Sen. Luechtefeld: Fall “veto” session will deal with few vetoes, more business & pension reform

It's called the fall "veto" session, but when lawmakers return to Springfield today, action on bills vetoed by the Governor will likely represent just a small portion of the issues being debated, State Sen. Dave Luechtefeld (R-Okawville) explained.

In fact, out of nearly 600 bills passed during the spring legislative session, Governor Quinn issued only 10 vetoes. And, of those 10, seven have already been dealt with in one way or another, leaving a maximum of only three vetoed measures for lawmakers to consider.

With a small veto agenda, the session is likely to focus on other issues and pension reform remains the biggest concern hanging over lawmakers, Senator Luechtefeld said. A bipartisan Conference Committee has been focused on the issue since June, working toward a solution that can ultimately win a majority of votes in the legislature.

Incentives to Retain Businesses

One high-profile issue that could be on the agenda is an incentive package for Decatur's Archer Daniels Midland (ADM), a worldwide crop processing and commodities trading company. The company has said they intend to move their headquarters out of Decatur, most likely to Chicago. The move would affect about 100 executives and the company has sought state support to remain in Illinois, pointing out that they are being pursued by other states.

The issue could possibly be tied to incentives for Naperville-based OfficeMax, which plans to merge with Office Depot and is in the process of determining where the combined companies' headquarters will be; and with the move of the North American headquarters of the Zurich Insurance Group within Schaumburg.

Emanuel Wants Stiff Gun Penalties

Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel has proposed mandatory prison terms for some gun violations. While gun rights advocates have traditionally supported tough sentencing laws for violent offenders, they say they are concerned that if the measure is too broadly written it could snare first-time offenders who inadvertently violate the law.

The Governor's office has also raised concerns that mandatory sentences will exacerbate prison overcrowding; however proponents have said the social cost of not keeping gun violators behind bars exceeds the cost of imprisonment.

Poker Runs

Lawmakers may also attempt to fix a problem with legislation that was intended to assist organizations that sponsor charitable "poker run" fund-raisers. The legislation was originally requested by a statewide organization of motorcycle enthusiasts who feared they could run afoul of the law when sponsoring the charity fund-raisers. The events generally involve club members riding from one location to another and drawing a card at each location, with the person scoring the highest poker hand at the end of the day winning.

After the legislation was implemented, the groups found that the cost of securing a needed license could exceed the amount generally raised for the charity.