The regular Session of the 99th General Assembly will please come to order. Will the Members please be at their desk? Will our guests in the galleries please rise? The invocation today will be given by Pastor Robert Freeman, Kumler United Methodist Church, Springfield Illinois.
(Prayer by Pastor Robert Freeman)
Please remain standing for the Pledge of Allegiance. Senator Cunningham, to lead us in the Pledge.
(Pledge of Allegiance, led by Senator Cunningham)
Mr. Secretary, Reading and Approval of the Journal.
Senate Journals of Thursday, January 15th, and Wednesday, January 28th, 2015.
Senator Hunter.
Mr. President, I move to postpone the reading and approval of the Journal just read by the Secretary, pending arrival of the printed transcript.
Senator Hunter moves to postpone the reading and approval of the Journal, pending arrival of the printed transcripts. There being no objection, so ordered. Mr. Secretary, Resolutions. Mr. Secretary, Committee Reports. 1 STATE OF ILLINOIS 99th GENERAL ASSEMBLY REGULAR SESSION SENATE TRANSCRIPT 4th Legislative Day 2/3/2015
Senator Clayborne, Chairman of the Committee on Assignments, reports the following Legislative Measures have been assigned: Refer to Executive Committee - Senate Bill 273. Signed, Senator James F. Clayborne, Chairman. Senator Clayborne, Chairman of the Committee on Assignments, reports the following Legislative Measures have been assigned: Re-refer from Executive Committee to Committee on Assignments - Senate Bill 273. Signed, Senator James F. Clayborne, Chairman. Senator Clayborne, Chairman of the Committee on Assignments, reports the following Legislative Measures have been assigned: Be Approved for Consideration - Senate Bill 273. Signed, Senator James F. Clayborne, Chairman.
Mr. Secretary, Resolutions. SECRETARY ANDERSON: Senate Resolution 94, offered by Senator Rose and all Members. Senate Resolution 95, offered by Senator Hunter and all Members. Resolutions -- Senate Resolutions 96 and 97, offered by Senator LaHood and all Members. Senate Resolution 98, offered by Senator Koehler and all Members. Senate Resolutions 99 and 100, offered by Senator Barickman and all Members. Senate Resolutions 101 through 103, offered by Senator Haine and all Members. Senate Resolution 104, offered by Senator McCann and all 2 STATE OF ILLINOIS 99th GENERAL ASSEMBLY REGULAR SESSION SENATE TRANSCRIPT 4th Legislative Day 2/3/2015 Members. Senate Resolutions 105 and 106, offered by Senator Sullivan and all Members. Senate Resolution 107, offered by Senator Haine and all Members. And Senate Resolution 108, offered by President Cullerton, Senator Sullivan and all Members. They are all death resolutions, Mr. President.
Resolutions Consent Calendar.
Senate Resolution 109, offered by Senator LaHood. Senate Joint Resolutions 1 and 2, offered by Senator McCann. Senate Joint Resolution 3, offered by Senator Luechtefeld. Senate Joint Resolution 4, offered by Senator Barickman. Senate Joint Resolution 5, offered by Senator Connelly. Senate Joint Resolution Constitutional Amendment 1, offered by Senator Harmon. Senate Joint Resolution Constitutional Amendment No. 2, offered by Senator Raoul. Senate Joint Resolution Constitutional Amendment 3, offered by Senator Morrison. Senate Joint Resolution Constitutional Amendment 4, offered by Senator Murphy. Senate Joint Resolution Constitutional Amendment 5, offered by Senators LaHood and Duffy. Senate Joint Resolution Constitutional Amendment 6, offered by Senator Connelly. And Senate Joint Resolution Constitutional Amendment 7, 3 STATE OF ILLINOIS 99th GENERAL ASSEMBLY REGULAR SESSION SENATE TRANSCRIPT 4th Legislative Day 2/3/2015 offered by Senator LaHood.
Jordan Abudayyeh from WICS wishing to record video and audio; Terry Martin, Illinois Channel, videotaping; Emilee Fannon and Jessica Kunz from WCIA film and audio; and James R. Carder Blueroomstream.com to videotape. Leave is granted to those to record and video. Ladies and Gentlemen, if I can have your attention. We will now proceed to our program: Commemorating the 150th Anniversary of the Ratification of the 13th Amendment. Will the Members and our guests please stand. Will the Members and our guests please stand for the presentation of the Colors and our National Anthem. The Colors will be presented by the 114th Regiment Illinois Volunteer Infantry. Permission to post the Colors is granted. Please remain standing for our National Anthem, performed by the Lincoln Land Community College Choir. ("The Star-Spangled Banner", sung by the Lincoln Land Community College Choir)
Ladies and Gentlemen, please be seated. At this time, I welcome to the dais James M. Cornelius, Curator of the Lincoln Collection from the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum, to give a historical perspective on the ratification of the 13th Amendment. Mr. Cornelius.
