Senate Week in Review: July 19-23
SPRINGFIELD — Illinois taxpayers got an $8 million taste during the week of just how expensive poor fiscal management can be.
State Sen. Dale Risinger (R-Peoria) explained that the Quinn Administration took out a short-term loan in mid-July and — even though federal treasury rates have been cut nearly in half — the state will end up paying about $8 million more in interest when compared to a similar loan taken out last year.
The key difference is that Illinois has seen its credit rating plummet. One major credit rating agency ranks Illinois as tied for worst in the nation with California, while two other agencies have Illinois just one notch above California. The state has had eight credit downgrades since Gov. Pat Quinn replaced impeached Gov. Rod Blagojevich.
Also during the week, dozens of measures were signed into law as the deadline nears for the Governor to act on legislation that was passed during the spring legislative session. Risinger said he does not support each and every measure, but lists the legislation and a brief summary to keep central Illinois citizens informed.
A short-term state loan recently drew an interest rate of 2.11 percent, which is nearly a full percentage point, or more than 80 percent higher, than a similar loan taken out in August 2009. That’s despite a U.S. Treasury rate of about 0.26 percent % or almost half of the 2009 one-year U.S. Treasury rate of about 5 percent.
The short-term loan of $1.3 billion carries with it about $19 million in interest — which is an $8 to $9 million premium that can be attributed to the state’s lower credit score.
In other news, a conservative think-tank is calling for reform of the state’s “fiscal note” process to make it more effective in helping legislators estimate the true cost of new laws. At least one Republican senator has already agreed to sponsor the legislation.
The Illinois Policy Institute is advancing a reform that would make the state’s fiscal note process a more meaningful tool to highlight the impact legislation has on Illinois’ finances.
Fiscal notes are incorporated into legislation as a way to estimate the cost of the initiative, as well as any savings, revenue gains or losses that may result from the proposed bill becoming law. Unfortunately, Illinois’ fiscal notes often fail to provide accurate estimates.
As a result, it’s often difficult for legislators and the public to determine what a bill’s true cost will be. The proposed reform would require fiscal notes whenever the proposed legislation involves spending or taxation; include a minimum five-year forecast; and would have to be authored by a neutral source, not the state agency that will be impacted by the legislation.
Legislation signed into law during the week includes:
Abandoned Newborn Information (HB 5459/P.A. 96-1114): Removes requirements that relinquishing parents must be given information about the Illinois Adoption Registry and Medical Information Exchange and Denial of Information Exchange, in an effort not to intimidate relinquishing parents with excessive information.
Aggravated Weapon Conviction (HB 5832/P.A. 96-1107): Requires mandatory imprisonment of 1-3 years for a first offense of aggravated unlawful use of weapons committed by a person 18 or older, who possessed a loaded & uncased firearm, or possessed an immediately accessible, unloaded and uncased firearm, with accessible ammunition and did not have a valid FOID card.
Premature Infants Information (SB 3273/P.A. 96-1117): Requires the Illinois Department of Public Health to make widely available information on the risks and healthcare needs of premature infants, in an effort to improve healthcare quality and outcomes, as well as reduce infant morbidity and mortality associated with prematurity.
Shaken Baby Conviction Registration (HB 5762/P.A. 96-1115): Requires registration under the Child Murderer and Violent Offender Against Youth Registration Law for a person convicted of involuntary manslaughter or endangering the life/health of a child, where baby shaking was the proximate cause of the child’s death.
Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (HB 5930/P.A. 96-1116): Requires hospitals to provide, free of charge, information and instructional materials on SIDS, which must be given and reviewed with parents or guardians of newborns upon hospital discharge.
Penalty Increase (SB 2488/P.A. 96-1108): Raises the penalty on aggravated assault against a police officer, when the offender uses a deadly weapon.
Early Release Prisoners (SB 3411/P.A. 96-1110): Requires photo and identification information of early release prisoners be placed on the Department of Corrections’ website.
