"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 18, 2015: recommends be adopted for the floor is Floor Amendment #1 to House Bill 113, Floor Amendment #2 to House Bill 152, Floor Amendment #3 to House Bill 397, Floor Amendment #1 to House Bill 1509."
"The House will be in order. The House will be in order. Members will be in their chairs. We shall be led in prayer today by Pastor Kevin Purdy, who is with Rossville Church of Christ in Rossville, Illinois. Pastor Purdy is the guest of Representative Bennett. Members and guests are asked to refrain from starting their laptops, turn off cell phones, and rise for invocation and Pledge of Allegiance. Pastor Purdy."
"Please join me in prayer. God Almighty, we thank You for another day of life that You've blesses us with. We know, God, that You hold all authority and all power, so we come before You with humble hearts. Our knowledge, and our abilities are nothing compared to Yours. So God, we seek Your guidance and Your will in our lives. Today in the midst of these discussions and the decisions that are made, I pray that we set aside our opinions and turn to Your guidance. May nothing short of Your will lead us today. Thank You for the forgiveness given by Your grace. And in response to Your amazing grace may we do our best to live obedient and faithful lives. God, we do not take our responsibilities and our influence lightly. We know that as a God that is just and true You will hold us accountable for all of our actions. So 09900025.docx 1 STATE OF ILLINOIS 99th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 25th Legislative Day 3/18/2015 we pray for wisdom and discernment. Let us not be led by what is popular, let us be led what is right, according to You. We give You the authority to set our course, and now we ask that You light our path and lead us forward. May You be honored and pleased by all that is said and done here today. I pray this in Jesus' name, Amen."
"We'll be led in the Pledge today by Representative Bennett."
"I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all."
"Roll Call for Attendance. Leader Currie."
"Thank you, Speaker. Please let the record reflect that there are no excused absences among House Democrats today."
"Hard to believe. Representative Bellock."
"Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Please let it be recorded that all Republicans are here today."
"Also hard to believe. Mr. Clerk, please take the record. There are 118 Members of the House here today, Ladies and Gentlemen. Now you may… you may not see them all on the floor, but honest, they're here. We have a quorum. Mr. Martwick is recognized."
"Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Point of personal privilege."
"Please proceed, Sir."
"Ladies and Gentlemen of the House, joining us in the chamber today, behind the Republican seats back there, is the Illinois Association of College Admissions Counselors. They're here to meet with you in Springfield and talk about 09900025.docx 2 STATE OF ILLINOIS 99th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 25th Legislative Day 3/18/2015 the issues that are important to them. Please give them a warm welcome to the chamber."
"Welcome. Happy you're with us today. Representative Hammond."
"Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Point of personal privilege."
"Proceed, please."
"Mr. Speaker, I would like to introduce my guests this afternoon on the House Floor. Today, we have Madeline and Colin MacGregor. They are from Macomb, Illinois, former neighbors of mine. Madeline is a fifth-grade student at Addis… at Edison. And Colin is an eighth-grade student at Macomb Junior-Senior High School. They are joined in the gallery today by their father, Adrian. Mom Casey is teaching in our public school system today, thank you very much, and also my husband Leonard. Thank you, Mr. Speaker."
"Thank you very much, Representative. And happy you're with us today. Mr. Brown."
"Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Point of personal privilege."
"Go right ahead, Sir."
"I'd like to introduce to the floor my Page for today Seiger Miller (sic-Dunston), also a Page for Brandon Phelps and Bill Mitchell, and manning the switch for Bill Mitchell today. So, we welcome Seiger. He is the son of Shannon Miller Bellini and Nicholas Bellini. We're honored to have him on the floor today."
"We are honored. Thank you. Glad you're here. Representative Willis."
"Thank you. Point of personal privilege, please."
"Please proceed." 09900025.docx 3 STATE OF ILLINOIS 99th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 25th Legislative Day 3/18/2015
"I want to welcome members of the Associated Firefighters of Illinois. They are in the gallery today. My own guys from Franklin Park and Bensenville are here, along with over 300 members of the fire service. They're all in their blue shirts, will be out here talking to you all today. And I think I'm free to say they want to invite you to their reception tonight at the Hilton. So, welcome, guys."
Speaker Lang: "Thanks guys. Thanks for being with us. Mr. Andersson."
"Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Point of pers… personal privilege."
"Proceed, Sir."
"Thank you. I'd like to the… the moment to introduce my Page for a day, Mr. Ryan Buening. Ryan is a 13-year-old student at Haines Middle School in St. Charles and we're happy to have him here today, along with his parents up in the gallery, Scott and Chris Buening. Thank you for being here."
"Thank you. Welcome. Enjoy your day here. Mr. Mitchell." Mitchell, B.: "Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Point of personal privilege."
"Go right ahead." Mitchell, B.: "Standing next to me, I think, is the distinction today of having a Page from the furthest point of the… is in from Houston, Texas. He's… it's Luke Suhre. And Luke is the grandson of some constituents of mine in Monticello, Illinois, but also, is the nephew of Elizabeth, who is the administrative assistant to our Chief of Staff, Mr. Reimers. So Luke, welcome to Illinois and the Illinois House." 09900025.docx 4 STATE OF ILLINOIS 99th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 25th Legislative Day 3/18/2015
"Thanks, Luke. Welcome aboard. Mr. Bennett."
"Mr. Speaker, a point of personal privilege, please."
"Go right ahead."
"Thank you. I'd like to introduce a couple of… of family members of Reverend Kevin Purdy, that gave us the prayer this morning. I'd like to recognize Leanne and Jessica Purdy, who are back behind me up in the balcony. If you'd please stand."
Speaker Lang: "Welcome. Welcome to the House chambers. Representative Wallace."
"Thank you, Speaker. Point of personal privilege."
"Please proceed."
"I am just welcoming Isaiah Shelton back to the House Floor. He'll be with us again tomorrow. Thank you."
"You going to introduce him again tomorrow? Mr. Moffitt."
"Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Have you heard anyone say we need smaller government?"
"I've heard a lot of people say that, Sir."
"Well, next Thursday is your chance to help make it happen. Retrofit Caucus will have a reception, 5 to 7, Illinois Chamber of Commerce office. There'll be a goodie bag, a nice healthy reception meal, pedometers and different things, and a chart to keep track of your steps in April. So come and help make smaller government in Illinois a reality. Next Thursday, Retrofit Caucus. Thank you."
"And we'll all walk over, Sir, right? All walk. Mr. Costello."
"Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Point of personal privilege."
