97TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2011 and 2012
HB1264

 

Introduced 02/08/11, by Rep. Keith Farnham

 

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

    Amends the General Assembly Compensation Act. Decreases the base allowance for House members to $54,900 and Senate members to $65,700 beginning July 1, 2011 (instead of $61,000 for House members and $73,000 for Senate members beginning July 1, 2001). Provides that beginning July 1, 2011, 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.


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FISCAL NOTE ACT MAY APPLY

 

 

A BILL FOR

 

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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, 2011 2001,
8each member of the House of Representatives is authorized to
9approve the expenditure of not more than $54,900 $61,000 per
10year and each member of the Senate is authorized to approve the
11expenditure of not more than $65,700 $73,000 per year to pay
12for "personal services", "contractual services",
13"commodities", "printing", "travel", "operation of automotive
14equipment", "telecommunications services", as defined in the
15State Finance Act, and the compensation of one or more
16legislative assistants authorized pursuant to this Section, in
17connection with his or her legislative duties and not in
18connection with any political campaign. On July 1, 2002 and on
19July 1 of each year thereafter through July 1, 2010, the amount
20authorized per year under this Section for each member of the
21Senate and each member of the House of Representatives shall be
22increased by a percentage increase equivalent to the lesser of
23(i) the increase in the designated cost of living index or (ii)

 

 

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15%. The designated cost of living index is the index known as
2the "Employment Cost Index, Wages and Salaries, By Occupation
3and Industry Groups: State and Local Government Workers: Public
4Administration" as published by the Bureau of Labor Statistics
5of the U.S. Department of Labor for the calendar year
6immediately preceding the year of the respective July 1st
7increase date. The increase shall be added to the then current
8amount, and the adjusted amount so determined shall be the
9annual amount beginning July 1 of the increase year until July
101 of the next year. No increase under this provision shall be
11less than zero. Notwithstanding any provision of this Section
12to the contrary, beginning July 1, 2011, members of the General
13Assembly are prohibited from receiving and shall not receive
14any annual percentage increase in their office allowances based
15on a cost of living adjustment or a fixed amount.
16    A member may purchase office equipment if the member
17certifies to the Secretary of the Senate or the Clerk of the
18House, as applicable, that the purchase price, whether paid in
19lump sum or installments, amounts to less than would be charged
20for renting or leasing the equipment over its anticipated
21useful life. All such equipment must be purchased through the
22Secretary of the Senate or the Clerk of the House, as
23applicable, for proper identification and verification of
24purchase.
25    Each member of the General Assembly is authorized to employ
26one or more legislative assistants, who shall be solely under

 

 

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1the direction and control of that member, for the purpose of
2assisting the member in the performance of his or her official
3duties. A legislative assistant may be employed pursuant to
4this Section as a full-time employee, part-time employee, or
5contractual employee, at the discretion of the member. If
6employed as a State employee, a legislative assistant shall
7receive employment benefits on the same terms and conditions
8that apply to other employees of the General Assembly. Each
9member shall adopt and implement personnel policies for
10legislative assistants under his or her direction and control
11relating to work time requirements, documentation for
12reimbursement for travel on official State business,
13compensation, and the earning and accrual of State benefits for
14those legislative assistants who may be eligible to receive
15those benefits. The policies shall also require legislative
16assistants to periodically submit time sheets documenting, in
17quarter-hour increments, the time spent each day on official
18State business. The policies shall require the time sheets to
19be submitted on paper, electronically, or both and to be
20maintained in either paper or electronic format by the
21applicable fiscal office for a period of at least 2 years.
22Contractual employees may satisfy the time sheets requirement
23by complying with the terms of their contract, which shall
24provide for a means of compliance with this requirement. A
25member may satisfy the requirements of this paragraph by
26adopting and implementing the personnel policies promulgated

 

 