Illinois played a supremely important role in the destruction of American slavery, which was abolished nationwide by the 13th Amendment in 1865. Not only had President Lincoln paved the way with his 1863 Emancipation Proclamation and other steps, but Lyman Trumbull of Alton and Chicago, Chairman of the U.S. Senate 4 STATE OF ILLINOIS 99th GENERAL ASSEMBLY REGULAR SESSION SENATE TRANSCRIPT 4th Legislative Day 2/3/2015 Judiciary Committee, was coauthor of the Amendment. On February 10, 1864, Trumbull reported out the following amendment to the
"Section 1. Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction. Section 2. Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation." The wording was borrowed from the Northwest Ordinance of 1787, which had prohibited slavery from expanding into what became Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, Wisconsin, and part of Minnesota. To become part of the Constitution, Trumbull's amendment had to win approval by two-thirds of each House of Congress and by the legislatures of three-fourths of the states. The U.S. Senate passed Trumbull's amendment in April 1864, but, in June, the U.S. House failed to do so with a majority of less than the required two-thirds vote. On January 31, 1865, the House reconsidered its earlier action and approved the amendment. Steven Spielberg's recent film Lincoln covers that dramatic vote in the House. A member of the House later recalled the fateful day, quote, "The time for the momentous vote had now come, and no language could describe the solemnity and impressiveness of the spectacle pending the roll-call. …when it became certainly known that the measure had prevailed, the cheering in the densely packed hall and galleries surpassed all precedent and beggared all description. Members joined in the general shouting, which was kept up for several minutes, many embracing each other, and others completely surrendering themselves to their tears of joy." Immediately after the House so voted, Senator Trumbull telegraphed Illinois Governor Richard Oglesby imploring him, quote, "Let 5 STATE OF ILLINOIS 99th GENERAL ASSEMBLY REGULAR SESSION SENATE TRANSCRIPT 4th Legislative Day 2/3/2015 Illinois be the first to ratify." Next morning Oglesby complied, urging the General Assembly to, quote, "Let Illinois be the first… It is just, it is humane, it is constitutional, it is right to do so." In response, the State Senators suspended the rules, listened to a reading of the resolution, briefly debated it, narrowly defeated a motion to table it, and passed it by a vote of 18 to 6, with five Democrats joining all the Republicans in favor. The House then concurred by a straight party vote, 48 to 28. William Bross, the Lieutenant Governor then presiding over the State Senate, later recalled, quote, "…the deep solemnity which accompanied the passage of the resolution. The whole history of the struggles of mankind for freedom through all the ages seemed pictured on the minds of the members. … Men spoke in whispers, as if standing among the tombs of the past, and before them was the angel of light and liberty pointing to the glorious future of the Republic." Many of the legislators' constituents rejoiced. The Chicago Tribune reporter here in Springfield noted that when the Senate vote was announced, quote, "The result was hailed by terrific applause from the floor, the lobby, and the galleries." The Tribune spoke for many of its readers when it expressed pleasure in the result. Quote, "The last shackle is gone from the limbs of Freedom. There is henceforth no shelter for the oppressor in all the land. … No barbarism out of the past will threaten a nation whose law-givers have dared to hold fast to the primal law of human progress - human rights." The editor of Springfield's Republican paper, the Illinois State Journal, immediately wired to President Lincoln, quote, "joint resolution ratifying amendment to the Constitution has just passed both branches of our Legislature with a great hurrah." That evening Lincoln told a crowd of well- 6 STATE OF ILLINOIS 99th GENERAL ASSEMBLY REGULAR SESSION SENATE TRANSCRIPT 4th Legislative Day 2/3/2015 wishers gathered outside the White House to celebrate Congress' adoption of it. Quote, "…there is a task yet before us - to go forward and consummate by the votes of the States that which Congress so nobly began yesterday. I have the honor to inform those present that Illinois has already to-day done the work. Maryland is about half through; but I feel proud that Illinois is a little ahead." A journalist in Springfield predicted, quote, "Probably Illinois will prove to be the first State to ratify this second Magna Charta of human liberty." In fact, Illinois just barely won the race to be the first State to ratify the amendment. The following day, February 2, the Legislatures of Rhode Island and Michigan followed our example. The State Journal speculated that by leading the way, the action of the 24th General Assembly of Illinois, quote, "will render the Legislature of 1865 immortal." To conclude: Delaware is so proud to have been the first state to ratify the U.S. Constitution that it calls itself "The First State", as displayed on its license plates. Illinois might justly call itself "The Emancipation State", but Professor Burlingame, who wrote these remarks as a Lincoln scholar, does not recommend changing the language now found on our State's license plates. You may instead pay homage at the Presidential Museum, where, for the next 2 weeks, the 13th Amendment to the Constitution and the Emancipation Proclamation, both signed live by Lincoln, are on display. I thank you for your attention.
Thank you. I am now pleased to welcome Matthew Holden, Ph.D., to the dais to discuss repealing heinous Black Codes. Mr. Holden.
