Robert-W.-Pritchard—IL-House-70th-District

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Pritchard’s Perspective 6/3/13

Jun. 04 Gov Watch, Representative Robert Pritchard no comments

Observations and comments about state government by State Representative Robert W. Pritchard.

News from the State House

June 3, 2013

In this issue:

· Concealed Carry Bill Goes to Governor

· Budget Increases Spending

· Medicaid Expanded Despite Uncertain Cost

· Legislation Highlights of the Final Week

The Spring Legislative Session concluded on May 31 with passage of some significant legislation but I am very disappointed that Illinois’ number one issue—pension reform—remains unresolved. Unlike other difficult issues where there are negotiations and compromise, the leaders of each chamber became so enamored with their solution they would not compromise. During this year’s session, the House approved four different pension bills and sent them to the Senate where the main bill, SB1, was defeated 16-42. The Senate approved its own pension bill and sent it to the House where Speaker Madigan refused to call it for debate.

Now, perhaps, the legislative leaders will back off and allow their members to craft a bill with all the parties in what generally works—comprise—to reach the important goal.

The final bill to come before the House Friday provided a heated debate over allowing the Chicago Public Schools to skip another pension payment for its workers. The majority party violated several house rules in order to bring the pension holiday bill for a vote and then soundly defeated it. It was ironic that what has gotten the state into a severe pension crisis was being proposed for Chicago. Apparently the drama was meant to send a statement to the Mayor of Chicago who controls the school system.

Then there were emotional speeches by advocates for same sex marriage about why their bill didn’t come to a vote and the hope it would be back this fall. Hundreds of advocates and all the major news media came to Springfield on Friday to see the vote.

Concealed Carry Bill Goes to Governor

With eight days remaining until the federal-court deadline for concealed carry in Illinois, the General Assembly on Friday sent a “shall-issue” carry bill to Governor Quinn for his signature. Negotiations on a compromise bill took place all week and final action in both chambers occurred quickly on Friday. Read more →

Pritchard’s Perspective 5/28/13

May. 29 Gov Watch, Representative Robert Pritchard 1 comment

Observations and comments about state government by State Representative Robert W. Pritchard.

May 28, 2013

In this issue:

· Honor America’s Heroes

· Concealed Carry Passes Due to Popular Demand

· Electric Smart Grid Back on Track

· College Tuition Waiver Used to Entice Longer Military Service

· Bill to Increase Speed Limit Awaits Governor’s Signature

· House Passes Medicaid Expansion

· New Health Insurance Options for State Retirees Coming

· Re-awakening the American Dream

Honor America’s Heroes
Last Wednesday members of the House honored eight Illinoisans who made the ultimate sacrifice for their country in the past year. Among those remembered were Army Specialist Samuel Watts, Wheaton; Army Sergeant Michael Ristau, Rockford; and Navy Petty Officer John Larimer, Crystal Lake.

Let us take more than one day to salute these and all the “heroes” who have served our country and made our democracy possible.

Concealed Carry Passes Due to Popular Demand
Speaker Madigan summarized the movement for concealed carry legislation last week by saying it was democracy in action. The will of the people was heard as SB2193 passed the House with a resounding 85-30 vote. The bill was the product of numerous compromises so that in the end, no one was thoroughly happy with it. The bill now heads to the Senate.

Pritchard’s Perspective on State Politics 5/6/13

May. 06 Gov Watch 1 comment

Observations and comments about state government by State Representative Robert W. Pritchard.

