hard time getting a job because he has a background of incrimination of being incriminated. I support parents taking care of their children, male and female, proudly, but if you're in prison, common sense says to all of us that man has no money to pay child support. And yet, we say to him, if you're 90 days past due with child support, your driver's license is taken from you. So, now, this person comes out of prison. It might have been a minor offense. It might not have been something as violent as murder and yet, he owes his child support, but he can't get a job so he can't get a driver's license so he can't look for a job. But what we're saying is, people whose background we don't even know, you 09700166.doc 47 STATE OF ILLINOIS 97th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 166th Legislative Day 1/8/2013 don't take a fingerprint, so you don't know if they did something in another state or not. They don't have a tax ID number, so if… you really don't know the background of that person. All…"
"Monique, another minute." Davis, M.: "Thank you for another minute. All we know is that person has lived in Illinois a year or two and that they have a passport and so now we give them a driver's license. I believe that all of these provisions in the State of Illinois denying American citizens and Illinois citizens from a driver's license should darn well be considered whose background we know before we give a driver's license to those we don't know. A fingerprint is important. I urge a 'no' vote."
"Representative Dwight Kay."
"Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Will the Sponsor yield, please?"
"Sponsor yields."
"Thank you. Representative, I know you've worked very hard on this and I'm not an expert on it so bear with me as I ask some… some questions. A number of people have asked about the other states implementation of a similar type Bill in their states. Can you tell me how many states precisely have this Bill in place, how many states that did have it in place, now have removed this type of legislation?"
"Currently, there are three states that have it. It's Utah, Washington, and New Mexico."
"And any state that had it, have they removed it from their…" 09700166.doc 48 STATE OF ILLINOIS 97th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 166th Legislative Day 1/8/2013
"Tennessee has."
"And do you know why?"
"No, I haven't any… I'm not sure, Representative."
"As I understood it, it had to do with a good deal of fraudulent transactions. Is that not correct?"
"I believe it did, but as I said about the issue in New Mexico where their indictments came down, that just goes to show the scrutiny that is put on this program where they are being watched constantly to make sure that this program does work…"
"Yeah."
"…and there's no fraud involved."
"Okay. I won't take a lot of time. I will just tell you the State of Tennessee and I'll quote the Governor of Tennessee. He said that it was a template for fraudulent transactions and that's why Tennessee removed it from their books. Let me ask you a different question. I see in our analysis, Representative, that the Illinois Associations of Chiefs of Police are opposed to this Bill. Can you tell me why?"
"Yes. We… we stated a couple of questions have been asked already and answered. The reason why the Chiefs of Police are not involved in this is because they wanted the fingerprinting process involved on the driver's license, temporary driver's license."
"Could you repeat the last sentence again. I'm sorry, I didn't hear you."
"They wanted a fingerprint on the temporary driver's license." 09700166.doc 49 STATE OF ILLINOIS 97th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 166th Legislative Day 1/8/2013
"I see. And that's not a good idea."
"I… I specifically said that I am willing to work…"
"Too late. One more minute. Go ahead, Eddie, finish your answer."
"…those who had concern and I'm willing to sit down and maybe do a trailer Bill because there are other issues."
"So, your commit…"
"Every Bill…"
"…your commitment… I'm sorry. I've only got a minute, Representative."
"You got it."
"Your commitment though would be to follow-up a trailer Bill that would fingerprint these folks?"
"Sir, my commitment is to sit down and hear every concern that every individual has and we will work together to make sure we make this a foolproof legislation that will benefit everyone."
"Representative Acevedo, I think that's a no. If you can't tell me yes, that's a no. Let me just ask a different question and this is maybe the simplest question I can ask today. What gives us the right to do this? Is it the fact that the General Assembly and the State of Illinois is that the right that you think dispose this right upon us to even consider this activity?"
"I… I think we're all elected here into this chamber for one reason and that's to set the rules and the laws of the State of Illinois to protect our citizens."
"Sure. Sure. Let me… let me and I'm not a consti…" 09700166.doc 50 STATE OF ILLINOIS 97th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 166th Legislative Day 1/8/2013
"Representative…"
"…I'm not a constitutional… well…"
"Please bring your remarks to a close."
"I will. Other people got a good deal more time though."
"And I've given you a little more time so…"
"Okay. Thank you."
"…you still have the floor."
"Thank you."
"One last question."
"Thank you, Mr… Representative Acevedo, are you familiar with the U.S. Constitution Section I Article 8?"
"No, but if you…"
"I'm sorry. Article I Section 8."
"No, but if you want to refresh my memory I'd be more than happy to…"
"Well, basically, that bestows on the U.S. Congress the right to determine naturalization and citizenship, period. Why are we engaging in the activities of something that the U.S. Government should be taking upon themselves?"
"Sir, I don't believe this driver's license allows an individual any sort of amnesty. This is a temporary driver's license that is eli… that individuals are eligible for three years to drive a vehicle. This has nothing to do with amnesty or any part of becoming a U.S. citizen."
