"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 March 25, 2014: recommends be adopted for the floor is Floor Amendment #4 and 5 to House Bill 2846."
"Members are asked to be at their seats. We shall be led in prayer today by Pastor Arol McFadden, who is with the Minooka Bible Church in Minooka, Illinois. Pastor McFadden is the guest of Representative Anthony. Members and guests are asked to refrain from starting their laptops, turn off all cell phones and rise for the invocation and Pledge of Allegiance."
"Let's pray. Lord, we give You thanks for this day and God, I thank You for even the amazing grace that You have given to me when I didn't deserve it and the mercy that I did not merit, You bestowed upon me anyway and the unfairness of that reality, God, compels me to move. Your sacrifice compels me to serve. And so, Lord, with all these honorable men and women, I ask that You allow each of us to emulate that today. Lord, I pray that where there would be complete justification for not expressing grace to one another, You would instead allow them to bestow that upon each other regardless, where mercy is not merited, that that instead would be generously given. And God, what I pray that that will prompt action and that it would prompt productivity and purpose and passion, a sense of deeper diligence in the task that they have ahead of them today. And God, as they put their head on their pillows tonight, that they would realize 09800109.docx 1 STATE OF ILLINOIS 98th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 109th Legislative Day 3/25/2014 that that was coming from Your brand of leadership, of sacrifice and service, of generosity, of grace. Lord, for their families back home, I pray that You bless them, that You encourage them and protect them and bless them for that amazing sacrifice that they’re making so that each one of them, each one of the men and women here, can represent us in this great state. I ask all that in Your Son's name… in Jesus' name, Amen."
"We shall be led in the Pledge of Allegiance today by Representative Cabello."
"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 Turner: "All right. Roll Call for Attendance. Representative Bost."
"Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Let the record reflect that Representative Tracy is excused on the Republican side of the aisle today."
"With no excused absences on the Democratic side, Mr. Clerk, please take the record. On a count of 116 present, a quorum is established. Mr. Clerk."
"Committee Reports. Representative Chapa LaVia, Chairperson from the Committee on Elementary & Secondary Education reports the following committee action taken on March 24, 2014: do pass Short Debate is House Bill 4591, House Bill 5328, House Bill 6005; do pass as amended Short Debate is House Bill 3700, House Bill 4680, House Bill 5286, House Bill 5393, House Bill 5546; recommends be adopted is Floor 09800109.docx 2 STATE OF ILLINOIS 98th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 109th Legislative Day 3/25/2014 Amendment #1 to House Bill 671, Floor Amendment #1 to House Bill 4237, House Resolution 826, and House Resolution 895. Representative Nekritz, Chairperson from the Committee on Judiciary reports the following committee action taken on March 24, 2014: do pass Short Debate is House Bills 3744, 4090, 4236, 4245, 4360, 4380, 4416, 4538, 4542, 4694, 40… correction… 5425, 5899; do pass as amended Short Debate is House Bills 4093, 4269, 4501, 4516, 4731; do pass as amended Short Debate is House Bill 5395, 5406; recommends be adopted is Floor Amendment #1 to House Bill 4266. Representative Riley, Chairperson from the Committee on Mass Transit reports the following committee action taken on March 24, 2014: do pass Short Debate is House Bills 5664, 5748, 5752, 5842; do pass as amended Short Debate is House Bill 5878; recommends be adopted is House Joint Resolution #72. Representative Chapa LaVia, Chairperson from the Committee on Veterans' Affairs reports the following committee action taken on March 24, 2014: recommends be adopted is House Resolution 851. Representative Gabel, Chairperson from the Committee on Human Services reports the following committee action taken on March 24, 2014: do pass Short Debate is House Bills 3748, 5487, 5488, 5665, 5975; do pass as amended Short Debate is House Bills 1322, 3819, 5410, 5412, 5689; recommends be adopted is House Resolution 765. Representative William Davis, Chairperson from the Committee on Health & Healthcare