"Please proceed." 09900025.docx 5 STATE OF ILLINOIS 99th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 25th Legislative Day 3/18/2015
"I'd like to introduce Bradley Valleroy to the Body. He's here to Page for a day and spend the day with us."
"Thanks for being here with us. Mr. Clerk, Committee Reports."
Clerk Hollman: "Committee Reports. Representative Costello, Chairperson from the Committee on Agriculture & Conservation reports the following committee action taken on March 17, 2015: do pass Short Debate is House Bill 128, House Bill 3097, House Bill 3215, House Bill 3234, House Bill 3235, House Bill 3240, House Bill 3430, House Bill 3622, House Bill 3669; do pass as amended Short Debate is House Bill 2487. Representative Monique Davis, Chairperson from the Committee on Insurance reports the following committee action taken on March 17, 2015: do pass Short Debate is House Bill 2616, House Bill 2788, House Bill 3137. Representative Cassidy, Chairperson from the Committee on Juvenile Justice & System- Involved Youth reports the following committee action taken on March 17, 2015: do pass Short Debate is House Bill 3141, House Bill 3155, House Bill 3718; do pass as amended Short Debate is House Bill 217. Representative DeLuca, Chairperson from the Committee on Cities & Villages reports the following committee action taken on March 17, 2015: do pass Short Debate is House Bill 264, House Bill 2825, House Bill 3203, House Bill 3207, House Bill 3273, House Bill 3309, House Bill 3389, House Bill 3434, House Bill 3444, House Bill 3556; do pass Standard Debate is House Bill 2669. Representative Hernandez, Chairperson from the Committee on Consumer Protection reports the following committee action taken on March 17, 2015: do pass Short Debate is House Bill 2617, House Bill 3495, House 09900025.docx 6 STATE OF ILLINOIS 99th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 25th Legislative Day 3/18/2015 Bill 3603; do pass Standard Debate is House Bill 3573. Representative Verschoore, Chairperson from the Committee on Environment reports the following committee action taken on March 17, 2015: do pass Short Debate is House Bill 3152, House Bill 3624; do pass as amended Short Debate is House Bill 437, House Bill 3341. Representative Soto, Chairperson from the Committee on Financial Institutions reports the following committee action taken on March 17, 2015: do pass Short Debate is House Bill 2477, House Bill 2627; do pass Standard Debate is House Bill 2542; recommends be adopted is House Joint Resolution 24. Representative Sims, Chairperson from the Committee on Judiciary - Criminal reports the following committee action taken on March 17, 2015: do pass Short Debate is House Bill 1453, House Bill 2673, House Bill 2722, House Bill 2750, House Bill 2919, House Bill 3149, House Bill 3201, House Bill 3371, House Bill 3488; House Bill 3587; do pass as amended Short Debate is House Bill 2569, House Bill 3660; recommends be adopted is House Resolution 156. Representative Mayfield, Chairperson from the Committee on Elementary & Secondary Education: Licensing Oversight reports the following committee action taken on March 18, 2015: do pass Short Debate is House Bill 121, House Bill 3123. Representative Gabel, Chairperson from the Committee on Human Services reports the following committee action taken on March 18, 2015: do pass Short Debate is House Bill 184, House Bill 2743, House Bill 3119, House Bill 3133, House Bill 3306, House Bill 3375, House Bill 3503, House Bill 3531, House Bill 3549, House Bill 3616, House Bill 3618, House Bill 3753, House Bill 3981; do pass Standard Debate is House 09900025.docx 7 STATE OF ILLINOIS 99th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 25th Legislative Day 3/18/2015 Bill 1398, House Bill 4013; do pass as amended Short Debate is House Bill 2482, House Bill 2915; do pass as amended Standard Debate is House Bill 3299. Representative Nekritz, Chairperson from the Committee on Judiciary - Civil reports the following committee action taken on March 18, 2015: do pass Short Debate is House Bill 2505, House Bill 2635, House Bill 2691, House Bill 3161, House Bill 3246, House Bill 32… Correction, House Bill 3429, House Bill 3464, House Bill 3493, House Bill 3512, House Bill 3527, House Bill 3552, House Bill 3599, House Bill 3830, House Bill 3898, House Bill 3933, House Bill 4006; do pass as amended Short Debate is House Bill 1335, House Bill 2690, House Bill 3169, House Bill 3363; recommends be adopted is Floor Amendment #2 to House Bill 303. Representative Golar, Chairperson from the Committee on Elementary & Secondary Education: School Curriculum & Policies reports the following committee action taken on March 18, 2015: do pass Short Debate is House Bill 163, House Bill 3428; do pass as amended Short Debate is House Bill 165, House Bill 1484, House Bill 3197; recommends be adopted as amended is House Resolution 28. Representative Daniel Burke, Chairperson from the Committee on Executive reports the following committee action taken on March 18, 2015: do pass Short Debate is House Bill 259, House Bill 1452, House Bill 2416, House Bill 2685, House Bill 3093, House Bill 3237, House Bill 3820, House Bill 3821, House Bill 4011. Representative D'Amico, Chairperson from the Committee on Transportation: Vehicles & Safety reports the following committee action taken on March 18, 2015: do pass Short Debate is House Bill 3126, House Bill 3180, House Bill 09900025.docx 8 STATE OF ILLINOIS 99th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 25th Legislative Day 3/18/2015 3269, House Bill 3335, House Bill 3382, House Bill 3384, House Bill 3465, House Bill 3533, House Bill 3668, House Bill 3689, House Bill 3797, House Bill 3944, House Bill 4008; do pass as amended Short Debate is House Bill 3143; recommends be adopted is Floor Amendment #1 to House Bill 439. Representative Zalewski, Chairperson from the Committee on Health Care Licenses reports the following committee action taken on March 18, 2015: do pass Short Debate is House Bill 408, House Bill 500, House Bill 2787, House Bill 2925, House Bill 3219, House Bill 3271, House Bill 3517, House Bill 3655, House Bill 3680; do pass Standard Debate is House Bill 2763."
"Page 8 of the Calendar, under Motions in Writing, we have four Motions from Mr. Anthony to table four of his Bills, I hope he has some left. House Bill 2729, House Bill 3320, House Bill 3608, House Bill 3905. Is there leave to table these Bills? Leave is granted, all four Bills are tabled. Members, we're moving to House Bills-Third Reading. Starting on page 5 of the Calendar, the first Bill is House Bill 95, Mr. Thapedi. Mr. Clerk, please read the Bill."
