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| 1 | HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION
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| 2 | WHEREAS, The State is confronted with an unprecedented | ||||||
| 3 | fiscal crisis, including a massive structural deficit, which | ||||||
| 4 | threatens to restrict the State's future ability to maintain | ||||||
| 5 | essential services for the public health, safety, and welfare | ||||||
| 6 | of its residents and its present ability to meet its prior | ||||||
| 7 | obligations with regard to essential services already | ||||||
| 8 | provided; and
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| 9 | WHEREAS, In order to eliminate the structural deficit and | ||||||
| 10 | to overcome the present fiscal crisis and continue to provide | ||||||
| 11 | essential services to residents, the State must, among other | ||||||
| 12 | measures, investigate and implement strategies to increase | ||||||
| 13 | State revenues; therefore, be it
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| 14 | RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE | ||||||
| 15 | NINETY-SEVENTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, THE | ||||||
| 16 | SENATE CONCURRING HEREIN, that that there is created the | ||||||
| 17 | Illinois Budget Reform Task Force; and be it further
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| 18 | RESOLVED, That the Task Force shall be charged with | ||||||
| 19 | studying various issues related to altering the State's tax | ||||||
| 20 | base and revenue strategy; and be it further | ||||||
| 21 | RESOLVED, That the Task Force shall consist of 10 members | ||||||
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| 1 | appointed as follows: | ||||||
| 2 | (1) one member of the House of Representatives and one | ||||||
| 3 | Illinois resident appointed by the Speaker of the House; | ||||||
| 4 | (2) one member of the Senate and one Illinois resident | ||||||
| 5 | appointed by the President of the Senate; | ||||||
| 6 | (3) one member of the House of Representatives and one | ||||||
| 7 | Illinois resident appointed by the House Minority Leader; | ||||||
| 8 | (4) one member of the Senate and one Illinois resident | ||||||
| 9 | appointed by the Senate Minority Leader; and | ||||||
| 10 | (5) two Illinois residents appointed by the Governor; | ||||||
| 11 | and be it further | ||||||
| 12 | RESOLVED, That the Task Force shall elect two | ||||||
| 13 | co-chairpersons from their membership, one from each party, and | ||||||
| 14 | shall meet not less often than once per month at the call of | ||||||
| 15 | the co-chairs; and be it further | ||||||
| 16 | RESOLVED, That the members of the Task Force shall serve | ||||||
| 17 | without compensation but shall be reimbursed for their | ||||||
| 18 | reasonable and necessary expenses from funds appropriated for | ||||||
| 19 | that purpose; and be it further | ||||||
| 20 | RESOLVED, That the Task Force shall develop a package of | ||||||
| 21 | proposals that is revenue neutral, as verified by the | ||||||
| 22 | Commission on Government Forecasting and Accountability; and | ||||||
| 23 | be it further | ||||||
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| 1 | RESOLVED, That the Task Force shall consider: | ||||||
| 2 | (1) how to reduce dependency on the property tax to | ||||||
| 3 | fund Illinois schools; | ||||||
| 4 | (2) recent changes in the revenue strategies enacted by | ||||||
| 5 | other states; | ||||||
| 6 | (3) broadening the sales tax schedule in a manner that | ||||||
| 7 | balances new goods and services with a reduction in the | ||||||
| 8 | overall tax rate; | ||||||
| 9 | (4) how to reduce dependency on the estate tax; and | ||||||
| 10 | (5) the implementation of a progressive income tax; and | ||||||
| 11 | be it further | ||||||
| 12 | RESOLVED, That the Department of Revenue shall provide | ||||||
| 13 | administrative and other support to the Task Force; and be it | ||||||
| 14 | further | ||||||
| 15 | RESOLVED, That the Task Force shall report its findings to | ||||||
| 16 | the General Assembly on or before December 31, 2011, and shall | ||||||
| 17 | cease to exist thereafter.
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