"Well, but they're getting defacto benefits of not being a citizen. I guess my point is just this. We are, I think, breaking the rules. We're not following the U.S. Constitution. Once again, we're not doing the right thing. We like to do the wrong thing because it's politically 09700166.doc 51 STATE OF ILLINOIS 97th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 166th Legislative Day 1/8/2013 popular. I have nothing against doing things the right way and granting citi… citizens of any nation or kind a license, but it's not our job. That's the job of the U.S. Congress. Again, it's in the Constitution. It is Article I Section 8 and we're far from that, Representative. And I will say one other thing. Today, I've heard a number of things that are very disconcerting to me and I think we're looking at a red herring here when we say that this provides security and opportunity for this state because I think it's very confusing and I think it's going to lead to a path that we really don't want to travel. Thank you, Mr. Speaker."
"Leader Dan Brady."
"Thank you, Mr. Speaker. To the Bill, Ladies and Gentlemen. This Bill is about a lot of issues and it's been around here for quite some time. To me, I center it on the fact that we can debate 'til we're blue in the face, but we're left with a broken immigration policy of the Federal Government. And what I focus in on is public safety. And what I do is go back to a day, warm summer day several years ago, when I received a call that my wife and kids had been hit in a car accident. And upon my arrival there at that accident scene, I had come to find out the individuals there were from a different country, were visiting, and what I got was the interpreter officer from the police department. And only did I finally get a ticket issued to the individuals who hit my wife and kid, after having a review from the police department down the road. But the point being this, of course my wife and kids were okay, but 09700166.doc 52 STATE OF ILLINOIS 97th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 166th Legislative Day 1/8/2013 the issue at heart was how were these people driving on Illinois roads and how… how could they be there and endangering law-abiding citizens in the State of Illinois. Debate it all you want, the fact was they're there, they're doing it and they continue to do it. This Bill is not going to fix everything. I know that. In fact, I believe it needs improvement now. But the reality is, it's a start to try and protect those who are on the roads in Illinois who are law-abiding citizens, who are doing things by the books, who are doing things by the laws of the state. I look at it a lot differently from a personal situation. I voted for it the first time. I am very torn about voting for it this time, but the reality remains we have to begin in this state to take into our own hands immigration issues…"
"Go ahead, Dan. We'll give you another minute."
"…to make things safer for those in this State of Illinois that are law-abiding citizens. That's a sad, sad state of affairs. It's a sad thing to have to say, but the reality is my priority, obviously, like your priority would be is your family, those that you represent and those who are law-abiding citizens in the state to be protected to all ability, to the best ability that we possibly can. Thank you."
"Representative Hernandez."
"Thank you, Speaker. Will the Sponsor yield, please, for a few questions?"
"The Sponsor awaits your questions."
"Representative, someone driving without a license is already subject to a criminal penalty, correct?" 09700166.doc 53 STATE OF ILLINOIS 97th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 166th Legislative Day 1/8/2013
"Correct."
"Don't unlicensed, undocumented immigrants also put themselves at risk for arrest?"
"That's correct."
"If you or I got pulled over, we could give the officer our license as a bond card, get ticketed and be sent on our way, correct?"
"Correct."
"But unlicensed motorists who don't have a bond card to give end up getting arrested, correct?"
"True. Correct."
"What happens when they get arrested?"
"Well, they would… they would get booked and fingerprinted and put through the process as any other individual… individual who is taken into custody."
"So, is it possible that someone pulled over at a traffic stop can end up being set up for deportation?"
"Yes, they can."
"Now, this would not happen if someone gets a d… t… a temporary driver's license, correct?"
"Correct."
"What if that person with a temporary driver's license leaves his wallet at home, will that person have any problem?"
"Well, it would still show in the database that the individual was issued a temporary driver's license."
"If this Bill is in place, do you think that given these risks and consequences, immigrants would need any further incentives to get a license?" 09700166.doc 54 STATE OF ILLINOIS 97th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 166th Legislative Day 1/8/2013
"I… I don't believe so."
"To the Bill. I rise in strong support of this Bill. This Bill is extremely important to the community I represent. When you have family, children be…"
"Go ahead, Lisa, we'll give you another minute."
"…being hurt, especially children over a driver license over and over, this Bill puts resolve to that issue. I'll tell you why because this… and I… my… I worked really hard on this Bill because of what has been going on my… and in my district. When you have children… listen, please… when you have children with Down Syndrome left at the curb witnessing their parents being arrested, handcuffed, and their car being impounded and you have children with Down Syndrome left at the curb, that's disgusting. That's disturbing. This cannot continue. I urge… I urge an 'aye' vote. Thank you."
"Representative Jim Sacia."
"Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Will the Sponsor yield?"
"Sponsor yields."
