The following appeared in an email from State Rep. Mike Tryon:
Friends,
The 2010-2011 legislative session was very successful.
Mike Tryon poses with constituent who may or may not be in his district starting in 2013.
We moved toward budget reforms that are difficult, yet necessary, to ensure financial stability for the State of Illinois.
For the first time since 2002, the state has passed a balanced budget. While there is still a significant backlog of unpaid bills, it is my hope going forward it can be managed without borrowing money.
We also approved landmark education reforms that will help ensure that our students are taught by the best and brightest educators and Medicaid reforms that should help curtail fraud and ensure that resources are directed only to those families truly in need.
We also made the full pension payment for 2012.
Recently the new legislative map which will guide legislative representation through 2022 was approved.
We were promised a transparent process, but in the end the majority party in Springfield created their map in private and released the final map just hours before voting on it. The public was not given a chance to review or comment on the map, and the final map was drawn to protect and strengthen the majority party’s control over State government for the next ten years.
I believe that legislative maps should be drawn using population and not voter statistics as the underlying guide, and also that municipal and county lines should be honored to ensure equal representation. For that reason, I joined all of my Republican colleagues in voting against the map.
The district boundaries for McHenry County representation will drastically change. For the past 10 years, District 64 has had solid representation by myself and Senator Althoff.
Crystal Lake will be in three state rep. and three state senate districts.
When the new map takes effect, Crystal Lake will be divided into three Senate districts and three House districts and other municipalities will also be divided between multiple lawmakers. While my new boundaries are changing, my dedication to today’s constituents will continue.
Still, I am looking forward to working on new issues with new communities in Kane County, like East and West Dundee, Sleepy Hollow, Carpentersville, Gilberts, rural Pingree Grove and Elgin.
Below is a “Session in Review” summary for 2010-2011. If I or a member of my staff can be of assistance to you, please call my legislative office at (815) 459-6453.
General Assembly Approves a Balanced Budget for 2011-2012
Conservative budget figures, fiscal discipline and a bipartisan approach led to the first balanced budget for Illinois in many years. The final budget included difficult budget decisions, but it forces the state to live within its means so that bills can be paid and finances can get back on track.
The $33.2 billion spending plan is $2 billion less than what Governor Quinn requested earlier this year in his budget address. Whereas the last two budgets included $3.7 billion in borrowing to make the pension payment, this new budget includes $4.2 billion to fully fund the mandated pension payment with no borrowing required.
The passage of several budget-related bills and resolutions earlier this year set the stage for the balanced budget. They included:
House Resolution 110: set a conservative estimate of revenues that would guide appropriations talks
House Resolution 156: establishes the percentage of general revenue funds each appropriations committee would have available to work with as budgets were developed
House Resolution 158: mandated that that any surplus revenues this year would be used to pay of the backlog of unpaid state bills
House Bills 116, 117, 132, 3639 and 3697: fund the statutorily mandated pension payment, bond debt service payments and group insurance payment for state employees
For the several weeks leading up to the budget votes, Representatives from both sides of the aisle worked together reviewing the budget line-by-line in committee and making the difficult decisions about where cuts could be made. We started by cutting pay raises and administrative costs wherever possible. It is not a one-year process, and if we hope to get out of the hole and stay out of the hole this is the way we will need to approach the budget every year. Only with continued discipline will we truly change the culture of overspending that has been too prevalent in Illinois.
Medicaid Reform Initiatives to Save Taxpayers Over $1 Billion
Illinois taxpayers will benefit tremendously through massive reforms to Medicaid that were approved by the General Assembly this year. A total of $1 billion in savings could be realized as reforms and efficiencies associated with House Bill 5420 and Senate Bill 1802 are fully implemented.
House Bill 5420, approved by the General Assembly in January, puts more stringent eligibility requirements in place and imposes a two year moratorium on eligibility and program expansions. Another key component of House Bill 5420 is that now income and Illinois residency will be verified for all applicants. The new law also allows for data sharing between state agencies for electronic eligibility verification.
House Bill 5420 also ends the practice of automatic renewal of eligibility for the program. The bill also reigns in runaway spending associated with the All Kids Insurance Program by capping eligibility requirements at 300 percent of the federal poverty level. When the All Kids program was implemented by Governor Blagojevich in 2005, there was no income cap tied to the program and benefits were also offered to undocumented residents. The All Kids reforms will significantly reduce fraud and help ensure that resources are directed only to those families truly in need.