"House Bill 95, a Bill for an Act concerning civil law. Third Reading of this House Bill."
"Mr. Thapedi."
"Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, House Bill 95 essentially codifies the 2007 Illinois Supreme Court decision in Vision Point of Sale v. Haas. In that case, the Supreme Court made clear that its Rule 216 request to admit facts are indeed discovery devices. With that Supreme Court ruling in mind, the Supreme Court has made it clear that it alone 09900025.docx 9 STATE OF ILLINOIS 99th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 25th Legislative Day 3/18/2015 governs discovery practices in the course of litigation. Section 2-1003 of the Code of Civil Procedure, which is at issue here in this Bill, clarifies the power of the Supreme Court in overseeing pretrial discovery practices. Senator Connelly is ready to move this Bill in the Senate. I'm available to answer any and all questions. And I ask for an 'aye' vote.
"Mr. Sandack."
"Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Will the Sponsor yield?"
"Sponsor yields."
"Andre, we had some discussion in committee."
"Yep."
"Just remind me, does this continue to codify rules so that they're… akin to federal rules of civil procedure? Meaning that depositions now are not just necessarily discovery depositions, but they're fact depositions?"
"Well, let… let's take the FRCPs out of this, Representative Sandack."
"Okay."
"What, you know, we're focusing in here on is the Illinois Supreme Court Rules. For an example, if you look at Section 2-1003, it has a specific notation that a party is not required to disclose the names and addresses of its witnesses. We know that that's contrary to Supreme Court Rule 213, and that's why we're proceeding in this fashion."
"So, that's all that your Bill is doing right now?"
"Absolutely. So, in other words, what we're doing is we are harmonizing the ruling of the Supreme Court that they govern discovery practices. As a Legislature, we're not going 09900025.docx 10 STATE OF ILLINOIS 99th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 25th Legislative Day 3/18/2015 to involve ourselves in that practice, and that's exactly what the Bill does."
"Fine. Thank you. Appreciate it."
"Thank you."
"Mr. Franks."
"Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Will the Sponsor yield?"
"Sponsor yields."
"Representative, who… who brought you this… this idea? 'Cause I see it's a Sponsor initiative."
"I did."
"Okay. And I see one of the proponents is the Property Casualty Insurer's Association of America?"
"They may very well be. And… and to put into its proper perspective, I was litigating a case out in the Markham Courthouse and the judge by the name of Judge Clifford insisted that requests to admit facts are not discovery. And I reminded him of the 2007 Supreme Court decision where the Supreme Court has made that very clear, that there's been a series of litigation over the years with respect to how do you treat requests to admit facts and Vision Point of Sale solved that question once and for all."
"Have you asked the Illinois State Bar Association where they are on this?"
"Well, Jim Covington is always there in committee. And in fact, we did a subject matter hearing on this topic. Jim didn't weigh in; he didn’t have any issues with it in its amended form. Now, you should understand that initially, when the Bill was filed, that I got a little happy with my pen and I struck several provisions that were contrary to the Illinois 09900025.docx 11 STATE OF ILLINOIS 99th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 25th Legislative Day 3/18/2015 Supreme Court rules, but during the cod… during the course of negotiations, we found it prudent to leave certain Sections in, more specifically, the ones that dealt with the disclosure of insurance information, and also those provisions that discussed mental and physical examinations of plaintiffs during the course of litigation."
"So, the… all those are back in that were inadvertently struck in the original draft?"
"Correct."
"Okay. And… and ISBA, then, is neutral on this?"
"I… I don’t know if they're neutral. I would assume that they would be a proponent, in large part because this Bill harmonizes the 2007 Illinois Supreme Court decision."
"Okay. Well, it makes sense, then. Thank you."
"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? Feigenholtz. Please take the record. On this question, there are 116 voting 'yes', 1 voting 'present'. And this Bill, having received the Constitutional Majority, is hereby declared passed. House Bill 299, Representative Barbara Wheeler. Please read the Bill."
"House Bill 299, a Bill for an Act concerning local government. Third Reading of this House Bill."
"Representative Wheeler." Wheeler, B.: "Thank you, Mr. Speaker. This Bill clarifies that the court security officers not hired by the Merit Commission will not be disciplined through the Merit Commission. I urge an 'aye' vote." 09900025.docx 12 STATE OF ILLINOIS 99th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 25th Legislative Day 3/18/2015
"Mr. Franks."
"Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Will the Sponsor yield?"
"Sponsor yields."
"Can I ask why we're doing this?" Wheeler, B.: "Yes, Representative. We're doing it because in Lake County… there are only four counties that hire the office… the security officers not through the Merit Commission. Lake County is a hybrid in that half of their officers are hired through the Merit Commission and are union officers. The other half are retired police officers, not hired through the Merit Commission and hired simply through the Sheriff's Department."
"Okay. So, who would this affect? Just Lake County?" Wheeler, B.: "Pardon me? I can't hear you."
"Whi… which counties would this affect?" Wheeler, B.: "Well… Lake County, McHenry County, and I believe two in the south, Representative. I don’t know their…"
"So, if one is hired outside of the Sheri… I'm… Right now, but you said there's some hybrids, for instance, McHenry and Lake County. Let's focus on them. How are these deputies hired?" Wheeler, B.: "The court security officers in McHenry County are simply hired outside the Merit Commission. They're hired by the Sheriff's Department and are disciplined by the Sheriff's Department. In Lake County, like I said, half of them are hired through the Sheriff's Department outside the Merit Commission. This Bill simply clarifies that when disciplined they don't have to go through the Merit Commission process." 09900025.docx 13 STATE OF ILLINOIS 99th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 25th Legislative Day 3/18/2015
"I'm just wondering why some would be hired through the Sheriff's Department and be subject to the Merit Commission and some would be hired, I'm not sure how, and… and not be subject. I'm confused as to why we have…" Wheeler, B.: "There was…"
"…two classes." Wheeler, B.: "…Sure. Because there was question when an officer in Lake County was disciplined by the Sheriff's Department. He was a retired officer and not hired through the Merit Commission, not a union employee. There was question as to whether the Sheriff's Department had acted correctly by not disciplining him through the Merit Commission. So, this Bill simply… requested by Lake County, was simply to clarify that if you're hired not through the Merit Commission you're not disciplined by the Merit Commission. You're a dis… a direct employee of the Sheriff's Department. And you will be disciplined."
"For my clarification, who gets hired through the Merit Commission? Because you're… what you're saying is if you're not hired…" Wheeler, B.: "If you're a…"
"…through the Merit Commission." Wheeler, B.: "…if you're a sworn… a peace off… officer, you would be hired through the Merit Commission."
