August 14, 2015
To the Honorable
Members of
The Illinois House
of Representatives,
99th General
Assembly:
Today I veto House Bill 1345 from the
99th General Assembly, which imposes new and unnecessary licensing requirements
on business and imposes new burdens on ex-offender reentry into the job market.
First, this bill would require
remittance agents – persons who assist businesses in obtaining Illinois vehicle
registrations – to take “prelicensing education training courses” on top of
existing licensing requirements. We should not impose new regulations on
business in this difficult economic climate without compelling and
substantiated justification. We should instead pursue voluntary training
opportunities.
Second, this bill would prohibit a
person from obtaining a vehicle dealer license or from serving as an officer,
director, or significant owner of a vehicle dealer if he or she has been
convicted of a “forcible felony,” which is defined to include specific serious
crimes as well as “any other felony which involves the use or threat of
physical force or violence against any individual.”
We must be careful whenever we
disqualify ex-offenders from employment. While persons convicted of serious
crimes may not be suitable for certain positions, disqualification is
inconsistent with our goal of facilitating successful reentry of ex-offenders
into society. In this case, the definition of forcible felony is potentially
too broad: while it includes serious offenses like murder and rape, it also includes
“any other felony which involves the use or threat of physical force or
violence against any individual.” Courts have examined and attempted to narrow
the definition, but it remains open-ended and subject to frequent litigation,
particularly over more common offenses like assault and battery.
In addition, courts have instructed us
that a disqualifying offense must have a clear nexus to the position. The
connection between forcible felony and vehicle dealership licensure is not
apparent.
Therefore, pursuant to Section 9(b) of
Article IV of the Illinois Constitution of 1970, I hereby return House Bill
1345, entitled “AN ACT concerning transportation”, with the foregoing
objections, vetoed in its entirety.
Sincerely,
Bruce Rauner
GOVERNOR