May 6, 2013

News from the State House

In this issue:

· General Assembly Begins Final Month of Spring Session

· Dueling Pension Bills: Leaders Grow Impatient with Progress

· Attorney General Receives Extension on Concealed Carry

· Bills Filed to Reduce Welfare Fraud

· Flood Assessments Underway; Federal Disaster Declaration Possible

· Legislators Push for Vote on Fracking Bill

· Schools Transitioning to New Learning Standards

· Community Colleges Discuss Successes at Capitol

· Governor Rejects Bill to Pay for Smart Grid Technology

· $mart with Money Week Comes to DeKalb County

General Assembly Begins Final Month of Spring Session

May tends to be a very busy and exciting month in Springfield, as members of the House and Senate strive to complete their work in time for a May 31 adjournment. This Friday is the deadline for House committee action on Senate bills and then hundreds of bills will be debated on the House floor. Similar activity on House bills is taking place across the rotunda in the Senate chamber.

Among the major issues awaiting action by the Senate are pension reform, gambling expansion, medical marijuana and same-sex marriage. Negotiations continue on drafting legislation for concealed carry, fracking and telecommunication law modernization.

Meanwhile the Appropriation Committees are busy behind closed doors crafting a budget for FY14. While state revenue is expected to increase more than $1.2 billion next year, over spending this year combined with pressures for increased spending next year make the task of creating a balanced budget very difficult. Prayers were raised for legislator wisdom and courage during the National Day of Prayer ceremonies across the state last Thursday, however your continued prayers are critical at this time.

Dueling Pension Bills: Leaders Grow Impatient with Progress

Within hours of Senate President John Cullerton announcing progress toward an “agreed” pension reform bill, House Speaker Mike Madigan passed his own version of pension reform in the House saying we have debated this issue long enough. The Senate may decide Monday whether to approve SB1 as amended or continue negotiations.

I have been urging for negotiations with all the parties to the pension issue for over a year and, like Speaker Madigan, am frustrated with the progress. However, I feel a negotiated bill is the best way to a fair, constitutional solution for all parties. Read more →

Pritchard’s Perspective 4/22/13

Apr. 22 Gov Watch no comments

Observations and comments about state government by State Representative Robert W. Pritchard.

April 22, 2013

In this issue:

· Governor’s Designation May Help Recovery

· Appropriations Hearings End; Budget Crafting Begins

· Deadline Passes with Hundreds of House Bills Moving to Senate

· Privatization of Workers Compensation Program Progressing

· Health Care Providers Revise Care Model; Attempt to Reduce Costs

· Five-Year Transportation Construction Program Unveiled

· Compost Reforms Passed

· District Libraries Receive “Back to Books” Grants

Governor’s Designation May Help Recovery

With the ongoing flooding issues across the state, the governor has declared 42 counties as disaster areas including DeKalb, Kane, Winnebago, McHenry and LaSalle. The gubernatorial proclamation of disaster aids the Illinois Emergency Management Agency in coordinating state resources to support local governments in disaster response and recovery operations.

The Red Cross has opened 17 shelters throughout the state, including one at St John’s Lutheran Church in Sycamore. That city’s Evergreen Village mobile home park was again evacuated as homes received considerable water damage. The county has been working for many years to secure the federal and state funding necessary to move residents to new locations and close the park. The two state agencies involved in the remediation at my urging have sent a letter assuring the county that the balance of the necessary funding will be available. County staff will be asking the county board in the next few weeks for authority to begin relocating residents.

The water level in flooded areas and fields in my district are receding but the Fox River continues to rise. Please continue to support the Red Cross and offer your prayers for those impacted.

Appropriation Hearings End; Budget Crafting Begins

The five Illinois House Appropriation Committees have completed their hearings where funded agencies and providers describe their outcomes from last year and funding needs for the coming year. Northern Illinois University testified last week and Representative Sosnowski and I visited with retiring President John Peters (center) before his last budget presentation.

I serve on two of the appropriation committees—Higher Education, and Elementary and Secondary Education where I am the Republican spokes-person. The committees will be going line-by-line through their budget when legislators return to Springfield April 30. The Speaker has given each committee an allocation that is one-percent less than last year. They will have to manage $822 million in new wages from labor contracts and additional expenses including home health care for seniors.