"Representative Acevedo, first of all, I've had the privilege of working with you for many years and we share a mutual and common respect and background in law enforcement. And I know you know we're on the opposite sides on this issue and accordingly, should this issue reach a Constitutional Majority, Mr. Speaker, could I ask for verification. With that, some questions. I think nearly everyone who has spoken today has mentioned these people on their way to work. The undocumented driver, or visitor as we choose to call them today, on their way to work, what 09700166.doc 55 STATE OF ILLINOIS 97th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 166th Legislative Day 1/8/2013 happens to the employer? I am an employer and I have many well-qualified Latinos come to my place of business, Representative. I want to hire them because, honestly speaking, some of the labor intensive jobs in northwest Illinois, I can't get Caucasians to work. I can't get African Americans to work. Guess who I can get to work, Representative, Hispanics. They are very hard-working wonderful people and I have the greatest respect for them, but here's where the problem comes in. If I employ an undocumented worker or a visitor, what happens to me?"
"Representative, I don't think this legislation addresses that. I believe that's…"
"No…"
"…under federal regulation."
"Exactly. That's the problem. If I want to hire one of these folks, I have to pay them cash. So, no money goes to Social Security, no money goes to unemployment compensation, no money goes to any of the… the necessary areas…"
"Another minute, Jim."
"I'll wrap it up. Thank you. Ladies and Gentlemen, I think one of the things we really have to remember here is the folks, if… if they do go to get a job, we're not collecting any of the sums that is collected from all of us as employees in here. These are good honest people. I want to see a path for them as much as anyone, but I'm scared to death to employ them because, Representative, I am going to really be in trouble if I put them on my payroll. And… and one of the things that has been bantered about here and 09700166.doc 56 STATE OF ILLINOIS 97th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 166th Legislative Day 1/8/2013 I'll wrap up with this comment, saying that if they are currently arrested, they're going to go to jail. I know for a fact in the area that I represent officers know what they're going to run into if they do anything other than issue them a citation and let them go because ICE is not going to come and get them. It's an issue that everybody walks away from. Representative, I applaud what you're trying to do. I really hope that something can be done and I just cannot support you on this issue."
"Representative Cynthia Soto."
"To the Bill, Speaker. Thank you. I want to thank the Sponsor and everyone involved in making this Bill possible. We can ask many questions about this Bill, but let's… just let me say, none of us in this General Assembly is perfect. So, we shouldn't be throwing stones. Remember, we're all the same whether you like it or not. We want the best for our families and we want to give the best to our families. No one is perfect in this General Assembly, like I mentioned, so but if you think you are please raise your hand and let us know, if you are perfect… if you are perfect in every area. All I want to say is just please vote your conscience. You know whether this is a good Bill or not. You can fight it, but come on, there's no one that's perfect. We need… we're hoping that you can support this Bill and we would really appreciate it. I urge this General Assembly to please support this Bill. Please vote your conscience. It's the right thing to do." 09700166.doc 57 STATE OF ILLINOIS 97th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 166th Legislative Day 1/8/2013
"Representative Jack Franks. Yeah. Now, you've got a minute and a half now, Jack. Now, it's down to a minute."
"Thanks. Thank you. Let Mr. Sp… Will the Sponsor yield?"
"Sponsor yields."
"I heard… heard a number of individuals asking questions, very pointedly and I'm not sure I've heard the response. My sheriff had written a letter, which I had forwarded on to you and they questioned about… they're worried about racial profiling. And right now, it's up to the sheriff or the deputy to determine what their race is of the person is that they pull over. They have to guess. My sheriff has suggested that there be an Amendment to the Bill indicating that the individuals who would get the license would be able to self-identify. Now, I know that's not part of this Bill, but is it something that could be done in a trailer Bill?"
"Representative… Jack… Jack, you know me. And many questions have been asked. An individual asked about the fingerprinting. I tried explaining to him that, yes, I will be willing to sit down and talk to individuals about their concerns. That individual told me straight up that that's a no. I've been down here 17 years come this January. My word is my word. I am not going to back down to my colleagues. These are my friends. These are people we share the same values and the same concerns of the State of Illinois, so when I tell you my word that I will sit down and talk to 09700166.doc 58 STATE OF ILLINOIS 97th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 166th Legislative Day 1/8/2013 you and answer… deal… try to deal with every concern that any individual comes and ask me for, I will be there."
"Thank you. Well, my… my big concern and I've heard from… our friends brought it up… Mr. Kay was one of them… dealing with the issue of fingerprinting. And I think that's a big concern that many of the individuals have and we've heard some cogent arguments to that. I would need the… I would need the guarantee that we would have that trailer Bill for the… for the fingerprinting."
"Jack, let me tell you this. You have my word that we will sit down and talk about it. Let me tell you this. You know as well as I do. You've been here long enough to realize that we can say about fingerprinting and all of a sudden everybody else wants to add something out… out there…"
"Go ahead, Eddie, finish your question. Jack, you have another minute."
"…that was never discussed on the House Floor. But you have my word, I'm willing to sit down and deal with every concerns that we have on a trailer Bill."
"Okay. As long as we have that, that's… that's the big issue. Because I know we're running out of time today and… but we als… we have your commitment with a trailer Bill on those issues. I think that would alleviate a lot of the issues that people have here in the chamber. So, I appreciate your help."
