Springfield Special Sessions: A Ray of Hope

The 23rd and 24th Special Sessions of the General Assembly started off much the same as most of the other special sessions called by the Governor. The Governor called the 23rd Special Session on Tuesday, but provided no legislation to be considered. The House adjourned in very short order.

However, following that brief session, some of us met in Speaker Madigan's office to consider the proposed lease of the Illinois Lottery. The general consensus of the group was that the idea could have merit, as long as certain conditions were met in addition to those in the Governor's legislation, including:

1. Financially advantageous to the State of Illinois over the lease life

2. That the lease be openly and competitively bid

3. That strong ethics, management and audit controls were in place

4. That the process of choosing a successful bidder have strict oversight and that all conditions of any successful bid benefited the State of Illinois

5. That affirmative action goals similar to other state bids be included

6. That the funds for education currently generated by the lottery be held harmless (and in fact would grow over time so as not to lose real value)

7. That the state participate in any profit growth of the lottery while under private control

There was also substantial discussion about how the proceeds of any lease might be used, including:

1. Education funding

2. State share of capital funding

3. Reduction of pension liabilities

4. Restoration of human services cuts

This was the second of what will undoubtedly be a series of meetings around this highly complex topic. Members asked staff to prepare draft language reflecting the lease conditions (listed above) and financial projections showing likely scenarios, so that our future discussions can be more detailed and informed.

Wednesday was the meeting of the Democratic Party of Illinois attended by delegates from every county and top Democrat office holders. It was a very hopeful sign that the atmosphere of the meetings and the speeches was largely respectful and did not add fuel to any of the fires of conflict that have existed at the Capitol.

Later that afternoon, the House convened in Special and Regular Sessions. The House voted overwhelmingly, although not without substantial discussion, to accept the first two of the Governor's Amendatory Vetoes (AVs). The Illinois Constitution gives the Governor the right to issue AVs on legislation. This is the pertinent language:

(e) The Governor may return a bill together with specific recommendations for change to the house in which it originated. The bill shall be considered in the same manner as a vetoed bill but the specific recommendations may be accepted by a record vote of a majority of the members elected to each house. Such bill shall be presented again to the Governor and if he certifies that such acceptance conforms to his specific recommendations, the bill shall become law. If he does not so certify, he shall return it as a vetoed bill to the house in which it originated.


It has been debated for decades whether the AV power allows technical corrections or more sweeping rewrites. There have been several court challenges on this topic, but no definitive ruling. It is possible that either or both of these AVs could be challenged in the courts.

The first AV was of HB5285. The Governor's major change to the bill requires that unmarried children be able to remain on their parent's insurance policies up to age 30. You can see the original legislation and the Governor's entire veto message here:

http://ilga.gov/legislation/BillStatus.asp?DocNum=5285&GAID=9&DocTypeID=HB&LegID=36542&SessionID=51&SpecSess=&Session=&GA=95

The second AV was of HB4201. The Governor's major change exempts from property taxes veterans who have been more than 50% disabled by service to our country. You can see the original legislation and the Governor's entire veto message here:

http://ilga.gov/legislation/BillStatus.asp?DocTypeID=HB&DocNum=4201&GAID=9&SessionID=51&LegID=34604

The House also passed two measures which would extend bonding authority and appropriation authority to capture available federal capital dollars under the SAFETEA-LU program. The legislation may be seen here:

http://ilga.gov/legislation/BillStatus.asp?DocTypeID=SB&DocNum=1460&GAID=9&SessionID=51&LegID=29550

and here:

http://ilga.gov/legislation/BillStatus.asp?DocTypeID=SB&DocNum=1116&GAID=9&SessionID=51&LegID=29184

I am hopeful that all these actions signal the beginning of the end of the sparring and divisiveness that have dominated much of the last two years. Time will tell.

Pay Raises Fail

The other major action of the week was the concurrence by the Senate in our previous rejection of pay raises for the legislature, constitutional officers and certain state judges.