Illinois Senate Floor Debate — November 18, 2004

(Pledge of Allegiance, led by Senator Maloney)

Mr. President, I move that the Journal just read by the Secretary be approved, unless there are additions or corrections to offer by a Member of the Senate.

Thank you, Mr. President. This resolution simply pledges the General Assembly’s support for University of Chicago and Argonne National Laboratory in its bid for a one-billion-dollar federal project to house the Rare Isotope Accelerator. It also encourages the Department of Energy, the President of the United States and the Illinois Congressional Delegation to consider Argonne to house the RIA to run the facility. If granted, the - - this project would create sixteen thousand construction jobs over a eight-year period. It would also support four hundred new jobs to operate the facility. I would ask the Body for a favorable -- favorable vote in support of the resolution.

I’ll try to -- I try to be -- I’ll try to be a little bit more brief than that, Senator. A Rare Isotope Accelerator creates and studies isotopes for potential uses, including uses for national security, medicine, biology and other scientific uses.

A rare isotope is a short-lived nuclei that hasn’t been around for a while, Senator.

Thank you, Mr. President. Senator, while Argonne National Laboratory is, indeed, in Senator Radogno’s district, University of Chicago just happens to be housed in the Thirteenth Legislative District.

An accelerator is the -- the apparatus that will create and study these rare isotopes.

Senator, I -- I -- I pledge my visit to Senator Radogno’s district to -- to -- to research that data, and -- and get back to you on that, Senator.

Thank you, Mr. President. Question of the sponsor.

Senator, in -- in your comments you said that this resolution is asking President Bush to -- and the -- and the Congress to -- to work on this. Have you talked to Senator 4  STATE OF ILLINOIS 93rd GENERAL ASSEMBLY REGULAR SESSION SENATE TRANSCRIPT 159th Legislative Day 11/18/2004 Frist or Speaker Hastert, or the President? Or maybe your friend Barack Obama has -- has talked to them. Where is that -- where are those conversations in Washington?

Senator, I planned on -- in fact, since I’m urging President Bush and the Republican-controlled Senate to -- Congress to -- to consider Illinois on this, I planned on working with you to urge the President and the -- the powers that be at the federal level to -- to get this support.

As Senator Dillard was questioning, you know, this is in DuPage County. He is the County Chairman out in DuPage. But you may not know this gentleman, but there’s -- there used to be a gentleman in this -- in this Chamber, named Pate Philip, who used to be the Chairman. He used to be the President of the Senate. Have you sat down and talked with Pate yet about this? Does he really want it in DuPage County?

No, Senator.

Well, I -- I think that since we -- we have a -- I know we’re -- we’re led by the Democrats here, but with a Democrat - a freshman Democrat, nonetheless - sponsoring this legislation, asking the Republicans in Washington to do this, and you haven’t even checked in with President Bush or Speaker Hastert or Pate Philip, I think it might be wise at this point to just take it out of the record and, you know, maybe we can work on it later. Thank you.

Would the sponsor yield?

Senator, I’m reading the analysis and just have a question for you. It says producing isotopes that no longer exist naturally on earth provides nuclear scientists with the opportunity to explore the beginnings of matter and ultimately life. Is that what the goal is, from -- from your point of view, for passing this resolution?

The goal is to -- to use the study of these isotopes for the purposes previously indicated.

So this is your first attempt to pass anything down here and you’re -- you’re -- for your first resolution, you want to see if we can discover and explore the beginning of life. Is that the modest goal that you’re taking on in this particular bill?

Certainly, Senator, I’d like to explore the beginning of life and -- and to continue life, particularly in this Chamber. 6  STATE OF ILLINOIS 93rd GENERAL ASSEMBLY REGULAR SESSION SENATE TRANSCRIPT 159th Legislative Day 11/18/2004

So are you kind of a pro-life Senator? Is that what you’re saying.

Pro my life in this Chamber.

Well, at Christmastime, I’ll -- I’ll just pay a visit to Salem Baptist and we can make sure we address that question at that time.

Well -- well, in that jurisdiction, it’ll -- it’ll be up to Senator Meeks to make that final decision, because I -- I don’t -- I don’t control the decision making in -- in that jurisdiction.

Thank you, Mr. President. Will the sponsor yield for a question?

Senator Raoul, you know, this is very, very serious what you’re trying to do here today. So don’t take this -- you know, I -- I really just have to ask you these questions ‘cause I’m very concerned. I need to know, are you taller or shorter than Senator Obama? And are you balder or do you have more hair than Senator Obama? Could you expound on that, and how do these isotopes - do they make you taller or shorter, or if you take ‘em, will you grow to the stature of Senator Obama? You know, you’re replacing a -- I’m not sure…

Well, I’m hoping the study of these isotopes could -- could help me with my follicly-challenged problem, and -- and if -- if -- if the use of these isotopes can -- can help me in -- in that manner, I could, indeed, be taller than Senator Obama, if I can grow an afro or something of that nature.

Yes. This motion is to concur with House Amendment No. 1 to Senate Bill 2253. This amends the Pharmacy Practice Act to expand the term of “dispense” in reference to the delivery of drugs, medical devices to patients, also the verification of medication orders and prescriptions, drug product selection, and any recommending or advertising {sic} concerning the contents. This -- amendment also specifies that a pharmacist or a pharmacist technician must handle all transactions relating to the prescription. This language was initiated by the Illinois Pharmaceutical Association.

PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR HALVORSON) On the Order of Concurrence is Senate Bill 2277. Senator Peterson. Senator Peterson, do you wish to proceed? Madam Secretary, read the motion.

PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR HALVORSON) Senator Peterson, to explain.

PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR HALVORSON) Thank you, Senator Peterson. Senator Winkel.

PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR HALVORSON) Is there any discussion? Seeing none, this is final action. The question is, shall the Senate concur in House Amendment No. 1 to Senate Bill 2277. 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 59 Yeas, none voting Nay, none voting Present. And the Senate concurs in House Amendment No. 1 to Senate Bill 2277, and the bill, having received the required constitutional majority, is declared passed. On the Order of Concurrence is Senate Bill 3090. Senator Silverstein, do you wish to proceed? Oh, I’m sorry. Senator Harmon, do you wish to proceed? Madam Secretary, read the motion.

PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR HALVORSON) Senator Harmon.

Thank you, Madam President. I’m moving to concur with the House amendment to Senate Bill 3090. This bill corrects a defective referendum run by one of those school districts in my legislative district. It is of critical importance to this small school district but has no impact, whatsoever, on any other school district in any other Senate district. This bill helps to implement the will of the voters. A brief procedural history just to remind you: This bill passed the Senate last spring with a comfortable margin, enjoyed a lengthy stay in the House Rules Committee. Towards the end of the spring Session, I attempted to resurrect it by joining it with a similar legislative measure that Senator Lauzen was moving for a school district in his district. Recognizing that by attaching them I was probably dooming Senator Lauzen’s bill in the House, I -- I agreed to withdraw my portion of it, not wanting to interfere with the good -- the needs in his district. And I would simply ask my colleagues for the same consideration in solving a problem in my own district. I’d ask for Aye votes and be happy to answer any questions.

PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR HALVORSON) Is there any discussion? Senator Lauzen.

PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR HALVORSON) Is there any further discussion? This is final action. The question is, shall the Senate concur in House Amendment No. 1 to Senate Bill 3090. 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 43 Ayes, 12 Nays, none voting Present. And the -- Senate concurs in House Amendment No. 1 to Senate Bill 11  STATE OF ILLINOIS 93rd GENERAL ASSEMBLY REGULAR SESSION SENATE TRANSCRIPT 159th Legislative Day 11/18/2004 3090, and the bill, having received the required constitutional majority, is declared passed. With leave of the Body, we will be returning to page 4. On the Order of Concurrences is Senate Bill 2234. Senator Silverstein, do you wish to proceed? Madam Secretary, please read the motion.

PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR HALVORSON) Senator Silverstein, to explain your motion.

Thank you, Madam President. I wish to concur. This -- this concurrence will allow any Member of the General Assembly to introduce legislation to implement any recommendation of JCAR concerning any emergency or any other existing rules.

PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR HALVORSON) Is there any discussion? This is final action. The -- oops! Senator Rutherford. I apologize.

PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR HALVORSON) Senator Silverstein.

That -- that is correct. And we discussed this in JCAR, too, last meeting.

PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR HALVORSON) Senator Rutherford.

PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR HALVORSON) Senator Silverstein, to close.

12  STATE OF ILLINOIS 93rd GENERAL ASSEMBLY REGULAR SESSION SENATE TRANSCRIPT 159th Legislative Day 11/18/2004 Thank -- thank you, again, Senator Rutherford. I’m telling you. Two days in a row over here. Okay. Thank you very much. I’d ask for a favorable Aye vote. Thank you.

PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR HALVORSON) This is final action. The question is, shall the Senate concur in House Amendment No. 1 to Senate Bill 2234. 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 58 Yeas, none voting No, none voting Present. And Senate Bill -- the Senate concurs in House Amendment No. 1 to Senate Bill 2234, and the bill, having received the required constitutional majority, is declared passed. Page 5, under Consideration Postponed. We have House Bill 768. As this bill has already been presented and debated on the Floor, debate on this bill will be limited to one proponent and one opponent. Senator Winkel. No. Madam Secretary, read the bill.

PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR HALVORSON) Senator Winkel.

PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR HALVORSON) Is there any discussion? Seeing none, the question is, shall House Bill 768 pass. 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 48 Yeas, 11 Nays, none voting Present. And House Bill 768, having received the required constitutional majority, is declared passed. House Bill 1000. As this bill has already been presented and debated on the Floor, debate on this bill will also be limited to one proponent and one opponent. Madam Secretary, read the bill. 13  STATE OF ILLINOIS 93rd GENERAL ASSEMBLY REGULAR SESSION SENATE TRANSCRIPT 159th Legislative Day 11/18/2004

PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR HALVORSON) Senator Watson.

PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR HALVORSON) Is there any discussion? Senator Hendon.

Thank you, Madam President. I just want to point out, yesterday in the newspaper, there were two people who pleaded guilty of selling about a thousand pounds of fireworks, where they bought from one county and transported it over to another county. So, just because it’s limited to the three counties does not stop these dangerous fireworks from making it through all of our homes and all of our counties. And they certainly injure and maim some people. I pointed out yesterday about the 14  STATE OF ILLINOIS 93rd GENERAL ASSEMBLY REGULAR SESSION SENATE TRANSCRIPT 159th Legislative Day 11/18/2004 senior citizen whose house was burned down by a small firecracker, and her life was lost in that incident. So I urge a No vote.

PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR HALVORSON) Senator Watson, to close.

PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR HALVORSON) The question is, shall House Bill 1000 pass. Those in favor will vote Aye. Those 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 32 Yeas, 24 Nays, none voting Present, and House Bill 1000, having received the required constitutional majority, is declared passed. On page 6, Motions in Writing Override Total Vetoes. We will be starting with House Bill 4651. Senator Clayborne, on House Bill 4651, do you wish to proceed? Senator Trotter, on House Bill 7029. Madam Secretary, please read the motion.

PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR HALVORSON) Senator Trotter, to explain.

Thank you very much, Madam President and Members of the Senate. I’m asking the Senate to concur to the override of the Governor’s veto of the House Bill 7029. This legislation amends the Nursing and Advanced Practice Nursing Act. It increases the amount of money from the Nursing and Dedicated Professional Fund 15  STATE OF ILLINOIS 93rd GENERAL ASSEMBLY REGULAR SESSION SENATE TRANSCRIPT 159th Legislative Day 11/18/2004 {sic} to be appropriated to the Department of Public Health. And it also exempts the Nursing Dedicated and Professional Fund from GRF chargebacks.

PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR HALVORSON) Is there any discussion? Senator Righter.

PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR HALVORSON) Senator Trotter, to close.

Just ask for an Aye vote.

PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR HALVORSON) The question is, shall the Senate pass House Bill 7029, notwithstanding the total veto of the Governor. 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 56 Yeas, none voting Nay, none voting Present, and House Bill 7029, having received the required three-fifths majority, is declared passed, notwithstanding the veto of the Governor. Senator Sullivan, for what purpose do you rise?

For an announcement.

PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR HALVORSON) State your announcement.

Think everybody’s received their Calendar for the ’05 Session. And Senator Dave Sullivan and Representative Ed Sullivan and myself would like to announce an important date that needs to be added to your Calendar. And that is, on March 16  STATE OF ILLINOIS 93rd GENERAL ASSEMBLY REGULAR SESSION SENATE TRANSCRIPT 159th Legislative Day 11/18/2004 the 15th, the third annual Sullivan Caucus St. Patrick’s Day celebration, will be held here in Springfield. We haven’t decided on the exact location. We’ll give you the details later on. We want -- but we want to make sure that you get that on your calendars. March the 15th. It’s on a Tuesday, and everybody that is Irish or would like to be Irish is welcome to attend. Thank you.

PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR HALVORSON) The Illinois Information Service wishes leave to videotape the proceeding. Is leave granted? Leave is granted. Senator Shadid, for what purpose do you rise?

Personal privilege, Madam President.

PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR HALVORSON) State your point.

There’s a cake up in front. It’s Larry Walsh’s seventy- fourth birthday, I think, today. Am I correct? He looks pretty good for that, but… No. It’s our good friend Larry is leaving. On behalf of everybody, we’re having a little cake for Larry. Enjoy yourself. And, Larry, good luck. If we ever need anything from your little area, you don’t mind if we call you, do you? Okay. Thank you very much.

PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR HALVORSON) Congratulations, Senator Walsh. We will all miss you very, very much. Senator Sieben, for what purpose do you rise?

PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR HALVORSON) Just for the information of the Members, we will be doing a resolution, so anybody else who wishes to speak, you might want to hold it for later. Senator Hendon, for what purpose do you rise?

Thank you, Madam President. I -- I am aware of your recent announcement, but while we’re on this break, I -- I will be celebrating my twenty-ninth birthday, and since I worked so hard to get Larry here in his first campaign, I am taking west side rights to this cake. So, half the cake is for my birthday and the other half will be for the chief executive moving forward. I -- I mean, I don’t think he’d have a problem with that since I worked so hard to get him here in the first place. So, the left side is for my birthday, and treat yourself to it. You’ll enjoy it. It’s a very nice cake.

PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR HALVORSON) Happy birthday, Senator. Anybody else have anything. You want to share part of the cake, just let me know. We will be going to House Bills 3rd Reading. So if everybody could turn their Calendar to page 2. House Bills 3rd Reading. Senator Martinez, on House Bill 626. Senator Jacobs, on 678. Senator Sandoval, on 872. Senator Sandoval, on House Bill 872. Senator Harmon, on House Bill 1002. Senator Jacobs, on House Bill 1068. Senator Jones, on 2751. Senator Jones, on 2753. Senator Schoenberg, on 3589. Senator Schoenberg seeks leave of the Body to return House Bill 3589 to the Order of 2nd Reading for the purpose of an amendment. Hearing no objections, leave is granted. On the Order of 2nd Reading is House Bill 3589. Madam Secretary, are there any amendments approved for consideration?

PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR HALVORSON) Senator Schoenberg, to explain your amendment.

Thank you, Madam President and Ladies and Gentlemen of the Senate. Amendment No. 7 becomes the bill. Before I explain -- and -- and the bill -- the bill essentially does three main things: It specifically permits stem cell -- expanded stem cell 18  STATE OF ILLINOIS 93rd GENERAL ASSEMBLY REGULAR SESSION SENATE TRANSCRIPT 159th Legislative Day 11/18/2004 research in Illinois and establishes a peer review of such research. It bans human reproductive cloning, which is currently something that is not on the books here in Illinois or on the federal level, and makes any attempt - any attempt - to clone a human being a Class 1 felony. There’s no such ban on a federal level or on the State level, and it’s essential that we provide for this ban on human reproductive cloning. It also provides a mechanism for couples, through a process of informed consent, to donate unused embryos at fertility clinics that would otherwise be discarded. Without House -- without Amendment No. 7 to House Bill 3589, Illinois will chill the climate for researchers, the research teams, and those who fund their research, to do their work in a moral and ethical framework without the constraints placed upon them by politicians. Without Floor Amendment No. 7, we will diminish the strength and reputation of some of the country’s leading academic medical institutions and the biotech industry in Illinois. Passage of this bill not only influences scientists interested in stem cell research, but other researchers, as well, who tie their research to stem cell research. There’s significant evidence that shows that embryonic stem cell research has the potential to help cure serious illnesses and injuries, ranging from juvenile diabetes to Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, Lou Gehrig’s Disease, cancer, spinal cord injury, and a host of other diseases and conditions. This evidence is particularly meaningful because scientists have only been conducting this research for about -- little less than five years, since human embryonic stem cells were first -- isolated. Three new studies, in fact, within the first -- last few months, using these embryonic stem cells, produce encouraging results regarding their potential for treating disease. One experiment involved using embryonic stem cells to correct faulty heart rhythms in pigs. Another one, in another study, scientists showed for the first time that embryonic stem cells can develop into eye cells. They are critical to vision. A third experiment suggested that embryonic stem cells could produce healing compounds to help ailing organs repair themselves. This does not mean that we should disregard the benefits that we’ve realized, and that we hope to realize, from adult stem cells and 19  STATE OF ILLINOIS 93rd GENERAL ASSEMBLY REGULAR SESSION SENATE TRANSCRIPT 159th Legislative Day 11/18/2004 cord blood. In fact, if we’re truly to help all disciplines, all fields of research in stem cell research, including that which is already federally sanctioned, we need to be able to give scientists a true comparative means of doing their work without the constraints, without applying tourniquets to their funding. One of the most troubling aspects of all of this, to me personally, is that according to data furnished by the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, two-thirds of the stem cell research dollars raised in this country are exported abroad. Now that number may change because of the overwhelming support for Proposition 71 in California led by Governor Schwarzenegger and a number of other prominent Republicans from all ideological stripes. And that may change because the Governor of Wisconsin indicated yesterday the fact that they want to wish -- that they wish to make public support available to help scientists do their work. I say we let the scientists do their work. We have dealt with many of the ethical and moral questions on this policy issue a number of years ago when, at this Capitol, we decided to allow -- to allow insurance coverage for in vitro fertilization treatment. If you support in vitro fertilization treatment and all the benefits it has provided in reconciling the difficult issues that face all our consciences, then I would urge you to support this as well. I want to -- before I open up to any questions, so that I have the opportunity, I’d like to thank two of my colleagues in particular. First, I’d like to thank Senator Radogno, because without Senator Radogno’s leadership, this human reproductive cloning ban, which is essential to putting some of the fears, whether they are warranted or unwarranted, to rest. And the second, to Senator Dillard, who made some very -- who made some very insightful observations on how this bill could be improved. And I want to extend my thanks to him as well. This bill -- you’ve heard from a number of people on this bill. We know that -- we know that House Republican Leader Cross is very supportive of this amendment. We know that House -- the former House Minority Leader Bob Michel has been an active proponent of this measure, as has Treasurer Topinka - several members of the Congressional Delegation on both sides of the aisle, most notably Representatives Kirk and Biggert. We’ve seen how 20  STATE OF ILLINOIS 93rd GENERAL ASSEMBLY REGULAR SESSION SENATE TRANSCRIPT 159th Legislative Day 11/18/2004 Senator Durbin and the leadership from Senator Obama have made - in this Chamber - have made a difference. And how the leadership of others, such as the Governor, who has promised to sign this bill in its current version, we’ve seen their -- we’ve seen how much their opinion matters. We’ve seen how Ron Santo, who has never been involved in a political issue in his life, has come forward to urge us to adopt this measure. But I’m not asking you, necessarily, to do it for any of them or the academic medical centers or the researchers. I’m asking you to do it for those adults and children whose hopes are genuine, based on the advances that science has provided us today. I’d be happy to answer any questions and I would urge you to support Floor Amendment No. 7.

PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR HALVORSON) Is there any discussion? Senator Crotty.

I move for the previous question.

PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR HALVORSON) Okay. There are eight speakers on the amendment. Senator Dillard.

PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR HALVORSON) Sponsor indicates he’ll yield.

PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR HALVORSON) Senator Schoenberg.

No. Section 20 of the bill contains -- specifically prohibits the purchase or sale of embryos. Section 20(a) states that, quote, “…person may not knowingly, for valuable consideration, purchase or sell embryonic or cadaveric fetal tissue for research purposes.”

PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR HALVORSON) Senator Dillard. 21  STATE OF ILLINOIS 93rd GENERAL ASSEMBLY REGULAR SESSION SENATE TRANSCRIPT 159th Legislative Day 11/18/2004

PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR HALVORSON) Senator Schoenberg.

Section 20(c) makes the purchase of sale of embryos a criminal offense.

PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR HALVORSON) Senator Dillard.

PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR HALVORSON) Senator Schoenberg.

Senator Dillard, thank you for asking that question. It strikes at the heart of a very important issue. With that -- with this provision, we are seeking to prevent any backdoor arrangements for the commercial purchase and sale of embryos for research purposes in the same -- very much the same way that the laws prohibit the purchase and sale of organs for transplant. By affirmatively prohibiting such an arrangement, we leave no question about the source of the embryos for research.

PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR HALVORSON) Senator Dillard.

PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR HALVORSON) Senator Schoenberg.

The embryos can only be obtained if they’re donated with informed consent. Again, the process of donation of embryos is like -- very much like the process used in organ donation, which also requires informed consent.

PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR HALVORSON) Senator Dillard.

PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR HALVORSON) Senator Roskam.

PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR HALVORSON) Senator Harmon.

Thank you, Madam President. I rise in support of the Senator’s amendment. As a cosponsor of the underlying bill and as a Catholic, I have heard from many fellow parishioners who oppose this bill, and they do so in good faith. But based on the description of the bill that appeared in my parish bulletin a couple of weeks ago, I think they do so based on some misunderstandings, which to me is reminiscent of the debate over in vitro fertilization many years ago, which the church and good Catholics opposed, but which has proven to be a boon to many families who would not exist as families but for those developments. The misunderstandings that I -- I think are most 27  STATE OF ILLINOIS 93rd GENERAL ASSEMBLY REGULAR SESSION SENATE TRANSCRIPT 159th Legislative Day 11/18/2004 important are the notion that this would sanction human cloning. I think that Senator Schoenberg’s amendment, one of the toughest amendments -- or the most stringent language nationally, to -- to clearly and explicitly ban that, is an important fact. I also question as a Catholic whether we are, as humans, even capable of human cloning. That seems to me the province of God. The second, I don’t believe that this bill encourages the destruction of a human embryo. There is no measure of reason or faith that I can understand lifesaving and disease curing research to be morally inferior to simply destroying a fertilized egg. And all this bill does is permit a couple, who had eggs frozen and would otherwise destroy them, to donate them for research that may cure MS, diabetes, Parkinson’s, ALS and a host of other diseases. I spent a lot of time with my pastor talking about this bill. I spent time praying. Like Senator Dillard, I spent time reading and researching. But most importantly, I’ve heard from many faithful Catholics who support this bill, who have parents or spouses or children who may be cured by the advances made possible by embryonic stem cell research. This research is already sanctioned at the federal level. We should do something here in Illinois to support that effort. And most importantly, this bill helps us to establish a moral and ethical framework within which this research can be conducted in Illinois. I applaud the sponsor and I urge your Aye votes.

PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR HALVORSON) Senator Geo-Karis.

PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR HALVORSON) Sponsor indicates he’ll yield.

PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR HALVORSON) Senator Schoenberg.

That’s correct, and it becomes a Class 1 felony.

PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR HALVORSON) Senator Geo-Karis.

PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR HALVORSON) Senator Schoenberg.

Senator Geo-Karis, there are approximately four hundred thousand embryos that have been unused by couples who have successfully -- who have sought in vitro fertilization treatment. They are being stored and -- and frozen in fertility clinics across the country and most of them are slated to be destroyed, and instead they could, with the informed consent of the couple, be used to find cures for citizens in the State.

PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR HALVORSON) Senator Geo-Karis.

PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR HALVORSON) Senator Schoenberg.

Yes.

PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR HALVORSON) Senator Geo-Karis.

PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR HALVORSON) Senator Radogno.

PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR HALVORSON) Senator Hendon.

Thank -- thank you, Madam President. I rise in strong support of this legislation and the hush around the room was mentioned. The hush in the room is not necessarily someone’s guilty conscience. The hush could be because some of us have struggled with relatives who’ve had diabetes and some of these other terrible diseases and there was no cure and we had to struggle with them on a daily basis, as I have and -- and my family with my mother. And I’ll tell you, Olivia Hendon was a beautiful person, strong and tough. But when that diabetes got a hold to her, she had a -- a serious challenge there on her hands. You know, my mother whupped my brother when he was thirty-something with a belt - that’s how tough she was. She couldn’t beat that diabetes, though. And it used to bother us, and it bothered her more than anybody else, that we had to prick her with that needle all day. All day we had to check her sugar and she did not want to live like this. Now, I -- I -- I struggle with this because it’s just not Catholics who have problems with this. I’m a Baptist. Love the Lord with all my heart. Now I’m not no perfect Christian, don’t get me wrong, evidence of that was last night. But I do stand here without any hesitation claiming that I love the Lord and I know where I’m going when I leave here. So, am I going to, you know, now turn and -- and be the child of the devil ‘cause I want to save some lives? I don’t think so. We’re taking -- we want to take some -- some cells and -- the embryonic cells and do the research to see if we can cure some of these diseases that are taking people’s lives that are already here, that have jobs, want to see their grandbabies grow up. My mom’s not getting the opportunity to see little Rickey as tall as he is now and see Skye running around, you know, with her new hairdo and all of that. My mom wanted to see all that. And -- and I -- and I ask 32  STATE OF ILLINOIS 93rd GENERAL ASSEMBLY REGULAR SESSION SENATE TRANSCRIPT 159th Legislative Day 11/18/2004 some of you, if you were in that situation, if it was your life or your mother, your baby, wouldn’t you want every opportunity to save them? And what Senator Schoenberg is doing, he’s talking about some cells that otherwise are going to be destroyed or frozen. These lives are going on right now. You know, if I’m in that situation and I do believe if you’re in that situation, you would want a cure. You know, most of us want to be here. I -- I love being here. Every single day that I can get, I thank the Lord for it. So -- so why not do this? Why -- why not give science the opportunity to save some lives? The hush is because we want to save some lives, and we’ve lost some lives that we could have saved if we’d open up our mind. New diseases come up all the time - mad cow, bird flu. What were those? We never heard of those before. I -- I hadn’t. Now, all of a sudden, they’re out here. So new diseases are coming up. What about new cures? I urge an Aye vote.

PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR HALVORSON) Senator Winkel.

PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR HALVORSON) Senator Righter.

PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR HALVORSON) Sponsor indicates he’ll yield.

PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR HALVORSON) Senator Schoenberg.

As I indicated to my answers to Senator Geo-Karis, this bill specifically bans human reproductive cloning. In an attempt to represent my answer on that question through another means, I think you need to -- what I’d like to do, in response to your question, is to speak to something that you’re alluding to and that some others have alluded to with respect to what is somatic cell nuclear transfer technology, which is known in layman’s terms as therapeutic cloning and which is different, fundamentally different, from human reproductive cloning. Somatic cell nuclear transfer technology, or therapeutic cloning, in this process the nucleus of an egg is removed, the cluster of cells, and replaced with a nucleus of a body cell, such as a skin cell. There’s no sperm utilized in this process. The cell that’s created through this process is then coaxed to divide - and this is a development which has only occurred in the past several years - and then we can remove stem cells. This process, somatic cell nuclear transfer, known in layman’s terms as therapeutic cloning, creates cells that are genetically compatible to their recipient, and allowing for successful transplantation without rejection from the immune system. Senator Righter, you and I had the privilege of hearing testimony from the -- from the only researcher who’s -- who has -- is currently engaged in stem cell research who has testified before a committee in this Senate, Dr. Mary Hendrix, who, I - add parenthetically, left Iowa because that State legislature restricted her work so by outlawing most of the means for her to 38  STATE OF ILLINOIS 93rd GENERAL ASSEMBLY REGULAR SESSION SENATE TRANSCRIPT 159th Legislative Day 11/18/2004 do that work. She -- the process that she outlined and the diagram that she provided, it’s that precise effort which is making it possible in the area of juvenile diabetes for scientists to attain -- to be what they feel are on the threshold of a cure, on the threshold of eliminating -- pain, because the plural plasticity, or the adaptability of those embryonic cells, has been found by scientists to date to be inherently superior to -- adult stem cells in -- in treating and seeking to eliminate juvenile diabetes. So, for a child like Reynolds Cross or Clara -- or Clara Livingston, whose mother testified before the Executive Committee last night, the ability to have somatic cell nuclear transfer technology, known in layman’s terms as therapeutic cloning, which is fundamentally different from human reproductive cloning, this -- by using these embryonic cells, they have the opportunity to eliminate the pain, to eliminate the diabetic condition, and therefore to enhance their quality of life. I -- I appreciate your allowing me to go into greater detail than your initial question, but we’ve engaged in this at length in the Health and Human Services Committee. And -- in anticipation of some of the questions that might be coming, in addition to addressing some of the questions that have -- statements which have already been made out of passion, but perhaps not factually correct, and I won’t gauge the moral relativity of them because I don’t think that’s my place, that’s why I appreciate your indulgence.

PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR HALVORSON) Senator Righter.

PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR HALVORSON) Senator Schoenberg.

In Section 30 of the bill, in the -- on the Section on cloning of a human being and the providing of a criminal penalty, it says, and I quote “…cloning of a human being, means asexual human reproduction by implanting or attempting to implant the product of nuclear transplantation into a woman’s uterus or a substitute for a woman’s uterus.” Human reproductive cloning is banned in this bill. It was not in an earlier version. And if Chris Radogno -- if Senator Radogno - pardon me - Senator Radogno had not stepped forward -- the version from the House that came here did not have a ban on human reproductive cloning. As a person of faith, I, too, believe that we should have a ban on human reproductive cloning. That’s one of the essential ingredients to this bill. And, in fact, I’ll point out, we didn’t debate this at all when we voted on this the last time. So, those of you who voted No in the rush to vote, actually voted against a ban on human reproductive cloning. The definition is clear on human reproductive cloning. And I went into detail on somatic cell nuclear transfer technology, which is known in layman’s terms as -- therapeutic cloning -- as therapeutic -- as therapeutic cloning, because there’s a distinction and that there’s a difference realized not only by scientists but by the overwhelming number of Americans. Seventy-four percent of Americans in this country, and Senator Dillard went into greater detail, believe and support this position.

PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR HALVORSON) Senator Righter.

PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR HALVORSON) WICS-TV requests permission to videotape. And let me remind everybody -- well, is there leave to allow them to videotape? Leave is granted. Let me remind everybody, this is just the amendment, so I will appreciate the fact that everybody continue debating something that already hasn’t been said. Senator Sieben.

PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR HALVORSON) Sponsor indicates he’ll yield.

PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR HALVORSON) Senator Schoenberg.

Thank you for asking that question, Senator Sieben. Like many -- like millions of Americans, regardless of their politics, their persuasion, where they live or what they stand for, I was deeply touched and inspired by the strength that former First Lady Nancy Reagan showed, and the grace, under very difficult circumstances, and the fact that she came forward to join with Senator Hatch, to join with fifty-eight other members of the United States Senate, Democrats and Republicans, pro- choice and pro-life, and over two hundred members of Congress to try to move the federal policy forward. And yet, we haven’t see that happen. I was very inspired by that. Now, I recognize that I have some limitations on passing -- on offering opinions about what defines a good Republican, but my friend Bob Michel is for this bill. My friend Judy Biggert’s for it. One of -- both of my congressmen, Jan Schakowsky and Mark Kirk, support 42  STATE OF ILLINOIS 93rd GENERAL ASSEMBLY REGULAR SESSION SENATE TRANSCRIPT 159th Legislative Day 11/18/2004 this. My friend the State Treasurer and the current chair of the Republican Party is for this. My friend Kirk Dillard has shown tremendous insight and courage in calling issues to my attention that make this even better so that scientists can continue to do their work within a moral and ethical framework. So I -- I’m not going to get engaged in the -- in the internal discussion among the Republicans over the -- whether this was a good idea or bad idea. I’m speaking to my inspiration. And when Minority Leader Cross came and stood beside me, that provided me with the comfort level, as well as the names that I mentioned earlier, and that’s why I did it.

PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR HALVORSON) Senator Sieben.

PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR HALVORSON) Senator Burzynski.

PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR HALVORSON) That’s always in order.

PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR HALVORSON) Senator Clayborne.

Thank -- thank you, Madam President. Listening to all the speakers, and obviously this has been a very challenging, very thought-out debate, and for the different beliefs that we have in here, which makes our country one in which we have people overseas fighting for the ability just for us to have this debate and to have a -- a debate that’s sensible, Members being respected. And I listened to the last speaker, and I think about over the course of this country, in the history of this country, where we’ve all debated different issues, from civil rights, to suffrage for women, to voting rights for African- Americans, to what we recently passed - a woman’s ability to receive equal pay. We continue and -- and our children will continue to debate -- and grandchildren and great-grandchildren will continue to debate things as they move along. But, you know, I think about a phone call I received in 1992, and my mother asked me to come and see her. And she told me two days before, she had been jogging. And as long as I can remember, my mother got up at about 5 a.m. and she jogged. Well, this particular morning, her leg had given out. She thought she had pulled a muscle and she went to the emergency room. And went through a series, over the next two days, of tests. So, after finding out what the tests revealed, that’s when she called me and said would I come see her. This was 1992. My mother, at the age of fifty-two years old, was told that she had two to four years to live because she was diagnosed with multiple myeloma. Here’s a woman who never smoked, maybe she drank a occasional glass of wine, was diagnosed with multiple myeloma. She, at -- after four years of being diagnosed, she went through 45  STATE OF ILLINOIS 93rd GENERAL ASSEMBLY REGULAR SESSION SENATE TRANSCRIPT 159th Legislative Day 11/18/2004 everything. I mean, she was taking shark cartilage; she was drinking tea - I mean, everything that they told her that they thought would prolong her life. Then one of her doctors told her about a stem cell transplant, where they actually took her stem cells out and then gave her heavy doses of radiation and chemotherapy, and then they injected her stem cells back in. And I can remember sitting down with the doctor and consulting with him, and -- and I thought at the time what he said was very cruel, but then over the years, I’ve realized that maybe it was true. And the question I asked was, “How would this help, would this improve?” He said the best thing we can do, is probably to extend her life, hoping that research and technology would advance to the point where we would come up with a cure. But he said, “There’s no cure for death.” I thought that was very cruel, ‘cause he said -- he went on to say that all of us will die, but your mother probably knows what she’ll die from. And I still remember that like it was yesterday. But after that stem cell transplant, instead of my mother living two to four years, she actually lived another year and a half because of the stem cell transplant. So, you talk about the hush, as the former speaker said, there was never any doubt in my mind that for my mother and other mothers and children and sons and daughters in this world, that if we have an opportunity, I don’t see this as taking a life. You know, I -- I assume in the same debate of organ transplant, where we have -- I have a friend who gave his kidney to his father, and now - his father died - now he’s on dialysis because his other kidney failed. But I would assume that -- I wasn’t here on the debate of the organ transplant, but I assume that that same debate and factual situation came up. Well, my mother died in 1998. Still miss her. My father, at the age of thirty-five, in 1973, was diagnosed with diabetes, and it was cruel the things that he had to go through, which eventually, about five years ago, his kidneys failed. And he went through -- he went through dialysis. And -- and he retired and -- and he was fortunate enough that he was at retirement age where he didn’t sacrifice his ability to work. Well, he took the shots. Eventually his kidneys failed, and he went to dialysis. He was lucky enough to get a transplant. So I thank those over the -- over the history who voted for the transplant. 46  STATE OF ILLINOIS 93rd GENERAL ASSEMBLY REGULAR SESSION SENATE TRANSCRIPT 159th Legislative Day 11/18/2004 And that prolonged his life. And then in August of this year, he had to go in because of his kidneys failing and began to have fluid on his -- on his system and his irregular heartbeat. But long story short, I lost my father August 7th of this year, as well. So, when you do say, “What does this mean?” -- and maybe it wouldn’t have saved my parents, but I would like to have seen the ability for medical research within the confines of -- I’m not in favor of human cloning. But as I believe and -- and as one of the Senators said the other day, I do not believe that a embryo in a petri dish has a soul. And I ask you, whether you are convinced by that -- but I -- I’m reminded of another story. There were two young boys who had heard about this wise man in East Africa, heard that he could solve any problem, answer any question anybody desired. And, you know, as two teenagers, they’re always curious. And I may have told this story before. But they decided to capture a bird, and they wanted to go see this wise man to ask this wise man whether the bird was dead or alive. So they saw the wise man. They said, “Is the bird alive?” And the bird was in one of the young man’s hands. And the wise man said, “For if I tell you that the bird is alive, you’ll close your hand and crush it and you’ll kill the bird. If I tell you that the bird is dead, then you’ll open your hand and let it fly away.” And what that wise man said, “Foresee, you hold the power to make change that’s needed.” And I say to all my Members here that sometimes change is hard, sometimes it’s difficult, but as technology changes and it advances, we have to change with those times. And the wise man said, “Young man, you have the ability at the end of your wrist to make change.” And I ask you all, those of you all who have the ability at the end of your wrist, which is your hand, that you hit a green button for all of those children, all of those adults, all of those parents who are in desire, who are desperate, who -- who do and desire hope for future and things to come. Thank you.

PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR HALVORSON) Senator Schoenberg, to close.

Thank you, Madam President and Ladies and Gentlemen of the Senate. I -- I appreciate the courtesies that all of you have 47  STATE OF ILLINOIS 93rd GENERAL ASSEMBLY REGULAR SESSION SENATE TRANSCRIPT 159th Legislative Day 11/18/2004 extended me, not just today, as we’ve had a -- what I believe is a thoughtful discussion of how we can continue to expand scientific inquiry within a moral and ethical framework, but -- but for the -- private conversations that many of us -- have had, as not only I’ve sought to improve this proposal from its initial version - and again, I -- I give a great deal of credit to Senator Radogno and Senator Dillard for their insights - not to -- just make it a better bill. It goes beyond that. It’s to make for better lives, and I think that ultimately that’s our objective. One of the earlier speakers made one reference to -- suggested that we were denying the relevance of morality in political affairs, and I would dispute that premise because we are seeking to expand activity within a moral and ethical framework for scientists who otherwise take their researchers, take their research team and take their -- their research dollars and go elsewhere, whether it’s California, New Jersey, Wisconsin or, more likely, to Israel, to Great Britain, to Korea and elsewhere. We didn’t have the opportunity to go into a detailed discussion before, when we considered this late in May, so I never had the opportunity to share a message with you that I received. It was a message from Christopher Reeve, and I’d like to have it read into the record. It was an e-mail. I had asked if he was physically capable of -- I asked if it was possible for him to make some phone calls. He wasn’t able to do so, but he did pass along an e-mail that he asked me to read into the record -- that he asked an advocate for spinal cord injury victims, someone who has testified before the Senate Health and Human Services Committee, an attorney, Andres Gallegos, who is, indeed, courageous in his own right, and he -- Mr. Gallegos forwarded me this message from Christopher Reeve. Andres -- and I quote, “Andres, please convey this message on my behalf to Members of the Illinois State Senate who are still undecided on House Bill 3589, Stem Cell Research Act. By voting Yes for House Bill 3589, the Stem Cell Research Act, you will position Illinois at the forefront of biomedical research in this country and affect the lives of millions of Americans. The diseases and conditions that may be treated or cured by stem cells do not discriminate, as any one of us may become paralyzed in an instant or suffer a long, agonizing decline into the 48  STATE OF ILLINOIS 93rd GENERAL ASSEMBLY REGULAR SESSION SENATE TRANSCRIPT 159th Legislative Day 11/18/2004 misery of living with Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, diabetes or ALS. As you contemplate your position on the bill, please consider the enormous promise of stem cell research and the very real possibility that may one day impact the lives of one of your family members or loved ones. Will a cure or therapy be available for them? We may not know if House Bill 3589 is not passed. Because the federal government is gridlocked on the issue, Americans are turning to the states to keep hope alive. California and New Jersey have already paved the way by enacting legislation that -- that allows their scientists to conduct research on stem cells derived from any source. If more states support stem cell research, the science will accelerate. If you pass this bill, talented researchers will come to Illinois instead of moving to other states or going overseas. An environment that welcomes the most brilliant scientific minds will also benefit the economy as venture capitals, biotech -- biotechs and pharmaceuticals will be drawn to Illinois. Most importantly, please trust the oversight built into this legislation to ensure that the research will be conducted in a responsible and ethical manner. You have the opportunity now to speak for those who cannot speak for themselves and who, through no fault of their own, are now or will become imprisoned in their own bodies. Vote Yes on House Bill 3589. Sincerely, Christopher Reeve.” I never met Christopher Reeve. I was present in Chicago when he first spoke to the nation of the struggles of confronting his own personal situation. But as we’ve spoken and I’ve spoken to people throughout the State about this issue, what has moved me is the grip of a young father with Lou Gehrig’s disease, with his children standing by his side, knowing that every day is a borrowed day without science being able to progress and wanting to watch his children grow and wondering if the science could catch up with the calendar in time, or meeting the parents and children -- the parents of children who are afflicted with juvenile diabetes. That insulin pump is much, much more than an inconvenience or a hindrance. I would rather have young children, whether it’s Reynolds Cross or Clara Livingston or the countless of other children, who know that their lives are different and whose parents are passionate about the pursuit of a cure, because in 49  STATE OF ILLINOIS 93rd GENERAL ASSEMBLY REGULAR SESSION SENATE TRANSCRIPT 159th Legislative Day 11/18/2004 their -- in the case of their particular child’s condition, science is indeed on a breakthrough through expanded stem cell research. Those little girls, they’re the same age as my daughter, and I thank God every day - I thank God every day - that no one in my family to date has been touched by a condition or a disease that might depend on the field of scientific inquiry that would find a -- a cure. When I heard Senator Dillard, I almost deferred to him to provide the close. But I think we all know people. We’ve served with some of them. We continue to serve with some of them. We know their family members. We’ve met some of them, whether they live in their communities or not. We have an ability to help make Illinois and to help science make dramatic breakthroughs, and that’s -- and that’s a role that I don’t think we should walk away from. I urge you to vote Aye.

PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR HALVORSON) Senator Schoenberg moves the adoption of Amendment No. 7 to House Bill 3589. All those in favor will vote Aye. Opposed, Nay. And the -- oh. The voting is open. Have all voted who wish? Have all voted who wish? Have all voted who wish? Have all voted who wish? Take the record. On that question, there are 28 Yeas, 29 Nays, 1 voting Present. And the amendment to -- No. 7 to House Bill 3589 fails. Have there been any other Floor amendments approved for consideration?

PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR HALVORSON) 3rd Reading. There will be a meeting of the Rules Committee immediately in the President’s Antechamber. Madam Secretary, Committee Reports.

PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR HALVORSON) Madam Secretary, Resolutions.

PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR HALVORSON) Resolutions Consent Calendar. Madam Secretary, Resolutions.

PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR HALVORSON) Senator Jones, do you wish this resolution considered? Madam Secretary, please read the resolution.

PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR HALVORSON) Could I have everybody in their seats and get some order before we go on to a couple resolutions?

PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR HALVORSON) Senator Jones moves to suspend the rules for the purpose of immediate consideration and adoption of Senate Resolution 747. Those in favor will say Aye. Those opposed, Nay. The Ayes have it and the rules are suspended. Senator Jones, on your resolution.

PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR HALVORSON) Is there any discussion? Senator John Jones.

PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR HALVORSON) Senator Jacobs.

Thank you, Madam President, Ladies and Gentlemen of the Senate. Not going to speak to the resolution because it’s self- evident the works that Larry Walsh has done down here, but I would like to talk about Larry Walsh, the man. It was alluded to that he was one of the first ones to join in with Barack Obama, thereby propelling him. I can remember a few years back in a previous life that I had, when I decided to run for Secretary of State. Larry was on the Board in Will County. I went there. He gave me his support. He’s a man of his word. He loves his family. His wife and his children and his grandchildren, he adores them. But Larry has some faults, some real serious faults. Number one, he’s a White Sox fan. Number two, he’s a Pabst Blue Ribbon fan. And most importantly, he tells some of the lousiest jokes you’ll ever hear. But, Larry Walsh, it’s been very rewarding not only to serve with you, but it’s been very rewarding to call you my friend. I love you and good luck for your family. And he will be back, believe me. Anybody that thinks he’s gone, he’ll be back with his hand out, looking for money just like he looked for votes down here.

PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR HALVORSON) Senator Link.

Thank you, Madam President. I guess we could consider Larry an honorary member of the class of ’96. You know, we -- he came in a little bit late, but we still could consider him an honorary member. I had the fortunate opportunity of knowing Larry for many years before he came into the Senate. And I know 53  STATE OF ILLINOIS 93rd GENERAL ASSEMBLY REGULAR SESSION SENATE TRANSCRIPT 159th Legislative Day 11/18/2004 when he was considering replacing former Senator Dunn, he gave me a phone call and he was quandarying the idea of what he should do about taking this. And I said, “Larry, I -- even though I’m new here, it’s a great institution,” and I said, “I think you would be a great Member.” And -- and I -- and I’ll tell you, you know, except for those meetings that Senator Jacobs and I have with him on occasional nights, I don’t regret those words. But, Larry, or affectionately known as Uncle Larry to a lot of us, it’s been a lot of fun. And -- and you have been a leader. You’ve been a leader in many ways. And I know that when -- when you told us that you were going to take on this other endeavor and you were going to run for office, we all had mixed emotions. And we almost said that we would send you checks and we would work for you, but we were hoping that you just came “that close”, but that you maybe would fall a few votes short, that you still would stay with us, but that you would get it out of your system and stay with us. But actually, deep down, we knew you’d -- always would win, and we were happy for you and that we were happy that you would win because we knew that you would be where you wanted to be, very close to home, close to your family, because we know how close you are to your family. And we are only your second family. That’s your first family, and you should always be with that first family. But we will always be your second family. And as Senator Jacobs said, we know you’ll be down here with your hand out for more money, but we’ll always welcome you back because you’ve been very generous to us on those meetings that you had with Senator Jacobs and us, that you’ve always been a very good contributor on those nights and we do appreciate that contribution that you made to us on those nights. And we hope that you come back, because now with that bigger income that you have, you’ll be able to contribute a little bit more to us. But, Larry, it’s been a pleasure. We thank you for what you’ve given to this Senate. We thank you for what you’ve given to the State of Illinois. But I thank you the most for the friendship and the loyalty that you’ve given me. Thank you.

PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR HALVORSON) Senator John Sullivan.

54  STATE OF ILLINOIS 93rd GENERAL ASSEMBLY REGULAR SESSION SENATE TRANSCRIPT 159th Legislative Day 11/18/2004 I don’t think there’s a Senator on this Floor that’s probably going to miss Larry Walsh more than I. You know, I try to -- try to think of words to describe this gentleman. You know, he’s a valued colleague. We share -- our offices are right beside each other, and oftentimes when I’m sitting in my office with my door closed, I can still hear Larry carrying on a conversation with somebody in his office. We’re going to miss that, Larry. He’s my advisor. He’s somebody that I can always go to and ask for advice, knowing that he is going to give me his honest opinion, whether I want to hear it or not. He’s obviously a fellow farmer, something that there’s not a lot of around this -- not -- not a lot of us in this Chamber here, Larry, and I’m -- I’m going to -- I’m certainly going to miss that discussion that we have about our farms and -- what’s happening in our districts in regard to farming. ‘Course he, as -- you’re the Chairman of the Ag Committee, and I’m the Vice Chairman. I -- I just -- your knowledge, your leadership in -- in regard to issues on the Ag Committee has just been something that has been invaluable to me, and I want to thank you for that leadership as well. But most importantly is -- what I’m going to miss about you is your friendship, and I know that that friendship doesn’t end here. I know that you’re going to be back, and I certainly hope to come up and visit you and your family on -- on a number of occasions. But just the fact that - - that I trust you, I know you’re an honest man and -- and that’s what makes a great friendship. And -- and I have to comment that the -- the voice mail that you left on my phone after the election was one of the nicest. I still save it. I have it on there to this day and I’m going to save it as long as I can, because it was some of the nicest things that you said; you know, just, to me, tells me how important and I hope it tells you how important our friendship is. I feel like our loss here in the Senate Chamber is Will County’s gain, and I want to say good luck and God bless to you and to your family. Thank you.

PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR HALVORSON) Senator Petka.

PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR HALVORSON) Senator Welch.

Thank you, Madam President. It’s -- it’s a happy day and a sad day at the same time. Larry Walsh has been an outstanding State Senator. It’s hard to believe he was only here for eight years. You know, in -- in the Legislature, many of us get pigeonholed into being experts in certain areas based on the committee that we chair or the area of expertise we choose to emphasize, and it’s sometimes ignored that individuals often exercise leadership in other areas. And certainly with our 56  STATE OF ILLINOIS 93rd GENERAL ASSEMBLY REGULAR SESSION SENATE TRANSCRIPT 159th Legislative Day 11/18/2004 Downstate Democratic Caucus, Larry Walsh was a true leader of that Caucus, both in -- on -- on the budget, on -- on the revenue issues, on all issues affecting not just downstate but Chicago as well. To say that he’s an expert in agriculture, certainly is an understatement. He’s that and much more. He has been able to blend both compassion for individuals throughout the State, a great deal of intelligence, as well as common sense that sometimes is not very common around this area, and I think that that’s probably what we’re going to miss the most with Larry leaving. As he moves on to a new job, certainly he once was a member of the county board, now he gets to tell those other members what to do, and I hope he’s successful in that. He’s certainly been a -- a great -- a great leader and it certainly has bestowed upon the Illinois Senate a great aura of having intelligent Members, having Members who are hardworking and represent their constituents, and he’s certainly one that the Illinois Senate is going to miss. Thank you, Larry.

PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR HALVORSON) Senator Lightford.

Thank you, Madam President, Ladies and Gentlemen of the Senate. You know, I’m reminded of when I first arrived here during Veto Session of ’98, and I quickly went into this huge office that was former Senator Earlean Collins’. She was in leadership and I had this huge office. But after reorganization, my office became extremely small as a freshman. And shortly thereafter, I became the Minority Spokesperson for Financial Institutions and Larry was on that committee, and I remember me saying to him, “Can I host my pre-meetings in your office?” And I don’t know if Larry remembered this, but he’s just so jolly, and he’s like, “You sure?” And I said, “Sure.” So we arrive in his office and it’s just he and I sitting there waiting for other Members to come, and we had the opportunity to exchange conversations and -- and that allowed me to let Larry know who I was and where I’m from. And by the end of that meeting, he began to call me Kimmy. And I’ve got to tell you, Larry is the only man that calls me Kimmy, and the only person I allow to call me Kimmy outside of my family. So, I just want Larry to know that he was just such a nice man to me when I arrived here, and I 57  STATE OF ILLINOIS 93rd GENERAL ASSEMBLY REGULAR SESSION SENATE TRANSCRIPT 159th Legislative Day 11/18/2004 appreciate it. He’s always just a nice, genuine person. And I’m going to miss him extremely, because he’s the only person I can walk on the Floor and say, “Hey, Larry,” and he say, “Hey, Kimmy,” and it’s just a good day. So, I just wish Larry the best. I’ll never forget how kind you were to me in guiding me through that committee, and I hope that our paths will continue to cross in the future. God bless you.

PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR HALVORSON) Senator Geo-Karis.

PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR HALVORSON) Senator Viverito. We’ll come back to Senator Viverito. Senator Sandoval.

Thank you, Madam President. To our great friend and gran amigo de la comunidad Mexicana del Estado de Illinois el Senador Lorenzo Walsh. To our great friend and to a great friend of the Mexican community, my good friend, Senator Larry Walsh, I bid you farewell, and Godspeed to you and your family and good health. I, as a young man from the barrio of Gage Park in the southwest side of Chicago, I am blessed and honored to have come across a great man like you. I had the opportunity, in such a short period of time in these last two years, to have shared office space and be on the same floor, and I know no other than 58  STATE OF ILLINOIS 93rd GENERAL ASSEMBLY REGULAR SESSION SENATE TRANSCRIPT 159th Legislative Day 11/18/2004 -- a greater man than to share the office space and the floor and to be across than a guy like you, Larry Walsh. As a -- the Vice Chairman of the Committee on Local Government, you served as a great mentor to me and walked me through the processes through our pre-meetings and through discussions throughout our committee hearings on how to approach the -- the committee. Also, as a colleague and a Member of the Labor Committee, we sat there many time jawboning on some of these issues that you and I share similar values. And, you know, the story that I’d like to say, that here’s a man who is really truly a men of all seasons and a man for -- for all men. And -- and I -- what I mean by that is that when I went to Larry Walsh a year ago because there’s movement in the Legislature to take issue with part of the great tradition and culture of the Mexican community in the State of Illinois as it relates to the Mexican rodeo. There was some -- some legislation that was passing through these halls that would greatly be of detriment to our culture and to our traditions as a Mexican community. I went to Senator Larry Walsh for assistance and guidance to try to help stop that legislation that was insulting, and it was demeaning and it would hinder our great culture and our tradition. And if it were not for your support, Senator Walsh, our traditions and our cultures would have been lessened and they would have been damaged for a long period in history here in the State of Illinois. And I truly, on behalf of the Mexican rodeo, on behalf of the Mexican community, on behalf of myself and my family, thank you for being there for me. Thank you for being a mentor. And, boy, you know, you hear the story of how you were such a part of the -- the making and support of that young man, that young black man from Hyde Park. Well, I’d like to tell the world that you have had such an impact also on the life of this young hermano from the barrio of Back of the Yards. God bless you. Vaya con Dios.

PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR HALVORSON) Senator Luechtefeld.

PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR HALVORSON) Senator Shadid.

Thank you very much, Madam President. You know, Larry -- all these nice things that everybody said about Larry, and I leaned over to Larry, I said, “I’ve been sitting next to you for about three or four years now and I never saw any of these fine things.” I -- I thought maybe I was asleep or something or missed a lot of this stuff. And Larry says, “Well, you know, if I’d known that they thought this highly of me on both sides of the aisle, I might have run for Senate President.” I said -- well, I’m not going to touch that, Emil. You know I would never leave you. No, I’ll just sum mine up very quickly and say to you -- Luechtefeld, or, Senator Luechtefeld, I think you really hit it on the head when you said, when you meet Larry and you talk with him and visit with him, what you see is what you get. You’re absolutely correct. Larry, you’ve been a great seatmate, and I can tell you that we had a lot of fun and we usually voted pretty similar, but there were times that you’ve strayed off and voted for the farmers, and -- and you talked me into it, too, but I didn’t mind that. That’s okay. But, Larry, good luck to you, you and your family. And I wish you well, and I really mean that. Thank you.

PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR HALVORSON) Senator Haine.

Madam President and Ladies and Gentlemen of the Senate and, Senator Walsh, as Chairman of the Local Government Committee, I received, as Senator Sandoval referred to, an education from the 60  STATE OF ILLINOIS 93rd GENERAL ASSEMBLY REGULAR SESSION SENATE TRANSCRIPT 159th Legislative Day 11/18/2004 Minority Spokesman from previous sessions - Senator Walsh - and I don’t mind saying some of his advice, especially on a given bill, was forcefully rendered at a very high decibel level. And I -- my office is on the mezzanine immediately above Senator Walsh’s office. So the -- the -- the window well wasn’t sealed properly years ago when they put that mezzanine in, so like Senator Sullivan, I became part of Senator Walsh’s colloquies in his office with various lobbyists and others, especially when he was declining to support their particular bill. And, again though, our -- his -- his advice, although colorful at times, was certainly rendered in a kindly fashion, unlike his seatmate’s, Senator Shadid. We will miss you, Senator Walsh. Will County is gaining a man of integrity and great competence. And I agree, Vaya con Dios, Godspeed. Thank you.

PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR HALVORSON) Senator Viverito.

I’m -- thank you, Madam President. I’m certainly deeply honored to join with everyone else in talking. And Larry Walsh’s wonderful, wonderful family, Irene. And Carolyn and I kind of have gotten to know the family a little bit, and I don’t think we’ve ever had a fundraiser that he had that we didn’t enjoy. ‘Course I come back with a lot less money than when I went out there. And when Larry first came here, I remember it vividly because we kind of chatted, and I found out that Larry was elected as a township supervisor in 1973. And of course, I was a township supervisor. So we related to a lot of the particular things that we had in common, along with our other colleague -- Senator Peterson. So, we are all grassroots township men, and obviously now to see Larry become the County Board Chair, I think some of us Democrats are going to come out there and help you out every once in a while, Larry. But we’re going to miss you. We love you. We love your family, and -- and I can’t say enough. We -- I even shot -- skeet shooted in his backyard. This guy is the best. And whenever I was troubled, he and I’d go out and have a hot toddy together and, believe me, I’m going to miss that, Larry, because I think you’re the only one that I really trusted enough to have a hot toddy and tell 61  STATE OF ILLINOIS 93rd GENERAL ASSEMBLY REGULAR SESSION SENATE TRANSCRIPT 159th Legislative Day 11/18/2004 you the way I felt. God bless you and your wonderful family. Thank you…

PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR HALVORSON) Senator Jones, to close.

PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR HALVORSON) The question is, shall Senate Resolution 747 be adopted. All those in favor, say Aye. Opposed, Nay. The Ayes have it, and the resolution is unanimously adopted. Congratulations, Senator Walsh. Senator Walsh.

Well, thank you, Madam President. As I speak for probably the last time on this wonderful, wonderful Floor, I can’t say enough on what a wonderful time I’ve had here for the last almost eight years. To President Jones, his support from the moment that I stepped foot in this building, in this Chamber, has truly been a friend and a leader. We are blessed as legislators, honored by our constituents that place us here to do the people’s business, as difficult as it is on some of the pieces of legislation that we deal with. This is one of the greatest fraternities, establishments there has to be in the whole world, undoubtedly the greatest in the State of Illinois, to be known as an Illinois Senator, and we are great because we are surrounded by great people - the staff, who I, having come from the farm, never had staff to do anything for me. I had Irene. And, staff members, she was paid worse than what you are. And I had my family. But from the first days in the Illinois Senate, each and every one of the staff have been the kindest and most helpful that I could ever ask for - every one of ‘em - Dave Gross, on down the line, Jill, everybody, Courtney, everybody. I don’t want to get into mentioning names. 62  STATE OF ILLINOIS 93rd GENERAL ASSEMBLY REGULAR SESSION SENATE TRANSCRIPT 159th Legislative Day 11/18/2004 But without a doubt, I would never have been as successful as I have without your help, and that’s a tribute to Senator Jones, and I know that Leader Watson has the same feelings, and the Members on the other side of the aisle, of what staff does for us. To all of you, my colleagues, it has truly been a wonderful experience, getting to know all of the Senators that have been here, and we’ve seen a lot of ‘em over the last eight years, the changes and the number of people that have retired and moved on. And to my good friend, Barack Obama, who’s moved on to a great new beginning, another great segment of his illustrious career. We all come down here with the idea that we are going to -- we’re going to change the world, and how we find that fifty-nine individuals come into this room and, yet, we are able to sit down and work out compromise and come up with what we hope are good pieces of legislation for our constituents. It has truly been wonderful, an experience that I’ll never, ever forget, in meeting, meeting and getting to know all of you. I wish at times there was a little bit more camaraderie than what we have. I hear the stories from twenty years ago, or so, where there was more time, more time that was involved with Members going out for dinner and spending more time together. And I have enjoyed every one of the meals that we’ve been asked to, and were asked not as Democrats or Republicans, but asked as legislators, as Senators to sit at a table and have a good time and just talk to one another and not worry about whether we’re voting on a piece of legislation or not. Those have been some of the greatest times. So, as I leave here, I’ll never, ever forget all of the experiences and the wonderful people that I have been fortunate to meet. But I have to -- there are some certain individuals that -- that have really been special. And coming from the farm, I never had a secretary, and when Tom Dunn asked me that - - when I came down, what did I want to do with a secretary or do you want to find somebody, I said, “I’ve never hired a secretary before in my life. I wouldn’t know what to ask.” And Tom said, “Well, I have a wonderful lady by the name of Rhonda Wood that has a done a great job for me. She used to serve with Senator Jerry Joyce. She has an abundance of knowledge.” And I said, “I’m -- I’m thankful. I will keep Rhonda Wood as -- as my secretary.” And I kept my secretary, Bev Edman, in Joliet. I 63  STATE OF ILLINOIS 93rd GENERAL ASSEMBLY REGULAR SESSION SENATE TRANSCRIPT 159th Legislative Day 11/18/2004 said, “If I was to come down and try to find something -- somebody new,” I said, “I’d be sitting in the office not knowing what to do and I’d hire a secretary and we’d sit and look at one another not knowing what to do.” So I felt that at least having one person in that office that knew what we should do, I’d be better off. Well, let me just say: I know each and every one of you feel that you have a great partner, secretary, legislative assistant, but I have to say that I truly believe that I have the best there is in this General Assembly. Rhonda Wood has taught me more and shown me more and educated me on the process of being a Senator than I ever, ever could have asked for. She’s been a partner. She has gone -- she’s gone to dinners with me. She’s gone out when we hit a couple of the nightspots, hot toddies with Senator Viverito. But she truly has been a friend, a deep, deep friend. And I cannot thank her enough for all that she has done for me down here to make my life in Springfield what it has been. And I hate -- I hate to lose her. I’ve offered her a job in Joliet, but she won’t come yet. So, anyway, but -- so, I’m hoping that she will definitely be taken care of and -- as we move on. But it has been a wonderful, wonderful thing. My wife, Irene, and -- and my daughter, Sarah, and our granddaughter, Rebecca, come down to be with me today as I say “so long”. And my family, I am so proud of them, that my sons, who have not only taken on the farming operation but improved it, they do a better job than I did, which is, I always believed, is a great mark that maybe it was the teacher that taught them to make ‘em a better farmer than I was. But they have done a tremendous job and they have been able to run the business back home as I’ve been down here. And we, as legislators, all know how important it is for the support from our spouses and from our families in order to be down here the number of hours and the number of hours that we’re away from home when we’re at -- in our office in our districts. Without them, none of this could have been accomplished. So, as I say farewell and move on to another position, I’ll never, ever forget the times that I’ve had here in Springfield. To each and every one of you, I love you. You’re the best. Keep up the good work. Keep doing what is good for the voters and for the citizens of Illinois. Tough votes will come and go, but just 64  STATE OF ILLINOIS 93rd GENERAL ASSEMBLY REGULAR SESSION SENATE TRANSCRIPT 159th Legislative Day 11/18/2004 remember that friendships will last forever. And that’s what I feel about every -- each and every one of you. May God bless each and every one of you. And I’m not saying goodbye. I’m just saying so long. I feel that as the executive of the fastest-grown county in the State of Illinois, I probably need to be down here at least three, four times a month to check things out. But anyway, I -- I sincerely appreciate it. God bless each and every one of you. Thank you very much.

PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR HALVORSON) Thank you, Senator Walsh. Christopher Brooks of WAND-TV and Bob Arya of CLTV seek leave to record the proceedings. Leave is granted. Mr. Secretary, Resolutions.

PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR HALVORSON) Senator Watson moves to suspend the rules for the purpose of the immediate consideration and adoption of Senate Resolution 749. Those in favor will say Aye. Those opposed, Nay. The Ayes have it, and the rules are suspended. Senator Watson, on the resolution.

PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR HALVORSON) Senator Dillard.

PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR HALVORSON) Senator Jacobs.