Speaker Lyons: "We have four speakers left, Ladies and Gentlemen, cutting off debate. Four are left: Ford, 09700166.doc 59 STATE OF ILLINOIS 97th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 166th Legislative Day 1/8/2013 Flowers, Lang and Thapedi. Ford, Flowers, Lang and Thapedi. Representative Ford."
"Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Would the Sponsor yield?"
"Sponsor yields."
"I want to congratulate the Sponsor for all his hard work and I also want to congratulate all of the people that worked so hard to make this Bill come to pass today. It's great to see individuals come to your office and work very hard to believe in something and today, you know, it's no coincidence that we're celebrating 150 years of the Emancipation Proclamation when the slaves were freed. And I'm very happy to say that this is a great opportunity at this time that we are debating a issue when we talk about freedom. I also want to say that soon we will be celebrating Martin Luther King's birthday. I think everyone should join in and celebrate and realize that because of Dr. King we are now debating an issue like this. I want to ask you also, Sponsor, do you think Illinois legally has a right to do this?"
"I believe so, yes."
"Okay. And I want to congratulate you, also, because with all of the problems that we are facing like pension problems, budget problems, education disparities, health care disparities, backgrounds, where people with backgrounds can't get jobs and we find it very difficult to pass legislation like that, contract disparities, all of the problems that we're facing, you're going to pass something today that will make a difference and you should 09700166.doc 60 STATE OF ILLINOIS 97th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 166th Legislative Day 1/8/2013 be proud. And we can go home and say that we did something in the 97th General Assembly. Congratulations."
"Thank you, Representative."
"Representative Mary Flowers."
"Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Will the Gentleman yield?"
"Sponsor yields."
"Representative, I just need a little clarification, please. Are we… is this Bill addressing illegal immigrants or undocumented immigrants?"
"Undocumented."
"So, that means that the immigrants that are here that's illegal can still be deported if they're caught driving without a license."
"Yes, if they have a criminal background, yes they can."
"No. My question to you, Sir, if a illegal immigrant is caught driving without a driver's license, can they still be deported? My first question to you is, this Bill about illegal immigrants or is it about undocumented immigrants?"
"It's about undocumented immigrants and no, they cannot be deported for not having a driver's license."
"Can the illegal immigrants that are undocumented, if they're caught without a driver's license, be deported?"
"Yes, they can."
"Can an illegal immigrant apply for a driver's license?"
"A TVDL temporary driver's license." 09700166.doc 61 STATE OF ILLINOIS 97th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 166th Legislative Day 1/8/2013
"A person that's here illegally can apply for a temporary driver's license?"
"Representative, I think you're trying to insinuate and let me make this perfectly clear…"
"I'm not insinuate…"
"One more minute, Mary. Go ahead, Ed, expla… finish answering that question and then Mary."
"Illegal…"
"I'm…"
"…illegal…"
"Excuse me. I am not insinuating…"
"…illegal, undocumented… illegal…"
"No, there… there is a difference, Sir."
"Speaker."
"And I'm asking…"
"Speaker."
"…for clarification."
Speaker Lyons: "Mary, let him try to answer the question, please. Ed."
"Okay. Let me clarify this, Representative. I apologize if I offended you in any way. Illegal, undocumented basically it's in the same category. So, I apologize if I offended you in any way."
"Representative, I thought there was a difference between an illegal immigrant and an undocumented immigrant because I cannot imagine an undocumented person… and please correct me if I'm wrong… I thought would be a person who may have overstayed their visa… overstayed their time. That is what you said in your opening remarks. An illegal person 09700166.doc 62 STATE OF ILLINOIS 97th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 166th Legislative Day 1/8/2013 is here that have no proof and they are in this country illegally."
"Yes."
"And so, that is against the law. So, I'm asking you for clarification. And I would appreciate if you could answer that because I have another question that I would like to have answered in regards to constituents that are here legally who may have lost their license only because they cannot afford to pay the fines that they may have occurred because they no longer have jobs that they need to get to work. What about the human rights and the dignity of their families and their children. Are those people… Can I go back and tell my constituents that they too will now have an opportunity to have a second chance that they can be forgiven because just like the illegal may have committed a crime by coming to this country just like the undocumented may have committed a crime by overstaying just like the people that's here that may have done something illegally but did not cause any death or harm, was not drinking and driving, but just because they are poor and lost their jobs will they have an opportunity, Sir, to go to work? Will they have an opportunity to be dignified in front of their families and not be hauled off to jail because they cannot afford to purchase because they don't have a job to go to?"
"Representative, I don't understand what question you want me to answer? There was about 20 questions in that one statement."
"All of the above, Sir. All of the above." 09700166.doc 63 STATE OF ILLINOIS 97th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 166th Legislative Day 1/8/2013
"Mary, I'm giving you one more minute and then that's where they conclude this today."
"I… I would like for him to answer my question. I'm finished. I'm finished."
"He will answer to the best of his ability."
"All right. Well, there's 20 questions involved. First of all, you mentioned a comment that I made in my opening statements. Representative, as I look at my notes here, maybe you misunderstood or maybe you misheard, but that was never said as far as illegal and undocumented."
