McHenry County Blog

State Rep. David McSweeney is on a roll.

Yesterday he passed a bill stimulated by McHenry County College’s potential of borrowing over $40 million to almost double the size of the campus, plus build a health and fitness club that would compete with Centegra’s Health Bridge, the Sage YMCA and numerous storefront fitness clubs.

Today, he has passed a Constitutional Amendment that would abolish the office of Lieutenant Governor.

His press release is below:

IL House Members Approve Eliminating the Office of Lieutenant Governor

Springfield –State Representative David McSweeney (R-Barrington Hills) passed House Joint Resolution by Constitutional Amendment (HJRCA 18) as chief sponsor, a measure that would eliminate the job of Lieutenant Governor and be placed on the 2014 ballot for voters to approve. McSweeney garnered bipartisan support by citing that the measure will save the State money and eliminate redundancies.

HJRCA 18 passed the Illinois House today by a vote of 81-30.

“I applaud my colleagues who joined me today and had the courage to call for greater government efficiency,” said McSweeney. “I’m glad this comes during the same week that Illinois House members also approved a bill to reduce our own compensation.”

The bill will have a positive fiscal impact on the state’s budget as it would eliminate the salary and operating costs of the Office of the Lt. Governor. For fiscal year 2013, the Lieutenant Governor’s salary was $135,900 and total office appropriations were approximately $2 million.

“We are in a fiscal crisis and we must continue to take more steps like this to get back on track,” added McSweeney.

HJRCA 18 accompanies other cost reduction legislation filed by McSweeney. To date, McSweeney has declined a legislative pension, proposed to end all legislative pensions and has voluntarily cut his own pay and district office expenses by 10%.

Under the legislation, the Attorney General would be next in line to assume the duties of Governor if necessary. The legislation would be effective for the term beginning in 2019.

Arizona, Maine, New Hampshire, Oregon, Tennessee, West Virginia, and Wyoming all do not have the office of Lt. Governor.

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As noted in the press release, the Attorney General would become Governor should a Governor step down.  House Speaker Mike Madigan’s daughter Lisa Madigan is currently Attorney General.

A press release from State Rep. David McSweeney:

McSweeney Moves to Abolish Lt. Governor Position Approved by Committee

Springfield – Illinois voters will hopefully have the opportunity to decide whether the state should have a Lieutenant Governor.

State Representative David McSweeney (R-Barrington Hills) filed House Joint Resolution by Constitutional Amendment (HJRCA 18) as chief sponsor, a measure that would abolish the post as part of his effort for greater government efficiencies.

McSweeney has garnered bipartisan support, including 28 additional house members to sign on as co-sponsors.

Representative Jack Franks (D-Marengo) and Leader Tom Cross (R-Oswego) are the chief co-sponsors of the legislation.

McSweeney’s legislation passed the State Government Committee today by a vote of 16-4.

“We need to have the courage to make our government leaner, smarter and more efficient,” said McSweeney.

“We are in a fiscal crisis and we can’t afford the luxury of having a Lieutenant Governor.”

According to House Republican staff, the state could save approximately $2 million a year by doing away with the office.

“I urge my colleagues to join me and get this done,” added McSweeney. “A meaningful budget cut to the bureaucracy is a great start to prove that we’re serious about cutting spending.”

HJRCA 18 accompanies other cost reduction legislation filed by McSweeney. To date, McSweeney has declined a legislative pension, proposed to end all legislative pensions and has voluntarily cut his own pay and district office expenses by 10%.

If HJRCA 18 is approved, it would be placed on the 2014 ballot for voters to decide.

Under the legislation, the Attorney General would be next in line to assume the duties of Governor if necessary.

There’s a remarkable sentence in BGA Executive Director Andy Shaw’s column in the Chicago Sun-Times:

“And yet this week, in a ‘lame duck’ session that included 35 exiting lawmakers who theoretically could have cast one final ‘though’ vote without fear of voter backlash, pension reform went nowhere.”

Two years ago a lame duck session resulted in the Democrats imposing a 67% state income tax.

