98TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2013 and 2014
HB1541

 

Introduced , by Rep. Keith Farnham

 

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:
 
25 ILCS 115/4  from Ch. 63, par. 15.1

    Amends the General Assembly Compensation Act. Provides that, beginning July 1, 2013, the base allowance for House members is $62,460 and Senate members is $74,700. Provides that, beginning July 1, 2013, members of the General Assembly are prohibited from receiving and shall not receive any annual percentage increase in their office allowances based on a cost of living adjustment or a fixed amount. Effective immediately.


LRB098 02827 JDS 32836 b

FISCAL NOTE ACT MAY APPLY

 

 

A BILL FOR

 

HB1541LRB098 02827 JDS 32836 b

1    AN ACT concerning State government.
 
2    Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
3represented in the General Assembly:
 
4    Section 5. The General Assembly Compensation Act is amended
5by changing Section 4 as follows:
 
6    (25 ILCS 115/4)  (from Ch. 63, par. 15.1)
7    Sec. 4. Office allowance. Beginning July 1, 2001 and
8through June 30, 2013, each member of the House of
9Representatives is authorized to approve the expenditure of not
10more than $61,000 per year and each member of the Senate is
11authorized to approve the expenditure of not more than $73,000
12per year to pay for "personal services", "contractual
13services", "commodities", "printing", "travel", "operation of
14automotive equipment", "telecommunications services", as
15defined in the State Finance Act, and the compensation of one
16or more legislative assistants authorized pursuant to this
17Section, in connection with his or her legislative duties and
18not in connection with any political campaign. Beginning July
191, 2013, each member of the House of Representatives is
20authorized to approve the expenditure of not more than $62,460
21per year and each member of the Senate is authorized to approve
22the expenditure of not more than $74,700 per year to pay for
23"personal services", "contractual services", "commodities",

 

 

HB1541- 2 -LRB098 02827 JDS 32836 b

1"printing", "travel", "operation of automotive equipment",
2"telecommunications services", as defined in the State Finance
3Act, and the compensation of one or more legislative assistants
4authorized pursuant to this Section, in connection with his or
5her legislative duties and not in connection with any political
6campaign. On July 1, 2002 and on July 1 of each year thereafter
7through July 1, 2012, the amount authorized per year under this
8Section for each member of the Senate and each member of the
9House of Representatives shall be increased by a percentage
10increase equivalent to the lesser of (i) the increase in the
11designated cost of living index or (ii) 5%. The designated cost
12of living index is the index known as the "Employment Cost
13Index, Wages and Salaries, By Occupation and Industry Groups:
14State and Local Government Workers: Public Administration" as
15published by the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S.
16Department of Labor for the calendar year immediately preceding
17the year of the respective July 1st increase date. The increase
18shall be added to the then current amount, and the adjusted
19amount so determined shall be the annual amount beginning July
201 of the increase year until July 1 of the next year. No
21increase under this provision shall be less than zero.
22Notwithstanding any provision of this Section to the contrary,
23beginning July 1, 2013, members of the General Assembly are
24prohibited from receiving and shall not receive any annual
25percentage increase in their office allowances based on a cost
26of living adjustment or a fixed amount.

 

 

HB1541- 3 -LRB098 02827 JDS 32836 b

1    A member may purchase office equipment if the member
2certifies to the Secretary of the Senate or the Clerk of the
3House, as applicable, that the purchase price, whether paid in
4lump sum or installments, amounts to less than would be charged
5for renting or leasing the equipment over its anticipated
6useful life. All such equipment must be purchased through the
7Secretary of the Senate or the Clerk of the House, as
8applicable, for proper identification and verification of
9purchase.
10    Each member of the General Assembly is authorized to employ
11one or more legislative assistants, who shall be solely under
12the direction and control of that member, for the purpose of
13assisting the member in the performance of his or her official
14duties. A legislative assistant may be employed pursuant to
15this Section as a full-time employee, part-time employee, or
16contractual employee, at the discretion of the member. If
17employed as a State employee, a legislative assistant shall
18receive employment benefits on the same terms and conditions
19that apply to other employees of the General Assembly. Each
20member shall adopt and implement personnel policies for
21legislative assistants under his or her direction and control
22relating to work time requirements, documentation for
23reimbursement for travel on official State business,
24compensation, and the earning and accrual of State benefits for
25those legislative assistants who may be eligible to receive
26those benefits. The policies shall also require legislative

 

 

