"The House will be in order. Members will be in their chairs. We shall be led in prayer today by Dr. Mike Fogerson, who is with First Baptist Church in Chester. Dr. Fogerson is the guest of Representative Costello. Members and guests are asked to refrain from starting their laptops, turn off cell phones and rise for the invocation and Pledge of Allegiance. Dr. Fogerson."
"Let's pray. Oh mighty God of Heaven and Earth, I come boldly before Your throne of grace by the power of the Holy Spirit in the name of Jesus Christ. I find it an honor to pray for this 98th General Assembly, the Illinois House of Representatives, but the greater honor is to come before You, the Great I Am, Yahweh, wonderful counselor, almighty God and Prince of Peace. May these elected officials represent the constituents of their districts with wisdom, a spirit of discernment and that of a loving fear of a living God. May these statesmen and stateswomen serve the people of Illinois all the while knowing that the greatest approval they could ever find is not found in a poll but rather being found favored and approved by You, Oh God. I pray that the silent cries of the unborn and the quiet prayers of the champions would not forever go unheard, unnoticed, unanswered and unrepresented. I pray that traditional, God-ordained and scripturally anointed marriage would not have to fight to be honored among all people. I pray that politicians will not have to worry about their pensions and health insurance being a cost to the way others in this state have had theirs attacked. I pray that the lawmakers who fought so fervently to keep firearms out of the hands of law-abiding, Second 09800103.docx 1 STATE OF ILLINOIS 98th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 103rd Legislative Day 3/5/2014 Amendment-loving Illinoisans would never have to defend themselves against the criminal who did not need a law to get a firearm. I pray that the hardworking people of Illinois, from Chicago to Cairo, would render unto God the things that are God's and render to Caesar what is Caesar's. But I pray that Caesar would not take one cent more than is absolutely necessary and uses what is required and acquired wisely. I pray that Illinois would find favor with her true king, the invisible hand that puts each one of us in our foreknown spot in His story and that our one true king, Jesus, would bring correction to corruption, compassion to cruelty, and courage to cowardice. Dear God, in many regards we have regrettably abandoned You, the source of every good and perfect gift. In numerous ways, we have evicted You from this great land, from the Statehouse to the schoolhouse and we've told You to leave and have forbidden even Your name to be spoken. We cannot earn Your grace, but Lord, we need it. We do not deserve Your mercy, but Lord, we seek it. I, for one, offer up my apology to You, Almighty. Forgive us of our sins as we turn from our wicked and evil ways to turn to You. Father, give this state the Leaders and the Leadership we need at this desperate hour and not the Leaders we deserve. Let all that is within us praise Your holy name and Your name is awesome and mighty to save. Our ever-present help in time of need, our shelter from the storm, the only name under Heaven given by which humankind is saved, the name above all names, Jesus Christ, Yeshua Ha'Mashiach, the only begotten of the Father. Now, Oh God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, as to the 98th General Assembly, would You bless them and keep them, Oh Lord? Make Your face 09800103.docx 2 STATE OF ILLINOIS 98th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 103rd Legislative Day 3/5/2014 to shine upon them and be gracious to them. Lift Your countenance upon them and give them peace. And I pray this in the name of the Prince of Peace, Jesus. And Amen."
"We'll be led in the Pledge by Representative Reis."
"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 Lang: "Roll Call for Attendance. Leader Currie."
"Thank you, Speaker. Let the record show that we have no excused absences among House Democrats today."
"Mr. Bost."
"Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Let the record reflect that Representative Sommer and Morrison are excused on the Republican side of the aisle today."
"Please take the record. Mr. Clerk, 112 Members being present, we do have a quorum. Mr. Clerk."
"Committee Reports. Representative Verschoore, Chairperson from the Committee on Agriculture & Conservation reports the following committee action taken on March 4, 2014: do pass Short Debate is House Bill 4303, House Bill 5464, House Bill 5911. Representative Phelps, Chairperson from the Committee on Public Utilities reports the following committee action taken on March 04, 2014: do pass Short Debate is House Bill 4230; do pass as amended Short Debate is House Bill 3635. Representative Berrios, Chairperson from the Committee on Financial Institutions reports the following committee action taken on March 04, 2014: do pass as amended Short Debate is House Bill 3681, House Bill 5342; recommends be adopted is 09800103.docx 3 STATE OF ILLINOIS 98th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 103rd Legislative Day 3/5/2014 House Resolution 780. Representative Chapa LaVia, Chairperson from the Committee on Elementary & Secondary Education reports the following committee action taken on March 05, 2014: do pass Short Debate is House Bill 4237, House Bill 4440, House Bill 5619; do pass as amended Short Debate is House Bill 1152. Representative Nekritz, Chairperson from the Committee on Judiciary reports the following committee action taken on March 05, 2014: do pass Short Debate is House Bill 4377, House Bill 5278, House Bill 5766, House Bill 5824; do pass as amended Short Debate is House Bill 3664, House Bill 4235. Representative Gabel, Chairperson from the Committee on Human Services reports the following committee action taken on March 05, 2014: do pass Short Debate is House Bill 5697. Representative Zalewski, Chairperson from the Committee on Health Care Licenses reports the following committee action taken on March 05, 2014: do pass Short Debate is House Bill 5354. Representative D'Amico, Chairperson from the Committee on Transportation: Vehicles & Safety reports the following committee action taken on March 05, 2014: do pass Short Debate is House Bill 3685, House Bill 5468, House Bill 5486. Representative Daniel Burke, Chairperson from the Committee on the Executive reports the following committee action taken on March 05, 2014: do pass Short Debate is House Bill 4395, House Bill 4581; do pass as amended Short Debate is House Bill 4716. Introduction of Resolutions. House Resolution 881, offered by Representative Jackson; House Resolution 883, offered by Representative Lang; House Resolution 886, offered by Representative Lilly; and House Resolution 888, offered by Representative Reis are referred to the Rules Committee." 09800103.docx 4 STATE OF ILLINOIS 98th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 103rd Legislative Day 3/5/2014
"Mr. Clerk, Agreed Resolutions."
"Agreed Resolutions. House Resolution 882, offered by Representative Bradley. House Resolution 884, offered by Representative Meier. House Resolution 885, offered by Representative Rosenthal. House Resolution 887, offered by Representative Bill Mitchell. House Resolution 889, offered by Representative Hays. House Resolution 890, offered by Representative Hays. House Resolution 891, offered by Representative Hays. And House Resolution 892, offered by Representative Hays."
"Leader Currie moves for the adoption of the Agreed Resolutions. Those in favor say 'yes'; opposed 'no'. The 'ayes' have it. And the Agreed Resolutions are adopted. Chair recognizes Mr. Demmer."
"Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Point of personal privilege."
"Please proceed, Sir."
"I'd like to welcome the floor today Evan Guest, who's paging. He's a senior at DeKalb High School and is down here for the day getting a feel for how Springfield operates. Welcome, Evan."
"Welcome to Springfield. We're glad you're with us. Mr. Brauer."
"My… my Pages are cuter than Mr. Demmer Pages. My Pages are Tori, Katie, and Emma. Please welcome them as they page for us here today. Thank you."
"Thank you very much. Members, we're going to try to move through the Calendar. If you cooperate with the Chair, we can get a lot of Bills moved today. So, here we go. Page 09800103.docx 5 STATE OF ILLINOIS 98th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 103rd Legislative Day 3/5/2014 3 of the Calendar. Before we proceed, the Chair recognizes Mr. Meier."
"Yes. I would like to welcome up to my right, Chloe Stirling. She is the cupcake girl. She was featured on Rachael Ray's show on national TV last week after the health department shut her business down. We're glad to have her, her mom, Heather, her grandma and the mayor of Troy, Allen Adomite."