Mr. President, it’s a singular honor for an alum of Wendell 7 STATE OF ILLINOIS 99th GENERAL ASSEMBLY REGULAR SESSION SENATE TRANSCRIPT 4th Legislative Day 2/3/2015 Phillips High School in Chicago to appear in this place. It’s a great professional honor to be invited to join this company of historians on this subject. My assignment is to offer some remarks as a basis for discussion of the repeal of certain Black Laws in 1865, just a few days after the ratification of the 13th Amendment. The Black Laws can be found in no one place, unlike the 13th Amendment, and have a far-reaching importance. Let me make a few comments about that and to say, first, to put it in some perspective, my view is that President Lincoln faced three strategic problems, three Presidential problems: The first, well- advertised, is maintenance of the Union - no more to be said of that now; the second was the problem of chattel slavery. Chattel slavery is something we may need to refresh our memories about historically, 'cause it's like going to the store, you want something, you want a box of Comet® cleanser, you want a new car, you want a -- a new kind of bed linen, or you want somebody to do some work that you don’t want to do, so you go down to the market and buy another one - another boy, another crowd, another large number of people, human beings as property - chattels. That’s the problem. We are -- we are beyond that. The 13th Amendment takes care of that. The third strategic problem is, what to -- what's to happen with the freed people? How do they fit into society? And the Black Laws made that a serious problem then and it continues into the 21st century. Say a word - What were the Black Laws? They're a long list of things, but let me enumerate the sorts of things that could occur. They start, and they ran for 40 years, from 1819, the -- the first adoption of those in Illinois that we know about, until the time of the Civil War, so a little bit more than 40 years, and let me just illustrate practically 8 STATE OF ILLINOIS 99th GENERAL ASSEMBLY REGULAR SESSION SENATE TRANSCRIPT 4th Legislative Day 2/3/2015 some of the things it involved. The first one that -- in -- disqualified a black from testifying in court. So you don’t like what happened with your car and you sue the fellow who fixed it, except that under the Black Laws, you could not do that kind of thing. You couldn’t sit on a jury if you were black, you -- the laws forbad that. The law forbad the vote. The law forbad holding office. The law forbad marrying a white person. The law -- when there were schools, the law forbad sending your kids to those schools. The law required you to register your family with the circuit court clerk. The law required to put up a bond when you came in from elsewhere. Many other such things. In short, the Black Laws provided for a system of slaves without owners, and Illinois in 1865 came to face that problem as well. And that, like everything else, to say in this Chamber, was a question of the usual competition between parties. The Black Laws had to be dealt with, and there -- there are many ways to think about this, but the Black Laws had to be dealt with because this was the President's state, emancipation was the President's policy, and you could not have a system and a world in which people could be handled in that way and say that you had dealt with slavery. And so the major point to be made about that is that there is an elaborate set of issues remaining in the society and in the world, far beyond this world, which is to say where do people of different sorts and different conditions fit into society? That was the issue, that was the issue that was handled, and with it there's a fundamental problem that I will enumerate, in this Chamber. In this Chamber above all, those of you who are Senators know, much better than such a person as I know, that every day is a set of actions, of defeats, of victories, and of counterattacks. And in 9 STATE OF ILLINOIS 99th GENERAL ASSEMBLY REGULAR SESSION SENATE TRANSCRIPT 4th Legislative Day 2/3/2015 dealing with the problems of the Black Laws and all that it dealt with, in the late -- from 1865 to the year 2000, there is series of counterattacks. Illinois dealt with the Black Laws and yet Illinois had -- was constantly faced with other problems, so that down -- I see in this Chamber one Senator whom I met back in the summer in dealing with certain questions out near the Mississippi River, where in 1896, Alton decided that it was going to segregate its schools in defiance of the statute and it led to a series of legal controversies that ran for ten years. And counterattack problem is there, it is everywhere around us, it is always there. And the dealing with the Black Laws is something that we have never quite learned how to handle. We have never quite learned how to handle the problems of counterattack and overcome that. Mr. President, I thank you for your time and attention.
Thank you. I am now pleased to welcome Bob Davis, who will be reenacting a narrative of Andrew Lewis, a solider of the 29th Regiment. Mr. Davis.
Honorable Senators, Ladies and Gentlemen, good afternoon. Thank you for inviting this simple solider to speak. I'm Private Andrew Lewis, member of the Illinois 29th Infantry, the United States Colored Troops. I'm also a veteran of the Civil War. I'm one of approximately two hundred and ten thousand colored soldiers and sailors who fought under the American flag for Union and freedom. I was born about 1833, a slave on a plantation in Kentucky and then sold to a Mr. Andrew Lewis from Miller Township, Marion County, Missouri. Now Marion County is right on the border of the Mississippi River, so once you cross that Mississippi, you cross 10 STATE OF ILLINOIS 99th GENERAL ASSEMBLY REGULAR SESSION SENATE TRANSCRIPT 4th Legislative Day 2/3/2015 over into Quincy, Illinois - free land, free territory. Now I hated that slavery, because all they wanted to do was to break your will, to break your spirit, to break your determination to live free, as God had intended for his creation to be free. So 'bout the time that this Civil War fight broke out, 'bout 1860, 1861, I ran to freedom, but I ran to freedom with the help of some of those decent common folk and some of those Underground Railroad and abolitionist folk. And I remember how, for several days and nights, they -- they hid me in that barn and in that cellar and in that cave and gave me some food to -- to eat and a shirt -- shirt to keep warm. But on that final night, they told me to go down to that river, to get into that boat, to keep down and to keep quiet, and the next thing I remember were those white men rowing us across that Mississippi River, rowing us towards the Illinois side, rowing us towards freedom. And when I stepped out on that soil up there in Quincy, I dropped to my knees, remembering grandma and thanking God. Now I was living in Quincy, about 1861, when -- no, I was living in Quincy when Mr. Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation on January the 1st, 1863, where he invited the colored man to join that Civil War fight. And it was me, Perkins, Jenkins, a number of us, we were some of the first to sign up. We signed up for three years or for the duration of the war. Now we trained for a bit in Quincy and then we were shipped out to Washington, D.C., where we received additional training as well as the weapons of war. We trained in Washington for about six more weeks and then we were shipped down to Alexandria, Virginia, and there we were assigned to the Army of the Potomac under General George Meade, and there in Virginia, we were engaged in several fights. We fought with General Grant in his James to the Rapidan Rivers 11 STATE OF ILLINOIS 99th GENERAL ASSEMBLY REGULAR SESSION SENATE TRANSCRIPT 4th Legislative Day 2/3/2015 Campaign. We fought in that vicious battle, the Battle of the Crater, and then that was followed by intense fighting along the Weldon Railroad and skirmishes around Poplar Grove Church and then more intense fighting along Boydton Plank Road at Hatcher's Run. And on August -- on -- on April the 2nd, 1865, we attacked and destroyed the last Confederate battery defending Petersburg, and the next day the Army of the James, led by the 25th Army Corps and the Connecticut 29th Infantry United States Colored Troops, led a victorious march into the City of Richmond. But while that was going on, our regiment, we were -- we were in hot pursuit of Lee's Army of Northern Virginia that was trying to escape towards the Carolina mountains here. General Grant trapped Lee's Army of Northern Virginia on a field near Appomattox Court House on April the 9th, 1865, and we were on the western edge of that trap, standing right next to General Sheridan and his cavalry. There was a fight that morning and then in that afternoon General Lee surrendered his Army of Northern Virginia to General Grant. So, yes, we fought for and earned our freedom. So what does the passage of the 13th Amendment and the repeal of those Illinois Black Codes mean to me? It means no more selling us, our wives, our children, because some law says that I am somebody's property. It means no more whippings because the law treated us as less than human beings. It means that I benefit from the fruits of my labor, right, without those benefits being -- being shared or given to some white man because the law says that he owns me. It means that my children can learn their letters and there their numbers so that they can read the Bible, and not because some law says that it's illegal. It means that we can assemble peacefully without being harassed or told that a white person has to be 12 STATE OF ILLINOIS 99th GENERAL ASSEMBLY REGULAR SESSION SENATE TRANSCRIPT 4th Legislative Day 2/3/2015 available. This means -- it means that there are no special curfews, like having to have to be off the street at sundown. It means that I have the natural right to freedom and the God-given rights of free will. These are the birthrights given to any man because he is a man. And finally, it means that the Preamble to the Declaration of Independence takes on a new meaning when it says that "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, (that) among which {sic} (these) are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness." And I thank you for listening.