"Okay." Wheeler, B.: "And so you'd get disciplined through the Merit Commission."
"So the court security officers are not sworn police officers?" 09900025.docx 14 STATE OF ILLINOIS 99th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 25th Legislative Day 3/18/2015 Wheeler, B.: "In… in McHenry County they are not."
"Okay." Wheeler, B.: "In Lake County half of them are and half of them are not."
"So that's what's causing the confusion? Okay. Thank you."
"Thank you."
"Those in favor of the Lady's 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. Flowers, Wallace. Please take the record. On this question, there are 117 voting 'yes', 0 voting 'no'. And this Bill, having received the Constitutional Majority, is hereby declared passed. House Bill 313, Mr. Phelps. Out of the record. House Bill 1337, Mr. Drury. Please read the Bill."
"House Bill 1337, a Bill for an Act concerning criminal law. Third Reading of this House Bill."
"Mr. Drury."
"Thank you, Mr. Speaker. House Bill 1337 is cleanup language of the legislation requiring people with DUIs to have a devi… an interlock device on their car. This just clarifies that it's any car that they're driving, not just the car that they own. I 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? Members, please record yourselves. Hammond, Stewart, Tryon, Unes. Mr. Clerk, please take the record. On this question, there are 95 voting 'yes', 20 voting 'no', 1 voting 'present'. And this Bill, having received the 09900025.docx 15 STATE OF ILLINOIS 99th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 25th Legislative Day 3/18/2015 Constitutional Majority, is hereby declared passed. House Bill 1362, Representative McAsey. Please read the Bill."
"House Bill 1362, a Bill for an Act concerning safety. Third Reading of this House Bill."
"Representative McAsey."
"Thank you, Mr. Speaker, Members of the House. House Bill 1362 would ask… would require that state agencies that maintain public lands look at ways that they may be able to use composted materials in their procurement processes. This is asking the agencies to look and to try and determine how they can use that compost to reduce stormwater run-off, increase infiltration of moisture and land maintenance activities, and to report to the General Assembly by December 15 of 2015. I ask for the passage of the Bill."
"Mr. Sandack."
"Mr. Speaker, I couldn’t hear a word of that. Could you ask our friends in this august House to…"
"I think that's a fair request, Sir. Ladies and Gentlemen. Do you need Representative McAsey to explain the Bill again, Sir?"
"I was… I was going to simply ask… I… I'm sorry Representative, I could not hear a word you said."
"Representative, could you help Mr. Sandack out?"
"Of course. So, what House Bill 1362 does is… this is working to determine whether there are ways to include more composted material in state activities and state procurements. So, what it is doing is asking state agencies by December 15 of this year, the agencies that maintain public lands, to inform the General Assembly about ways that they 09900025.docx 16 STATE OF ILLINOIS 99th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 25th Legislative Day 3/18/2015 may be able to better use, or use at all, composted material. And so the idea is that composted material in many cases may be more cost-effective than other materials with regard to managing stormwater run-off, increasing moisture infiltration in land, various things. We know that composting activities have increased across the state. Yet, at the same time, that composted material in not necessarily being used quite as much and… and can be. We have a product that we… we're looking to see if we can determine more of an end market."
"Mr. Sandack."
"Representative, I think everything you just said makes eminent sense. My question is, it… the Bill says that the state shall, to the maximum extent feasible. Is this really just a best practices Bill?"
"Well…"
"And suggestive in nature?"
"…It… I believe that this… at this point, this is not requiring any state agency to do anything but identify where they can incorporate this best practice."
"Okay. Thank you. To the Bill. I commend the Sponsor on the sentiment. This is one of those where you kind of go, yay, best practices. These are great suggestions. I just sometimes wonder about time use and propriety of our resources, but I… I thank the Sponsor for her answers."
"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? Please take the record. There are 117 voting 'yes', 0 voting 'no'. And this Bill, having received the 09900025.docx 17 STATE OF ILLINOIS 99th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 25th Legislative Day 3/18/2015 Constitutional Majority, is hereby declared passed. Chair recognizes Mr. Reis."
"Thank you, Mr. Speaker. On House Bill 1337, I wish the record to reflect that I wanted to be a 'no'."
"The record will reflect your intention, Sir. Returning to House Bill 313, Mr. Phelps. Please read the Bill."
"House Bill 313, a Bill for an Act concerning civil law. Third Reading of this House Bill."
"Mr. Phelps."
"Thank you, Mr. Speaker. House Bill 313 is a… a Bill with the Illinois Oil and Gas Association. All it is is mainly just technical about how they do the bookkeeping when royalties get to $25, where they… they're extending it to a hundred, that all the people that are involved would get their… all their entitled share. 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? Mr. Andersson, Drury, Gordon-Booth. Mr. Clerk, please take the record. On this question, there are 117 voting 'yes', 0 voting 'no'. And this Bill, having received the Constitutional Majority, is hereby declared passed. House Bill 1377. Mr. Drury. Please read the Bill."
"House Bill 1377, a Bill for an Act concerning transportation. Third Reading of this House Bill."
"Mr. Drury." 09900025.docx 18 STATE OF ILLINOIS 99th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 25th Legislative Day 3/18/2015
"Thank you, Mr. Speaker. This is additional cleanup language regarding the BAIID units on cars. I ask for an 'aye' vote."
"Mr. Sandack."
"Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Will the Sponsor yield?"
"Gentleman yields."
"Scott, could you elaborate a little bit of… on the extension of BAIID and what the rules are, and how this legislation will actually effectuate good policy."
"Sure, absolutely. The… as it currently stands, the… the legislation says that BAIID units need to be installed on a car that you own. This says that it should be on cars that you drive. This was brought to me by a constituent in my district who saw this happening and was concerned about it."
"Thank you. Appreciate that."
"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? Mr. Martwick. Mr. Zalewski. Please take the record, Mr. Clerk. On this question, there are 117 voting 'yes', 0 voting 'no'. And this Bill, having received the Constitutional Majority, is hereby declared passed. House Bill 1407, Mr. Bennett. Please proceed. Mr. Clerk."
"House Bill 1407, a Bill for an Act concerning regulation. Third Reading of this House Bill."
"Mr. Bennett."
