PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR HOLMES) The regular Session of the 102nd General Assembly will please come to order. Will the Members please be at their desks? Will our guests in the galleries please rise? The invocation today will be given by Pastor Curt Fleck of Civil Servant Ministries in Springfield, Illinois.
(Prayer by Pastor Curt Fleck)
PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR HOLMES) Please remain standing for the Pledge of Allegiance. Senator Bennett, please lead us in the Pledge.
(Pledge of Allegiance, led by Senator Bennett)
PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR HOLMES) WBEZ Chicago seeks leave to photograph the Session. Seeing no objection, leave is granted. Mr. Secretary, Reading and Approval of the Journal.
Senate Journal of Wednesday, March 23rd, 2022.
PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR HOLMES) Senator Hunter.
Madam President, I move to postpone the reading and approval of the Journal just read by the Secretary, pending arrival of the printed transcripts.
PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR HOLMES) Senator Hunter moves to postpone the reading and approval of the Journal, pending arrival of the printed transcripts. There being no objection, so ordered. Mr. Secretary, Resolutions. 1 STATE OF ILLINOIS 102nd GENERAL ASSEMBLY REGULAR SESSION SENATE TRANSCRIPT 99th Legislative Day 3/24/2022
Senate Resolution 929, offered by Senator McClure and all Members. It is a celebration of life resolution, Madam President.
PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR HOLMES) Resolutions Consent Calendar.
Senate Resolutions 930 and 931, offered by Senator Joyce. They are both substantive.
PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR HOLMES) Mr. Secretary, Committee Reports.
Senator Villanueva, Chair of the Committee on Human Rights, reports House Bill 4605 Do Pass. Senator Glowiak Hilton, Chair of the Committee on Commerce, reports House Bills 2910 and 4281 Do Pass. Senator Joyce, Chair of the Committee on Agriculture, reports House Bills 2382, 3118, 3717 and 4680 Do Pass. Senator Bush, Chair of the Committee on Environment and Conservation, reports Senate Resolution 706 Be Adopted; and House Bill 4818 Do Pass, as Amended. Senator Hastings, Chair of the Committee on Energy and Public Utilities, reports Senate Amendment 1 to Senate Bill 1104 Recommend Do Adopt; House Bills 4382, 4383, 4390, 4973 and 5502 Do Pass; and House Bill 4988 Do Pass, as Amended.
PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR HOLMES) Mr. Secretary, Messages from the House.
A Message from the House, by Mr. Hollman, Clerk. 2 STATE OF ILLINOIS 102nd GENERAL ASSEMBLY REGULAR SESSION SENATE TRANSCRIPT 99th Legislative Day 3/24/2022 Mr. President - I am directed to inform the Senate that the House of Representatives has concurred with the Senate in the passage of a bill of the following title, to wit: Senate Bill 2803. Together with the following amendment which is attached, in the adoption of which I am instructed to ask the concurrence of the Senate, to wit: House Amendment 2 to Senate Bill 2803. Passed the House, as amended, March 23rd, 2022. John W. Hollman, Clerk of the House. A Message from the House by Mr. Hollman, Clerk. Mr. President - I am directed to inform the Senate that the House of Representatives has adopted the following joint resolution, in the adoption of which I am instructed to ask the concurrence of the Senate, to wit: House Joint Resolution 70. Offered by Senator Fowler. Adopted by the House, March 10th, 2022. John W. Hollman, Clerk of the House. It is substantive, Madam President.
PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR HOLMES) Ladies and Gentlemen, we are going to go to House Bills 2nd Reading. Would everybody come to the Floor? We're going to House Bills 2nd Reading. Ladies and Gentlemen, if you want to turn to page 8 of the printed Calendar at the very bottom of the page, we have House Bill 260. Order of 2nd Reading. On page 9 of the printed Calendar, Senator Bryant. House Bills 2nd Reading. She wishes to proceed. Mr. Secretary, read the bill.
3 STATE OF ILLINOIS 102nd GENERAL ASSEMBLY REGULAR SESSION SENATE TRANSCRIPT 99th Legislative Day 3/24/2022 House Bill 4114. (Secretary reads title of bill) 2nd Reading of the bill. No committee or Floor amendments reported.
PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR HOLMES) Have there been any Floor amendments approved for consideration? 3rd Reading. Gray TV seeks leave to record video. Seeing no objection, leave is granted. Senator Peters on 4165, House Bill 4165. Do you wish to proceed? Senator Bryant on House Bill 4257, do you wish to proceed? She indicates she does. Mr. Secretary, read the bill.
House Bill 4257. (Secretary reads title of bill) 2nd Reading of the bill. The Committee on Education adopted Amendment No. 1.
PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR HOLMES) Have there been any Floor amendments approved for consideration?
No further amendments reported.
PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR HOLMES) 3rd Reading. Senator Tracy on House Bill 4362. She indicates she does want to proceed. Mr. Secretary, read the bill.
House Bill 4362. (Secretary reads title of bill) 2nd Reading of the bill. No committee or Floor amendments reported. 4 STATE OF ILLINOIS 102nd GENERAL ASSEMBLY REGULAR SESSION SENATE TRANSCRIPT 99th Legislative Day 3/24/2022
PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR HOLMES) 3rd Reading. Senator Cunningham, on House Bill 4629. He indicates he wishes to proceed. Mr. Secretary, read the bill.
House Bill 4629. (Secretary reads title of bill) 2nd Reading of the bill. The Committee on Licensed Activities adopted Amendment No. 1.
PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR HOLMES) Have there been any Floor amendments approved for consideration?
No further amendments reported.
PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR HOLMES) 3rd Reading. Moving onto House Bill 4991, sorry, that is 4999. Senator Villanueva. Senator Villanueva does wish to proceed on House Bill 4999. Mr. Secretary, read the bill.
House Bill 4999. (Secretary reads title of bill) 2nd Reading of the bill. The Committee on Healthcare Access and Availability adopted Amendment No. 1.
PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR HOLMES) Have there been any Floor amendments approved for consideration?
No further amendments reported.
PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR HOLMES) 3rd Reading. Senator Joyce on House Bill 5003. He indicates 5 STATE OF ILLINOIS 102nd GENERAL ASSEMBLY REGULAR SESSION SENATE TRANSCRIPT 99th Legislative Day 3/24/2022 he wishes to proceed. Mr. Secretary, read the bill.
House Bill 5003. (Secretary reads title of bill) 2nd Reading of the bill. No committee or Floor amendments reported.
PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR HOLMES) 3rd Reading. Senator Johnson on House Bill 5014. Mr. Secretary, please read the bill.
House Bill 5014. (Secretary reads title of bill) 2nd Reading of the bill. No committee or Floor amendments reported.
PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR HOLMES) 3rd Reading. At the top of page 10 on your printed Calendar, we have House Bill 5015. Senator Doris Turner do you wish to proceed? She indicates she does. Mr. Secretary, read the bill.
House Bill 5015. (Secretary reads title of bill) 2nd Reading of the bill. No committee or Floor amendments reported.
PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR HOLMES) 3rd Reading. House Bill 5026, Senator Cappel. She indicates she wishes to proceed. Mr. Secretary, read the bill.
House Bill 5026. (Secretary reads title of bill) 6 STATE OF ILLINOIS 102nd GENERAL ASSEMBLY REGULAR SESSION SENATE TRANSCRIPT 99th Legislative Day 3/24/2022 2nd Reading of the bill. No committee or Floor amendments reported. {sic} (The Committee on Transportation adopted Amendment No. 1)
PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR HOLMES) 3rd Reading. Senator Bryant, on House Bill 5064. She wishes to proceed. Mr. Secretary, read the bill.
House Bill 5064. (Secretary reads title of bill) 2nd Reading of the bill. No committee or Floor amendments reported.
PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR HOLMES) 3rd Reading. In the middle of page 10 we're going to House Bill 5078. Senator Ellman how do you wish to proceed? Senator Ellman. She wishes to proceed. Mr. Secretary, read the bill, please.
House Bill 5078. (Secretary reads title of bill) 2nd Reading of the bill. No committee or Floor amendments reported.
PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR HOLMES) 3rd Reading. Going on to House Bill 5127. Senator Anderson. Mr. Secretary, read the bill.
House Bill 5127. (Secretary reads title of bill) 2nd Reading of the bill. No committee or Floor amendments reported. 7 STATE OF ILLINOIS 102nd GENERAL ASSEMBLY REGULAR SESSION SENATE TRANSCRIPT 99th Legislative Day 3/24/2022
PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR HOLMES) 3rd Reading. House Bill 5175, Senator Hastings. Out of the record. House Bill 5184, Senator Wilcox. He indicates that he wishes to proceed. Mr. Secretary, read the bill.
House Bill 5184. (Secretary reads title of bill) 2nd Reading of the bill. The Committee on Local Government adopted Amendment No. 1.
PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR HOLMES) Have there been any Floor amendments approved for consideration?
No further amendments reported.
PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR HOLMES) 3rd Reading. Senator Harris, on House Bill 5185. Mr. Secretary, read the bill.
House Bill 5185. (Secretary reads title of bill) 2nd Reading of the bill. No committee or Floor amendments reported.
PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR HOLMES) 3rd Reading. House Bill 5186, Senator Harris. He indicates he wishes to proceed. Mr. Secretary, read the bill, please.
House Bill 5186. (Secretary reads title of bill) 2nd Reading of the bill. No committee or Floor amendments 8 STATE OF ILLINOIS 102nd GENERAL ASSEMBLY REGULAR SESSION SENATE TRANSCRIPT 99th Legislative Day 3/24/2022 reported.
PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR HOLMES) 3rd Reading. Senator Rose on House Bill 5187. Mr. Secretary, read the bill.
House Bill 5187. (Secretary reads title of bill) 2nd Reading of the bill. No committee or Floor amendments reported.
PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR HOLMES) 3rd Reading. Moving on to House Bill 5188, Senator Jones. Mr. Secretary, read the bill.
House Bill 5188. (Secretary reads title of bill) 2nd Reading of the bill. No committee or Floor amendments reported.
PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR HOLMES) 3rd Reading. House Bill 5189, Senator Jones. Mr. Secretary, read the bill.
House Bill 5189. (Secretary reads title of bill) 2nd Reading of the bill. No committee or Floor amendments reported.
PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR HOLMES) 3rd Reading. Senator Jones on House Bill 5190. Mr. Secretary, read the bill.
9 STATE OF ILLINOIS 102nd GENERAL ASSEMBLY REGULAR SESSION SENATE TRANSCRIPT 99th Legislative Day 3/24/2022 House Bill 5190. (Secretary reads title of bill) 2nd Reading of the bill. No committee or Floor amendments reported.
PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR HOLMES) At the top of page -- 3rd Reading. At the top of page 11. Senator Jones how do you wish to proceed on 5191? Mr. Secretary, read the bill.
House Bill 5191. (Secretary reads title of bill) 2nd Reading of the bill. No committee or Floor amendments reported.
PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR HOLMES) 3rd Reading. Senator Jones on 5192. Mr. Secretary, read the bill.
House Bill 5192. (Secretary reads title of bill) 2nd Reading of the bill. No committee or Floor amendments reported.
PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR HOLMES) 3rd Reading. On House Bill 5219, Senator Villa. That is House Bill 5214, Senator Villa. House Bill 5220, Senator Gillespie. Mr. Secretary, read the bill.
House Bill 5220. (Secretary reads title of bill) 2nd Reading of the bill. No committee or Floor amendments 10 STATE OF ILLINOIS 102nd GENERAL ASSEMBLY REGULAR SESSION SENATE TRANSCRIPT 99th Legislative Day 3/24/2022 reported.
PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR HOLMES) 3rd Reading. House Bill 5225, Senator Hunter. Mr. Secretary, read the bill.
House Bill 5225. (Secretary reads title of bill) 2nd Reading of the bill. No committee or Floor amendments reported.
PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR HOLMES) 3rd Reading. With leave of the Body, we're going to skip over 5254 and we're going to go down to 5265, Senator Gillespie. Mr. Secretary, read the bill.
House Bill 5265. (Secretary reads title of bill) 2nd Reading of the bill. No committee or Floor amendments reported.
PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR HOLMES) 3rd Reading. House Bill 5283, Senator Murphy. Mr. Secretary, read the bill.
House Bill 5283. (Secretary reads title of bill) 2nd Reading of the bill. No committee or Floor amendments reported.
PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR HOLMES) 3rd Reading. House Bill 5295, Senator Jones. Mr. Secretary, read the bill. 11 STATE OF ILLINOIS 102nd GENERAL ASSEMBLY REGULAR SESSION SENATE TRANSCRIPT 99th Legislative Day 3/24/2022
House Bill 5295. (Secretary reads title of bill) 2nd Reading of the bill. No committee or Floor amendments reported.
PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR HOLMES) 3rd Reading. House Bill 5304, Senator Cappel. She indicates she wishes to proceed. Mr. Secretary, read the bill.
House Bill 5304. (Secretary reads title of bill) 2nd Reading of the bill. No committee or Floor amendments reported.
PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR HOLMES) 3rd Reading. House Bill 5316, Senator Castro. House Bill 5318, Senator Jones. Mr. Secretary, read the bill.
House Bill 5318. (Secretary reads title of bill) 2nd Reading of the bill. No committee or Floor amendments reported.
PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR HOLMES) 3rd Reading. We're going to skip over 5334. We're going to move on to House Bill 5385. Senator Stadelman do you wish to proceed? Mr. Secretary, read the bill.
House Bill 5385. (Secretary reads title of bill) 2nd Reading of the bill. No committee or Floor amendments 12 STATE OF ILLINOIS 102nd GENERAL ASSEMBLY REGULAR SESSION SENATE TRANSCRIPT 99th Legislative Day 3/24/2022 reported.
PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR HOLMES) 3rd Reading. At the top of page 12, on your printed Calendar. Senator Joyce on House Bill 5400. He wishes to proceed. Mr. Secretary, read the bill.
House Bill 5400. (Secretary reads title of bill) 2nd Reading of the bill. No committee or Floor amendments reported.
PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR HOLMES) 3rd Reading. Senator Morrison on House Bill 5418. Mr. Secretary, read the bill.
House Bill 5418. (Secretary reads title of bill) 2nd Reading of the bill. No committee or Floor amendments reported.
PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR HOLMES) 3rd Reading. Senator Villivalam on House Bill 5463. Still on page 9, Senator Cunningham on 5501. Mr. Secretary, read the bill.
House Bill 5501. (Secretary reads title of bill) 2nd Reading of the bill. No committee or Floor amendments reported.
PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR HOLMES) 3rd Reading. Senate Bill 5506, Senator Rezin. Out of the 13 STATE OF ILLINOIS 102nd GENERAL ASSEMBLY REGULAR SESSION SENATE TRANSCRIPT 99th Legislative Day 3/24/2022 record. Senator Simmons on House Bill 5525. Out of the record. Senator Koehler on 5576. Mr. Secretary, read the bill.
House Bill 5576. (Secretary reads title of bill) 2nd Reading of the bill. No committee or Floor amendments reported.
PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR HOLMES) 3rd Reading. 5585, Senator Harris. Mr. Secretary, read the bill.
House Bill 5585. (Secretary reads title of bill) 2nd Reading of the bill. No committee or Floor amendments reported.
PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR HOLMES) 3rd Reading. We are going to go back to House Bill 5575, Senator Jones. Mr. Secretary, read the bill.
