Illinois House Floor Debate — September 24, 2015

"House will be in order. We shall be led in prayer today by Reverend Les Sinks, who is a minister from First Baptist Church in Anna, Illinois. Reverend Sinks is the guest of Representative Bryant. 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."

"We shall be led in the Pledge of Allegiance by Representative Gordon-Booth." Gordon-Booth: - et al "I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all."

"Roll Call for Attendance. Representative Brown."

"With 97 Members present, a quorum is established. Mr. Clerk. Mr. Clerk, Committee Reports."

"Mr. Clerk, Agreed Resolutions."

"Leader Lang moves that the House adopt the Agreed Resolutions. All in favor say 'aye'; all opposed say 'nay'. In the opinion of the Chair, the 'ayes' have it. And the 09900081.docx 4  STATE OF ILLINOIS 99th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 81st Legislative Day 9/24/2015 Resolutions are adopted. On Supplemental Calendar #1, we have Senate Bills on Second Reading. Senate Bill 163, Representative Lang. Mr. Clerk, please read the Bill."

"Third Reading. Senate Bill 2046, Representative Harris. Mr. Clerk, please read the Bill."

"Third Reading. Chair recognizes Representative Phelps."

"Point of personal privilege, Mr. Speaker."

"Please proceed, Representative."

"Thank you, Mr. Speaker, Ladies and Gentlemen of the House. As chair of the Illinois Sportsman Caucus, I filed today House Resolution 787, recognizing that this Saturday, September 26, National Hunting and Fishing Days. As you know, the Illinois sportsmen bring in multimillion dollars a year to our economy. And I just hope everybody gets out there and enjoy the great outdoors here in Illinois. Thank you."

Speaker Turner: "Thank you, Representative. Representative Bennett, for what reason do you seek recognition."

"Please proceed, Sir." 09900081.docx 5  STATE OF ILLINOIS 99th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 81st Legislative Day 9/24/2015

Speaker Turner: "Thank you, and welcome to your Capitol. Representative Conroy, for what reason do you seek recognition?"

"A point of personal privilege."

"Please proceed, Representative."

"Thank you, Speaker. I would like to introduce my third and favorite son, Brendan Conroy."

"Welcome to your Capitol. Representative Hurley, for what reason do you seek recognition?"

"Point of personal privilege."

"Please proceed."

"Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to introduce my Page for a day, Amiri Rivers-Davis. He's a eighth grader at Whitney Young High School and happy to be here."

"Thank you, and welcome to your Capitol. Will guests and staff please retire to the rear of the chamber. Members, please be at your seats. Mr. Clerk, House Resolution 785."

"Chair recognizes Leader Riley."

"Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Esther Golar, 1944 – 2015. She did a lot in that dash. We should all be concerned about what we do in the dash, so we'd be remembered. She did so much. You know, often, we have a very lofty responsibility. Everybody knows that. Representatives in the House in the greatest state in this union. And sometimes we'll be self- deprecating and sometimes people will say, oh, these folks 09900081.docx 10  STATE OF ILLINOIS 99th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 81st Legislative Day 9/24/2015 aren't doing anything. All they do is fight. Sometimes we do. At the same time, for the lofty responsibility that we have, people forget and sometimes we forget that we laugh and we cry and bleed. You know, we're… we're people. We're people. Given to the heights of greatness and some of the worst personal frailties. But you know, Esther liked movies too. I remember an… an old, famous movie, The Wizard of Oz, where the Tin Man said, I… I know I have a heart because it's breaking. And… and mine is. All these years I've been here, since 2007, we've lost a lot of great souls. And I just went through that panoply of names. I remember them all and so do you. Esther and her courage, what courage, what… what an example. Members, you know she got off of her death bed to come down here and vote for an issue, representing her views and her responsibility. I will never forget that. We should all be an example to that type of courage, that kind of dedication to duty. And for the people listening, you know, we… we do. We have hearts and we bleed, and we… we're just like you. Just like you. And that's something that should always be remembered. Esther loved all of us. No matter if whether you had an ideological fight with her, she loved all of us. She showed it. But on that bed in Northwestern, she told us, she told me. You couldn't make out some of the things she was trying to tell us, but I made some of it out. And she talked about unity. She talked about service. I could make those words out. Sticking together. Such a large percentage of our job that we do… do down here is all green lights or mostly green lights up there. A small percentage, we're going to have those differences. But it is the kind of caring and 09900081.docx 11  STATE OF ILLINOIS 99th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 81st Legislative Day 9/24/2015 leadership that Esther always exuded that tells us how… how to do our jobs, how to love each other. I have to say, Esther got upset at… at one point and I made out another word, talking about being sorry. For what, Queen Esther, for… for what? Maybe she was concerned about… I don’t know what it might have been. But those are things that she said, all the way to the end. So you knew they were sincere. Esther would break out in song. And… and one… there's one thing I want to explain about those songs, 'cause there's some things that have been said in the media that, you know, God bless them for… for talking about our colleague and… but someone said bringing attention to herself. That's an insult. She didn't do that. Many, you know, many of us in church, you know, we hear the Psalm, make a joyful noi… noise unto the Lord, all the earth sing His praises. That's what she did. That's what she did. A lot of those songs, she kind of made up on the fly. And she was touched by her spirit, and her conviction, and her ideology. She just came up with those songs. People do that. I might not do that, you may not do that, but she did it. Very, very genuine. So, you know, you have to go into a lot of things, sociology, and all kinds of other things to understand why she did it. But she did it because it was coming from her heart. Very, very genuine. So we are here today, in this chamber to mourn, because our hearts are heavy. But it's also to celebrate that great life, that great dash, that great legacy that Esther left for all of us. I remember a song and even though I can carry a tune, I'm not going to sing it. It was an instrumental, by the way. But there was a saxophone player that had a song that said… it was called My 09900081.docx 12  STATE OF ILLINOIS 99th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 81st Legislative Day 9/24/2015 Heart Sings. Came out in the '60s and one of the things it said was, my heart sings for the legacy of Martin Luther- King, someone who Esther loved and exemplified. My heart sings for many things. Well, my heart sings because of all the other souls that have left this place, we should never forget. My heart sings because I was friends and remember Esther Golar, my heart sings. My heart sings just for that one thing. And I'm sure yours do too. Mr. Speaker, I know there are other people who want to speak. I would ask that… that all of us, all of her brothers and sisters in the House, be added to the Resolution as cosponsors and that after the last speaker has spoken, we observe a moment of silence for our departed Member, Esther Golar. Thank you."

Speaker Turner: "Thank you, Representative. Representative Tryon."

"Chair recognizes Representative Jackson."

"Esther Golar was my seatmate, my colleague, and my friend. She was a compassionate individual, and her strength and compassion will be missed by all who knew her. A true advocate of citizens, she changed the lives of many people ne… who never had the privilege of knowing her. This inspiring woman whose primary focus was helping people, regardless of who they were, a true public servant. Her presence will not be forgotten." 09900081.docx 14  STATE OF ILLINOIS 99th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 81st Legislative Day 9/24/2015

"Chair recognizes Leader Lang."