My colleagues and I have raised objections that this level of appropriation is unsustainable without pension cost reductions, further Medicaid reforms and continuing the income tax increase beyond 2015. Illinois is headed for its own fiscal cliff at full speed and the majority party seems content.

Pritchard’s Perspective 3/11/13

Mar. 12 Gov Watch no comments

Observations and comments about state government by State Representative Robert W. Pritchard.

March 11, 2013

In this issue:

· Budgeting From Crisis to Crisis

· Quinn Budget Squeezes Education

· Union Contract Good for Workers; Blows State Budget

· MAP Grant Applications Now on Wait List

· Bills Clarify Illinois Residency for Veterans

· Thousands March for Second Amendment Rights

· Talk Begins About Extending the Income Tax Increase

· Exercise Grows Brain Cells

· House Republicans Launch Blog

Budgeting From Crisis to Crisis

The Department of Aging notified home care providers and the legislature that as of Friday they have spent their budget and need a supplemental appropriation of $173 million to fund services through June. Actually, I’m told they could get by with $70 million but then what’s a few million more among friends?

You may remember the administration just received approval for $2.1 billion to finish the fiscal year and never mentioned the need for additional funding in this program. What appears again and again is that the Quinn administration can’t manage the budget approved by the legislature. Instead of allocating the budget over 12 months they spend it in 8 and then ask for emergency supplemental appropriations. This is no unexpected emergency, its poor fiscal management.

The House solved another emergency this week when the administration ran out of money and cut staff who review medical licenses. The state was faced with the crisis of not approving for up to 18 months any new licenses for medical school graduates or renewal of currently practicing physicians. Doctors can’t work without licenses but rather than propose some type of emergency approval process, the administration was content to just say wait—don’t work–for up to a year- and- a-half.

Senate Bill 622 passed the House on Thursday to transfer $6.6 million owed local units of government to the Medical Disciplinary Fund so the licenses can be processed. The bill also raises license fees for physicians from $300 to $700 to repay the local government tax fund.

Quinn Budget Squeezes Education

The governor was given a two- week extension to prepare his annual budget address but his plan will likely receive little consideration from the House. For openers he anticipates more revenue–$500 million more—than the House established just the day before. He proposed expanding Medicaid, holding spending of most items at last year’s levels, while significantly cutting classroom education and school busing.

He took credit for reducing Medicaid appropriations this year but then failed to implement those reductions which will result in more unpaid bills. After talking about Medicaid reductions, he called on the House to expand eligibility for Medicaid next year which will surely drive up costs of the program.

The governor noted that growth in pension payments is causing a reduction in other areas of the budget and that many reform proposals have been made. He failed to outline how he felt the legislature should navigate the mine field of constitutional restrictions that would be fair to employees and retirees, and cut pension expenses.

While the governor talked about preserving funding for early childhood education, scholarships for college students and services for veterans; and proposed more funding for mental health care; he called for significant reductions in classroom education and busing reimbursements. His suggested state funding levels combined with falling property tax receipts have school districts across the state in severe economic panic.

During his speech, Governor Quinn spoke vaguely about growing Illinois’ economy as a way to increase employment and resulting state revenue. I stand ready to help the governor in those efforts. However, in the next breath he proposed raising corporate taxes by nearly half a billion dollars to pay state bills. Governor, you can’t have it both ways; increasing the cost of doing business takes money away from growing the business.

Union Contract Good for Workers; Blows State Budget

Details about the tentative agreement between the Quinn administration and the 40,000 members of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) are emerging very slowly. It appears that the union has won pay increases in three of four years in exchange for higher healthcare premiums for workers starting next year and requires retirees next year to pay healthcare premiums, many for the first-time.

The union agreement reportedly calls for pay increases this year, a pay freeze next year and two percent increases in each of the next two years. The legislature had not budgeted for the $140 million in pay increases this year and was counting on the revenue from increased healthcare premiums. As a result, the FY2013 budget will suffer about a $500 million cost increase.