HB1541- 4 -LRB098 02827 JDS 32836 b

1assistants to periodically submit time sheets documenting, in
2quarter-hour increments, the time spent each day on official
3State business. The policies shall require the time sheets to
4be submitted on paper, electronically, or both and to be
5maintained in either paper or electronic format by the
6applicable fiscal office for a period of at least 2 years.
7Contractual employees may satisfy the time sheets requirement
8by complying with the terms of their contract, which shall
9provide for a means of compliance with this requirement. A
10member may satisfy the requirements of this paragraph by
11adopting and implementing the personnel policies promulgated
12by that member's legislative leader under the State Officials
13and Employees Ethics Act with respect to that member's
14legislative assistants.
15    As used in this Section the term "personal services" shall
16include contributions of the State under the Federal Insurance
17Contribution Act and under Article 14 of the Illinois Pension
18Code. As used in this Section the term "contractual services"
19shall not include improvements to real property unless those
20improvements are the obligation of the lessee under the lease
21agreement. Beginning July 1, 1989, as used in the Section, the
22term "travel" shall be limited to travel in connection with a
23member's legislative duties and not in connection with any
24political campaign. Beginning on the effective date of this
25amendatory Act of the 93rd General Assembly, as used in this
26Section, the term "printing" includes, but is not limited to,

 

 

HB1541- 5 -LRB098 02827 JDS 32836 b

1newsletters, brochures, certificates, congratulatory mailings,
2greeting or welcome messages, anniversary or birthday cards,
3and congratulations for prominent achievement cards. As used in
4this Section, the term "printing" includes fees for
5non-substantive resolutions charged by the Clerk of the House
6of Representatives under subsection (c-5) of Section 1 of the
7Legislative Materials Act. No newsletter or brochure that is
8paid for, in whole or in part, with funds provided under this
9Section may be printed or mailed during a period beginning
10February 1 of the year of a general primary election and ending
11the day after the general primary election and during a period
12beginning September 1 of the year of a general election and
13ending the day after the general election, except that such a
14newsletter or brochure may be mailed during those times if it
15is mailed to a constituent in response to that constituent's
16inquiry concerning the needs of that constituent or questions
17raised by that constituent. Nothing in this Section shall be
18construed to authorize expenditures for lodging and meals while
19a member is in attendance at sessions of the General Assembly.
20    Any utility bill for service provided to a member's
21district office for a period including portions of 2
22consecutive fiscal years may be paid from funds appropriated
23for such expenditure in either fiscal year.
24    If a vacancy occurs in the office of Senator or
25Representative in the General Assembly, any office equipment in
26the possession of the vacating member shall transfer to the

 

 

HB1541- 6 -LRB098 02827 JDS 32836 b

1member's successor; if the successor does not want such
2equipment, it shall be transferred to the Secretary of the
3Senate or Clerk of the House of Representatives, as the case
4may be, and if not wanted by other members of the General
5Assembly then to the Department of Central Management Services
6for treatment as surplus property under the State Property
7Control Act. Each member, on or before June 30th of each year,
8shall conduct an inventory of all equipment purchased pursuant
9to this Act. Such inventory shall be filed with the Secretary
10of the Senate or the Clerk of the House, as the case may be.
11Whenever a vacancy occurs, the Secretary of the Senate or the
12Clerk of the House, as the case may be, shall conduct an
13inventory of equipment purchased.
14    In the event that a member leaves office during his or her
15term, any unexpended or unobligated portion of the allowance
16granted under this Section shall lapse. The vacating member's
17successor shall be granted an allowance in an amount, rounded
18to the nearest dollar, computed by dividing the annual
19allowance by 365 and multiplying the quotient by the number of
20days remaining in the fiscal year.
21    From any appropriation for the purposes of this Section for
22a fiscal year which overlaps 2 General Assemblies, no more than
231/2 of the annual allowance per member may be spent or
24encumbered by any member of either the outgoing or incoming
25General Assembly, except that any member of the incoming
26General Assembly who was a member of the outgoing General

 

 

HB1541- 7 -LRB098 02827 JDS 32836 b

1Assembly may encumber or spend any portion of his annual
2allowance within the fiscal year.
3    The appropriation for the annual allowances permitted by
4this Section shall be included in an appropriation to the
5President of the Senate and to the Speaker of the House of
6Representatives for their respective members. The President of
7the Senate and the Speaker of the House shall voucher for
8payment individual members' expenditures from their annual
9office allowances to the State Comptroller, subject to the
10authority of the Comptroller under Section 9 of the State
11Comptroller Act.
12    Nothing in this Section prohibits the expenditure of
13personal funds or the funds of a political committee controlled
14by an officeholder to defray the customary and reasonable
15expenses of an officeholder in connection with the performance
16of governmental and public service functions.
17(Source: P.A. 95-6, eff. 6-20-07; 96-555, eff. 8-18-09; 96-886,
18eff. 1-1-11.)
 
19    Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon
20becoming law.