"Thank you, Mr. Speaker. You know, we think of ourselves often here as a family. And we are in many ways, a family. And from time to time, some of our Members retire, and it's bad enough when people you've worked with very closely for a number of years retire. It's so much more difficult when one of us leaves this way. Esther had a deep commitment for her constituents. She was always near my seat during her 10 years in the House and we spent a lot of time talking. And virtually every conversation we had was about how it affects her constituents, how it affects the downtrodden, and it affects the voiceless. Esther was not one of the loud mouths on this floor, like some of us, but she was powerful in her silence. She was powerful in her own quiet way to pass a message on to tell someone how she felt about something. And oftentimes, even to say to me, hey, say this in debate, this will go well. And I would say, Esther, why don't you say it? She said, oh, you'll say it better. Well, I don't know that I would say it better because Esther was a person with heart, and a person with soul, and a person who understood why we were here. She had an abiding faith in this institution, even through all our dysfunction sometimes, and even through all our failures sometimes. She believed that the House of Representatives, she didn't have that much good to say about the Senate, but she felt that the House of Representatives was a place where good things could happen, and she wanted to be deeply involved in that. She was a person who, as we say, learned how to disagree without being disagreeable. And there's a lesson here for all of us. And I heard Mike Tryon's comments about 09900081.docx 15  STATE OF ILLINOIS 99th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 81st Legislative Day 9/24/2015 her desire when she had an issue or a Bill to walk the floor, both sides of the aisle, and look you in the eye and tell you why her Bill was important and why it was going to help someone. I remember Esther's first Bill. I don't remember what it was, but those were in the days when Bill Black and I were assigned to grill new Members, some of you may remember this. And after about my third of about 200 planned questions, Esther ripped into me and made me speechless, which as you know, is a rare occasion on this House Floor, and we became instant friends. We spent a lot of time talking. I learned much about her. Esther was a person who asked good questions, understood the answers, and if she didn't understand the answers, she would tell you and work… work it through with you. We're going to miss you, Esther. We're going to miss your voice, as quiet as it was. We're going to miss your tenacity. We're going to miss your heart. Would that all of us had the heart of Esther Golar, this would be a much better Body. Thank you, Mr. Speaker."

"Representative Ammons."

"Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Certainly, it is a sad day for us all in this House and in the state. But I really am thankful that I had the last eight or nine months to get to know Representative Golar. When I came into this House, I had followed, for years, many excellent Representatives in this House that I have so much respect for, and she was one of those persons. Something that Esther and I connected on right away, and I'm thankful that I got a chance to go and speak to her on past Friday in the hospital, and one of the members of the family says, Esther, do you know who this is? And she 09900081.docx 16  STATE OF ILLINOIS 99th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 81st Legislative Day 9/24/2015 said, yes, Ammons. And it was really a pleasure to be able to spend a moment of transition with her that we don't often get to do. Life and death are part of the life cycle and we respect that, but it's always very difficult when it actually happens. But when I came into this House, Esther, who I am so thankful to be able to sit in front of her seat, would often say, Ammons, you need to say this. You need to say this. And she would do me like that, Lou. And when I saw something in a Bill that I didn't think was good, she was always willing to listen to influence her decision ultimately. We are truly going to miss her, but I'm going to also miss her ability to encapsulate, in song, the experiences of the people. The Negro spirituals, which she would often change the lyrics to, are a cultural expression of African-American people from the time that we set foot on this side of the globe. And those songs are not just songs. They are songs of organizing. They are songs of spirit. They are songs of connectivity. And they're cultural icons in the experience of African-American people. Those songs cross ethnic barriers and she was able to use the songs to share the message of the people. I only hope that I'm able to stand anywhere near her level of service. And we will truly miss her. Thank you."

"Chair recognizes Representative Dunkin."

"Yes, I've known Representative Esther Golar… What… she was here for 9, 10 years? Much has… much has been said of what I wanted to speak on, but let me speak on some of the lighter side of my relationship with Esther Golar. I drove her down here a few times and a few times back up towards the City of Chicago, since we were district mates, if you will. 09900081.docx 17  STATE OF ILLINOIS 99th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 81st Legislative Day 9/24/2015 Now, if you all thought Esther Golar enjoyed singing or just sort of randomly singing here, you should have been in the car with us a couple of times when she requested for me to change my Pandora to Johnnie Taylor radio. And if you really want to see or understand the social or the fun side of Esther Golar, go to Pandora and put in there, Johnnie Taylor. This lady must have sung for about two and a half hours from here to Chicago. And I tried my best to sing with her, but she was in her glory. She was laughing and singing and just… I said, Esther, you remind me of my mother growing up when my mother was partying. And we sang and laughed, and sang and laughed. And that really started a strong, and positive, and a respectful relationship that I had for her. She reminded me of a mature, seasoned, black woman who cared and loved her community. And that was projected here in this chamber. We started talking about healthy diet and taking care of ourselves. And so, she started bringing fruits, and apples, and oranges, and water to the committees that she chaired, right to her desk, right here. And I know Chuck Jefferson and I used to enjoy, as most of all of us here. And she was always someone who was just grounded. She wasn't rich, she wasn't poor. She was love. Love for all the people here in this state, and her actions as a Legislator exemplified that. So I'm immensely proud to have known her, to have debated sort of privately with her, and to have laughed most of the time with her. She is definitely someone that I looked forward to seeing when I come to my seat, just to stop by and to pause because she reminded me of my community; her spirit, my aunts, 09900081.docx 18  STATE OF ILLINOIS 99th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 81st Legislative Day 9/24/2015 my mother. And so, we have in… indeed lost a giant and someone who will be missed. Thank you."

"Chair recognizes Representative Reaves-Harris."

"Representative Esther Golar was actually family to me, and I didn't find that out un… until I came to the House. When I came here her niece, Kim, posted on Facebook that now she had an aunt and a cousin in the General Assem… Assembly. So the next time we were in Session I went to Esther and I was, like, Esther, we're family. I didn’t know that. She was, like, those Lawsons, right? And I was, like, okay? So I kind of left it alone. I didn't know what she really thought… considered us being family. Her brother is married to my dad's first cousin. They've been married for over 50 years. But this past Friday I went to go visit Esther in the hospital, and my cousin Marietta and her husband Amos was there, so I said they've been married for over 50 years And when they saw me they said, that's Pam, that's Calvin's daughter. That's… that's family, that's cousin. And it was such a relief because I had always considered her family, even though I wasn't… I wasn't very close to her. They're… they're much older. They're closer to my older brothers and sisters, so I was a baby. So I wasn't around them much, but when they said that, I felt this sense of okay, I am family. They do consider me family of hers. And so, we were sitting in the hospital room and there were several people in the room, but I think because the door was open, she heard a lot of commotion outside at the nurse's station. And so, she thought people were in the room and so she started, you know, she was like, I want people to leave. And they… she was, like, 09900081.docx 19  STATE OF ILLINOIS 99th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 81st Legislative Day 9/24/2015 who's in here? And so, Marietta started listing people. She's, like, Marietta's here, Amos is in here, her niece. And then… and she was, like, well, they can stay and they can stay. And then they said, Pam is in here, too. She was, like, okay, she can stay. And I really, at that point, felt like I was family. I didn't get a chance to work with Esther on any Bills, and that will be my loss. She was a very strong woman, but nonetheless, she was very kind, very helpful, being my first year in this… in the House and I will truly miss her. And I know her family appreciates all of the loves, and… or the… the… the flowers. She just had tons of flowers in her room and they appreciate it. They appreciated the support. And I'll just miss her. Thank you."

