A message from State Rep. Mike Tryon:
Third Reading Deadline Passes in House and Senate
During what is typically one of Springfield’s busiest weeks, the House and Senate finished considering legislation that originated in their respective chambers.
That means any House bills that have not been approved by the House are now dormant for the remainder of this year’s spring legislative session.
Similarly, Senate bills that did not come up for a vote last week are ineligible for action for now.
From here on until the end of the 2015 spring session, the House will be dealing with Senate bills, and vice versa.
House Republicans will closely scrutinize these Senate bills.
As of the morning of Friday, April 24 (deadline day), the Senate had sent 251 bills and one joint resolution to the House for further action.
The House has sent 331 measures to the Senate. This reflects almost three-quarters (331/444) of the 444 House bills let out of House committee for floor consideration.
Personally, I successfully moved four bills to the Senate for consideration.
In addition to those bills for which I serve as the Chief House Sponsor, I am either a Chief Co-Sponsor or a Sponsor of 11 additional House Bills that are now pending in the Senate.
As the end of session gets closer, bill actions may move faster and break quicker than they did earlier in session. Check out The Caucus Blog for frequent updates on Illinois House legislative action.
Small Business Owners Caucus Forms in General Assembly
A Bipartisan group of legislators has formed a new caucus that is focused on drafting legislative policies and suggesting changes that spur economic development in Illinois.
The 20-member caucus brings together lawmakers who share similar entrepreneurial experiences, and activities will include caucus-backed legislative proposals and the support of individual caucus members’ legislative ideas.
The group also intends to hold pro-business discussions with the state’s constitutional officers, agency directors, legislative leaders and with pro-business organizations throughout the state. It’s an honor to be a part of this new group of legislators and I look forward to our important work.
Statewide Discussion on Capital Spending Begins
Governor Bruce Rauner announced on Tuesday, April 21 that he is launching an infrastructure Listening Tour in which the Governor will talk to local leaders in at least 30 separate Illinois communities to hear their needs for additional help in maintaining vital local infrastructure.
At the same time, Illinois House budget working groups will be meeting on FY16 budget challenges, including issues of public infrastructure.
The McHenry County Listening Tour event is scheduled for Friday, May 1 at 2:00 PM at the City of McHenry building in the conference room, 333 Green Street.
I plan to be there.
Deteriorating roads and bridges are expected to be a particular focus of the Governor’s tour and Illinois House discussions.
Current projections, based on existing trends on motor fuel consumption and taxes paid, have looked at the current six-year Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) planning program. Current trends indicate that by the end of this six-year program 40 percent of Illinois highways, and one in seven Illinois bridges, will be in unacceptable condition.
Most of the money raised by motor fuel taxes is deposited in the state’s Road Fund and used for road and bridge repair and replacement. Illinois transportation infrastructure work will continue in the 2015 construction season, but IDOT has reported to the Illinois House that the State’s asphalt infrastructure is depreciating faster than moneys are being deposited in the Fund.
Tryon Student Advisory Council Visits Capitol
Each year my staff and I work with History Department Chairs at the five high schools located within Legislative House District 66 (Crystal Lake South High School, Crystal Lake Central High School, Huntley High School, Jacobs High School and Dundee Crown High School) and we form a 10-member Student Advisory Council.
I meet with these upper classmen/women a few times during the year and we discuss the bill-making process and issues that affect today’s adolescents, teens and young adults.
In April of every year the group joins me in Springfield for two days.
Last week on Tuesday, the group spent time on the House and Senate floors, met with staff members from our Research and Communications Departments, talked with a lobbyist and toured the Governor’s mansion.
They also spent time with me in my office and with Senators Karen McConnaughay and Pamela Althoff.
House Moves Bills to Reduce Marijuana Penalties/Extend Medical Marijuana Program
HB 218, a bill negotiated with input from prosecutors and law enforcement, makes changes to the penalty schedule for possession of small quantities of marijuana.
The bill creates a Uniform Cannabis Ticket and a fine (rather than a misdemeanor charge) for possession of not more than 30 grams of marijuana.
Reductions in penalties are made for offenses of quantities of not less than 30 grams and not more than 500 grams. The DuPage County States Attorney was among the long list of those in law enforcement who went on record as being in favor of the bill, which is now pending in the Senate.
Lawmakers in the IL House also voted last week to extend the life of the medical marijuana program. The program, which has granted limited numbers of permits to grow cannabis and dispense cannabis-based substances, is intended to provide small quantities of medical cannabis to patients upon the recommendation of their doctors.
General Assembly Moves Bill to Encourage Construction of Obama Presidential Museum/Library
HB 373 was amended last week to add language authorizing the construction of a presidential library on public parkland in Chicago. Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s office and the University of Chicago, where Obama worked as a lecturer in constitutional law, have submitted a bid to construct the library on parkland space adjacent to Obama’s former residence in Hyde Park, Chicago.
Features of the Obama Library bill could also strengthen the legal position of Emanuel’s office in his separate fight to build a museum on Chicago’s lakefront honoring filmmaker George Lucas. Language within the bill exempts museums and aquariums affiliated with the city of Chicago from requirements that reclaimed Lake Michigan bottomland be protected if it was reclaimed for public use. The Lucas Museum plans include an expectation that the museum will charge a significant admission fee. The bill, which does not allocate any taxpayer dollars toward the construction of the museum/library, was approved in the House and Senate and now awaits the signature of the Governor.
Bill to Ban Red Light Cameras in Non-Home-Rule Communities Advances to Senate
Red light cameras are placed at heavily-trafficked intersections by agreement between a municipality and a business firm that operates the cameras. The machines are programmed to take images of a motor vehicle’s license plate. An office then sends automated penalty notices to the licensed owner of the motor vehicle that is registered with that plate.
Nothing in current technology enables a red-light camera to see who is driving the car at the time of an alleged violation.
Current law allows these cameras to be set up by willing municipalities in eight counties, all in greater Chicago and the Metro-East area. In these eight counties, the operator of the red-light camera is given the right to assume that the licensed owner of the motor vehicle was driving it at the time of the offense.
For these and other reasons, constituents around Illinois have asked the Illinois House to take a look at this red-light camera law.
HB 173, sponsored by Representative David McSweeney, focuses on red-light cameras operated in non-home-rule municipalities.
With respect to these local governments, the State can change and override their ordinances by a simple majority of both houses.
HB 173 gives Illinois non-home-rule units a year-and-a-half period, until January 1, 2017, to phase out and dispose of these cameras.
The bill does not affect home-rule units, which are governed by a different subsection of the state Constitution. The vote on HB 173 was 79-26-4. I voted in favor of this bill.