House Bill 5575. (Secretary reads title of bill) 2nd Reading of the bill. The Committee on Licensed Activities adopted Amendment No. 1.
PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR HOLMES) Mr. Secretary, have there been any Floor Amendments approved for consideration?
No further amendments reported.
PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR HOLMES) 14 STATE OF ILLINOIS 102nd GENERAL ASSEMBLY REGULAR SESSION SENATE TRANSCRIPT 99th Legislative Day 3/24/2022 3rd Reading. Senator Cunningham in the Chair.
PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR CUNNINGHAM) Ladies and Gentlemen with leave of the Body we're going to move back to near the top of page 9 where Senator Holmes brings House Bill 3573. She indicates she wishes to proceed. Mr. Secretary, please read the bill.
House Bill 3573. (Secretary reads title of bill) 2nd Reading of the bill. Committee on Education adopted Amendments 1 and 2.
PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR CUNNINGHAM) Have there been any Floor amendments approved for consideration?
No further amendments reported.
PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR CUNNINGHAM) 3rd Reading. With leave of the Body, we're now going to move to page 11, of your printed Calendar. Where again, Senator Holmes brings House Bill 5254. She indicates she wishes to proceed. Mr. Secretary, please read the bill.
House Bill 5254. (Secretary reads title of bill) 2nd Reading of the bill. No committee or Floor amendments reported.
PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR CUNNINGHAM) 3rd Reading. Next, with leave of the Body, we will move to the middle of page 9, where Senator Holmes brings House Bill 4245. 15 STATE OF ILLINOIS 102nd GENERAL ASSEMBLY REGULAR SESSION SENATE TRANSCRIPT 99th Legislative Day 3/24/2022 She indicates she wishes to proceed. Mr. Secretary, please read the bill.
House Bill 4245. (Secretary reads title of bill) 2nd Reading of the bill. No committee or Floor amendments reported.
PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR CUNNINGHAM) 3rd Reading. With leave of the Body, we are going to move to page 9 of your printed Calendar. Towards the top of the page where Senator Koehler brings House Bill 4089. He indicates he wishes to proceed. Mr. Secretary, please read the bill.
House Bill 4089. (Secretary reads title of bill) 2nd Reading of the bill. No committee or Floor amendments reported.
PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR CUNNINGHAM) 3rd Reading. Senator Holmes back in the Chair.
PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR HOLMES) Senator McClure for what reason do you seek recognition? SENATOR McCLURE: For the purpose of an announcement.
PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR HOLMES) State your announcement. SENATOR McCLURE: Thank you, Madam President. Senator Rezin wanted me to put on the record that she is not able to be here today due to a medical procedure that took place yesterday. She's doing well but 16 STATE OF ILLINOIS 102nd GENERAL ASSEMBLY REGULAR SESSION SENATE TRANSCRIPT 99th Legislative Day 3/24/2022 unfortunately she cannot be here today.
PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR HOLMES) Thank you, Senator Rezin will have the best wishes from all of us. Would the Committee on Assignments meet in the President’s Anteroom? The Committee on Assignments. The Senate will come to order. Mr. Secretary, Committee Reports.
Senator Cunningham, (Vice) Chair of the Committee on Assignments, reports the following Legislative Measures have been assigned: Refer to Agriculture Committee - Floor Amendment 2 to Senate Bill 3471; refer to Behavioral and Mental Health Committee - Floor Amendment 1 to House Bill 4306; refer to Criminal Law Committee - Floor Amendment 2 to House Bill 17; refer to Education Committee - Senate Resolution 900; refer to Executive Committee - Committee Amendment 1 to House Bill 5061; refer to Health Committee - Floor Amendment 2 to House Bill 4674; refer to Healthcare Access and Availability Committee - Committee Amendment 1 to Senate Resolution 828 and Committee Amendment 1 to Senate Resolution 862; refer to Higher Education Committee - House Bill 5464; refer to Revenue Committee - Committee Amendment 1 to House Bill 4132; refer to Transportation Committee - Committee Amendment 1 to House Bill 5496; re-referred from Judiciary Committee to Assignments Committee - House Bill 2775 and Committee Amendment 1 to House Bill 2775; re-referred from Transportation Committee to Assignments Committee - House Bill 5439 and Committee Amendment 1 to House Bill 5439; Be Approved for Consideration - Motion to Concur with House Amendment 1 to Senate Bill 2803. Signed, Senator Bill Cunningham, (Vice) Chair. Senator Cunningham, (Vice) Chair of the Committee on 17 STATE OF ILLINOIS 102nd GENERAL ASSEMBLY REGULAR SESSION SENATE TRANSCRIPT 99th Legislative Day 3/24/2022 Assignments, reports the following Legislative Measures have been assigned: Refer to Executive Committee - House Bill 2775 and Committee Amendment 1 to House Bill 2775, House Bill 5439 and Committee Amendment 1 to House Bill 5439; refer to Higher Education Committee - Committee Amendment 1 to House Bill 5464. Signed, Senator Bill Cunningham, (Vice) Chair.
PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR HOLMES) Blueroomstream requests permission to video stream the proceedings. Seeing no -- seeing no objection, leave is granted. We are going back to 2nd Readings. And on page 11, of your printed Calendar, I would like to know, Senator Villa, how would you like to proceed on House Bill 5214? Mr. Secretary, read the bill.
House Bill 5214. (Secretary reads title of bill) 2nd Reading of the bill. No committee or Floor amendments reported.
PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR HOLMES) 3rd Reading. Still on page 11, House Bill 5316, Senator Castro. Mr. Secretary, read the bill.
House Bill 5316. (Secretary reads title of bill) 2nd Reading of the bill. No committee or Floor amendments reported.
PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR HOLMES) 3rd Reading. Senator Hunter for what reason do you seek recognition?
18 STATE OF ILLINOIS 102nd GENERAL ASSEMBLY REGULAR SESSION SENATE TRANSCRIPT 99th Legislative Day 3/24/2022 The Senate Dems will caucus for thirty minutes in the Senate President's Office.
PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR HOLMES) Senator McClure for what purpose do you seek recognition? SENATOR McCLURE: Madam President, the Senate Republicans will caucus in Leader McConchie's office for thirty minutes.
PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR HOLMES) Both caucuses will meet for thirty minutes then we will reconvene for further Floor action. We stand at recess until the call of the Chair. (SENATE STANDS IN RECESS/SENATE RECONVENES)
PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR CUNNINGHAM) The Senate will come to order. Will the Members of the Committee on Assignments report to the President’s Anteroom immediately? Members of the Committee on Assignments please report to the President’s Anteroom. Mr. Secretary, Committee Reports.
Senator Cunningham, (Vice) Chair of the Committee on Assignments, reports the following Legislative Measures have been assigned: Be Approved for Consideration - Motion to Concur with House Amendment 2 to Senate Bill 2803. Signed, Senator Bill Cunningham, (Vice) Chair.
PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR CUNNINGHAM) Mr. Secretary, Resolutions.
Senate Resolution 932, offered by Senator Rose and all 19 STATE OF ILLINOIS 102nd GENERAL ASSEMBLY REGULAR SESSION SENATE TRANSCRIPT 99th Legislative Day 3/24/2022 Members. It is a celebration of life resolution, Mr. President.
PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR CUNNINGHAM) Mr. Secretary, Consent Calendar. Ladies and Gentlemen of the Senate, Supplemental Calendar No. 1 has been printed and distributed. On that Calendar, see Secretary's Desk concurrences. Senate Bills, this is final action. Senator Holmes brings Senate Bill 2803. She indicates she wishes to proceed. Mr. Secretary, please read the motion.
I move to concur with the House in the adoption of their Amendment No. 2 to Senate Bill 2803. Signed by, Senator Holmes.
PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR CUNNINGHAM) Senator Holmes on your motion.
