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My Thoughts On Redistricting
I have been contacted recently by several constituents
regarding my thoughts on redistricting in Illinois and I wanted to share my
thoughts with you.
I support changing the way we draw our congressional
and legislative districts.
Whether the system would be similar to that used in Iowa where a
“non-partisan” computer program is used or relying on citizens
and others to compete for the “best” legislative map, as was
proposed in Ohio, or some other yet to be determined fair system, I am open
to any of them and will support a reasonable constitutional amendment to
change the current system.
In 2008, the legislature considered, the House passed,
and I supported, a constitutional amendment to change the way we
redistrict. While it was not
considered in the Senate, I believe it does show a willingness by the General
Assembly to give serious consideration to this very pressing issue. The Senate currently has a committee
taking testimony on redistricting and I look forward to their recommendation.
The existing process for determining district
boundaries for both congressional and legislative districts is set forth in
the Illinois Constitution that was ratified in 1970. Currently, the legislature and the
Governor must agree on a plan for district boundaries following each federal
census (every ten years). If they
are unable to agree, a Redistricting Commission is formed that includes eight
members – no more than four being from either political party. Half of those members are members of
the General Assembly and half are not.
If the Commission also fails to agree on a plan, the
Illinois Supreme Court submits the names of two persons to the Secretary of
State, who publicly draws by random the name of one of those two persons to
serve as the ninth member of the Commission.
As I understand it, the framers of the 1970
Constitution believed that the significant risk involved in the “winner
take all” tie-breaking system would force the legislature and the
Governor to agree on a plan. That
has not turned out to be the case in any of the subsequent redistricting
years.
Changing the process of redistricting requires a
constitutional amendment. Sixty
percent of both legislative chambers must approve a new process which must
then go before the voters for approval.
All this is against the backdrop of an overwhelming number of citizens
rejecting a Constitutional Convention for Illinois just last November. As it should be, amending the
constitution is difficult.
However, there is time before the next required
redistricting to put a constitutional amendment on the ballot for
consideration by the voters.
Again, I do not think this will be easy and no system will be perfect
or be completely free of partisan politics, but I believe we can do better.
Changing Pension Legislation
I am happy to report that Senate Bill 369 was recently
signed into law by Governor Quinn on August 10th. I was the chief sponsor in the House
for this important piece of legislation that deals with pensions. Senate Bill 369 requires a
legislator’s pension to be based on the average salary paid over a
period of four years rather than the salary received on the day the
legislator retires. For all newly
elected legislators, this puts an end to the opportunity for legislators to
significantly boost their pensions by taking a higher paying job for a short
period of time before retirement.
I am currently on the Pension Modernization Task Force that was
created by the Governor and will continue to work to bring cost saving
reforms to the pension system in Illinois.
My Emergency Cell Phone Event with Sheriff Tom Dart
On Wednesday, August 26th I teamed up with
Sheriff Tom Dart to host an emergency cell phone event for local residents ages
65 and older. The phones only
dial and connect to 911, in the event the police, fire department, or
paramedics are needed. The event was an overall success, and I was
happy to help provide a possible life-saving tool for seniors.
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