PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR SULLIVAN) Good afternoon. The regular Session of the 99th General Assembly will come to order. Will all the Members please be at their desks? Will our guests in the galleries please rise? The invocation today will be given by Rabbi Barry Marks, Temple Israel, Springfield, Illinois. Rabbi.
(Prayer by Rabbi Barry Marks)
PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR SULLIVAN) Thank you. Please remain standing for the Pledge of Allegiance. Senator Cunningham, to lead us in the Pledge.
(Pledge of Allegiance, led by Senator Cunningham)
PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR SULLIVAN) Mr. Secretary, Reading and Approval of the Journal.
Senate Journal of March 1st, 2016.
PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR SULLIVAN) Senator Koehler. Good afternoon.
Mr. President, I move to postpone the reading and approval of the Journal just read by the Secretary, pending arrival of the printed transcript.
PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR SULLIVAN) Thank you, Senator Koehler. Senator Koehler moves to postpone the reading and approval of the Journal, pending arrival of the printed transcripts. There being no objection, so ordered. We have a couple of requests for videotape and picture taking. Lisa Yuscius with Blueroomstream.com requests permission to videotape. 1 STATE OF ILLINOIS 99th GENERAL ASSEMBLY REGULAR SESSION SENATE TRANSCRIPT 85th Legislative Day 3/2/2016 Ed Cross at WAND-TV requests permission to video. Kelsey Gibbs, WCIA Channel 3, requests permission to video record. Seeing no objection, leave is granted. Mr. Secretary, Resolutions.
Senate Resolutions 1609 through 1611, offered by Senator Althoff and all Members. Senate Resolution 1612, offered by Senator Syverson and all Members. Senate Resolutions 1614 through 1616, offered by Senator Bennett and all Members. Senate Resolution 1617, offered by Senator Anderson and all Members. And Senate Resolutions 1618 through 1619, offered by Senator Link and all Members. They are all death resolutions, Mr. President.
PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR SULLIVAN) Resolutions Consent Calendar.
Senate Resolution 1613, offered by Senator Harmon. It is substantive.
PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR SULLIVAN) Mr. Secretary, Committee Reports.
Senator Raoul, (Vice) Chairperson of the Committee on Criminal Law, reports Senate Bills 2465 and 2521 Do Pass. Senator Jones, Chairperson of the Committee on Local Government, reports Senate Bill 2533 Do Pass, as Amended. And Senator Mulroe, Chairperson of the Committee on Public Health, reports Senate Resolutions 957 and 1014 Be Adopted. 2 STATE OF ILLINOIS 99th GENERAL ASSEMBLY REGULAR SESSION SENATE TRANSCRIPT 85th Legislative Day 3/2/2016
PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR SULLIVAN) Senator Koehler, for what purpose do you rise?
Thank you, Mr. President. Point of personal privilege.
PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR SULLIVAN) Please state your point, Senator Koehler.
Mr. President, something of particular interest to you and I, since we split Fulton County in our district, I want to recognize and welcome people from Fulton County Farm Bureau that are with us today. So if the Senate would please give them a very warm welcome.
PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR SULLIVAN) Will our guests please rise and be welcomed to the Illinois Senate? Thanks for joining us. We appreciate it. Ladies and Gentlemen, the Senate will stand at ease for a few minutes to allow the Committee on Assignments to meet. Will all the members of the Committee on Assignments please come to the President's Anteroom immediately? All members of the Committee on Assignments to the Anteroom, please. Senate will stand at ease. (at ease) Senator Connelly, for what purpose do you rise?
For purposes of an introduction, Mr. President.
PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR SULLIVAN) Please make your introduction, Senator Connelly.
Thank you, Mr. President, Members of the Senate. I'd like to introduce my Page for today, Mike Isaac. He is a proud member of the fighting 21st Senate District in Naperville. He is a -- an executive in the pet industry. Most importantly though, he is a 3 STATE OF ILLINOIS 99th GENERAL ASSEMBLY REGULAR SESSION SENATE TRANSCRIPT 85th Legislative Day 3/2/2016 community servant. He's on the Financial Advisory Board for the City of Naperville, appointed by Mayor Chirico. He wanted to see how things work. And I said, "Well, the best place to see how things work is not in the House of Representatives, but here in the State Senate". So how about a warm welcome for my Page for today, Mike Isaac.
PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR SULLIVAN) Mike, welcome to the Illinois Senate. Great to have you here today. Thanks for joining us, and you're with a pretty good man there, too. Senator Barickman, for what purpose do you rise?
Thank -- thank you, Mr. President. Point of -- personal privilege.
PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR SULLIVAN) Please make your point, Senator Barickman.
Mr. President, we are joined today by a distinguished group of gentlemen in the President's Gallery, who'd I'd -- I'd ask to stand to be recognized. Joining us today is the Tri-Valley High School Football Team, who is the Class 2A State Football Champions this year. The Vikings were 14 and 0. They're joined today by their Coach, Coach Josh Roop. And I just ask the Senate, my colleagues, to join me in recognizing and congratulation -- congratulating the Vikings on a great season. Congratulations, guys.
PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR SULLIVAN) Will our guests please rise? Let's welcome the Tri-Valley folks here to the Illinois Senate. Thanks for joining us today. Good to have you here. Senator McCann, for what purpose do you 4 STATE OF ILLINOIS 99th GENERAL ASSEMBLY REGULAR SESSION SENATE TRANSCRIPT 85th Legislative Day 3/2/2016 rise? SENATOR McCANN: Thank you, Mr. President. On a point of personal privilege, please.
PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR SULLIVAN) Please state your point, Senator McCann. SENATOR McCANN: Mr. President, I am joined by two fine young Americans here today as my Pages. They're brothers - Dylan and Danyn Moore. Dylan is thirteen. Danyn is ten. Dylan is in the eighth grade at Greenfield. His favorite subject in school is history, and he loves to collect model cars. And one of these days, he wants to go into the engineering field. Danyn is in fifth grade. His favorite subject is phys ed. And I told him mine was recess and study hall, but -- and -- and he seemed to -- he -- he appreciated that. So one of these days, he thinks he might like to be a passenger plane pilot. Both of these young men shoot competitively on a trap shooting team in their area, and they do quite well, I might add. They are joined here on the Republican side of the gallery with their mom and dad, Andrea and Jeff Moore. If you could join me in welcoming them to the -- to the Senate today. Thank you.
PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR SULLIVAN) Ladies and Gentlemen, let's welcome Dylan and Danyn and their folks here to the Illinois Senate. Thanks for being here today. Appreciate it. Senator -- Leader Harmon, for what purpose do you rise?
For purposes of an introduction, Mr. President. 5 STATE OF ILLINOIS 99th GENERAL ASSEMBLY REGULAR SESSION SENATE TRANSCRIPT 85th Legislative Day 3/2/2016
PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR SULLIVAN) Please make your introduction, Senator Harmon.
Thank you, Mr. President. I'm very pleased to be joined on the Senate Floor today by my Page for a Day, James Harris. James is ten years old and a fifth grader at St. Giles School in Oak Park. He is studying math and science among his subjects and looks forward to becoming an engineer or an architect or something else in the STEM field. He's also active in soccer and debate and the concert band - plays both the piano and the drums. He's on an ambitious program to get all of your autographs, so he'll be working the Senate Floor here with his Blue Book in hand. But please join me now in welcoming him to the Senate. He's here with his dad, Jay, and his uncle, Greg, who are in the President's Gallery. And I'd like them all to get a warm Springfield welcome. Thank you, Mr. President.
PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR SULLIVAN) Ladies and -- Ladies and Gentlemen, let's welcome James to the Illinois Senate. Great to have you here today. Thanks for joining us. The Senate will come to order. Mr. Secretary, Committee Reports.
Senator Clayborne, Chairman of the Committee on Assignments, reports the following Legislative Measures have been assigned: Refer to Agriculture Committee - Senate Bills 2883, 2910, 2917, and 2918; refer to Appropriations I Committee - Senate Bills 2862, 2890, 2935, and 2937; refer to Appropriations II Committee - Senate Bill 2962 and 2966; refer to Criminal Law Committee - Senate Bills 2870, 2871, 2872, 2875, 2876, 2880, 2907, 2947, and 2953; refer to 6 STATE OF ILLINOIS 99th GENERAL ASSEMBLY REGULAR SESSION SENATE TRANSCRIPT 85th Legislative Day 3/2/2016 Education Committee - Senate Bills 2840, 2908, and 2912; refer to Energy and Public Utilities Committee - Senate Bills 2881 and 2939; refer to Environment and Conservation Committee - Senate Bills 2914, 2920, 2938, 2948, 2963, and 2965; refer to Executive Committee - Senate Bills 2843, 2854, 2873, 2874, 2877, 2891, 2911, 2913, 2950, and 2967; refer to Financial Institutions Committee - Senate Bills 2864, 2879, 2943, and 2945; refer to Higher Education Committee - Senate Bills 2941, 2960, and 2973; refer to Human Services Committee - Senate Bills 2906, 2931, 2952, and 2957; refer to Insurance Committee - Senate Bills 2909 and 2944; refer to Judiciary Committee - Senate Bills 2354, 2842, 2844, 2845, 2846, 2847, 2855, 2856, 2857, 2858, 2859, 2861, 2863, 2885, 2886, 2887, 2898, 2919, 2926, and 2956; refer to Labor Committee - Senate Bills 2895, 2961, and 2964; refer to Licensed Activities and Pensions Committee - Senate Bills 2893, 2894, 2896, 2899, 2900, 2901, 2925, 2946, 2954, 2955, and 2972; refer to Local Government Committee - Senate Bills 2825, 2901 {sic} (2905), and 2922; refer to Public Health Committee - Senate Bills 2878, 2929, and 2949; refer to Revenue Committee - Senate Bills 2889, 2904, 2921, 2923, 2924, 2933, and 2934; refer to State Government and Veterans Affairs Committee - Senate Bills 2884, 2897, 2932, and 2936; refer to Transportation Committee - Senate Bills 2841, 2860, 2869, and 2882. Signed, Senator James F. Clayborne, Chairman. Senator Clayborne, Chairman of the Committee on Assignments, reports the following Legislative Measures have been assigned: Refer to Higher Education Committee - Committee Amendment 2 to Senate Bill 2156, Committee Amendment 2 to Senate Bill 2157; refer to Human Services Committee - Committee Amendment 1 to Senate Bill 2524, Committee Amendment 1 to Senate Bill 2286, Committee 7 STATE OF ILLINOIS 99th GENERAL ASSEMBLY REGULAR SESSION SENATE TRANSCRIPT 85th Legislative Day 3/2/2016 Amendment 1 to Senate Bill 2321, and Committee Amendment 1 to Senate Bill 2371; refer to Judiciary Committee - Floor Amendment 1 to Senate Bill 629, Committee Amendment 1 to Senate Bill 2138, and Committee Amendment 1 to Senate Bill 2503; refer to Licensed Activities and Pensions Committee - Committee Amendment 1 to Senate Bill 2362, Committee Amendment 2 to Senate Bill 2421, and Committee Amendment 1 to Senate Bill 2433; refer to State Government and Veterans Affairs Committee - Committee Amendment 1 to Senate Bill 2532. And pursuant to Senate Rule 3-8 (b-1), the following amendments will remain in the Committee on Assignments: Committee Amendment 1 to Senate Bill 2421. Signed, Senator James F. Clayborne, Chairman.
PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR SULLIVAN) Thank you, Mr. Secretary. Senator Emil Jones, for what purpose do you rise?
Thank you, Mr. President. Purpose of introduction.
PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR SULLIVAN) Please make your introduction, Senator Jones.
May I have your attention, Ladies and Gentlemen of the Senate? I have a group of students down here from one of the greatest universities across this State, and that's known as the Chicago State University. They're over here on the Democrat side in the gallery. Please stand up to be recognized. They're down here advocating for our MAP grant. So they're going around to different legislators' offices and urging them to override that vote so they can provide funding for their university and keep their doors open. So please join me in giving 'em a round of applause for Chicago 8 STATE OF ILLINOIS 99th GENERAL ASSEMBLY REGULAR SESSION SENATE TRANSCRIPT 85th Legislative Day 3/2/2016 State University students.
PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR SULLIVAN) Ladies and Gentlemen, let's welcome our Chicago State University students. Welcome to the Illinois Senate. Thanks for being here today. Ladies and Gentlemen, if I can have your attention. Will all Members within the sound of my voice please come to the Senate Floor? We're ready to take up final action. All Members within the sound of my voice, please come to the Senate Floor immediately. Mr. Secretary, Resolutions.
Senate Joint Resolution Constitutional Amendment 28, offered by Senator Haine. It is substantive, Mr. President.
PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR SULLIVAN) Ladies and Gentlemen, if you will turn to the regular Calendar at the top of page 2 on the Order of Senate Bills 2nd Reading. We're on page 2 of the regular Calendar on the Order of Senate Bills 2nd Reading. First up is Senate Bill 436. Senator Stadelman. Senator Stadelman, do you wish to move this bill? We'll -- leave of the Body, we'll skip over Senate Bill 2160 and come back to it later. Let's go to Senate Bill 2167. 2-1-6-7. Senator Laura Murphy. Would you like to move forward? Mr. Secretary, please read the bill.
Senate Bill 2167. (Secretary reads title of bill) 2nd Reading of the bill. No committee or Floor amendments reported.
PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR SULLIVAN) 9 STATE OF ILLINOIS 99th GENERAL ASSEMBLY REGULAR SESSION SENATE TRANSCRIPT 85th Legislative Day 3/2/2016 3rd Reading. Senate Bill 2173. Senator Althoff, on 2173. Do you wish to move that to 3rd? Mr. Secretary, indicates she does. Please read the bill.
Senate Bill 2173. (Secretary reads title of bill) 2nd Reading of the bill. No committee or Floor amendments reported.
PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR SULLIVAN) 3rd Reading. Next up, we have Senate Bill 2186. Senator Althoff, on 2186. Mr. -- Mr. Secretary, indicates she does not wish to move forward on that bill. Let's go to 2204. Senator Martinez. Senator Martinez, on Senate Bill 2204. Ladies and Gentlemen, we'll go to Senate Bill 2218. Senator Althoff, on 2218. Next up, we have Senate Bill 2219. Senator Luechtefeld. On 2219, Senator Luechtefeld? Senate Bill 2255. Senator Haine. Leader Haine, on 2255. We're in the middle of page 2. Ladies and Gentlemen, let's go to Senate Bill 2260. Senator Hastings, on 2260. Do you wish -- wish to move forward? Mr. Secretary, please read the gentleman's bill.