"Representative Pritchard."

"Chair recognizes Representative Lilly."

"Lady Esther, beautiful, classy, wore the best jewelry, was very proud to be a State Representative. And she was proud of each one of us. She was very honored to serve with us. She came to Springfield every Session wanting to help. And as we read the Resolution, her dash as Representative Riley mentioned, was full of her opportunities to help in her community, in her family, and here in Springfield. When I first came into the General Assembly, Esther was one of the first Legislators on the floor looking ready. But in later days, Esther became one of the last Legislators on the floor, and now I know why. But she came in with bag, and bag, and she would stop by my desk and say, here. And I'm, like, What… what is it? Your breakfast. I made you breakfast this morning. And she would do this… she would take it out of these bags and she would make me breakfast. I don't know if she made the rest of you breakfast, but she made me breakfast and that made me feel special, and it helped me. If I could be half as determined and dedicated as Esther was, I would be happy. I will be successful. She is resting in peace with her Heavenly Father, who she truly, truly loved. And with her loving parents, 'cause she truly loved her family. Her journey here on Earth fed us with food and love. She's my queen, my sister- 09900081.docx 21  STATE OF ILLINOIS 99th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 81st Legislative Day 9/24/2015 mother, my Esther. And as she did, I do too. I love each of you. God bless you."

"Chair recognizes Representative Brady."

"Representative Sims."

"Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Dynamic. Dedicated. Phenomenal. Empowering. Those are the few of the words I would think about when I think of Esther. Many of us have referenced today, September 2, the day that Esther demonstrated her dedication, not just to this chamber, but to the 13 million people that we represent across this great state. Esther literally risked her life to come here to represent the people that we represent every day. Esther, against doctors' orders, came here to carry out the duty that she swore to. The duty that each one of us stood there, standing on the stadium at… in the auditorium at the University of Illinois, Springfield, and said we would do. Esther lived it. Esther was dedicated to ensuring that the least of these were protected. Her presence here that day was just a microcosm of the dedication that she showed every day representing the people of her district and the love that they showed to her because of the entru… the… the faith that they'd entrusted her with. She knew that that was the last day she was going to walk through those doors. And I think that many times, we take that walk for granted. We took for granted that we will be back and we will be able to walk through those doors again. Well, that's never promised to us and Esther knew that. When Esther came here she knew, when she left, I could see in her face that she knew that was the last time she was walking through the 09900081.docx 23  STATE OF ILLINOIS 99th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 81st Legislative Day 9/24/2015 doors of the Illinois House of Representatives. But she knew that she had a dedication that was greater than her. She knew that she had a responsibility that was more important than her. It was not about… she… she never… Esther never believed in the power of one. She believed in the power of all. She believed that in order for you to get things done, you needed to be in the arena. You needed to be dedicated. You needed to be present. And she showed that. You know, I had the… the good pleasure to be with her during her final days. And as of many of us did, we got the chance and the opportunity to visit with her. And to hear the words of wisdom coming from her, the challenge for each one of us to do and be better. Esther challenged us. She challenged us to do what we said we would, which is improve the quality of life for the least of these. She challenged us. Right now, I know that Esther is smiling down, and she's looking at us, and she's singing a song. She's sitting there with the Father, and He has said to her, servant, job well done. She's sitting there, and she's looking, and she's pointing that finger at us, as she sometimes could, and she is saying to us, do better. She is saying to us, be better. She is saying to us, do not forget those who do not have a voice. You have to be that voice. Esther is saying to us, there is much work to be done, and if it is going to be done, you are going to do it. The love that we each feel for Esther right now, let it not go away when we take our moment of silence. Let us remember the love that we feel for her and the love that we feel for each other. Let us remember the respect that we have for this chamber, the respect that we have for the peop… the men and women back 09900081.docx 24  STATE OF ILLINOIS 99th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 81st Legislative Day 9/24/2015 home, the… the children back home who are work… who are waiting on us and need us to do all that… all that we can to improve their quality of life, because that is the legacy that Esther would want for us. The legacy that Esther would want is that we will be better for the people that we represent. Esther, I love you. We all love you. You have taught us so much. Your wit, your wisdom will be truly missed. But I think that there was one instance in the hospital room that encapsulated Esther. As much pain as she was in, we were there and there was… Jehan's daughter was there and her grandchild was there, and Esther mustered through the pain to say, where are the babies? Bring me those babies. She was what… she wanted to make sure that she could just reach out and touch them, that they knew that she was loved, that they were loved by her, and that they were always going to be protected. And that… that just to me embodied who Esther was, who Esther will be… who Esther will always be, and the legacy that she will leave to us. Thank you, Mr. Speaker."

"Chair recognizes Representative Costello."

"Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I love Esther Golar. I loved Esther Golar. She was a terrific, terrific, incredible person. We all served with Esther Golar. She served her constituents, she served the state. But what I love and admire most about Esther is the way she served the Lord. And the way she wore her faith on her sleeve. Every day, every time you were around her, every time you talked to her she wore her faith. And we could all, and we should all, learn from that. And what I will miss the most, when I would work a Roll Call, 09900081.docx 25  STATE OF ILLINOIS 99th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 81st Legislative Day 9/24/2015 and Esther would turn around and look at me like no one else and say, I got you, Costello."

"Chair recognizes Representative Hernandez."

"Thank you, Speaker. I didn't have a chance… I didn't have a chance to say goodbye. Esther was a grand lady. She exerted peace and love in this chamber. And it was truly through her song. Her song, at least for me, gave pause to what was occurring in this chamber. Often, it does look like we're always at each other. But she did exert that coming together when her song made us pause. She's truly a grand lady. And she leaves us with that spirit. She was a friend. She will be missed. Thank you, Esther."

"Chair recognizes Representative Soto."

"Thank you. Thank you, Members. Thank you, Speaker. I just wanted to say, she will be missed. I was very close to her. We worked together on the Educational Task Force on school closings and she was always there. Anytime we picked up the phone, even though she had two jobs. She was working hard to help her daughter pay tuition for her college tuition. So I had the opportunity to get to know her. I felt like she was family 'cause I saw her often. And she… I just have to say she's going to greatly be missed by all of us. And I know that we all care about each other. And yes, some of the Members have said we become family when we're here. So let's try to do better and act like that. So I just wanted to say thank you for, you know, having the opportunity to, all of us, working with her. We've been blessed to be able to cross paths with someone like her. She's amazing. She's going to be missed, and I know I'm going miss her a lot. Thank you." 09900081.docx 26  STATE OF ILLINOIS 99th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 81st Legislative Day 9/24/2015

