From the gay marriage debate to the state’s ongoing pension problem, Illinois lawmakers have their plates full as they return to Springfield.
October 22 was the first day of fall session in Springfield, signaling the start of another legislative year of debate and debacle over some of the state’s most pressing issues that were left dangling when legislators adjourned for the summer on May 31. Among the hot button topics was the state’s debate over recognition of same-sex marriage and pension reform legislation.
Pushing for Change
Last February, the Illinois Senate voiced its approval of legislation recognizing gay marriage in the state; however, the House adjourned without calling a vote after the bill’s chief sponsor, Representative Greg Harris, D-Chicago, claimed he did not have enough support for passage.
The Senate bill is SB 10, The Religious Freedom and Marriage Fairness Act, that would allow Illinois to recognize the status of same sex unions. Similar to the federal government, Illinois does not presently recognize marriages between same sex couples although the state does allow gay and lesbian civil unions, which were believed to provide the same state-level recognitions as marriage. However, in a study conducted by Equality Illinois, evidence was found to suggest that the status of civil unions is not equal to marriage.
In 1996, the Illinois General Assembly passed legislation to define marriage in Illinois as a union between a man and a woman. Under current law, if a same-sex couple is married in their home state, the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) allows other states to refuse to recognize that marriage. Illinois is one of these states. The 1996 legislation can be dissolved by a majority vote in the General Assembly.
To this effect, legislation was filed in both houses of the General Assembly in January 2013 and passed by a vote of 34-21 in the Senate in February. On February 26, 2013, the Illinois House Executive Committee approved the bill by a 6-5 vote. Although pressure is building on Representative Harris to call a House vote, as of October 22, it remained unclear whether the measure had enough votes to pass.
The chief sponsor stated that he believed the House was close to procurring the needed votes but said he still needed time to speak with his colleagues as some wished to discuss the matter with their constituents over the summer. Some lawmakers want to delay the vote until January of next year once petition filing is closed to increase the odds of keeping their seat in the March primary elections.
Supporters of the bill rallied in Springfield as fall sessions began while some opponents participated in a prayer rally at the capitol the following day. The rally included a group of African American clergy who broadcasted radio ads to encourage constituents to call lawmakers and ask them to vote against the legislation.
Fighting Uphill
It’s a seemingly never-ending battle: the debate on pension reform. While the nearly $100 billion pension reform may appear daunting and tiresome to many lawmakers, Senate President John Cullerton says the issue is not as perilous as some top lawmakers would have people believe. During a radio interview in mid-October, Cullerton said the pension liability is not a crisis but has played a hefty role in raising income taxes on Americans.
Other legislative leaders, including Governor Quinn, would have the public believe otherwise. The Governor has placed pension reform at the top of a tall stack of “to-dos” for legislators this session and even tried to prevent state lawmakers from receiving their salaries until their job of finding ways to fund the liability was complete. According to Michael Madigan, the pension crisis is “the most serious problem affecting the state of Illinois today.”
Cullerton points to the city of Chicago as having far worse pension systems that are on the brink of ruin. But some Peoria residents say Springfield is just as bad.
Diana Peterson of Chillicothe, a daycare worker and single mom of two sons, says: “This pension crisis has gone on long enough. We’re getting further into debt every day. It’s costing taxpayers $17 billion a day. It’s ridiculous. Lawmakers need a solution. We just cannot wait any longer.”
“I say: ‘Enough is enough,’” says Dan Powell, a machine operator in East Peoria. “They’ve (lawmakers) got one job to do. It’s taken years to get it done when it should have been resolved long ago … and constituents are the ones paying the price.”
A bipartisan committee working on the pension reform problem is in gridlock over a plan that saves nearly $140 billion over three decades. Cullerton says he supports the plan; however, lawmakers may not vote on the legislation until next year due to delayed legislation implementation dates.