"Welcome to Springfield. Thank you, Mr. Meier. Page 3 of the Calendar, under the Order of House Bills-Second Reading, there appears House Bill 3662, Representative Flowers. Please read the Bill."
"House Bill 3662, a Bill for an Act concerning education. Second Reading of this House Bill. No Committee Amendments. No Floor Amendments. No Motions are filed."
"Third Reading. House Bill 3768, Mr. Burke. Mr. Burke. You wish to move your Bill, Sir? Out of the record, Mr. Clerk. Page 3 of the Calendar, House Bills-Third Reading. We're going to move down this list expeditiously, Members. Please pay attention for your Bill. First one is House Bill 4206, Representative Nekritz. Representative Nekritz. Out of the record. House Bill 4226, Mr. Rosenthal. The Gentleman wishes to move his Bill back to the Order of Second Reading. Mr. Clerk, please put this Bill on the Order of Second Reading. House Bill 4262, Representative Fine. Please read the Bill."
"House Bill 4262, a Bill for an Act concerning education. Third Reading of this House Bill."
"Representative Fine." 09800103.docx 6 STATE OF ILLINOIS 98th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 103rd Legislative Day 3/5/2014
"Thank you, Mr. Speaker. House Bill 4262 amends the School Code regarding TB test. It aligns TB screening requirements for school district employees with the Department of Public Health rules. These rules are consistent with federal guidelines with respect to TB. It removes a specific requirement that says new employees must provide evidence from freedom of tuberculosis and it says that new or existing employees may be subject to additional health exams, including TB tests. This will allow the IDPH and public health officials to determine well… when health screenings are in the best interest of schools. And I ask for your 'aye' vote."
"Lady moves for the passage of the Bill. There being no debate, those in favor say "yes'… those in… those in favor vote 'aye'; those opposed vote 'no'. The voting is open. Have all voted who wish? Have all voted who wish? Have all voted who wish? McAuliffe, Mitchell. Mr. McAuliffe. Please take the record. On this question, there are 110 voting 'yes', 2 voting 'present'. And this Bill, having received the Constitutional Majority, is hereby declared passed. House Bill 4334, Mr. Moffitt. Please read the Bill."
"House Bill 4334, a Bill for an Act concerning finance. Third Reading of this House Bill."
"Mr. Moffitt."
"Thank you, Mr. Speaker and Members of the House. House Bill 4334 is an initiative of the State Fire Marshal. And this would raise the cap on how much can be loaned on our very successful and helpful program that’s an interest free rel… revolving loan fund. It started out as a $250 thousand cap. This would raise it to 350 thousand. The reason: the 09800103.docx 7 STATE OF ILLINOIS 98th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 103rd Legislative Day 3/5/2014 cost of fire trucks keeps going up. Some small departments, we have this loan to help them, but the cost has gone up so much that we’ve need to raise the cap on the loan to be able to accommodate them. Keep in mind, this is not General Fund money. We keep putting more money into it. And one Bill we passed yesterday on the serious traffic convictions is putting a half million dollars more money in this program every year. Be happy to entertain any questions."
"Gentleman moves for the passage of the Bill. There being no debate, those in favor of the Bill will vote 'yes'; opposed 'no'. The voting is open. Have all voted who wish? Have all voted who wish? Have all voted who wish? Mr. Burke. Please take the record. On this question, there are 110 voting 'yes', 2 voting 'present'. And this Bill, having received the Constitutional Majority, is hereby declared passed. House Bill 4336, Representative Jakobsson, who is standing at her desk. Please read the Bill."
"House Bill 4336, a Bill for an Act concerning education. Third Reading of this House Bill."
"Representative Jakobsson."
"Thank you, Mr. Speaker. House Bill 4336 changes the name General Education Development, otherwise known as GED testing and certificate references throughout the statute to read high school equivalency testing and certificates. The GED test was owned by American Council on Education and it was sold to Pearson. And Pearson is a for-profit company and once they got this, they increased the price of the test. Currently it… or it had been $50. They're increasing it to $120. And I think for people who are taking the GED, that’s 09800103.docx 8 STATE OF ILLINOIS 98th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 103rd Legislative Day 3/5/2014 a huge amount to have to come up with. Other states are trying to come up with another test to replace the GED and is currently the only test accepted. So, House Bill 4336 replaces the GD… GED language with a generic high school equivalency language to allow the state to purchase another test, if and when one becomes available. I urge an 'aye' vote."
"Lady moves for the passage of the Bill. There being no debate, those in favor vote 'yes'; opposed 'no'. The voting is open. Have all voted who wish? Have all voted who wish? Have all voted who wish? Please take the record. On this question, there are 110 voting 'yes', 2 voting 'present'. And this Bill, having received the Constitutional Majority, is hereby declared passed. House Bill 4340, Representative Jakobsson. Please read the Bill."
"House Bill 4340, a Bill for an Act concerning education. Third Reading of this House Bill."
"Representative Jakobsson."
"Thank you, Mr. Speaker. House Bill 4340 amends the… several parts of the Code, comprehensive health care, workforce planning, the Illinois Century Network, the School Code, Public Community College, several of those. But the reason for the technical change is because many years ago, there was an executive director that changed the title to the president. So, House Bill 4340 is an attempt on behalf of the Illinois Community College Board to bring the title back in line with all the other state and quasi state agencies. There's currently an identical Bill in the Senate. I urge an 'aye' vote." 09800103.docx 9 STATE OF ILLINOIS 98th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 103rd Legislative Day 3/5/2014
"Lady moves for the passage of the Bill. There being no debate, those in favor of the Bill will vote 'yes'; opposed 'no'. The voting is open. Have all voted who wish? Have all voted who wish? Have all voted who wish? Take the record. On this question, there are 112 voting 'yes', 0 voting 'no'. And this Bill, having received the Constitutional Majority, is hereby declared passed. House Bill 4403, Representative Feigenholtz. Please read the Bill."
"House Bill 4403, a Bill for an Act concerning health care. Third Reading of this House Bill."
"Representative Feigenholtz."
"Thank you, Mr. Speaker. House Bill 4403 is an… a Bill that cleans up a measure that we passed regarding expanded mental health centers. It… there was an inadvertent error in the underlying Bill which prohibited payment from the clerk and this cleans that up. I'm glad to answer any questions."
"Lady moves for the passage of the Bill. The Chair recognizes Mr. Sandack."
"Thank you, Speaker. Will the Sponsor yield for a couple questions?"
"Lady yields."
"Representative, I apologize. It’s a little noisy and I didn’t get to hear everything. Did you address the referendum component of this Bill, please? Maybe you did, and I apologize."
"The referendum is something that was passed in… on the ground after we passed the first Bill. This is actually a remedy for the people who are on the commission who are 09800103.docx 10 STATE OF ILLINOIS 98th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 103rd Legislative Day 3/5/2014 working on establishing these community mental health centers. And this will allow the flow of… the flow of the result of that referendum to the community mental health centers. So, it in itself is not a referendum. It's a… That was in the underlying Act."
"All right. Just so I'm clear, nothing changes… if they're going to rate… they still require referendum, however. Right?"
"Correct."
"Okay. Thank you very much, Representative."
"Representative Osmond."
"Thank you, Mr. Speak… Mr. Chair… Mr. Speaker. I'm sorry. Representative… Will she yield?"
"Lady yields."
"Thank you. It’s a rough day. Representative, all this does is clean up a technical issue that was brought about when they went to collect the money. Isn’t that correct?"
"Correct."
"And… and we already have passed this, for them to do the referendum and everybody was in… they wanted this mental health center in their district, in their area."
"Correct."
"Thank you."
"Mr. Leitch."
