The regular Session of the 92nd General Assembly will please come to order. Will the Members please be at their desks? Will our guests in the galleries please rise? Our prayer today will be given by Reverend Dillard. Reverend Dillard.
(Prayer by Senator Dillard)
Please remain standing for the Pledge of Allegiance. Senator Radogno.
(Pledge of Allegiance, led by Senator Radogno)
Senator Dudycz, for what purpose do you rise?
Thank you, Mr. President. I stand on a point of personal privilege.
State your point.
Ladies and Gentlemen, thirty years ago tomorrow I married the most wonderful woman in the world. She's standing behind me -- beside me here. Oksana. And tomorrow we will be celebrating our thirtieth wedding anniversary. And I -- as I'm thinking about the last eighteen years that I've been down here, I remember when we first -- when I was first elected and I was sworn in for the first time, my daughters -- or, my two little girls were here, and we went to the mansion and we took a photograph - a family photograph. And I wanted to have one more shot at taking a family photo at the mansion before I leave the Senate. So, I just would like to, one more time, introduce my family. I'm very proud of my bride of thirty years, Oksana, and my daughter, Valya, and my 1 STATE OF ILLINOIS 92ND GENERAL ASSEMBLY REGULAR SESSION SENATE TRANSCRIPT 103rd Legislative Day May 27, 2002 son-in-law, Marc, Valya and Marc Lupescu; and my daughter, Nadya Dudycz, and her boyfriend, John Hazelwood. And I would like to acknowledge my family here in the Illinois Senate. Thank you.
Reading of the Journal.
Senate Journals of Wednesday, May 22nd, and Thursday, May 23rd, 2002.
Senator Wendell Jones.
Mr. President, I move that the Journals just read by the Secretary be approved, unless some Senator has additions or corrections to offer.
Senator Jones moves to approve the Journals just read. There being no objection, so ordered. Messages.
A Message from the President, dated May 27th, 2002. Dear Mr. Secretary - Pursuant to the provisions of Senate Rule 2-10(e), I hereby extend the deadline for Senate Bills and House Bills 3rd Reading on the following category of bills, with specific bills enumerated under this category, to May 31, 2002: Revenue - specifically, Senate Bills 2255 and 2260, and House Bills 539 and 2381; Appropriations - specifically, Senate Bill 2390. Signed by President Philip.
Senator Demuzio, for what purpose do you rise?
Thank you, Mr. President. Let the record reflect that Senator Clayborne is still absent, due to illness. 2 STATE OF ILLINOIS 92ND GENERAL ASSEMBLY REGULAR SESSION SENATE TRANSCRIPT 103rd Legislative Day May 27, 2002
The record will so indicate. Messages from the House.
A Message from the House by Mr. Rossi, Clerk. 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 1936, with House Amendments 1 and 2. Passed the House, as amended, May 23rd, 2002.
Senator Donahue, for what purpose do you rise?
For the purposes of an announcement.
Make your announcement.
Thank you, sir. I would like to announce that there will be an Appropriations hearing meeting immediately following the Governor's speech, in Room 212, for all Approp Members and anyone else that may want to come down and hear the presentation. But Appropriations meeting, in 212, immediately following the Governor's speech.
Resolutions.
Senate Resolution 440, offered by Senator Wendell Jones and all Members. Senate Resolutions 441, 442 and 443, by Senator Lauzen and all Members. Senate Resolution 444, by Senator Sullivan and all Members. And Senate Resolution 445, by Senator Myers and all Members. They're all death resolutions, Mr. President. 3 STATE OF ILLINOIS 92ND GENERAL ASSEMBLY REGULAR SESSION SENATE TRANSCRIPT 103rd Legislative Day May 27, 2002
Consent Calendar.
Senate Resolution 446, by Senator Geo-Karis. It's substantive.
PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR DUDYCZ) Committee Reports.
Senator Weaver, Chair of the Committee on Rules, reports the following Legislative Measures assigned: Refer to the Committee on Appropriations - Senate Amendment 1 to Senate Bill 2390; and refer to the Committee on Executive - Senate Amendment 2 to House Bill 1215, and House Bill 539, and House Bill 2381.
PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR DUDYCZ) Messages from the House.
