August 26, 2016

To the Honorable Members of

The Illinois Senate,

99th General Assembly:

Today I veto Senate Bill 2600 from the 99th General Assembly, which would impose a mandate on municipalities that establish commissions to advise on tax increment financing (TIF) under the Tax Increment  Allocation Act.

The bill requires that any TIF commission that receives public monies must include representatives of labor and persons from minority groups. The mandates in this legislation are similar to those in Senate Bill 2531 and Senate Bill 2604, which I also vetoed. While I am a proponent of diverse representation, these mandates ignore the need for local decision making. The purpose of a TIF commission is to advise a municipality on economic development opportunities and projects, which are inherently specific to each local area. As such, each municipality is in the best position to determine the commission’s composition. Again, I urge the General Assembly to pass legislation to encourage economic growth in Illinois, not mandates which inhibit local municipalities’ ability to make decisions for their communities.

Therefore, pursuant to Section 9(b) of Article IV of the Illinois Constitution of 1970, I hereby return Senate Bill 2600, entitled “AN ACT concerning local government”, with the foregoing objections, vetoed in its entirety.

Sincerely,

Bruce Rauner

GOVERNOR