Disparities reports the following committee action taken on March 25, 2014: do pass Short Debate is House Bill 4665. Representative Golar, Chairperson from the Committee on Housing reports the following committee action taken on March 09800109.docx 3 STATE OF ILLINOIS 98th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 109th Legislative Day 3/25/2014 25, 2014: do not pass pursuant to House Rule 22(g) is Senate Bill 1043. Representative Nekritz, Chairperson from the Committee on Personnel and Pensions reports the following committee action taken on March 25, 2014: do pass Short Debate is House Bills 4691, 5507, 5547, 5592, 5696, 5816, 5914, 5919; do pass as amended Short Debate is House Bill 3898. Representative Lilly, Chairperson from the Committee on Museums, Arts, & Cultural Enhancement reports the following committee action taken on March 25, 2014: recommends be adopted is House Resolution 896 and 897. Representative Mayfield, Chairperson from the Committee on Public Safety: Police & Fire reports the following committee action taken on March 25, 2014: do pass as amended Short Debate is House Bills 4418, 5688; recommends be adopted is Floor Amendment #2 to House Bill 5856. Representative Ford, Chairperson from the Committee on Restorative Justice reports the following committee action taken on March 25, 2014: do pass Short Debate is House Bill 4299; do pass as amended Short Debate is House Bill 4781, House Bill 5708; do pass as amended Standard Debate is House Bill 3668. Representative Jackson, Chairperson from the Committee on Counties & Townships reports the following committee action taken on March 25, 2014: do pass as amended Short Debate is House Bill 5785. Representative Rita, Chairperson from the Committee on Tollway Oversight reports the following committee action taken on March 25, 2014: do pass Short Debate is House Bill 4786. Representative Chapa LaVia, Chairperson from the Committee on Elementary & Secondary Education reports the following committee action taken on March 25, 2014: do pass Short Debate is House Bills 09800109.docx 4 STATE OF ILLINOIS 98th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 109th Legislative Day 3/25/2014 4612, 5840, 5967; do pass as amended Short Debate is House Bill 4207 and 4655. Representative Gabel, Chairperson from the Committee on Human Services reports the following committee action taken on March 25, 2014: do pass as amended Short Debate is House Bill 4407; recommends be adopted is Floor Amendment #2 to House Bill 5682. Representative Nekritz, Chairperson from the Committee on Judiciary reports the following committee action taken on March 25, 2014: do pass Short Debate is House Bill 5663; do pass as amended Short Debate is House Bills 4745, 4754, 5523, 5577."
"Representative Pritchard, for what reason do you seek recognition?"
"Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Point of personal privilege."
"Please state your point, Rep."
"It's my pleasure to welcome, along with Senator Syverson, the Illinois Pork Family of the Year. Behind me, you'll see Doug and Cathy Hartmann, who are representing their family operation which is in their fourth generation and has a very distinguished operation of pork production, crop production, as well as conservation. So, let us welcome them and we'll have a chance to visit with them tonight at the Illinois Pork and Beef reception over at the State House Inn."
Speaker Turner: "Thank you and welcome to your Capitol. Representative Halbrook, for what reason do you seek recognition?"
"Point of personal privilege, Mr. Speaker."
"Please state your point, Sir."
"Yes. I would like to welcome to us today a great group of people that have the distinct honor and privilege of 09800109.docx 5 STATE OF ILLINOIS 98th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 109th Legislative Day 3/25/2014 providing us with the cleanest and safest beef in the world. Today we have with us Alan Adams and his wife, JoAnn, from Sandwich, the president of the Illinois Beef Association standing up behind me, and Mike Martz from DeKalb, along with Reid Blossom, the leader of the Illinois Beef Association. Let's give them a warm welcome and join them tonight at the State House Inn for their annual reception. Thank you."
Speaker Turner: "Thank you and welcome to your Capitol. Representative Moffitt, for what reason do you seek recognition?"
"Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I rise to a point of personal privilege."
"Please state your point, Sir."