"Thank you. This is a very impressive group in Chicago that's done a marvelous job of promoting their own mental health centers. The referendum did pass overwhelmingly and I would urge a 'aye' vote."
"Representative Bellock." 09800103.docx 11 STATE OF ILLINOIS 98th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 103rd Legislative Day 3/5/2014
"Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. I speak to support the Bill. Representative Feigenholtz and I worked with, for almost a year and a half, with this small group and they did an outstanding job. And they are going to provide mental health services for a certain area of Chicago that wants theses services. They approved the referendum and this is just a cleanup Bill to make sure that in statute the numbers match what we passed when we originally passed the Bill. Thank you."
"Those in favor of the Bill will vote 'yes'; opposed 'no'. The voting is open. Have all voted who wish? Have all voted who wish? Have all voted who wish? Have all voted who wish? Representative Flowers. Please take the record. On this question, there are 112 voting 'yes', 0 voting 'no'. And this Bill, having received the Constitutional Majority, is hereby declared passed. The Chair recognizes Mr. DeLuca."
"Point of personal privilege, Mr. Speaker."
"Proceed, Sir."
"Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Ladies and Gentlemen, please join me in giving a warm Springfield welcome to Dr. Nakia Hall, who is the president of the Board of Education for Crete-Monee High School District and a constituent. Welcome to Springfield."
"Welcome. We're happy to have you with us today. Thank you, Sir. Moving down the Calendar, House Bill 4405, Mr. Pritchard. Please read the Bill."
"House Bill 4405, a Bill for an Act concerning health. Third Reading of this House Bill."
"Mr. Pritchard." 09800103.docx 12 STATE OF ILLINOIS 98th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 103rd Legislative Day 3/5/2014
"Ladies and Gentlemen of the House, last year, we passed a Bill dealing with the responsibilities of clinical professional counselors. We didn’t define it adequately for the Illinois Department of Human Services. So, this Bill simply defines profess… clinical professional counselors and requires them to be licensed as clinical professional counselors. I would ask for your support."
"Gentleman moves for the passage of the Bill. There being no debate, those in favor of the Bill will vote 'yes'; opposed 'no'. The voting is open. Have all voted who wish? Have all voted who wish? Have all voted who wish? Please take the record. On this question, there are 112 voting 'yes', 0 voting 'no'. And this Bill, having received the Constitutional Majority, is hereby declared passed. House Bill 4417, Mr. Hoffman, who looks ready to go. Mr. Clerk, please read the Bill."
"House Bill 4417, a Bill for an Act concerning criminal law. Third Reading of this House Bill."
"Mr. Hoffman."
"Thank you, Mr. Speaker, Ladies and Gentlemen of the House. This simply amends the Pretrial Procedures Act. It’s a initiative of the Pro… Illinois Probation and Court Services Association. It defines what pretrial services are. I know of no opposition."
"Gentleman moves for the passage of the Bill. There being no debate, those in favor vote 'yes'; opposed 'no'. The voting is open. Have all voted who wish? Have all voted who wish? Have all voted who wish? Representative Kay. Please take the record. On this question, there are 112 voting 'yes', 09800103.docx 13 STATE OF ILLINOIS 98th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 103rd Legislative Day 3/5/2014 0 voting 'no'. And this Bill, having received the Constitutional Majority, is hereby declared passed. House Bill 4522, Representative Chapa LaVia. Please read the Bill."
"House Bill 4522, a Bill for an Act concerning education. Third Reading of this House Bill."
"Representative Chapa LaVia."
"Hi, Speaker. You look mighty fine today. I love you. Okay. So, House Bill 4522 is some clean… cleanup language on a STEM School program that we started last year. All it does is amends it and making two or more school districts. So, if the entities want to take in more, they could. And I ask for a favorable vote. Thank you."
"Lady moves for the passage of the Bill. Those in favor vote 'yes'; opposed 'no'. The voting is open. Have all voted who wish? Have all voted who wish? Have all voted who wish? Mr. Reis. Please take the record. On this question, there are 112 voting 'yes', 0 voting 'no'. And this Bill, having received the Constitutional Majority, is hereby declared passed. House Bill 4530, Mr. Sosnowski. Please read the Bill."
"House Bill 4530, a Bill for an Act concerning local government. Third Reading of this House Bill."
"Mr. Sosnowski."
"Thank you, Mr. Speaker. This Bill has to do with statewide classification of what it means to be a vending machine. It’s a permissive type of Bill, but it would just create a standard classification across the state. Cities would have… still have abilities to regulate locations and things of that nature. I don’t know of any opposition to this 09800103.docx 14 STATE OF ILLINOIS 98th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 103rd Legislative Day 3/5/2014 Bill. Municipal League is neutral on this. One particular case in point has arisen in my district in which there's a manufacturing… a manufacturer of a pet washing station. And this individual has just run into certain municipalities having certain categorization and others having different ones and has brought this to me in a way to just standardize this across the state. I'd appreciate an 'aye' vote. Thank you."
"Gentleman moves for the passage of the Bill. The Chair recognizes Mr. Moylan."
"Will the Sponsor yield?"
"Sponsor yields."
"We spoke about this in committee. I think this is another way to get around tax issues. This is surely not one of those Red Boxes. This is a machine that has human… capability to wash animals and I'm concerned about the safety issue. I'm urging a 'no' vote."
"No one else wishing to speak, Mr. Sosnowski to close."
"To… to address that concern. Essentially, a vending machine is a pug… plug-in play type of thing. This type of equipment is no different than… than any other type of vending machine. Plugs in, users are able to utilize this. Again, I know of no other opposition for mine. Thank you."
"Those in favor of the Bill will vote 'yes'; opposed 'no'. The voting is open. Have all voted who wish? Have all voted who wish? Have all voted who wish? Gabel, Schmitz. Please take the record. On this question, there are 87 voting 'yes', 23 voting 'no'. And this Bill, having received the 09800103.docx 15 STATE OF ILLINOIS 98th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 103rd Legislative Day 3/5/2014 Constitutional Majority, is hereby declared passed. House Bill 4558, Mr. Drury. Out of the record. House Bill 4569, Mr. Pritchard. Please read the Bill."
"House Bill 4569, a Bill for an Act concerning State government. Third Reading of this House Bill."
"Mr. Pritchard."
"Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Ladies and Gentlemen of the House, if anyone can hear me, this is an initiative of the State Comptroller to try to modernize the office and some of their business practices. It would allow the Comptroller to… to define and set requirements for reporting thresholds for various state agencies on their inventory and it'd also increase the petty cash payables, an increase that hasn’t been made for 20 years. I would ask for your support."
"Gentleman moves for the passage of the Bill. Those in favor vote 'yes'; opposed 'no'. The voting is open. Have all voted who wish? Have all voted who wish? Record yourselves, Members. Record yourselves, Members. Brady, Ford, Harris. Mr. Brady. Mr. Harris. Please take the record. On this question, there are 87 voting 'yes', 25 voting 'no'. And this Bill, having received the Constitutional Majority, is hereby declared passed. The Chair recognizes Leader Bost."
"Thank you, Mr. Speaker. If we could have Representative Schmitz added to the excused today."
"Mr. Clerk, did you get that? Clerk has that. Thank you. And Mr. Reboletti."
"Mr. Speaker. I'd like the record to reflect that when Representative Moylan spoke, he was… he got 23 'no' votes. 09800103.docx 16 STATE OF ILLINOIS 98th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 103rd Legislative Day 3/5/2014 When he didn’t speak, he got 25 'no' votes. I'd like the record to reflect that, Sir."
"It's okay with me, Sir. Thank you very much. House Bill 4586, Mr. Sosnowski. Please read the Bill."
"House Bill 4586, a Bill for an Act concerning transportation. Third Reading of this House Bill."
