Last Day of Session Update
The Illinois State Capitol dome viewed from the first floor of the Statehouse.
As the clock ticks toward a midnight adjournment at the Illinois State Capitol, legislators are furiously working to pass hot topic pieces of legislation:
BUDGET
A state budget bill was introduced overnight totaling around $41.3 billion in state spending for the next fiscal year. Democrats know they have the votes and will likely pass the bill without much drama (minus the shouts of Republicans) before midnight. This also includes the all-important Budget Implementation, or BIMP, bill.
ETHCS
A new ethics bill surfaced Monday afternoon. It would ban legislators from lobbying local government, with the exception of the city of Chicago, strengthen the Statement of Economic Interest form, and would include a six-month cooling off period for legislators, with a loophole for the end of a lawmakers’ term. Both Republicans and Democrats praised the bill in a news conference this afternoon.
ENERGY
No new legislation has been filed, but people familiar with negotiations believe a deal is unlikely before midnight.
FOID
Senator Dave Koehler (D-Peoria) has introduced a bill similar to one that barely passed the House Friday requiring fingerprinting for the state Firearm Owner’s Identification (FOID) card. Discussions are underway, we’re told, about potential changes to person-to-person gun transfers and sales. Sales would close the so-called “gun show loophole.”