"Chair recognizes Representative Will Davis." Davis, W.: "Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Esther was a fantastic lady. We've all gotten a chance know her, and get to know her, and learn about her, what have you. I always thought that I had a great connection with Esther. When I served as Joint Chair of the Black Caucus, she was the House Chair. And she and I would talk and try to work together to try to do things on behalf of our caucus, but more… more importantly, do things that we thought were good for people here in the State of Illinois. When we were last here in Springfield and I had no idea how sick she was, I don't really pry into things of that nature, but clearly she wasn't well. But before the end of Session, before I left the chamber, I walked over to her and said, 'Hello.' I kissed her hand and rubbed her hand, and then I walked away. I would have never thought that that would have been the last time that she would ever come back to this chamber. But we always talk about what we want to do and what we will do, but we all have to realize that we are not in control. There's someone else who's in control of any and all of this. There is someone else. And like was said before, it was that time. The Lord said, Esther, it's time for you to come home and be with me. And we have to respect that that… that that was it, and that was her time here. But let's think about the legacy that she left us, what she would encourage us to do, the way she would want all of us to proceed. And not to say that she would want us to get along all the time, she understands and understood the differences that we all have, with respect to our districts and the people that we represent. But I know she would always want us to do the right 09900081.docx 27  STATE OF ILLINOIS 99th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 81st Legislative Day 9/24/2015 thing for the people on behalf of the people in the State of Illinois. So as we stand here today and talk and share and… and reminisce, let us not forget what she would want us to do collectively, as a Body on behalf of the people of the State of Illinois."

"Chair recognizes Leader Durkin."

"Chair recognizes Representative Wallace." 09900081.docx 28  STATE OF ILLINOIS 99th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 81st Legislative Day 9/24/2015

"Thank you, Mr. Speaker. For the last 10 months or so, I've had the pleasure of sitting next to Representative Golar. And in that short time I learned so much. She was… I'm laughing because I think of some of the times she would sneak jokes in. She was very serious most of the time and had such a stern voice. And sometime you didn't where she was coming from, but you knew that it was coming with love, whatever she would say to you. And some of the more heated debates that we had in the spring, she often talked about how we do need to fight and the very same things that she said over the last week or so as many of us visited her. She would say some of those things here. And I'll never forget, one day she said during one of the debates, what we need is a revolution. And I said, well, what do you mean, Esther? And on that very day she sang on the floor that We Shall Not be Moved. And for her, the revolution was about the love and the compassion that she expressed to everyone. I don't know a person who has come in contact with her, who didn't say how caring she was, and she didn't make a difference. If you were staff, if you were a colleague, if you were whomever, she didn't make a difference. She just loved everyone. And so, in these last months that I've had the opportunity to sit here, in addition to learning how to stay levelheaded, how to treat everyone equally, and how to just, stick to the task and do what you need to do, I also learned that sometimes we suffer in silence. So I sat right next to her, and I'm sure Eddie knows and feels the same way, and not once did I ever hear her complain about anything. Not, you know, we get headaches sometimes, or we're hungry, or we're tired or whatever, she 09900081.docx 29  STATE OF ILLINOIS 99th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 81st Legislative Day 9/24/2015 never complained about anything. And I didn't know she was ill until September 2. But everything that's been said here, was just so her. All the bags, you know, I always wondered how she's going to fit everything under the desk. Sometimes it came under my desk. We would put the… the fruit in the baskets, and yes she cooked breakfast. Ammons and I had the pleasure of getting fried tilapia from time to time in the morning, sealed in foil. All the fruit sealed in nice little baggies, so that you could take it with you wherever you needed to go. And just the encouragement. When I first got here, I felt like this chamber, even having watched you guys as a staff member, I thought the chamber was, like, herding cats. And it's loud, you know, you never know what's going on. But Esther was able to say, well, this is what's happening right now, and this is what is going to happen next. And she just always walked me through it those first weeks here. And for that, I'm forever grateful. I do want to say, for the record, for her… her daughter Tiffany. I want to thank Tiffany for sharing her mother with us, for sharing her mother with the 6th District, and for sharing her mother with the State of Illinois. It is not an easy task to be separated from your family, as we all are when we come here. And so, we owe her family a certain debt. But I'll… I'll just close by saying that, the last couple of times… or the second to the last time I went to visit her, Esther said to Representative Welch and I, that she won't be afraid, so that we're not afraid. And that is just who she was. And that was the type of grace that she had and the type of care that she had for everyone around her. And so, I'm just grateful for having the chance 09900081.docx 30  STATE OF ILLINOIS 99th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 81st Legislative Day 9/24/2015 to have her in my life. I am happy that she is at peace now, and that I know her legacy will live. And I hope that we will all take the words that she shared over the last several weeks of her life to heart, to be united, to fight, to have strength, to have courage, and to not be afraid. Thank you."

"Chair recognizes Representative Flowers."

"Thank you, Mr. Speaker. When I think about Esther Golar, I really think about the Book of Esther. And the Book of Esther was about a courageous woman who risked her life for… to serve her God, and for the people that she served. And when you think about all the conversations that's been articulated here today, that is so befitting of Esther Golar. I, too, had the pleasure of visiting her on several occasions in the hospital, and all she wanted to do was to talk about me carrying on, carrying on. Do what we have to do for the people. That's Esther Golar, and because Esther Golar was here, for such a time as this, we will always have a song in our heart. Thank you, Esther, and rest in peace."

"Representative Gordon-Booth to close."

"It's… it's hard to… it's hard to imagine that we're standing here today. We often do this for a lot of people within our communities. We've even… we have even done this for… for other Members. But for us, for me, to be standing here today talking about Esther being gone is just something that's still hard for my body to accept. She would want me to get through this, so let me get it together. Representative Flowers just embodied exactly who Esther was. Esther's parents, Esther's mother, who shared the same name as my mother and spoke a prophetic word when they named Esther, 09900081.docx 31  STATE OF ILLINOIS 99th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 81st Legislative Day 9/24/2015 Esther. I believe in the power of names. And when they gave Esther that name, Esther's story was already written. So what happened on September 2, what happened this past Monday, it was already written. And I have found myself at times, being angry, because I wished that Esther would have not come on September 2. I wish that she would have stayed in that hospital bed and got better because people need Esther. I need Esther. I can't help it. I'm selfish. I miss her so bad. Esther wasn't just my colleague, she was my friend. I have ex… I got it… I got it. Matthew 22:39 'Love your neighbor, as you love yourself.' How many of us live like that? We have to question that. 'Cause if there was one person who did that, it was Esther. Every story as, you know, we visited with Esther, all these people would be coming in from the community, from the neighborhood, from the city, all over. Everybody had the same story about Esther. And it was always of love, and of compassion, and it was for other people. When I think about… we all are going to miss Esther in this Body, in this institution, but what I think about most we're going to miss about Esther is from my personal relationship with her. Esther was not a person who I only talked to from January to May. I talked to Esther all the time. I've experienced a lot of loss since I've been here. I lost a mom, I lost a mother, a brother. I lost a son. And Esther was always the one that would coordinate that big 50-passenger bus to come to my house, with all the Members who wanted to get on, to come check on me and bring me food, like I need to eat again. And that's just who Esther was. I would… when my mom passed I sort of… I had this… I remember walking around… around this 09900081.docx 32  STATE OF ILLINOIS 99th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 81st Legislative Day 9/24/2015 place looking sort of dazed for a long time. And Esther would always check on me, and she would say, what's going on, let's pray. Let's pray. And so Esther became… Esther was my best friend, and she became my confidant. We would talk together. We would pray together. We would gossip together. I would come to her with my challenges, with my weaknesses, and she would always have a good word. As it relates to the things that goes on in this place, Esther, no matter what, no matter how crazy this place gets, and we all know that this place gets crazy, Esther would always somehow know how to go to the word of God, and bring the word of God into whatever it is that we are dealing with. And we know some of the stuff that goes on in here don't have nothing to do with God. But Esther… but Esther knew how to make it make sense. And because she could make it make sense, we could sort of wrap our minds around it and deal with it yet another day. And so her… Esther's way, I'll call it, is something that… is something that I… I hope to… that I hope to carry. I hope that all of us are a little bit better for having known Esther. If we don't do anything else in Esther's memory, is that no matter who it is that we have to challenge, rather it be our own Party, rather it has to be our interest, we need to always, always put people first and do it with courage, and do it with bravery. Because when Esther came down here, that was nothing short of courageous. That was nothing short of bravery because Esther did not want to leave here. Let me tell you, she was not ready to go. And anyone that visited her, she… you knew it. She wanted to fight because she wanted to stay here. And so, when she made the decision to come down here, 09900081.docx 33  STATE OF ILLINOIS 99th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 81st Legislative Day 9/24/2015 when she knew what the potential outcome could be, she knew, her doctor told her, you might die on the way down there; you might die on the way back. She said, I got to do the right thing. I got to support my people. And that's what she did. And that's what we must continue to do. Representative Riley has asked for a moment of silence, and after that moment of silence, Representative Lilly has taken the pleasure of giving us the Amazing Grace on our desks. After our moment of silence, if we could all join together one last time in remembrance of Esther in singing Amazing Grace."