"Mr. Sosnowski."
"Thank you, Mr. Speaker. This is a license plate Bill that would be authorized by the Secretary of State in order to recognize those soldiers, over 10 thousand individuals who served in the United Nations conflict of Somalia and those who've lost their life in major conflict, including the Battle of Mogadishu. The Secretary of State's Office is neutral on this and I think this is a great opportunity to recognize our veterans that served in that conflict. And I'd ask for an 'aye' vote."
"Gentleman moves for the passage of the Bill. Chair recognizes Mr. Franks."
"Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Will the Sponsor yield?"
"Sponsor yields."
"Is this a new license plate?"
"Yes."
"We just don’t have enough. So, what is it… what is this one for?"
"This is to recognize our veterans who served in the United Nations conflict of Somalia."
"Don’t we already have veterans' plates?"
"We do not have one for this." 09800103.docx 17 STATE OF ILLINOIS 98th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 103rd Legislative Day 3/5/2014
"No. But don’t we already have veterans' plates? Why do we need separate veterans' plates? Wouldn’t… isn’t being a veteran, a veteran? Why do we have to have subcategories of different veterans? And no one's… not… not dishonoring what they're doing. We all appreciate it. But why do we have to have subcategories? What's the benefit? That… that was a question."
"This was op… this was brought to me by my local veterans' association. You know, they view this and I view this as an opportunity to recognize those, as we have with other plates, in the… by the Secretary…"
"But we already have veterans' pla… Okay."
"…of State's Office. And this is an opportunity that Legislatures in the past have voted on other types of conflicts to create these subcategories as a way to recognize their service in a particular region, a particular conflict."
"Well, I know that the Illinois State Police have said it's difficult to continue to police all these different plates. And I know municipalities, if should you stop and, let's assume you illegally park and they want to give you a ticket, and on the ticket thing they'll have what the license plate is. The problem is we have so many license plates now that the municipalities don’t know how to write it up. So, someone who might have plate number, you know, 482, that person might get the ticket, though it’s… it's the wrong plate because they don’t have room for 71 different license plates on their citations. I mean, I just think it's out of hand. And I certainly honor their service, but we already have veterans' plates and I think all these other categories… And 09800103.docx 18 STATE OF ILLINOIS 98th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 103rd Legislative Day 3/5/2014 I'll go to the Bill now, 'cause I understand your position. But it's gotten out of control with these plates. I think its way past what needs to be done. There's, I think, better ways to honor our veterans is to make sure that when they get home from conflict that they get employed. And if they are hurt while they're gone or overseas, that we take care of them when they get back. And when they're overseas, that we take care of their families. That’s how you honor veterans. And that way you can also honor them by getting a veteran plate for them, which already exists. But to continue to do subcategory after subcategory is way too much. And I'd encourage a 'no' vote."
"Mr. Costello."
"Thank you, Mr. Speaker, Members of the Body. While I greatly, greatly take what Jack Franks has to say to heart, I would have to say that I think that this is a wonderful idea. It’s a great way to honor our veterans. Let's not forget, men and women of this state, in our country, die on foreign soil on an annual basis protecting our freedoms. I think this is a very small thing to ask for those that have served in Somalia. And I encourage an 'aye' vote."
"Mr. Sosnowski to close."
"I'd ask for an 'aye' vote."
"Those in favor of the Bill will vote 'yes'; opposed 'no'. The voting is open. Have all voted who wish? Have all voted who wish? Have all voted who wish? Cabello, Evans. Mr. Evans. Please take the record. On this question, there are 100 voting 'yes', 10 voting 'no', 1 voting 'present'. And this Bill, having received the Constitutional Majority, is 09800103.docx 19 STATE OF ILLINOIS 98th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 103rd Legislative Day 3/5/2014 hereby declared passed. House Bill 4606, Mr. Hoffman. Please read the Bill."
"House Bill 4606, a Bill for an Act concerning safety. Third Reading of this House Bill."
"Mr. Hoffman."
"Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Prior to the Bill, as a point of personal privilege, I would like to welcome to Springfield my district office manager, Stacey, and her assistant, Cat. Give her a round of applause. They came here to Springfield."
"Welcome to Springfield. Does that mean you're giving up your Bill now, Sir? No? All right. Please proceed."
"Thank you, Mr. Speaker. House Bill 4606 passed unanimously through the Environmental Committee. Essentially what it says is that it takes out of pollution control facility definition, a… an area that has demolition debris that can be recycled. Seventy-five percent of the construction material must be recyclable. If it is recyclable, then you… be able to… be able to take it out of the… the specific definition of pollution control facility. Right now, that is permitted in Cook County. This would make it uniform throughout the state."
"Gentleman moves for the passage of the Bill. Those in favor will vote 'yes'; opposed 'no'. The voting is open. Have all voted who wish? Have all voted who wish? Have all voted who wish? Evans, Fortner, Jakobsson, Pihos. Please take the record. On this question, there are 91 voting 'yes', 19 voting 'no'. And this Bill, having received the Constitutional Majority, is hereby declared passed. House Bill 4649, Leader Currie. Please read the Bill." 09800103.docx 20 STATE OF ILLINOIS 98th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 103rd Legislative Day 3/5/2014
"House Bill 4649, a Bill for an Act concerning criminal law. Third Reading of this House Bill."
"Leader Currie."
"Thank you, Speaker, Members of the House. Currently, if… if a youngster dies while in the custody of the Department of Juvenile Justice, there is convened a mortality review team. That team includes state's attorneys, correctional officials, doctors and others to find out and make sure that what happened wasn’t something that should not have happened. This Bill would add to that group a member of a law school faculty or someone recommended by a bar association. This Bill passed the House last year, 115 to 0, and then it was hijacked in the Senate. So, I'd appreciate your support for trying one more time."
"Mr. Reboletti."
"Will the Leader yield?"
"Leader yields."
"Leader, as I look at this, I'm trying to think of what somebody from a legal academic organization or law school would bring to a mortality review team. What expertise would a law student bring or a legal academic organization? Most of the people that are on this task force or review team have some type of expertise in criminal justice. They have expertise. They're coroners; they have some expertise in review of a death. How… how does this help the situation?"
"I think evidentiary questions and what counts as a legitimate concern about the nature of the death might be helpful if viewed from a legal perspective." 09800103.docx 21 STATE OF ILLINOIS 98th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 103rd Legislative Day 3/5/2014
"But I… I think we already have… you already have a state's attorney, or state's attorney representative. That would give a legal aspect. You have doctors; you already have a coroner; you have a hospital representative; you have the State Police there, the Inspector General I… I think this is redundant and just adds one more person and I don’t know what additional information that they would re… could bring that would shed light on this and this might even slow the process down. So, respectfully, I would urge a 'no' vote."
"Leader Currie to close."
"Thank you very much Speaker and Members of the House. There is no opposition, no organized opposition, to the Bill and the Bill passed with… with my friend's vote a year ago 115 to 0. I can't think it could hurt the process to have another perspective, not just that of a law enforcement person, but someone whose legal understanding is broader. So, I urge you again to join me in passing House Bill 4649. Thank you."
"Those in favor of the Bill will vote 'yes'; opposed 'no'. The voting is open. Have all voted who wish? Have all voted who wish? Have all voted who wish? Please record yourselves. Please take the record. On this question, there are 98 voting 'yes', 12 voting 'no'. And this Bill, having received the Constitutional Majority, is hereby declared passed. Chair recognizes Representative Jakobsson."
"Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Please let the record reflect that my intended vote for House Bill 4606 should have been 'yes'." 09800103.docx 22 STATE OF ILLINOIS 98th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 103rd Legislative Day 3/5/2014
"The record will reflect your intentions. House Bill 4713, Mr. Harms. Please read the Bill."