Senate Bill 2260. (Secretary reads title of bill) 2nd Reading of the bill. No committee or Floor amendments reported.
PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR SULLIVAN) 3rd Reading. Senator Hastings, for what purpose do you rise?
Thank you, Mr. President. Point of personal privilege, 10 STATE OF ILLINOIS 99th GENERAL ASSEMBLY REGULAR SESSION SENATE TRANSCRIPT 85th Legislative Day 3/2/2016 please.
PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR SULLIVAN) Please make your point, Senator Hastings.
I just want to say thank you to the Members of our Chamber today. There's been an outpouring of support and love for my family and today I'm proud to announce that my wife had given birth to Michael Edward II on February 13th at 10 p.m. Kate and the baby are doing awesome and we're excited to bring him into the legislative family. Hopefully, he'll be here in thirty years. But we'll see - if he's -- if he's smart enough, he won't do it. But I want to say thanks to all of our colleagues. You've really shown our family nothing but support and love, and we greatly appreciate it. So thank you so much.
PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR SULLIVAN) Ladies and Gentlemen, let's show our support, appreciation to Senator Hastings and his new family. Thank you. Congratulations. Ladies and Gentlemen, we're on page 2 of the regular Calendar towards the middle of the page. We're on Senate Bill 2263. Senator Bennett. Mr. Secretary, please read the bill.
Senate Bill 2263. (Secretary reads title of bill) 2nd Reading of the bill. No committee or Floor amendments reported.
PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR SULLIVAN) 3rd Reading. 2268. Senator Bennett. Mr. Secretary, please read the bill.
11 STATE OF ILLINOIS 99th GENERAL ASSEMBLY REGULAR SESSION SENATE TRANSCRIPT 85th Legislative Day 3/2/2016 Senate Bill 2268. (Secretary reads title of bill) 2nd Reading of the bill. No committee or Floor amendments reported.
PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR SULLIVAN) 3rd Reading. Senate Bill 2294. Senator Bivins. Senator Bivins, on 2294. Mr. Secretary, please read the bill.
Senate Bill 2294. (Secretary reads title of bill) 2nd Reading of the bill. No committee or Floor amendments reported.
PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR SULLIVAN) 3rd Reading. Ladies and Gentlemen, with leave of the Body, if you'll turn to page 4, the top of page 4 of the regular Calendar. On the Order of Motions in Writing, Override Total Vetoes, Senate Bills, we have Senate Bill 2043. 2043. President Cullerton, do you wish to move forward? Indicates Leader Trotter will be presenting the bill. Senator Trotter, do you wish to move forward? Mr. Secretary, please read the motion.
I move that Senate Bill 2043 do pass, notwithstanding the veto of the Governor. Signed by President Cullerton.
PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR SULLIVAN) Leader Trotter.
Thank you very much, Mr. President, Members of the Senate. We have all heard this bill previously and we have taken a vote on 12 STATE OF ILLINOIS 99th GENERAL ASSEMBLY REGULAR SESSION SENATE TRANSCRIPT 85th Legislative Day 3/2/2016 it and we have sent it to the House, where it also was discussed going forward. Simply, this bill, Senate Bill 2043, makes appropriations to the Student Assistance Commission for the Monetary Award Program and to the Community College Board for base operating and equalization grants, City Colleges grants and the CTE, adult education and literacy programs for FY'16. In total, the bill appropriates 721.5 million dollars from the General Revenue Fund.
PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR SULLIVAN) Thank you. Is there any discussion? Leader Radogno, for what purpose do you rise?
Thank you, Mr. President. To the bill.
PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR SULLIVAN) To the bill, Leader Radogno.
Thank you. I just want to express to the Body, as I did to Senate President Cullerton just a few minutes ago, my deep disappointment that we're doing this bill. It is a repeat of something that we've done and that -- the unfortunate thing is, this bill is incomplete, because when we're looking at higher ed - it does, in fact, fund the MAP grants, community colleges - it does not address the crisis in our four-year institutions, which is a huge problem right now. And as you know, there's kids from Chicago State down here today. This bill doesn't do much to help that institution at all. But what makes me really unhappy about it is I think there's so much consensus on the issue of higher ed that we ought to take this out of the record and pull together the consensus we have on funding MAP grants. I don't think there's a 13 STATE OF ILLINOIS 99th GENERAL ASSEMBLY REGULAR SESSION SENATE TRANSCRIPT 85th Legislative Day 3/2/2016 single person in this Body that disagrees that MAP grants should be funded. They need to be funded. I think that we all agree that we need to appropriate money for higher education, including our four-year institutions, and we have a huge crisis that's driving students away right now. The other thing that's been talked about with respect to higher ed that's been increasing the cost of it is procurement. And I think we all agree that procurement reform is something that we need to address. We had a bit of a -- a reaction after the Blagojevich years. We need to address that, and it will, in fact, save money that could fund a good portion of this. I think if we go ahead and do this in a piecemeal approach, we continue to have that uncertainty out there. We, frankly, don't have the funds to fund the MAP grants, and even if we appropriate it, the Governor will -- has the choice of not doing it or putting more pressure on our social service agencies. So I would implore you to take this out of the record. It's one area that we all agree on the basic elements, even more than workers' comp. We could get this done in a bipartisan way. It would be a terrific model moving forward for those other issues that are problematic for us, to show that together we can work on reforms as well as put a budget together that costs the taxpayers money -- less and spends their dollars more wisely. So I will be voting No on it. Again, it's incomplete. But my first request would be to please take it out of the record, because I think this will hamper our progress. Thank you.
PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR SULLIVAN) Thank you. Senator Righter, for what purpose do you rise?
Thank you, Mr. President. Will the sponsor yield, please? 14 STATE OF ILLINOIS 99th GENERAL ASSEMBLY REGULAR SESSION SENATE TRANSCRIPT 85th Legislative Day 3/2/2016
PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR SULLIVAN) Indicates he will yield for questions. Senator Righter.
Thank you, Mr. President. I guess the first thing I would ask of the sponsor is to respond to Leader Radogno's request that you take this bill out of the record so that we can sit down and talk about maybe calling for a vote the five pieces of legislation that have been introduced in the Senate to help deal with this issue. Five. Would you be willing to do that, please?
PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR SULLIVAN) Leader Trotter.
No, sir, not -- not today. Think this bill is essential to helping us move forward. There -- it's a separate issue. As you pointed out, there's five issues that we could be addressing. This certainly is a large part of that. And sadly, this entire year, we've been piecemealing things together to ensure -- and -- and I've said before, thank you to the court system that has brought to our attention our constitutional responsibility to do some things. We have consent decrees that we've had to move forward and -- and that's all important. But this issue, which gives the authority to the Governor, gives him authority. 'Cause all we can do is -- is do that. We can appropriate dollars, but he has to have authority to spend it. This gives him that authority to spend those dollars as soon as they come in, because that is an -- an issue that needs to be addressed now as we, unfortunately, keep on piecemealing this together. I think if we can get a Aye vote collectively on this, think that'd go a long way with dealing with the mindset of all of us that we need to work together. But we 15 STATE OF ILLINOIS 99th GENERAL ASSEMBLY REGULAR SESSION SENATE TRANSCRIPT 85th Legislative Day 3/2/2016 have to start somewhere, and keep on waiting for the full package to come together doesn't seem like it's going to happen. But I'm with you when your side is willing to sit down to have those discussions.
PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR SULLIVAN) Senator Righter.
Senator Trotter, there are six pieces of legislation pending in this General Assembly, five of them in this Chamber. All filed by Republicans except for one. All of them offers, to you, to your Leader, to your party, to try to resolve this. We've not insisted that these bills be passed as they were filed. We are asking for the conversation to which you are referring, Senator Trotter. The olive branch is out there on this issue from our side and has been for almost a month now. And rather than being willing to sit down and have a conversation about funding the four- year universities, you are insisting on moving a bill that zeros out, for fiscal year '2016, funding for four-year universities. There's not one dime. And everyone needs to understand this: There is not one dime in 2043 for operational costs at any four- year university. So why not sit down and have a conversation about funding all three legs of the higher education stool rather than play this game, play this game that the Speaker of the House has decided to play, which is just decide that, you know what, the nine State universities in this State really don't need any money? That's what 2043 says. Would you please reconsider? Take the bill out of the record so we can have a conversation about these other bills.
PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR SULLIVAN) 16 STATE OF ILLINOIS 99th GENERAL ASSEMBLY REGULAR SESSION SENATE TRANSCRIPT 85th Legislative Day 3/2/2016 Senator Righter, that question was asked and answered. Do you have any other questions? Senator Righter.
Thank you, Mr. President. Senator Trotter, as of yesterday, there were approximately forty-eight thousand unpaid vouchers in the Comptroller's Office that total in the neighborhood of seven and a half billion dollars. As of the close of business yesterday, there was one hundred and twenty million dollars in the General Revenue Fund. As you have mentioned, this bill would cost seven hundred and twenty-one million dollars. Two questions. One: What confidence that -- do you have that the Comptroller is going to be able to take this appropriation bill and actually turn it into money, considering the forty-eight thousand other unpaid vouchers that are out there? And two: Where is the money going to come from, considering we are six-hundred million dollars short just on this one appropriation - six-hundred million dollars short as of yesterday?
PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR SULLIVAN) Leader Trotter.
…Mr. President. You know, as you pointed out, the bills that have been paid is because we do have revenues continually coming into our coffers, even today as we speak. And it will continue to come in. We have brought in billions of dollars and -- and billions more dollars will be coming in especially during this tax season when -- once people start paying their income taxes and their indebtedness to the State. Once again, this bill doesn't appropriate the dollars to the extent that we're going to spend the dollars. That is the Comptroller's responsibility. But it 17 STATE OF ILLINOIS 99th GENERAL ASSEMBLY REGULAR SESSION SENATE TRANSCRIPT 85th Legislative Day 3/2/2016 gives the authority to them to authorize to -- to -- it gives them the authority to prioritize the necessity of paying these bills when the time comes, when those dollars are there. Now, there -- when you talk about the four- -- the four- -- four-year universities, also in this bill, we're talking about the two-year community colleges. So we are thinking about higher education and trying to pay for it. I'm willing to sit down with you and Members over there when your side gets serious and want to have conversations about how we're going to fund education, higher education, at a -- at a sustainable level going forward. But in the interim, not paying for those MAP grants just exasperates {sic} the problem that these universities have that have taken on the - - the responsibility of paying these dollars when the State hasn't assumed their responsibilities.
PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR SULLIVAN) Senator Righter.
To the motion, if I might, Mr. President.
PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR SULLIVAN) To the motion, Senator Righter.
You know, Ladies and Gentlemen, like many of you, I have served -- I have had the honor of serving in this General Assembly and this Chamber for a number of years. I don't think I've ever seen a more tragic case of playing games with young people's lives than I have with this bill. For no apparent reason, for no apparent reason, the Leader of the Democratic Party in Illinois decided to put out an appropriations bill that affords not one dime for any of the four-year universities in the State. Not one dime. And it 18 STATE OF ILLINOIS 99th GENERAL ASSEMBLY REGULAR SESSION SENATE TRANSCRIPT 85th Legislative Day 3/2/2016 can't be because he's worried about being able to pay for it, because he can't pay for this one. Not one dime. And then to see everybody over there, just about everybody, and everyone over here in his party follow like lemmings right off the cliff. I appreciate, Senator Trotter, that with the community college appropriation in here that you are thinking about higher education. But, you know what, there are almost two hundred thousand students that go to four-year universities in this State, and you are clearly, you are clearly, not thinking about them. The author of this bill was clearly not thinking about them. This is an abomination. Pull this bill out of the record. You're asking for an invitation. I've done everything but send you a gold-plated invitation to have a conversation. There are five pieces of legislation in this Chamber alone to try to deal with this situation, and instead you choose to play ping-pong with a piece of legislation that will leave almost two hundred thousand students, not to mention every employee, at every one of these four-year universities out in the cold. This is wrong. This is wrong. This is black-and-white wrong. You can do better than this. You can do better than play this game. Please vote No on this override so that we can move on to something serious.
PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR SULLIVAN) Leader Trotter.
There's so many things that I agree with you on here, you know, without -- without -- without a doubt. We would not be here if our Governor would have taken a principled stand and looked at the budget that we sent him and use his executive authority to basically line-item veto what he didn't like in the budget. But 19 STATE OF ILLINOIS 99th GENERAL ASSEMBLY REGULAR SESSION SENATE TRANSCRIPT 85th Legislative Day 3/2/2016 instead, he decided to hold the people of the State of Illinois hostage in not paying not only for higher education, but also not paying for health care. He decided not to -- to pay for the providers that deliver the service to our -- some of our most needy people. He decided not to do any of those things. He decided not to pay these students, to assist them to go to college, after agreeing to do so. So he decided. He got us here today, almost nine months later, by playing a game. So I agree with you. It is time to quit playing games. Let's put something together and -- and pass it out. Now, since he started piecemealing by only paying -- paying for K to twelve, well, now let's get busy and let's pay for higher education as well and let's pay the rest of our bills while our indebtedness still runs up. So, I agree with you, let's -- let's vote for something. Instead of being the party of No, then let's be the party for something. Let's be the party for our kids to get a quality education so they can be good citizens, so they can be valuable citizens here in the State of Illinois, and contribute to our positive economy going forward. So I look forward to it, but we also need this bill passed as we make those steps to make us a -- a better state.
PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR SULLIVAN) Thank you. Further discussion? Senator Bennett, for what purpose do you rise?
To the motion.
PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR SULLIVAN) To the motion, Senator Bennett.
Thank you. The comment that was just made, you know, about 20 STATE OF ILLINOIS 99th GENERAL ASSEMBLY REGULAR SESSION SENATE TRANSCRIPT 85th Legislative Day 3/2/2016 the next society and the next generation and -- and making sure we're better citizens struck a chord in me. The favorite son of Illinois, Abraham Lincoln, has a quote that I love that -- it's the -- "The philosophy of the classroom in one generation will become the philosophy of government in the next", and that's what this bill is about, is who are -- we're letting in that classroom, because they're going to be the ones at the table for the leadership of our government, our economy, and our society in the next generation. And that's what this bill is - how do we prepare our next generation to provide for their families, to get -- to achieve the goals they want to do, and pay taxes in the -- in the years to come. I represent one of the finest universities in the world in the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. And the people in this Chamber and those who came before you should be really proud of the investments you made there and the returns you received, the whole world received, from that university. But this is not an issue just for Urbana-Champaign or for Charleston or for DeKalb or the neighborhoods around Chicago State, it is a statewide issue. And just the same, it's mind-boggling how this has somehow -- got a partisan divide between it, because this has -- partisan politics has no place in the education of our children. We spend so much of our time here lamenting the loss of our talented citizens of our State to our neighboring states and all across the country, but we need to remember the commitment is a two-way street. If we want the best and the brightest of Illinois citizens to stay here, we're going to need to make sure we show some kind of commitment to them. So I'm asking my colleagues to stand with our young people, not just the ones who are already from affluent families, but for those who aspire to someday be affluent, those 21 STATE OF ILLINOIS 99th GENERAL ASSEMBLY REGULAR SESSION SENATE TRANSCRIPT 85th Legislative Day 3/2/2016 who aspire to create the job-creating companies and industries right here in Illinois. Give them the chance to succeed and do it here. If we invest in them, they're going to invest in us. But to do that, we need to take a step toward investing in them right today, and I ask you to join me in overriding the veto. Thank you.
PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR SULLIVAN) Thank you. Before we go to further discussion, Naomi Nielsen with WICS requests permission to videotape. Seeing no objection, leave is granted. Senator Luechtefeld, for what purpose do you rise?
Thank you. Thank you -- thank you, Mr. President. I'm sorry, I got a -- a really bad voice today. Question of the sponsor.
PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR SULLIVAN) Indicates he will yield for a question. Senator Luechtefeld.
Senator, you may -- you may have answered this, but what is the rationale for the fact that we are doing all this for the community colleges? We're funding the MAP grants and we're not funding the four-year institutions. Now I know a -- not -- not a lot of us have a four-year institution in our district. Eight, nine of us have -- have one. That's certainly a long way from a majority. I happen to have one. What -- what would be your -- your argument or your rationale as to why not just, if we're going to do this, do it. Are -- are there games being played? Or what -- tell me about that, would you, please.
PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR SULLIVAN) Senator Luechtefeld. Excuse me. Leader Trotter. 22 STATE OF ILLINOIS 99th GENERAL ASSEMBLY REGULAR SESSION SENATE TRANSCRIPT 85th Legislative Day 3/2/2016
Thank you, Mr. President. No, you're absolutely correct. And -- and there is legislation, as pointed out by one of the previous speakers, to fund education. I mean, it's unfortunate, as I pointed out earlier as well, we had a full budget, we had a complete budget, and the Governor decided not to sign that complete budget, which got us doing this piecemeal approach. There are bills to fund education and hopefully, when we sit down and finally agree on which one is it going to be - is it going to be -- whether it be a procurement piece, is it going to be with a -- a reduction of ten percent, a reduction of twenty percent - I'm -- I'm -- I will vote for that legislation as well. So this is a piece of that pie that needs to be -- be dealt with at this point in time. So I'm asking everyone to vote for this piece right now. And we can vote for the bigger piece, which is funding universities, because you can't have students if they don't have a school to go to and you're not a school unless you have students. So I do understand they go hand in hand.
PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR SULLIVAN) Senator Luechtefeld.
Senator, I'm not real sure you answered that question. What -- what would -- you know, you've said you'd like -- you know, you'd like to do that sometime down the road, but you -- what was -- what's the rationale for not doing it right now? I -- I don't quite get that, other than playing a game.
PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR SULLIVAN) Leader Trotter.
23 STATE OF ILLINOIS 99th GENERAL ASSEMBLY REGULAR SESSION SENATE TRANSCRIPT 85th Legislative Day 3/2/2016 There are many ways of doing this. We know that there is another House bill that's proposing paying for universities. There's people here with bills, stand-alone bills, just to fund individual schools. So we as a Body have not come up with that master plan to fund all the schools. This is a plan to pay for those MAP grants, those monetary assistance awards that we have. So, with this, we can agree on, hopefully, instead of using the excuse of not voting for something that's worth something that's going to move this process forward, and saying "If I don't have it all, I'm not going to vote for nothing." And I think that's been the mantra that we've heard for the past nine months: "If I don't get it all, I'm not voting for nothing." Vote for something. Vote for this.
PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR SULLIVAN) Senator Luechtefeld.
Again -- again, I -- I don't think you answered the rationale for doing this, other than the fact that let's do -- let's do a piece of it. You know, you said in your argument, and I guess that, you know, that this is -- Governor Rauner messed this up. Let -- let's be honest. Your Leader, Mike Madigan, right now are playing games and -- and you're part of those games. And, you know, again, he's been here for thirty-five years and we have a State that's in really bad trouble. Why are we allowing him to simply dominate what -- what goes on in this -- in this Chamber? This is a game. You know it. I know it. It is -- it is a game. And to say that this is Governor Rauner's fault, Mike Madigan could have done a lot of things to make this…
RESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR SULLIVAN) 24 STATE OF ILLINOIS 99th GENERAL ASSEMBLY REGULAR SESSION SENATE TRANSCRIPT 85th Legislative Day 3/2/2016 Senator Luechtefeld, let's keep the debate to the issue at hand here, to the legislation that's up on the board. If you have any other comments or questions, we'll allow that, but otherwise let's move on. Senator Luechtefeld.
I -- I understand what you're saying, but -- but what -- what's going on right now is your Leader is basically saying I run this place and I'm going to teach you a lesson, and this is just one of those lessons. Thank you.
PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR SULLIVAN) Further discussion? Senator Bush, for what purpose do you rise? Oh, excuse me, Senator Senator Bush. Senator Trotter would like to respond. Senator Trotter.
I believe I -- I need to, one, because there was all these references to my Leader. I don't serve in the House and certainly Mike Madigan, as -- as pointed out, is certainly not my Leader. What has happened here today, in this Chamber, is that you, sir, and others have abdicated your responsibility to your constituents and you have -- now voting with the ideology that you have to stay all together to -- to get your big picture taken care of. But if you listen to your constituents, if you read some of those fifteen- thousand petitions that we brought down here and handed to the Governor - and hopefully he read 'em or someone in his office - you know this is what the people want; they want the dollars that's been promised to them. So -- so let's not blame anybody else than what we individually can do when we press our buttons. Is it for our constituents, or it is for the party that you serve. So, with that, I'm asking everyone to vote for this. 25 STATE OF ILLINOIS 99th GENERAL ASSEMBLY REGULAR SESSION SENATE TRANSCRIPT 85th Legislative Day 3/2/2016
PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR SULLIVAN) Senator Bush, for what purpose do you rise?
To the bill.
PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR SULLIVAN) To the motion, Senator Bush.
Thank you. I apologize. You know, I'm not much for all the rules. I just wanted to say that this has kind of gotten to be appalling really, all the name-callings. You know, frankly, I, too, serve in the Senate and President Cullerton has been certainly willing to work across the aisle, and I know our caucus has been. So, frankly, I really don't want to hear Speaker Madigan's -- one more time in this Chamber. He's over on the other side. But having said that, I want to remind you what we're here for. We're sent to Springfield by our constituents to do one thing, and that's to do the work of the State. They don't care about political points or who wins at the end of the day; they care whether we've acted responsibly - and this year, we have not. There are lots of names that can be added to that list. Leaving MAP grants unfunded means breaking our promise to students. These are students that are in school right now. We told them, "Get an education, do what you can to make your lives better, and if you need help, we will help you". Today, again, we are saying no to them over political ideological battles. It's not what I came here to do. I hope it's not what anyone else came here to do. I would urge an Aye vote. I would urge you to override the Governor's veto and let students know that they can finish their school year and that if they're graduating that they're going to get their diplomas. We 26 STATE OF ILLINOIS 99th GENERAL ASSEMBLY REGULAR SESSION SENATE TRANSCRIPT 85th Legislative Day 3/2/2016 promised them that. We owe it to them. I urge you to join me in voting Yes and helping the students in the State of -- this State stay in our schools. And in case you haven't heard yet, we have counselors across the State of Illinois that are telling their students "Don't go to school in Illinois". Is that what we really want? I don't think so. I want a future for the students of Illinois. I want a future for Illinois. Please join me in overriding this veto. Thank you.
PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR SULLIVAN) Thank you. Senator Van Pelt, for what purpose do you rise?
I would like to speak to the sponsor.
PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR SULLIVAN) Question of the sponsor. Senator Van Pelt.
I just wanted to commend the sponsor for bringing this bill and this motion -- bringing this motion up, because so many people in this State depend on us helping to help them move forward when sometimes our lives can fall apart for no -- no -- you know, nothing on our own that caused that to happen, but our lives can fall apart and we can find ourselves in need, and anybody in this Chamber could end up in that place. So with all the rhetoric and all the political posturing that I hear today, I know what the people of Illinois, the citizens of Illinois, the residents of Illinois are asking for; they're asking for us to use their tax dollars to meet the needs of the most vulnerable, the poor, and to move this State forward. And I can't see how we can -- we can say that we support moving this State forward and ignore something so important as the MAP grants. These grants help people to get their 27 STATE OF ILLINOIS 99th GENERAL ASSEMBLY REGULAR SESSION SENATE TRANSCRIPT 85th Legislative Day 3/2/2016 lives back together. These -- these are not people who have money -- rolling in the dough. These are people who are trying to get their lives back together. And I just want to commend the -- the sponsor today for standing up to all these blows that you're receiving, all this mistruth that -- that are coming forth in this Chamber today. And you're standing up for the people of Illinois and I'm proud to be standing with you. And I commend {sic} everybody here in this Chamber to vote Yes on this motion. Thank you.
PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR SULLIVAN) Thank you. Further discussion? Senator Matt Murphy, what purpose do you rise?
To the motion, Mr. President.
PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR SULLIVAN) To the motion, Senator Murphy.
So I -- I heard one of my colleagues on the other side of the aisle say that this shouldn't be ideological. And, frankly, I -- I think you heard Senator Righter and Senator Radogno make very clear, this isn't ideological at all. Everybody in this Chamber wants to solve this problem. What this is about from our side of the aisle, frankly, is common sense. You can't spend 7.7 billion dollars in appropriations -- and -- and Senator Trotter acknowledged, this is just spending authority. Well, that'd make 7.7 billion in spending authority, potentially, with a hundred and twenty million bucks in the bank. You don't have to be knee-deep in this stuff to know that doesn't work. You don't have to be knee-deep in this stuff to recognize that when you say we're going 28 STATE OF ILLINOIS 99th GENERAL ASSEMBLY REGULAR SESSION SENATE TRANSCRIPT 85th Legislative Day 3/2/2016 to give seven hundred and twenty million in spending authority but we don't have the money that you're not serious about addressing the problem. That's what this is about and that's why we object to this. The disappointment, the blame game, everybody in Illinois is sick of the blame game. I agree with you. But here's the problem: This is a continuation of it. The Governor is trying right now to come up with a different way to solve this problem. But instead of quietly working with him to do it, you're out here sticking your thumb in his eye. How is that working together to help people? You can come out here and bleed on all you want, but actions speak louder than words, and the action of doing this means you're more interested in scoring political points on this issue than you are on the hard work of solving the problem. One last point on that: Senator Trotter, you brought up Governor Rauner in this. I didn't. Governor Rauner said from the get-go that he wants to work collectively to solve these problems. He said he'd even sign a tax increase. You said he could line-item -- he could line-item veto the budget to balance. But you know that's not true because we have cost drivers that require fundamental reform for us to balance without a tax increase. He even said he'd sign a tax increase - a big give for a Republican Governor, a big compromise. But there's been nothing back. He offered you a deal: join him in fundamentally reforming the way this place operates and he'll sign the tax increase. You clearly didn't want to do the deal. Your prerogative - the people, through your map, gave you supermajorities in both Chambers. But if you don't want to take his deal, use those supermajorities to actually raise the revenue you want to spend yourselves and that way, when you want to take money and do things like this, you actually have the money 29 STATE OF ILLINOIS 99th GENERAL ASSEMBLY REGULAR SESSION SENATE TRANSCRIPT 85th Legislative Day 3/2/2016 to do it - not just the hollow gesture of a bill that has appropriation authority and no money behind it. So it's time to walk the walk. If you want to spend, if you really mean what you say about how valuable and important all these things are, then have the courage to vote for the tax increase to actually fund it. And if you don't want to do that, what do you say, you stop posturing, get back to the negotiating table with the Governor, try and find enough common ground on reforms so that he can join you in doing whatever we need to do to put the whole picture together. Nothing out here today is progress toward that goal, and you all know it. I urge a No vote.
PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR SULLIVAN) Leader Trotter, to respond.
Thank you, I -- this is unusual, I -- 'cause I don't usually like to respond to stuff. But do you listen to yourself? You know, do you play back those sound bites that you espouse here on the Floor? Thing is, you're saying you want to vote for an entire budget, that why don't we have a complete budget for the universities, have a budget for the community colleges, have this MAP grant funding and everything else, and you don't mention at all how you're going to pay for all of that. But then, on the other side of your mouth, you -- you -- you chastise us when we say let's piecemeal it, let's take it apart piece by piece and find monies for it. You said, "Where are you going to get the money?" Where are you going to get the money to pay for what you're talking about? It's easier to come up with 721.5 million dollars than -- than the two billion dollars it's going to need to, really, bail out the universities. But you want me to pull 30 STATE OF ILLINOIS 99th GENERAL ASSEMBLY REGULAR SESSION SENATE TRANSCRIPT 85th Legislative Day 3/2/2016 that bill today, let's pull out and to have a bill that's going to cost us over two billion dollars. Where are you going to get the money? You know, let's stop the rhetoric. We have our sons and daughters, we have our brothers and sisters, and our cousins, our friends, our neighbors, their children, who, as -- as mentioned before by Senator Bush, that want to follow their dream, want -- want to fulfill those things that we have promised them, a -- a pathway to a better life, and you get there in part by having an education, being prepared not just to fight for jobs here in the State of Illinois, but being prepared to find jobs in this global economy. So it's not as simple as that. But we have to start somewhere and we do that by voting for this bill today, overriding the Governor's veto, who has made promises that yet he has not kept. Where's the trust? Here's a man who's made promises and hasn't kept any of 'em. Anyway, and who else wants to speak? I said -- I -- I certainly didn't want to get started on that track…
PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR SULLIVAN) There any further discussion? Leader Lightford, for what purpose do you rise?
Thank you, Mr. President. To the motion.
PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR SULLIVAN) To the motion, Leader Lightford.
