Committee Deadline
Today is the scheduled deadline for House members to move their bills out of House Committees to the floor…but Democrats who control the chamber decided to take the day off. Session was canceled today.
I know the majority party routinely advances large numbers of their own bills out of committee while ensuring our bills are blocked from consideration. I know it…but I will never get used to the fundamental unfairness to the millions of families Republicans represent.
Here’s the tally of bills that advanced out of committee in the House:
Out of Committee: Total of 489 Bills; Democrat 434 & Republican 55 – 11%
The latest word this morning is that the deadline has been extended to April 19 for 74 additional bills. 62 of them are Democrat-sponsored bills.
Our House Republican Leader Tony McCombie expressed our frustration very well…
“Republicans showed up with good bills for consideration. Bans on kangaroos and exotic cats made the cut while Republican bills to reduce taxes, hold criminals accountable, and strengthen families were blocked by Democrats. The priorities of this chamber are upside down and it’s immoral to leave early while so much work remains,” Leader McCombie said.
Pushback on Bill to End Tipped Wages
Legislation that would end tipped wages for restaurant servers and other hospitality industry employees advanced to the House floor this week, despite growing pushback from industry workers themselves and bi-partisan opposition in the General Assembly.
New poll numbers show Illinois voters strongly support ethics reform.
House Republicans have already lined up behind a bipartisan push to allow voter-led constitutional initiatives aimed at honesty in government, and to enact other urgently needed reforms against public corruption. A key component of this reform package will give Illinois voters the chance to circulate petitions, sign their names, and put honesty-in-government rules on the ballot for enactment as laws, in the same manner as voters can do in more than 25 other states. Now, polling numbers show strong public support for these measures, which have been stalled in both houses of the Democrat-controlled Illinois General Assembly.
Other items in the popular ethics reform package include a ban on ex-legislators drawing a taxpayer-funded pension while awaiting trial, and a statutory ban on legislators casting votes on issues where they have a conflict of interest. Former Governor Pat Quinn, a Democrat, has added his support to the bipartisan moves.
Around the District
The solar eclipse is coming on Monday! The Illinois Emergency Management Agency has put together some suggestions to follow to ensure everyone can view and enjoy in safety.
BTW, we still have a few pairs of eclipse viewing glasses in the district office at 3601 E Lake Centre Drive, Suite 200 in Quincy. Stop by Monday morning if you need them!