And too many of the lame duck Democrats got cushy jobs which increased the legislative pensions big time.

Bemoaning the lack of action of pensions is acceptable, but for someone running a newly-energized  organization called the “Better Government Association,”(emphasis added) more appropriate advocacy would seem to be suggesting that the lame duck legislators be replaced on December 1st, so legislators more likely to be responsible to their constituents would be the ones to make important decisions.  Perhaps a constitutional amendment to that effect, along with a prohibition of passing legislation after the November election would lead to “better government.”

There are red and white “Vote No on the County Executive Referendum” signs appearing through McHenry County, but yesterday I noticed one that is red and yellow with a big “Vote No” message on it.

The amendment has been scathingly opposed by the Chicago Tribune Editorial Board because it does virtually nothing.

It increases the majority required to pass a pension bill in the Illinois General Assembly from 50%, plus one, to 60%.

I was on the losing end of many, many pension votes in my sixteen years in Springfield.

I can’t remember any of the roll calls being close.

Most pension increase bills passed overwhelmingly.

My “No” votes were pretty lonely.

So, increasing the majority to 60% would be merely a cosmetic change.

But, obviously the pension annuitants who paid for the sign you see think the proposed Constitutional Amendment does something that will hurt them.

In my time in Springfield, I never heard of the group, so whoever decided on the signs probably isn’t familiar with the lopsidedness of the votes.

A person who talked to me about the ballot question told me, “If Mike Madigan is in favor of it, I’m voting against it.”

My approach to votes in Springfield was, “When in doubt, vote ‘No.’”

Thursday in the Chicago Tribune, Illinois Democratic Party Chairman and House Speaker for life called for a constitutional amendment which would require a 3/5 vote to hike public employee pensions.

With the drum beat that National Taxpayers United of Illinois’ Jim Tobin started by publishing high public pensions, which has been picked up by newspapers around Illinois and business groups, I doubt anyone would predict such a constitutional amendment would not pass.

But, what difference would that change make?

It won’t lower the current pension burden one thin dime.

And, Madigan, being a good and loyal Democrat, did not suggest increasing the majority required to hike taxes.

A press release from State Rep. Kent Gaffney:

Gaffney signs on to Crime Victims’ Bill of Rights Constitutional Amendment

Springfield, IL… In an effort to protect crime victims across the State of Illinois, State Representative Kent Gaffney (R-Lake Barrington) has signed on to House Joint Resolution Constitutional Amendment 29, also known as the “Crime Victims’ Bill of Rights.” The Illinois Constitution currently has provision for crime victims’ rights; however victims’ rights advocates assert those are frequently violated.

“We see legislation all the time to expand the rights of criminals, yet this amendment will go towards helping the actual victims,” said Gaffney. “Victims and their families have certain inalienable rights that our Constitution does not currently protect; this amendment will do just that.”

HJRCA 29 will add the following rights to crime victims in the Illinois Constitution:

• The right to be treated with fairness and respect for their dignity and privacy throughout the criminal justice process;
• The right to notification of court proceedings;
• The right to communicate with the prosecution;
• The right to make a statement to the court at sentencing;
• The right to information about the conviction, sentence, imprisonment and release of the accused;
• The right to timely disposition of the case following the arrest of the accused;
• The right to be reasonably protected from the accused throughout the criminal justice process;
• The right to be present at the trial and all other court proceedings on the same basis as the accused, unless the victim is to testify and the court determines that the victim’s testimony would be materially affected if the victim hears other testimony at the trial;
• The right to have present at all court proceedings, subject to the rules of evidence, an advocate or other support person of the victim’s choice;
• The right to restitution

In addition to the new rights given to crime victims, the Amendment will also allow victims to petition the court if their rights were denied so that they be enforced and requires a resolution promptly upon request.

“The bottom line is people have been denied their rights. This is unacceptable and needs to be rectified,” said Gaffney. “These are people who are going through the hardest situation they have ever had to go through. It is our duty to protect their rights.”

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The proposed Constitutional Amendment’s Chief Sponsor is Lou Lang.  There are too many co-sponsors to count.