Senator Lightford, in the Chair.
PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR LIGHTFORD) President Cullerton moves to suspend the rules to allow the immediate consideration of Senate Resolution 110. All those in favor will say Aye. Opposed, Nay. The Ayes have it. And all the applicable requirements have been waived. On the Order of Resolutions is Senate Resolution 110. Mr. Secretary, please read the resolution.
Senate Resolution 110, offered by President Cullerton and Leader Radogno. (Secretary reads SR No. 110)
PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR LIGHTFORD) President Cullerton, to the resolution.
Yes, thank you, Madam President. It was a great program. Mr. Cornelius reminded me that I didn’t know what the roll call 13 STATE OF ILLINOIS 99th GENERAL ASSEMBLY REGULAR SESSION SENATE TRANSCRIPT 4th Legislative Day 2/3/2015 was back in 1865. Little embarrassing that my party only provided five votes. The Republicans put it over the top. Congratulations. I'd like to think that if I was the President of the Senate back then, I could've got a few more votes. Can you imagine if you were a Senator back then and the concept of a hundred and fifty years later there being a celebration like this and the irony of having an African-American President who had served in the same Chamber as that Senate who voted for that? Something to really be proud of here in Illinois. In January of 1884, which would be nineteen years after this vote, the former Lieutenant Governor, William Bross, who was the Presiding Officer of the Senate when the vote was taken, he presented an historical reminiscence of Illinois' action to ratify the 13th Amendment. He presented this to the Chicago Historical Society, and it's significant because he, as the Presiding Officer of the Senate, led the Chamber on the way to confirming the end of slavery. He recalls the morning of February 1st, 1865, when news of congressional action on the 13th Amendment came to Springfield. The town was filled with a sense of the, quote, "vast importance and the solemn duties", close quote, it imposed upon President Abraham Lincoln's home State. It was with that spirit and urgency that the Senators took the lead in ratifying the Amendment. Those who voted for the measure did so knowing that it was the most important act of their lives. Illinois was significant, because Illinois was first. As the Presiding Officer later wrote, quote, "Illinois stands first among all her sister States. Our children in all the distant future may well point (to) it with honest, patriotic pride." It is with that same pride that I ask this Chamber to join me in recognizing the significance of the historic action taken by those that came before 14 STATE OF ILLINOIS 99th GENERAL ASSEMBLY REGULAR SESSION SENATE TRANSCRIPT 4th Legislative Day 2/3/2015 us in the Illinois Senate.
PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR LIGHTFORD) President Cullerton has moved the adoption of Senate Resolution 110. Is there any discussion? Leader Radogno.
Thank you, Madam President. I'd like to speak to the resolution.
PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR LIGHTFORD) To the resolution.
Thank you. As a Member of the Illinois General Assembly, I am really honored and grateful for the privilege to be here today to speak to you as we commemorate our General -- one of our General Assembly's most significant and historic acts ever. Today we recognize that a hundred and fifty years ago, on February 1st, 1865, Illinois ratified the 13th Amendment of the Constitution of the United States which abolished forever from our country the abomination of human slavery. As the Continental Congress declared in the words written by Thomas Jefferson and already referred to in the reenactment, "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men were {sic} (are) created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. …to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed". But these words, as important as they are, do not have the force of law - but, indeed, they actually have something even more substantial, they are part of the very foundation of our democracy. Today we commemorate and, yes, we celebrate the fact that an act of government, the 15 STATE OF ILLINOIS 99th GENERAL ASSEMBLY REGULAR SESSION SENATE TRANSCRIPT 4th Legislative Day 2/3/2015 24th General Assembly of Illinois exercising its just power derived from the consent of its citizens which implemented a law that helped our country to fulfill that ideal stated so eloquently in the Declaration of Independence. Our democracy is far from perfect. In fact, these days, it's not even uncommon to hear people question whether we as a free and democratic society can effectively govern ourselves. To those doubters, and we may have doubts ourself as we move on this spring, we have to remember what the Illinois General Assembly did here one hundred and fifty years ago. As a citizen and member of a free and democratic government founded on such principles, I'm proud of the act of Illinois -- the Illinois General Assembly on February 1st, 1865. All citizens of Illinois now and forever should commemorate and take pride in the fact that Illinois, the Land of Lincoln, was the first state in the Union to ratify the 13th Amendment. Thank you.
PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR LIGHTFORD) Further discussion? Leader Trotter.