MAP Grant Applications Now on Wait List

Pritchard’s Perspective 3/4/13

Mar. 07 Gov Watch, Representative Robert Pritchard no comments

Observations and comments about state government by State Representative Robert W. Pritchard.

March 4, 2013

In this issue:

DCEO Acting Director Adam Pollet shows Rep.Pritchard areas of growth and job creation in Illinois economy.

· Political Games Plague Concealed Carry Debate

· Republican Caucus Refuses to Participate in Pension “Charade”

· Plan Unveiled to Foster Job Creation

· Prison Closures Lead to Overcrowding

· Committees Hear Ideas to Reduce College Costs

· Handheld Cell Phones Banned While Driving

· Committee Accepts Revenue Projection for FY14 Budget

· Director Provides Bright Side to Illinois Economy

Political Games Plague Concealed Carry Debate

Although two comprehensive concealed carry gun bills awaited action, the House spent nearly 8 hours last Tuesday debating amendments to a bill that would preclude the right to carry nearly everywhere. In my opinion, the amendments from Chicago legislators did nothing more than pay lip service to a recent federal court ruling directing Illinois to legalize concealed carry.

The amendments produced an incoherent jumble of conflicting and unclear restrictions that would have allowed concealed carry in name, but not in practice. In some cases, citizens could have been arrested just for having a weapon “near” a prohibited facility, with no definition of what was considered “near.” It was not a serious proposal; it was a publicity stunt.

In contrast, I joined with a bipartisan group of legislators in supporting House Bill 997, which legalizes concealed carry for trained, licensed, law-abiding citizens. It would put in place reasonable background checks and restrictions such as bans on carrying guns in airports, schools and courthouses. This legislation would respect the Constitutional rights set forth in the 2nd Amendment and reaffirmed by the recent federal court ruling.

Pritchard’s Perspective 2/25/13

Feb. 26 Gov Watch, Representative Robert Pritchard no comments

Observations and comments about state government by State Representative Robert W. Pritchard.

February 25, 2013

In this issue:

· Budget Balancing Grows More Challenging with Inaction

· Federal Government Approves Illinois Health Insurance Exchange

· Tantalizing Expansion of Medicaid Could be Costly

· Gun Control Hearings Reveal a Great Divide

· Thousands Lobby for Traditional Marriage

· Bipartisan Coalition Works to Regulate Fracking in Illinois

· Join me for Discussion over Coffee this Saturday

Budget Balancing Grows More Challenging with Inaction

Governors and legislatures are wise to be cautious about taking actions that could damage the economy. Inaction in Illinois, however, is having the same effect. As Governor Quinn prepares for his annual budget address on March 6, he will have to face the increased costs from his inaction–and that of his party–on implementing reforms in the FY2013 budget and passing pension reforms.

Information from the House Revenue and Finance Committee points to over $1 billion of increased costs in this budget year due to the failure of the Governor to implement reforms directed by the legislature. Add another $1 billion in projected spending due to the failure to pass pension reform.

The 30th President of the United States, Calvin Coolidge

The comprehensive Medicaid reforms in the SMART Act provided a blueprint for the Governor to reduce spending by $1.6 billion this year. His failure to implement the plan will cause the state to spend over $400 million more than budgeted for Medicaid and $323 million more for the Community Care program. In addition his failure to reach a collective bargaining agreement with the state’s largest union will result in increased spending for health insurance.

Finally, failure to reform the pension system will force state payments to increase by $1 billion next year. Altogether, these actions will add $2 billion in budget pressure next year and force significant reductions in education, safety and other priorities.

Perhaps Governor Quinn should read the book The Coolidge Lesson on Taxes and Spending about how our 30th President cut spending, reduced debt after the First World War, stimulated economic activity and lowered taxes in the process.

