Illinois House Floor Debate — March 5, 2015

"Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. On our side of the aisle we have excused absences for Representative Hays, Representative Stewart, and Representative Tryon. Thank you."

"Thank you, Mr. Speaker. A point of personal privilege."

"If I could get the attention of the Body. As… Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As everyone knows, today is Ag Day and we have a lot of FFA members and various Ag groups here today. But it is my honor to introduce to you Miss Sadie Gassmann, from Olney, Illinois, who just won the Illinois Miss County Fair Queen Pageant in January. She's joining us in the balcony in the rear. Wave. As the 56th Miss Illinois County Fair Queen, Sadie will be the official hostess of the Illinois State Fair and Du Quoin State Fairs this summer and she'll travel throughout the state promoting county fairs. She's the 09900020.docx 3  STATE OF ILLINOIS 99th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 20th Legislative Day 3/5/2015 daughter of Gwen and the late Chris Gassmann from Olney, and she is majoring in education at SIUE. So, welcome again, Sadie."

"Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I'd like to have a moment of silence."

"Thank you. I was saddened to hear that one of my constituents and good friend and mayor of Park Ridge, David Schmidt, unexpectedly passed away last night. Dave was a good leader and a good person in Park Ridge and he's going to be surely missed. And I'd just like to have a moment of silence from the Body."

"Thank you."

"Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Point of personal privilege."

"I was happy today to have friends from Pike County, friends from Greene County, come and visit me. I also have FFA members, friends from Calhoun County and up here in the 09900020.docx 6  STATE OF ILLINOIS 99th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 20th Legislative Day 3/5/2015 gallery, I have friends from Pittsfield FFA. And I would like to mention that their leader, Jodi Heavner, it's her birthday today. So I would like to ask if the Speaker would like to lead us in a round of 'Happy Birthday'?"

"Just kid… just kidding, Mr. Speaker. I'd like to have a warm Springfield welcome for my Pittsfield FFA."

"Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Point of personal privilege."

"Mr. Speaker, I, too, would like to welcome everyone here to the State Capitol for Ag Day and all the FFA members. And would like to give a special shout-out, if they could stand and be recognized, the Cuba FFA group led by Mr. Doug Falk. So, if he could wave and be recognized. Welcome to Springfield."

"Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Point of personal privilege."

"Unfortunately, because my button wasn't pushed fast enough 'cause I'm inexperienced, Mr. Cody Morris who's from Mattoon, Illinois, who's the current FFA State President was up there with the queen, so you got to see him. He had to leave and head over to the Senate, unfortunately. But I'm going to go ahead and read his bio, it's… an excellent. Cody Morris, he's 19 from Mattoon, Illinois. He's the 2014-15 Illinois FFA President. He's the son of Rodney and Cathy 09900020.docx 7  STATE OF ILLINOIS 99th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 20th Legislative Day 3/5/2015 Morris who, by the way, when… when Rodney was that age, he was also the FFA President. Cody graduated from Mattoon High School in May of 2013 and was a member of the Mattoon FFA Chapter. He served as chapter reporter, treasurer, and president. Cody also served as the 2012-13 Section 20 Treasurer and 2013-14 Section 20 President while he was attending Lake Land Community College in Mattoon, Illinois, one of my alma maters. Cody's favorite CDE's are Livestock Judging and Prepared Speaking. Some of his favorite activities include State and National Convention, FFA Leadership Camp. After serving his one-year term as State FFA President, Cody plans to return to Lake Land to finish his Associates Degree in Agriculture, and then transfer as a member of the livestock judging team before transferring to a four-year university to major in Agriculture Business. I'd like to give him a welcome and unfortunately, he's at the Senate Floor now. So, we'll just… maybe he'll come back. Thank you, Mr. Speaker."

"Yeah, understand, this is my first year, Mr. Speaker."

"Yeah, I got a lot to work on."

"Thank you… Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Point of personal privilege."