"Members of the House, I have some young people I hope you'll recognize. If you look over in the east gallery, today we're going to recognize the University of Illinois Extension 4-H Legislative Connection event, being held Tuesday and Wednesday. And there are 31 4-H members from the Illinois 4- H Youth Leadership team and speaking for Illinois 4-H program and they'll be visiting Members of the House and Senate. These youth are from 22 counties throughout the state and represent almost 160 thousand 4-H participants from all 102 counties. Working with the teens this week are Patricia McGlauglin, Deb Stocker and Erica Austin of the University of Illinois Extension, and Jeanne Harland, Jerry Hicks, and Pam Weber, members of Extension Partners. Would you look over to the east balcony and make welcome these 4-H members and their advisors? Welcome." 09800109.docx 6 STATE OF ILLINOIS 98th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 109th Legislative Day 3/25/2014
Speaker Turner: "Thank you and welcome to your Capitol. Representative Meier, for what reason do you seek recognition?"
"Point of personal privilege."
"Please state your point, Sir."
"I would also like to recognize one of those 4-H members up there, Danielle Brinkmann from my district. I'm very proud of the 4-H and I am still a 4-H leader back in my home county. So, thanks for being here today, Danielle."
"Thank you and again, welcome to the 4-H members here. Mr. Clerk, the status of House Bill 2544."
"House Bill 2544 is on the Order of Third Reading."
"Can you please move that Bill back to the Order of Second Reading? Mr. Clerk, Agreed Resolutions."
"Agreed Resolutions. House Resolution 945, offered by Representative Brady. House Resolution 946, offered by Representative Feigenholtz. House Resolution 947, offered by Representative Chapa LaVia. House Resolution 948, offered by Representative Yingling. And House Resolution 949, offered by Representative Daniel Burke."
"Representative Lang moves for the adoption of the Agreed Resolutions. All in favor say 'aye'; all opposed say 'nay'. In the opinion of the Chair, the 'ayes' have it. And the Resolutions are adopted. Speaker Madigan in the Chair."
"Ladies and Gentlemen, if everyone could take their seat and if the staff could retire to the rear of the chamber. We have a very special guest today. We could have your attention. Mr. Moylan, if you could take your seat. We're 09800109.docx 7 STATE OF ILLINOIS 98th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 109th Legislative Day 3/25/2014 very honored today to have with us the Consul General from the United Kingdom. Mr. Stephen Bridges has worked in the British Foreign Service for several years, very extensive experience all across the world, very extensive experience in terms of business development, especially in the energy sector. He is currently appointed as the British Consul General to Chicago and to about 12 or 13 states in the Midwest. And it is my distinct honor to present to you for remarks, Mr. Stephen Bridges."
"Thank you very much. It's… it's a great pleasure for me to be here today and my thanks to Speaker Madigan for making it possible and to all the Members of the… of the House. And thank you for all being here today. I understand that… that there are no hotel rooms left in Springfield at the moment, so I didn't realize that I had that kind of pull. And it may have something to do with the Governor's budget speech or something tomorrow, but I'm… I'm taking credit for it anyway so. And it's… this is… this is a huge, huge honor for me as the representative of the nation that… that boasts to have the mother of all parliaments, I naturally have a passion for historic seats of government, and this is no exception, being in these beautiful chambers. And… and it's… it's an honor, I guess, for any student of politics to think that, you know, I'm speaking to a House that, okay, may have been a few years ago, but… but that was addressed by such… such greats as… as President… President Abe Lincoln and… and more recently, President Obama. And as the Speaker said, I'm the Consul General for the U.K. I cover 13 states across the Midwest. I've been here since last 09800109.docx 8 STATE OF ILLINOIS 98th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 109th Legislative Day 3/25/2014 August, and I expect to stay here four or five years, so I want some continuity in the… in the business. My job is ostensibly to represent and promote Britain, British interests, British business. And… and I have a very strong focus on Illinois. This is an economic powerhouse in itself. It's got an economy about the size of Turkey, and if you can just imagine the amount of… of stuff that goes on around economic development in Turkey and Europe, then that puts it into perspective a little bit. This is a very serious economic home for us, and then when coupled with the… the other 12 states that I deal with, I deal with an economy larger than Germany and a… and a geo… geography bigger than Northern Europe. So, it's… it's a… it's a sizable fraction. It's a sizable body of work. It's why I came to Springfield and met many of you about a month ago, talking to your farmers and your agribusiness. It's why I… I'm off to Peoria tomorrow to see Caterpillar, who employ 10 thousand people in the U.K. These are… these are companies that matter to our economy and it's why half of my staff focus on… on trade and investment. The