Witness Slips Needed!
The effort to undermine the county executive referendum results is back!
The sponsors of HB 3317, who want to sidestep the results of a McHenry County referendum and significantly increase the powers granted to the McHenry County Board Chairman, have inserted the original provisions of HB 3317 into a new bill (HB 3596) as an amendment. As you recall, this bill would essentially enact a County Executive form of government in McHenry County by significantly increasing the powers granted to the County Board Chairman at the expense of rank-and-file members of the county board. In a recent poll, 97% of the respondents said they were opposed to this legislation.
This amendment will be heard in the Counties and Townships committee in Springfield on Thursday, April 11 at 9:30 AM. This is a call to action for witness slips against this terrible legislation.
McHenry County voters defeated a referendum that would have provided these types of powers for the McHenry County Board Chairman, and the bill sponsors are rejecting the public’s 2:1 mandate against these powers and want to sneak the provisions through as an amendment to HB 3596.
Click here to fill out a witness slip. The directions are as follows:
- Fill out the top of the form
- Under “Representation,” type individual, or self, or some other identifier
- In the “Position” portion click “opponent”
- Under “Testimony” you should click “record of appearance.” You can also have your written comments supplied to all board members. This is optional. Interestingly, they do not accept emailed testimony. You may fax your written statement to 217-557-2165.
- Click the box to accept the terms
- Click Submit
A “Frequently Asked Questions” document is available for those who have additional questions about the process. That document is available at: http://my.ilga.gov/Home/FAQ .