"No, you didn't say that."
"I don't…"
"I… I…"
"I don't… I don't know…
"No, I'm sorry."
"I don't know what's the difference to an individual whether it be illegal or undocumented. I never said in my opening statement… and I reread it twice already… that an undocumented individual is a person who overstayed their visit. I believe somebody was asking that question to me from the other side of the aisle about whether how long a visitor can stay. So, I stand… I want to make sure that everybody understands it. I never said that in my opening statement."
"Well, to the Bill, Mr. Speaker and Ladies and Gentlemen of the House. I have been here for 28 years and I have no problems always voting my conscience. I have always advocated on behalf of the least of these. I'm very proud of my record. And oftentimes the problem that I've seen in 09700166.doc 64 STATE OF ILLINOIS 97th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 166th Legislative Day 1/8/2013 this state is that we live as one of the commissions have stated in a… in a document here. We have two Illinois; one for the haves and one for the have-nots. With this Bill, we will have three Illinois. I don't think it's fair. I think if we're going to do something we need to do something for all the people who are harmed. I think if we want to do something humani… humanitary, we should do something for everyone as Representative Ford stood up and stated in regards to the human rights and education and health care. All of this needs to be addressed. This Bill is not addressing the problems that we're having in this state. This Bill is not addressing the problems that we're having in this country. And I would support this Bill if it was… had a few more protections in it, but unfortunately it doesn't and it does not address other people who have the same problems that the illegal or the undocumented people have. So, therefore, I will be voting 'no'. Thank you."
"Leader Lang."
"Thank you. Will the Sponsor yield for some questions?"
"Leader, the Sponsor awaits your questions."
"Thank you. Representative, I'm going to run through some quick questions for legislative intent. Senate Bill 957 requires all applicants to provide a passport or consular ID, does it not?"
"Yes, Sir."
"Is it true that applicants will have to prove they've lived in Illinois for at least a year?"
"Yes, Sir." 09700166.doc 65 STATE OF ILLINOIS 97th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 166th Legislative Day 1/8/2013
"Will the applicants receive the driver's license the same day they apply?"
"Yes, Sir. Oh no, no, no. I stand corrected. I'm sorry."
"I was going to correct you, if you didn't, Sir."
"Thank you. Yes, there's a process that they have to go through. And in the Bill, it states about a central location where all the applicants go and they are… all the… all the applicants have to be verified."
"Now, won't the Secretary of State have to verify the documents the applicants bring in such as a lease, homeownership, utility bills, et cetera?"
"Yes, Sir. That's why we have a centralized location."
"And so, there'll be a centralized location and will… at that centralized location, will the Secretary of State use the same facial recognition programs they currently use to prevent multiple identities?"
"Yes, Sir."
"And while the Bill does not provide for fingerprinting, you indicated you would work on that in a possible trailer Bill. Is that correct?"
"Yes, Representative."
"And isn't it also true that the State Police testified in committee that fingerprinting isn't necessary because first, they don't store such information and second, it's cost prohibitive and third, it would significantly delay the application process."
"Yes, Representative."
"Thank you very much." 09700166.doc 66 STATE OF ILLINOIS 97th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 166th Legislative Day 1/8/2013
"Representative Thapedi."
"Thank you, Mr. Speaker. With respect to additional legislative intent, I would yield the balance of my time to Leader Lou Lang."
"Leader Lang. Two more minutes, Lou."
"Thank you. Ladies and Gentlemen, I rise in support of this Bill. Some of us have allowed the hysteria of a few people in our districts that may have e-mailed us to sway our logical minds. So, the people who live in our districts don't have to worry about the road safety in the way we do. This Bill is not about undocumated… undocumented immigrants. This Bill is about road safety. When you get this temporary license, you have to get car insurance. Now, some of you would say, well, not everybody's going to get car insurance. That's true, but if some percentage of these folks get car insurance, you and I will be safer on the roads, traveling up and down I-55, our 16-year-old kids who have just gotten their driver's licenses, et cetera. Why on earth would we allow a situation where people are driving on our roads without insurance if we could avoid it? This is about road safety, pure and simple, road safety and we ought to be about that. That's why the Secretary of State supports this Bill because he's about road safety. From the last two censuses in Illinois, I have the most diverse district in the State of Illinois. Many of you have talked about Latinos here, but there are 75 languages spoken in my district including Russian and Polish and Chinese and Laotian. In fact, my district is 30 percent Asian. In my district, this isn't about Latinos, although I have Latinos 09700166.doc 67 STATE OF ILLINOIS 97th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 166th Legislative Day 1/8/2013 in my district. In my district, it's about Asian Americans. In my district, people want safe roads. So, that's all this is about. If there was a group in our society that was driving that didn't have auto insurance, we would say, well, why don't they. If we had a society where women didn't have car insurance, we'd say they ought to. If we had a society where left-handed people didn't have auto insurance, we'd say they ought to."
"Go ahead, Lou. We'll give you another minute."
