Legislative Action                                                                 

For all the pre-veto session hand-wringing and speculation that went on about what the lame-duck legislature would thrust upon the state, not much happened. Most notable for going nowhere was the much debated proposal to legalize a land-based Chicago casino gambling/entertainment complex; it was the subject of a special legislative session that ran concurrently with the veto session.

High-priced Las Vegas lobbyists notwithstanding (Gov. Jim Edgar had predicted they'd make the powerful medical industry's lobbyists look like the League of Women Voters), the Senate was unable to garner the votes necessary for legislation enabling the $2 billion private investment project that Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley had hoped would bring "jobs, jobs, jobs" to the city. Though Senate President Philip J. Rock (D-8, Oak Park) no doubt would have preferred ending his legislative career by delivering his share of votes needed to pass the measure, Senate Democrats weren't even able to pass it out of committee.

The issue almost definitely will be back this spring. But by the time the special session on casino gambling was adjourned December 2, talk had turned from a strictly land-based complex — vehemently opposed by Edgar — to the possibility of riverboat gambling on Lake Michigan in tandem with a land-based amusement park-type of attraction. Daley indicated in early December that he wasn't even remotely interested in such a project, referring to its elements as "putt-putt boats" and "kiddie-land," but he may have to undergo a change of heart if he hopes to gain General Assembly support for any Chicago tourist attraction tied to gambling.

Edgar not only got to thumb his nose at Daley during the veto session but also at Cook County Board President (and prospective 1994 Democratic gubernatorial candidate) Richard J. Phelan. Senate Democrats were unable to join their House counterparts in overriding Edgar's veto of legislation that would have required the state to collect Cook County's new home-rule use tax on cars, trucks, boats and airplanes. If it were collected by the state, Cook County residents wouldn't be able to avoid the .75 percent tax by traveling outside the county to buy those goods — though consumers are supposed to report any such purchases to the county.

Edgar said the state would have faced a "bureaucratic nightmare" in collecting the tax, though Phelan said a worse situation has arisen out of the measure's demise: Because the county will collect less than the $57 million he expected from the new tax, he said, property owners in Cook County will have to forego the $50 million property tax abatement Phelan promised them. But Department of Revenue spokesman Mike Klemens called Phelan's $57 million estimate "absurd," saying the revenue department's analysis of the tax showed it would bring in about $26 million. Phelan intends to bring the issue up again this year; until then, he wants the tax collection to begin August 1 instead of January 1 as originally scheduled.

Illinois lawmakers became pioneers in the nation when they agreed to accept Edgar's amendatory veto of a measure guaranteeing homeless people the right to register and vote. Rep. Janice D. "Jan" Schakowsky (D-4, Evanston, reelected in the new 18th district) developed the legislation in response to eight homeless constituents who found it impossible to register to vote under previous state law, which required a permanent home as a condition of registration. They eventually won the right to vote by court decree when Cook County Clerk David Orr's office petitioned the state's attorney to grant them voting rights. Democratic Atty. Gen. Roland W. Burris issued an advisory legal opinion in July 1992 that homeless people have a constitutional right to vote.

The new law allows homeless people to register at an address where they receive mail, which could be a church, a relative's home or a temporary homeless shelter. Homeless registrants will be required to provide the same identification as other voters, as well as evidence that they truly receive mail at the address they seek to use. Schakowsky estimated at least 7,000 homeless people will take advantage of their new right.

Louis I. Lang (D-1, Skokie, reelected in the 16th district), the bill's chief sponsor in the House, lamented what he called the governor's "political stalling"on the bill by his amendatory veto, which prevented homeless people from voting in the November election. Edgar said the changes he proposed were necessary to guard against vote fraud. Another effort aimed at easing voter-registration restrictions didn't fare so well during the session. The so-called "motor voter" bill, which would have required the secretary of state to actively promote voter registration at driver's license facilities, narrowly failed to garner the necessary House votes to override Edgar's veto.

The new law allows homeless people to register at an address where they receive mail, which could be a church, a relative's home or a temporary homeless shelter

But the whole debate on the matter may become moot, said State Board of Elections Executive Director Ronald D. Michaelson. "With Bill Clinton in office, I think we're going to see national 'motor voter' laws within the next year or two," Michaelson said. "Federal law will only mandate 'motor voter' for federal elections every two years. But once it's mandatory for federal elec-

24/January 1993/Illinois Issues

Legislative Action                                                                 

tions, it's going to be very difficult for states to say they're only going to have it in place for those elections. I think realistically they'll have to have it going on constantly."

Michaelson described current Illinois law as "passive motor-voter," meaning people may register to vote at driver's license facilities if they wish. "It's not an option that has to be presented to every person... but the option is there. There might be a sign up or something saying you can register."