Thank you very much, Madam President and Members of the Senate. I do support this resolution. I take such pride on -- for the work that was done by the 24th General Assembly. What they did is indicative of the work, the importance of the work, that we still do today, and -- but like all laws that they passed and the laws that we pass today, they are incomplete works. They're -- what we fight every day are protracted battles. What happened in 1865, in some sense, and the eradication of the Black Laws, we still have to fight those laws that discriminate against individuals in our society today. We have thirteen million people here in the State of Illinois and it is our duty, as demonstrated 16 STATE OF ILLINOIS 99th GENERAL ASSEMBLY REGULAR SESSION SENATE TRANSCRIPT 4th Legislative Day 2/3/2015 by the 24th Legislative Assistant -- Assembly, that it's our duty to ensure that everyone are equal partners in the prosperity of this State, that we are working in tandem with each other to ensure that the least of us, the poorest of us, the discriminated body of individuals that do not enjoy all that we have to offer, that we include them in all the work that we do. So I am very proud of the work of the 24th General Assembly and I look forward to working real hard in ensuring that things just get better in the 99th General Assembly.
PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR LIGHTFORD) Thank you, Leader Trotter. Senator Raoul.
Madam President, I too rise in support of the resolution with the same caution raised by Senator Trotter. As Leader Radogno pointed out, the words were in our Declaration of Independence. That came way before the Emancipation Proclamation. So as we reduce in our everyday work our intent in laws we enact, it’s the actions that follow that matters the most. So as we trace back to history, to the Declaration of Independence, the abomination of slavery continued, notwithstanding the words in the Declaration of Independence. I rise before you not as a descendant of American slaves. My parents were from the country of Haiti. I raise that because, as Frederick Douglass pointed out in my district in 1893 at the World's Fair, the freedom of American slaves was much due to the revolution in the country of Haiti that preceded it by sixty years. Notwithstanding that revolution, slavery continued in the western war -- world. And either -- even after our predecessors ratified the Emancipation Proclamation, Jim Crow laws continued to -- in many ways, continued to enslave African-Americans in this 17 STATE OF ILLINOIS 99th GENERAL ASSEMBLY REGULAR SESSION SENATE TRANSCRIPT 4th Legislative Day 2/3/2015 country. As Michelle Alexander points out in her book, there is a new Jim Crow; that’s reflected in our criminal justice policies that has people in private prisons doing working for-profit. That mirrors the image of slavery - so our work continues in the 99th General Assembly.
PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR LIGHTFORD) Leader Trotter in the Chair.
PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR TROTTER) Senator Lightford, you seeking recognition?
Thank you, Mr. President, Ladies and Gentlemen of the Senate. I'd like to thank President Cullerton for allowing such a moment as this to take place. Illinois led the movement to end slavery one hundred and fifty years ago. We transformed our country's landscape by championing the Emancipation Proclamation and being the first to ratify the 13th Amendment. In fact, we were in such a rush to ratify the Amendment that we started the act of ratification before Lincoln even signed the Emancipation Proclamation, seeing the document's ratification as a point of local pride for this area and our State. This legislative Body has been at the forefront of our freedom and progress in the distant and recent past and we will continue this spirit on into the future. We are now home to the first African-American President, our former colleague, President Barack Obama. But let's take time, let's take this time to remember who fought to allow him to run for the highest office in the land. Illinois was home to Dred Scott, whose story has become famous for his fight for manhood. Illinois was home to an impactful abolitionist, Elijah Lovejoy, as he published his newspaper attacking the evils of 18 STATE OF ILLINOIS 99th GENERAL ASSEMBLY REGULAR SESSION SENATE TRANSCRIPT 4th Legislative Day 2/3/2015 slavery and inequity, and men like Frank McWorter, a former slave who bought his freedom and founded a town he named New Philadelphia, where he made enough money to buy the freedom of his wife, thirteen children and six grandchildren. We have come a long way since 1865, since such times when men and women had to fight for their right to be free from bondage and the ability to live equality under the law -- to live equally under the law, and we can continue to learn from their struggles and apply them to the continued injustices of today's world. We need to continue to ensure that everyone has reasonable access to the voting booth. We need to make sure that constitutional and unalienable rights are upheld for everyone, everywhere. In 2015, women still do not have the same rights as men in the work force; women of color especially face a persistent income disparity. It is time for Illinois to lead the charge in unleashing women from the shackles of the gender pay gap. And in the same spirit, we need to ensure that those working for the minimum wage in this State are able to live off their work and their hard work is properly and justly rewarded. Throughout the last one hundred and fifty years, we supported the Emancipation Proclamation, inspired the formation of the NAACP, and served as the home of abolitionists, pioneering politicians, and our current President, President Barack Obama. In the immortal words of Dr. King, "Change does not roll in on the wheels (of) inevitability, but comes through continuous struggle." And it is in the spirit of these words that on the anniversary of the abolishment of slavery in America that we continue to stand proudly for equality and justice for all.
PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR TROTTER) There further -- being no further discussion, the question 19 STATE OF ILLINOIS 99th GENERAL ASSEMBLY REGULAR SESSION SENATE TRANSCRIPT 4th Legislative Day 2/3/2015 is, shall the Senate adopt Senate Resolution 110. All of those in favor will signify by voting Aye. Those opposed will vote Nay. The voting is open. We will now go forward. All in favor will vote {sic} Aye. All opposed, Nay. And the Ayes have it. The Senate Resolution 110 is adopted. …Lightford back in the Chair.
PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR LIGHTFORD) Senator Collins moves to suspend the rules to allow the immediate consideration of Senate Resolution 110. All those in favor will say Aye. Opposed, Nay. The Ayes have it, and all notice and posting requirements have been waived. On the Order of Resolution {sic} is Senate Resolution 110 -- excuse me, 111. Mr. Secretary, please read the resolution.