A Message from the House by Mr. Rossi, 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 81. (Secretary reads HJR No. 81) Adopted by the House, May 27th, 2002.
PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR DUDYCZ) Senator Weaver moves to suspend the rules for the purpose of House Joint Resolution 81. All those in favor, say Aye. Opposed, Nay. The Ayes have it. And the rules are suspended. Now Senator Weaver has moved for the adoption of House Joint Resolution 81. Those in favor, say Aye. Opposed, Nay. The Ayes have it. And the motion {sic} is adopted. Senator Demuzio, what -- what purpose do you rise? 4 STATE OF ILLINOIS 92ND GENERAL ASSEMBLY REGULAR SESSION SENATE TRANSCRIPT 103rd Legislative Day May 27, 2002
I just had a question on that last resolution. Was that the resolution commanding us to come back tonight?
PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR DUDYCZ) It's the resolution on the Joint Session at 6 o'clock, Senator Demuzio, which we will be ordered to go to the House in ten -- approximately ten minutes. Senator Demuzio.
Didn't we pass that last week when we were here?
PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR DUDYCZ) We just got -- we -- we just got it, Senator Demuzio. We had not. It's House Joint Resolution No. 81. It was just adopted by the House this afternoon. Ladies and Gentlemen, the following Senators have been appointed as a Committee of Five from the Senate to wait upon His Excellency, Governor George Ryan, and invite him to address the Joint Assembly: Senators Dudycz, Mahar, Weaver, Halvorson and O'Daniel. The -- all Members are encouraged to be in the House Chamber at the hour of 6 p.m. for the Governor's address to the Joint Session. And the Chair would also like to announce that the Governor is having dinner for all the Members at 7 o'clock tonight at the Mansion, directly after the budget speech. So you are all, Ladies and Gentlemen, invited to the Governor's Mansion for a dinner on behalf of the Governor. Senator Molaro, what purpose do you rise?
Thank you, Mr. President. Just a question. I know you're in kind of a mood since this may be your last year down. You're not kidding about the Governor's Mansion and dinner? We're not going to go there and it's a -- some kind of -- practical joke?
PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR DUDYCZ) Senator -- Senator Molaro, I would never joke practically with you. The Governor has invited all the Members to dinner to the 5 STATE OF ILLINOIS 92ND GENERAL ASSEMBLY REGULAR SESSION SENATE TRANSCRIPT 103rd Legislative Day May 27, 2002 Mansion this evening at 7 o'clock or immediately after his address to the Senate. I also would like to remind the Membership that immediately upon the conclusion of the Governor's remarks, we will be coming back to the Senate for Senate action. Senator Hendon, what purpose do you rise?
Thank you, Mr. President. I didn't know if Senator Molaro had the Floor or not, but I've noticed that the last few weeks he's been cracking a few jokes around here. Is he also not coming back to this Chamber, as -- or something like that? I don't -- I don't understand.
PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR DUDYCZ) Senator Hendon, some of us go on to bigger and better things and others go to the House of Representatives. One more time, Ladies and Gentlemen, the Members -- all Members are encouraged to be in the House Chamber at the hour of 6 p.m. - that's less than ten minutes - for the Governor's address to the Joint Session. The Senate will stand at ease until ten minutes after the Governor concludes his remarks to the Joint Session. (SENATE STANDS AT EASE/SENATE RECONVENES)
The Senate will please come to order. Senator Rauschenberger.
Yes. For purposes of announcement.
Make your announcement.
A number of Members have questioned me how long we expect to be in Appropriation Committee tonight. This evening we hope to 6 STATE OF ILLINOIS 92ND GENERAL ASSEMBLY REGULAR SESSION SENATE TRANSCRIPT 103rd Legislative Day May 27, 2002 give Steve Schnorf, the Director of the Bureau of the Budget, who will be engaged elsewhere, a chance to give us a ten- or fifteen-minute overview on the Governor's presentation, and then we'll take specific questions, for perhaps twenty-five or thirty minutes is all. And we hope to conclude with just information from him. We'll probably recess the Committee and come back at 8:30 in the morning. As I've told my colleagues on this side, all Members of the Senate are welcome to join us in Room 212. There are seats up in the -- in the -- where the Senators sit for nearly forty people. So people who are interested in -- in hearing some of the details -- to the extent as the time flows that we have time, we'll allow questions from Members not on the Appropriation Committee, time allowing. Of course, Committee Members will get preference. So, you're welcome if you'd like to hear a brief presentation from Bureau of the Budget Director Steve Schnorf tonight. I will try to get people moving along, because I know people would perhaps like to get something to eat tonight, and then we're going to return at 8:30 tomorrow morning.