Federal Government Approves Illinois Health Insurance Exchange

Illinois has received conditional approval from the federal government for a health insurance exchange partnership associated with the Affordable Care Act (ACA). With the federal approval in place, an estimated 500,000 Illinois citizens and owners of small businesses will be able to shop for federally-subsidized insurance beginning October 1.

Pritchard’s Perspective 2/11/13

Feb. 11 Gov Watch, Representative Robert Pritchard no comments

Observations and comments about state government by State Representative Robert W. Pritchard.

February 11, 2013

In this issue:

· Supplemental Budget Mushrooms

· Address Reflected a State of Mind

· Economic Recovery Continues to Lag

· Committee Hears Testimony on FY14 Revenue

· Governments Levy Hefty Taxes on Cell Phone Consumers

· Fund Sweeps Cause Medical Crisis

· Join me for coffee

Supplemental Budget Mushrooms

Anytime a supplemental budget is rushed through the legislature you can assume either the sponsor wants to prevent amendments for more spending or fears hidden spending will be revealed. Since what started out as a modest spending proposal in the millions of dollars had grown to $2.1 billion by the time of the vote last week, it’s obvious that the sponsor was not limiting spending growth.

I had been involved in negotiations about the supplemental budget into the weekend before the vote. Appropriation chairs from both parties had lots of questions about the amount of available revenue, the moving target over what spending authority was in and what was out of the bill, and the lack of spending details. Nevertheless, the Speaker drafted a bill over the weekend, ran it through committee quickly and then allowed several amendments which changed the bill just hours before the vote. The Senate also quickly passed the bill and the Governor signed the bill into law within hours.

HB190 was designed to fill some funding holes in the budget, and some of the bill’s allocations had merit. The legislation included $25 million to hire 140 more child abuse investigators for the Department of Children and Family Services, $12 million for mental health grants unintentionally cut in the budget last spring, $25 million for rental housing assistance, and $5 million toward a veterans’ home to be built in Chicago.

An additional $550 million was added for the state employee group health insurance program which was intentionally underfunded in the budget. Another big piece of the appropriation went for accelerating road projects on the five-year plan, using additional revenue, and reassigning projects.

The supplemental budget was woven with items that were not essential and seemed to be special member projects. The East St. Louis school district received $9 million so it could make payroll through the end of the year but the mismanaged district needs to be totally reorganized.

The vote on the issue sadly indicated that legislators were more interested in spending than on fiscal restraint and reforms.

Address Reflected a State of Mind

On the eve of the 2014 campaign for Governor I can empathize with Governor Quinn for wanting to paint a rosy picture in his annual State of the State address last week. However, his view of conditions in Illinois and the reality most people see was like a “Tale of Two States.”

For the sake of our citizens looking for bold leadership, I was hoping to hear a speech that focused on growing the Illinois economy, protecting the hard-working taxpayers and preserving services for our state’s most vulnerable citizens. He mentioned many initiatives the legislature has passed to improve education for our children, reduce the growth in Medicaid costs and increase opportunities for veterans so I wondered why his administration has been slow to implement them.

Everyone knows the state is broke, faces mountains of debt and is bleeding jobs so you’d think the Governor would have drawn from the ideas of President Franklin Roosevelt or Prime Minister Winston Churchill who united their nations in the depths of despair. The Governor had an opportunity to pull our state together, ask for common sacrifice, focus on a few strategies to recover and ignite hope for a better future.

Instead, the plan he outlined continued the drive off the fiscal cliff, recycled dead-end ideas, and further pushed jobs out of the state. His desire to increase the minimum wage came completely out of “left field.” Illinois’ current minimum wage is already significantly higher than the minimum wage in surrounding states and also higher than the minimum wage in California, New York, Florida and Michigan.

Pritchard’s Report 2/4/13

Feb. 05 Gov Watch, Representative Robert Pritchard no comments

Observations and comments about state government by State Representative Robert W. Pritchard.