"House Bill 4713, a Bill for an Act concerning finance. Third Reading of this House Bill."
"Mr. Harms."
"Thank you, Mr. Speaker, Ladies and Gentlemen of the House. House Bill 4713 is initiative of the State Treasurer's Office. The Bill amends the State Treasurer's Bank Services Trust Fund to allow moneys in the Bank Services Trust Fund to be used to pay for technological consultants and legal services charged related to the investment and management of the funds of the State Treasurer. I would be happy answer any questions and I move for its passage."
"Gentleman moves for the passage of the Bill. Those in favor vote 'yes'; opposed 'no'. The voting is open. Have all voted who wish? Have all voted who wish? Have all voted who wish? Mr. Cross. Please take the record. On this question, there are 108 voting 'yes', 1 voting 'no', 1 voting 'present'. And this Bill, having received the Constitutional Majority, is hereby declared passed. House Bill 4741, Mr. Moffitt. Please read the Bill."
"House Bill 4741, a Bill for an Act concerning local government. Third Reading of this House Bill."
"Mr. Moffitt."
"Thank you, Mr. Speaker, Ladies and Gentlemen of the House. House Bill 4741 would allow someone to take… it amends the fire district… Fire Protection District Act. It would allow someone that’s been in the military and turned 35 years old to have until age 40 to test. This is just a way of, 09800103.docx 23 STATE OF ILLINOIS 98th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 103rd Legislative Day 3/5/2014 again, saying thanks to those that have served. And if they were… could not take the test because they were on military duty, this would extend that time. And it's similar… we've done extensions in other things. In… in the case of auxiliary police officers, if they'd been police officers for 5 years, they can extend the qualification time 'til age 40. So, it's patterned after that, but it’s a way to say thank you and it's not the veteran's fault that they were on active duty and couldn’t take the test. Be happy to entertain any questions."
"There being no debate, those in favor of the Bill will vote 'yes'; opposed 'no'. The voting is open. Have all voted who wish? Have all voted who wish? Have all voted who wish? Brady, Fine, Pihos. Representative Pihos. Please take the record. On this question, there are 110 voting 'yes', 0 voting 'no'. And this Bill, having received the Constitutional Majority, is hereby declared passed. House Bill 4743, Mr. Moffitt. Please read the Bill."
"House Bill 4743, a Bill for an Act concerning transportation. Third Reading of this House Bill."
"Mr. Moffitt."
"Thank you, Mr. Speaker, Ladies and Gentlemen of the House. House Bill 4743 is an initiative of the Illinois Sheriffs' Association. Currently, municipalities have… they may adopt procedures concerning the release of impounded vehicles and set what the reimbursement and charges will be there. Counties do not have that same authority. This simply gives counties the same authority that municipalities have. Be happy to entertain any questions." 09800103.docx 24 STATE OF ILLINOIS 98th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 103rd Legislative Day 3/5/2014
"Gentleman moves for the passage of the Bill. There being no debate, those in favor vote 'yes'; opposed 'no'. The voting is open. Have all voted who wish? Have all voted who wish? Representative Fine. Please take the record. On this question, there are 110 voting 'yes', 0 voting 'no'. And this Bill, having received the Constitutional Majority, is hereby declared passed. House Bill 4767, Representative Chapa LaVia. Please read the Bill."
"House Bill 4767, a Bill for an Act concerning education. Third Reading of this House Bill."
"Representative Chapa LaVia."
"You look mighty fine, Speaker. Did I say that already once? This… this is cleanup language from the last year or two as far as certification. When we were rewriting this or amending it, that… the date changes got messed up. So, we're just putting in a line in which they should be before January 2016. I'll take any questions. Ask for its approval."
"Representative Chapa LaVia moves for the passage of the Bill. Those in favor vote 'yes'; opposed 'no'. The voting is open. Have all voted who wish? Have all voted who wish? Have all voted who wish? Mr. Hays. Please take the record. On this question, there are 110 voting 'yes', 0 voting 'no'. And this Bill, having received the Constitutional Majority, is hereby declared passed. House Bill 5311, Mr. McSweeney. Please read the Bill."
"House Bill 5311, a Bill for an Act concerning revenue. Third Reading of this House Bill."
"Mr. McSweeney." 09800103.docx 25 STATE OF ILLINOIS 98th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 103rd Legislative Day 3/5/2014
"Mr. Speaker, House Bill 5311 is a simple Bill to freeze the property tax levies for the township town funds for one year. We all talk about the need for property tax relief. We finally have a Bill that could pass the House that actually will accomplish that. This only will apply to PTELL townships. Only to townships with a population of less than 100 thousand. Let's send a message to our taxpayers that we're serious about property tax relief. I urge a 'yes' vote."
"Gentleman moves for the passage of the Bill. The Chair recognizes Mr. Sullivan."
"Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Ladies and Gentlemen, every day, when I'm back at home in my other job, we talk about and I see seniors that have a hard time paying their property taxes or paying for their drugs or paying for their food. Here's a Bill that all of us can get behind to lower property taxes. In one swift vote, we can lower property taxes for a unit of government that I think can afford to take a hiatus from levying more money. I certainly am… would hope and encourage everyone to vote for this Bill. Thank you."
"Mr. Davis." Davis, W.: "Thank you, mis… thank you, Mr. Speaker. Will the Sponsor yield?"
"Sponsor yields." Davis, W.: "Representative McSweeney, you started your statement by saying that this is a simple Bill. Do you do anything that’s simple?"
"Mr. Chairman, this is about as simple as it gets. Property tax freeze for one year. Let's send a message to our 09800103.docx 26 STATE OF ILLINOIS 98th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 103rd Legislative Day 3/5/2014 taxpayers that we're serious about limiting the size of government. So, this is simple, Sir." Davis, W.: "Thank you very much."
"Mr. Riley."
"Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Will the Sponsor yield?"
"Sponsor yields."
"Representative, we sort of touched on this in committee. Again, and… thank you for the testimony that Representative Sullivan gave in terms of when he talked about protecting seniors. But at the same time, townships, many of them have senior services, a senior levy. They're under PTELL, so it isn’t as if we're talking about a lot of money, number one. And number two, much of their charge, more than any other form of government, deals with some of the very vulnerable populations that we're actually talking about. And again, I stress, they're already under PTELL. Many municipal… many units of government under PTELL are losing every year to a levy. So, how would you address the provision of those kinds of services to people who really need them?"
"Leader Riley, as we have discussed, I am a supporter of township government, a former township trustee. I realize the essential services that are being delivered, but… all that we're talking about is a one-year freeze on the levy. If there is a need in a PTELL area, they could always go to referendum. I respect township government, but I believe that we should send a message to taxpayers that we are serious about freezing property taxes for one year."
"Well, let me just ask a question. There… there are many units of government you could have done this with or against, 09800103.docx 27 STATE OF ILLINOIS 98th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 103rd Legislative Day 3/5/2014 depending on one's point of view. So, why did you particularly pick, and I know this is not an issue about the viability of townships, but why did you pick townships?"
"Well… well, Leader, I've supported many pieces of legislation sponsored by Representative Franks, supported by Representative Sandack and others that freeze the property taxes. I think that this is one that'll be a first step towards further property tax relief. That’s why I believe this is its first step."
"Mr. Speaker, to the Bill. I understand what the Gentleman is doing. But again, I… I already emphasize and many of us, many of our units of government, townships and otherwise, come to us and actually, they want a discussion about the viability of PTELL at this point. You know, so to a unit of government that provides a lot of the services, the vulnerable populations we talked about, I just don’t think that this is the kind of remedy at this time. And I am going to vote 'no'. Thank you."
