The third part of State Rep. Barb Wheeler’s report on the last week of the regular session in May:
Equal Pay
House Republicans support equal pay for women in the workplace.
As the regularly scheduled spring legislative session came to a close, House Republicans backed legislation in the Illinois House in support of equal pay for equal work.
State Rep. Terri Bryant Bryant joined her colleagues in support of an amended version of HB 3619. Bryant voted Yes to concur with changes made to the bill in the Illinois Senate. Bryant says the changes lowered the fines for first time offenses to reduce the burden on the smallest of small businesses.
“Often, the process involved in drafting good legislation takes time and compromise,” Bryant said. “The original fines for businesses with 3 or less employees were far too high. When we work together to reach compromise in Springfield, we get better results.”
Bryant had argued that high first time fines proposed in the original bill were likely to drive more businesses, jobs, and population from the state. That type of outward migration is something Bryant says Illinois cannot afford.
“The business climate in Illinois is already very difficult and laden with regulation. Illinois can’t afford to lose any more jobs. I want to commend the sponsor of this legislation for being open to making a pro-business change that allowed us all to vote to support equal pay for equal work,” Bryant said.”
In addition to HB 3619, House Republicans supported an Equal Pay resolution sponsored by State Rep. David McSweeney. HR 442 states that the House strongly supports workplace equity and equality under the law covering pay and benefits for employees as established by the Equal Pay Act of 1963.
General Assembly – Action in both chambers in spring 2015
495 bills approved by both houses prior to May 31, 2015 deadline.
Illinois House in session.
269 of the bills were House bills and 226 were Senate bills. This accounts for only a small fraction – 7.8 percent – of the 6,375 bills (4,226 House, 2,149 Senate) filed by House and Senate members so far in 2015
The Sunday, May 31 deadline significantly governs actions taken by the General Assembly. Under Article IV, section 10 of the Constitution of Illinois, a bill must be acted upon before this date by both houses if it is to take immediate effect by simple majority. On June 1 and following, a bill – to be effective immediately – must win an extraordinary three-fifths majority in both houses. This gives a potential space at the table to members of the Illinois House and Senate minority party and to lawmakers from less-populated regions of Illinois.
This 495-bill total does not include 28 bills that were passed and then immediately held up by motions filed to reconsider the vote by which the bill was passed. Bills on the order of Motion to Reconsider have, by a parliamentary maneuver, been locked in the desk drawer of the respective party leaders of both chambers, the House Speaker and the Senate President. They cannot be sent to the Governor until the party leaders release them. In 2015, bills in this category include measures to implement the Democrats’ unbalanced FY16 budget and a Chicago pension “fix.”
The Democrat-controlled Illinois General Assembly was less productive in 2015 than its predecessor had been in spring 2014. In the 2014 spring session, 511 bills were passed by both houses of the General Assembly – 268 House bills and 243 Senate bills.
Happy Hours
General Assembly takes action to legalize happy hours in Illinois.
Drink specials timed for certain hours of the business day and aimed at improving customer flow for taverns have been banned in Illinois since 1989. In spring 2015, the General Assembly enacted a bill to re-legalize happy hours for limited periods of time in a standard business day. Under SB 398, a licensed tavern will be allowed to offer drink discounts for no more than 15 hours a week and no more than four hours a day; furthermore, none of the hours can be after 10:00 p.m. The happy hours must be publicly advertised not less than one week in advance. The House vote on this bill, held on Thursday, May 28, was 82-31-2.
The 1980’s era ban on “happy hours” was enacted in a time when authorities were fighting to reduce DUI violations and to enforce an increase in the legal drinking age from 18 to 21. With an additional generation of experience, public-safety experts have turned to new ways to reduce unwanted behavior. SB 398 includes a new mandate to impose training requirements upon employees and contractors of establishments licensed to pour alcohol. It is expected that this training will include online videos intended to help waitstaff learn more about signs that a customer has reached his or her legal limit of alcohol consumption.
The General Assembly also passed a separate bill in spring 2015, SB 67, to ban the sale within Illinois of a newly-invented substance, dry powdered alcohol. This substance is in the process of being outlawed in Nevada, Ohio, Washington, and other states. Both SB 67 and SB 398 have passed both houses of the General Assembly and are currently waiting for final action by the Governor.
Police Officers – Bodycams
Compromise police bill passed by both houses.
The measure includes provisions intended to sharply increase the number of body cameras (“bodycams”) worn by Illinois police officers as part of their uniforms. SB 1304 responds to concerns raised by Illinoisans and to requests made by police officers and management. House Republicans, especially Representatives Cabello and Anthony, were part of the negotiating team that worked out agreed language for this bipartisan bill.
Police officers and management were interested in language that would allow police not to wear bodycams in specific situations where the devices would be inappropriate or unnecessarily dangerous. Increased training will be provided through the state-funded Police Training Board to inform current and future police officers on the appropriate use of bodycams and videos. As agreed by both houses, SB 1304 will require that a $5 supplement be added to all fines imposed upon convicted defendants in criminal and traffic cases. Monies from this supplemental fine will be granted to police forces seeking assistance in maximizing bodycam accessibility to the members of their force.
A House vote of 107-3-4 signaled strong support for the agreement from both sides of the aisle. Passage of SB 1304 by both Houses cleared the way for the measure to be sent to Gov. Rauner for his signature.