February 4, 2013

In this issue:

· House Establishes Rules, Committees
· Visit My Website for Information and Assistanc
· Credit Rating Downgrade has Quick Impact
· Pension Crisis Must be Addressed
· Pressure Builds for Supplemental Budget to Restore Cuts
· Educational Leaders Encouraged to be Innovative with Budget Pressures

House Establishes Rules, Committees

With the start of each General Assembly, the chambers adopt rules that will govern their actions for the next two years, reorganize their committees and accept legislative bills from members. You can monitor the progress of bills as they are debated and acted upon by each chamber through the www.ilga.gov web site. The site allows you to search bills by legislative sponsor, topic or bill number. There are already over 1200 bills filed for consideration in the House.

Citizens have told me they hope the new legislature will deal with the critical issues facing our state—and of particular local interest—in a bipartisan and prompt manner. They are tired of the bickering and delays. My Republican colleagues sponsored House rules and procedures that would do that.

Rather than consider our bill, the Speaker and majority leader put forth a set of rules in House Resolution 34 that will erode individual representative rights and further consolidate power into the hands of House Speaker Mike Madigan.

The rules allow the Speaker to block any legislation from committee discussion for up to a year, or not allow even a majority of legislators to vote to bring legislation to the full House for action. HR34 also decreases the time to study amendments to bills before they are acted upon by committee or the full House. Often times amendments change the entire intent of legislation therefore allowing legislators time to study and hear from affected groups and citizens is critical for good laws.

Speaker Madigan also created 47 committees in the House that will consider legislation and set the number of members from each party who could serve on the committee. Because of the 71 to 47 composition of the House, the majority party most often has a 2 to 1 ratio of members on each committee.

I have been appointed to serve as Republican spokesman for State Government Administration and Appropriations for Elementary and Secondary Education. I also will serve on the Appropriation Committee and Policy Committee for Higher Education, Business Growth and Incentives, Public Safety: Police and Fire, Veterans’ Affairs.

Credit Rating Downgrade Has Quick Impact

Illinois now officially has the worst credit rating in the nation and it is impacting state and local units of government. The Quinn Administration which stopped efforts to borrow $500 million in short-term operating bonds last week, likely sensed a lack of interest from banks to lend the state money and a jump in interest costs following the downgrade.

Standard & Poor’s dropped the state’s rating from an “A” to an “A-minus” with a “negative outlook” on January 25. The rating puts Illinois six notches below the highest available rating of AAA, which is enjoyed by neighboring states Indiana and Missouri.

All three bond rating services sight the state’s failure to deal with its pension crisis as reason for the downgrade. In addition, the state has borrowed over $30 billion in bonds and has another $8.5 billion in unpaid bills for which it is paying 12 percent interest. State general revenue is only forecast to be $33.7 billion this year.

Such ratings mean Illinois—state and local units of government—will have to pay higher interest rates when it borrows money. There have been 11 credit downgrades since Governor Quinn took office.

The history of bond rating downgrades
Read more →

Pritchard’s Perspective January 2013

Jan. 14 Gov Watch, Representative Robert Pritchard no comments

Observations and comments about state government by State Representative Robert W. Pritchard.

News from the State House

January 14, 2013

In this issue:

· NIU Huskies Honored For Bowl Appearance
· Lame Duck Session Ends Quietly
· Pension Reform Stalls for Now
· Undocumented Residents May Get Drivers Licenses
· Bill Overturns Court Ruling on Commercial Mortgages
· Medicaid Expansion Bill Stumbles
· Other Bills Likely to be Reintroduced Would Raise Taxes and Fees

NIU Huskies Honored For Bowl Appearance

The Illinois House has passed a resolution and joined the State of Illinois in congratulating and celebrating the Northern Illinois University 2012 football program. The team’s efforts, which resulted in an appearance in the Orange Bowl on New Year’s Day, created treasured memories for students, alumni and fans across the state which will last a lifetime. In addition, the Bowl experience created positive national exposure for our state and NIU that too frequently only garner negative media attention.

