In a 70-42 vote, the House of
Representatives failed to obtain the supermajority it needed on Oct. 25 to
override Gov. Bruce Rauner’s veto of Senate Bill 1905. The override failed by a
single vote, which was needed to make SB 1905 the law of the land.
Instead of working to foster a strong economy across the state, the bill would
have prohibited local officials from implementing policies that would attract
jobs.
Specifically, SB 1905 would prohibit local governments from enacting their own
Right-to-Work ordinances. In areas with a Right-to-Work law, workers cannot be
required to pay money to a union in order to keep their jobs.
Local Right-to-Work laws can help attract businesses that might otherwise
overlook the state because it has failed to enact business-friendly policies.
But SB 1905 would have tied the hands of local leaders and prevented economic
ingenuity that would aid jobs growth. What’s more, it would hold criminally
liable any local leaders who attempted to enact an economic policy that is in
full effect in 27 U.S. states – including every neighboring state except
Missouri.
The governor vetoed the bill Sept. 29.
However, Illinoisans aren’t out of the woods yet. It is possible that the
override could be revived for another vote later on in veto session.
SB 1905 would have crushed job opportunities for Illinoisans
SB 1905 took specific aim at home rule communities such as the village of
Lincolnshire. Following the state’s continued failure to enact reforms that
would attract new economic opportunities, the Lincolnshire Village Board enacted
a local Right-to-Work ordinance in 2015.
Right-to-Work zones would help attract businesses to areas that might otherwise
get overlooked along with the rest of the state.
And businesses do, in fact, reject Illinois because it is not a Right-to-Work
state. Illinoisans recently learned that the hard way – residents will miss out
on 4,000 potential new jobs, as Toyota and Mazda have taken Illinois out of the
running for a new $1.6 billion facility, opting instead, in all likelihood, to
invest in a Right-to-Work state.
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Illinois’ failure to
follow the lead of its Right-to-Work neighbors was one of the
factors in Toyota and Mazda’s decision to pass on Illinois,
according to the CEO of Intersect Illinois as reported by Crain’s
Chicago Business.
In 2015, Crain’s
reported that the former director of Illinois’ Department of
Commerce and Economic Opportunity said more than 1,100 companies
have “blacklisted” Illinois because it does not have a Right-to-Work
law. And two-thirds of global chief financial officers surveyed by
CNBC in 2015 said a Right-to-Work law is either “important” or “very
important” when deciding where to grow their businesses.
SB 1905 would have prohibited local governments from enacting their
own local ordinances aimed at bringing businesses to their
communities, effectively handing the competitive edge to communities
in the nation’s 27 Right-to-Work states, including neighboring Iowa,
Michigan, Wisconsin, Kentucky and Indiana.
SB 1905 would hold officials criminally liable for seeking to better
their communities
SB 1905 was stunning in its severity.
It didn’t just prohibit local Right-to-Work zones. It would hold
criminally liable any official who violates that prohibition.
Specifically, the bill stated:
“Any officer, representative, director, elected official, or the
like of any local government or political subdivision, or agent
thereof who knowingly or willfully violates this Act, or who
knowingly or willfully fails to comply with this Act, is guilty of a
Class A misdemeanor.”
That means the bill equated Right to Work – an economic policy that
has been adopted by the majority of states and is sought out by
businesses like Toyota and Mazda – with fairly serious crimes.
In Illinois, a Class A misdemeanor is the most serious level of
misdemeanor crimes – in fact, it’s just one step down from a felony.
It is punishable by up to one year in jail and/or a fine of up to
$2,500.
The failure to override Rauner’s veto is a victory for Illinoisans.
But residents should be wary of its revival in coming weeks. The
override failed by a single House vote. Taxpayers should keep both
eyes on Springfield to ensure the override remains dead.
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