history and culture of our two countries has been intertwined for so long that we tend to take it for granted. For example, the Speaker and I were just talking about life being immeasurably easier due to the existence of a common language, although in diplomacy that's not always the case. My foreign minister, William Hague, recently told us all a story about some of the barriers that language can pose. Speaking through a translator, he used the idiom 'the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak'. The translation came out as 'whiskey is great but meat is terrible', which is something 09800109.docx 9 STATE OF ILLINOIS 98th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 109th Legislative Day 3/25/2014 other Europeans have been saying unjustly about British cuisine for so long, which I think is really harsh, but there you go. Thankfully, the most difficulty I have to contend with in language is trying to explain the difference between cricket and baseball, but in the 5 or 10 minutes I've got here, I'm not even going to start with that. It'll take me weeks. But aside from sharing a common language, Britain enjoys many advantages in the world. We're the world's sixth biggest economy and like the U.S.A., our economy's doing really well. In his recent budget announcements, our Chancellor revised the growth forecast to around two and a half percent. Employment is going up, unemployment is going down to around seven. Our numbers are very para… very similar, parallel to… to that going on in the U.S. and these… these are growth forecasts that the rest of Europe and the OECD look at us with envy. So, Britain's in a good place at the moment. And we lead on, internationally, we lead on… on many issues. In 2008, we became the first country in the world to set itself binding emission reduction targets. That has provided us with the credibility to lead international efforts to reduce harmful emissions and we remain deeply committed to the international climate change agenda, but also to energy security and how these issues crosscut to… to address such issues as national security. It's not enough just to talk about these in isolation, we have to couple them. We strive to use our influence on the international stage wisely. Diplomatically, we enjoy advantages. One of them is… is being able to do things like this, working very closely with the United States. And the reports of the death of our 09800109.docx 10 STATE OF ILLINOIS 98th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 109th Legislative Day 3/25/2014 relationship, and I'll use the words of another great American, Mark Twain, they've been greatly exaggerated. Our military alliance goes back over two centuries. We share intelligence capabilities with each other that we don't share with anybody else. We are each other's biggest foreign investors. Our trillion dollar investment in other… in each other's economies supports around 2 million jobs spread evenly between our… our countries. And this is visible clearly in Illinois. There are 175 or so British companies operating here, over 80 thousand fellow Illinoisans are employed by British companies. And the companies that are here, they're… they're, you know, they're paying their taxes and they're doing the right thing. And the trade relationship is almost equal with goods and services of about 4 billion a year flowing between our nations. So, this matters to us. Together, we have the best universities in the world, many of which are seeking partnerships with each other. UIUC recently signed a strategic partnership with the University of Birmingham and… and I'm involved with plenty of others. We were talking about Manchester just now in the Speaker's chambers, and… and Manchester University are looking to couple with… with Midwestern universities. Each year, tens of thousands of young Brits and Americans study abroad in each other's compa… countries. We… prestigious scholarship programs like the Rhodes, the Marshalls, the Gates, and the Fulbrights help some of the brightest. Frequently, they attain influential jobs back home, many of the major players in the Obama administration studied in universities in Britain. Senator Mark Kirk and Representative Mr. Jack Franks studied at my 09800109.docx 11 STATE OF ILLINOIS 98th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 109th Legislative Day 3/25/2014 alma mater, the London School of Economics. Yeah, a little… a little. If you've ever been to the LSE, and Jack will tell you, it… it is undoubtedly the ugliest building in the world. I mean, you know, we… I'm stood here in these chambers and… and it looks like a 1960s housing estate, but anyway. Is that true, Mr. Franks? Yeah. Yes, it's true. So, the special relationship, or as President Obama called it, the indispensable relationship, is here to stay. We're not going anywhere. The Brits have been here a long time and… and believe me, I'm not going anywhere. The U.K.'s also a big player in Europe. Since 1973, Britain's membership of the E.U. has brought us enormous economic benefits. That's why it's the policy of the present government for us to stay in Europe and it's the policy of all three of the major parties that we will stay in Europe. And in a recent poll, British citizens agree as well, three quarters of them said we should stay in Europe. But if we're going to stay, and we will stay in Europe, we need to address Europe's sluggish economic