"I'd like to also welcome some members from the great 94th Legislative District. FFA students from Camp Point Central High School and Payson-Seymour High School in Adams County, and also from Southeastern High School in Augusta, Illinois, in Hancock County. I thank them for being here and visiting with us today, and also their teachers, Sharon Knorre, Terri Hooper, and Bryan Shullian. Ag education is very important, as agriculture is a $9 billion Illinois industry. And I thank them for wanting to be a… a big part of it and welcome them to Springfield. Please give them a welcome with me."

"Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Point of personal privilege."

"I'd like to welcome a few groups from my district here today. In the gallery we have the Amboy FFA Club who are visiting us here talking about agriculture issues. And also, we had lunch delivered today by some members of the Somonauk Leland Sandwich FFA. So, I'd like to welcome all those young people to Springfield and hope they enjoy the Capitol today."

"Thank you, Mr. Speaker. A point of personal privilege."

"I'd like to give some thanks to the Legislative Research Unit. There's an important article I would really like everybody to read in the Springfield Journal-Register today. It outlines hundreds of millions of dollars, folks. I'm hoping this gets some attention. Hundreds of millions of 09900020.docx 9  STATE OF ILLINOIS 99th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 20th Legislative Day 3/5/2015 dollars that can be saved. The Leg… Legislative Research Unit has outlined hundreds of millions of dollars that could be saved to state and local governments if we merely had average workmen's compensation costs. This isn't a business issue, it’s a budget issue. This is money for CPS. This is millions of dollars for CPS, HA… HA… HHS, and our local school districts and local municipalities. Please take a look at it. I have a copy of it, if you'd like to see it. Thank you."

"Mr. Speaker, House Bill 175 would simply reform the Open Meetings Act by allowing problems with any violations to be reported 60 days after discovery instead of 60 days after the date of the meeting. In my area, there was a power plant that was being built within 300 yards of a school. There were secret meetings and there was no recourse. I've worked with the Attorney General's Office who's in support of this legislation. We placed a two-year limit on it. I would appreciate a 'yes' vote for this legislation."

"Thank you, Mr. Speaker. House Joint Resolution 6 would designate a section of Route 47 in Morris, Illinois, to honor firefighter James Allen, who was killed in the line of duty in 1985. I would ask for an 'aye' vote." 09900020.docx 12  STATE OF ILLINOIS 99th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 20th Legislative Day 3/5/2015

"Thank you, Mr. Speaker. House Joint Resolution 29 is a continuation of efforts we made with the Retrofit Caucus that we started last year. It is not… it's just a Resolution, nonbinding. It's asking that IDOT and CMS offer a few healthy snacks options in vending machines. And by that we mean prepackaged nonperishable. This is not a mandate. It is not requiring fruit; it's not telling you how much you can have. 09900020.docx 13  STATE OF ILLINOIS 99th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 20th Legislative Day 3/5/2015 It is increasing your options. I'll just tell you, I had a retired trucker stop after he heard about this. He said this has been needed for a long time. He would stop and never have the healthy options, so it's something we need. We've talked about epidemic problems of obesity and diabetes, we're going to have to offer some healthy options. Take any questions. Thank you."

"Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Ladies and Gentlemen of the House, House Joint Resolution 21 designates the Stuttle Road overpass over Interstate 55 in Warrensville (sic- Williamsville) as the Trooper Bernard Skeeters Memorial Overpass. Trooper Skeeter was killed in the line of duty and we feel that he served his state honorably and unfortunately, lost his life in the line of duty. And I would respectfully ask for an 'aye' vote."

"Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It's an honor to present this Resolution and you heard those awards, she earned every one of them, folks. But on December 30 this past year, we lost our dear beloved friend and colleague, Rosemary. I just want to first point out, in the Speaker's Gallery today, that we are joined with Rosemary's brother, Steve, and his wife, Marilyn. Thank you for joining us. And also, in the gallery are Rosemary's former legislative aide, Barb Hague and her husband, Chaz. Also joining them in the gallery were her two longtime trusted House staffers, Mark Decker and Josh Wessell. Thank you all for coming down here and being part of this… this moment, this celebration of life of Rosemary Mulligan. I've had the pleasure of serving with Rosemary in this Body for a number of years. She was a Member for 20 years, it was stated. She was certainly her own person, and I can say that with an exclamation point. While not very tall in stature, Rosemary was and could be, very intimidating. She was never afraid to speak her mind, and I think that all of us recall, probably at one point, that she referred to a particular sitter… sitting Gover… Governor as a blithering 09900020.docx 23  STATE OF ILLINOIS 99th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 20th Legislative Day 3/5/2015 idiot on the House Floor. I think all of us remember that moment, but that's the type of passion that Rosemary brought to her job. She wasn't afraid to challenge anyone on any issue. Despite her toughness, Rosemary was extremely compassionate and wanted to help others; Party affiliation did not mean anything to her… to her with respect to that type of dedication. She was fiercely protective of women and children, women's rights. She cared deeply about the developmentally disabled and the mentally ill and those who struggled with compulsive gambling addiction. Rosemary lost her first election by five votes, and let me just tell you, if you're going to lose an election, lose big. Thank you, Senator Durbin, I learned that in 2002. But Rosemary, after losing by five votes, ran again the next time and she was successful. And she had a spectacular career here over those 20 years. Rosemary's father, a lot of us had known this, she would talk about it, lost her father in 1967; he was a… he was a murder victim. And as one might expect, that had produced a very profound impact upon her and how she shaped her position on many issues. She advocated for many, many issues, but one which was deeply, deeply, deeply personal to her was the issue of crime victims, and she was truly their champion while she was here. Not only was Rosemary smart, but she did her homework. She studied every Bill, like most of us do in Members of the House and Senate, and knew the issues inside and out. Members from both sides of the aisle would seek out Rosemary because she was such a wealth of information. Rose… Rosemary… Rose… Rosemary was our… chosen to be our chief budget negotiator in Human Services because 09900020.docx 24  STATE OF ILLINOIS 99th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 20th Legislative Day 3/5/2015 she was one of the few who truly understand… understood this portion of the budget. She loved participating in the appropriations process, she thrived on it. And trust me, folks, that takes a special person. But I'll tell you what, we could certainly use her this spring 'cause we're going to have some tough negotiations on budget. And I know that Rosemary is up there looking down on us, throwing her pen on the table saying, gosh, Lord, if you would have given me just a little bit more time. But I know she'd love to be here; we'd love to have her. She was a good friend, a great Legislator. I miss her. And Rosemary, you did make a difference. So, Steve, thank you for your family for sharing Rosemary with us for so many years. Our deepest condolences to you and to her sons, Dan, Matt, and her granddaughters, Sophia and Isabelle. Thank you."

"Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Representative Mulligan and I entered the General Assembly in the same class, and so I've had the opportunity to work with her her entire career here. That was the class of '92; that was before our youngest Member of the House was even born that Representative Mulligan and I started here. I guess, sadly to say, I'm the last person in that class. And I just want to also comment briefly about her, she really made a contribution here. Rosemary Mulligan was here for all the right reasons: for working for people, for causes, for things that she was committed to, and it showed in her work. The office that I now have in the Stratton is the last office that she occupied. I think we were among the last four in our class because we would joke that we could 09900020.docx 25  STATE OF ILLINOIS 99th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 20th Legislative Day 3/5/2015 have a class reunion in a four-door Sedan there that last Session that we were here together. I was… I had to identify… she had many characteristics are needed to describe her, but I had put down three and a couple of them have been mentioned in the Resolution. She was passionate. She was passionate about the things that she wanted to do, the people that she was standing up for, the causes that she was going to fight for. She was committed. You didn't have to wonder where she was and where she wanted to go with it. And she was prepared. And if you were with her, that was a good thing, but if she was coming in disagreement with you, you'd better be prepared because she was going to be able to really come after you. Those are three characteristics that I would say to any new Member, passionate, committed, and prepared, they'll help carry you a long way and get things done that… that you want to do here. Again, to her family, thank you for sharing Rosemary with the General Assembly, but really in a bigger sense, with the people of the State of Illinois for time served here and for champion causes to make this a better state. Rest in peace, Rosemary."