"Thank you. Why would we ever have a situation when we allow people to drive on the roads of Illinois without insurance? Some say, well, they shouldn't be allowed the privilege of driving on our roads because they're not citizens. Well, fine, but they are driving on our roads. All of these folks are driving, most without auto insurance. Some of you have talked about jobs and the right of an employer and what the Federal Government ought to do. Well, first of all, Ladies and Gentlemen, this deportation and the issue of immigration is not our function. It's the function of the United States Government. And many of the folks that don't have driver's licenses are driving and they work. And they work and have a Social Security card. I heard someone on the other side of the aisle say, these folks aren't paying taxes. They aren't paying Social Security. You better well believe that thousands of them are. Thousands of employers in Illinois have hired these folks. Thousands of folks in Illinois have… are undocumented but have Social Security numbers, paying taxes, taking on jobs that none of us would take on, paying 09700166.doc 68 STATE OF ILLINOIS 97th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 166th Legislative Day 1/8/2013 taxes, paying Social Security. So, if you want to succumb to fear and you want to succumb to the anger of people in your districts who hate, who believe that undocumented aliens… undocumented immigrants should not be in this country, then call your Congressman. Call your Congressman, give him a list and tell your Congressman to fund the INS well enough to deport everyone that ought to be deported. In the meantime, they are driving on the roads of Illinois endangering their lives. You should be voting 'yes' on this Bill."
"Leader Acevedo to close."
"Thank you, Mr. Speaker, Ladies and Gentlemen of the House. I want to thank you for your consideration. I want to thank you for your comments. And people have said they're going to vote their conscience. Well, you vote for the people you represent. I represent a community of immigrants and some of these immigrants are undocumented. They have crossed the border, maybe illegally and maybe come here legally and lost their status. They have been brought here as children and know no other home or country but the United States of America. Whatever your position on immigrant issues, what we can all agree on is there are millions and millions of undocumented people in this country living with us, working with us, driving with us, decent human beings. Honest members of this society are makes it a greater society that we live in today. We have failed. We have failed because some of these individuals cannot be trained to ride… drive the roads of Illinois. We allowed insurance companies to sell insurance to people 09700166.doc 69 STATE OF ILLINOIS 97th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 166th Legislative Day 1/8/2013 without driver's license. When they are involved in an accident, only to be told you don't have a driver's license so your sur… insur… your insurance is invalid. Now, let me try to answer some of those statements that were made. Child support, driver's license; child support, driver's license; apples and oranges, apples and oranges. Though are two… those are two different pieces of legislation and we can deal with that on a different issue or at a different time. Right now, we're here to talk about these individuals who I stated are hardworking individuals who came to this country to live the American dream. Now, I will tell you some individuals talked and called me. Very controversy, I heard people say they got phone calls from their constituents. People, I've been called every name in the book from constituents who called my office about this legislation. They told me I'm doing this because I'm undocumented. They told me I don't know what it means to be a true American. Well, you know what, I'm part Native American. I was born here and raised here in the Pilsen community in the City of Chicago and being part Native American, I was here before them. And I'm a proud American citizen. Let me also say that… Let me tell you a story. Two Representative Leaders had a press conference not too long ago before the Christmas break. They had a press conference to show support on the legislation that we are hearing today. There's an individual, an individual who lives in my district, with a huge heart. She runs an organization that deals with battered women. She's helped so many people. She's sitting in that press conference just listening to 09700166.doc 70 STATE OF ILLINOIS 97th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 166th Legislative Day 1/8/2013 what they have to say. Now, Leader Cross said everybody has a reason why they're going to vote and why they're not going to vote for this Bill. Well, sometimes we forget about one important thing, times change, laws change, but something never change, racism. When that person came up to that individual and called her a word I will not repeat on this House Floor because I respect this entity too much, the worst word you can call a Mexican American. You effin' blank, blank, why don't you go back to Mexico? My father told me this is… Well, let me tell you this. This is not the country I know. This is not the country I love and this is not the country my parents taught me about. This is not the country my father fought in the Korean War for. This is not the country my family fought in the Vietnam War. This is not the country my family fought in the Iraqi War. But today we can show them this is a country where we… we all become… become united. We live together as decent human beings. These people have done nothing wrong. Some of them have been brought to this country not by their own choice but because their parents wanted a better life for them. Isn't this what this country is all about? For them to say that I'm not an American, I don't… I don't think so. I love this country. My family fought for this country and I will continue fighting for this country. I will continue to fight for any individual in the State of Illinois as well whether you're documented, undocumented, illegal, white, African American, green, blue, yellow, straight, gay, it doesn't matter. We're all human beings. Under the eyes of God, we are all human beings. We come to this country… 09700166.doc 71 STATE OF ILLINOIS 97th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 166th Legislative Day 1/8/2013 people come to this country to fulfill the American dream and we can offer them that today. Or they don't want to live in the fear of being deported, as… as Representative Hernandez said, going to work, going to school and a child with cerebral palsy being left on the… on the curb with no parents not knowing where they're at. I implore you. Think about what we're about to do and that's going to make history to allow everyone in the State of Illinois somewhat on a certain level to be whole. Thank you so much. I do want to thank you very much and give special thanks to the Latino Caucus because not one individual does this. We all do it. I want to thank the Members of the Black Caucus for giving me an opportunity to sit down and hear their concerns. Thank you so much. We can all work together. And I want to thank each and every one of you for taking the time. I've heard your concerns. I've heard your praises on the Bill. And I want to thank you for your time and your consideration on this legislation. Thank you so much. I urge an 'aye' vote."