"Mr. McSweeney, the Speaker would request that you take this Bill out of the record at this time for further discussion. Would you accommodate the Chair, Sir?"
"Let me… Mr. Speaker, I would like to move this forward with a Roll Call vote."
"Mr. Yingling."
"Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Will the Sponsor yield?"
"Gentleman yields."
"Many of you know that Representative McSweeney and I probably don’t often agree, but this is something that I wholeheartedly agree with him on. This is a very, very 09800103.docx 28 STATE OF ILLINOIS 98th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 103rd Legislative Day 3/5/2014 necessary Bill especially for our taxpayers in the collar counties who are being crushed by their property taxes. Now, let me be very, very clear. As a former township supervisor, this is a very reasonable Bill. This is not going to kill a township; this is simply going to freeze their tax levy for one year. In my township, we were able to cut taxes by 22 percent and we still were generating surpluses. So, this is not that… I'm going to agree with Mr. McSweeney. This is a fairly simple Bill. And I strongly encourage you all to… to vote 'yes'. This is a great Bill to help our property taxpayers and alleviate some of that pressure. I strongly encourage everyone to vote 'yes'. Thank you."
"Mr. Harris." Harris, D.: "Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Question of the Sponsor?"
"Sponsor yields." Harris, D.: "As I read the Bill, it applies to townships with a population of less than 100 thousand that are located within a county that is subject to PTELL. So, I assume that Cook County is out of this Bill, correct?"
"This is only covering townships over 100 thousand and that are covered by PTELL." Harris, D.: "So, Cook County is out."
"Not all of Cook County. Its… it actually covers a townships with population of less than 100 thousand in Cook County or in PTELL counties. So Cook County, yes. It is in… it is in the Bill, correct. Unless it’s a population…" Harris, D.: "Within…"
"…of over 100 thousand." 09800103.docx 29 STATE OF ILLINOIS 98th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 103rd Legislative Day 3/5/2014 Harris, D.: "Okay. Maybe I misunderstand. Within a county that is subject to the property tax limitation."
"Correct." Harris, D.: "So, are all 102 counties in…"
"No. No, they aren’t. Only the townships…" Harris, D.: "How many?"
"…that are subject to the PTELL." Harris, D.: "So… so, help me. How many counties are affected by this Bill? Or townships that…"
"Thirty-three counties are affected by this Bill." Harris, D.: "Say again, please."
"Thirty-three." Harris, D.: "Okay. Thank you very much."
"Mr. McSweeney."
"Speaker, please pull the Bill out of the record."
Speaker Lang: "Bill is out of the record. Thank you, Mr. McSweeney. House Bill 5323, Mr. Franks. Please read the Bill."
"House Bill 5323, a Bill for an Act concerning education. Third Reading of this House Bill."
"Mr. Franks."
"Thank you, Mr. Speaker. This is a Bill, and I'm working closely with Representative Hoffman on as well. I'm looking for him to see if he's in the chamber. And Representative Fine as well, and Mr. Pritchard. And I appreciate the response we got in committee. And what this Bill does is provide a study for a Pay It Forward, Pay It Back student loan program, and I'd be happy to answer questions. I've got lots I can talk about, but I'm not sure what people want to hear. So, 09800103.docx 30 STATE OF ILLINOIS 98th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 103rd Legislative Day 3/5/2014 I'd be happy to answer any questions and… and ask for an 'aye' vote."
"Mr. Sandack."
"Spo… Will the Sponsor yield, Mr. Speaker?"
"Gentleman yields."
"I… Representative, this is for a study, right?"
"Yes, Sir. I originally had filed the Bill to implement a type of a program, but I was having trouble figuring out how to pay for it. So, there's a number of other states that are looking at it right now such as Pennsylvania and Oregon. So, I wanted to see what they're doing because I think it’s a very critical issue. And I'm sure you agree."
"I love the idea of taking best practices from other states, but a study, another study?"
"Well, we don’t have the answers. If I had the answers, I would have filed that Bill. Yeah. So, on this one here, I think… I think it's important because you look at what the student debt is and I really think that’s the next balloon for our economy. When kids can't… or students are taking on massive amounts of debt, they took over $100 billion extra last year, 6 percent more a year, over year, over the last 4 years. And as a result, people aren’t moving out of homes. And as a result, they're not buying homes. And that has huge a effect on our economy. They're not buying cars because they have this debt that is nondischargeable. And as a result, they're… they're digging themselves a hole they can't get out of. So, we need to educate our students, but we can't shackle them with the debts they have now or otherwise it effects all of us." 09800103.docx 31 STATE OF ILLINOIS 98th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 103rd Legislative Day 3/5/2014
"That… those were some wonderful statements. I just wanted to ask, again, it's for a study, right?"
"Yes, it is. Would you like to be part of this study?"
"No."
"Okay."
"Thank you."
"Representative Fine."
"Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I've been a part of the think tank for Pay It Forward for the past several months. And it is an outstanding way for a low-income student to be able to attend a university. What is does is it allows them to go through school free of charge and then upon graduation, a small percentage of whatever their income is goes back into the pot so the next student can pay it forward. This also encourages students to go into jobs like social work or teaching, where you may be making less money than if you went into business, but you wouldn’t have as much money to pay back because your loan amount would be based on your current income. And this is a program that we're seeing starting in some of the western states. And again, it's just another way for a student to be able to achieve this necessary education."
"Mr. Reboletti."
"Will the Sponsor yield?"
"Sponsor yields."
"Representative Franks, I… I'm having a little trouble hearing here. I heard Representative Fine talk a little bit about this program. Could you explain with a little bit more detail what the program actually does? How it works in 09800103.docx 32 STATE OF ILLINOIS 98th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 103rd Legislative Day 3/5/2014 Pennsylvania? How long they've had it? What success rates that they've had."
"They haven’t. See, that… there hasn’t been implementation. What we've seen is in other countries. The Pay It Forward program is modeled on student loan repayment systems that’s currently being utilized in the United Kingdom and Australia. There actually isn’t anything yet in the United States. Pennsylvania is…"
"Speaker."
"…looking to implement one now."
"Mr. Speaker, I'm having trouble hearing Representative Franks. Mr. Speaker."
"Sir."
"You can't even hear me now, Mr. Speaker. I…"
"I didn't hear you 'cause I wasn’t paying attention to you, Sir."
"Well, I know that. I appreciate that."
Speaker Lang: "Just a second. Let's pay attention to Mr. Reboletti."
"Thank you, Mr. Speaker."
"So, it's…"
"Mr. Franks…"
"…really… it's not a program at this time. What I want to do is have a study and have ISAC respond to the General Assembly by December to give us best practices and what… to study what other folks are looking at as well as those that have been implemented in other countries. Right now, several states such as New Jersey, Oregon, Massachusetts, and Pennsylvania and the State of Washington are looking to 09800103.docx 33 STATE OF ILLINOIS 98th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 103rd Legislative Day 3/5/2014 implement these things. So, I think we ought to be on the cutting edge to be able to educate our kids. But this is not a program. What you'll be voting on is a study and then we'll come back in December with the best practices acts of other state and hopefully we'll be able to come up with some meaningful…"
"And… and that’s fine. But…"
"…legislation at that time."
"…what does this program do? This pay it forward, pay it back. How does that work?"