Senate Resolution 111, offered by Senator Collins. (Secretary reads SR No. 111)
PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR LIGHTFORD) Senator Collins, to the resolution.
Thank you, Madam President. And before I start my remarks, I would like to thank President Cullerton for giving this august Body the opportunity to recognize and celebrate the historic moment a hundred and fifty years ago. I would like, also, to thank Leader Radogno for your remarks. And I stand to address the Assembly as the great-granddaughter of a slave. So as Dr. Martin Luther King once said, "The time is always right to do what is right." One hundred and fifty years ago, our predecessors in this institution acted swiftly to seize the opportunity they were given to do justice. The 13th Amendment finally abolished slavery, a heinous system that not only exploited human beings for economic gain, 20 STATE OF ILLINOIS 99th GENERAL ASSEMBLY REGULAR SESSION SENATE TRANSCRIPT 4th Legislative Day 2/3/2015 tearing apart families and claiming countless lives, but institutionalized the idea which still poisons our nation today, that some people are inferior to others simply because of the color of their skin. Its abolition, of course, was long overdue, but we can be proud that on February 1st, 1865, our State's leaders wasted no time in demanding that the laws of this nation no longer allow one man or woman to own another. Their courageous vote set us on a path we still walk today, and it is my hope that on this anniversary, we will turn our attention to that path or to the path of how far we've come, how far we have to go, and what each one of us can do to get there. It is with great pride in my State and with my colleagues that I serve with today that with determination that we continue the struggle against all forms of injustice threatening our common humanity. And with that, I urge the adoption of this resolution.
PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR LIGHTFORD) Thank you, Senator Collins. Senator Collins has moved the adoption of Senate Resolution 111. Is there any discussion? Senator Luechtefeld. To the resolution, Senator.
Thank you, Mr. {sic} (Madam) President, Members of the Senate. To the resolution: As many of you know, I taught history for a long, long time, and part of that is teaching the -- the Constitution and then, of course, the Amendments to -- to that Constitution. You know, when you talk about the 13th Amendment, I think there's a sense that once the slaves were freed, most people took a deep breath and said, "We -- we did it." But that wasn’t the end of it and we found that out rather quickly. If you -- if you talk about Amendment 13, you really have to talk about 21 STATE OF ILLINOIS 99th GENERAL ASSEMBLY REGULAR SESSION SENATE TRANSCRIPT 4th Legislative Day 2/3/2015 14th {sic} and -- and 15 also, because, you know, just because slaves were freed didn’t necessarily mean that they were automatically a citizen. And so the 14th Amendment followed to do -- to -- to make that very clear. But just because you were a citizen didn't necessarily mean you could vote. Women were citizens and couldn’t vote at that time. So it was necessary to follow that with another amendment, Amendment 15, allowing slaves to vote. And obviously, that’s not the end of it. You know, the Black -- the Black Codes were a real problem and -- and those had to be dealt with. And I think we -- we all know of the long history and struggle that original slaves and blacks have gone through over the years to reach a point where there is, of course, a black President. So it's -- it's -- it's been a long, hard struggle, and I think some of the things that happened this year, in the news, in Ferguson, Missouri, and -- and -- and other places, show that we -- we're still on that -- we're still on that road. But I think we've come a long way and all starting, of course, with the 13th Amendment. Thank you.
PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR LIGHTFORD) Thank you, Senator. Further discussion? Seeing none, the question is, shall the Senate adopt Senate Resolution 111. All those in favor will signify by saying Aye. Those opposed will say Nay. The Ayes have it. Senate Resolution 111 is adopted. Ladies and Gentlemen of the Senate, please stand and join in singing The Battle Hymn of the Republic. Please see the back of your programs for the lyrics. (The Battle Hymn of the Republic, sung by the Lincoln Land Community College Choir)
PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR LIGHTFORD) 22 STATE OF ILLINOIS 99th GENERAL ASSEMBLY REGULAR SESSION SENATE TRANSCRIPT 4th Legislative Day 2/3/2015 President Cullerton, in the Chair.
Ladies and Gentlemen, I would like to thank the 114th Regiment of the Illinois Volunteer Infantry; the -- you just heard from the Lincoln Land Community College Choir; our presenters, Mr. Cornelius and Holden and Davis. I also would like to thank Bill Shepherd in helping us prepare for this event today. Thank you, all. Thank you very much. There being no further business to come before the Senate, the Senate stands adjourned until the hour of 11 a.m. on Wednesday, February 4th. The Senate stands adjourned.