"Thank you. I have the honor and privilege of representing a major portion of Representative Mulligan's district, and when I'm going through the neighborhoods and through the towns that she used to represent, I'm often reminded of all of the great work that she did on behalf of her constituents in human services. I was able to work with Rosemary Mulligan down here for a number of years. As Representative Durkin said, she would get very serious at 09900020.docx 26  STATE OF ILLINOIS 99th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 20th Legislative Day 3/5/2015 times, but I remember some of the lighter times. I remember when she would look at Representative Durkin and myself and, earlier in our career, say, what are you two Irish bachelors up to? Also then, later on in life, as I got married and had children, she also liked to hear those stories and was very, very happy. And at special moments, like when somebody would pass away, like my father-in-law, here comes a basket of food out of nowhere from Rosemary Mulligan, and that's the kind of person she was. She always cared about everybody else and always helped people, especially the underdog and people that needed it the most. And she'll surely be missed."

"Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. I had the privilege of serving with Rosemary Mulligan for 14 years. During that time, I got to know her first as a colleague and a mentor, and then as a friend and ultimately, as my roommate here in 09900020.docx 28  STATE OF ILLINOIS 99th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 20th Legislative Day 3/5/2015 Springfield for 14 years. I only knew her three days when she said, I'm looking for a roommate, would you like to come on over? And within five minutes, that was the deal and for 14 years, we stood together on this House Floor sharing our ideas and moving forward to help the people of Illinois. All of us who have served in this Body with Rosemary, as has been previously said, can attest to her fearless tenacity and her extraordinary compassion for the most vulnerable families in Illinois. She wasn't afraid to say anything. I remember the one day, I was a freshman, as some of the people are here, Rosemary was sitting next to me and she had disagreed with a speaker on an issue, and she stormed up to that chair with the Speaker and I thought, wow, that woman has a lot of nerve, you know. But her main goal, particularly those with developmental… helping people with developmental disabilities, mental health issues, and all various addictions. Rosemary served in the General Assembly for 20 years and throughout that time, she never, ever lost sight of why she came to Springfield. She came to be a voice and an advocate for children, the disabled, the elderly, women, for improving access to quality health care, and to strengthen public education in the State of Illinois. She accomplished all of that and much more, and she was glad when we roomed together that we started talking about health care and she wanted me to carry on, as I have, with the Human Service Approp and then with budgeting, which were two of her major expertise and how I learned so much from her. She was never afraid to stand up, as Representative Feigenholtz just said, for whatever she believed in. Even if her convictions were 09900020.docx 29  STATE OF ILLINOIS 99th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 20th Legislative Day 3/5/2015 different than her own Party's Leadership, which did happen several times. She also loved her hometown of Des Plaines; she spoke about it all the time. She was proud to represent them and to be the first ever resid… Des Plaines resident elected to serve in the General Assembly. She also, as we have spoken, spoke about her family all the time. Her love for everyone here with us today and everyone who is not here, her entire family, she spoke about all the time. In fact, her two granddaughters were born, literally, within two weeks of my two granddaughters, my first two granddaughters. And I'm glad that when she retired from the Gen… General Assembly, Rosemary was able to have some time… special time to spend with her family that she had been away from on a lot of other special occasions, as we all here today have been. But what I will remember most about Rosemary is her wonderful sense of humor, her indomitable spirit, and how genuine she always was. She always told it like it was. She did not necessarily care about being popular, she just really cared about people. And to Rosemary's family and closest friends who are here with us today, I want to thank you all for sharing her with us for so many years. She lived a full and purposeful life and all of us here today, and all of us in the entire State of Illinois, we are better for knowing her and our state is better for the changes that she made in our state. May God rest her soul and continue to watch over her entire family. And I would ask, Mr. Speaker, that all of us be added to the Resolution. Thank you."