On budget matters, by the time the veto session adjourned, lawmakers had voted to restore $8.5 million in cuts, including $1.8 million designated for the legislature itself and $2.5 million restored to the attorney general's office. Other restored funds will go toward human service programs, such as 15-cent hourly raises for some Department of Rehabilitation workers who provide in-home care for elderly and disabled people. After that particular restoration was narrowly approved, lame-duck Democratic Sen. Joyce Holmberg of Rockford predicted, "That's the last of that kind of stuff for four years," referring to the Republicans' winning the majority in the state Senate.

The governor and legislative leaders reached an agreement on restoring laid-off workers' jobs and averting further layoffs by transferring nearly $6 million from various accounts in the Department of Children and Family Services.They also agreed to return $9 million to local governments' tax increment finance (TIP) districts. The governor had vetoed $12 million allocated to the TIP districts, which municipal officials across the state were depending upon to meet financial commitments.

Among the matters left unresolved as the 87th General Assembly left Springfield in early December — aside from the legalization of casino gambling in Chicago — were proposed early retirement programs for teachers, state police and employees at state universities. Come January 13 the new 88th General Assembly takes over those and other issues, and speculation is centered on the possible new dynamics in the legislature: The Republicans finally gained control of the Senate, and both chambers have the greatest turnover in members since the "long ballot" election of 1961. *

The Illinois Senate of the 88th General Assembly has nine members who are brand-new faces in the legislature. They are featured here with their photos and brief bios. Next month new members of the House will be featured.

The new 59-member Senate, elected in November and set to convene on January 13, has 16 members who served in the Illinois House of the 87th General Assembly, including three who served by appointment for more than a year in the Senate of the 87th General Assembly. Photos and bias for the former House members and for the 34 senators reelected in November are in the Illinois Blue Book published by the secretary of state.

(For maps of the new Illinois Senate districts, see Illinois Issues, November 1992, or Illinois Issues Roster of State Government Officials.)

9 brand-new lawmakers

Peter G. Fitzgerald (R-27, Inverness), 32, is a partner in the law firm of Riordan, Larson, Bruckert & Moore. He is a member of the American and Chicago Bar Associations, a graduate of Dartmouth College, Aristotelian University in Salonica, Greece, and the University of Michigan Law School. He was a staff member of the Michigan Journal of Law Reform, for which he co-authored several articles while in college. He sits on the board of directors of four banks in northern Illinois and is a board member of the Children's Home and Aid Society of Illinois. He also belongs to a number of social clubs.

Fitzgerald says his No. 1 priority is "tostand hand-in-hand with Gov. Jim Edgar in his Herculean attempts to downsize state government and balance the state budget without increasing taxes and without resorting to accounting gimmicks." He also feels that reform of the state's system of tort liability, full funding of the state's pension funds and controlling Medicaid spending are important issues the General Assembly will have to tackle.

Jesus G. Garcia (D-1, Chicago) studied political science at the University of Illinois at Chicago from 1976 to1980. He has been elected three times as alderman and Democratic committeeman of Chicago's 22nd Ward,a vibrant community on Chicago's near southwest side that is home to people from all of Chicago's racial, religous and ethnic groups. Active in community affairs throughout his adult life, Garcia, 36, was an advocate for affordable housing as assistant director of Little Village's Neighborhood Housing Services. He championed workers' and immigrants' rights at the Legal Assistance Foundation of Chicago and was one of the youngest deputy commissioners ever to serve in Chicago's city government.

In addition to his full-time aldermanic position, Garcia is an active member in several community and civic groups. He currently is president of the 22nd Ward Independent Political Organization, past honorary chairman of the 22nd Ward Youth Organizationand past member of the transportation committee of the National League of Cities. He is married and the father of two sons.

Rickey R. Hendon(D-5, Chicago) has a 1st-class federal communications license and has worked at radio stations WVVX and WAIT. He currently is a film writer, producer and television director. He also is the 27th Ward alderman in Chicago, Democratic committeeman for the ward and secretary-treasurer of the Cook County Forest Preserve. He serves as chairman of the Westside Black Elected Officials. He is a graduate of the Omega State Institute. Hendon says the top priorities in his district are economic development and finding creative approaches to resolving gang problems. He feels real solutions to the crime problems must involve gang members.

Gary J. LaPaille (D-11, Chicago) received a bachelor's degree in business administration from Loyola University of Chicago, where he majored in finance. He serves as state chairman of the Democratic Party of Illinois and has been chief of staff to Illinois

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Legislative Action                                                                 

House Speaker Michael J. Madigan. LaPaille is a member of the Democratic National Committee, serving on the Rules and By-Laws and Executive committees. He also serves as a member of the Maryville Academy Advisory Board and St. Laurence High School board.

