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Republicans push for reforms during fall session
Senate Republican lawmakers played a
significant role during the fall legislative session, helping to craft
comprehensive ethics reforms, working to keep trucking jobs in Illinois
and putting crucial death penalty reforms into law.
My colleagues and I contributed to the
ethics legislation that was approved with bipartisan support. Among the
tenets of the bill we suggested are time sheet requirements for all
state employees, financial disclosure of unpaid advisers who act as
"shadow government" and a ban on government-paid promotional pieces
(such as bumper stickers, posters, billboards, lapel pins, stickers or
magnets) that include an elected official's name or photo.
Only 14 hours later, Senate Democrats asked
for loopholes in Illinois election laws that could lead to voter fraud
and could dismiss all violations and fines currently before the State
Board of Elections. We voted against the proposal -- even though it
contained the language that would place President George W. Bush on the
Illinois ballot -- preferring to maintain the integrity of Illinois'
elections laws rather than bow to Democratic pressure. The measure
failed 23-27-0. We will reintroduce the legislation in the spring to
ensure George W. Bush appears on the Illinois ballot following the
Republican National Convention.
We also worked to begin eliminating the
excessive tax and fee hikes imposed on truckers this year, a move that
will save thousands of trucking industry jobs. House Bill 852 gained
approval in the Senate only after Senate Republican Leader Frank Watson
and our caucus won a commitment that the fees will be rolled back over
the next two years, instead of the three-year rollback suggested by
Democratic lawmakers. Our plan has the support of the trucking industry.
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this article] |
In other action, we played a strong role in
the task force that drafted crucial death penalty reforms. The new law
allows for continued review and reforms through the Capital Punishment
Reform Study Committee, allows judges to rule out the death penalty in
cases that rely on a single eyewitness or police informant, allows the
Illinois Supreme Court to overturn a death sentence, prohibits execution
of mentally disabled individuals, and allows condemned inmates to more
easily clear their names with newly discovered evidence and to see
state's evidence that favors them -- including some previously
off-limits documents. A second bill, also approved by lawmakers,
addressed the governor's concerns about removing police officers who
commit perjury on the witness stand.
Governor's
Opportunity Returns plan for north central Illinois
On Dec. 3 Gov.
Blagojevich announced several major initiatives and grants to counter
job loss and spur economic development in north central Illinois. [See
"Gov. Blagojevich brings Opportunity Returns
to north central Illinois."]
Legislation information
If you would like specific information on
legislation that was acted on during the veto session, go to
www.legis.state.il.us and click on "Bills & Resolutions." This will give
you a menu of all bills introduced to the General Assembly. When you
click on the particular bill you are interested in, you will get the
history of action on the bill, and, if it was voted on, you can obtain
the voting record.
If you need
information about legislation, please do not hesitate to contact my
office at (309) 664-4440 for assistance.
[News release from
Sen. Bill Brady] |