"Thank you, Mr. Chairman. This is around the SIDS, the Sudden Infant Syndrome… Death Syndrome. The Bill is very focused on the education piece of this. Basically, a parent leaves the hospital, they're given reading materials, how to 09900025.docx 19 STATE OF ILLINOIS 99th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 25th Legislative Day 3/18/2015 care for their newborn. And this Bill, it simply clarifies where the materials will come from. The change basically is this. The materials shall include information con… concerning safe sleep environments developed by the American Academy of Pediatrics. Or a statewide or a nationally recognized SIDS or medical association. So, I move for a Motion, if we could."
"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? Breen, Feigenholtz, Nekritz. Please take the record, Mr. Clerk. On this question, there are 117 voting 'yes', 0 voting 'no'. And this Bill, having received the Constitutional Majority, is hereby declared passed. House Bill 1446, Representative Nekritz. Out of the record. House Bill 1489, Mr. Ford. Please read the Bill, Mr. Clerk."
"House Bill 1489, a Bill for an Act concerning elections. Third Reading of this House Bill."
"Mr. Ford."
"Thank you… thank you, Mr. Speaker. House Bill 1489 is a Bill that we passed out of the House last Session. I looked to get the passage of 1489 now. It's a one person-one vote Bill. Thank you."
"Mr. Sandack."
"Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Will the Sponsor yield?"
"Gentleman yields."
"La Shawn, can you give a little more elaboration on what your Bill does, please, so we can know what we're voting on?" 09900025.docx 20 STATE OF ILLINOIS 99th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 25th Legislative Day 3/18/2015
"It… it's a one person-one vote. So that individuals that are incarcerated will be counted at their last known home address."
"And I know that there were a lot of notes put on your Bill. Have… has the fiscal impact of your Bill been addressed?"
"I… I beli… I think so."
"Well, can you tell me what you think your Bill will cost the state? What fiscal effect will the Bill cost?"
"I didn’t… I didn’t read the impact because I didn’t put it on there."
"All right. To the Bill, Mr. Speaker. I… I have nothing but the highest regard for the Sponsor, and I'm certain the Bill he addresses, or seeks to address here, does many good things. But without having any understanding, the most basic understanding, of the fiscal impact, I don't think it's wise to vote on this Bill. So, I… I would ask the speaker to… to withdraw the Bill, but if he won't withdraw it, I'd suggest a 'no' vote because we really don’t know what effect, what costs this proposal costs our state. Thank you, Mr. Speaker."
"Mr. Sullivan."
"Thank you, Mr. Speaker. To the Bill. Ladies and Gentlemen, I know it's early in the year and we want to get through the end of the day, but it's time to wake up and watch what this Bill is about. This Bill is about taking population from where it should be, for those incarcerated into the prison towns, and moving it back to where they may or may not be based on information that they supplied to the state's attorney on their last known address. We don't know where 09900025.docx 21 STATE OF ILLINOIS 99th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 25th Legislative Day 3/18/2015 that last known address is. We cannot track that last known address, or if we would want to track that last known address, it would cost millions of dollars to do. This is on a basis of here's what I think… or here's where I'm going to put down my address. So, Department of Corrections cannot do this, first. And second, why wouldn’t we have these prison population where they are, where they're incarcerated? This is analogous to if you have an elderly parent or relative and you move them into a nursing home, their new voting population is that nursing home. You wouldn’t have them move back to wherever there previous home was. And so, this is the same thing. And so, I want people to take a step back, pay attention to what this is going on here, and think it through. Do you want your areas where your prisons are to lose population that would go into districting, into financial obligations of the State and Federal Government, ultimately; through the census data? That's what this Bill is about. This is about putting census data back into areas that the Department of Corrections cannot track. They cannot track it, and this Bill does not bring any money to make them track it. So, pay attention, hopefully everyone can slow down and look what this is about. And let's have a 'no' vote. Thank you."
"Representative Flowers."
"Thank you, Mr. Speaker, Ladies and Gentlemen of the House. To the Bill. I just want to say that Representative Ford is absolutely right in bringing this legislation forward. The population that left the City of Chicago and are incarcerated, some of them are there because they're innocent, but the fact of the matter is, downstate is using 09900025.docx 22 STATE OF ILLINOIS 99th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 25th Legislative Day 3/18/2015 that population, who does not live there, did not choose to live there, not paying property taxes there. But that area is benefitting from the census track because of the population that's in prison, not the population that is actually in the community. And what Representative Ford's Bill is saying, that that population for census purpose counting belong in the community from that which they came. And if someone is saying that there is no mechanism to track, that is not true. Because once they are released from prison they are no longer your property in that particular area. And they are free to go wherever they so choose to, and wherever they decide to register and vote again. But in the meantime, they do not belong to the community which they have been incarcerated in for 6 months, 5 days, 1 year, 10 years, 20 years. They were not sent there for life and those who are sent there for life, that's a different story if you want to have that debate. But the fact of the matter is, these people have left their families, their churches, their community, and their community is losing money because the census is not counting them. They're counting them in another part of the state, which does not and should not benefit from them… them being incarcerated, because the state is creating jobs for those community by having those prisons there. I would urge an 'aye' vote for House Bill 1489."
"Mr. Dunkin."
"Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Will the Sponsor yield?"
"Sponsor yields."
"Representative, what initiated this… this legislation?"
"Excuse me?" 09900025.docx 23 STATE OF ILLINOIS 99th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 25th Legislative Day 3/18/2015
"Can you tell us what initiated this legislation?"
"I think that what initiated it was there are several states that have had lawsuits filed against them for not exercising the one person-one vote clause. So, right now, Maryland just… the Supreme Court in Maryland ruled that we must do this in… in our state. So, Maryland… they have to do it in Maryland because it was brought before the Supreme Court. So, this will save us a lot of money as it relates to lawsuits down the line."
"So, this Bill helps us answer the question of making sure that we properly track inmates from where they… where they're from?"
"Yes."
