 |
Home | Search | Browse | About IPO | Staff | Links |
|
Home | Search | Browse | About IPO | Staff | Links |
|
The Director's Desk for the last two issues of the Review has been oriented toward state mandates; what the League is doing in establishing an Unfunded Mandates Constitutional Amendment Drafting Committee and the intent to have the General Assembly pass and put on the November 1995 ballot an Unfunded Mandates Constitutional Amendment for the citizens of Illinois to vote upon. Hopefully, every municipal official throughout the state read the blue insert in the October 1995 Review, passed the Unfunded Mandates Constitutional Amendment resolution, provided a copy of the resolution to your legislator(s), and issued a press release on the need for the amendment. In July the Illinois Municipal League Board of Directors created a special task force to address unfunded mandates and pursue a change to the Illinois Constitution. The IML Unfunded Mandates Task Force is chaired by IML President Greg Sparrow, Mayor of DeKalb. The following persons volunteered to serve on the Task Force.
David L. Pierce, Mayor, Aurora This Task Force has implemented a multifaceted approach towards the Unfunded Mandates Constitutional Amendment. At this point I am pleased to inform you the approach is working extremely well. A key component of the mandates effort is to work cooperatively with the General Assembly. Designated Mayors representing IML have met with the four legislative leaders; Senate President James "Pate" Philip, Senate Minority Leader Emil Jones, House Speaker Lee Daniels and House Minority Leader Michael Madigan, to request their participation in the drafting process by appointing members to the Unfunded Mandates Constitutional Amendment Drafting Committee. Each legislative leader appointed members of their respective caucuses to participate and represent them. Senate Republicans are: Assistant Majority Leader Senator Frank Watson (Greenville) and Senator Peter Fitzgerald (Inverness). Senate Democrats are: Senator Penny Severns (Decatur). Senator Donne Trotter (Chicago) and Senator Denny Jacobs (East Moline). House Republicans are: House Majority Leader Representative Robert Churchill (Lake Villa), Assistant Majority Leader Representative William Black (Danville) and Representative Maureen Murphy (Evergreen Park). House Democrats are: Assistant Deputy Leader Kurt Granberg (Carlyle), Conference Chair Joel Brunsvold (Milan) and Representative Phil Novak (Kankakee). As this Review goes to press, two meetings of the Unfunded Mandates Constitutional Amendment Drafting Committee have taken place. A third meeting will occur on November 13,1995 to discuss further details. At this point the Drafting Committee has reviewed IML prepared materials which outlined all previous Constitutional Amendment attempts, the Constitutions of nine states which have an unfunded mandates provision and a memo outlining key considerations for drafting an amendment. The November 13, 1995, meeting will begin the actual drafting of the amendment. The Municipal League is preparing several mandate definitions for discussion and consideration by the committee. Hopefully, by the end of November, more details will emerge on the language of the draft amendment. Until then, I can assure you IML staff is working diligently on pursuing the number one priority of the IML Board of Directors. Your participation is necessary! Please, if you have not already done so, adopt the model resolution in the October 1995 Review and forward a copy to your Senator and Representative with a copy to the Municipal League. In addition, make sure your citizens are aware of the mandates issue and this effort by issuing a press release about your adoption of the resolution and the reasons for that adoption. November 1995 / Illinois Municipal Review / Page 5 |
|
|
