August 19, 2016

To the Honorable Members of

The Illinois House of Representatives,

99th General Assembly:

Today I return House Bill 6299.

House Bill 6299 would impose another mandate on school districts in how they manage their personnel. The bill would require a school district to restore the rights of an employee who is rehired within a year after being laid-off.

I appreciate the important role that educational support personnel have in our schools. Those employees and their school district employers may negotiate for job protections, like the protections that would be mandated by this bill. But those decisions should be made at the local level, not mandated by statute. Our taxpayers are already suffering from the cost of unfunded Springfield mandates.

Therefore, pursuant to Section 9(b) of Article IV of the Illinois Constitution of 1970, I hereby return House Bill 6299 entitled “AN ACT concerning education”, with the foregoing objections, vetoed in its entirety.

Sincerely,

Bruce Rauner
GOVERNOR