McHenry County Blog

State Rep. Mike Tryon has issued the following letter to constituents:

Mike Tryon

Friends,

About one month ago I sent out a legislative update about procedural reforms that were going to be presented by Republican Leader Tom Cross in this new General Assembly. With the backing of all other Republicans in the House of Representatives, Leader Cross proposed changing the rules to ensure that each Representative in the House and their constituents have a voice regarding legislation that is considered in Springfield.

Unfortunately, yesterday the ruling party in the House instead adopted rules to keep power consolidated in the hands of one man, Speaker Mike Madigan.

Below is a summary of the procedural changes that were proposed by Leader Cross:

• Guaranteed consideration of any bill supported by 71 members of the House of Representatives rather than the requirement of unanimous approval of the Rules Committee
• Advanced Notice of Hearings of the Rules Committee as well as Notice of the legislation they intend to discuss (currently deliberations are often secretive, held with little or no notice and in small rooms that do not accommodate non-committee members)
• A Mandatory Public Review Period Prior to Committee Action on Amendments to Bills
• Specific, line-item spending for state programs so people know how much money is being spent and on what
• Regular reviews of state programs to ensure efficiency and effectiveness A Mandatory Public Review Period before Passage of any Budget Bill
• Decreasing the number of House Committees by half, from 60 to 30

We need rules to protect the voice of minority opinions.

Unfortunately, under the rules adopted yesterday, many of the ideas and concerns brought forward by Representatives in Springfield on behalf of their constituents will never receive a fair hearing in the House.

Mike Madigan (from Statehouse News video)

A small handful of members from one party can still block any bill from even being discussed in committee or on the House floor.

The ruling party also took away the right of individual lawmakers to appeal the decision to keep a bill blocked from debate. It is a slap in the face of “due process” and is a move toward autocratic rule in Illinois.

In addition, whereas our reforms would have opened the budget process requiring all state budget bills to be posed for at least three days for public review prior to a vote, the rules approved yesterday still allows for budget bills to be presented just hours before a vote takes place.

Our reforms would have put Illinois government back on the road to being a true democracy, but sadly, they were blocked and a broken system was made even worse.

As always, do not hesitate to call or email me if you have additional questions on these or other issues. I can be reached at (815) 459-6453 or via e-mail at mike@miketryon.com.

Best Regards,

Michael W. Tryon, State Representative, District 64