Mr. President. I rise as the ear of the over one hundred fifty thousand students who are listening to this debate. And what they hear is wamp, wamp, wamp, wamp, wamp, wamp. None of it makes a difference to them if they cannot finish their education. I rise as their voice in saying "You told us as our leaders of 31 STATE OF ILLINOIS 99th GENERAL ASSEMBLY REGULAR SESSION SENATE TRANSCRIPT 85th Legislative Day 3/2/2016 this State that if we go on to work hard and earn a higher education that we can have a better life for ourselves. That's what you told us to do and we're doing exactly what you told us to do, yet all we hear from you is wamp, wamp, wamp, wamp, the leaders of the State." I am so amazed that the Leader stood up and said take it out of the record, take it out of the record. Why? Because you don't want to be on another bad vote. Truth is, when you vote No, you're taking another bad vote to hurt all of the students across the State of Illinois. You're mixing up the argument, as usual, in saying it's not helping the universities. Let me tell you true facts, Senator. Chicago State University will miss five million dollars from their students not receiving the MAP grant because they're defraying the cost; Eastern Illinois University, eight million; Governors State University, thirteen million; Illinois State University, twelve million; Northeastern Illinois University, seven million; Northern Illinois University, nineteen million; Southern Illinois in Carbondale, twelve million, with their partner school over in Edwardsville, seven million. Let's look at the University of Illinois in Chicago, thirty-three million dollars. How about UIS right here in Springfield, three million; and the University of Illinois in Champaign-Urbana, twenty-seven million; and Western Illinois University, twelve million. So when we want to debate, debate with true facts. This affects the universities immensely. They've been carrying the burden of students who were supposed to receive the MAP grant through the fall semester and now the spring semester. That's the truth. That's the real fact. Taking it out of the record does nothing but to defray a situation where we're not graduating our students. You guys voted against the K-12 budget. The only thing that's 32 STATE OF ILLINOIS 99th GENERAL ASSEMBLY REGULAR SESSION SENATE TRANSCRIPT 85th Legislative Day 3/2/2016 moving in the State, you voted against that too. What was wrong with K-12 education? Your Governor thought it was something good. He -- that's the only bill he's signed. That's the only thing moving in the State of Illinois, but you guys voted No against the K through 12 budget. So taking it out of the record benefits who? Benefits who? It sure as heck doesn't help the students that have spent year after year after year trying to improve their lives and get a better education so that they can lead a more prosperous life. But yet here we are, as the legislators, saying, well, take it out of the record because it's not enough, take it out of the record because it's piecemeal. They want to eat. They want a piece. They do want the piecemeal. They're struggling right now. They can't make it to graduation. Our institutions will lose accreditation. How would you feel of our education system just going to defunct? You cannot feel good about that. You cannot feel good that under your watch and you voted No on every single education bill that's come through this Chamber. That you voted No on because of what? Because it wasn't your full package? Because it wasn't take it or leave it? You haven't voted for anything in years when it was a full package. I don't even know why you come to this Capitol? Why do you even show up? We should just redline you No across the committee, on the Floor, through everything, 'cause you're the No caucus. You're the caucus that don't care about people who really need help to stay in the universities.
PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR SULLIVAN) Leader -- Leader -- Leader Lightford, I've scolded the other side. Let's -- let's keep the comments germane to the legislation on the board. Leader Lightford. 33 STATE OF ILLINOIS 99th GENERAL ASSEMBLY REGULAR SESSION SENATE TRANSCRIPT 85th Legislative Day 3/2/2016
I'm telling the truth. Pull up the record. Pull up the record and see where they have cast a Yes vote on education in the past years. I'm speaking the truth. You allowed all that old rhetoric to talk a minute ago that wasn't saying nothing about nothing. So I'm telling you the truth. People are hurting. They're tired of us, as leaders, fighting each other and that they suffer. At the end of the day, the students here from DePaul University - let's talk about the private institutions, Aurora University, Benedictine, Bradley, Columbia - DePaul is missing thirteen million dollars in MAP grant money. It's not just Chicago State University; it's all of our schools. Don't we care about our education system? We should care about it from early childhood through higher education, not just the pet peeves {sic} of whomever has their favorite. All of our education system should make a difference and should matter. So I rise as the ear of the student, who says get it together because I'm struggling, and I rise as their voice, because they don't have a voice here. They're voiceless because their legislators are putting out a whole bunch of wamp, wamp, wamp, wamp. I encourage an Aye vote.
PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR SULLIVAN) Thank you. Senator Bivins, for what purpose do you rise?
To the motion, Mr. President.
PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR SULLIVAN) To the motion, Senator Bivins.
Thank you, Mr. President. Thirty-two billion in revenue, thirty-eight billion in spending. Vote No. 34 STATE OF ILLINOIS 99th GENERAL ASSEMBLY REGULAR SESSION SENATE TRANSCRIPT 85th Legislative Day 3/2/2016
PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR SULLIVAN) Before we go to our next speaker, Lee Milner with the Illinois Times requests permission to take photographs. Sarah Mueller with WUIS requests permission to take photographs. Seeing no objection, leave is granted. Senator Holmes, for what purpose do you rise?
To the motion, please, Mr. President.
PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR SULLIVAN) To the motion, Senator Holmes.
I -- I don't think I can do justice to this topic the way that Senator Lightford did and I applaud her for that, but I do want to say a few things because I've sat here and I listened and I listened to you accusing us of playing games. And, you know what? This has been gamesmanship and it has been since the very beginning, since the budget was introduced that all of you voted No or -- oh, I'm sorry, you can say you voted Present as though that wasn't a No vote, as though you weren't denying students their opportunity for an education. And then, of course, after you were persuaded to vote No or Present, your Governor did support K through 12. Why? Because had he not done that, this budget impasse would have sort of imploded and forced an agreement, forced a compromise. And I have been here almost ten years and it wasn't until this administration that compromise and negotiation became a dirty word and we can't do it. So when you sit there and have the absolute audacity to accuse us of playing games, let me talk a little bit about what isn't a game. I represent Aurora. That means I represent Waubonsee Community College, Aurora University. So many of my students go to Northern, so many go to the College 35 STATE OF ILLINOIS 99th GENERAL ASSEMBLY REGULAR SESSION SENATE TRANSCRIPT 85th Legislative Day 3/2/2016 of DuPage, and you know what so many of these students are? So many of these students are the very, very proud first generation in their family to have the opportunity to go to college. They finally have the opportunity to make a difference in the lives of their family, in their community, to get a good-paying job, to get a good-paying job that will allow them to invest the money back into the community, back into the State of Illinois. I thought we had a Governor who sort of understood business. Well, what business tells us is, when you have a good education and you get a good job, you start buying cars, a home, then, of course, in some cases, you can buy nine homes. I'm just hoping that the residents of my community can buy one. So you're buying these items and putting that money back into the community. But we're not going to allow these students to do it. But we're going to come out and say that K through 12 was important. And by the way, after we tell you that your education was important for K through 12, we're going to snatch that opportunity away and say, "I know that was important, and by the way, you did a really good job getting there, but, guess what, now I'm going to take away your opportunity for a higher education. I'm going to take away your opportunity to be the first generation of your family to get a higher education and to change your lives." And if you think that this little interlude to this little nine-month impasse, that even if we would pass this today would make a difference, no - guess what? - you've already ruined that opportunity for an entire generation because so many of these students that are not going to be able to go to college are going to get a job because they have to and they're not going to be able to go back. I hope you're proud of yourselves. I hope you look at yourselves in the mirror 36 STATE OF ILLINOIS 99th GENERAL ASSEMBLY REGULAR SESSION SENATE TRANSCRIPT 85th Legislative Day 3/2/2016 and say "I did a good thing by looking at the students in Illinois and telling them, 'You are not worthy of a higher education', because I'm going to sit here and play this political game until the bitter end. And by the way, when all is said and done, I'm going to blame the Leaders for it and not myself." Guess what? The Leader, just like you and I, has only one vote. One. So you darn well want to make that vote count. Vote for the kids of your district who need those MAP grants. Thank you.
PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR SULLIVAN) Our last speaker, President Cullerton, for what purpose do you rise?
Yes, to the motion.
PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR SULLIVAN) To the motion, President Cullerton.
Thank you, Mr. President, Members of the Senate. I'd like to welcome a number of folks in the gallery who've come to Springfield today. And -- and this is a -- really, I think, a helpful discussion, because we're talking about kind of the fundamentals of our appropriation process. And it is something which a lot of people don't understand. The way it works is, we don't spend money. The Legislature doesn't have the authority to spend money. The Governor spends the money, but he can't spend the money unless we authorize him to spend the money, and appropriation bills really are authorization bills. So, for example, this particular appropriation for the MAP grants was a stand-alone bill that we passed in May along with another bill that funded preschool through high school. That bill actually increased funding by two hundred 37 STATE OF ILLINOIS 99th GENERAL ASSEMBLY REGULAR SESSION SENATE TRANSCRIPT 85th Legislative Day 3/2/2016 and sixty-five million dollars. The Governor, of course, has to sign bills, otherwise they don't become law. So the Governor signed the preschool through high school bill that increased spending by two hundred and sixty-five million because he thought it was a priority and apparently he felt we had the money. However, he vetoed the money for the MAP grants. We then came back in August and we voted again to authorize the MAP grants. Didn't even -- in fact, it passed unanimously 37 to nothing - it was that important. And so, the Governor vetoed it again. So what we're saying here is, if we don't have enough money to spend, if the Governor doesn't thinks {sic} he has enough money to spend on the MAP grants, he doesn't have to. But if he wanted to spend a penny on it, he wouldn't have the authorization to do that. So all we're doing with this bill is authorizing him to spend as much money as he thinks he can squeeze out to help out the universities. I know there's been references to other bills, a package of five bills that would solve all our problems. Those bills have been introduced, they will be assigned to committee, they will have hearings in committee. If they come out of committee, we will vote on 'em on the Senate Floor. But I think the positive thing that can come out of this discussion is I heard from my Republican counterpart a willingness to try to solve the problem of higher education funding, something that we all should come together on. And if I understood her correctly, we can do that here in the Senate. We don't need permission from the Governor. We don't need permission from the House. We can come together and work on that in a positive way, and I'm more than happy to do that. We will be accused, perhaps, by some as doing that in a piecemeal approach. But, you know what, higher ed is the one major area of 38 STATE OF ILLINOIS 99th GENERAL ASSEMBLY REGULAR SESSION SENATE TRANSCRIPT 85th Legislative Day 3/2/2016 our budget that hasn't been funded from court orders or continuing appropriations. All of the horribles that people here have been debating are really true. High school counselors saying "Don't go to school in Illinois; we don't even know if they'll be funded." So it -- it is kind of crazy and it is something that we should work on. So, the House is not coming back into Session until April 5th, after this week. In the interim, I would be more than happy to pledge my support with our caucus, with your caucus, to see if we can solve the higher education funding problem. But this bill, it does no harm. It -- it authorizes spending. If the House overrides 'em, it'll be there. The Governor then will have the authority to -- to spend money. The fact that we don't have enough money to pay for it is a big problem. If we -- if we can ever solve that problem sometime soon, we're also willing to do that as well. We're not unilaterally saying we're not listening to the Governor about his Turnaround Agenda. We certainly have had discussions about it and we're willing to come to some kind of a compromise on that as well as the revenue. And to the point that the Governor has indicated he's willing to be in favor of revenue, that's a positive thing. So, once again, we don't need permission from the Governor. We don't need permission from the House. Let's work on this problem, after we pass this bill. I urge an Aye vote.
PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR SULLIVAN) Thank you. Leader Trotter, do you wish to close? Leader Trotter.
Just, I want to thank everyone that spoke up for -- for our children, for the next generation of Illinoisans who's going to keep this State going strong. Hopefully, at this point in time, 39 STATE OF ILLINOIS 99th GENERAL ASSEMBLY REGULAR SESSION SENATE TRANSCRIPT 85th Legislative Day 3/2/2016 we'll have everyone stand up and vote Aye for this bill.
PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR SULLIVAN) Thank you. Ladies and Gentlemen, the question is, shall Senate Bill 2043 pass, notwithstanding the veto of the Governor. All those in favor will vote Aye. Opposed, Nay. And the voting is open. Have all voted who wish? Have all voted who wish? Have all voted who wish? Mr. Secretary, take the record. On that question, there are 37 voting Aye, 17 voting Nay, 2 voting present. Senate Bill 2043, having received the required three-fifths majority, is declared passed, notwithstanding the veto of the Governor. Ladies and Gentlemen, the Senate will recess to the call of the Chair. We will come back later this evening -- this afternoon to take up 2nd Readings, limited 2nd Readings. The Senate stands in recess. (SENATE STANDS IN RECESS/SENATE RECONVENES)
PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR SILVERSTEIN) Senate will come to order. Mr. Secretary, Committee Reports.
Senator Landek, Chairperson of the Committee on State Government and Veterans Affairs, reports Senate Bill 2739 Do Pass and Senate Bill 2532 Do Pass, as Amended. Senator Martinez, Chairperson of the Committee on Licensed Activities and Pensions, reports Senate Bills 2214, 2434 and 2437 Do Pass; and Senate Bill 2421 Do Pass, as Amended. Senator Harmon, Chairperson of the Committee on Executive, reports Senate Bills 2195, 2216, 2357, 2420, 2468, and House Bill 580 Do Pass; and Senate Amendment 2 to House Bill 3748 Recommend 40 STATE OF ILLINOIS 99th GENERAL ASSEMBLY REGULAR SESSION SENATE TRANSCRIPT 85th Legislative Day 3/2/2016 Do Adopt. Senator Biss, Chairperson of the Committee on Human Services, reports Senate Bills 2332 and 2407 Do Pass; Senate Bill 2286, 2371, and 2524 Do Pass, as Amended; and Senate Resolution 1537 Be Adopted. Senator Raoul, Chairperson of the Committee on Judiciary, reports Senate Bills 2459, 2512, 2565, and 2741 Do Pass; Senate Bill 2138 Do Pass, as Amended; and Senate Amendment 1 to Senate Bill 629 Recommend Do Adopt.
PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR SILVERSTEIN) Mr. Secretary, Introduction of new Bills.
Senate Bill 3380, offered by Senator Brady. (Secretary reads title of bill) 1st Reading of the bill.
PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR SILVERSTEIN) Okay, Supplemental -- Supplemental Calendar No. 1 has been distributed. Senate Bills -- House Bills 2nd Reading. Mr. Secretary.
House Bill 580. (Secretary reads title of bill) 2nd Reading of the bill. No committee or Floor amendments reported.
PRESIDING OFFICER: (SENATOR SILVERSTEIN) 3rd Reading. There being no further business to come before the Senate, the Senate stands adjourned until the hour of 11 a.m. on the 3rd of March 2015 {sic} (2016). The Senate stands adjourned. 41