Illinois Senate Floor Debate — April 2, 2008

(Pledge of Allegiance, led by Senator Maloney)

Mr. President, I move that the Journal just read by the Secretary be approved, unless some Senators has additions or corrections to offer.

Point of personal privilege, Mr. President.

I have a visitor, a -- a very close friend of mine who’s here visiting with us today. Her name is Patricia Kates and we’ve been best friends ever since we were eight years old. So, I’d just like to welcome her to the Senate.

Point of personal privilege, Mr. President.

I’d like to welcome to the Senate Chambers the Lake Forest Montessori School, Linda Davis and Bev Adamczyk, who’ve come all the way down from Lake Forest/Lake Bluff. They’re here in the gallery. Please give them a -- a warm welcome.

Thank you, Mr. President. On a point of personal privilege.

With me today, I have two sisters, Lauryn and April. They’re constituents of yours, Mr. President. They live in Midlothian. But their grandparents are up in the gallery, Mr. and Mrs. Davis, that are friends of mine from Markham. And I’d wish everybody to welcome them. And I also want to mention, April is a National Honor Society student. So I’m happy to have them here.

Thank you, Mr. President and Ladies and Gentlemen of the Committee. Senate Bill…

Senate Bill 2474 amends the Illinois Lottery Law and the State Finance Act. And basically what this bill does, it -- it renames the Ticket For The Cure scratch-off lottery ticket and grant fund as the Carolyn Adams Ticket For The Cure and Grant 7  STATE OF ILLINOIS 95th GENERAL ASSEMBLY REGULAR SESSION SENATE TRANSCRIPT 141st Legislative Day 4/2/2008 Fund. If this Body can recall, we passed this bill into existence back in 2005 and it has been extremely successful. Carolyn Adams was the former Illinois Lottery Superintendent and she was one of the main reasons why this “Ticket For The Cure” was such a successful initiative. And she lost her battle to breast cancer in the spring of 2007. And I ask for a favorable vote.

Point of personal privilege. 8  STATE OF ILLINOIS 95th GENERAL ASSEMBLY REGULAR SESSION SENATE TRANSCRIPT 141st Legislative Day 4/2/2008

I’m getting ready to run a bill here today, it’s Senate Bill 2488, and I have some firefighters -- and the bill is -- is called James “Shib” Miller. His wife is here and his two daughters from Sesser, Illinois. Sesser is about twenty-one hundred people in there. And you can see some books that I have on my desk. They got four thousand signatures for this bill. So I just want to introduce them to the Senate. I’d like for you to give them a nice welcome. From Sesser, Illinois.

Thank you, Mr. President. Senate Bill 2488 amends the title the James “Shib” Miller and William Grant -- Grant Law. This bill works towards solving very important issues close to me. Last July, I had a voluntary firefighter from Sesser, Illinois, named James “Shib” Miller, was struck and killed by a bus while he was working on the scene of a tractor-trailer fire along 57 in Franklin County. The bus failed to reduce speed and 9  STATE OF ILLINOIS 95th GENERAL ASSEMBLY REGULAR SESSION SENATE TRANSCRIPT 141st Legislative Day 4/2/2008 drove through the accident that Shib Miller was putting equipment back onto the truck. While no law can be replaced to bring life of Shib Miller back, this legislation will honor and dedicate to service his community and will hope prevent such tragedy accident in the future. Member of Sesser Fire Department came to me following the accident last July and asked me to pass legislation to protect such emergency workers in the future, so that no community, no family has to suffer the same pain. Senate Bill 2488 does this, would give the fire department authorization to close a highway to traffic, only if police officers or IDOT is -- are not there representing, in order to protect the safety of the firefighters and other emergency persons working on the fire and accident on or near highway. Requires firefighters to close the road in the same manner as police officers requires. Requires firefighters to be trained and use marked vehicles with flashing lights, to follow the same safety as a police officer. Exempt -- this exempts the State Toll Highway Authority. All requests of the -- of the Sesser firefighters. This bill also increase penalties for reckless homicide where the homicide is committed by a driver who failed to reduce speed, change lanes and yield right of way of emergency. The hazard {sic} penalty would make the sentence for the -- killing a firefighter at the scene of a fire on a highway the same as a construction worker where the -- where it’s posted. One person is killed, the penalty could be three to fourteen years in prison and up to twenty-five-thousand- dollar fine. If two persons was -- was killed, the prison terms would be six to twenty-eight years and a twenty-five-thousand- dollar fine. Senate Bill 2488 is supported by the State Police, 10  STATE OF ILLINOIS 95th GENERAL ASSEMBLY REGULAR SESSION SENATE TRANSCRIPT 141st Legislative Day 4/2/2008 IDOT, Illinois State Fire Marshal, State Toll Highway -- Highway Authority, and Illinois Association of Fire Protection {sic}. With this law, such -- with the law such as this one, emergency persons would be able to perform their job with great peace of mind. I thank you and I wish you for -- a Yes vote.

Mr. President, a point of personal privilege.

Mr. President and Ladies and Gentlemen of the Senate, I would like to ask you to provide a warm welcome to two citizens 12  STATE OF ILLINOIS 95th GENERAL ASSEMBLY REGULAR SESSION SENATE TRANSCRIPT 141st Legislative Day 4/2/2008 of my district who came up here to observe their Senate at work and their Senator at work. Max Welch and Nancy Welch of Alton, Illinois, the Alton/Godfrey area. Nancy, by the way, is also the distinguished conductor of the Great Rivers Choral Society, bringing great music to our -- to our communities. Max and Nancy Welch, Ladies and Gentlemen.