growth and restore the continent in lost competitiveness. This is not just of interest to us in the U.K., it's also of interest to you in the U.S., particularly as U.S. trade with Europe is worth more than $100 million. So, in the hour that I've spent here, that's another hundred million bucks for the U.S. economy trading with Europe. These are serious, serious numbers that impact hugely on our economies. But the really big prize and the primary message I wish to deliver you to… to you all today is about potential trade agreement between the E.U. and the U.S. It's a pretty clunky name and… and I think we're going to have to find a way around it but it's 09800109.docx 12 STATE OF ILLINOIS 98th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 109th Legislative Day 3/25/2014 the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership. We go by the acronym of T-TIP. Once finalized, it will create the world's largest free trade zone with a total GDP of $33 trillion. Despite the rise of Asia and the crisis in the euro zone, E.U. and U.S. still account for 50 percent of the world economy and trade one trillion of goods and services each year, double that of China. It's much more balanced and it supports 14 million jobs. A free trade agreement would do more and would allow us to do more together. The political winds are in our favor. President Obama's given his commitment. Prime Minister Cameron, Chancellor Merkel, President Hollande, and the other European leaders have made clear they are ready for a wide-ranging agreement. We think this is the time for the political effort. Independent research suggests that T-TIP could support almost 750 thousand new jobs in the U.S., 30 thousand at least in Illinois alone, and on completion, it would look at an uplift in Illinois experts… exports out of Illinois by about a third. So, again, this is not a trade agreement where we're looking at losing jobs and it's going to be moving stuff out of Illinois down south or to other countries. This is about job creation. It's not an or; it's an and. But it will only produce these benefits if it is bold and comprehensive. For example, and this, too, is of interest in Illinois and it was why I was here a month ago, my country is adamant that the deal must include agro-industries. There will be issues around this. It will not be smooth sailing, I know that. We all know that. And I accept it and perhaps some of these issues will… would eventually become unsolvable, but we 09800109.docx 13 STATE OF ILLINOIS 98th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 109th Legislative Day 3/25/2014 should not let this stand in the way of an agreement which will bring wider benefits to both sides. These economic benefits will be unprecedented but the opportunity presented by T-Tip is even broader than that. In the form of NATO, the transatlantic community has long been the world's most important military alliance. T-TIP is an opportunity to become the world's most important economic alliance. When the drawdown of combat troops in Afghanistan is finally completed this year, it'll be the first time in 13 years that American, Brit, European troops haven not stood side by side. T-TIP can be a one way of ensuring that our shared values are maintained and that our habit of working together is not lost. It will be a key ingredient in strengthening the glue that binds our alliance together. Current events in Ukraine show all too vividly the need to present to the world a united transatlantic community. T-TIP is the first step towards renewing that community and establishing its leadership for the 21st century. I look forward to talking in more detail later today with Chairman Thapedi and… and the International Trade & Commerce Committee of the House and working with all of you, who I hope that I can… I can interact with you in the years to come to help deliver this landmark partnership. Thank you very much, everybody. It's been a great pleasure for me to be here and it's a huge honor to talk to you. Thank you."
"For those of you who wish to greet Mr. Bridges, he will be down in the well for a short time, greeting people and taking pictures. So, Stephen, thank you very much."
"Representative Nekritz, for what reason do you seek recognition?" 09800109.docx 14 STATE OF ILLINOIS 98th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 109th Legislative Day 3/25/2014
"Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Point of personal privilege."
"Please state you point, Rep."
"In the west side of the… of the gallery this week we have a delegation of Ukrainian Chief Consulate consultants and assistant consultants involved with the Parliament in the Ukraine. This group is in Springfield through the Open World Leadership Center and is participating in the program the Civic Rule of Law from March 21 through the 29. The Open World Program builds the groundwork for an enduring cop… cooperation by bringing emerging Eurasian government and civic leaders to the United States to work with their American counterparts during 10-day professional visits and facili… facilitates continued relations through an alumni network. During their visit this week to Springfield, the delegation is… will be meeting with many government leaders on a state, county, and local level. Obviously, there's a lot going on in the Ukraine right now and so we're welcoming their visit. I'd like to give them a warm Springfield welcome."