"Representative Acevedo moves for the passage of Senate Bill 957. Verification has been requested by Representative Sacia. So, Members, please, vote your own switch. The question is, 'Should Senate Bill 957 pass?' 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? The Clerk take the record. We have 65 Members voting 'yes', 46 Members voting 'no', and 0 voting 'present'. Mr. Sacia, do you wish to proceed with your verification? The Gentleman wishes to 09700166.doc 72 STATE OF ILLINOIS 97th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 166th Legislative Day 1/8/2013 proceed with his verification. Mr. Clerk, please run through the names of those voting in the affirmative."
"A poll of those voting in the affirmative. Representative Acevedo; Representative Arroyo; Representative Berrios; Representative Bradley; Representative Brady; Representative Daniel Burke; Representative Kelly Burke; Representative Carli…"
"Mr. Clerk, John. Representative… Mr. Brady. Mr. Sacia."
"Withdraw."
"Mr. Sacia withdraws his request. Seeing no further objection, the House passes Senate Bill 957 by 65- 46. It has a Constitutional Majority and is hereby declared law. At least it's passed. It will become law shortly. Representative Elaine Nekritz on a Motion."
"Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I move to suspend the two- hour posting requirement on House Amendments 13, 14, and 15 to Senate Bill 1677."
"Lady makes a Motion… Repeat it again, Elaine."
"I… oh… I…"
"The Bill is 1673."
"Yes. The Bill is 1673 I'm call… on 16… Is that for 1673. Okay. Thank you."
Speaker Lyons: "Lady moves for the waivers. Are there any objections? Seeing none, all those in favor say 'aye'; those opposed say 'no'. In the opinion of the Chair, the waiver's approved. Ladies and Gentlemen, the Pension Committee will meet immediately in Room 114. Pension Committee will meet immediately in Room 114. The House will 09700166.doc 73 STATE OF ILLINOIS 97th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 166th Legislative Day 1/8/2013 stand at ease to the call of the Chair. Pension Committee, Room 114 immediately. We are at ease to the call of the Chair. The House will come to order. Mr. Clerk."
"Committee Reports. Representative Barbara Flynn Currie, Chairperson from the Committee on Rules reports the following committee action taken on January 08, 2013: recommends be adopted, referred to the floor is Senate… is Floor Amendment #16 to Senate Bill 1673. Representative Nekritz, Chairperson from the Committee on Personnel & Pensions reports the following committee action taken on January 08, 2013: recommends be adopted is Floor Amendment #15 to Senate Bill 1673."
"Representative JoAnn Osmond."
"Thank you, Mr. Speaker. We request a caucus in Room 114."
"JoAnn, do we have a timetable on that. Is a 45 minutes to an hour…"
"I would like it very short, but… 45 minutes…"
"Okay. Should we say 4:30? We'll be back at 4:30, 4:15?"
"Sure. That sounds wonderful."
"All right."
"Thank you."
"Democrats, you are at ease until the hour of 4:30 and Republicans are going to caucus in Room 114. The House will come to order. Mr. Clerk. Mr. Clerk on the Order of Resolutions."
Clerk Hollman: "House Resolution 1341, offered by Representative Marcus Evans, honors Marlow Colvin. House 09700166.doc 74 STATE OF ILLINOIS 97th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 166th Legislative Day 1/8/2013 Resolution 1342, offered by Representative John D'Amico, congratulates Representative Joseph Lyons. House Resolution 1343, offered by Representative William Cunningham, honors Representative Charles Krezwick. House Resolution 1344, offered by Representative Jerry Costello, honors Representative Dan Reitz. House Resolution 1345, offered by Representative Jackson, honors Representative Tom Holbrook. House Resolution 1346, offered by Representative Jackson, thanks Representative Scott Penny. House Resolution 1347, offered by Representative Turner, honors Representative Eddie Winters. House Resolution 1348, offered by Representative Sims, thanks Representative Constance Howard. House Resolution 1349, offered by Representative DeLuca, honors Representative Lisa Dugan. House Resolution 1350, offered by Representative Currie, congratulates Representative Karen May. House Resolution 1353, offered by Representative Currie, congratulates Representative du Buclet. House Resolution 1362, offered by Representative Daniel Burke, honors Representative Dena Carli. House Resolution 1376, offered by Representative Cross, congratulates Representative Skip Saviano. House Resolution 1377, offered by Representative Cross, congratulates Representative Richard Morthland. House Resolution 1378, offered by Representative Cross, congratulates Representative Sandy Cole. House Resolution 1379, offered by Representative Cross, congratulates Representative Michael Connelly. House Resolution 1380, offered by Representative Cross, congratulates Representative Jerry Mitchell. House Resolution 1381, offered by Representative 09700166.doc 75 STATE OF ILLINOIS 97th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 166th Legislative Day 1/8/2013 Cross, honors Representative Chris Nybo. House Resolution 1382, offered by Representative Cross, honors Representative Paul Evans. House Resolution 1383, offered by Representative Cross, congratulates Representative Coladipietro. House Resolution 1384, offered by Representative Cross, congratulates Representative Jason Barickman. House Resolution 1385, offered by Representative Cross, congratulates Representative Dave Winters. House Resolution 1386, offered by Representative Cross, congratulates Representative Harry Ramey. House Resolution 1387, offered by Representative Cross, congratulates Representative Kent Gaffney. House Resolution 1388, offered by Representative Cross, honors Representative Chapin Rose. House Resolution 1389, offered by Representative Cross, congratulates Representative Sid Mathias. And House Resolution 1392, offered by Representative Bellock, honors Representative Rosemary Mulligan."
