Full Text of HJR0082 101st General Assembly
HJ0082 101ST GENERAL ASSEMBLY |
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| 1 | | HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION
| 2 | | WHEREAS, Illinois law provides that members of the General | 3 | | Assembly will receive automatic cost of living pay increases | 4 | | every year unless the General Assembly votes to reject those | 5 | | pay raises; and
| 6 | | WHEREAS, Pay for legislators was frozen from 2009 through | 7 | | 2016; and
| 8 | | WHEREAS, Two former lawmakers filed a lawsuit demanding | 9 | | back pay for lost wages during the time legislative pay was | 10 | | frozen; and
| 11 | | WHEREAS, Their lawsuit also demanded backpay for furlough | 12 | | days the General Assembly voluntarily accepted during one of | 13 | | the worst financial crises the State has experienced to date; | 14 | | and | 15 | | WHEREAS, A Cook County judge has ruled that the pay freeze | 16 | | from 2009 through 2016 is unconstitutional; and | 17 | | WHEREAS, We support the efforts of the Illinois Comptroller | 18 | | and the Illinois Attorney General to appeal this court | 19 | | decision; and |
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| 1 | | WHEREAS, Pending the outcome of further legal action | 2 | | through the appeals process, lawmakers who were active members | 3 | | of the Illinois General Assembly from 2009 through 2016 may be | 4 | | in line to receive upwards of $13 million in backpay from the | 5 | | State of Illinois; and | 6 | | WHEREAS, The State of Illinois may also be forced to pay | 7 | | substantial interest penalties on the backpay depending on the | 8 | | final outcome of the appeals process; and | 9 | | WHEREAS, The backpay would substantially increase | 10 | | retirement benefits for legislators as any legislator retiring | 11 | | in 2020 at age 60 would receive more than $375,000 in | 12 | | additional pension benefits during the course of his or her | 13 | | retirement if his or her base salary is increased to $81,700; | 14 | | and
| 15 | | WHEREAS, Article II, Section 1 of the Illinois Constitution | 16 | | states: "The legislative, executive and judicial branches are | 17 | | separate. No branch shall exercise powers properly belonging
to | 18 | | another."; and
| 19 | | WHEREAS, The legislative branch of government is a separate | 20 | | branch of government and can decide for itself whether to | 21 | | accept or reject pay raises; therefore, be it
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| 1 | | RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE | 2 | | HUNDRED FIRST GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, THE | 3 | | SENATE CONCURRING HEREIN, that as a separate and co-equal | 4 | | branch of Illinois government along with the executive and | 5 | | judicial branches, we, as members of the Illinois General | 6 | | Assembly, have the authority to decide our own pay; and be it | 7 | | further | 8 | | RESOLVED, That we reject all backpay and all compensation | 9 | | for furlough days taken from 2009 through 2016; and be it | 10 | | further
| 11 | | RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be | 12 | | delivered to all Illinois constitutional officers, the Speaker | 13 | | and Minority Leader of the Illinois House of Representatives, | 14 | | and the President and Minority Leader of the Illinois Senate.
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