"Well, what… the idea is… 'cause right now, when… the model that we have right now doesn’t work for a lot of people. 'Cause as it is now, you know, kids who are 18 years old, 19 years old, graduating high school, are unsophisticated financially. So, what happens is, when they get these student loans and they get… it's an incredible debt and some of them come out with on average around $30 thousand a year, but some come out with hundreds of thousands of dollars' worth of debt and there's just no way to repay it for many folks 'cause they just don’t make enough money to repay them. This would change that paradigm. And what we'd look at is for children to… and my idea… and this is not part of the Bill… but what I'd like to see is perhaps a pilot program dealing with community colleges and then maybe expand it to our universities to allow students to go to school, and then after they get out pay back the tuition that they'd owed from a portion of their income. It's worked in other countries, I think it would work here. And I'd like to try those pilot programs but before we do that, we really need to understand 09800103.docx 34 STATE OF ILLINOIS 98th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 103rd Legislative Day 3/5/2014 it better and that’s why I'd rather have the professionals tell us what works instead of somebody like me trying to pretend I know."
"What do you think this… the cost for this report would be? Do we know?"
"Oh, very minimal and ISAC is… is all for it and they've got… And what we're going to try to do is ask other parts of government to help chip in to help get the information they need without adding any more additional employees or anything. So, the cost would be minimal. I'm not sure there is any cost."
"Thank you."
"Mr. Pritchard. Mr. Hay… Mr. Davis." Davis, W.: "Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Will the Sponsor yield?"
"Sponsor yields." Davis, W.: "Representative, can you just clear up a couple of things? As I'm reading, I guess the way the Bill was introduced, you would ask that the Illinois Department of Revenue provide these loans and create… or this program. Why not the Illinois Student Assistance Commission?"
"That was the introduced Bill where… we… I've had amended. I've amended the Bill. And what we're talking about is the amended Bill, which is a gut and replace. So, it's not asking Department of Revenue. I agree with you, it should be ISAC. When I originally thought about it, I was thinking of ways to fund it and I wanted to do it through the Department of Revenue, but then I realized after filing it and talking to a lot of folks, that we pre… really need a study first. So, that’s what's this Bill will do. And hopefully, we'll get… 09800103.docx 35 STATE OF ILLINOIS 98th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 103rd Legislative Day 3/5/2014 we'll pass this, we'll get it through the Senate quickly and then we'll have this… answers to us in December. But Department of Revenue, that was the original Bill. That’s not pa… It’s a gut and replace." Davis, W.: "Right. And I… I understand you want to study it first and I appreciate that, but in… in reference to what was in the Bill about the loan being paid back based on the income of the student borrowers, is this at some point after they graduate?"
"Yes." Davis, W.: "Oh, you know…"
"Oh, yeah." Davis, W.: "Like… like some of the loan programs are. You start repayment six months after you graduate."
"Yeah." Davis, W.: "But you said this is based on an income. So, does that mean there's a longer period of time that could exist until that student obtains employment?"
"Oh, absolutely. And that’s why I wanted to see what… what they're doing and what they're looking at in other states as well as in Australia and other… and the U.K. And I want to see what works because, perhaps if someone's unemployed for a while, we should probably forgive their… their ability to make that loan. Because I think it should be based on a percept… on a percentage of discretionary income. So, I think it'd be much more humane. You know, it'll allow people to go and get higher education without shackling them to this incredible debt that many people just can never dig themselves out of." 09800103.docx 36 STATE OF ILLINOIS 98th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 103rd Legislative Day 3/5/2014 Davis, W.: "You know, I… I wholeheartedly agree. To the Bill, very quickly, Mr. Speaker. One of the previous speakers kept harping on the fact that it’s a study. It’s a study. The irony is that if the Representative had simply tried to move forward with a Bill to… to implement a program, some of the questions would have be… would have been, well, why are you doing it? Who's doing it? What are their outcomes? You know, did they have any success? So, here's an opportunity to take a step backwards to study an issue so that when we do move forward, we are moving forward with our best foot, putting together a program that possibly could help a lot of our young people. When we talk about the challenges that young people have when they graduate from college, at the very top of the list, generally, is student debt. Student debt. It’s a very important thing and as was mentioned before, it's something that follows individuals for a very long time. There's possibly some of you in the General Assembly now, who are still paying back student loans from your bachelor's degree. That is a possibility and it’s a real possibility. So, why not take an opportunity to look at an issue in a very broad way, study it. If there are other states doing it, let's learn from what they've learned from. Let's not duplicate their mistakes and let's move forward. And yes, it is a study. Please vote 'yes'. Thank you."
"Mr. Hays."
"Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Would the Sponsor yield?"
"Sponsor yields."
"Representative, we had a, I thought, a very positive and robust discussion about this Bill in committee. A couple of 09800103.docx 37 STATE OF ILLINOIS 98th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 103rd Legislative Day 3/5/2014 areas. Do you anticipate a program of this nature… we… we talked about having repayment of loans in some kind of a manageable monthly payment or whatever that dynamic is. Do… do you anticipate, going forward, or is your kind of hypothesis on this, does it include forgiving the amount of the loan or is the concept stretching it out? So, instead of having, for example, commonly we have a 10-year period where a loan has to be repaid. Obviously, the… the type of debt that students are incurring now is unprecedented. It's unprecedented even as recently as 10 years ago. So, are we talking about pushing out, you know, from 10 years to maybe 20 years, 25 years? Having it a manageable dynamic so it doesn’t take up and eclipse all of their other expendable revenue, or does that remain to be seen?"
"No, I… I think you make great points. Because you and I talked about this, and when we went to college, we could work during the summers and during the breaks and pretty much cover our expenses, and those days are long gone. It doesn’t happen anymore. But we also have to be cognizant of the fact that we have obligations to our universities and our other forms of higher education, and they need to be paid. So, I think making it humane and extending the terms so people are able to make the payments without being a big hardship would probably be the way to go. So, extending it and having a reasonable interest rate based on their disposable income and not some number that’s un… unobtainable because if they can't make those payments, they're not buying cars, they're not buying houses and all of us are going to suffer in the economy because of this crushing debt. So, it’s a win–win for 09800103.docx 38 STATE OF ILLINOIS 98th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 103rd Legislative Day 3/5/2014 everybody. So, I think we got to be smart about this and extend those payments so we can all get paid and everybody gets treated fairly."
"The other thing that came up, and again, I don’t know if it's within the purview of what you are anticipating from a study of this nature, but one of the things that I have been concerned about for some time is; we talked about it in committee the… the deadline for having the FAFSA form…"
"Yeah."
"…was last week, of all things. And so many of our most at- need students, so many of those first generation students and families who maybe haven’t navigated the complex pathway to financial assistance for higher education are kind of frozen out. And in… will this study take a look at… at those kinds of things as well and say, hey, are we doing the best job that we can with the MAP money, et cetera, and getting to those who are truly in need or are we sometimes artificially freezing out those families that we probably all agree that we have great enthusiasm for making sure they have that pathway to higher education? And part two to that question, Sir, is I've been concerned for some time that we are providing some of that MAP money for students going to institutions that do not have accredited programs. The cost of those programs is exalted. They end up with a lot of debt, nothing meaningful to… to hang on to. And I think we should take a look at that as well."
"I… I think you make great points. This study will simply be about to pay it forward, but your other issues, dealing with the FAFSA and MAP moneys going to unaccredited 09800103.docx 39 STATE OF ILLINOIS 98th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 103rd Legislative Day 3/5/2014 institutions is certainly as important. I'd be happy to work with you on a separate Bill on that or maybe we could do it via Resolution to ask, perhaps, the Auditor General to check into some of that. But why don’t we meet afterwards and we can figure out the best way to do that?"
"Thank you."
"Mr. Hoffman."
"Thank you, Mr. Speaker, Ladies and Gentlemen of the House. Real briefly, Representative Franks and I have been working on this legislation for some time. Oregon, Michigan, Pennsylvania have been the leaders in this as other countries. As we see college becoming less affordable for so many, something like this is warranted. So, we decided instead of us just moving forward and bulldozing ahead and putting a Bill together that maybe would have opposition, we'd have the Illinois Student Assistance Commission do a study, come back, figure out the cost and report to us in December so that next spring, we, in a bipartisan manner, can figure out how we can make college affordable for everyone in Illinois. It's that simple. I urge an 'aye' vote."
