96TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2009 and 2010
HB0767

 

Introduced 2/9/2009, by Rep. Luis Arroyo

 

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:
 
25 ILCS 115/4   from Ch. 63, par. 15.1

    Amends the General Assembly Compensation Act. Increases the base allowance for House members to $75,000 and Senate members to $87,000 beginning July 1, 2009 with annual cost of living increases beginning July 1, 2010 (instead of $61,000 for House members and $73,000 for Senate members beginning July 1, 2001 with annual cost of living increases beginning July 1, 2002). Effective immediately.


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FISCAL NOTE ACT MAY APPLY

 

 

A BILL FOR

 

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1     AN ACT concerning State government.
 
2     Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
3 represented in the General Assembly:
 
4     Section 5. The General Assembly Compensation Act is amended
5 by changing Section 4 as follows:
 
6     (25 ILCS 115/4)  (from Ch. 63, par. 15.1)
7     Sec. 4. Office allowance. Beginning July 1, 2009 2001,
8 each member of the House of Representatives is authorized to
9 approve the expenditure of not more than $75,000 $61,000 per
10 year and each member of the Senate is authorized to approve the
11 expenditure of not more than $87,000 $73,000 per year to pay
12 for "personal services", "contractual services",
13 "commodities", "printing", "travel", "operation of automotive
14 equipment", "telecommunications services", as defined in the
15 State Finance Act, and the compensation of one or more
16 legislative assistants authorized pursuant to this Section, in
17 connection with his or her legislative duties and not in
18 connection with any political campaign. On July 1, 2010 2002
19 and on July 1 of each year thereafter, the amount authorized
20 per year under this Section for each member of the Senate and
21 each member of the House of Representatives shall be increased
22 by a percentage increase equivalent to the lesser of (i) the
23 increase in the designated cost of living index or (ii) 5%. The

 

 

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1 designated cost of living index is the index known as the
2 "Employment Cost Index, Wages and Salaries, By Occupation and
3 Industry Groups: State and Local Government Workers: Public
4 Administration" as published by the Bureau of Labor Statistics
5 of the U.S. Department of Labor for the calendar year
6 immediately preceding the year of the respective July 1st
7 increase date. The increase shall be added to the then current
8 amount, and the adjusted amount so determined shall be the
9 annual amount beginning July 1 of the increase year until July
10 1 of the next year. No increase under this provision shall be
11 less than zero.
12     A member may purchase office equipment if the member
13 certifies to the Secretary of the Senate or the Clerk of the
14 House, as applicable, that the purchase price, whether paid in
15 lump sum or installments, amounts to less than would be charged
16 for renting or leasing the equipment over its anticipated
17 useful life. All such equipment must be purchased through the
18 Secretary of the Senate or the Clerk of the House, as
19 applicable, for proper identification and verification of
20 purchase.
21     Each member of the General Assembly is authorized to employ
22 one or more legislative assistants, who shall be solely under
23 the direction and control of that member, for the purpose of
24 assisting the member in the performance of his or her official
25 duties. A legislative assistant may be employed pursuant to
26 this Section as a full-time employee, part-time employee, or

 

 

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1 contractual employee, at the discretion of the member. If
2 employed as a State employee, a legislative assistant shall
3 receive employment benefits on the same terms and conditions
4 that apply to other employees of the General Assembly. Each
5 member shall adopt and implement personnel policies for
6 legislative assistants under his or her direction and control
7 relating to work time requirements, documentation for
8 reimbursement for travel on official State business,
9 compensation, and the earning and accrual of State benefits for
10 those legislative assistants who may be eligible to receive
11 those benefits. The policies shall also require legislative
12 assistants to periodically submit time sheets documenting, in
13 quarter-hour increments, the time spent each day on official
14 State business. The policies shall require the time sheets to
15 be submitted on paper, electronically, or both and to be
16 maintained in either paper or electronic format by the
17 applicable fiscal office for a period of at least 2 years.
18 Contractual employees may satisfy the time sheets requirement
19 by complying with the terms of their contract, which shall
20 provide for a means of compliance with this requirement. A
21 member may satisfy the requirements of this paragraph by
22 adopting and implementing the personnel policies promulgated
23 by that member's legislative leader under the State Officials
24 and Employees Ethics Act with respect to that member's
25 legislative assistants.
26     As used in this Section the term "personal services" shall