Senator Demuzio, for what purpose do you rise?
Well, Mr. President, with respect to this announcement, and since you're sitting in the Chair, in all the period of time when we've had major developments with respect to increasing taxes or budgetary problems, we've always had committees of the whole. Now, I notice that the House is going to be conducting a -- a committee of the whole on Wednesday. This would certainly afford us the opportunity to hear speakers like Mr. Schnorf and -- and others, and afford our Members who are not on the Appropriations Committee the opportunity to ask questions. And I would ask you, Mr. President, if we could find maybe a couple hours sometime tomorrow which we could -- we could do that. We could have a 7 STATE OF ILLINOIS 92ND GENERAL ASSEMBLY REGULAR SESSION SENATE TRANSCRIPT 103rd Legislative Day May 27, 2002 committee of the whole and -- and afford all the Members the opportunity to ask questions about the budget, if that -- if that's -- if that's appropriate.
You know, I probably think that's a good idea if we keep the media out of here, because then we'll only be here for two hours. I'll let you figure that out. But -- but -- but anyway, let me say that's a suggestion. I don't know what -- what Schnorf's schedule is like. I'll talk to the Governor's Office. We will give you a -- an answer in the morning. Senator Rauschenberger.
Yeah. I would just point out again that the Appropriation Committee meeting is open to all Members, so in case we don't get an opportunity to do a committee of the whole, some of us are a little concerned about the decorum of the Chamber and how much, really, progress you make if you open it up to -- to Members who aren't serious enough to sit through a committee hearing. So you're very, very welcome to join us in Appropriation. Members have done that. So, we hope you might join us. Exactly, and -- and I think serious participation in Appropriation Committee's kind of the right thing to do, isn't it? I mean, I think it's fine for the House to run public displays in their Chambers, but I -- I thought we were a little bit more serious Body when it comes to the policy.
Senator Demuzio, for what purpose do you rise?
Oh, I'll guarantee the decorum on our side. The fact is, is that Members can certainly go down there, but they're not afforded the -- the opportunity to ask questions. Now, this is not out of the ordinary. This is not of the -- out of the ordinary. This has happened on a number of occasions. Happened in '83. Happened 8 STATE OF ILLINOIS 92ND GENERAL ASSEMBLY REGULAR SESSION SENATE TRANSCRIPT 103rd Legislative Day May 27, 2002 with Walker. Happened with Thompson. Happened with Edgar. What's -- what's the problem?
Senator Rauschenberger.
You know, this is no surprise. I mean, this started in November. We've been in appropriation meetings down in -- in that 212 conference room for probably a total of more than sixty hours on that committee. Many of your Members have sat through those meetings, and they are welcome to come down and join us. But, you know, to turn the Floor Chamber into a discussion of a -- of a twenty-four-billion-dollar general funds budget and a fifty-billion-dollar budget proposal for two hours of -- of fun and games, Vince, I -- I don't think that's appropriate action. You're welcome to come to the -- to the -- Room 212. You'll be afforded all the opportunity. Your Members have spent time on this. Those are the people that ought to be reviewing the budget proposal.
Senator Demuzio, for the final time.
Okay. Well, why is the House doing it, then? Why -- why is the House doing a committee of the whole? I mean...
Senator Rauschenberger.
Yeah. Why -- why does -- why does the House split its appropriation process into four committees? Why doesn't it take its process seriously? Vince, why don't you answer that... Is it because it's led by Mike Madigan? Or is it because they have different goals? I'm not sure why they do it, but we have never run the appropriation process here in a committee of the whole. 9 STATE OF ILLINOIS 92ND GENERAL ASSEMBLY REGULAR SESSION SENATE TRANSCRIPT 103rd Legislative Day May 27, 2002 And I can't even believe you'd ask that.
There any further business to come before the Senate? If not, Senator Weaver moves the Senate stand adjourned until the hour of 11 a.m. 10