House Bill 5420 also includes a more holistic approach to caring for Medicaid patients by moving more into managed and integrated care programs, and a provision which allows for a $2,000 civil penalty for each fraudulent claim that is made for benefits or payments. An estimated $800 million in savings should result from the reforms included in House Bill 5420.
During the line-by-line review of the budget, an additional $215 million in possible savings were found. Senate Bill 1802 contains the substantive provisions to implement the FY 12 budget for Human Services. Senate Bill 1802 changes the Prompt Payment interest calculation to 1% per month after 90 days for all state vendors (rather than after 60 days). It also authorizes a copayment of up to $10 for Medicaid clients using an emergency room for non-emergency services. The bill also adjusts payment rates for hospitals that re-admit patients an excessive number of times for preventable causes, limits coverage of certain over the counter medications, and adjusts eligibility requirements for FamilyCare and the Illinois Cares Rx program.
Illinois Approves Groundbreaking Education Reform
Public Act 97-0008 was signed into law in mid-June. It is the result of months of negotiations between the State Board of Education, teacher unions, school management groups and legislators. Its passage will help ensure that Illinois students are being taught by the best qualified teachers. I believe the reforms will provide beneficial guidelines with regard to the education system in Illinois.
According to the provisions included in this new law, teacher tenure will now be based on merit and performance review rather than simply on years of service. Teacher reduction in force, recall, and the filling of vacant positions will also be based on performance rather than on years of experience. Other key provisions in the new law include the streamlining of the teacher dismissal process and language which should reduce the likelihood of teacher strikes.
Many educators have expressed their support and gratitude for the changes, and the new law is widely regarded as a huge step in the right direction.
Electrical Grid Improvements Approved
In spite of a promised veto by the Governor, legislation to provide for millions of dollars of infrastructure improvements to the Illinois electrical grid passed through the House and the Senate this spring. The 67-47 House vote on House Bill 14 will allow utility companies Ameren Illinois and Commonwealth Edison to significantly improve the usability and reliability of the electrical grid. If signed by the governor, Ameren Illinois customers will see an average bill increase for the next 10 years of $3.40 per month and Commonwealth Edison customers will see a flat $3 increase for the same time period.
I supported this bill because I feel we must take steps to improve our electrical grid system. Illinois has miles and miles of outdated power lines and with an exponential increase in electrical usage we are behind in keeping those utility systems up to date. The investment in the electric distribution system will permit consumers to have the opportunity to have real time net metering and be a much more efficient way to deliver electricity. With these changes, the unit consumer cost will go up, but electric bills have the potential of going down. I remain hopeful that the future cost of electricity should offset any increases caused by the capital investment into the grid.
Workers’ Compensation Reform Passes Both the House and Senate
Illinois has needed workers’ compensation reform for a very long time, but unfortunately the bill that was presented to the House and Senate this spring did not go far enough in fixing a system that today is plagued by inefficiencies and with fraud. For that reason I voted against House Bill 1698 when it was brought to the floor for a full House vote. The bill did pass both houses, however, and I believe its provisions will have some positive effects.
House Bill 1698 will provide some savings to employers, but the most important reform we needed to enact was missing from the bill. A true reform measure would have included a provision that would ensure that injuries claimed under workers’ compensation actually occurred on the job or are predominately work related. While that would seem to be commonsense, it’s not currently the law and it was not included as a provision in House Bill 1698. When Florida enacted a “causation” reform in 2003, that state’s workers’ compensation costs decreased by a staggering 70%. It is my hope that the causation issue can be brought back to the table for discussion in the future.
Gaming Expansion Clears House and Senate Hurdles
If Governor Quinn signs gaming legislation that passed through the House and Senate this month, Illinoisans will have much more access to gambling. Senate Bill 744 will allow for 1,200 slot machines at Arlington Park and slots at Chicago’s airports. In addition, the bill will allow for the creation of new casinos in Park City, Chicago, Rockford, the South suburbs and downstate in Danville.
I voted against this bill because I believe it was too extensive. If signed into law, gambling will definitely be a more prevalent element of the suburban landscape, and I believe it alters the character of Illinois.
Legislators and other State Employees to Take 12 Furlough Days in 2012
Members of the General Assembly and executive branch officers will be taking 12 furlough days during the next fiscal year. Senate Bill 266 mandates that each legislator will take a reduction in pay equal to one full day of salary per month. The program is a continuation of 12 furlough days that members were required to take this current fiscal year.
In addition, Senate Bill 266 prohibits any legislator from receiving a cost of living increase in 2011-2012 and freezes session day travel reimbursement at 2010-2011 levels. The cost of living freeze will also apply to executive branch constitutional offers, states attorneys and other appointed members of state departments, agencies, boards and commissions.