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1by that member's legislative leader under the State Officials
2and Employees Ethics Act with respect to that member's
3legislative assistants.
4    As used in this Section the term "personal services" shall
5include contributions of the State under the Federal Insurance
6Contribution Act and under Article 14 of the Illinois Pension
7Code. As used in this Section the term "contractual services"
8shall not include improvements to real property unless those
9improvements are the obligation of the lessee under the lease
10agreement. Beginning July 1, 1989, as used in the Section, the
11term "travel" shall be limited to travel in connection with a
12member's legislative duties and not in connection with any
13political campaign. Beginning on the effective date of this
14amendatory Act of the 93rd General Assembly, as used in this
15Section, the term "printing" includes, but is not limited to,
16newsletters, brochures, certificates, congratulatory mailings,
17greeting or welcome messages, anniversary or birthday cards,
18and congratulations for prominent achievement cards. As used in
19this Section, the term "printing" includes fees for
20non-substantive resolutions charged by the Clerk of the House
21of Representatives under subsection (c-5) of Section 1 of the
22Legislative Materials Act. No newsletter or brochure that is
23paid for, in whole or in part, with funds provided under this
24Section may be printed or mailed during a period beginning
25February 1 of the year of a general primary election and ending
26the day after the general primary election and during a period

 

 

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1beginning September 1 of the year of a general election and
2ending the day after the general election, except that such a
3newsletter or brochure may be mailed during those times if it
4is mailed to a constituent in response to that constituent's
5inquiry concerning the needs of that constituent or questions
6raised by that constituent. Nothing in this Section shall be
7construed to authorize expenditures for lodging and meals while
8a member is in attendance at sessions of the General Assembly.
9    Any utility bill for service provided to a member's
10district office for a period including portions of 2
11consecutive fiscal years may be paid from funds appropriated
12for such expenditure in either fiscal year.
13    If a vacancy occurs in the office of Senator or
14Representative in the General Assembly, any office equipment in
15the possession of the vacating member shall transfer to the
16member's successor; if the successor does not want such
17equipment, it shall be transferred to the Secretary of the
18Senate or Clerk of the House of Representatives, as the case
19may be, and if not wanted by other members of the General
20Assembly then to the Department of Central Management Services
21for treatment as surplus property under the State Property
22Control Act. Each member, on or before June 30th of each year,
23shall conduct an inventory of all equipment purchased pursuant
24to this Act. Such inventory shall be filed with the Secretary
25of the Senate or the Clerk of the House, as the case may be.
26Whenever a vacancy occurs, the Secretary of the Senate or the

 

 

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1Clerk of the House, as the case may be, shall conduct an
2inventory of equipment purchased.
3    In the event that a member leaves office during his or her
4term, any unexpended or unobligated portion of the allowance
5granted under this Section shall lapse. The vacating member's
6successor shall be granted an allowance in an amount, rounded
7to the nearest dollar, computed by dividing the annual
8allowance by 365 and multiplying the quotient by the number of
9days remaining in the fiscal year.
10    From any appropriation for the purposes of this Section for
11a fiscal year which overlaps 2 General Assemblies, no more than
121/2 of the annual allowance per member may be spent or
13encumbered by any member of either the outgoing or incoming
14General Assembly, except that any member of the incoming
15General Assembly who was a member of the outgoing General
16Assembly may encumber or spend any portion of his annual
17allowance within the fiscal year.
18    The appropriation for the annual allowances permitted by
19this Section shall be included in an appropriation to the
20President of the Senate and to the Speaker of the House of
21Representatives for their respective members. The President of
22the Senate and the Speaker of the House shall voucher for
23payment individual members' expenditures from their annual
24office allowances to the State Comptroller, subject to the
25authority of the Comptroller under Section 9 of the State
26Comptroller Act.

 

 

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1    Nothing in this Section prohibits the expenditure of
2personal funds or the funds of a political committee controlled
3by an officeholder to defray the customary and reasonable
4expenses of an officeholder in connection with the performance
5of governmental and public service functions.
6(Source: P.A. 95-6, eff. 6-20-07; 96-555, eff. 8-18-09; 96-886,
7eff. 1-1-11.)
 
8    Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon
9becoming law.