"The Body shall take a moment of silence. Thank you. Representative Gordon-Booth, would you like to lead us? Thank you." Gordon-Booth: - et al "Amazing Grace."

"Representative Riley has requested that all Members be added to House Resolution 785. Seeing no objection, all Members will be added. Representative Jehan Gordon-Booth moves that the House adopt Resolution… House Resolution 785. All those in favor say 'aye'; all opposed say 'nay'. In the opinion of the Chair, the 'ayes' have it. The Resolution is adopted. Thank you, Members. Representative Brown."

Speaker Turner: "The Republicans will reques… will recess immediately in Room 118, and the Democrats will be at ease."

"The House will be in order. Representative Lang in the Chair. On page 5 of the Calendar, there are… under the Order of House Bills-Second Reading, there appears House Bill 685, Mr. Bradley. Mr. Clerk, please read the Bill." 09900081.docx 34  STATE OF ILLINOIS 99th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 81st Legislative Day 9/24/2015

"Mr. Bradley."

"This is the 14th time of calling the Governor's property tax proposal. I would ask for an 'aye' vote on this Amendment."

"Mr. Sandack on the Motion. Sponsor yields."

"Is this? I thought it was 14."

"Okay."

"It is split in two."

"Correct."

"And… and as you know, if this were adopted and the second Amendment were adopted, that's what we'd have."

"Those in favor of the Gentleman's Motion 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. Clerk, please take the record. On this question, there are 41 voting 'yes', 16 voting 'no', 8 voting 'present.' And the Amendment is adopted. Mr. Clerk."

"Mr. Bradley."

"This is the second piece of Floor Amendment #2. It'd be the prevailing wage collective bargaining portion of the 09900081.docx 36  STATE OF ILLINOIS 99th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 81st Legislative Day 9/24/2015 Governor's proposal. If adopted, along with the Amendment that was just adopted, it would be the Governor's proposal identically. I do not support this Amendment, but I know there are folks in here that do."

"Mr. Sandack, the Sponsor yields, Sir."

"Sponsor does not yield, then."

"Those in favor of the Amendment 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. Clerk, please take the record. On this question, there are none voting 'yes', 60 voting 'no'. And the Amendment fails. Mr. Clerk."

"Third Reading. Leader Turner now moves that the House resolve itself into a Committee of the Whole for purpose of a subject matter hearing on police training and mental health, in accordance with guidelines established by the Speaker. Those in favor of the Motion will say 'yes'; opposed say 'no'. The 'ayes' have it. And the Motion is adopted. And the House hereby resolves into a Committee of the Whole." DISSOLVE INTO THE COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE 09900081.docx 37  STATE OF ILLINOIS 99th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 81st Legislative Day 9/24/2015 COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE DO NOW ARISE

"The House shall be in order in regular Session. Representative Lang in the Chair. Mr. Clerk, House Bill 4150. Please read the Bill."

"Mr. Harris." Harris, G.: "Thank you, Mr. Speaker, Ladies and Gentlemen of the House. So this… Bill of the Amendment #1 to House Bill 4150 basically deals with five issues, and I'd like to go through what those issues are. Four of those issues have to do with testimony we heard here in Committee of the Whole for mental health providers and law enforcement. The other issue, you may have noticed some folks around the Capitol today, probably several thousand of them, wearing yellow. You know, whether it's yellow ties, or yellow jackets, or yellow t-shirts, who are down here to save Early Intervention. So the fifth element of this legislation deals with Early Intervention. So I would like to just go through each of these five items and explain what it does, and then I would be happy to answer any questions. First, regarding law enforcement, we heard from Sheriff Dart, from the Chief of Police of different towns in Illinois, and from Mr. Smoot from the Police Association about the detrimental effect that the lack of police training grants 09900081.docx 38  STATE OF ILLINOIS 99th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 81st Legislative Day 9/24/2015 has had on police preparedness across our state. So one element of this Bill is $12 million in Other State Funds, and I'm going to emphasize this is Other State Funds. These are funds that are not General Revenue Funds of the state but come from the Traffic and Criminal Surcharge Fund that are used for training grants to law enforcement. So there's $12 million for that in the Bill and $5 million for victim assistance to families, you know, who have become victims of very serious crime; murder, rape, sexual assault, et cetera. So, those are the two law enforcement portions of this Bill, neither of them are GRF Funds. The next two items I'd like to talk about do include some GRF Funds. The first is to provide $85 million for the first four months of this fiscal year for mental health services that were not covered under the Federal Court order for the consent decrees that are requiring us to pay Medicaid… mental health services for Medicaid patients. So, as many of you are aware, the Federal Court in absence of a budget has ordered us to pay some mental health services, but only for Medicaid eligible patients. This puts our providers in a terrible situation, as you heard from the witnesses who spoke because, you know, many of the folks who come in are eligible for some services, not others. And they particularly called out mental health supportive housing and the Psychiatric Leadership Grants which are not Medicaid expenses, but are GRF expenses. So this… this Bill would provide for both those expenses and all non-GRF mental health to serve people in community settings across the State of Illinois for the first four months of this year. The last is probably the most important part of this piece of legislation, 09900081.docx 39  STATE OF ILLINOIS 99th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 81st Legislative Day 9/24/2015 and this regards our Early Intervention. Early Intervention for toddlers from zero through three is probably the best investment our state can make. You know, identifying these kids in about 3.5 percent of children who are born every year have developmental delays. By identifying these youngsters, by giving them therapy early in their life, we can literally change… we can literally change the trajectory of a person's entire life. We can make it possible for them to get into kindergarten and proceed normally. We can keep them out of Special Education. We can help them develop in ways that, you know, just were unimaginable years before because of an investment of several million dollars early on in their lives. And here's another thing that, you know, we learned at the rally this morning, and that is that these babies can't wait, you know. The babies can't wait because for every month that their developmental delays are not addressed, there is retrogression. And it will takes months, if not years, to overcome the negative effects that these young people have if they do not get the appropriate interventions at a early age. So this is an $82 million amount. This would cover a full year of Early Intervention. Ladies and Gentlemen, not only would this save us tens and tens and tens of millions of dollars in coming years in costs, it would help these babies. It would help these families. It will help our communities. And it’s one of the kindest, most generous investments in the future we can make. Ladies and Gentlemen, I'd be happy to answer any questions."

