Session Alert – State
Employee Pay, Abortion, Immigration
State Rep. Jeanne Ives
February 9, 2017
Members
of the House of Representatives recently received their new committee
assignments for the historic 100th General Assembly (2017-2019). I
am pictured here presenting a bill in committee. For my complete list of
committee assignments, please scroll below.
House
to Consider Bills on State Employee Pay & More
The Illinois House of Representatives returns to session
on Thursday. Several controversial bills have been introduced, distracting from
what should be our top priority: working together to achieve a resolution to
the ongoing state budget impasse; finding a solution that respects taxpayers
and enacts long-overdue reforms to state government that are holding back our
economy. Here is a synopsis of a few of the new bills certain to generate
heated debate:
House Bill 1787 / House Bill 1798 – State
Employee Pay
Competing versions of legislation to continue paying
state employees in the absence of a budget. House Bill 1787 is a
Democrat-sponsored bill, whereas House Bill 1798 is a Republican-sponsored
measure.
House Bill 40 – Taxpayer-funded abortion
Would remove all bans on using taxpayer funding for
abortion for basically any reason throughout all nine months of
pregnancy under Medicaid; and would remove the ban on state employees’
insurance policies paying for abortions.
House Bill 426 – Immigration “Safe Zones”
Would grant illegal immigrants refuge from state and
local law enforcement personnel in Illinois schools, places of worship, and
medical treatment and health care facilities; creating so-called “safe zones”. This
bill in intended to prevent state and local law enforcement agencies from
assisting federal authorities with enforcing U.S. immigration law.
You can watch the debate LIVE from the floor of the House
of Representatives by clicking HERE and
entering password “grandbargain”. Session
is scheduled to begin at 1:00pm.
Audio:
Rep. Ives’ Interview with WDCB Radio
I did an interview with Gary Zidek from WDCB Radio on the
budget battle in Springfield, the need for property tax reform and more. You
can listen to the full interview by clicking HERE.
Rep.
Ives’ New District Phone Number
I have switched to a new District phone number, 630-384-9719. This new phone number
will enable constituents to have increased connectivity with me, including the
ability to text me. Texting will allow you to voice your support or opposition
to legislation and other policy issues, or simply to ask me a question. Please
make a note of this new phone number, 630-384-9719.
I look forward to hearing from you and continuing to serve you and your
family during this historic 100th General Assembly, which coincides
with Illinois’ upcoming Bicentennial Celebration in 2018.
Share
Your Feedback: Ives 2017 Constituent Survey
It is vitally important for me to receive input from
constituents like you. Your feedback helps me to know where residents of our
district stand on a wide range of policy questions of concern to Illinois
families and taxpayers. For that reason, I have posted a 2017 Survey on my website, www.jeanneives.org.
Please take a few moments at your convenience to complete the survey and share
your questions and comments directly with me.
All of the issues covered in the survey have been
considered by the state legislature in the past; and are likely to be again in
2017. To take my survey, please click HERE. Thank you in
advance for your feedback. It is sincerely appreciated.
New
Committee Assignments
Committee Assignments for the 100th General
Assembly were announced last week. Much of the important work on legislation
happens during the committee process. I have been appointed to serve on nine
committees in all, including three on which I am the Republican Spokesperson.
My committee assignments include:
Government Transparency (Republican Spokesperson)
Labor & Commerce (Republican Spokesperson)
Elementary & Secondary Education – Appropriations
Elementary & Secondary Education: Licensing,
Administration & Oversight
Community College Access & Affordability
Government Consolidation & Modernization
Health Care Licenses
Personnel & Pensions
Mass Transit (Republican Spokesperson)
Rep.
Ives: Keeping You Informed
“The Man Behind the
Fiscal Fiasco in Illinois” Reuters: Hundreds of politicians share blame for drowning
the state’s government in billions of dollars of debt and unfunded pension
liabilities. But House Speaker Michael Madigan – a dominant political force for
three decades – has been the constant in key decisions that created the mess… read the full story here
“Illinois Faces
Further Downgrades if Budget Deal Not Reached” Bloomberg News: Illinois’s failure to resolve the nearly two-year
political impasse over the budget could trigger further cuts to its bond
rating, which is already the lowest among U.S. states, S&P Global
Ratings said. The report from the company comes as lawmakers weigh
measures that would raise taxes, cut pension costs and borrow to cover a
backlog of unpaid bills…read the full story here
“Budget Solutions
2018: Balacing the Budget Without Tax Hikes” Illinois Policy Institute: If there’s one message many Illinois politicians and civic groups
want taxpayers to hear this budget season, it’s that there’s
no fixing Illinois’ fiscal and economic mess without a multibillion-dollar
tax hike. Tax-hike proponents also want residents to believe the
Illinois General Assembly has already passed all the structural reforms
it can, and the only thing left to do now is to hike taxes by $7
billion to $9 billion – and that will fix everything. But that
narrative is false. The General Assembly has done nothing to stop Illinois’ downward
spiral…read the full story here
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