Death/Homicide Investigation Training (SB 3491/P.A. 96-1111): Requires the State Police and the Law Enforcement Training Standards Board to conduct or approve a training program in death and homicide investigation for police officers, and only police officers who have successfully completed the training may be assigned as lead investigator in a death or homicide case.
Misrepresentation Penalties (SB 3684/P.A. 96-1113): Adds to offenses of home invasion and burglary, gaining entry to the home by misrepresenting oneself to be a representative of government, construction company, telecommunication company, or utility company.
Sexting (HB 4583/P.A. 96-1087): Creates a “minor in need of supervision” provision for a minor who electronically sends an indecent or sexually provocative photo or video of themselves through a text message to another minor.
Farmers Market (HB 4756/P.A. 96-1087): Creates the Farmers Market Technology Improvement Program to increase access to fresh fruits and vegetables and other Link eligible food products by allowing Link program participants to redeem their benefits at farmers markets.
Sexual Predator (HB 5043/P.A. 96-1089): Requires lifetime registration as a sexual predator for a sexually motivated first degree murder of a person younger than 18 by a person who is least 17; kidnapping or unlawful restraint of a person younger than 18 by someone who is not the child’s parent; child abduction by luring a child younger than 16 without the consent of the child’s parent; and sexual misconduct with a person with a disability.
Minor Exploitation (HB 5321/P.A. 96-1090): Provides sexual exploitation of a child includes committing a sexual act or exposing oneself in front of a child via the Internet or Web cam for sexual gratification.
Dog Fighting (HB 5790/P.A. 96-1091): Increases the penalties for dog fighting offenses occurring on property within 100 feet of a school, public park, playground, child care institution, or day care center.
Crime Victim Notification (HB 5791/P.A. 96-1092): Allows the Attorney General to establish a crime victim and witness notification system to assist public officials in carrying out their duties to notify and inform crime victims and witnesses.
Statute of Limitations (HB 6124/P.A. 96-1093): Increases the statute of limitations for a civil action for childhood sexual abuse to 20 years from the date the person turns 18, or 20 years from the date the abused person discovers that the act of childhood sexual abuse occurred, and that the injury was caused by the childhood sexual abuse.
Child Sex Offenders (HB 6464/P.A. 96-1094): Makes it unlawful for a parent or guardian to leave their child in the custody of a convicted child sex offender, and also requires registered child sex offenders to report to law enforcement whether they reside in a household with a child under 18 who is not their own child.
Farm-School Database (SB 615/P.A. 96-1095): Requires that the Department of Agriculture establish a Farm-school Web database to facilitate the purchase of fresh produce and food products by schools.
Sex Offender Registration (SB 1702/P.A. 96-1096): Raises the initial registration fee for sex offenders to $100. Also raises the annual registration fee to $100. (SB 2462/P.A. 96-1097): Requires a sex offender registering after release from prison, to provide the law enforcement agency where he or she is registering with a copy of the terms and conditions of his or her release from prison. (SB 3293/P.A. 96-1104): Requires sex offenders to provide their phone number and cell phone number when registering with law enforcement.
Public Indecency (SB 2589/P.A. 96-1098): Increases the penalty for public indecency and sexual exploitation of a child when the offense is committed by a person older than 18, and on or within 500 feet of school grounds when children are present.
Sex Offender Restrictions (SB 2824/P.A. 96-1099): Prohibits sexual predators and child sex offenders from being in a public park or loitering within 500 feet of a public park.
Sex Offender Location Notification (SB 3176/P.A. 96-1102): Requires a sex offender or sexual predator to register with the appropriate law enforcement agency if the offender is residing or temporarily domiciled in that jurisdiction for a period of time of three or more days, and requires a sex offender or sexual predator who is temporarily absent from his or her current address of registration for three or more days to notify the law enforcement agency having jurisdiction over the current registration, including the itinerary for travel, in the same manner as the must notify a law enforcement agency of a change of address.
Veterans’ Lottery Tickets (SB 3661/P.A. 96-1105): Amends the Illinois Lottery Law to create a “specialty retailer license” for veterans’ service organizations, and allows the year-round sale of the instant scratch-off lottery game for the benefit of Illinois veterans.