I would ask that the amendment be adopted. Oh, it already is. Okay. Senate Bill 2803, as amended, appropriates 2.7 billion dollars to the UI Trust Fund. Eight hundred and ninety-eight million to pay off old group health insurance bills. Two hundred and thirty million to pay off the College Illinois program. And three hundred million in extra pension payments. Those -- those amounts that I've mentioned there are all -- sort of right now there is -- there is -- they are the last interest-bearing debt that we have in this State so we are going to go ahead and address that and that will save us a lot of money in interest payments. I would urge everybody to vote Aye on this because we are addressing the insurance the -- Unemployment Insurance Trust Fund which so desperately needs to be taken care of, as well as these other 20 STATE OF ILLINOIS 102nd GENERAL ASSEMBLY REGULAR SESSION SENATE TRANSCRIPT 99th Legislative Day 3/24/2022 items. I would ask for an Aye vote.
PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR CUNNINGHAM) Is there any discussion? Senator Stoller for what purpose do you seek recognition?
Thank you, Mr. President. Question of sponsor.
PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR CUNNINGHAM) She indicates she'll yield. Senator Stoller.
Thank you. Senator, when did Illinois first receive notice that we'd be receiving 8.1 billion dollars in ARPA funds from the federal government?
PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR CUNNINGHAM) Senator Holmes.
It would have been approximately April of 2021.
PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR CUNNINGHAM) Senator Stoller.
Did the federal guide -- guidance that came along with that ARPA money make any mention of Unemployment Insurance Trust Fund deficits?
PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR CUNNINGHAM) Senator Holmes.
I do want to emphasize that the final rules that came out January 6th of this year. So yes, this is an acceptable way of using those funds.
PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR CUNNINGHAM) 21 STATE OF ILLINOIS 102nd GENERAL ASSEMBLY REGULAR SESSION SENATE TRANSCRIPT 99th Legislative Day 3/24/2022 Senator Stoller.
Okay, so we got notice in April that we were getting 8.1 billion dollars from the federal government. We received guidance that we could use that money to pay off our Unemployment (Insurance) Trust Fund deficit. Why didn't we?
PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR CUNNINGHAM) Senator Holmes.
Well number one, anytime we have issues that deal with unemployment insurance, we go through an agreed bill process. So that's where you have labor and business sit down and go over it. We've -- this is sort of a very unprecedented situation because typically what happens when we have something like this that arises, we bond out a certain amount of money and then it's up to the employers that are going to have to raise taxes to pay for it and it's up to the employers of labor that are -- to our labor workers that they're going to have to have a cut in benefits and that's how it's done. We have never had an influx of cash to put in there. So, the fact that this unprecedented situation arose that we still had 2.7 billion to put in there is -- is definitely a -- a huge plus. I also just want to add in doing a comparison as we looked at the other states around us with them using their ARPA funds to cover an Unemployment Insurance Trust Fund hole, that they ranged pretty much from twenty-five percent to thirty- three percent and we're at approximately thirty-four percent in what we're doing. And of course, the -- the number itself the 2.7 billion is much higher than any of our surrounding states have done. 22 STATE OF ILLINOIS 102nd GENERAL ASSEMBLY REGULAR SESSION SENATE TRANSCRIPT 99th Legislative Day 3/24/2022
PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR CUNNINGHAM) Senator Stoller.
Thank you for that answer. We have a four and a half billion- dollar loan, Title XII loan, with the federal government and during the pandemic they made it the interest requirement on that loan, but I believe that clock started back in September, where we're accruing and paying interest on that Title XII loan. How much interest have we had to pay so far?
PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR CUNNINGHAM) Senator Holmes.
So -- so last year we paid ten million. This year we have not had to pay yet because it's not due until September.
PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR CUNNINGHAM) Senator Stoller.
Okay, thank you. I believe we are on the hook for forty-one million for last year. It's not paid -- payable yet, but the full year interest, my understanding on the four and half billion at our interest rate is a total of eighty-one million dollars if that's in place for a full year. Is that correct?
PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR CUNNINGHAM) Senator Holmes.
Yes. The current interest rate is 1.59 on the advances and the States estimated to incur eighty million in interest charges due this September. But by paying off a significant portion of that debt now, which we are doing, that will reduce the anticipated 23 STATE OF ILLINOIS 102nd GENERAL ASSEMBLY REGULAR SESSION SENATE TRANSCRIPT 99th Legislative Day 3/24/2022 interest amount that's owed this year.
PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR CUNNINGHAM) Senator Stoller.
To the bill.
PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR CUNNINGHAM) To the bill.
Well, I don't quite know another way to say this, but this has been a complete train wreck. Not just the last forty-eight to seventy-two hours of negotiations but, over the last year this has been a complete unmitigated disaster of the Governor's making and it was completely avoidable. I remember asking right here on the Senate Floor two weeks ago when we pushed through the first version of this bill, I asked the question, what's the rest of your plan. Well unbelievably, the same question is appropriate here this afternoon. We are trying to pass a bill that does not come close to fixing this problem and we have no agreement in place and there is still no plan. Let's take a minute to understand how we got to this point. Because of COVID, we ended up with a big hole in our Unemployment Insurance Trust Fund, four and a half billion dollars. Our employers did not create this problem. Our businesses were forced to close. In fact, they followed Governor Pritzker's orders and closed their doors and some of these -- businesses have not - - not reopened yet. Some are permanently closed. Others are still struggling, not just because of the forced shutdowns, but because of supply chain issues, labor shortages, inflation and all that on top of already some of the highest tax rates in the country and some burdensome -- burdensome regulations. It's been an incredibly 24 STATE OF ILLINOIS 102nd GENERAL ASSEMBLY REGULAR SESSION SENATE TRANSCRIPT 99th Legislative Day 3/24/2022 tough two years for our businesses. And now we're getting ready to ask them to bear the brunt of fixing this problem. Then there's the fraud. Some estimates are as high as a billion dollars of fraud, maybe a billion and a half. We really don't know. We requested how much from IDES but we don't know, but here's what we do know. There was an audit of just the first three months of the pandemic, and in those three months, there was a hundred and fifty-five million dollars of identified fraud. Dead people, people not yet born, people over ninety were getting benefit payments. I had my ID stolen, twice. This fraud was also not the fault of our employers. They weren't the one's committing it. But now, it appears, we're getting ready to ask them to be the ones to pay for it. How in the world is that fair? And so, we have this deficit, four and a half billion dollars. And then a miracle happened, a federal bailout, something unprecedented, 8.1 billion dollars unprecedented gift from the federal government. They didn't give us half the money they needed. They didn't give us a hundred percent of the money we needed. They gave us almost double the money we needed. We were given 8.1 billion dollars, and so, what did we do with this windfall? Well, consistent with a State that has behaved its way into the worst bond rating of any state in the country. A State that time and time again resorts to taxing and borrowing instead of employing fiscal discipline. What did we do? Nothing. While other states acted, we did nothing. We sat on our hands instead of rolling up our sleeves and taking actions but other states did. In fact, thirty-two other states have used ARPA funds to address their UI Trust Fund challenges. Including some of our neighbors like Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Missouri. They all used enough ARPA funds to completely fix their 25 STATE OF ILLINOIS 102nd GENERAL ASSEMBLY REGULAR SESSION SENATE TRANSCRIPT 99th Legislative Day 3/24/2022 problems. Not just a partial fix, but all of their deficits. Not only did they find a way to pay off their loans and get back to a zero balance, but they also found a way to establish a positive balance to provide and restore appropriate solvency in their trust funds. Or consider Texas, we just heard about some percentages that other states have used. Texas used almost half of their ARPA funds, 7.2 billion dollars, to fix their Unemployment Trust Fund deficit. I guess I should correct myself on one point. I -- just a minute ago I said we did nothing in the last year. I admit that's not exactly true. We did go on a spending spree. We spent, spent, spent on all kinds of pork projects. I got a list of hundreds of pork projects, new government spending, new programs that increase the size of government. But ARPA was not intended to increase the size of government. It was intended to address COVID impacts exactly like this. And now, as we heard earlier, we're one of just a handful of states currently paying interest to the federal government. If it goes for a full year that's eighty- one million dollars. Other responsible states that did take action when they could have and did -- when they should have, would have eighty-one million dollars to build a hospital, a school, maybe a bridge. But what are we doing with it? Paying interest. So now we are facing three bad possible scenarios. We are facing the prospects of one of the largest tax increases on our employers in State history. We're also facing the possibility of cuts to employees who deserve these unemployment benefits. And, we're facing the possibility of trying to borrow our way out of this problem with additional bonding debt. Well, that's one thing we know a little bit about in this State, going into debt. But even with all of our practice going into debt, we're still trying 26 STATE OF ILLINOIS 102nd GENERAL ASSEMBLY REGULAR SESSION SENATE TRANSCRIPT 99th Legislative Day 3/24/2022 finding a way to screw that up. Since we waited and delayed action and sat on our hands, interest rates went up. Our modeling shows that, just six months ago, if we would have gone to the bond market, we might have had an interest rate of one and a half percent. Now, those models are showing that by the time we're - if we go into the bond market, those -- that interest rate is projected to be four percent, almost triple. Like I said, this is a train wreck. So now, just as we are emerging from COVID, our business -- our businesses and employers have faced incredible headwinds. They were forced to close. They're being asked to pay for fraud that they didn't commit. They're facing labor shortages, supply chain disruptions, impacts of out-of-control inflation. And so, on top of all that, the very worst thing that this Governor could do, is to put an extra burden on the backs of our employers. But that's exactly what the Governor is proposing. And we were given all the money we needed to fix this problem and avoid this train wreck, but we didn't do it. I urge a No vote.
PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR CUNNINGHAM) Is there any further discussion? Senator DeWitte for what purpose do you seek recognition? SENATOR DeWITTE: Thank you, Mr. President. Question of the sponsor, please.
PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR CUNNINGHAM) She indicates she will yield. Senator DeWitte. SENATOR DeWITTE: Thank you very much, Mr. President. Senator Holmes, is it true that if this bill passes the Unemployment Insurance Trust Fund will still have a deficit?
PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR CUNNINGHAM) 27 STATE OF ILLINOIS 102nd GENERAL ASSEMBLY REGULAR SESSION SENATE TRANSCRIPT 99th Legislative Day 3/24/2022 Senator Holmes.
Yes.
PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR CUNNINGHAM) Senator DeWitte. SENATOR DeWITTE: And if nothing else is done, who will cover that deficit and can you tell me what that deficit is?
PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR CUNNINGHAM) Senator Holmes.
Senator, we're -- we're in the process of the agreed bill process to address this. And, I mean, the diatribe by the last speaker, I want to say, I believe he's been in those meetings where the agreed bill group is meeting, and has been meeting numerous hours and hours of work since January. I think it's been over twenty-four meetings that we're working with labor and business to address this issue. We can sit here and what if and try to guess numbers, but I'm going to allow this process which has always worked extremely successfully in the past, to go on. I think that's very important. And I also found it interesting before we talked about, first of all, there was this shutdown for no reason at all and now all of a sudden by the end of that speech, while we're still recovering from COVID, well either it was an issue, or it wasn't. And I will say for a pandemic that in Illinois caused thirty-eight thousand deaths and over three million cases, We're not going to slam businesses for needing to shut down to protect the workers in those businesses, the owners of those businesses to protect themselves and their family from a pandemic that killed 28 STATE OF ILLINOIS 102nd GENERAL ASSEMBLY REGULAR SESSION SENATE TRANSCRIPT 99th Legislative Day 3/24/2022 thirty-eight thousand people in this State. As far as this debt goes, I also want to bring up what the other -- I find it very interesting because I will tell you what… our surrounding states. Indiana used 29.3 percent of their ARPA funds to address this issue. Ohio used twenty-seven percent to address this issue. So, the surrounding states we've actually put in more than them. Texas is a bit of an outlier with what they did. But what I'm saying is, we're going to allow this process to work, we're going to allow business and labor to work on this and we will go on. What now is being covered, also, with those squandered ARPA dollars, if we squandered them on protecting small businesses which were hurt by this pandemic. And I will tell you right now that those businesses, had they not shut down, still weren't going to get the customers and I know that from the small businesses in my district that I spoke to. People weren't going to them. So, Senator DeWitte, I'm sorry, but I just needed to clear up a bit of the misinformation that's being bandied about here.
PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR CUNNINGHAM) Senator DeWitte. SENATOR DeWITTE: Thank you, Mr. President. The answer to my question is that there appears to be 1.8-billion-dollar deficit remaining in the Unemployment Insurance Trust Fund, if in fact, this bill passes this afternoon. If nothing else is done, who will cover the cost of that 1.8 billion dollars?
PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR CUNNINGHAM) Senator Holmes.
In keeping with the way this issue has always been handled, 29 STATE OF ILLINOIS 102nd GENERAL ASSEMBLY REGULAR SESSION SENATE TRANSCRIPT 99th Legislative Day 3/24/2022 that amount would be bonded out and business and labor would negotiate an agreement as to how they were going to cover it. The thing that's different in this case, is we were able to put in 2.7 billion dollars to help with the hole.
PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR CUNNINGHAM) Senator DeWitte. SENATOR DeWITTE: Senator, if I understand you correctly, it's your intention or your parties, to borrow, to go further into debt the 1.8- billion-dollar deficit. Is that what I heard you say?
PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR CUNNINGHAM) Senator Holmes.
I'm sorry. Could you repeat that? I missed that.
PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR CUNNINGHAM) Senator DeWitte. SENATOR DeWITTE: Senator, did I hear you correctly that you just said that you intend to bond out the 1.8-billion-dollar deficit that will remain in the Unemployment Trust Fund if this bill passes today?
PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR CUNNINGHAM) Senator Holmes.
At this point that is a suggestion, but we're still in the agreed bill process. So, I'm not going to definitely state what could, or should be done.
PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR CUNNINGHAM) Senator DeWitte. SENATOR DeWITTE: 30 STATE OF ILLINOIS 102nd GENERAL ASSEMBLY REGULAR SESSION SENATE TRANSCRIPT 99th Legislative Day 3/24/2022 Thank you, Mr. President. That sounds like there is no plan to deal with the 1.8-billion-dollar deficit that will remain in the Unemployment (Insurance) Trust Fund. Does this bill change anything in current law with respect to the Unemployment Trust Fund?
PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR CUNNINGHAM) Senator Holmes.
No. This is an appropriation bill.
PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR CUNNINGHAM) Senator DeWitte. SENATOR DeWITTE: So, if there's no change in the current law, will there be a speed bump this summer that increases the cost to employers and impact to employees.
PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR CUNNINGHAM) Senator Holmes.
We're not -- I'm not going into the details of what's going to come out of the agreed bill process and that is a part of the agreed bill process, as your colleague definitely knows because he's been in some of those meetings.
PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR CUNNINGHAM) Senator DeWitte. SENATOR DeWITTE: Thank you, Mr. President. To the bill.
PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR CUNNINGHAM) To the bill. SENATOR DeWITTE: 31 STATE OF ILLINOIS 102nd GENERAL ASSEMBLY REGULAR SESSION SENATE TRANSCRIPT 99th Legislative Day 3/24/2022 I think it's incredibly disingenuous this afternoon, and after last night's action in the House, for Democrats to be painting today's action as a win or a success for fiscal responsibility. This action will lead to the largest tax increase on business in the State of Illinois in this State's history. Employers who have been treated with absolute disregard throughout this pandemic will literally be left holding the bag and will be responsible for filling the remaining deficit in the Unemployment Insurance Trust Fund. It really didn't have to be this way. The fact is, the federal government gave Illinois enough ARPA funds to fully, fully restore the four and a half billion-dollar debt created when Illinoisians were put out of work through this as my colleague mentioned, that we still don't even know the extent of, that took place during this pandemic. Responsible states across this country took their ARPA funds and prioritized the replacement of their state's Unemployment Insurance Funds. As a matter of fact, Illinois is one of nine states yet to pay off its federal unemployment debt. Other states did the right thing. We had the opportunity to do the same thing. But Governor Pritzker either purposely or otherwise, misrepresented to the residents of this State, last summer, that ARPA funds could not be used to pay back unemployment debt deficits. Make no mistake, it was a choice to be made. Instead of filling the gaping hole in the Unemployment Insurance Trust Fund, this Governor decided to spend that federal COVID relief money on pork projects and other election year gimmickry to buy support and votes in an election year. Why is the Governor and his majority leaders not making public their multipage list of how they are spending ARPA money that should have been allocated to Unemployment Insurance Fund debt? I 32 STATE OF ILLINOIS 102nd GENERAL ASSEMBLY REGULAR SESSION SENATE TRANSCRIPT 99th Legislative Day 3/24/2022 encourage inquiring minds across this State to press the Governor and his legislative leaders to see just what's on that list. As we have seen time and time again in this State, Democrats and our Governor have chosen politics over fiscal responsibility. While Democrats try to paint a rosy picture of their irresponsible vote, keep in mind the actions they are prepared to take today will have undeniable outcomes. A significant increase on every job in Illinois. A benefit reduction for every Illinois worker. Additionally, it will result in more expensive interest payments on top of the tens of billions in interest payments the State has already had to pay because Democrats made a conscience choice not to use federal ARPA money to fully restore the State's Unemployment Insurance Fund. And even if the Governor chooses to borrow money, Senator, as you would suggest, to plug this remaining hole, the results will be the same. This will be the largest tax increase on business in this State's history. You want to do the responsible thing in this State for the tax payers of the State of Illinois, vote No. Thank you, Mr. President.
PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR CUNNINGHAM) Is there any further discussion? Senator Bailey for what purpose do you seek recognition?
Thank you, Mr. President. May I speak to the bill?
PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR CUNNINGHAM) To the bill.
I think it's very important to understand that surrounding states don't have the financial woes that Illinois has and that's because we seem to have a significant problem with managing money. 33 STATE OF ILLINOIS 102nd GENERAL ASSEMBLY REGULAR SESSION SENATE TRANSCRIPT 99th Legislative Day 3/24/2022 Reckless public policies have driven talent and opportunity away from this great State. And whose paid the price? You know, working families and taxpayers. We're at the point where there are no more easy choices for this State. Unfortunately, Springfields history of actions has ensured that. But in a town full of tough choices, as you've heard already, this one is easy. For once, we simply need to do the right thing. This Body has sat on the sidelines and watched our tyrannical Governor unilaterally shutdown business and destroy livelihoods. He just sat there and let it happen. You watched as people struggled to get unemployment after this Governor stole away their job. You watched as the unemployment fund went from a surplus to a four and a half billion- dollar liability. We knew the day was coming when this debt would have to be paid. On this side of the aisle, we've been talking about that for over a year. The federal government has given us billions of dollars to deal with the fallout of COVID-19. We still have over six billion of that money that's been unspent. The debt has been incurred, opposition to this half measure is not about who received that money, that's irrelevant to this specific discussion. The fact is, the money has been spent and now taxpayers are on the hook. All we ask is that you do the responsible thing, pay the bill. We have the money. The federal government gave it to us for this specific purpose. Pay the bill in full. If we don't, there are only two other options. Number 1, institute a job tax on every job in this State. Number 2, decrease benefits for every worker in this State. Friends, those two options are not acceptable. They're not acceptable to me, there not acceptable to the workers in this State and they shouldn't be acceptable to you. It's time to wake up. It's time 34 STATE OF ILLINOIS 102nd GENERAL ASSEMBLY REGULAR SESSION SENATE TRANSCRIPT 99th Legislative Day 3/24/2022 to standup to this Governor, because people in this State are struggling because this Body hasn't acted in their best interest. I'll not standby and allow our government to tell our workers and taxpayers in this State that they have to pay the price for reckless, unaccountable actions for their irresponsible elected leaders. Vote No on this irresponsible bill. Let's send a message to the people of Illinois that we're serious about dealing with the issues. That we hear their struggles and that we're going to do something about it. No more half measures. It's time to step up, pay our debts and do the real work that the citizens of Illinois sent us here to do. Thank you.
PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR CUNNINGHAM) Is there further discussion? Senator Hastings, for what purpose do you seek recognition?
Thank you, Mr. President. Question of the sponsor.
PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR CUNNINGHAM) She indicates she'll yield, Senator Hastings.
Senator Holmes, we talk about responsible financial actions in the State of Illinois and we talk about paying our debts. We've heard that from the speakers who have spoken previous to me. Can you -- can you explain to me what the College Illinois shortfall is and what this bill does to address that debt?
PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR CUNNINGHAM) Senator Holmes.
It is two hundred and thirty million and this will fully fund it. 35 STATE OF ILLINOIS 102nd GENERAL ASSEMBLY REGULAR SESSION SENATE TRANSCRIPT 99th Legislative Day 3/24/2022
PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR CUNNINGHAM) Senator Hastings.
So, in other words, this bill will help pay off that debt to that program. Is that correct?
PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR CUNNINGHAM) Senator Holmes.
Yes.
PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR CUNNINGHAM) Senator Hastings.
What is the existing old group health insurance debt that we owe to them?
PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR CUNNINGHAM) Senator Holmes.
Eight hundred and ninety-eight million.
PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR CUNNINGHAM) Senator Hastings.
Senator Holmes what does this bill do to that debt that we owe in the State of Illinois?
PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR CUNNINGHAM) Senator Holmes.
It pays it in full.
PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR CUNNINGHAM) Senator Hastings. 36 STATE OF ILLINOIS 102nd GENERAL ASSEMBLY REGULAR SESSION SENATE TRANSCRIPT 99th Legislative Day 3/24/2022
So, Senator Holmes, it's safe to assume that we're paying off that debt in full. Is it not?
PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR CUNNINGHAM) Senator Holmes.
Yes to that. And as you know, anytime you pay off debt you're also making a savings in interest.
PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR CUNNINGHAM) Senator Hastings.
And so, Senator Holmes, we face a pension deficit in this State. Does this bill address part of that pension deficit?
PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR CUNNINGHAM) Senator Holmes.
Yes, it does. It addresses it to the tune of three hundred million.
PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR CUNNINGHAM) Senator Hastings.
To the bill, Mr. President.
PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR CUNNINGHAM) To the bill.
Mr. President and Members of the Illinois Senate. We've heard previous speakers talk of pork projects. We've talked about what's responsible, what's not responsible. We talked about paying the bill in full. We talked about we can't be passing off this debt 37 STATE OF ILLINOIS 102nd GENERAL ASSEMBLY REGULAR SESSION SENATE TRANSCRIPT 99th Legislative Day 3/24/2022 onto future generations. We've talked about previously, in the past nine years that I've been here, about pension debt. This bill addresses some of the major debt that our State owes. And for those to get up and to say that paying off College Illinois, paying back group health insurance bills that pay your bills. You're saying that paying that off is irresponsible and to vote No. Guys, I understand the political posture of -- of both sides of this Chamber, but to say to vote No to a bill that business is not opposed to, to vote No to a bill that labor has not opposed to, is hypercritical at its finest moment. Go ahead and vote No and go back home and tell your constituents that are affected by College Illinois and whose doctors haven't been paid, tell them that you voted against paying those bills off in full, because your philosophy is, we have to pay our debts, we have to pay our debts. That's what we're doing. And now you don't want to do it? Come on guys, that's hypercritical at its finest hour. Congratulations. I look forward to your No votes and I urge an Aye vote. Thank you, Mr. President.
PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR CUNNINGHAM) Is there any further discussion? Senator Bryant, for what purpose do you seek recognition?
Thank you, Mr. President. My head is spinning just a little bit.
PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR CUNNINGHAM) To the bill, Senator?
Yea, to the bill. Thank you.
PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR CUNNINGHAM) 38 STATE OF ILLINOIS 102nd GENERAL ASSEMBLY REGULAR SESSION SENATE TRANSCRIPT 99th Legislative Day 3/24/2022 To the bill.
My heads spinning just a little bit because I'm a pretty, not a simple-minded person, but pretty simple. I like to break things down as simple as I can. The formula for the Unemployment Insurance Trust Fund is pretty complicated and sometimes a little hard to break down. So, first -- the first thing I think I've been able to, not necessarily get from this debate, but get from the research preparing for our debate is that with ARPA cures and the budget surplus, it looks to me like we have about sixteen billion dollars to work with this year. So, first I have a question of the sponsor. With that in mind, I believe that from the things that you've said, we need four and a half billion dollars to pay back the loan. Plus, we need one billion dollars to make the trust fund truly solvent and the simple math, five and a half billion dollars. Is that -- would you say that's accurate?
PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR CUNNINGHAM) She indicates she will yield to the question. Senator Holmes.
Yes.
PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR CUNNINGHAM) Senator Bryant.
Thank you, then to the bill.
PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR CUNNINGHAM) To the bill.
With sixteen billion dollars available to us, five and a half billion that we need to pay down the UI Trust Fund, simple math 39 STATE OF ILLINOIS 102nd GENERAL ASSEMBLY REGULAR SESSION SENATE TRANSCRIPT 99th Legislative Day 3/24/2022 leaves us with ten and half billion dollars for what some people might term pet pork projects, I think I've heard that kind of used today. So, I -- I did notice that the previous speaker talked about some really good stuff that is in this bill. Some stuff I would love to vote Yes for, College Illinois, old group health insurance debt, pension deficit, all good things. All things that we need to pay down and honestly with ten and a half billion dollars left over, doing the simple math, I think there was plenty in here to do that with. However, as I said, there were some pet projects that have kind of been alluded to. There's one in my district that I've been keying in on for some time now and it's the welcome centers. So, I'm just going to pick on that one for just a second because I want you to see the kind of dollars that we're talking about. So, I was able to kind of pick out in FY18, now these are -- these are not welcome centers like along the side of the road, when you're driving through the State. They're centers designed to help immigrants, documented and undocumented, and they help them do things like get approved for Medicaid, help them actually get documented if they want to. In some cases, they get up to five hundred dollars to two thousand dollars in prepaid visa cards and so forth. So, in FY18, we funded from GRF, 1.499 million, in fiscal year '19, 1.499 million, in fiscal '20, 1.6 million, in fiscal '21, thirty-five million. Five GRF and thirty million from the DHS State Projects Fund that were related to COVID resources. In FY22, which is I think is what we're kind of talking about right here, was ninety million. So, we went from 1.4 in 2018 to ninety million in FY22, five million in GRF, eighty million from the DHS State Projects Fund and five million from the State COVID Fund related to COVID. So, then I'm -- I'm looking at some 40 STATE OF ILLINOIS 102nd GENERAL ASSEMBLY REGULAR SESSION SENATE TRANSCRIPT 99th Legislative Day 3/24/2022 others that I picked out and there are a few million here or there also going to different vary -- variations of welcoming centers. And to my estimation that comes out to a hundred and one million dollars total just going to one place that we're going to be using ARPA funds for. So, in continuing to the bill, I just have a couple more points. So, here's basically what's going to happen by shorting, because that's what we're doing with this bill, we're shorting the Unemployment Insurance Fund. We're going to do harm to the people who need this the most. So, I think there's a perception that we're only going to be hurting big industries, but the fact of the matter is, when we short this fund, first of all we're going to be forcing the very businesses that were forced to close during COVID by the Governor. So, they -- he forced them to close. We're going to now force them to pay for those they were forced to lay off during a time when they couldn't do business. Now, I know the sponsor talked about the fact that maybe they would do business or maybe they wouldn't do business, but the real fact is, the industry that's going to be hurt the most by all of this is the restaurant and hospitality industry. Which I think all of us represent. So, we're going force them now to pay higher premiums into the Unemployment Insurance Fund because they were forced to be closed and forced to lay people off. And secondly, and this will be my last point before closing, the other thing that the bill does is -- think about the fact that we have five dollar a gallon gasoline right now, so in essence, what's probably going to happen very shortly is it's going to force us into a recession. When it forces us into a recession, what happens, people get laid off. When those people get laid off, they need unemployment. When they get that unemployment in this case, 41 STATE OF ILLINOIS 102nd GENERAL ASSEMBLY REGULAR SESSION SENATE TRANSCRIPT 99th Legislative Day 3/24/2022 because we are shorting the fund, there is the potential that their benefits are going to be cut either by the length of time that they can have that benefit, so instead of getting twenty-six weeks of benefit, they might get twenty-four/twenty-five weeks. So, think about that. The other issue is if we don't cut the length of time that they're going to get benefits, we're going to cut the amount that they're going to get if we don't fully fund the Unemployment Insurance Fund. So, what does that mean to people who are at home who are trying to pay their bills? That could mean because this formula is kind of complicated, anywhere between thirty dollars a week and a hundred dollars a week. That could be four hundred dollars a month. That's a car payment. That's a house payment for some people. That's what we're talking about doing here. Not that we don't want to fund these great things, but what we're saying is there's ten and a half million dollars, sorry, ten and a half billion dollars here and Senator, I see you over there smiling, so I get it, maybe you're not taking this serious. But you know what, people I represent, their house payments are four hundred dollars a month or less. And this means a lot to them. So, you're not -- we're not voting not to fund these other very important things. We're voting to vote No because we're taking some crazy stuff that we're funding at a crazy level instead of funding the one thing that we should be funding right now after practically destroying our State by closing these businesses. This bill is bad for business. It's bad for labor and it's bad for Illinois. I urge a No vote.
PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR CUNNINGHAM) Is there any further discussion? Leader McConchie for what purpose do you seek recognition? 42 STATE OF ILLINOIS 102nd GENERAL ASSEMBLY REGULAR SESSION SENATE TRANSCRIPT 99th Legislative Day 3/24/2022 SENATOR McCONCHIE: To the motion.
PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR CUNNINGHAM) To the bill. SENATOR McCONCHIE: Thank you, Mr. President. First let me address this question about the agreed bill process. It's been raised that the agreed bill process is going to, you know, we have 1.8 billion unfunded liability that's left and the agreed bill process is what's going to process this going forward. Let me just outline or remind everybody that an agreed bill process would not be necessary if we had -- were fully funding this deficit. If there was not a problem, if we had fully funded and taken the ARPA funds as we should have last year, there would have been no need for an agreed bill process. If right now, we were addressing the full debt, there would be no need for an agreed bill process go forward. So, what we should be doing right now is fixing the problem, which we're not. Putting a little bit of a band aid on it, but we could be fixing it entirely. First, let me talk through some of the claims that have been made. Some here and also some from yesterday's debate in the House. One, a claim that has been made is that other states are spending between twenty-five and thirty-three percent of ARPA funds on their unemployment deficit and Illinois is putting more than other states have. While that's true, we're one of only nine states that have yet to completely resolve our UI Trust Fund problems. And that in these other states that were putting in this amount between twenty-five and thirty-three percent, actually were fully funding the deficit. So, the idea that, you know, we're -- we're actually doing more. That's not really 43 STATE OF ILLINOIS 102nd GENERAL ASSEMBLY REGULAR SESSION SENATE TRANSCRIPT 99th Legislative Day 3/24/2022 accurate. We should be putting more because we had a bigger problem that we needed to solve. That -- there's been another claim that businesses support this proposal. And that is sort of like having someone who has chronic thirst offering them a glass of water. Of course, they take the glass of water. They need that, businesses need whatever it is we can put in, but what business really needs is for us to fully address the problem as this happened in so many other states. Another claim is that we're shoring up the historic UI Trust Fund. That is not really accurate. We're assisting again, but leaving a 1.8 billion unfunded liability puts Illinois with the second largest UI Trust Fund debt in the State's history. Additionally, this - even with this influx, even with us putting more than some other states in as far as the percentage of the ARPA funds received, Illinois will still have the fourth largest UI Trust Fund deficit in the entire country. And this proposals only going to get us to the point that we were in the great recession of 2008. So, that's not exactly the fiscal responsibility hat that you should be hanging your - a hook that you should be hanging your hat on. There's been a claim that this is fiscal responsibility. Well, fiscal responsibility would have been a year ago when we said let's take the ARPA money and pay this off as so many other states did. That would have been fiscally responsible. That would have avoided the eighty-one million dollars in annual interest that is going -- that's accruing right now. Instead, you couldn't help yourselves. there was mentioned, you know, billions of dollars, or billion dollars in pork projects that really only affected your side of the aisle. In other ways in which the money's spent, and there's talk about other money continuing to be available. There was a 44 STATE OF ILLINOIS 102nd GENERAL ASSEMBLY REGULAR SESSION SENATE TRANSCRIPT 99th Legislative Day 3/24/2022 discussion point that was raised about the total influx of cash ARPA money, CARES money, which could have also been used to help address this problem. As well as, 4.6 billion in unexpected revenues that came into the State because of this. All of this could have been utilized, 16.7 billion. We could have addressed the 4.5-billion-dollar shortfall, got us back to zero, perhaps put more in in order to get us to solvency. We haven't done any of that. Instead, we're here at the very last minute with only a partial band aid that is likely to result in, yes, a continued agreed bill process that might, or might not, to get to some sort of result. And the likelihood of tax increases and benefit cuts, that is what you're doing with this. Sure, we want to pay off these other debts but we want to pay them off in full. Paying off only part of the debt is not responsible when you can pay off the entirety of the debt. So, with that, I mean, let me just talk about real briefly, that if there is no agreed bill process that comes out forward that addresses some of these issues, some of what we're facing, five hundred million dollars of tax increases, Along with five hundred million dollars of benefit cuts as part of the speed bump process that begins this summer. There is still an opportunity for us to do the right thing, to go back, let's put the rest of the money in, let's eliminate the need for an agreed bill process, come together. If the agreed bill process isn't working, we as a legislature, are elected representatives of the people and let's get together and solve the problem. And until we do that, I encourage a No vote.
PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR CUNNINGHAM) Lee Milner from the Illinois Times seeks leave to photograph today's proceedings. Seeing no objection, leave is granted. We 45 STATE OF ILLINOIS 102nd GENERAL ASSEMBLY REGULAR SESSION SENATE TRANSCRIPT 99th Legislative Day 3/24/2022 have one final speaker. President Harmon for what purpose do you seek recognition?
Thank you, Mr. President. To the motion.
PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR CUNNINGHAM) To the motion.
Thank you to the sponsor for the presentation and for the robust debate. At times it seems like, perhaps, we're talking about two different bills. But, when we debate appropriation bills it's -- it's often cold, as if we're talking about an accounting ledger. We don't talk often enough about what this means for the real people that we all serve and represent here. So, with a Yes vote on this bill, we are helping future college students and their parents and families who long ago made decisions to set aside money and now will get the full benefit of the bargain they thought they were going to get. We're going to help doctors, and dentists, and healthcare professionals who provide healthcare service to public employees and their families and their children, who have been providing the services but not getting paid for months, if not years. We're going to invest in the retirement security of state police troopers, corrections officers and teachers, who wonder if we take seriously their anxiety about how they're going to retire, in security. And finally, what's occupied most of the time, extraordinary first-time investment of outside funds in the unemployment insurance system. Remember this is a contained system and always has been. Certainly, for the twenty years I've been here, I think forever, it has been entirely paid for by employers working in agreement with the employees as to the appropriate level 46 STATE OF ILLINOIS 102nd GENERAL ASSEMBLY REGULAR SESSION SENATE TRANSCRIPT 99th Legislative Day 3/24/2022 of benefits. For the first time ever, we are introducing 2.7 billion dollars in new outside money which spares employers a tax increase and spares employees benefit reductions. We should be proud of the work we're doing. This is the next installment in the fiscal responsibility efforts that we've undertaken with the House and with the Governor. Don't take my word for it, two credit rating agencies have upgraded Illinois' credit for the first time in twenty years. This is what financial responsibility looks like. I thank the sponsor and I ask you for your Aye votes.
PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR CUNNINGHAM) Senator Holmes to close.
Thank you so much, Mr. President. And I do appreciate everybody that is speaking up and talking about this because I think it's very important and it's very important to our State. I just want to emphasize a couple of things. Number one, business and labor -- support this bill. So, saying that business and labor don't support it or you're concerned from them is blatantly false. Being in the agreed bill process I am dealing with representatives from business and labor, and I know they support this bill. So, I guess the last thing I want to say is those ARPA dollars that have been spent, very many of them went to the hospitality industry, to the small businesses, to childcare. They went to a whole bunch of needs we had in this State as we were confronted with a global pandemic. I just want to very clearly end with one thing that I want to emphasize, anybody who does not vote for this bill, what you are voting against is 2.7 billion into the UI Trust Fund, which that amount is supported by both business and labor. Eight hundred and ninety-eight million to pay off old group health 47 STATE OF ILLINOIS 102nd GENERAL ASSEMBLY REGULAR SESSION SENATE TRANSCRIPT 99th Legislative Day 3/24/2022 insurance bills, two hundred and thirty million to pay off the College Illinois program, and three hundred million in extra pension payments. I, quite frankly, feel much better about the State of Illinois and what we're doing by addressing those needs. I urge an Aye vote. And should you choose to vote No, I just want you to be very aware of what you're voting against. Thank you.
PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR CUNNINGHAM) The question is, shall the Senate concur in House Amendment 2 to Senate Bill 2803. All those in favor will vote Aye. Opposed, Nay. The voting is open. Have all voted who wish? Have all voted who wish? Have all voted who wish? Take the record. On that question, there are 39 Senators voting Yes, 16 voting No. Having received the required constitutional majority, the Senate does concur with House Amendment 2 to Senate Bill 2803 and is declared passed. Senator Bryant, for what purpose do you seek recognition?
Mr. President, I hit my button at least three times and it did not record No. I wish to be recorded as a hell No.
PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR CUNNINGHAM) I don't know if we can put that in the record, but the record will reflect your wishes. We will now proceed to the Order of Resolutions Consent Calendar. With leave of the Body, all those resolutions read in today, will be added to the Consent Calendar. Mr. Secretary have there been any objections filed to any resolution on the Consent Calendar?
No objections filed, Mr. President.
PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR CUNNINGHAM) Is there any discussion? If not, the question is, shall the 48 STATE OF ILLINOIS 102nd GENERAL ASSEMBLY REGULAR SESSION SENATE TRANSCRIPT 99th Legislative Day 3/24/2022 resolution on the Consent Calendar be adopted. All those in favor will say Aye. Opposed, Nay. The Ayes have it, and the motion carries. And the resolutions are adopted. There being no further business to come before the Senate, the Senate stands adjourned until 5:30 p.m. on the 28th Day of March, 2022. The Senate stands adjourned. 49