"Mr. Brown." 09900081.docx 40  STATE OF ILLINOIS 99th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 81st Legislative Day 9/24/2015

"Thank you, Sir. Mr. Sandack."

"Sponsor yields."

"Mr. Riley."

"Thank… thank you, Mr. Speaker. Will the Sponsor yield?"

"Sponsor yields."

"Thank you. Representative Harris, you had your hearing today, I… I wasn't able to… to come. Let me just ask a couple 09900081.docx 45  STATE OF ILLINOIS 99th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 81st Legislative Day 9/24/2015 of questions. You know, when people look at some of these programs and they talk about cuts, that's one thing. You can look at a budget and you can see dollars cut out of it. That's easy to see. But much like things like changing the DON score, the impact can be viewed as even worse by dent of a policy. Was anything said about the increase of a child's delay to 50 percent, and what that would do in terms of those children who would be elig… eligible for services?" Harris, G.: "Well, Representative, I think in all the hearings we've had, the parents, the providers, the specialists in… in childhood development have come in and said, this would be devastating if the developmental delay eligibility requirement were… were to be raised from 30 to 50 percent. But I just want to point out, that… that issue is not before us in this legislation. This legislation…"

"(unintelligible)" Harris, G.: "…fully funds Early Intervention at the 30 percent level, at the existing level. So this legislation does not change eligibility at all. If you had a child who was eligible for Early Inter… Intervention now, he or she would be eligible should this Bill pass and become law. This is simply to provide enough funds that those families who need Early Intervention services for their kids are going to be able to continue to get them."

"Okay. And you know, you were talking about the folks who were down here in the rotunda. Many of them were from my area, and actually help put this event on. So in many ways it showed the kind of intense effort to lobby us to pass something that's really, really necessary. And so, I appreciate 09900081.docx 46  STATE OF ILLINOIS 99th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 81st Legislative Day 9/24/2015 everything you've do… you've done. To the Bill. House Bill 4150 is something that really needs our attention. It… it's clear what the impact of Early Intervention does, with regard to helping children with developmental delays, and it's something that I will be supporting. Thank you."

"Representative Scherer."

"Thank you, Mr. Speaker. To the Bill. I've been a teacher for over 30 years, and one of the things that I taught were teachers going back to get their master's degree and… and how to teach. And one of the classes that I taught was all about the windows of opportunity in children's learning. Well, this Early Intervention is all about those windows of opportunity. The windows of opportunity can't wait. We can't come back 10 years from now, in the year 2025, and say, oops, we made a mistake. We should have provided those services. These kids wouldn’t be having all these problems at age 10, 11, and 12 if we'd have dealt with it when they were zero, one, two, and three. We can't wait. That's why we can't wait because the window slams shut. And we're going to just sit here, and we're going to say, well, we have this problem; we have that problem. We're dealing with human lives here. We are not dealing with inanimate objects. It's not something that you sell in a corporation. Many, many people in my district are affected by this. I feel very passionately about this. It's time to take a stand, and the stand is for the children of the State of Illinois."

"Mr. Davis." Davis, W.: "Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Will the Sponsor yield?"

"Sponsor yields." 09900081.docx 47  STATE OF ILLINOIS 99th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 81st Legislative Day 9/24/2015 Davis, W.: "Representative, and hopefully you saw some of what I saw, but I thought I saw some comments by the Comptroller as it relates to Early Intervention funding. Did you see those comments in the past week or so?" Harris, G.: "You'll have to refresh my memory. Which ones was she talking about? The one's where she said she wanted to pay it all?" Davis, W.: "Well, I don’t know if it was a matter of her wanting to pay it, but she felt that it was necessary that we push money out the door to pay these services." Harris, G.: "So, the Comptroller, you're saying, said it was necessary to push money out the door for these services?" Davis, W.: "Absolutely. Because as many of us, you know, over time, when we have questions about different aspects of the budgeting process, we reach out to our capable staff and we ask questions. And one of the questions that I have been asking about Early Intervention funding, subsequently, we found out that the Comptroller was trying to get in front of this dialogue a little bit. In front of this conversation and making… I think, more or less making statements that if there's money available, I'm going to pay these services. Are you aware of that?" Harris, G.: "I am now and I… I think that's very admirable. Because I think this is a wonderful investment as the previous speaker said." Davis, W.: "Right. So… so to the extent in which someone from the Governor's administration recognizes the importance of Early Intervention funding instead of waiting until such actions, like we're doing right now, she got out in front of the 09900081.docx 48  STATE OF ILLINOIS 99th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 81st Legislative Day 9/24/2015 conversation, recognizing that there's a need to pay Early Interven… Early Intervention funding, that these services are indeed critical, that they are necessary. And that we should be paying for these types of services because, if nothing else, because of the population that they serve. Some of the most vulnerable and critical young people are receiving these types of services all over the State of Illinois. So I was happy that she recognized the need to push these dollars out the door and to pay for the services that are being rendered by those that provide Early Intervention services. So I… I just wanted to see if you were aware of that." Harris, G.: "Thank you." Davis, W.: "Thank you. Now, to the Bill. So yes, here we are again, as the Gentleman on the other side of the aisle has eloquently pointed out. Here we are again going through this process. And what I hear often is that, you know, we shouldn’t be going about budgeting this way. Well, I happen to agree with the Gentleman, that we shouldn’t be going about budgeting this way. There's no reason why we should not be able to have a… a decent intellectual conversation about determining exactly what our level of spending is, and then working collabora… collaboratively to spend at what el… whatever level we decide. But the problem is, the Gentleman on the second floor keeps telling that side of the aisle that he doesn’t want to talk about the budget. That he only wants to talk about non-budgetary items and that that's what's most important. Well, how are we ever going to get to a conversation about the budget if no one on that side of the aisle is willing to tell the guy on the second floor that, 09900081.docx 49  STATE OF ILLINOIS 99th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 81st Legislative Day 9/24/2015 while we agree that we need to talk about workers' comp and some of the other structural reforms that you are purporting, but there's the budget. And that we need to continue to talk about the budget, and that the budget should not be held hostage by non-budgetary items and structural items. Now, for if any of you think that I don’t think that those things are important, if that's what the Governor wants to do, fine. I'm with him. If he wants to make changes to workers' comp, to try to move that pendulum a little bit more toward business than where it is, we should be talking about that. And we should be having that conversation, but it shouldn’t be done in lieu of talking about funding for Early Intervention, or any of the other critical services that we've been coming down here week, after week, after week to talk about. Passing Bills where you get 'yes' votes on our side of the aisle and 'red' and 'yellow' votes on that side of the aisle. We should not be doing this. I agree, but it's only going to stop when you Gentlemen and Ladies on that side of the aisle, tell the guy on the second floor that we want to have a conversation about the budget, and that we should do it without regard to some of the other structural things that you want to talk about. That's what we should be talking about, Ladies and Gentlemen. So as my colleague asked one of his colleagues to give him more time to speak 'cause I'm sure he wants to rebut some of what I'm saying, and that's fine. That's fine. Let's talk about the budget, Ladies and Gentlemen. Let's have that conversation where we can have an intellectual conversation about whether we spend 36, 38, 32, it doesn’t matter. But we should talk about that without regard to any of the other 09900081.docx 50  STATE OF ILLINOIS 99th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 81st Legislative Day 9/24/2015 conversations that I'm concerned that the other guy, the guy on the second floor, is telling all of you, don't do that, don't do that, don't do that. So when you guys tell him that you want to talk about the budget and that we should not be holding the budget hostage to structural reforms, to workers' compensation. When you tell him that, then we can have the intellectual conversation about the budget that the Gentleman is talking about, so that we can determine, as a Body, what our levels of spending should be to make sure that we are providing resources whether it's Early Intervention or any of the other things that we've come down here, week after week, to discuss. So only when that happens, will we get past this, pass a budget, and move forward. And then, we can sit and talk about workers' compensation and all the other things that the Governor wants to talk about. So, I hope, I plead, I implore you, let's have a discussion about the budget. Let's put everything else aside and talk about the budget. Talk about that. And we should be able to do that without it being marred and wrapped in a conversation about structural reforms. So when you all are ready to have that conversation, I'm ready. Thank you very much."