"Thank you and welcome to your Capitol. Members, if I could have your attention, please. This is just a reminder that the deadline to file Committee Amendments is today, Tuesday, March 25 at 3 p.m. Again, that's Tuesday, March 25, today, at 3 p.m. On page 15 of the Calendar, we have Senate Joint Resolution #3, Representative Kifowit. Mr. Clerk."
Clerk Hollman: "Senate Joint Resolution #3, offered by Representative Kifowit. RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-EIGHTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 09800109.docx 15 STATE OF ILLINOIS 98th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 109th Legislative Day 3/25/2014 CONCURRING HEREIN, that we proclaim March 30, 2013 and March 30, 2014 as "Welcome Home Vietnam Veterans Day" in the State of Illinois."
"Representative Kifowit."
"Mr. Clerk… Thank you, Mr. Speaker. This is a very important Bill in the veteran community and I would request for a little bit more silence in the House. It's a Resolution. Thank you. This Resolution came from the Senate. It's a Resolution that I am humbled and I'm honored to carry here in the House. In short, it reads 'Welcome Home to our Vietnam Veterans'. One of the things I'd like to acknowledge is in the gallery we have several Vietnam veterans from around the state, far north and from my district, in addition to in this area and I'd like to stand and ask all Vietnam veterans, I know, I believe we have some in the House as well to be recognized."
"Thank you and welcome to your Capitol."
"Thank you. Mr. Speaker, just to address this… this Resolution. Long before there were yellow ribbons and now the common thank you for your service, homecoming celebrations, a whole generation of courageous and honorable American veterans endured jeers and ridicule for serving their country. And that's what this Resolution is about. It's about to give them the proper welcome home. Many of the welcome home services we see today were actually founded by Vietnam veterans so that our… our new veterans coming home would not be endured to what they had to… what they had to go through when they were coming home. A lot of the Vietnam veterans were volunteers and a lot of them were told on their way home 09800109.docx 16 STATE OF ILLINOIS 98th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 109th Legislative Day 3/25/2014 not to even wear their service uniform in public, which I think was a shame. So, I just… I… I present this Resolution to the House Body. I… I also want to acknowledge that even today we have many Vietnam veterans that are still fighting. Vietnam veterans have one of the highest suicide rates, PTSD rates, and they're still fighting the effects of Agent Orange today. So, while this is a small, but in my opinion, a very symbolic gesture that we can make to our Vietnam veterans, I hope that everybody will join me in… in saying on March 30, and every day, to welcome home and we appreciate, we admire, we respect all that the Vietnam veterans do and to proclaim March 30 as Welcome Home Vietnam Veteran Day."
"Thank you. Representative Bost."
"Thank you… thank you, Mr. Speaker. First off, I rise in… in strong support of the Resolution. Let me also say that it's a… it's a shame we're trying to do this right now with the activities that are occurring on this floor when we should be giving the level of respect to these men and women who obviously didn't get the respect that was due them when they returned from doing the jobs that they were assigned to from the early 60s on into the 70s."
"Thank you. One second, Representative. Excuse me. Members, I know that we have guests in the chamber but this is a very important Resolution that we're discussing and Representative Bost is right. If we can have some respect concerning the issue and bring the noise level in the chamber down, it'd be greatly appreciated. Thank you. Representative Bost." 09800109.docx 17 STATE OF ILLINOIS 98th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 109th Legislative Day 3/25/2014
"Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Ladies and Gentlemen, there's a reason… first off, let me once again say to the Sponsor how much I appreciate the fact of her bringing this Resolution forward. Never in our history has a time of our young men and women returning from the battlefield came back to face the ridicule that this generation of veterans faced. I had an uncle… have an uncle who, in 1966, while serving in Vietnam was the victim of the ultimate mock… oxymoron in the military and that's called friendly fire. A U.S. mortar round went off behind him; he received shrapnel in the back of his head. He came home and he… he actually woke up about eight weeks later in… in a hospital in Virginia. And he came home and… and he took his wife and… and their small child and… and moved to a trailer in Carbondale, where he went on to school when all the riots and all the protests were going on. And he… he let his hair and his beard grow out, he didn't wear any of his military uniforms because he just got criticized, ridiculed. Possibly would have been spit upon for doing his job, for trying to protect our freedoms. Regardless of the politics of the war at the time, this truly is a group of men and women who… who've tried… they've sacrificed and many of them sacrificed everything to never get the recognition that they were due. I pray that never again will we as a nation turn on those that we send to protect us, to fight for our rights and freedom. I wa… as I said, I want to thank the Sponsor for carrying this Resolution. And Ladies and Gentlemen, when you leave here, if you know a Vietnam vet, you know any vet, thank them. Thank them so that we can stand here and… and speak freely and that we can worship the gods we choose to worship, 09800109.docx 18 STATE OF ILLINOIS 98th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 109th Legislative Day 3/25/2014 say the things we want to say from this floor without the fear of some government coming and shutting us down. We owe a special gra… words of special gratitude and thanks to them and they deserved so much more than what they got when they came home and this is just one way of saying thank you to them. And thank you for carrying this Resolution."