Jack Franks sponsored the teeny-tiny recall amendment to the Illinois State Constitution that is on the ballot this fall.

It is a fraud.

The label would make one think it does something.

It doesn’t.

Without doing a comparative analysis I can assert with no fear of contradiction that, if passed, it will be the most limited recall language in any state’s constitution.

I shall vote “No.”

It is a vote against a proposal whose main purpose was to get the headline living Franks, well, a headline and face time on TV.

It does nothing to advance the public good in Illinois, let alone his constituents in McHenry County.

Absolutely nothing.

This is what legislators call a “headline bill.”

It gets a headline, but does N-O-T-H-I-N-G!!

It doesn’t allow recall of local officials.

It doesn’t permit recall of legislators.

It doesn’t put judges on the hot seat.

Jack Franks either didn’t put such a provision in his original proposal or took it out in order to get something, anything passed that had his name on it.

It is worse than useless, because it gives the appearance of reform.

It is not.

Any governor in as much trouble as this amendment requires one to be in would be impeached, just as Rod Blagojevich–the governor Jack Franks asked for jobs for his friends and family–was impeached.

Those supporting this amendment do nothing but give cover to our Springfield legislators who absolutely refuse to pass any meaningful reform of the political process.

If Franks really wants to support reform in Springfield, he would announce he would not vote for Mike Madigan for Speaker.

The Daily Herald asked that question on its legislative questionnaire, but, so far, has not published the results.

If you really want to read the details in this sham amendment, you can click on the pages and they will enlarge enough for you to do so.

Yesterday, McHenry County Blog suggested Governor Pat Quinn was attempting to recreate the hated personal property tax, which died an electoral death in November, 1970.

I explained how county treasurers throughout Illinois tried to put heat on legislators by enforcing this quite unfair tax.

One spring, we noticed that a state representative, George Burditt, had introduced a bill to require payment of personal property taxes before the Secretary of State would issue a car’s license plate.

En mass, a group of county treasurers arrived unannounced at the little hearing room on an upper floor behind the House chambers.

I remember sitting there while Antioch’s Bingo Bill Murphy argued against imposing (or, maybe, it was lowing) the blood alcohol limit. He said he drank more than that and he could drive just fine or something like that.

When it came to our bill, the Motor Vehicle Committee members were surprised that good government representative Burditt’s bill had so many supporters…and elected officials at that.

It passed out of committee and even passed the House before it died in the State Senate.

My state senator, Bob Coulson of Waukegan, took notice.

He introduced a constitutional amendment to exempt individuals from the personal property tax. That got the heat off the legislators and put it on the electorate.

The county treasurers were fine with that.

It passed the general election of my fourth year in office. The year was 1970.

I remember the Crystal Lake Jaycees took “Give Dirty Water the Works” campaign brochures and printing a pitch about abolishing the personal property tax on the back.

I was GOP precinct committeeman in Algonquin Township Precinct 7 at the time. Only one or two people voted against the amendment.

Naturally, it passed statewide.

When a case challenging the constitutionality of that amendment went to the Illinois Supreme Court, it was ruled unconstitutional with only one dissenting vote.

That was our Justice Charles H. Davis, the Rockford man who courted McHenry County Courthouse officials in his campaign to get the nomination. (I remember talking with him in the closest thing I had to a private office. It was a cubical we had built in the middle of the old courthouse hall. To say we were short for space was a huge understatement.

The case went to the United States Supreme Court, where it was ruled constitutional without a dissenting vote.

And, after all that work to get rid of the personal property tax, Governor Quinn is upping the ante for driving a car.

It looks a lot like a personal property tax to me…especially, as we county treasurers of the late 1960′s envisioned it under Burditt’s bill.

Don’t pay your tax and you can’t drive your car.

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George Burditt ran for the U.S. Senate in 1974. The car top is from that campaign, which he lost to Adlai Stevenson III by 726,612. (I lost to Roland Burris for State Comptroller in 1982 by more.)

The building is the Illinois Supreme Court Building in Springfield.