LaPaille has received such awards as the Anti-Hate Crimes Award, the Zionist Organization Award and the Man of the Year Award by the Joint Civic Committee of Italian Americans. He was named by Grain's Chicago Business magazine as one of 40 influential people under age 40. He and his wife, Christine, are the parents of one son.

Chris Lauzen (R-21, Aurora) is a practicing certified public accountant and holds an MBA degree from Harvard University. His company, Comprehensive Accounting Services, located in Geneva, serves over 200 small- to medium-sized businesses in his district area. He says he believes in strong family values and dedication to community service.

Robert S. Molaro (D-12, Chicago) graduated from Loyola University with a B.S. in business administration and received his J.D. from John Marshall Law School. His political activities include serving as 12th Ward Democratic committeeman in Chicago. He also served as a delegate to the 1988 Democratic National Convention.

Patrick J. O'Malley (R-18, Palos Park) is an attorney and member of the Chicago, Illinois and Southwest Bar associations. He earned bachelor's and master's degrees from Purdue University and a law degree from John Marshall Law School. O'Malley, 42, is active in such organizations as the American Cancer Society, Illinois Vietnam Veterans Leadership Program and St. Coletta's of Illinois Foundation. He is a member of the board of trustees of Moraine Valley Community College and presides over the Palos Park Fire Protection District board of trustees. O'Malley says the most pressing issues in his district are property tax reform, revision of the school aid formula and developing a strong economic base that will provide good jobs for the district. He also believes Illinois must set goals to achieve a consistent standard of excellence in its schools that will earn them a place among the best in the country and adequately prepare the state's youngsters for the future.

Steven J. Rauschenberger (R-33, Elgin),36, attended the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Va., graduating in 1978 with a bachelor's degree in business administration. He purchased his family's business, Rauschenberger Furniture Co., in 1980 and went on to buy Ackemann Brothers Corp. in 1985, of which he is currently president and general manager. He is active in the Boy Scouts of America, Explorer Post 5 and Cub Pack 25. He is a member of Elgin's Downtown Advisory Commission. Rauschenberger believes the most pressing issue in his district is restoring the financial health of Illinois government. "My constituents are frustrated and embarrassed by a government unable to budget itself and to pay its bills in a reasonable amount of time," he says. He believes the results of legislative races across Illinois show a desire for change and a recognition of the need for basic reform — perhaps even a redefinition of state government in Illinois.

Dave Syverson (R-34,Rockford) graduated from Guilford High School in Rockford in 1976 and attended Rock Valley Junior College in Rockford. He currently is a partner at the Market Insurance Service, an insurance brokerage firm, where he's worked for the last 15 years. Syverson says his background is chiefly in business and fiscal areas. He's been involved with the Chamber of Commerce and the Rockford Machine Tool Association. He also has served as president of the Winnebago County Young Republicans and has worked on several political campaigns. He is married and has two children, Stephanie, 6, and Jordan, 2.

James Pollock

Senate terms: While all 59 Illinois senators were elected in November, their terms are not the same. Each Senate district is assigned a combination of two-and four-year terms. New districts will be drawn for the 2002 election. Districts with elections in 1996 and1998: 1,4, 7,10,13,16,19, 22, 25, 28, 31, 34, 37, 40, 43, 46, 49, 52, 55 and 58. Districts with elections in 1994 and 1998: 2, 5, 8,11,14,17, 20, 23, 26, 29, 32, 35, 38, 41, 47, 50, 53, 56 and 59. Districts with elections 1996 and 2000: 3, 6, 9, 12, 15, 18, 21, 24, 27, 30, 33, 36, 39, 42, 45, 48, 51, 54 and 57.

J. Bradley Burzynski (R-35, Sycamore)

Dan Cronin (R-39, Elmhurst)

James A. DeLeo (D-1O. Chicago)

Bruce A. Parley (D-17, Chicago)

Karen Hasara (R-50, Springfield)

Dick Klemm (R-32, Crystal Lake)

Thomas J. McCracken Jr. (R-42, Downers Grove)

William E. Peterson (R-26, Long Grove)

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Edward F. Petka (R-42, Plainfield)

William "Bill" Shaw (D-15, Chicago)

Todd Sieben (R-37, Geneseo)

Grace Mary Stern (D-29, Highland Park)

Donne E. Trotter (D-16, Chicago)

Marty Butler (R-28, Park Ridge)

John J. Cullerton (D-6, Chicago)

Alice J. Palmer (D-13, Chicago)

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