A press release from State Senator Dan Duffy:
Duffy Bills Blocked in Senate
SPRINGFIELD – A number of legislative measures sponsored by State Senator Dan Duffy (R-Lake Barrington) intended to make government more efficient, transparent, and effective have been blocked or left to die in Senate committees.
According to Duffy the fate of his legislation is no accident.
Dan Duffy
“Not only are my bills not being brought to the Senate floor for a vote, they’re not even being brought up for debate in committee,” said Duffy.
“This isn’t how the democratic process is supposed to work.
“If my bills die on the Senate floor I can accept that, but at this point they aren’t even getting a fair hearing in committee!”
Five bills sponsored by Senator Duffy in the Senate have been assigned to subcommittees, postponed, or reassigned to the Senate Assignments Committee having never been heard in committee.
A red light camera in Florida.
One of these measures, Senate Bill 1527, Senator Duffy’s “One Second for Safety” legislation easily passed in the Senate last year, but was ultimately not taken up in the Illinois House. The bill would have added one second of yellow light time to traffic signals, which has been proven to increase safety at intersections.
“Why not at least let that bill have a hearing?” asked Duffy.
“It’s a safety measure that easily passed the Senate last year. Not giving that piece of legislation a hearing makes no sense.”
Another bill sponsored by Duffy, but not given a fair hearing, is SB 3461, which creates a commission to remove obsolete laws in Illinois’ compiled statutes.
This bill was sent to the Executive Committee, referred to the Executive Subcommittee on Government Operations, postponed in that subcommittee and ultimately re-referred to the Assignments Committee having never been heard or debated.
Other Duffy sponsored bills meeting similar fates include
- SB 2900, which changes speed zones in construction zones when workers are or are not present;
- SB 1684 which prohibits the Governor from appointing family members of the politically connected to often high-paying government jobs; and
- SB 3320 which helps put major bi-partisan Medicaid reforms back on track by requiring the Department of Healthcare and Family Services to contract with an independent vendor to verify Medicaid eligibility.
Duffy expressed frustration.
“My real question here is what is the Senate President afraid of? Why not let my bills be heard?”
Ultimately, many of these measures have been held in committee past vital deadlines ensuring that they won’t be heard this session.
Democrats own everything that is reprehensible about Illinois.
They’ve got nobody to blame but themselves and they’re doubling down.
Dan Duffy is one of very few in Springfield that is tirelessly fighting for the citizens of Illinois who no longer have a voice.
He is always doing the right thing unlike some of our other legislators.
Regarding SB3320 – it appears as though it was assigned to Human Services, and subsequently postponed.
Oddly enough, Mr. Duffy is a member of that particular board/committee.