 

 

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1 include contributions of the State under the Federal Insurance
2 Contribution Act and under Article 14 of the Illinois Pension
3 Code. As used in this Section the term "contractual services"
4 shall not include improvements to real property unless those
5 improvements are the obligation of the lessee under the lease
6 agreement. Beginning July 1, 1989, as used in the Section, the
7 term "travel" shall be limited to travel in connection with a
8 member's legislative duties and not in connection with any
9 political campaign. Beginning on the effective date of this
10 amendatory Act of the 93rd General Assembly, as used in this
11 Section, the term "printing" includes, but is not limited to,
12 newsletters, brochures, certificates, congratulatory mailings,
13 greeting or welcome messages, anniversary or birthday cards,
14 and congratulations for prominent achievement cards. As used in
15 this Section, the term "printing" includes fees for
16 non-substantive resolutions charged by the Clerk of the House
17 of Representatives under subsection (c-5) of Section 1 of the
18 Legislative Materials Act. No newsletter or brochure that is
19 paid for, in whole or in part, with funds provided under this
20 Section may be printed or mailed during a period beginning
21 December 15 of the year preceding a general primary election
22 and ending the day after the general primary election and
23 during a period beginning September 1 of the year of a general
24 election and ending the day after the general election, except
25 that such a newsletter or brochure may be mailed during those
26 times if it is mailed to a constituent in response to that

 

 

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1 constituent's inquiry concerning the needs of that constituent
2 or questions raised by that constituent. Nothing in this
3 Section shall be construed to authorize expenditures for
4 lodging and meals while a member is in attendance at sessions
5 of the General Assembly.
6     Any utility bill for service provided to a member's
7 district office for a period including portions of 2
8 consecutive fiscal years may be paid from funds appropriated
9 for such expenditure in either fiscal year.
10     If a vacancy occurs in the office of Senator or
11 Representative in the General Assembly, any office equipment in
12 the possession of the vacating member shall transfer to the
13 member's successor; if the successor does not want such
14 equipment, it shall be transferred to the Secretary of the
15 Senate or Clerk of the House of Representatives, as the case
16 may be, and if not wanted by other members of the General
17 Assembly then to the Department of Central Management Services
18 for treatment as surplus property under the State Property
19 Control Act. Each member, on or before June 30th of each year,
20 shall conduct an inventory of all equipment purchased pursuant
21 to this Act. Such inventory shall be filed with the Secretary
22 of the Senate or the Clerk of the House, as the case may be.
23 Whenever a vacancy occurs, the Secretary of the Senate or the
24 Clerk of the House, as the case may be, shall conduct an
25 inventory of equipment purchased.
26     In the event that a member leaves office during his or her

 

 

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1 term, any unexpended or unobligated portion of the allowance
2 granted under this Section shall lapse. The vacating member's
3 successor shall be granted an allowance in an amount, rounded
4 to the nearest dollar, computed by dividing the annual
5 allowance by 365 and multiplying the quotient by the number of
6 days remaining in the fiscal year.
7     From any appropriation for the purposes of this Section for
8 a fiscal year which overlaps 2 General Assemblies, no more than
9 1/2 of the annual allowance per member may be spent or
10 encumbered by any member of either the outgoing or incoming
11 General Assembly, except that any member of the incoming
12 General Assembly who was a member of the outgoing General
13 Assembly may encumber or spend any portion of his annual
14 allowance within the fiscal year.
15     The appropriation for the annual allowances permitted by
16 this Section shall be included in an appropriation to the
17 President of the Senate and to the Speaker of the House of
18 Representatives for their respective members. The President of
19 the Senate and the Speaker of the House shall voucher for
20 payment individual members' expenditures from their annual
21 office allowances to the State Comptroller, subject to the
22 authority of the Comptroller under Section 9 of the State
23 Comptroller Act.
24 (Source: P.A. 95-6, eff. 6-20-07.)
 
25     Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon
26 becoming law.