Thank you, Madam President, Ladies and Gentlemen of the Senate. Just want to echo some of the words that Senator Dillard says. You know, it’s really comical sometimes how you - - how you really get to know people down here, and -- and where I really got to know Ray - with this next bill coming up, I’m not sure if I should even be saying this - but was in the restroom. Ray would be back there holding court, if you would, and -- learned a lot from him. I have the utmost respect, as you do, Senator Dillard, for his generation. I -- I -- I do respect one thing, and it’s one thing that we’re going to have a -- a difficult time with. You’re our conscience on veterans’ affairs, and that’s something that’s very difficult because you 67  STATE OF ILLINOIS 93rd GENERAL ASSEMBLY REGULAR SESSION SENATE TRANSCRIPT 159th Legislative Day 11/18/2004 were in a war we won and you were in a war that you served very ably. Let me just say in closing that in the future, however, I would suggest that you take a couple hundred dollars more with you the next time you go with Wendell and hit those slots, because you don’t always win. So, remember that. But we’ll love you, we miss you, and Godspeed.

PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR HALVORSON) Senator Geo-Karis.

PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR HALVORSON) Senator Haine.

Madam President, Ladies and Gentlemen of the Senate, Senator Ray Soden, you’ve had a record of service to the country and to your county, to your local community, marked by distinction, capped by this tenure in the Senate. There is much 68  STATE OF ILLINOIS 93rd GENERAL ASSEMBLY REGULAR SESSION SENATE TRANSCRIPT 159th Legislative Day 11/18/2004 that has been said and will be said locally about you, but I just want to make one point to you. I have deeply appreciated your unfailing graciousness on the Floor of this Senate to every Member of this Body. It -- believe it or not, it makes your day to have someone of your stature sincerely, truly wish you the best every day. It doesn’t sound like much to speak about it, but to get a handshake and what is obviously a heartfelt wish for good fortune from a man of your stature changes the tone of the day. You have the desire to pass it on to another. Little kindnesses of that sort can change the tenor not only of this building, but our society in -- in general. I’ve appreciated very much knowing you. Thank you, Senator.

PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR HALVORSON) Senator Wendell Jones.

PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR HALVORSON) Senator Martinez.

Thank you, Madam Chairman. And to Senator Soden, I’m going to miss you every morning at breakfast over at the Statehouse Inn. Even on my worst days, you always tell me how beautiful I look, and I -- and I’m going to miss that. I really am. I -- not -- my ego, but -- but I -- I -- I have to say that you 69  STATE OF ILLINOIS 93rd GENERAL ASSEMBLY REGULAR SESSION SENATE TRANSCRIPT 159th Legislative Day 11/18/2004 always go out of your way in the mornings to talk to me, and I thank you for that. And I will miss you tremendously.

PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR HALVORSON) Senator Petka.

PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR HALVORSON) Senator Viverito.

Thank you, Madam President, Members of the Senate. I rise, too, and say that Ray Soden is the individual I think that really embellished himself on both sides of the aisle as being a true gentleman, someone that we could all relate to. And I think the most significant thing that I’ve had in dealing with Ray, and I’ve had a few hot toddies with Ray, too, by the way - not only you, Senator Walsh; only -- and I’m very particular who I’m with - but I can honestly say that in many conversations that I had with the Senator, he would always talk about the fact of how proud he was to be here and how he felt that it was God’s gift that he be here in the Senate. He said it from the bottom of his heart, and I knew when he said it, he meant it, because I did have the pleasure of having a little breakfast with Ray this morning and he talked about it. And, of course, he talked about his son and his boat, and we were chatting. And he said, “Lou, I definitely want to stay in contact with you and I promise you, there’s a little pub,” he said, “where we could have a little hot toddy. It’s closed at 4 o’clock.” And I’m looking forward to that, Ray, that you’re going to call me and I’m going go out 71  STATE OF ILLINOIS 93rd GENERAL ASSEMBLY REGULAR SESSION SENATE TRANSCRIPT 159th Legislative Day 11/18/2004 to that Wood Dale where you and Pate Philip and all the Republicans are, and we’re going to chat a little bit more about your -- obviously your career in the military has always excited me, being a military man myself. But we truly enjoyed having you with us, and the fact -- the way that you made us feel good, is that we knew you were proud to be here. Thanks for letting us get to know you. Thank you very much, Ray.

PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR HALVORSON) Senator Burzynski.

PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR HALVORSON) Senator Link.

Thank you, Madam President. I think by the comments that we’re hearing from both sides of the aisle, Ray, the -- the impression you made in this short period of time is quite astounding. I know I had the opportunity of being a first-time Chairman of the Revenue Committee and that you replaced former President Pate Philip in that chair on the Revenue Committee. And when you first walked in, you were a very silent individual, and those of us on Revenue were hoping that you stayed that way on a lot of things. But you spoke up on a lot of things, and -- and I found out right away that you were -- you were not only a -- a person very learned on the subject matter, but someone that wanted to learn a lot more about the subject matters that were in front of us. But you were very respectful of the process that we were in, and you were a quick learner on what we were doing. But to echo many of the comments that were made here today, I think you made everybody’s day of being a smiley, bright-faced, and making our days a lot brighter here. And I got to tell you, it’s something that’s going to be missed, because it -- it’s very enlightening and very happy to have somebody of your stature to come around and just be very happy all the time. And it -- and it’s nice to have that, and we’re going to miss it. And I got to tell you one thing, Ray, it’s been a pleasure to know you and it’s a pleasure to have you as part of this team, and we look forward to seeing you many more times. And thank you for being part of this system.

PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR HALVORSON) Senator Cronin.

PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR HALVORSON) Senator Watson, to close.

PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR HALVORSON) The question is, shall Senate Resolution 749 be adopted. All those in favor will say Aye. Opposed, Nay. The Ayes have it, and the resolution is unanimously adopted. Senator Soden.

PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR HALVORSON) Thank you, Senator Soden. Senator Jones, for what purpose do you rise?

PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR HALVORSON) State your point.

PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR HALVORSON) Thank you, Dave. You’ve been great. We’ll miss you. Senator Peterson.

PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR HALVORSON) Senator Demuzio.

This is a very difficult day, not only for David, but also for me. Twenty years ago when this young man started out as an intern with Vince, he became not only working here in the Senate, but he became my son, my second son, and part of our family. Over the years, and how quickly these years have gone by, we have shared many, many times, personally, politically, and I have watched David’s -- watched David get married, watched David have his children, watched David’s children grow up and watched David mature into an outstanding young man and assistant here in the Senate, and with the help of his wife, Barb, has become one of the most politically astute individuals here in the Illinois Senate. And during those years with all of the responsibilities of not only just being a husband and father, but also being a part of the legislative team here in the Senate and working as -- not only in the Minority but then coming into 78  STATE OF ILLINOIS 93rd GENERAL ASSEMBLY REGULAR SESSION SENATE TRANSCRIPT 159th Legislative Day 11/18/2004 the Majority, David has always, always been the fair-minded, astute political person that he is. And on many occasions, I don’t know what -- not only what Vince would have done, but for most of you here in the Senate, I don’t know -- you could always trust David. You knew his word was right. You knew he was going to steer you in the right direction and be fair about it. So, today -- after -- after Vince’s passing, David stepped to the plate and he has been here for me, not only just personally, but also politically. He was a pallbearer at Vince’s funeral, and as I said, I couldn’t have counted -- not only just for my own son, but I could always count on David as being there for me. And he has certainly done that. And during this last campaign, this last election cycle, David was there. How many times did we talk, David? Come here. Come here. We -- we talked all the time. And he came to see me about -- several weeks ago, and he -- he explained to me that he had some challenges, had a new opportunity, and I understand completely. David has a family. He has a life, and his wife, Barb, has given a hundred and ten percent. During all the redistricting and all the remapping, David spent hours and hours of time, along with Joan and the staff and Vince, trying to make sure that everything was fairly done. And so, I have to say that here we go. David was -- came to see me a few weeks ago and said he had this opportunity, and as deeply as I’m going to miss him here in the Senate, I also thought, and I made the observation the other day, that I might get to see him a little bit more just for the mere fact that he’s going to be a governmental research, governmental person with SIU. And I said, “Well, that might mean that you might be able to come to the office and I might get to see you a little bit more than what you do here on staff.” So, I -- I, too, wish him well, and his wife, Barb, who I have to say, has given a hundred and ten percent of her life and supported David. He comes from that great stock of political family in Morgan County and I couldn’t be prouder of him. So, I, too, wish him well. Hate to leave -- hate to see him go, but again, I think we need to be sure we give him another round of applause and wish him Godspeed in his new endeavors. Thank you.

PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR HALVORSON) Senator Petka. 79  STATE OF ILLINOIS 93rd GENERAL ASSEMBLY REGULAR SESSION SENATE TRANSCRIPT 159th Legislative Day 11/18/2004

PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR HALVORSON) Senator Link.

Thank you, Madam President. David, as the furthest northern Democratic Senator in the Chamber here, I’d like to say thank you, because you understood some of my problems, and you understood not only the political but the legislative situation in which I faced. And when we talked about ‘em, we were able to understand ‘em, and the uniqueness, because I was the first to break a barrier of a suburban Democrat in a collar county. And when it came about, you knew the uniqueness, and you were there and you were helpful. And -- and you looked at it in a different perspective and you knew what I had to do, and you were there with me. And I thank you for that intelligence and - - and that guidance, even though those conversations we had late at night sometimes were not as pleasant as we do, as we all 80  STATE OF ILLINOIS 93rd GENERAL ASSEMBLY REGULAR SESSION SENATE TRANSCRIPT 159th Legislative Day 11/18/2004 remember and laugh about, but I thank you for that. And I -- as you said to me the other day, and I want to remind you, Southern Illinois University - and for my colleagues from Lake County, we have to remind you - Southern Illinois University is in Lake County. And so when you’re lobbying, do not stop at Springfield. Remember those of us in Lake County when you’re talking about lobbying, that you have to talk to us also if you want something for Southern Illinois. Thank you. God bless you for everything you’ve done, and we look forward to working for you -- with you for many, many more years.

PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR HALVORSON) Senator Collins.

Thank you. You know, David, we didn’t have many exchanges, but -- over the period of time that I’ve been here, but sometimes we take people that we come into contact on a daily basis for granted. And just by observation, I have found you to be a man of great intellect and integrity, a man with head and heart, compassion and clarity, and I probably stand here today primarily because of your strategic planning and vision back in 2000. And I just wanted to say that I deeply appreciate you because you are a man who puts principles into practice and I’ve known you to be a family man. And I think primarily that sets you up to be honored today, because when we get involved in these activities, sometimes we put the -- the main support system, the foundation, behind us, and that is our family. So, I admire the way that you’ve made this probably very difficult decision to put the spotlight on your family and spend the time with your children, because we all know that it’s the families that -- that create the foundation for a stable society -- society. And so I want to thank you for being a public servant extraordinaire, and I just hope in my years of public service to come that I can follow in your footsteps, to be a person to be respected, for being a person that has principles, purpose and passion to serve the public. I thank you.

PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR HALVORSON) Senator Welch.

81  STATE OF ILLINOIS 93rd GENERAL ASSEMBLY REGULAR SESSION SENATE TRANSCRIPT 159th Legislative Day 11/18/2004 Thank you very much. Dave Gross came here the same time I did, about twenty-two years ago, and he’s been just an outstanding individual to know. He grew up -- his family in politics, himself being immersed in it, so it really should come as no surprise that he was so great at -- at creating strategies for elections for every different district in the State. His help and -- and basically advice in mapping the districts throughout the State certainly has come in handy for all of us. He often knew, not only the districts themselves, the nuances of different towns within the district and where you drew the line, where the line on a particular town separated Republicans from Democrats, liberals from conservatives, and how it would help you or how it would hurt you. In the map we had in this district, there was a State Representative who wanted to include all of Iroquois County, and Dave was able to eliminate a good portion of that with his strategy of just one simple line right down the river to get to the town she lived in. Unfortunately, the -- the Democrats in the House rejected that theory, but it was certainly a great strategy. And another thing that he’s done that I think has gone unnoticed is the bills themselves that we have here, not only which bills are necessary to help individuals get elected by voting for them, but also bills that could be introduced for opposition, to oppose those particular bills that would also help you get elected. Sometimes you’re better off having a bill that you voted against than a bill you voted for, and Dave understood that, and that’s part of the strategy that he would help design for each of the Members. So, while worrying about of the -- the Members on this side and what was best for them in their particular districts, he had to know the districts, he had to know the -- the constituents there as well. And a lot of our districts downstate are different from one another. It’s not a cookie-cutter assembly line here. And he’s been very able to do that. He’s one of the most intelligent people I think I’ve met in politics. I certainly have always valued his advice. He’s always had a -- a perspective on issues and people that was worth listening to and continues to do so. Southern Illinois University is very, very fortunate to have Dave Gross. As a former graduate of SIU and the Salukis, I’m certainly looking forward to having him help out the university 82  STATE OF ILLINOIS 93rd GENERAL ASSEMBLY REGULAR SESSION SENATE TRANSCRIPT 159th Legislative Day 11/18/2004 and looking for him to help out the football and basketball teams, as well, with some recommendations on recruiting. So, Dave, good luck to you.

PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR HALVORSON) Senator John Sullivan.

The -- I think back -- thank you, Madam Chairman, first of all. I think back when I first met -- met Dave. It was about three years ago this time of year. And I walked into his office and I was standing in his office with another staff member and myself, and we were standing because there wasn’t room to sit down. We were shoulder to shoulder. And I was thinking about running for the Senate, and I asked Dave, I -- like I said, it was the first time I’d met him, but some of the other staff told me that -- told me I needed to talk to Dave Gross. He’s who I needed to talk to. So, I start this conversation, introducing myself and telling him a little bit about myself. And then I asked him, I said, “I want to know, I want you to tell me, I don’t want any BS, I want you to tell me what I need to do, what you expect from me and what I can expect from you.” And that’s what he told me. He gave me the facts, and that’s the kind of individual Dave is. He doesn’t flower it, as was mentioned earlier by one of the previous speakers. You may not like what he has to tell you, but he will tell you what he believes is right, what he thinks is -- is best for that person that he’s speaking with. And I’ll tell you what, that’s why I think everybody in this Chamber and everybody that knows Dave Gross respects him and thinks so much of him and -- and the job that he’s done here. And I just want to say, Dave, thank you for everything that you’ve done for me.

PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR HALVORSON) Senator Roskam.

PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR HALVORSON) Senator Viverito.

Thank you, Madam President, Members of the Senate. I think it’s pretty well said by our colleague on the other side, Peter Roskam, how we felt about Dave Gross and the way he handled us in our Rules Committee. I think yesterday we met six or seven times, and every time we went in there, I mean Dave was gracious, Dave was informative. He never let us down. He always knew the subject matter, and I think there was respect on both sides of the aisle for the great job that you did, Dave, and I can’t say enough. And I could go on here for a long, long while. And the way you did the map. And I remember when we almost won -- when we -- what -- what was her name? Mary Jane O’Shea Mannella. We scared the dickens out of our good colleague, Radogno, over there. But -- we came close. We’re glad you moved west. And, of course, I’m there now, thanks to Dave. I didn’t get eighty-seven percent, but I got seventy-one percent of the vote. Thank you, Dave, for all you do and God bless you, and we’re going to miss you. Thank you very much.

PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR HALVORSON) Senator Maloney.

Thank you, Madam President. I’ll be very brief. I just want to thank Dave for -- I wouldn’t speak for any other Member of my class, but you certainly were the savior to many people in our class in terms of practical advice. I’ll remember you for a couple things. First of all, no matter where you’re from in 84  STATE OF ILLINOIS 93rd GENERAL ASSEMBLY REGULAR SESSION SENATE TRANSCRIPT 159th Legislative Day 11/18/2004 this State, Dave was able to think like you -- or, think like you were supposed to think - let’s put it that way. He was able -- set you straight on that. I’ll remember you for your knowledge on every bill and its implications. I’ll remember you for your practical advice. Much has been made today about staff and, you know, what would we do without staff, and that’s certainly true, but I -- I’m wondering what staff is going to do without Dave Gross. But I’ll remember you most, Dave, for being a great friend. Congratulations on your new life, and thank you very much.

PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR HALVORSON) Senator Schoenberg.

Dave Gross and I courted for about ten years, and I don’t want you to read anything into that. But along with his many other attributes that a number of you have alluded to earlier, he had the -- he possesses the uncanny knack of having you feel that you wish to do more for him after you’ve said no to him. And, indeed, that was the case. I enjoyed my tenure in the Illinois House a great deal, but on a consistent basis, I’d bump into Dave and Dave would say to me, “There’s another world out there. The hours are shorter.” That’s not the case. “The workload’s lighter.” That hasn’t proven to be the case. “The challenges are better.” That has been the case. And as part of the Senate Democratic northern alliance, I just want to extend the offer to you that -- I told you yesterday that I -- I was happy for you and mad at you, but I can hardly question why you would want to accept such a wonderful challenge. And on your way up to Lake County, you may need a bathroom and a hot kosher meal and you’re always welcome in my home. And bring your family with you. Thank you very much.

PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR HALVORSON) Senator Shadid.

Thank you very much, Madam President. I’ve been listening and saying, “Is this the same guy I know?” You know. You know, they -- Lou -- my friend, Louis, praised him about the map, how he drew it and how beautiful and all this. Well, I’m going to tell you a little story, Lou. They call me, like they call 85  STATE OF ILLINOIS 93rd GENERAL ASSEMBLY REGULAR SESSION SENATE TRANSCRIPT 159th Legislative Day 11/18/2004 everybody down, you know. Take a look at the map, what we’re doing, and then goes on, they said, “What do you think?” I says, “Well, whose district is this I’m looking at?” They said, “What do you mean?” I said, “Well, my house isn’t even in this district.” “Oh my God!” they said, “We made a mistake or something.” I said, “I don’t think so. I think you’re trying to tell me something.” So, I was getting ready to call Watson to see if he had an opening somewhere where I could run. Dave knew I was going to get up, I think, and -- just sort of rip him up a little. But, David, I will tell you, very honestly, you’re a quality guy and you know your stuff, except for drawing the map once in a while, but -- I think it was intentional, I really do. But, David, I want to wish you the best. You are going to be a great asset to Southern Illinois. And I’d like to come down and see you, but it’s like a two-day drive from my house. So, I’ll try to get down that way when I get -- go to Alabama to visit my in-laws, my mother -- my wife’s -- in-laws. We’ll probably stop if we can and say hi to you. But, David, thank you for all you’ve done. You’ve been a great friend, and you’ve been a great staff guy. I’ve learned a lot from you. Thank you.

PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR HALVORSON) Senator Meeks.

PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR HALVORSON) Senator Hunter.

David, I just would like to say that when I came on board last year, I did not know anything, did not know where anything was, too much, and you were there and you held my hand. You showed he even showed me where the restroom was, you know. And -- and I know that -- and I also know that, you know, I bug you 86  STATE OF ILLINOIS 93rd GENERAL ASSEMBLY REGULAR SESSION SENATE TRANSCRIPT 159th Legislative Day 11/18/2004 every five minutes. “David, please, will you please put my legislation on that list?” And you say, “Well, Senator, can you wait just…” I said, “But, David, I need it out now.” Said, well -- he said, “Well, Senator, we’re not working on those resolutions right now. We’re working on this right now.” I said, “Yes, and?” But I just wanted to say you were able to help me get from one point to the next, and without your -- your knowledge and your skills and your leadership, I don’t think I would have made it this far, to be perfectly honest with you. So, thank you so much, and God bless you and Godspeed.

PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR HALVORSON) Senator Martinez.

I, too, say thank you to you, Dave. Thanks to, you know, your -- your understanding about the Latino community and the fact that we needed more representation down here in the Senate. And, Senator del Valle, I got to say, on behalf of Senator Sandoval and myself, thank you ‘cause we’re here today because of your understanding that our population is growing and you have been a true friend and a good mentor down here. And thanks to just the understanding of the General Assembly. I -- I have learned to love this place very much and work hard, and I want to say thank you on behalf of the Latino community for having the knowledge and the understanding about our -- our community. Thank you.

PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR HALVORSON) Senator Watson.

PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR HALVORSON) Senator Jones.

PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR HALVORSON) Thank you to Dave Gross, for all your service. Madam Secretary, Resolutions.

PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR HALVORSON) 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. Madam Secretary, have there been any objections filed to any resolutions on the - - Consent Calendar?

PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR HALVORSON) Is there any discussion? If not, the question is, shall the resolutions on the Consent Calendar be adopted. All those in favor will say Aye. Opposed, Nay. The Ayes have it, and the motion carries. The resolutions are adopted. Madam Secretary, Messages from the House.

PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR HALVORSON) Senator Welch moves to suspend the rules for the purpose of immediate consideration and adoption of House Joint Resolution 101. Those in favor will say Aye. Opposed, Nay. The Ayes have it, and the rules are suspended. Senator Welch moves for the 89  STATE OF ILLINOIS 93rd GENERAL ASSEMBLY REGULAR SESSION SENATE TRANSCRIPT 159th Legislative Day 11/18/2004 adoption of House Joint Resolution 101. Those in favor will say Aye. Opposed, Nay. The Ayes have it, and the resolution is adopted. Pursuant to House Joint Resolution 101, the Senate stands adjourned until the hour of 2 p.m. on Monday, January 10th, 2005. Senate stands adjourned. 90