Elections & Campaign Reform Committee

Filed: 2/23/2010

 

 


 

 


 
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1
AMENDMENT TO HOUSE BILL 4448

2     AMENDMENT NO. ______. Amend House Bill 4448 by replacing
3 everything after the enacting clause with the following:
 
4     "Section 5. The Election Code is amended by changing
5 Section 2A-1.1 as follows:
 
6     (10 ILCS 5/2A-1.1)  (from Ch. 46, par. 2A-1.1)
7     Sec. 2A-1.1. All Elections - Consolidated Schedule.
8     (a) In even-numbered years, the general election shall be
9 held on the first Tuesday after the first Monday of November;
10 and an election to be known as the general primary election
11 shall be held (i) on the third Tuesday in March in
12 even-numbered years in which the United States President is
13 scheduled to be elected and (ii) on the third first Tuesday in
14 June February in even-numbered years in which the United States
15 President is not scheduled to be elected;
16     (b) In odd-numbered years, an election to be known as the

 

 

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1 consolidated election shall be held on the first Tuesday in
2 April except as provided in Section 2A-1.1a of this Act; and an
3 election to be known as the consolidated primary election shall
4 be held on the last Tuesday in February.
5 (Source: P.A. 95-6, eff. 6-20-07.)
 
6     Section 10. The General Assembly Compensation Act is
7 amended by changing Section 4 as follows:
 
8     (25 ILCS 115/4)  (from Ch. 63, par. 15.1)
9     Sec. 4. Office allowance. Beginning July 1, 2001, each
10 member of the House of Representatives is authorized to approve
11 the expenditure of not more than $61,000 per year and each
12 member of the Senate is authorized to approve the expenditure
13 of not more than $73,000 per year to pay for "personal
14 services", "contractual services", "commodities", "printing",
15 "travel", "operation of automotive equipment",
16 "telecommunications services", as defined in the State Finance
17 Act, and the compensation of one or more legislative assistants
18 authorized pursuant to this Section, in connection with his or
19 her legislative duties and not in connection with any political
20 campaign. On July 1, 2002 and on July 1 of each year
21 thereafter, the amount authorized per year under this Section
22 for each member of the Senate and each member of the House of
23 Representatives shall be increased by a percentage increase
24 equivalent to the lesser of (i) the increase in the designated

 

 

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1 cost of living index or (ii) 5%. The designated cost of living
2 index is the index known as the "Employment Cost Index, Wages
3 and Salaries, By Occupation and Industry Groups: State and
4 Local Government Workers: Public Administration" as published
5 by the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of
6 Labor for the calendar year immediately preceding the year of
7 the respective July 1st increase date. The increase shall be
8 added to the then current amount, and the adjusted amount so
9 determined shall be the annual amount beginning July 1 of the
10 increase year until July 1 of the next year. No increase under
11 this provision shall be 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 on
21 the 45th day before December 15 of the year preceding a general
22 primary election and ending the day after the general primary
23 election and during a period beginning September 1 of the year
24 of a general election and ending the day after the general
25 election, except that such a newsletter or brochure may be
26 mailed during those times if it is mailed to a constituent in

 

 

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1 response to that constituent's inquiry concerning the needs of
2 that constituent or questions raised by that constituent.
3 Nothing in this Section shall be construed to authorize
4 expenditures for lodging and meals while a member is in
5 attendance at sessions 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     Nothing in this Section prohibits the expenditure of
25 personal funds or the funds of a political committee controlled
26 by an officeholder to defray the customary and reasonable

 

 

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1 expenses of an officeholder in connection with the performance
2 of governmental and public service functions.
3 (Source: P.A. 95-6, eff. 6-20-07; 96-555, eff. 8-18-09.)
 
4     Section 15. The Legislative Commission Reorganization Act
5 of 1984 is amended by changing Section 9-2.5 as follows:
 
6     (25 ILCS 130/9-2.5)
7     Sec. 9-2.5. Newsletters and brochures. The Legislative
8 Printing Unit may not print for any member of the General
9 Assembly any newsletters or brochures during the period
10 beginning on the 45th day before December 15 of the year
11 preceding a general primary election and ending the day after
12 the general primary election and during a period beginning
13 September 1 of the year of a general election and ending the
14 day after the general election. A member of the General
15 Assembly may not mail, during a period beginning on the 45th
16 day before December 15 of the year preceding a general primary
17 election and ending the day after the general primary election
18 and during a period beginning September 1 of the year of a
19 general election and ending the day after the general election,
20 any newsletters or brochures that were printed, at any time, by
21 the Legislative Printing Unit, except that such a newsletter or
22 brochure may be mailed during those times if it is mailed to a
23 constituent in response to that constituent's inquiry
24 concerning the needs of that constituent or questions raised by

 

 

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1 that constituent.
2 (Source: P.A. 95-6, eff. 6-20-07.)".