Thank you, Mr. President and Ladies and Gentlemen of the Senate. Senate Bill 2489 amends the State Prompt Payment Act and Court of Claims Act, requiring the Court of Claims to direct the Comptroller to add an interest payment if payment of a claim is not made within six months after the claim is filed and all information has been submitted as required under the Line of Duty Compensation Act. I would ask for a favorable vote.

Thank you, Mr. President. I rise on a point of personal privilege.

Mr. President, Ladies and Gentlemen of the Senate, I want to introduce you to my Page for today, Morgan Siegfriedt. She’s a seventh grader at the Haven Middle School in Evanston. Besides excelling in her schoolwork, she loves to dance. And she’s joined today by her parents in the gallery, Bill and Corky Siegfriedt. Please give them all a warm Illinois Senate welcome. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. President, Ladies and Gentlemen of the 14  STATE OF ILLINOIS 95th GENERAL ASSEMBLY REGULAR SESSION SENATE TRANSCRIPT 141st Legislative Day 4/2/2008 Senate. Senate Bill 2494 provides that a DUI committed during a period when the driver’s license is suspended or revoked for DUI under laws of another state is a Class 4 felony. I would ask for an Aye vote.

Yes. Thank you, Mr. President and Members of the Senate. Senate Bill 2500 amends the School Code regarding the superintendent’s mentoring program. And this establishes a superintendent mentoring program for individuals becoming superintendents after July 1 of 2008, subject to appropriation. New superintendents would be required to complete the mentorship for their first two years serving as a superintendent. Superintendents with at least three years of experience are 15  STATE OF ILLINOIS 95th GENERAL ASSEMBLY REGULAR SESSION SENATE TRANSCRIPT 141st Legislative Day 4/2/2008 eligible to be mentors and must complete mentor training and meet other requirements established by the State Board of Ed and the individual school districts. I ask for a favorable vote.

Thank you, Mr. President, Ladies and Gentlemen of the Senate. Senate Bill 2509 adds to the list of offenses for which the evidence of the defendant’s prior conduct may be admitted: child pornography and aggravated child pornography, and first degree murder and second degree murder where the offense involves sexual penetration or sexual conduct. Senate Bill 2509 also expands the hearsay exceptions to include any sex offense which would require the offender to register as a sex offender 16  STATE OF ILLINOIS 95th GENERAL ASSEMBLY REGULAR SESSION SENATE TRANSCRIPT 141st Legislative Day 4/2/2008 or sexual predator upon conviction. I would ask for…

On a point of an announcement.

Local Government will meet today at 12:30 in Room 409.

Thank you, Mr. President. Just rising for an announcement, sir. The Committee on Licensing {sic} Activities will meet at 3:30 today in Room 409.

Purpose of announcement, Mr. President. The Housing Committee will meet at 1 p.m. in Room 409. Be prompt.

For the purpose of an announcement, Mr. President. The Appropriations III Committee will be meeting tomorrow, Thursday, at 9 o’clock a.m. in Room 212.

Thank you, Mr. President. The Senate Revenue Committee will meet today at 2:30 p.m. in Room 400. 20  STATE OF ILLINOIS 95th GENERAL ASSEMBLY REGULAR SESSION SENATE TRANSCRIPT 141st Legislative Day 4/2/2008

Thank you, Mr. President. The Senate Executive Committee will meet at 2:30 in Room 212.

Thank you, Mr. President. I have an announcement. The Ag and Conservation Committee will meet at 2 p.m. today in Room 409.

Thank you, Mr. President. Purpose of announcement. Tomorrow, the Financial Institutions Committee will meet at 9 a.m. in Room 400.

Thank you, Mr. President. For purpose of announcement. Public Health will meet today at 12:30 in Room 400.

Thank you, Mr. President. In Senator Cullerton’s absence, I’d like to announce that the Senate Judiciary Committee on Civil Law will meet at 12:30 in Room 212.

Thank you, Mr. President. I would just like to announce that the Senate’s Higher Education Committee will meet at 4 p.m. today in Room 409.

As you know, Mr. President. As you know. But, I rise to inform the President and the Members of the Senate that the Insurance Committee will meet this afternoon at 4 p.m. in Room 400. Thank you, sir.

For announcement. Labor Committee will meet today at 3:30 in Room 400. 3:30.

Thank you, Mr. President. The Environment and Energy Committee will meet today at 2 p.m. in Room 212.

Yes, Mr. President, I -- I -- I just wanted to speak to you. How are you today, sir?

You’re doing -- you’re doing fine? That’s -- that’s good. You look good, sir. The Human Services Committee will meet at 2 o’clock in Room 400.

Yes. Thank you, Mr. President. Purpose of an -- two announcements. State Government and Veterans Affairs will meet today at 2:30 in Room 409. And also, Education will meet in 212 at 3:30 today.

Thank you, Mr. President. I rise for purpose of an announcement. The distinguished Committee on Pensions and Investment {sic} will be meeting at 1:30 in Room 400.

Thank you, Mr. President. The Judiciary-Criminal Law Committee will be meeting today at 1 p.m. in Room 212.

Thank you, Mr. President. Two announcements. Appropriation II will meet at 4 o’clock in 212. And also, there 23  STATE OF ILLINOIS 95th GENERAL ASSEMBLY REGULAR SESSION SENATE TRANSCRIPT 141st Legislative Day 4/2/2008 will be a Democratic Caucus in the President’s Office immediately upon adjournment.