Illinois Senate Sees Power Shift

Legal/Legislative Scene

Illinois Senate Sees Power Shift
By Peter M. Murphy
IAPD General Counsel

The greatest immediate impact of the November 3rd Election will be reflected in the Illinois State Senate where for the first time since 1975 the Republican party will take control of the chamber. Democrats had outnumbered Republicans 31 to 28 during the 87th General Assembly. As a result of the election and the remap which took place in 1992 Republicans will outnumber Senate Democrats 32 to 27.

Senator James "Pate" Philip, who has served as the Republican minority leader, is expected to be elected Senate President without opposition. The departure of Senator Philip Rock from the Senate will not only cause a power vacuum, but also a leadership vacancy. A number of Senate Democrats will vie to fill the new Democratic role of minority leader.

The Senate chamber will have 22 new members, an astonishing 37% of its total membership of 59.

In the Illinois House, as expected, Republicans will gain in their total numbers. The Democratic majority, however, will continue, although there are a number of contested races. The current result of the Nov. 3 election indicates a split between Democrats and Republicans of 67 to 51. During the 87th General Assembly, Democrats held a veto-proof 72 to 46 edge. The Illinois House is no exception to this year's phenomenon of the election of new members. There will be at least 40 first-time legislators, along with a minimum of two newly elected individuals who have served in previous sessions. At least 36% of the House will be new, and that number could go as high as 45%, depending upon the outcome of possible election challenges. It appears certain that both House Speaker Michael Madigan and Minority Leader Lee Daniels will retain their leadership positions.

It is extremely important that you take the time to congratulate and meet with all successful candidates to the Illinois General Assembly. Getting to know the new members of the 88th General Assembly will be critical to the future legislative success of the park and recreation movement in Springfield.
It should be apparent to all those involved with Illinois park and forest preserve districts that the Illinois General Assembly has tremendous power to controlthe ability of our agencies to render services to the citizens of Illinois. This control over our fate should not be taken lightly, and we encourage all park districts to meet with the successful candidates elected to the 88th General Assembly as soon as possible.

Veto Session

The veto session of the 87th General Assembly will be held on November 17 through 19, and December 1 through 3.

This veto session has the potential of being one where issues are highly contested. This is particularly likely since the announcement by House Speaker Madigan and Senate President Rock of a special session on casino gambling in Chicago.

In addition. Senate Bill 1828 is being pushed by the Illinois Home Builders and Illinois Realtors Associations in order to curtail the ability of local government to utilize the land cash donation ordinance as a tool to offset the impact of new residential/commercial development. The home builders would like to make the process so complicated that it would be virtually impossible to institute a land donation ordinance as we currently know it. Park districts throughout Illinois should be vitally interested in this issue as it impacts their ability to provide recreational amenities in the communities they serve.

Look for future mailings on this issue and on our continued attempts to amend the Property Tax Extension Limitation Act in order to exempt the non-referendum bonding ability of Illinois park districts.

Illinois Parks and Recreation 10 November/December 1992