"Okay. To the Bill. Ladies and Gentlemen, this Bill's time has finally come. This is a Bill that we should have had on the books before we did the redistricting. This legislation simply corrects a situation where you've had inmates who, mainly from urban areas, come to the various prisons, downstate in particular, where they're housed serving their terms in the local institution and the local government there, the county government, counts those inmates for their own population. When they are done, most of those counties, practically all of those counties, put those prisoners back to where they were originally arrested. Now, it is not something that prisons don't know. Everyone knows where somebody is from, especially when you're incarcerated. The last known address is a reality of what it is that prisons go through in their intake. This Bill simply clarifies, and rightly so clarifies, the individual inmate's original last 09900025.docx 24 STATE OF ILLINOIS 99th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 25th Legislative Day 3/18/2015 address. It's a proper way to account for citizens, 'cause what these small communities do, is they account for them, and they get state funding for transportation. They receive human service money; they receive ed… elementary and secondary education money. They receive census money from the Federal Government, from the State of Illinois. They benefit those respective small communities that are predominantly prison towns and it does not, in any way, shape, or form, help the inmate when they… when they leave. It also helps in the redistricting process, of that particular elected official, be they local, but especially if they're a State Rep., or if they're a State Senator. Now, it would be a different story if they were allowed to stay there after they're done with serving their term, but no, they want to send them right back up, usually to Chicago, usually to Springfield, usually to a Peoria, or a Rockford, because they don't want to have anything to do with those inmates… those inmates. And so what this Bill does is correct the process in which an inmate is designated and where they should be counted. They really should be counted back from where they were last. It's a great Bill. We should've had this when we redrew the map. I urge a strong 'yes'."
"Mr. Hays."
"Thank you. Would the Sponsor yield?"
"Sponsor yields."
"Representative, when we talk about where somebody lives, would it be fair to say some of the factors would include where one receives their mail every day?"
"Where'd you go? Oh. Okay." 09900025.docx 25 STATE OF ILLINOIS 99th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 25th Legislative Day 3/18/2015
"Would… would someone who receives their mail at the same address 365 days a year, when they take a shower at the same place every day, when they celebrate every holiday there, when their sock and underwear drawer is at the same place every day of the year, would that… are those fair indicators in relation to where a person lives?"
"Are you talking about this Bill?"
"I'm talking about… you're talking about these people…"
"If… if you're…"
"…anybody who's incarcerated should be counted at the community from where they lived before the incarceration and I'm asking for anybody that's being counted in the census. Are the criteria, some of the criteria that I just outlined, would those not be indicators in relation to where somebody lives?"
"Not as their home. Because we know that the prison cannot be considered a home for an individual. So the answer for prison is no. And that's pertaining to this Bill. And so…"
"Who… who… at the pri… in the prison in Danville, if, God forbid, part of the facility catches fire, what fire department will be dispatched to put out the flames?"
"What?"
"Will… will the Cook County… will the City of Chicago Fire Department be dispatched down to Danville when the building's on fire?"
"I don't… I don’t know why we're…"
"Or will the Danville Fire Department answer that call?"
"Representative, I have no idea why you're asking about fires and things like this." 09900025.docx 26 STATE OF ILLINOIS 99th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 25th Legislative Day 3/18/2015
"What I'm suggesting is…"
"This is only about one person-one vote. It has nothing to do with money. It's not going to take money away from anyone's district. It's simply making sure that there is one person- one vote. So…"
"I'm suggesting…"
"…all the dollars will be where they're at. They're not going anywhere. And back to your other question, you have to remember that a census counts people every 10 years. You're talking… I think I heard you say 365 days out of the year. There's 10 years that a person would be counted in the census. So, you're wrong there. And you're wrong…"
"Well, no they…"
"…about the prison being…"
"…they wouldn't be counted… Well, go ahead, I'm sorry."
"And you're wrong about the prison being a home. Because homes are not classified as… prisons are not classified as homes."
"I would suggest that when the kitchen fire flares up at the prison in Danville, and the Danville Fire Department is dispatched, or when the ambulance is dispatched in a time of emergency, the local ambulance… from the local community is dispatched, or when the water line or the sewer lines of the facility needs to be replaced… as replaced, at least on the public portion of the land by the local community, they're incurring those expenses. They are providing the first responder services. Are we going to start… how… how… how exactly would you count these folks?"
"I… but…" 09900025.docx 27 STATE OF ILLINOIS 99th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 25th Legislative Day 3/18/2015
"Do I get to add those to my tourism? Are they tourists? What are they?"
"But you can take my word, and you can do your research, and you will see that you will not lose any money. This is only for redistricting purposes for the General Assembly. I don’t want you to make an illusion that we're doing something that we're not and that's totally unfair to the merits of the Bill."
"To the Bill. The Representative has… has run this Bill before. I respectfully, respectfully disagree with his premise. The truth of the matter is, individuals who are incarcerated for a period of time, this is not temporary, these are not individuals who are waiting for their day in court. These are individuals who are going to be there for a period of time, several years in many, many instances. These are individuals who, every day of the year, shower, get their mail. These are individuals who the local first responders respond. There is no question that they are domiciled in the community where the facility lies. And with all due respect to your reference to the Maryland Supreme Court case, I told you we shouldn't have let Maryland in the Big 10. And I stand by it."
"Representative Cassidy."
"Thank you, Mr. Speaker. To the Bill. One of the previous speaker's made a comparison to being in prison to moving your mother to a nursing home. That is perhaps one of the most laughable comparisons you could make. We are talking about people who are removed from their community, and kept somewhere against their will. Their community is deprived of 09900025.docx 28 STATE OF ILLINOIS 99th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 25th Legislative Day 3/18/2015 their presence. Their community is deprived of the services that would be funded by their presence. And they are counted in a community that gains by their presence, but doesn’t benefit them one bit. This is an excellent Bill. I am proud to stand in strong support of it. Please vote 'yes'."
"Ladies and Gentlemen, we still have five speakers on this Bill. It's been thoroughly debated. The Chair is going to use… six speakers. The Chair is going to use the two- minute timer. Mr. Fortner is next."
"Thank you, Thank you, Speaker. To the Bill. I've had plenty of discussions in the past with the Representative. I understand what the Representative is trying to do, but there are, I think, a number of places where it doesn’t end up consistently getting the job done. Consider a person in the prison system, who may have been there for a long time. As was mentioned they may have been pulled from their family, but their family doesn’t live at that address anymore. They would still be sitting at an address where there might be a new family that has moved in, and now you're essentially double counting people there. Even more so, suppose there was redevelopment that happened and an area that was residential became a commercial area. You would have the strange effect of having people assigned to census blocks where nothing was there. To the comment that there are sometimes people who may find themselves against their will at these locations, I would use the example of what the Federal Government does with the overseas military population. They also, of course, obviously have a home address they came from, but when it comes to redistricting, those persons are not assigned to any census 09900025.docx 29 STATE OF ILLINOIS 99th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 25th Legislative Day 3/18/2015 block whatsoever. They are used only for their apportionment of Congressional seats that are not used in redistricting because they're overseas military and they didn’t have a choice as to what base, or what country they would be sent to serve. But they're there, they're still people, they still have a right to vote, but from the purposes of counting they find themselves not at their home address. I would urge a 'no' vote."
