August 25,
2009
To the
Honorable Members of the Illinois House of Representatives,
96th
General Assembly:
I hereby return House Bill 1322
with a specific recommendation for change. I thank the sponsors for their hard
work on this bill. Over the past ten years, the State of Illinois has been
without a jobs bill, and I believe that this legislation reflects public
frustration at the paucity of a state investment in jobs. However, on July 13th,
I signed a capital bill that will ensure that roads and bridges are built in
every corner of our state, from Chicago to Woodstock to Rock Island to Cairo.
This legislation allows local units
of government to pay for road construction out of a newly created fund that
generates revenues through the County Option Motor Fuel Tax or the Special
County Retailers Occupation Tax, and later reimbursed by the State. Only a
third of Illinois counties collect either of these taxes and even fewer will
generate enough revenue to participate in the program. That means less than
one third of the counties in Illinois will be able to fund road construction
projects through this program, yet it will place them ahead in getting funding
of almost every other county, without authorization from the Secretary of
Transportation, the General Assembly, or the Governor.
Therefore,
pursuant to Article IV, Section 9(e) of the Illinois Constitution of 1970, I
hereby return House Bill 1322, entitled “AN ACT concerning local government.”,
with the following specific recommendation for change:
on page 20, by
replacing lines 24 and 25 with “Section 99. Effective Date. This Act takes
effect on July 1, 2014.”.
With these changes, House Bill 1322
will have my approval. I respectfully request your concurrence.
Sincerely,
PAT QUINN
Governor