A press release from State Rep. Mike Tryon:

General Assembly Adjourns; Leaves Many Issues Unresolved

The House of Representatives adjourned the spring legislative session on Friday evening, with the Senate concluding their business a few hours later. Hundreds of bills are now on their way to the Governor for his signature. Legislators now return to their home districts, where we will tend to the needs and concerns of our constituents over the summer.

The General Assembly will return to Springfield on November 19th for Veto Session.

House and Senate Democrats Approve Unbalanced Budget for FY15

Rather than making difficult decisions that may detract their popularity in an Election year, majority party legislators approved a spending plan for Fiscal Year 2015 that exceeds available revenues by about $2 billion dollars. The budget relies on $650 million in inter-fund borrowing that must be repaid with interest within 18 months. It also does not include funds for contractually-agreed upon pay raises for union employees. In short, the unbalanced budget increases our load of unpaid bills and sets the stage for the permanent extension of the temporary tax hike of 2011. Needless to say, I voted against the budget.

The tax hike extension bill will most likely return after the November election, either during Veto Session or in the days prior to the swearing in of the next General Assembly in January, 2015. The “temporary” tax hike was approved during a lame duck session of the General Assembly in 2011, just hours before the 98th General Assembly members took their oath of office. It was approved as a four-year tax hike that would pay down unpaid bills and return Illinois to solid financial footing. That didn’t happen. I will continue to fight against the extension of the tax, because Springfield has shown they are incapable of making wise financial decisions with taxpayer money.

2014: The Year of the Ballot Question

• Voters may see up to seven referendum questions regarding their state government when they go to the polls on November 4. A few of the ballot initiatives were citizen-led, but the majority of the questions were placed on the ballot by House and Senate Democrats in an effort to drive up voter turnout:
• Fair Maps: A citizen-led initiative, this proposal seeks to remove political influence from the legislative map-drawing process. If approved, an independent commission would take the process out of the hands of politicians. Today, maps are drawn by the majority party in ways that maximize incumbent protection for those from the ruling party, and often pit incumbent legislators from the minority party against each other.
• Term Limits: Also brought forth by citizens, the term limit proposal would limit terms for Illinois legislators to eight years. The question also seeks to change the size of the General Assembly to make it more difficult for legislators to override a gubernatorial veto. Within hours of being filed, the fair map and term limit proposals were challenged in lawsuits filed by an attorney with close ties to House Speaker Mike Madigan.
• Voters’ Rights: This initiative would prevent people from being denied the right to register to vote or cast a ballot based on race, ethnicity, status as a minority, sex, sexual orientation or income. Current laws already prohibit the denial of these rights.
• Crime Victims’ Rights: This plan would provide for more enforceable victim rights in trials and court proceedings. The current constitution already guarantees crime victims certain rights.
• Millionaire Tax: A non-binding measure, this question asks voters if Illinoisans who earn more than $1 million per year should have an additional 3% tax added to their incomes.
• Minimum Wage Hike: Another non-binding question, this initiative will ask voters if the minimum wage for those over the age of 18 should be increased to $10 per hour. The current minimum wage in Illinois is $8.25, the highest in the Midwest.
• Birth Control: This non-binding question will ask voters if insurance plans in Illinois should be mandated to cover birth control. The question is moot, because Illinois and federal law already have this mandate in place.

Capital Construction Bill Sent to Governor

In the final hours of the legislative session, lawmakers approved a $1.1 billion capital construction bill that will provide funding for road and bridge projects across the state. Our roads were hit hard with weather-related damage over the harsh winter and the capital bill will allow for a multitude of improvements to take place, while also providing important jobs to many people. The initial capital was a $1.6 billion initiative that included a lot of “pork” projects in member districts. I was very pleased to see those elements of the bill removed, and I supported the bill.

Two major resurfacing projects in District 66 are included in the plan:

• Route 68 from Route 72 to the Cook County Line: Resurfacing at a cost of $800,000
• Route 72 from U.S. 20 to I-90: Resurfacing at a cost of $1.4 million

Changes to Election Rules Increase Chances for Voter Fraud

In another vote on session’s final day, House Democrats approved an elections bill that applies only to the November 2014 election and opens to door to fraud and abuse on Election Day. I was a “no” vote on the bill. HB0105 allows voters to register to vote on Election Day and removes photo identification requirements for in-person voting. In addition, the bill extends in-person early voting hours and allows public universities to make campus locations available for Election Day in-person absentee voting. In our state, we must show a valid photo I.D. to board an airplane and do many other important things. It makes no sense to me that we would drop the identification requirement for one of our most important functions, voting.

In Spite of Financial Woes Medicaid Expanded (Again) through Omnibus Bill

If signed by Governor Quinn, an omnibus bill that addresses Medicaid in Illinois would expand the program to include adult dental and podiatry services. These services were cut as a money-saving measure in 2012. It is just one more step in a series of moves made in the last two years to unravel bipartisan-approved Medicaid reforms from 2011 and 2012. It is unfortunate that the Quinn administration and leading Democrats have worked to undermine the reforms and block the savings from being fully achieved.

SB741, however, did include some very good provisions. It provides for an update to rates for nursing homes, supportive living facilities, home health care providers and hospitals, and extends the hospital assessment programs that were about to sunset. The reforms also help the State capture $400 million in federal Medicaid funding that will not require a state match. Additionally, it includes a Managed Care Bill of Rights which will ensure access to quality health care. SB741 also establishes a 30-day payment requirement, a provision that will address payment delays that have plagued the system for years.
While I appreciate the positive qualities of the bill, I could not support an additional expansion of Medicaid, so I voted against it.

General Assembly Leaves Unfinished Business on the Table

• Extension of the Temporary Tax: Unable to garner the 60 voted needed to permanently extend the “temporary” tax hike of 2011, House Speaker Mike Madigan and Senate President John Cullerton have made it clear that the issue will most likely come back during Veto Session or prior to the swearing in of the next General Assembly. Both leaders feel that their members who face re-election in November would be more likely to support the extension after November 4th.
• Funding for the Obama Library: No vote took place in May on a proposal to donate $100 million in taxpayer funds to help secure Chicago as the spot for the construction of the Obama Presidential Library. Recent public polling showed very little support by Illinoisans for the use of public funds for the project. It is likely that the issue will be brought up again when the legislature reconvenes.
• Gaming: The sponsor of a bill to expand gambling in Illinois says he will hold hearings on the plan during the summer and bring a bill before legislators during Veto Session. Rep. Bob Rita (D-Blue Island) had hoped to secure the support of Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel, Gov. Quinn, leaders from the horse racing industry and others, but admitted on Friday that he still had work to do to resolve some lingering issues.
• Police and Fire Pensions: Municipalities, worried about the rising costs of police and fire pensions, have turned to the General Assembly for help addressing the skyrocketing liability. No vote took place on the issue in May, and it is expected that the General Assembly will tackle the issue at a later time.
• Change in the School Funding Formula: SB16, a complete overhaul of how public schools are funded, passed in the Senate this spring but was not called for a vote in the House. The bill would divert millions of suburban taxpayer dollars to struggling downstate schools.
• Changing the Management of the Lincoln Library: A Madigan proposal to take the management of the Abraham Lincoln Library in Springfield away from the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency and put it into the hands of an independent organization, made headlines during session’s final week but was not called for a vote in the Senate. The measure was approved in the House.