August 18, 2009

To the Honorable Members of the

Illinois House of Representatives

96th General Assembly

Today I return House Bill 3642 with my specific recommendation for change.  I thank the sponsors for their hard work and the members of the General Assembly for passing this bill.  However, there is an aspect of this bill that I must address.

House Bill 3642 establishes the Cross-Agency Medicaid Commission, the purpose of which is to study ways for the State to coordinate activities and programs to maximize the amount of federal Medicaid matching funds paid to the State for goods and services provided to children and their families.  While I wholeheartedly agree with the goal of this legislation, the deadline for me to appoint the Commission members is too soon to allow for a thorough vetting of candidates to take place.    

Therefore, pursuant to Article IV, Section 9(e) of the Illinois Constitution of 1970, I hereby return House Bill 3642, entitled “AN ACT concerning public aid.”, with the following specific recommendation for change:

on page 2, line 22, by replacing “July 1, 2009” with “January 1, 2010”.

With this change, House Bill 3642 will have my approval.  I respectfully request your concurrence. 

Sincerely,

PAT QUINN

Governor