Pursuant to the directive of the Senate President, the regular Session of the Senate is now in perfunctory Session. Communication from the President. Letter dated February 3rd, 2015. Dear Mr. Secretary - Pursuant to Rule 2-10, I am scheduling a perfunctory Session to convene on February 3rd, 2015. Sincerely, John J. Cullerton, Senate President. Resolutions. Senate Resolution 112, offered by Senator Connelly and all Members. Senate Resolution 113, offered by Senator Brady, Barickman and all Members. They are both death resolutions and will be referred to the Consent Calendar. Senate Joint Resolution 6, offered by Senator Tom Cullerton. And Senate Joint Resolution Constitutional Amendment 8, offered by Senator Brady. 23 STATE OF ILLINOIS 99th GENERAL ASSEMBLY REGULAR SESSION SENATE TRANSCRIPT 4th Legislative Day 2/3/2015 They are both substantive. Introduction of Senate Bills. Senate Bill 666, offered by Senator Althoff. (Secretary reads title of bill) Senate Bill 667, offered by Senator Haine. (Secretary reads title of bill) Senate Bill 668, offered by Senator Haine. (Secretary reads title of bill) Senate Bill 669, offered by Senator Tom Cullerton. (Secretary reads title of bill) Senate Bill 670, offered by Senator Connelly. (Secretary reads title of bill) Senate Bill 671, offered by Senator Connelly. (Secretary reads title of bill) Senate Bill 672, offered by Senator Lightford. (Secretary reads title of bill) Senate Bill 673, offered by Senator Sullivan. (Secretary reads title of bill) Senate Bill 674, offered by Senator Sullivan. (Secretary reads title of bill) Senate Bill 675, offered by Senator Manar. (Secretary reads title of bill) Senate Bill 676, offered by Senator Hutchinson. (Secretary reads title of bill) Senate Bill 677, offered by Senator Muñoz. (Secretary reads title of bill) Senator -- Senate Bill 678, offered by Senator Brady. (Secretary reads title of bill) Senate Bill 679, offered by Senator Steans. 24 STATE OF ILLINOIS 99th GENERAL ASSEMBLY REGULAR SESSION SENATE TRANSCRIPT 4th Legislative Day 2/3/2015 (Secretary reads title of bill) Senate Bill 680, offered by Senator Steans. (Secretary reads title of bill) Senate Bill 681, offered by Senator Biss. (Secretary reads title of bill) Senate Bill 682, offered by Senator Noland. (Secretary reads title of bill) Senate Bill 683, offered by Senator Noland. (Secretary reads title of bill) Senate Bill 684, offered by Senator Noland. (Secretary reads title of bill) Senate Bill 685, offered by Senator McCarter. (Secretary reads title of bill) Senate Bill 686, offered by Senator McCarter. (Secretary reads title of bill) Senate Bill 687, offered by Senator McCarter. (Secretary reads title of bill) Senate Bill 688, offered by Senator Lightford. (Secretary reads title of bill) Senate Bill 689, offered by Senator Murphy. (Secretary reads title of bill) Senate Bill 690, offered by Senator Murphy. (Secretary reads title of bill) Senate Bill 691, offered by Senator Sandoval. (Secretary reads title of bill) Senate Bill 692, offered by Senator Hutchinson. (Secretary reads title of bill) Senate Bill 693, offered by Senator Hutchinson. (Secretary reads title of bill) 25 STATE OF ILLINOIS 99th GENERAL ASSEMBLY REGULAR SESSION SENATE TRANSCRIPT 4th Legislative Day 2/3/2015 Senate Bill 694, offered by Senator Hutchinson. (Secretary reads title of bill) Senate Bill 695, offered by Senator Hutchinson. (Secretary reads title of bill) Senate Bill 696, offered by Senator Hutchinson. (Secretary reads title of bill) Senate Bill 697, offered by Senator Hutchinson. (Secretary reads title of bill) Senate Bill 698, offered by Senator Hutchinson. (Secretary reads title of bill) Senate Bill 699, offered by Senator Hutchinson. (Secretary reads title of bill) Senate Bill 700, offered by Senator Syverson. (Secretary reads title of bill) Senate Bill 701, offered by Senator Barickman. (Secretary reads title of bill) Senate Bill 702, offered by Senator Barickman. (Secretary reads title of bill) Senate Bill 703, offered by Senator Barickman. (Secretary reads title of bill) Senate Bill 704, offered by Senator Barickman. (Secretary reads title of bill) Senate Bill 705, offered by Senator Lightford. (Secretary reads title of bill) Senate Bill 706, offered by Senator Cunningham. (Secretary reads title of bill) Senate Bill 707, offered by Senator Kotowski. (Secretary reads title of bill) Senate Bill 708, offered by Senator Kotowski. 26 STATE OF ILLINOIS 99th GENERAL ASSEMBLY REGULAR SESSION SENATE TRANSCRIPT 4th Legislative Day 2/3/2015 (Secretary reads title of bill) Senate Bill 709, offered by Senator Haine. (Secretary reads title of bill) Senate Bill 710, offered by Senator Bivins. (Secretary reads title of bill) Senate Bill 711, offered by Senator Bivins. (Secretary reads title of bill) Senate Bill 712, offered by Senator Jones. (Secretary reads title of bill) Senate Bill 713, offered by Senator Barickman. (Secretary reads title of bill) Senate Bill 714, offered by Senator Barickman. (Secretary reads title of bill) Senate Bill 715, offered by Senator Haine. (Secretary reads title of bill) Senate Bill 716, offered by Senator Haine. (Secretary reads title of bill) Senate Bill 717, offered by Senator Hutchinson. (Secretary reads title of bill) Senate Bill 718, offered by Senator Harmon. (Secretary reads title of bill) Senate Bill 719, offered by Senator Harmon. (Secretary reads title of bill) Senate Bill 720, offered by Senator Harmon. (Secretary reads title of bill) Senate Bill 721, offered by Senator Morrison. (Secretary reads title of bill) Senate Bill 722, offered by Senator Morrison. (Secretary reads title of bill) 27 STATE OF ILLINOIS 99th GENERAL ASSEMBLY REGULAR SESSION SENATE TRANSCRIPT 4th Legislative Day 2/3/2015 Senate Bill 723, offered by Senator Morrison. (Secretary reads title of bill) Senate Bill 724, offered by Senator Morrison. (Secretary reads title of bill) Senate Bill 725, offered by Senator Morrison. (Secretary reads title of bill) Senate Bill 726, offered by Senator Stadelman. (Secretary reads title of bill) Senate Bill 727, offered by Senator Stadelman. (Secretary reads title of bill) Senate Bill 728, offered by Senator Stadelman. (Secretary reads title of bill) Senate Bill 729, offered by Senator Silverstein. (Secretary reads title of bill) Senate Bill 730, offered by Senator Lightford. (Secretary reads title of bill) Senate Bill 731, offered by Senator Martinez. (Secretary reads title of bill) Senate Bill 732, offered by Senator Raoul. (Secretary reads title of bill) Senate Bill 733, offered by Senator Raoul. (Secretary reads title of bill) Senate Bill 734, offered by Senator Koehler. (Secretary reads title of bill) Senate Bill 735, offered by Senator Mulroe. (Secretary reads title of bill) Senate Bill 736, offered by Senator McConnaughay. (Secretary reads title of bill) Senate Bill 737, offered by Senator Koehler. 