"Representative Kifowit."

"Thank you, Speaker. Will the Sponsor yield?"

"Sponsor yields."

"Representative Harris, we were told that the state was going to fund some Early Intervention services. Does that… did that consent decree cover all Early Intervention or just a partial amount of Early Intervention services?" 09900081.docx 51  STATE OF ILLINOIS 99th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 81st Legislative Day 9/24/2015 Harris, G.: "Okay. My understanding, and I think this situation is still a little fluid in the court, is that it was to cover all Early Intervention services. Yeah, I think there's still a verification going on with the court and the providers to be sure that people are being paid, and at what rates."

"So in a sense, this Bill covers our court obligation to pay this because that's what was deemed in the consent decree?" Harris, G.: "This is also being sure that, you know, we go on record legislatively as saying, it is a priority, for the… those who wish to state that it's a priority, to support Early Intervention, to support law enforcement training, and mental health services."

"And then, in… in your opinion, in your years, I… I've been relatively new to this, how… In your years, has there ever been budgeting by the courts such as this?" Harris, G.: "This is the first year, I think, you know, since I've been here, we've been through this process. You know, these consent decrees exist for reasons through… through the history of Illinois. But this is the first year we've gone through this process. And the reason these consent decrees exist is to be sure that, you know, adequate services are being provided equally to those who are in most in need across our state."

"Thank you. And Speaker, to the Bill. Here we have a situation where other Republican Governors were able to do a budget. Other Governors were able to work with the General Assembly to do a responsible budget. And right now, the Leadership of the Governor's Office is to budget by court 09900081.docx 52  STATE OF ILLINOIS 99th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 81st Legislative Day 9/24/2015 orders, and budget by consent decree and have no responsibility whatsoever. There are individuals in yellow in the gallery. And I would like to make a note again, from the other side of the aisle, the quote was, 'When are you,' pointing to us, 'going to fund these services? When are you willing to do a tax increase?' Pointing the finger, not taking any responsibility, yet again. No responsibility for a solution. No responsibility for a working environment to fund those that need services the most. Pointing the finger is showing which side of the aisle doesn’t want to work together. Which side of the aisle would rather point fingers? You, you, you do a tax increase. And that side of the aisle is not talking about corporate loopholes. Is not talking about two- thirds of corporations not paying any income tax. Is not talking about alternative funding. So those individuals want to say, you're playing politics? Well, the point is, those individuals pointing their finger, only focusing on a tax increase, is disingenuous. Disingenuous to the Early Intervention individuals. Disingenuous to those that need us the most. What this Bill does is it properly funds services we are obligated and we should fund. What this Bill does is take at least one Appropriation Bill out of the court system. Are we going to get sued for mental health services? Damn straight, we are. Are we going to get sued again if it turns out that Early Intervention isn’t fully funded? Are we going to get sued for other obligations that we have to provide as a responsible state? We are. So those individuals on the aisle want to keep having the state go to court. They want to keep dragging this out. They want to keep advocating their 09900081.docx 53  STATE OF ILLINOIS 99th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 81st Legislative Day 9/24/2015 responsibility to the people of Illinois for show, for show. This is not… We've had Republican Governors. We've had budgets. We've had both sides of the aisle work for budgets. This individual that we have sitting on the second floor wants to maintain the status quo of corporate welfare, rather give $100 million to corporations in tax breaks, rather than give $100 million for Early Intervention. The yellow shirts in the aisle and everybody at home need to take that into account. We are not talking about addressing corporate welfare to help pay the children… to help fund the children and to help services go to those who need it. Those side of the aisles are not looking that way. Maintaining corporate welfare over child welfare is wrong. We need to pass this Bill because it will get us out of the court system, and it will fund Early Intervention and services in mental health that we need. And we need to start talking about the corporate welfare of the state and not putting the corporations above the children. The children should provide… preside, and the children should be first, not the other way around. Thank you, Mr. Speaker."

"Representative Flowers."

"Thank you, Mr. Speaker. To the Bill. I just want to say that these speak… these children cannot wait. And for the speaker on the other side of the aisle that said the hardest part is the funding. Sir, I beg the difference with you. I would like for you and others to join me in calling for the second floor to call for a financial transaction tax. And I'll show you that funding is not going to be difficult at all. We will have more than enough funding to deal with the developmentally disabled children. We will have more than 09900081.docx 54  STATE OF ILLINOIS 99th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 81st Legislative Day 9/24/2015 enough funding to address education. We would have more than enough funding to deal with the infrastructure, the roads, and the bridges. We will have more than enough funding to do all the things that we need to do in regards to all of our pensions. So please help me. It's not hard. It's not hard at all. Join me in calling for a financial transaction tax. Thank you."

"Mr. Anthony."

"Mr. Sandack."

"Representative Conroy."

"Thank you, Speaker. To the Bill. Babies from zero to three don't care about grandstanding. They don't care about blame. They need to be cared for before they get to school. An awesome thing happened today and I hope everybody in this chamber saw it. Those hundreds of families that came today to fight for their babies, they don’t have a high-paid lobbyist. Those people got together because of what they believed in. They believe in babies. They believe in children. They believe in education. And guess what, guys? They pay taxes. And so do all the people that support them. I think it's time we start listening to our constituents; we start doing what's right for our children. And I think it’s time we stop blaming. Every single person in this chamber knows we have to talk about revenue. Let's stop holding non-budgetary things over the heads of people that can least afford it, and let's have those 09900081.docx 57  STATE OF ILLINOIS 99th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 81st Legislative Day 9/24/2015 discussions. Let's talk about revenue. Let's stop blaming each other, and let's put our children first."