"Mr. Moffitt, for two minutes."
"Thank you, Mr. Speaker. We've had this for several years in a row. And to the Bill. Had this for several years in a row and clearly the correct vote is a 'no' vote. Just think about this population in Correction. It's a rather fluid population as they are moved from time to time. They're not just there and stay. It's frequently moved. Secondly, a facility like a correctional facility, draws on a lot of services that the local taxpayers pay for. Whether it be medical, whether it be courts, whether it be fire protection. It's the local taxpayers that are paying for that, and so that… this helps in terms of other government revenue they would get. Third, the population in Corrections, I've talked to Corrections officials, and it is unverified as to where their legal residence is. Where they are to be is in… within the correctional facility. This is contrary to the way the Federal Government counts population. All those reasons, clearly this Bill still should not become law. Thank you."
"Representative Davis, for two minutes." 09900025.docx 30 STATE OF ILLINOIS 99th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 25th Legislative Day 3/18/2015 Davis, M.: "Thank you, Mr. Speaker for considering the fact that I, too, have time and something to say. Representative Ford, do their families reside in these locations?"
"No." Davis, M.: "Representative Ford, are services provided to the inmate upon leaving these locations?"
"No, none." Davis, M.: "There's been no services provided? But they get federal dollars, they get state dollars, they get to count the population, so they can have more elected officials. But they provide absolutely no service upon the release of the inmate."
"You know, absolutely. I think that once… if they're there one day, they're going to be counted for the next 10 years." Davis, M.: "Representative Ford, do their children attend schools in those areas?"
"No." Davis, M.: "You think maybe they should?"
"Maybe." Davis, M.: "I mean, based on the fact that they're counted as part of their population, it is my belief that if they're counted as part of their population that their children should be allowed to attend schools in those particular areas. Would you agree with that?"
"Right." Davis, M.: "As long as that population is being counted for locations in which they do not reside as free people, nor have they ever resided as free people, then they should certainly be permitted to have their children attend schools 09900025.docx 31 STATE OF ILLINOIS 99th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 25th Legislative Day 3/18/2015 in those areas so they can benefit from those dollars they garner from counting them as part of their population."
"Well, Representative, I think that you raise an excellent point, that if we believe that the home address is the prison, then they qualify for that school district." Davis, M.: "I think, Representative, with the help of Pastor Meeks, the chair of the Illinois State Board of Education, who believes children have a right to attend school anywhere, this might be a good place to start. If the people who are in… inmates are counted to increase your population, whatever you're naming, then their children should have a right to attend schools in those areas. Thank you. And I urge an 'aye' vote on this excellent piece of legislation. And I would like a Roll Call vote. I want a verification. Thank you."
"Representative Nekritz, for two minutes."
"Thank you, Mr. Speaker. To the Bill. I'd like to applaud the Sponsor, Representative Ford, for sticking with this legislation for the last several years and… and being persistent and dogged in his determination to get this done. This is a matter of fairness. This is a matter of justice. And this is a matter of the Illinois General Assembly recognizing that the… the census ought to count people from where their… their home is and so that they're… so that we actually do have one person-one vote in the Illinois… in the State of Illinois. So, I… I applaud, again, applaud the Sponsor. I'm happy to be a cosponsor on this. And I'd urge an 'aye' vote."
"Mr. Davidsmeyer, for two minutes."
"Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Will the Sponsor yield?" 09900025.docx 32 STATE OF ILLINOIS 99th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 25th Legislative Day 3/18/2015
"Sponsor yields."
"So, currently in the… in the City of Jacksonville, my hometown, there are a number of inmates, and often what happens is they are moved into the prison and their family comes to Jacksonville a year or two later to be closer to the individual who lives there. And I would argue that that individual who moves into the prison system, if he moves in during the right… right at the beginning of the census, he may be included in my… in my census, but his family, his wife and his one, or two, or three, however many kids he has that are coming into my school system, are not all also included in that. So, I… I think this is a little bit backwards. I would be happy to work with you on this. Like Representative Fortner said earlier, I believe there are ways that the Federal Government does this, and I think there's a lot of options on… on ways that we can work on this. This is not the right way to do this, and… and I just… I hope we can encourage people to think twice about this before… before voting 'yes' just because he's on your side of the aisle or on the other side of the aisle. I… I really think we need to think twice, look at this, have a little bit more discussion. And I would be happy to work with you on it, Representative."
"So, do you have a prison in your district…"
"I do."
"…you said?"
"Yes."
"So, I would expect you to vote 'no'."
"Yeah, definitely." 09900025.docx 33 STATE OF ILLINOIS 99th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 25th Legislative Day 3/18/2015
"All right. But if you don't have a prison I would expect you to vote 'yes'."
"But… but this shouldn’t be a prison population…"
"But it is."
"…versus the rest of the state. It is not."
"That's the… that's the way you're arguing."
"You can… you can look… you can look at the board if you would like, and I guarantee it's not a prison versus non- prison issue."
"Well…"
"It's… it's…"
"…I'm sure the prisoners are all happy that we're fighting for them."
"You know, the… we also have work camps in my district. And we have people that come down, who have… who have never been outside of a, you know, what we call the concrete jungle. They come down, they get out, and they're able to work and mow yards and stuff like that and gain skills that… that will help better them in the future. And if it weren't for coming down to my district and having those opportunities, they never… may never have that. Right? So… so they're benefitting from… from being in our populations, and our populations, our… our towns, and everybody feed them when they come out and show them other opportunities. And I think it's a… it's a part of the bigger scope of the entire process. I think this is a very one… one-sided view of the entire thing."
"Mr. Turner, for two minutes."
"Thank you. Question for the Sponsor." 09900025.docx 34 STATE OF ILLINOIS 99th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 25th Legislative Day 3/18/2015
"Sponsor yields."
"The… the… You… you said that they… they wouldn’t miss out on any resources because of this? This is strictly about the… the population…"
"That's correct (inaudible)."
"(inaudible). Just explain that to me, again, one more time."
"That's… that's correct, Leader Turner. It simply deals with one person-one vote. There will be no revenues taken from the districts from which the prisoners are coming from. One person-one vote redistricting for the General Assembly only."
"And somewhere throughout the process we're able, or DOC is able, to establish where these prisoners were located? They have an address on file somewhere throughout the process, right?"
"That's right."
"Would it be a huge detriment to the… to the agency to have to, you know, identify where those addresses are located or did anybody from DOC explain… say that that was an issue on their part? They… they have these records, as I understand them?"
