Last Friday marked the deadline for sending our bills to be drafted, and while some bills have come back and have been filed, nothing has yet been assigned to substantive committees for hearings or votes. As a result, while we were in Springfield this week, there were no committee hearings or floor debates. Instead, we spent our two days down there doing administrative things and listening to an endless litany of “points of personal privilege” on the floor which are speeches recorded for the benefit of social media posts back home.
Hot Topic of the Week: The Welch Rule, or Why We Can’t Get Good Legislation Passed
You may have read about the kerfuffle that arose during Lame Duck about the demise of hemp legislation that was being run through the General Assembly. Despite being passed overwhelmingly in the Senate with the enthusiastic support of the Governor, the bill didn’t even make it to the House floor for a vote. The reason it turns out, was that the bill did not pass the test established by the “Welch Rule”.
The Welch Rule is an off-the-books rule established by House Speaker Chris Welch that requires any bill brought to the floor of the Illinois House for a vote to have 60 Democratic votes in favor, enough support to pass solely with Democratic votes.
This unwritten rule effectively hands veto power to 19 members of the Democratic caucus – likely the most radical members (of which the Dem caucus abounds) and further marginalizes the Republican minority. This rule undermines our democratic system, blocks good ideas from passage, results in ever more radical legislation and leads to corrupt backroom deals.
The Welch Rule Undermines the Democratic Process.
With a veto-proof majority in the House, Democrats already have a stranglehold on power. For the speaker to impose a supermajority requirement within his own caucus undermines the voices of duly elected representatives—on both sides of the aisle. It also disenfranchises our constituents who voted to send us to advocate for them. My constituents may not have voted for a member of the majority, but their vote and their voice still matters and is not being heard.
We have leaders in Illinois who have already leaned too far toward autocracy: a Governor who ran the state for 1,155 of his first 1,552 days in office by disaster declarations and executive orders and a legislature that drew legislative maps to insulate them from voters and rammed through legislative rules that give them practically unchecked power. We should be turning away from autocracy, not toward it.
The Welch Rule Blocks Good Ideas.
The Welch Rule kills good ideas from both sides of the aisle – not because they lack merit, but because they don’t align perfectly with the priorities of an increasingly radical minority. Bills with the potential to benefit all Illinoisans, like fixes to the child welfare system, cutting free healthcare for undocumented immigrants, strengthened ethics rules, or voter ID are sacrificed to internal party dynamics. The effect of the Welch Rule is to cater to those who most loudly bang their spoons on their highchairs.
The Welch Rule is a Recipe for Radical Policy.
When members of the majority party must gain support from 60+ of its own caucus, there’s no incentive to find bipartisan support or compromise. Instead, to gain support, moderate members of the majority party (and they do exist, though increasingly more in the shadows) must cave to the more radical voices in their party rather than finding solutions in the middle. The best solutions in practice arise from finding common ground, but the Welch Rule eliminates this opportunity, resulting in radical, expensive, and unworkable laws that reflect the priorities of only a small subset of legislators.
The Welch Rule Increases the Risk of Corruption.
With only 19 votes needed to kill any bill, it puts a super-minority in charge of a closed room, 19 legislators who can voice opposition to a bill and that’s the last word. It’s dead. Conflict-of-interest protections are already weak in Illinois, but the opportunity for conflicts in this process increases exponentially because there is no disclosure or public accountability for legislators opposing a bill.
As we watch a historic corruption trial in Chicago, we are reminded of Illinois’ long history of corruption scandals. However, instead of a renewed commitment to transparency and reform from the majority, a new and troubling “unofficial rule” is undermining bipartisan cooperation and responsible governance: the so-called “Welch Rule.”
On Pensions, People Are Finally Starting to Listen
Last week, the Chicago Tribune published a guest op-ed that I wrote about a pension reform bill floated by a coalition of labor unions. You can go read the whole thing here. You want to know the most ironic thing? Much of what I wrote in that article was cut and pasted from a blog post I wrote in 2015! We’re ten years down the road and no better off than we were then.
A Rare Bit of Good News!
I want to congratulate my colleague Dan Swanson who was chosen to chair the House Veterans Affairs Committee. In a rare showing of bipartisanship, a Republican has been chosen to lead a committee. This is not only a good move for governing, it’s also a good move for the Veterans of Illinois. Dan has a long history of service to our nation and service to veterans.
It is incredibly rare for a member of the minority party to be offered a slot to lead a committee. Dan is not only deserving of the post, but I hope more of this bipartisanship happens in the future. I’m also looking forward to his no-nonsense approach to running the committee. This quote sums up a lot of what could be done better in state government.
“As a commander when I was in the military, if soldiers came late to my meetings, I required them to do pushups,” Swanson said. “In my first meeting I’m going to say, ‘when the hour of two o’clock or that time has come, if you’re not here, we’re going to do pushups. So be on time.’”
You can read more about Rep. Swanson and his service by clicking here.
Transportation Services Are Available for Seniors and Disabled
MCRide Dial-a- Ride is a great way to get around McHenry County. Whether you need transportation for work, school, shopping, medical appointments or just to visit a friend, MCRide provides an affordable and flexible way to travel! It is one of the best kept secrets in McHenry County.
As a dial-a-ride program, MCRide service is a coordinated countywide paratransit service, and vehicles do not travel in a fixed route each day. Riders schedule their trips in advance and the vehicle provides curb-to-curb service from the rider’s desired pick-up and drop-off destinations. MCRide is a shared-ride service, so vehicles may make stops for other passengers.
Our office has fare cards available to District 63 residents, and it is our policy to make these cards available only to the disabled and senior citizen population. We can offer 5 cards per constituent per month at no charge. A fare card is good for a single ride from one point in the MCRide service area to another point in the service area. MCRide fare cards are NOT valid on Metra, CTA, Pace fixed bus routes (e.g., 806, 807, 808, 550) or any other dial-a-ride program.
For more information on this program, including hours, fares and contact information, visit the McHenry County Department of Transportation’s website.
If you would like to obtain cards from our office, please call us at 815-880-5340.
There’s Always a Lot to do in McHenry County
It has been a cold few weeks, but if you’re looking to get outdoors, there are some good opportunities locally. Check out the ideas from the McHenry County Conservation District. The list includes snowshoe rental, snowmobiling, and other creative ways to get outside.