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 The Illinois General Assembly is set
to convene Oct. 24 for veto session.
Veto session is held every fall and is the General Assembly’s chance to take
action on bills the governor has vetoed. Illinoisans should keep their eyes
peeled on several issues that may come to the fore over the next two weeks.
But first, a primer on how veto session works.
How veto session works
During regular legislative session, lawmakers attempt to pass bills through the
legislative process. Once a bill has passed both the Illinois House of
Representatives and the Illinois Senate it is sent to the governor’s desk. The
governor may then choose to sign the bill, in which case the bill becomes law.
However, the governor may also veto the bill.
 Total veto and amendatory veto are the most common ways the governor vetoes a
bill. In a total veto, the governor chooses to reject the bill as a whole. In an
amendatory veto, the governor vetoes a part of the bill and issues
recommendations on how he would like lawmakers to improve the bill.
Bills that are vetoed in any way are returned back to the General Assembly
during veto session. The sponsor of the bill then has the opportunity to accept
the changes made by the governor, do nothing and allow the bill to die, or
attempt to override the governor’s veto.
A supermajority of votes is required in both the Senate and the House in order
to override a veto. A House supermajority is 71 votes, while a Senate
supermajority is 36 votes. Currently, the Senate Democrats have a supermajority
in their chamber, but the House Democrats do not. In order to override a veto in
the House, some Republicans would be required to vote in favor of overriding the
veto.
If both chambers successfully override the governor’s veto, then the bill
becomes law.
Bills to watch for
Members of the General Assembly have already filed motions to attempt to
override some of Gov. Bruce Rauner’s vetoes. Many of these are bad bills that
will hurt taxpayers.
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Criminalizing
Right-to-Work ordinances in local communities
Rauner issued a total veto of Senate Bill 1905, which would prohibit
any unit of government from enacting a local Right-to-Work
ordinance. It also creates a criminal offense for any local official
who attempts to enact a Right-to-Work law. Not only does this bill
tie the hands of local leaders who attempt to better their local
economies, but it also sets a dangerous precedent of criminalizing
policy ideas that run counter to privileged political interests.
On the first day of veto
session, the Senate successfully overrode the governor’s veto of SB
1905 on a 42-13 vote. The fate of local worker-freedom initiatives
now lies with the House, where 71 lawmakers must vote to override
Rauner’s veto in order for SB 1905 to become law.
State-run workers’ compensation company
Rauner issued a total veto of House Bill 2622, which would create a
state-run workers’ compensation company. Proponents claim this bill
would mitigate Illinois’ high workers’ compensation costs. However,
this bill is not just costly to taxpayers, but it does nothing to
address the actual cost drivers behind Illinois’ high workers’
compensation costs.
Business restrictions
Rauner also issued vetoes on various bills that would enact
unnecessary and burdensome regulations on employers. For example, he
issued a total veto of House Bill 2462, which forbids an employer
from seeking wage and salary history from an applicant. This bill
also creates provisions for a person to sue an employer if they feel
the employer violates this act. Not only would this potentially
disadvantage workers seeking employment, but it also would be
harmful to business owners and employers.
Keeping eyes on the House
As Illinois House Speaker Mike Madigan and Senate President John
Cullerton move to whip up override votes, taxpayers should pay close
attention to a handful of lawmakers who could make or break the
governor’s vetoes. Fifteen House Republicans who voted in favor of
the income tax hike in July will likely be the key votes in deciding
which of the governor’s vetoes will stand or fall in the upcoming
session. And of those 15 Republican lawmakers, nine are not seeking
re-election in 2018.
All eyes should be on those lawmakers.
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