"You know, what I was… when I talked with the agency, it's my understanding that we have enough time because the next census is not until 2020 and we need to get it right. And… and I believe that passing this Bill will help us get it right since we have until 2020 to do so."
"How important are those census numbers to those local neighborhoods, and… municipalities and… and areas who are 09900025.docx 35 STATE OF ILLINOIS 99th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 25th Legislative Day 3/18/2015 counting these people and including them. How important are those census numbers?"
"Oh. You know, I think that what's… it's all about the… the numbers are… This is fair. I think one of the previous speakers spoke about this being a Bill of fairness. This is only about one person-one vote, making sure that an individual that has a right to vote, when they come out they're able to vote and vote for the Representatives that they feel that they should be voting for. You can't vote in prison, we already know that, right?"
"Right."
"But you can vote when you come out."
"Right."
"So, why would the prisoners be counted for the voting purposes at the prison?"
"I… I think that's a good point, Representative. It boils down to an issue of fairness for me as well. One vote for one person in the right municipality. Thank you."
"Thank you."
"Mr. Ford to close."
"Thank you very much. And to the… There are no impacts, as I read the notes here, this Bill does not create a state mandate. The Bill has no impact on the state's agencies, and there's also no requirements from the Secretary of State to do anything. So, I think that this is about one person one vote and it's not taking money away from any district. Just giving people one person-one vote priority. I move for the passage." 09900025.docx 36 STATE OF ILLINOIS 99th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 25th Legislative Day 3/18/2015
"Gentleman moves for the passage of the Bill. There is a request for a verification. Please vote your own switches, Members. 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? Golar. Mr. Clerk, please take the record. On this question, there are 57 voting 'yes', 59 voting 'no'. The Gentleman moves for Postponed Consideration. Chair recognizes Representative Davis." Davis, M.: "Mr. Speaker, I withdraw my request for verification. Thank you."
"I… I could have come to you, but since it didn’t get 60, Representative, I didn’t see the need. Thank you very much. Mr. Pritchard."
"Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I rise to a point of personal privilege."
"Please proceed."
"In the balcony today, we see a number of our first responders, our brave firefighters. I have our contingency from DeKalb and Sycamore. There are some 80 members in that professional unit in those 2 communities. Guys, if you would stand up and receive our appreciation."
Speaker Lang: "Thank you, gentlemen. Much appreciated. Mr. Wheeler." Wheeler, K.: "Mr. Speaker, a point of personal privilege."
"Proceed, Sir." Wheeler, K.: "We are blessed on the House Floor today to have my Page for the day, Adam Annerino. He is the son of Joanna and Thomas Annerino from Aurora, who are up in the gallery. He is a 12-year-old student at Parkview Christian Academy in 09900025.docx 37 STATE OF ILLINOIS 99th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 25th Legislative Day 3/18/2015 Yorkville. His fellow students call him a young political leader, and he is an aspiring computer programmer. Let's give him a big Springfield welcome."
"Welcome. Happy you're here. Next Bill on the Calendar is House Bill 1496, Mr. McAuliffe. Please read the Bill."
"House Bill 1496, a Bill for an Act concerning regulation. Third Reading of this House Bill."
"Mr. McAuliffe."
"Thank you, Mr… thank you, Mr. Speaker. House Bill 1496 would require applicants for a dental license who did not graduate from a dental school in the United States or Canada to complete two years of general dental clinical training in the United States or Canada. I'd be happy to answer any questions and request 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? Dunkin. Please take the record, Mr. Clerk. On this question, there are 117 voting 'yes', 0 voting 'no'. And this Bill, having received the Constitutional Majority, is hereby declared passed. House Bill 1531… Excuse me, Mr. Clerk. Out of the record. Mr. Clerk, Agreed Resolutions."
"Agreed Resolutions. House Resolution 286, offered by Representative Bellock. House Resolution 287, offered by Representative Bellock. House Resolution 288, offered by Representative Durkin. House Resolution 289, offered by Representative Lang. House Resolution 290, offered by 09900025.docx 38 STATE OF ILLINOIS 99th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 25th Legislative Day 3/18/2015 Representative William Davis. House Resolution 291, offered by Representative Fine."
"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. Mr. Clerk, the Adjournment Resolution."
Clerk Hollman: "House Joint Resolution #57, offered by Representative Currie." RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-NINTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, THE SENATE CONCURRING HEREIN, that when the two Houses adjourn on Thursday, March 19, 2015, the House of Representatives stands adjourned until Tuesday March 24, 2015 at 12:00 o'clock noon, or until the call of the Speaker and the Senate stands adjourned until Tuesday, March 24, 2015, or until the call of the President."
"Leader Currie moves for the adoption of the Agre… of the Adjournment Resolution. Those in favor say 'yes'; opposed 'no'. The 'ayes' have it. And the Agreed… Adjournment Resolution is adopted. Mr. Clerk, committee announcements. Members, Members. Please listen to the Clerk for the committee announcements. Please proceed, Mr. Clerk."
"The following committees were canceled for this afternoon: Tourism & Conventions has been canceled. Community College Accessibility & Affordability has been canceled. Meeting at 2:00 is Elementary & Secondary Education: Charter Schools in C-1; Business & Occupational Licenses in D-1; Labor & Commerce in Room 114; State Government Administration in Room 118; Small Business is in Room 413. Meeting at 4:00 is 09900025.docx 39 STATE OF ILLINOIS 99th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 25th Legislative Day 3/18/2015 Appropriations-General Services in 118; Appropriations- Public Safety in Room 114; Energy in 413; Higher Education in C-1."
"Members, as a reminder, Members… One more reminder that the deadline to file your Amendments is Monday, March 23 at 3 p.m. At 3:01 p.m. it will be too late. Three o'clock p.m. on Monday for your Amendments. Chair recognizes Representative Gabel."
"Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Point of personal privilege."
"Please proceed."
"I would just like to remind all the women here on the floor that the Conference of Women Legislators, COWL, will be having a hearing today to help develop our legislative agenda from 3 to 5. Please come for whatever time period you can, in Room A-1. Hope to see many of you there."
"No men invited?"
"Not this time."
"All right, then. Make a note. And now, leaving perfunctory time for the Clerk, Leader Currie moves that the House stand adjourned 'til Thursday, March 19 at the hour of 12 noon. Those in favor say 'yes'; opposed 'no'. The 'ayes' have it and the House stands adjourn… adjourned 'til Thursday March 20… what is it? March 19 at the hour of 12 noon. Have a great afternoon." 09900025.docx 40