Speaker Lyons: "Ladies and Gentlemen, there'll be a very limited discussion from our Leaders on all these adjourn… all these Resolutions. So, it'll be Leader Cross and Speaker Madigan to address them so. Speaker Madigan."
"Mr. Speaker and Ladies and Gentlemen of the House, Mr. Cross and I have talked about this matter and our proposal is that there be one Roll Call to adopt these Resolutions, that I would speak on behalf of the Resolutions, Mr. Cross would speak on behalf of the Resolutions. And then we would go to Roll Call. For my part, I simply want to thank those who are not returning for the next Session of the General Assembly. You have 09700166.doc 76 STATE OF ILLINOIS 97th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 166th Legislative Day 1/8/2013 served in very difficult times. The issues before the Assembly are extremely difficult. They're not easy to solve and they bring on a great deal of emotion and contentiousness and you've done very well with your service here. I'm sure that the people of the State of Illinois appreciate what you've done while you've served as a State Representative. Clearly, I do and on behalf of all of the House Democrats, I want to congratulate you for your time here in the House of Representatives. I'll thank you for your outstanding service and wish you the best of luck in your future endeavors. And I would move for the adoption of the joint Roll Call."
"Thank you, Speaker. And Leader Cross."
"Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I'll keep this short as well. I… We just had a caucus and had a robust discussion about a piece of policy, but at the conclusion of that we went down and heard from all the folks in our caucus that were leaving. And it was a great opportunity to hear from some fantastic Members of our caucus from different parts of the state with different perspectives on how to solve problems and different concerns and different approaches. And while at times those different approaches and those different ideas and those different problems can be frustrating, in the role of a Leader it's what makes this place pretty special. And whether you're from southern Illinois or the city or the northwest parts of the state, you… you find a way to teach us all those different things and it makes us better or at least that's the goal and it makes this place better. It makes this Body better; it makes this 09700166.doc 77 STATE OF ILLINOIS 97th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 166th Legislative Day 1/8/2013 institution better. It makes, at the end of the day, I think, the state better. And we are as a state as diverse as any of you will find in the United States. And we have been blessed on this side of the aisle to have some incredible people serve with us throughout the last two years and sometimes even longer than that. And we will miss them all. We, I think, have an incredible caucus with some… some persistent, bright, capable intelligent people who, like the Speaker said, want to help solve problems and we've done that to a certain degree. Certainly, there are those that still exist. But it was a… it's been an interesting two years to say the least and on behalf of all the House Republicans to those of you on the Democrat side, to those on the Republican side, we wish you well. We hope to see you again, if you so choose to be down here. And as we all know, the goal here is to make Illinois a state that we can be proud of, get the problems solved that are confronting all of us and we have tried to do that and those of you that are leaving I know have tried to do that as well. So, Mr. Speaker, I join with Speaker Madigan in supporting the Resolutions. Thank you."
"Thank you, Leader. Speaker Madigan and Leader Tom Cross move for the adoption… adoption of the Resolutions. All those in favor signify by saying 'aye'; opposed 'no'. The 'ayes' have it. And all the Agreed Resolutions are unanimously adopted. As a reminder, Members of the 98th General Assembly, you will be meeting tomorrow at 12 noon on January the 9th at the University of Illinois in Springfield. So, I think all of you are well aware of 09700166.doc 78 STATE OF ILLINOIS 97th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 166th Legislative Day 1/8/2013 where you're supposed to be tomorrow at 12 noon. So, don't… no oversleeping tonight to miss being sworn in for the 98th. That having been said, Speaker Madigan."
"Mr. Speaker, and Ladies and Gentlemen, this is the Motion that you've all been waiting for. I hereby move that this Session of the General Assembly do stand adjourned, sine die."
"We've heard Speaker Madigan's Motion to adjourn sine die. And I get the privilege to stand here and call that roll. All those in favor of adjourning sine die signify by saying 'aye'; those opposed say 'no'. The 'ayes' have it. The 97th General Assembly is adjourned sine die. God bless you all. God bless the State of Illinois." 09700166.doc 79