Governor Rauner Delivers Annual Budget Address
If you would like to read the speech, a copy is available here. If you would like to view the supporting documents for the speech, you can access the “Budget Book” here.
Following the speech I recorded a video response. You can watch that video here.
Bills Begin to Move through House Committee Process
House members filed a total of 3,921 bills this year prior to the February 10 deadline. Only bills filed by that date may be considered in a House committee during the 2017 spring session. House bills filed after February 10 cannot be considered this spring as independent, free-standing legislation. I filed 19 bills this year as Chief Sponsor, and have signed on as Chief Co-Sponsor or as a co-sponsor of 39 others.
Following the bill introduction deadline, State Representatives spend the next six weeks vetting these bills at the committee level. The House has 57 permanent and special committees that will hear testimony and consider bills. Because no piece of legislation may reach the House Floor for a final vote until it receives a positive vote at the committee level, this time of year we spend most of our time in committee meetings.
Morrison Returns as Republican Spokesperson for Personnel & Pensions Committee
In spite of significant opposition by Illinois residents who oppose the use of taxpayer funds to pay for abortions and Republicans who serve on the House Human Services Committee, HB 40 passed at the committee level on February 8 in a 7-5 vote. The next stop for this damaging bill is the House Floor. I am a vocal opponent of this bill and will speak vehemently against it when it is presented to the members of the House for a final vote.
This is a bill that would require the tax dollars of every Illinoisan, regardless of their stance on the abortion issue, to be used to fund abortions through Medicaid and abortions for State employees, for any reason throughout the entire nine months of a pregnancy. I strongly encourage all who believe taxpayers opposed to abortion on moral and religious grounds should not have to fund abortions to call all Illinois State Representatives to register your opposition to this bill. A list of State Representatives can be found here. Should the bill pass in the House, it will then move to the Senate for consideration. A list of Senators can be found here. Contact information for each Representative and Senator can be obtained by clicking on the names.
In response to this inappropriate use of taxpayer funds, I am supporting HR 145, sponsored by my colleague Representative Sheri Jesiel (R-Winthrop Harbor). This resolution expresses opposition to legislative efforts to use State taxpayer funds to pay for abortions and to pay the insurance costs for State employees to have abortions.