Small Businesses (SB 3817/P.A. 96-1106): Adds veterans to the Small-Business Development Act, and authorizes eligible veterans to receive up to $100,000 loans for creating and expanding small businesses.
Commission to End Hunger (SB 3158/P.A. 96-1119): Authorizes the creation of the Commission to End Hunger to develop an action plan every two years, review the progress of this plan, and ensure cross-collaboration among government entities and community partners toward the goal of ending hunger in Illinois.
Disability Parking (SB 3309/P.A. 96-1125): States that 24 hours following the conclusion of an adverse weather event that property owners will be held responsible for any unreasonable obstruction of a parking place specifically reserved disable people, and prohibits the accumulation of debris or large objects without providing equivalent alternative parking on-site.
Civil Commitment (SB 3467/P.A. 96-1128): Allows the State to seek the civil commitment of certain sex offenders who are about to complete a sentence of imprisonment on their sex offense, if the State proves the person has a mental disorder that predisposes engagement in acts of sexual violence.
Alzheimer’s Services (SB 3590/P.A. 96-1129): Provides that the Department on Aging must seek to increase the effectiveness of the existing Community Care Program by ensuring that the determination of need tool accurately reflects the service needs of individuals with Alzheimer’s disease and related dementia disorders.
Long-Term Care (SB 3743/P.A. 96-1130): Requires the Department of Healthcare and Family Services to create the Long-Term Acute Care Hospital Quality Improvement Transfer Program to provide specialized, high-quality care to the sickest patients which improves their health outcomes while also reducing Medicaid spending by almost $10 million annually.
Railroad Safety (HB 4987/P.A. 96-1132): Makes it a crime to willfully place upon an active railroad track any object that would adversely affect safe railroad operations.
Stolen Weapons (SB 3546/P.A. 96-1133): Requires the railroad police force to report all information to state and local law enforcement when a shipment of firearms, explosives, or other weapons is reported as stolen or missing.
Pedestrian Crosswalk (HB 43/P.A. 96-1165): Provides that when a pedestrian is in the crosswalk, the driver of a motor vehicle must stop and yield.
Pedestrians With Disabilities (HB 5095/P.A. 96-1167): Provides that a person with a disability has the same right as a nondisabled person to the full use of the streets and public places.
Emergency Special Needs Alert (HB 5669/P.A. 96-1168): Provides that any person holding a state ID card or driver’s license can designate whether they have a disability or is a special needs individual, which can be entered into the emergency contact database.
Electrically Powered Trucks/License (HB 4717/P.A. 96-1135): Reduces the license plate fees for electrically powered pick-up trucks to $35 for a two-year period.
Criminally Insane (HB 4807/P.A. 96-1138): Requires that placement evaluations for a person found not guilty by reason of insanity are to determine the most appropriate setting for treatment based on factors including mental health diagnosis, proximity to surviving victims, security need, age, gender, and proximity to family.
Professional Counselor (HB 4864/P.A. 96-1139): Provides that an applicant for licensure as a professional counselor must have a master’s or doctoral level program in the field of counseling, rehabilitation counseling, psychology, or similar degree program approved by the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation.
Newspaper Web Site Legal Notice (HB 5232/P.A. 96-1144): Allows local governments or school districts to publish notice in a secular newspaper in an adjoining county if there is no newspaper in the county in which the entity is publishing notice, and requires the newspaper publishing the notice to place the notice on a statewide website.
BINGO License (HB 5437/P.A. 96-1150): Allows senior organizations to conduct bingo without a license or fee at a building owned by a church or a veterans’ organization.
All-Terrain Vehicle (HB 5912/P.A. 96-1155): Includes all-terrain vehicles or off-highway motorcycles as outdoor power equipment to be covered under the Equipment Fair Dealership Law.
Cook County Treasurer (HB 6235/P.A. 96-1159): Requires the Cook County Treasurer to post information related to un-cashed checks to its official website.
Novelty Lighters Ban (HB 5139/P.A. 96-1174): Bans the sale of “novelty” cigarette lighters.