It’s easy to focus on the negative and feel little is going right in our state but here is one of many examples of excellence, cooperation and hard work to achieve a goal. The legislature certainly needs the “Huskie spirit” as we begin a new legislative session and face many daunting issues.

Lame Duck Session Ends Quietly

Despite hopes that the final days of the 97th General Assembly might bring resolution to several critical social and fiscal issues, it ended on January 8 without floor debate or votes on them. Many expected the legislature, with so many members ending their service, would act on such controversial issues as pension reform, gambling expansion, same-sex marriage, legalizing medical marijuana and expanding Medicaid enrollment.

In addition, efforts to pass supplemental funding for such programs as mental health, human services, education and capital projects failed to garner enough support for action. The body seemed tired and responded to a lack of strong direction from legislative leaders.

As if to defend the productivity of the 97th General Assembly, Speaker Madigan recalled major legislation that did pass in the last two years during his inauguration speech to the House. He recalled the budget appropriation that was balanced for the second year in a row, workman compensation changes intended to lower costs to employers and major Medicaid reforms intended to reduce spending. However, many of those reforms are yet to be implemented by the agencies.

Pension Reform Stalls Again

While a bill to reform the state’s pension systems passed out of a House committee, it did not have enough legislative support to be called for a vote. The negotiations for reform still exclude representatives for employees and retirees whose support will be necessary for passage of any bill.

Pritchard’s Perspective

Dec. 10 Gov Watch, Representative Robert Pritchard no comments

Observations and comments about state government by
State Representative Robert W. Pritchard.
December 10, 2012

In this Issue:

· New Pension Plan Emerges

· Budget Override Refused

· Younger Children to be Made Aware of Sexual Abuse

· NIU Huskies Making History

· Equalization Grants Ease Financial Pressure on Colleges

· Quinn’s Assault on Weapons Stopped

· Improving Economy Threatened by Tax Increases

· Come to the Inauguration

Just as the state bird—our cardinal—brings joy to a dreary winter day, my staff Jesse, Shelley, Joyce and I wish this holiday season will provide you with hope, joy and peace. We have appreciated the privilege to represent DeKalb, Ogle and LaSalle Counties for the past nine years and regret losing some of this area in the new district. On behalf of my communication specialist Terry Horstman, I hope the Pritchard Perspective Newsletter has been of assistance to keeping you informed about issues in state government.

The 97th General Assembly returns to Springfield on January 3rd for six more days of session where any number of difficult and controversial issues may be addressed. The Veto Session this month left unresolved pending legislation on such issues as state pension reform, temporary driver’s licenses for undocumented immigrants, legalization of medical marijuana and expansion of gaming. Moving into a new year, fewer votes will be needed to pass such legislation in January.

Pritchard’s Perspective

Dec. 03 Gov Watch no comments

Observations and comments about state government by State Representative Robert W. Pritchard.

December 3, 2012

In this issue:

· Final Days of 97th General Assembly
· Legislation Extends Christmas Eve Filing Deadline
· Budget Issues
· Vote Near on Winnebago County Sports Facility
· Increased Park Funding Bill Goes to Governor
· Schools Given Ideas to Save Money
· Come to the Inauguration

Final Days of 97th General Assembly

The 97th legislature is moving toward final adjournment on January 8 prior to the seating of the newly elected 98th General Assembly. We are in the middle of 6 days in the “Veto Session” prior to 6 days in the “Lame Duck” session in the first weeks of January.

The Veto Session is supposed to be dedicated to actions of the governor regarding legislation passed in the spring. As we saw last week, there is also action on unfinished legislation as well. Many controversial issues could emerge so I encourage you to follow the news and share your views with me by phone or e-mail. In the week ahead I expect legislative votes dealing with driver’s licenses for all motorists, a new proposal for reforming the pensions, a fee on satellite TV, and votes to override a number of gubernatorial vetoes.