Illinois is on the way to joining two other states in giving undocumented immigrants driver's licenses. We have the latest on what happened in Springfield on Chicago Tonight at 7:00 pm from Dave McKinney, Springfield Bureau Chief for the Chicago Sun-Times.
Tuesday's Veto Session Rundown
Pension Reform
Lawmakers won’t be voting on most major issues, like pension reform, during the veto session, however, they will be laying the groundwork for the first week of January. Gov. Pat Quinn had previously stated that the dealing was January 9, but according to Capitol Fax, “incoming freshmen were told last week in no uncertain terms that they could wind up voting on a pension reform plan later this spring.” The State Journal-Register and Crain's are reporting that a new bill sponsored by Rep. Elaine Nekritz, D-Northbrook, and Rep. Daniel Biss, D-Evanston, is set to be introduced during Wednesday’s veto session.
Undocumented Drivers
Resolution SB 0957, a plan that would allow illegal immigrants in Illinois to obtain temporary driver’s licenses passed the Senate today by a 41-14 vote. View our interactive graphic to see how they voted. Illegal immigrants would be able to get licenses and buy insurance without facing deportation. However, the licenses could not be used for other purposes, like voter ID or boarding a plane. It now moves to the Illinois House for consideration, though a vote on the measure most likely will occur in January, with the veto session ending Wednesday.
LaShawn Ford Resolution
State Representative for the 8th District, LaShawn Ford, was indicted Thursday, November 29, on federal charges of bank fraud. According to Capitol Fax, Ford prepared a draft of a House Resolution where he spoke about his service in the district and his character, urging members of the House to remain neutral regarding the federal charges against him. In a letter reportedly sent to colleagues on Sunday, Ford stated, “After receiving feedback from several members and a key member in leadership, the resolution was not filed, but I would like to share with you what had been prepared.” Here's a link to Capitol Fax's documents: House Resolution and House Members Letter.
Edgar Likely to Back Dillard for Governor
The Daily Herald is reporting that former Gov. Jim Edgar stated he will most likely back Sen. Kirk Dillard in the 2014 GOP primary for governor if Dillard decides to run again. Dillard lost the Republican nomination by a narrow margin in 2010. None of the candidacies will be officially announced until January. Other likely candidates: Sen. Bill Brady, Illinois Treasurer Dan Rutherford and U.S. Rep. Aaron Schock.
*The House and Senate will not be convening Thursday, December 6.