"Mr. Harris to close." Harris, G.: "Okay, Ladies and Gentlemen, we've heard… as we do sometimes, we've heard about a lot of different topics. Some of which are in this piece of legislation, most of which are not. So let me just review what we're actually voting on today for those of you who are… want to keep score. What we are voting on today is whether or not you wish to fund the federal pass-through money for law enforcement in the State of Illinois. And the Motor Fuel Ta… or the… I want to get this right… the Traffic and Criminal Surcharge Fund money. This is non-GRF money that goes to provide training for local law enforcement agencies. What we are talking about here is the GRF money for the first four months of mental health to match those funds that are going in with Medicaid and provide services that Medicaid does not provide, such as Supportive Housing and the Psychiatric Leadership Grants. But most importantly, what this Bill does is it provides one year. One year of funding for $82,500,000 in GRF for Early Intervention. Something everyone says they believe in. The Com… Comptroller says, apparently, that this is something she's going to prioritize and wants to send this money out right away. Evidently, she thinks she has the cash. So there's two ways to vote. You vote 'yes', that's the green button, in favor of Early Intervention and in favor of law enforcement. Or you vote anything else, and that's a 'no'. So Ladies and Gentlemen, I urge you to push the green button. Thank you." 09900081.docx 58  STATE OF ILLINOIS 99th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 81st Legislative Day 9/24/2015

"Those in favor of the Gentleman's Motion on the Amendment will vote 'yes'; opposed 'no'. The voting is open. Have all voted who wish? Have all voted who wish? Have all voted who wish? Have all voted who wish? Mr. Clerk, please take the record. On this question, there are 54 voting 'yes' and 13 voting 'present'. And the Amendment is adopted. Mr. Clerk."

"Third Reading. The Chair recognizes Representative Wallace."

"Thank you. I rise for a point of personal privilege."

"Please proceed."

"I simply want to say on this day, September 24, 2015, happy 60th birthday to my mother, Sandra Wallace, who couldn’t be here today, but she's watching us live. So happy birthday, mom."

"Happy birthday, mom. Page 12 of the Calendar, under the Order of Resolutions, there appears House Joint Resolution 77, Mr. Smiddy. Out of the record. House Joint Resolution 88, David Harris. Out of the record. House Joint Resolution 92, Mr. DeLuca. Please proceed, Sir."

"Thank you, Mr. Speaker, Ladies and Gentlemen. Thomas Cellini was a lifelong resident of Chicago Heights. He was a strong member of the community, who in 1956 started an auto repair business. His small business became a corporation in 1960. And Thomas Cellini passed away on June 9, 2015, from Huntington's disease. Huntington's disease is a degenerative brain disease that destroys the motor skills of the victim. Cellini is survived by his wife, Barbara, 5 children, 15 09900081.docx 59  STATE OF ILLINOIS 99th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 81st Legislative Day 9/24/2015 grandchildren, and 2 great-grandchildren. And House Joint Resolution 92 designates a portion of East End Avenue between 26th Street and Sauk Trail in South Chicago Heights as the Honorary Thomas Cellini Way. And it requests that the Illinois Department of Transportation erect signs and plaques giving notice to the name of the Honorary Thomas Cellini Way. And I ask for its adoption."

"Those in favor of the Resolution 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. Mr. Clerk, please take the record. On this question, there are 76 voting 'yes', none voting 'no'. And the Resolution is adopted. House Resolution 659, Mr. Sullivan. Mr. Sullivan. Out of the record. House Resolution 679, Representative Williams. Representative Williams. Please proceed."

"Thank you, Mr. Speaker. This Bill… this Resolution just acknowledges the Americans with Disabilities Awareness Day. And just to recognize the 25th anniversary, which is long past, but I think it's important to recognize, especially in terms of the current discussions, in terms of funding for those who need it most. So I'd ask for a supportive vote."

"Those in favor of the Resolution say 'yes'; opposed 'no'. The 'ayes' have it. And the Resolution is adopted. House Resolution 687, Mr. Bradley. Please proceed."

"Thank you, Mr. Speaker. This is simply a request by Illinois Coal to allow more time to respond to the federal rules. It's simply asking for more time to respond to these 09900081.docx 60  STATE OF ILLINOIS 99th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 81st Legislative Day 9/24/2015 rules, which have been formulated for the last six years, and would like more than 60 days to respond."

"Those in favor of the Resolution say 'yes'; opposed say 'no'. The 'ayes' have it. And the Resolution is adopted. House Resolution 707, Mr. Riley. Please proceed."

"Thank you, Mr. Speaker. House Bill… House Resolution, rather, 707 basically does this. Many of you remember, I had House Resolution 548 about a month or so ago that passed out of this House. The problem is this. I really need more consensus on the Bill. There were some members who were absent who were in committee when we had a large discussion about what this Resolution did and didn't, regarding a high-speed rail project. There was a little bit of confusion, you know, as to whether or not some of the issues that were brought up, and basically this was a bipartisan thing, there were issues that were brought up on both sides of the aisle that I addressed. One of the members was not present and there was some discussion as to whether I was going to make some changes to the Bill. I did not say I was going to do that. But what I wanted to do was to come and present a new Resolution with a few more new items that add some clarity to the Bill. And I think that, especially as I appear before the committee again, I told them what I was doing. That I was going to bring this Bill… bring this Resolution with the changes that were made. No one had any problems with it. But I'd just like to get more than 70-something votes on a Bill that I think would bring together economic development across this entire state. Looking into a high-speed rail project that would go, essentially, from O'Hare to the north, all the way down 09900081.docx 61  STATE OF ILLINOIS 99th GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRANSCRIPTION DEBATE 81st Legislative Day 9/24/2015 through East St. Louis on the south. And so, that's what this Bill basically does. It basically rescinds what was in 548, adds the necessary changes, and I'm asking for a full support on that Bill."

"Those in favor of the Resolution say 'yes'; opposed say 'no'. The 'ayes' have it. And the Resolution is adopted. Members will rise. The Chair rec… recognizes Representative Barbara Wheeler." Wheeler, B.: "Thank you, Mr. Speaker. District 64, or this whole Body, has had a pretty rough couple of weeks. District 64 lost another officer in the line of duty. A McHenry County Sheriff Deputy was shot in the line of action. He was going to a domestic violence call last October. He suffered an enormous physical pain, surgeries, had lots of ups and downs. It seemed like when he was taking 10… steps forward in his recovery, he took 20 steps back. It's been a rough couple of weeks. Unfortunately during rehab, the officer, Dwight Maness, died because of his injuries from October… last October, 2014. So I'd like to have a moment of silence for him and his family, and again for the District 64."

"Body will take a moment of silence. Thank you Members and Representative. And now, leaving perfunctory time for the Clerk, pursuant to House Joint Resolution 85, the House will adjourn 'til Tuesday, October 20 at the hour of 12 noon, or until the call of the Speaker."