"Representative Davidsmeyer."
"Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My father served in Vietnam, was wounded in Vietnam and earned his Purple Heart in Vietnam and I appreciate you bringing this, Representative. I appreciate you bringing this to the floor for us and I ask that you add me as a cosponsor. Thank you. Welcome home."
"Representative Chapa LaVia."
"Thank you. I'm very glad that Leader Bost stood up and said that because I was sitting here feeling that people had forgotten again about our Vietnam veterans and how disrespectful we were being. And I know my colleagues here are not disrespectful towards veterans. So, to my… my veterans, please don't… apologies for me and the way they were… were acting during that time 'cause they're not… they fight hard for our veterans. And I want to just… everything Representative Bost said and more. People lost their lives so that we could be free and that's the bottom line of any generation of sol… soldier or sailor. Regardless of being male or female, when we go into battle, we don't look at ourselves as… as woman, men. We go in, we're Americans and we're doing what we need to do to survive. And we have the greatest country in the world. The greatest country in the world and I… bar none, but it's because people fought when 09800109.docx 19 STATE OF ILLINOIS 98th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 109th Legislative Day 3/25/2014 they were asked to fight in theaters. And because of what our great soldiers and sailors had… had to go through, the generation of veterans from Vietnam, the Vietnam era, have made sure that no one goes through that again. So, yes, we were not doing what we need to do to respect our men and women when they came back, but because of that reaction, the men up there that I know personally in the gallery have given so much more back to our communities, my communities, communities throughout the United States, whether it's taking large, through Honor Flight, large groups of people to Washington and back for the day. The men, collectively, up there, I want to say have raised over a hundred thousand, and I'm just looking at two individuals in particular that I'm pointing to, because they don't want that to ever happen to anyone else. So, when you go to sleep at night and you talk to your family and everything's great and you're able to do all the things, it's because someone died to give you that right. Right. And we… we take that for granted. So, please hear the advice of the wise Gentleman over there on my right side, Representative Bost, and thank veterans. It doesn’t matter what era they come from, thank all of them because each of them gave a piece to that flag that we salute and we pray to and we look at every day and do the Pledge of Allegiance. So… so, thank you, my Marine friend, for bringing this forth. This is a very important piece of legislation. I… I wish some day we could do, why don't we take it further and make it a proc… proclamation with the Governor's Office, 'cause it doesn't take it far enough. But I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart for presenting this. As the 09800109.docx 20 STATE OF ILLINOIS 98th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 109th Legislative Day 3/25/2014 chairwoman for Veterans' Affairs, I think I'd asked for all of our Members from Veterans' Affairs to be added and I'm sure everybody in the General Assembly would like to be added to this also. So, thank you."
"Representative Acevedo."