"Representative Ives."
"Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Will the Sponsor yield?"
"Sponsor yields."
"Mr. Franks, are you open to maybe doing a larger study that talks about really why does college cost so much in Illinois? We… we export more of our high school seniors than any other state except New Jersey, actually. And they end up in Missouri, Iowa and Indiana. And currently, you can go to Indiana as an out-of-state resident for the same price as 09800103.docx 40 STATE OF ILLINOIS 98th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 103rd Legislative Day 3/5/2014 going to U of I for an in-state resident. We all know this. So, I think I… I'd like to also see a study on… on costs and… and a comparative study. If we're going to look across other states about best practices, can we also look across other states for about controlling costs?"
"I think, you know, that's a great question because Mr. Pritchard and I had discussed that as well. He said the real issue is the underlying cost, and listen, my oldest son right now is at the University of Iowa and it's pretty much top…"
"Shame on you."
"Hey. He couldn’t get in to U of I…"
"Okay."
"…you know. But the… my… and my youngest son's probably going to go to Iowa or Drake because it's actually cheaper for my youngest son to go to a private university at Drake, than it is to go to the University of Illinois. That’s astounding to me, astounding. And I think we've got… that's a different issue. We've got a lot of problems there that we have to discuss, but I'd be happy to work with you. But that… I want… I want to keep this one clean because this is… I want to see what other states are doing just on this. But I'd be happy to work with you on a different… on a different study or a Bill on that issue."
"Okay. Thank you very much."
"Mr. Franks to briefly close."
"Thank you. I… I get the hint, Mr. Speaker. All this… I really appreciate the debate and I appreciate everyone's comments and I encourage people… I think this affects everybody here. I'd encourage you to give us your ideas on 09800103.docx 41 STATE OF ILLINOIS 98th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 103rd Legislative Day 3/5/2014 this. And this study will just say we're not alone in pursuing answers to questions of how to provide education to our… our young people. I'd encourage an 'aye' vote and we're open for your suggestions. Please help us on this. Thank you. Please vote 'aye'."
"Those in favor of the Bill will vote 'yes'; opposed 'no'. The voting is open. Have all voted who wish? Have all voted who wish? Have all voted who wish? Mr. Jefferson. And after 15 minutes, 111 voting 'yes', 0 voting 'no'. And this Bill, having received the Constitutional Majority, is hereby declared passed. Chair recognizes Mr. DeLuca."
"Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I had a faulty switch here but we have since repaired it. And on House Bill 4606 I'd like to be recorded as a 'yes'."
"The record will reflect your intentions. Mr. Sandack."
"Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Point of personal privilege, please."
"Proceed, Sir…"
"Privilege."
"…as soon as you can say it."
"Privilege. Easy for me to say. I have some friends here from Downers Grove. It's always Downers Grove Day here and there are some important people here from Downers Grove. I know… yeah, there they are. Where are they? Please stand up. Where are my friends from DG? Downers Grove Area Chamber of Commerce & Industry are here. They're working the room. They're going to see all of you. Very important people. Give them a round of applause, please." 09800103.docx 42 STATE OF ILLINOIS 98th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 103rd Legislative Day 3/5/2014
"Welcome to Springfield. House Bill 5415, Mr. Brauer. Please read the Bill."
"House Bill 5415, a Bill for an Act concerning criminal law. Third Reading of this House Bill."
"Mr. Brauer."
"Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Ladies and Gentlemen of the House, this is a cleanup Bill for Crime Stoppers. When they wrote the statute for the Illinois State Police Internet page concerning missing sex offenders, they said they 'shall' pay a reward, and we want to change that they 'may' pay a reward. I'll answer any questions."
"Those in favor of the Bill will vote 'yes'; opposed 'no'. The voting is open. Have all voted who wish? Have all voted who wish? Have all voted who wish? Mr. Sommer. Please take the record. On this question, there are 110 voting 'yes', 0 voting 'no'. And this Bill, having received the Constitutional Majority, is hereby declared passed. House Bill 5512, Representative Nekritz. Representative Nekritz. Out of the record. Under the Order of Senate Bills-Third Reading, there appears Senate Bill 1547. Mr. Clerk, please read the Bill."
"Senate Bill 1547, a Bill for an Act concerning insurance. Third Reading of this Senate Bill."
"Mr. Clerk, at the request of the Sponsor, please put that Bill on the Order of Second Reading. Mr. Clerk, committee announcements."
"The following committee was canceled for this afternoon: Tourism & Conventions has been canceled. The following committees are meeting at 2:00: Labor & Commerce is 09800103.docx 43 STATE OF ILLINOIS 98th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 103rd Legislative Day 3/5/2014 meeting in Room 1 in… correction, in Room 413, State Government Administration is meeting in 118, Elementary & Secondary Education is meeting in 114, Business & Occupational Licenses is meeting in Room 115. At 3 p.m. is the Approp-General Services Committee in D-1, Appropriations- Public Safety in 114, and Higher Education in C-1."
"Mr. Sullivan."
"All right. A point of personal privilege, please."
"Proceed, Sir."
"Thank you. Tomorrow we're all going to leave and go back to our districts. And over the holiday break, there will be St. Patrick's Day. But for the 12th year in a row, when we come back on the 19th, we will continue all that is Irish with the Sullivan Caucus Party on Wednesday the 19th, downtown at Brickhouse. I just wanted to give you an advance notice of that. Thank you."
"Thank you for the announcement, Sir. And now, leaving perfunctory time for the Clerk, Leader Currie moves that the House stand adjourned 'til Thursday, March 6 at the hour of 1 p.m. Those in favor say 'yes'; opposed 'no'. The 'ayes' have it. And the House does stand adjourned 'til Thursday, March 6 at the hour of 1 p.m."
"House Perfunctory Session will come to order. Introduction and First Reading of Senate Bills. Senate Bill 2612, offered by Representative Currie, a Bill for an Act concerning revenue. Senate Bill 2640, offered by Speaker Madigan, a Bill for an Act concerning State government. Senate Bill 2736, offered by Speaker Madigan, a Bill for an Act concerning regulation. Senate Bill 2770, offered by 09800103.docx 44 STATE OF ILLINOIS 98th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 103rd Legislative Day 3/5/2014 Representative Tryon, a Bill for an Act concerning safety. Senate Bill 2773, offered by Representative Dunkin, a Bill for an Act concerning State government. Senate Bill 2799, offered by Speaker Madigan, a Bill for an Act concerning State government. Senate Bill 2809, offered by Representative Nekritz, a Bill for an Act concerning public employee benefits. Senate Bill 2931, offered by Speaker Madigan, a Bill for an Act concerning State government. Senate Bill 3022, offered by Representative McAsey, a Bill for an Act concerning courts. Senate Bill 3035, offered by Representative Beiser, a Bill for an Act concerning regulation. Senate Bill 3048, offered by Representative Williams, a Bill for an Act concerning regulation. Senate Bill 3071, offered by Representative Burke, Kelly, a Bill for an Act concerning local government. Senate Bill 3095, offered by Representative Harms, a Bill for an Act concerning finance. Senate Bill 3113, offered by Representative Harms, a Bill for an Act concerning education. Senate Bill 3156, offered by Speaker Madigan, a Bill for an Act concerning State government. Senate Bill 3234, offered by Representative Zalewski, a Bill for an Act concerning revenue. First Reading of these Senate Bills. Correction of First Readings from March 4, 2014. House Bill 6010 was offered by Speaker Madigan, not Monique Davis. There being no further business, the House Perfunctory Session will stand adjourned." 09800103.docx 45