Capital Construction Bill Gains Approval
Lawmakers were called back to Springfield in late June to pass a $31 billion capital construction bill. Senate Bill 2414 will keep the state’s road, school and sewer improvement projects moving forward.
Key improvements to the road system in McHenry County are part of the next list of projects to be bonded, including the Western Algonquin bypass and the full Route 47-Interstate 90 interchange in Huntley. Once completed, these long-awaited projects will ease traffic congestion in some heavily-traveled parts of the county.
Coming to Veto Session in November…
Pension Reform Bill Stalls; Will be Revisited During Veto Session in November
Without a doubt, the most controversial issue debated in the General Assembly this spring was pension reform. Personally, I have never supported making anything other than a full pension payment and I have never supported a budget that included anything other than a full pension payment. Unfortunately, over time many members of the legislature have felt and voted differently.
This year I am pleased to communicate that some progress has been made with regard to pension payments. House Bills 116, 3639 and 3697 all passed unanimously at the beginning of April and ensure the state makes its’ mandated state pension payments for Fiscal Year 2012.
I am very mindful of pension recipients’ constitutional rights as well as their dedication and commitment to strengthening Illinois’ communities. My goal is to make sure the pension systems are stable and that current state employees will have a pension when they retire. For that reason I remain committed to pension reform that is fair and equitable to all who would be affected.
As the Spring Session drew to a close, a pension reform measure, Senate Bill 512, was brought to the table and discussed. The legislation would have given employees the option of paying more in order to stay in their current “Tier 1” pension level, move to a “Tier 2” system, or choose to invest in a 401(K)-style retirement plan. Senate Bill 512 passed committee on May 26 but was never called to the House floor for a vote.
I will continue to work on this very important issue throughout the summer and am urging legislative leaders to convene local meetings to solicit input on a long term pension reform proposal that is fair to both taxpayers and the public sector. All affected parties need to be at the table and have a say in finding a solution to this very serious issue.
Transparency Legislation Passes Through the House; Currently Pending in the Senate
I continue to fight hard for transparency in state government, and this year I sponsored two bills that would improve citizens’ access to government. Both passed through the House and are currently pending in the Senate.
House Bill 3374 would expand the transparency portal by providing direct access to a database of all current state grants, sorted by grantee name, the awarding agency, grant value, and the purpose for all grants awarded by the state.
House Bill 2915 would also expand the transparency portal to include members of the General Assembly in its database of current state employees and individual consultants. The bill provides that the database will also provide insurance and pension benefits information, General Assembly roll call votes, and a commenting interface so that individuals who can not find what they are looking for can email the web master for assistance. It is my goal that the portal will continue to grow and ultimately become an incredibly valuable source of information for those interested in monitoring exactly how their tax dollars are spent. You can visit the Illinois Accountability Portal at www.accountability.illinois.gov.
The pension systems needs serious reform and are fundamentally flawed against the taxpayer that funds them.
The Teachers Retirement System (TRS) pension fund was set up so the State of IL, not the employee or employer (school district), is the major contributor. Is the State of IL the major contributor to your 401k?
TRS and all public pensions should be defined contribution (like a 401k), not defined benefit; and should not be guaranteed in the IL State Constitution (is your 401k guaranteed in the IL State constitution?).
Why should taxpayer servants be forced to pay for benefits the taxpayer servants can’t receive? The rules were put in place in exchange for campaign contributions and votes. And the campaign contributions came from union dues which came from public employee salaries which came from taxpayer dollars; so taxpayers fund the perks the taxpayers don’t themselves receive!
The teacher union rebuttal to these arguments are weak. They use “average salary” but don’t say what’s included in the “average salary” – teachers who only worked for a year; teachers who don’t work in your districts; more.
To make matters worse, a majority of employers (school districts) pay for the employees (teachers) pension contribution; so the teachers don’t contribute a penny!
And then teachers who put in enough years get to retire, receive full defined benefit pensions well before taxpayers retire with full social security benefits.
You contribute to the teachers pensions, but teachers don’t contribute to your social security.
These public sector pensions are more flawed then Blago was corrupt, no wonder the guy was surprised he was guilty.
You could never ever find a private pension as lucrative as teacher pensions. The company simply could not be competitive and go under.
And who pays for the healthcare benefits of administrators who retire early? You guessed it, in many districts, the district pays for the healthcare benefits of early administrator retirees, not the administrator retiree themselves.
Who doesn’t the school district or union or newspaper tell you any of this? You are the taxpayer paying for it.