"Thank you, Mr. Speaker. To the Resolution. I want to congratulate the Representative for introducing this Resolution and… and please add me to the Resolution. The other day, I was watching a documentary and they showed after World War I and after World War II the crowds of people that greeted our heroes that came home. And then they show two individuals coming off an airplane, one in a wheelchair, the other one pushing him, and there was no one there. They were returning from Vietnam. Now, as we sit here today and honor the brave men and women who fought, not only in Vietnam but the Korean War as my dad did and Afghanistan, Iraq, think about their families and honor them. And I'm sure everyone up there, every one of those gentlemen up there, realize what their family went through. They're away from their families, they're away from the brave men and women out there. And sometimes we forget about that and I'm going to tell you a story that happened to me when I was five years old. My… my aunt, who lives around the corner from our house, she received the letter in the mail that her son was MIA. He was missing in action. And he was missing for maybe, approximately two weeks and she receives a letter. They found him. He was severely wounded but they found him and he was coming home. You see, I tell you this story because my aunt, when he came home, she was going to throw this big party for him. So, she tells him, 09800109.docx 21 STATE OF ILLINOIS 98th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 109th Legislative Day 3/25/2014 'rest, lay on the couch'. And she's cooking, preparing all this food for all the cousins that come on over, and as her oldest son's sitting outside, an individual makes a U-turn and the car, instead of pressing the… the brake, he steps on the gas and kills both of them. The Vietnam vet was home, my cousin was home two days before his parents were killed… I mean, his… his mother and my oldest cousin were killed. And I say that that's why we should honor these men, because the time that is taken away from a family is a time that we cannot know the pain that they suffer, being so many miles away from their family, and the family members that cry and pray for them every night. So, as we honor the brave men and women today, let's honor their families as well. Thank you."
"Thank you, Representative. Representative Chapa LaVia has made a Motion that all Members be added as cosponsors to the Resolution. Seeing no objection, all Members will be added. Representative Kifowit moves that the House adopt Senate Joint Resolution #3. All in favor say 'aye'; all opposed say 'nay'. In the opinion of the Chair, the 'ayes' have it. And the Resolution is adopted. Mr. Clerk, committee announcements."
"Committee announcements. The following recessed committee will be meeting at 2:00: the Housing Committee, which has been recessed, is meeting in Room 115 at 2:00. A change in time for a committee. The International Trade & Commerce Committee is now meeting at 2:30 instead of 2:00. It's been moved to 2:30 in Room 118."
"Representative Gordon." 09800109.docx 22 STATE OF ILLINOIS 98th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 109th Legislative Day 3/25/2014
"Thank you, Mr. Speaker. If the young men and women from Mark Bills grade school could rise. These young men and women are from Peoria, Illinois. They are students at Mark Bills grade school. They're here with their seventh grade teacher, Mr. Laird. These young people are the epitome of young people striving for excellence in education and if you all would please give them a wonderful Springfield welcome."
Speaker Turner: "Thank you and welcome to your Capitol. Representative Bost."
"Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Republicans would request to have an immediate caucus upon adjournment and if… and if we would, we want to remind the Members to move down quickly so that we can have our caucus and get out for committee as fast as possible. Room 118."
Speaker Turner: "Republicans will caucus immediately after Session, Room 118. And now, allowing perfunctory time for the Clerk, Representative Lang moves that the House adjourn 'til Wednesday, March 26 at the hour of 10:30 a.m. All those in favor say 'aye'; all opposed say 'nay'. In the opinion of the Chair, the 'ayes' have it. And the House is adjourned."
"House Perfunctory Session will come to order. Introduction and First Reading in full of House Joint Resolution Constitutional Amendment #52, offered by Speaker Madigan. RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-EIGHTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, THE SENATE CONCURRING HEREIN, that there shall be submitted to the electors of the State for adoption or rejection at the general election next occurring at least 6 months after the adoption 09800109.docx 23 STATE OF ILLINOIS 98th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 109th Legislative Day 3/25/2014 of this resolution a proposition to amend Article III of the Constitution by adding Section 8 as follows: ARTICLE III SUFFRAGE AND ELECTIONS SECTION 8. VOTER DISCRIMINATION No person shall be denied the right to register to vote or to cast a ballot in an election based on race, color, ethnicity, status as a member of a language minority, sex, sexual orientation, or income. SCHEDULE This Constitutional Amendment takes effect upon being declared adopted in accordance with Section 7 of the Illinois Constitutional Amendment Act. This was First Reading in full of House Joint Resolution Constitutional Amendment #52. There being no further business, House Perfunctory Session will stand adjourned." 09800109.docx 24