28 STATE OF ILLINOIS 99th GENERAL ASSEMBLY REGULAR SESSION SENATE TRANSCRIPT 4th Legislative Day 2/3/2015 (Secretary reads title of bill) Senate Bill 738, offered by Senator Koehler. (Secretary reads title of bill) Senate Bill 739, offered by Senator Koehler. (Secretary reads title of bill) Senate Bill 740, offered by Senator Holmes. (Secretary reads title of bill) Senate Bill 741, offered by Senator Haine. (Secretary reads title of bill) Senate Bill 742, offered by Senator Martinez. (Secretary reads title of bill) Senate Bill 743, offered by Senator Tom Cullerton. (Secretary reads title of bill) Senate Bill 744, offered by Senator McConnaughay. (Secretary reads title of bill) Senate Bill 745, offered by Senator Brady. (Secretary reads title of bill) Senate Bill 746, offered by Senator Syverson. (Secretary reads title of bill) Senate Bill 747, offered by Senator Muñoz. (Secretary reads title of bill) Senate Bill 748, offered by Senator Barickman. (Secretary reads title of bill) Senate Bill 749, offered by Senator Martinez. (Secretary reads title of bill) Senate Bill 750, offered by Senator Hastings. (Secretary reads title of bill) Senate Bill 751, offered by Senator Hastings. (Secretary reads title of bill) 29 STATE OF ILLINOIS 99th GENERAL ASSEMBLY REGULAR SESSION SENATE TRANSCRIPT 4th Legislative Day 2/3/2015 Senate Bill 752, offered by Senator Koehler. (Secretary reads title of bill) Senate Bill 753, offered by Senator Noland. (Secretary reads title of bill) Senate Bill 754, offered by Senator LaHood. (Secretary reads title of bill) Senate Bill… Senate Bill 755, offered by Senator LaHood. (Secretary reads title of bill) Senate Bill 756, offered by Senator LaHood. (Secretary reads title of bill) Senate Bill 757, offered by Senator LaHood. (Secretary reads title of bill) Senate Bill 758, offered by Senator LaHood. (Secretary reads title of bill) Senate Bill 759, offered by Senator Morrison. (Secretary reads title of bill) 1st Reading of these Senate bills. Appointment Messages. Appointment Message 990019 Governor's salaried appointment Diego Estrella Executive Director, Illinois Health Information Exchange Authority Appointment Message 990020 Governor's salaried appointment John Maki Executive Director, Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority Appointment Message 990021 30 STATE OF ILLINOIS 99th GENERAL ASSEMBLY REGULAR SESSION SENATE TRANSCRIPT 4th Legislative Day 2/3/2015 Governor's salaried appointment Stephen B. Schnorf Member and Chair, Illinois Liquor Control Commission Appointment Message 990022 Governor's salaried appointment Edward Buckles Assistant Director, Illinois Department of Revenue Appointment Message 990023 Governor's salaried appointment Michael Mannion Director, Illinois Department of Professional and Financial Regulation, Division of Banking Appointment Message 990024 Governor's salaried appointment James Joseph Director, Illinois Emergency Management Agency Appointment Message 990025 Governor's salaried appointment Randall Blankenthorn {sic} (Blankenhorn) Secretary, Illinois Department of Transportation Appointment Message 990026 Governor's salaried appointment Leo Schmitz Director, Illinois State Police Appointment Message 990027 Governor's non-salaried appointment Lula Ford Member, Illinois State Board of Education Appointment Message 990028 31 STATE OF ILLINOIS 99th GENERAL ASSEMBLY REGULAR SESSION SENATE TRANSCRIPT 4th Legislative Day 2/3/2015 Governor's non-salaried appointment Craig Lindvahl Member, Illinois State Board of Education Appointment Message 990029 Governor's non-salaried appointment Roberta Parks Member, Illinois State Board of Education Appointment Message 990030 Governor's non-salaried appointment Eligio Pimentel Member, Illinois State Board of Education Appointment Message 990031 Governor's non-salaried appointment Donald Tracy Member and Chair, Illinois Gaming Board Appointment Message 990032 Governor's non-salaried appointment Thomas Dunn Member, Illinois Gaming Board Appointment Message 990033 Governor's non-salaried appointment Mark Cozzi Member, Illinois State Board of Investment Appointment Message 990034 Governor's non-salaried appointment Marc Levine Member, Illinois State Board of Investment Appointment Message 990035 Governor's non-salaried appointment 32 STATE OF ILLINOIS 99th GENERAL ASSEMBLY REGULAR SESSION SENATE TRANSCRIPT 4th Legislative Day 2/3/2015 Shari Reiches Member, Illinois State Board of Investment Appointment Message 990036 Governor's non-salaried appointment Dennis Cullen Trustee, State Employees Retirement System Board of Trustees Appointment Message 990037 Governor's non-salaried appointment Dr. Richard Fay Member, Illinois State Medical Disciplinary Board Appointment Message 990038 Governor's non-salaried appointment Dr. Joseph Szokol Member, Illinois State Medical Disciplinary Board Appointment Message 990039 Executive Ethics Commission salaried appointment Anthony Star Director, Illinois Power Agency There being no further business to come before this perfunctory Session, pursuant to the directive of the Senate President, the Senate stands adjourned until Wednesday, February 4th, 2015, at the hour of 11 a.m., or until the call of the President. 33