2005-06 Legislative Scorecard
as evaluated by the Illinois Chamber of Commerce
for Illinois State Legislators serving the Pekin Area Chamber of Commerce Membership

The Illinois legislature dealt with a number of key business-related legislative bills in 2005 and 2006.  The Illinois Chamber took a position on each of these bills, based on their impact on the Illinois' business environment.  Below are the legislative scorecards for the Illinois legislators who represent the area served by the Pekin Area Chamber of Commerce.  They are scored on how they voted on each of these key business-related legislative bills, compared to the Illinois Chamber's position on the legislation.  Below the scorecards is a description of each of these bills.

Explanation of Scores		voted with the Illinois Chamber position
		voted against the Illinois Chamber position
	NV	did not vote
	E	Excused Abensce

Senator George Shadid (D-IL-046)
	Name of Legislation							Score
	SB 0006 - Labor Mandate - School Activity Leave							NV
	SB 0293 - NO PLA's - School Construction
	SB 0475 - Medical Liability Reform							NV
	SB 0761 - Isolated Wetlands
	SB 2691 - Cook County Property Tax Shift
	HB 1079 - Union Boss Protection
	HB 2137 - Workers' Comp Reform
	HB 4202 - Health Care Unfunded Mandate
Historical Illinois Chamber Scorecard Ratings	2005-06	2003-04	2001-02	1999-00	1998	1997	1996
	38%	0%	31%	64%	88%	80%	60%

Representative Michael Smith (D-IL-091)
	Name of Legislation							Score
	SB 0475 - Medical Liability Reform
	SB 2350 - Cook County Property Tax Shift
	SB 2399, Amendment #2 - Independent Contractor Reclassification
	HB 0500 - Consumer Choice Benefits Act
	HB 1044 - Employer Health Care Disclosure Act
	HB 1079 - Union Boss Protection
	HB 2113 - Prevailing Wage Expansion
	HB 2137 - Workers' Comp Reform
	HB 4202 - Health Care Unfunded Mandate
Historical Illinois Chamber Scorecard Ratings	2005-06	2003-04	2001-02	1990-00	1998	1997	1996
	55%	36%	21%	44%	64%	15%	50%

Representative Aaron Schock (R-IL-092)
	Name of Legislation							Score
	SB 0475 - Medical Liability Reform
	SB 2350 - Cook County Property Tax Shift
	SB 2399, Amendment #2 - Independent Contractor Reclassification
	HB 0500 - Consumer Choice Benefits Act
	HB 1044 - Employer Health Care Disclosure Act
	HB 1079 - Union Boss Protection
	HB 2113 - Prevailing Wage Expansion
	HB 2137 - Workers' Comp Reform
	HB 4202 - Health Care Unfunded Mandate
Historical Illinois Chamber Scorecard Ratings	2005-06
	80%

Senator Bill Brady (R-IL-044)
	Name of Legislation							Score
	SB 0006 - Labor Mandate - School Activity Leave
	SB 0293 - NO PLA's - School Construction
	SB 0475 - Medical Liability Reform
	SB 0761 - Isolated Wetlands
	SB 2691 - Cook County Property Tax Shift
	HB 1079 - Union Boss Protection
	HB 2137 - Workers' Comp Reform
	HB 4202 - Health Care Unfunded Mandate
Historical Illinois Chamber Scorecard Ratings	2005-06	2003-04	2001-02	1999-00	1998	1997	1996
	100%	100%	100%	100%	100%	100%	100%

Representative Bill Mitchell (D-IL-087)
	Name of Legislation							Score
	SB 0475 - Medical Liability Reform
	SB 2350 - Cook County Property Tax Shift
	SB 2399, Amendment #2 - Independent Contractor Reclassification
	HB 0500 - Consumer Choice Benefits Act
	HB 1044 - Employer Health Care Disclosure Act
	HB 1079 - Union Boss Protection
	HB 2113 - Prevailing Wage Expansion
	HB 2137 - Workers' Comp Reform
	HB 4202 - Health Care Unfunded Mandate
Historical Illinois Chamber Scorecard Ratings	2005-06	2003-04	2001-02	1990-00	1998	1997	1996
	90%	73%	75%	67%

Senator Dan Rutherford (R-IL-053)
	Name of Legislation							Score
	SB 0006 - Labor Mandate - School Activity Leave
	SB 0293 - NO PLA's - School Construction
	SB 0475 - Medical Liability Reform
	SB 0761 - Isolated Wetlands
	SB 2691 - Cook County Property Tax Shift
	HB 1079 - Union Boss Protection
	HB 2137 - Workers' Comp Reform
	HB 4202 - Health Care Unfunded Mandate
Historical Illinois Chamber Scorecard Ratings	2005-06	2003-04	2001-02	1990-00	1998	1997	1996
	100%	100%	92%	94%	100%	92%

Representative Keith Sommer (D-IL-106)
	Name of Legislation							Score
	SB 0475 - Medical Liability Reform
	SB 2350 - Cook County Property Tax Shift
	SB 2399, Amendment #2 - Independent Contractor Reclassification							E
	HB 0500 - Consumer Choice Benefits Act
	HB 1044 - Employer Health Care Disclosure Act
	HB 1079 - Union Boss Protection
	HB 2113 - Prevailing Wage Expansion
	HB 2137 - Workers' Comp Reform
	HB 4202 - Health Care Unfunded Mandate
Historical Illinois Chamber Scorecard Ratings	2005-06	2003-04	2001-02	1990-00	1998	1997	1996
	100%	100%	100%	94%

Senator Dale Risinger (R-IL-037)
	Name of Legislation							Score
	SB 0006 - Labor Mandate - School Activity Leave
	SB 0293 - NO PLA's - School Construction
	SB 0475 - Medical Liability Reform
	SB 0761 - Isolated Wetlands
	SB 2691 - Cook County Property Tax Shift
	HB 1079 - Union Boss Protection
	HB 2137 - Workers' Comp Reform
	HB 4202 - Health Care Unfunded Mandate
Historical Illinois Chamber Scorecard Ratings	2005-06	2003-04	2001-02	1990-00	1998	1997	1996
	88%	100%

Representative David Leitch (D-IL-073)
	Name of Legislation							Score
	SB 0475 - Medical Liability Reform
	SB 2350 - Cook County Property Tax Shift
	SB 2399, Amendment #2 - Independent Contractor Reclassification							E
	HB 0500 - Consumer Choice Benefits Act
	HB 1044 - Employer Health Care Disclosure Act
	HB 1079 - Union Boss Protection
	HB 2113 - Prevailing Wage Expansion
	HB 2137 - Workers' Comp Reform
	HB 4202 - Health Care Unfunded Mandate
Historical Illinois Chamber Scorecard Ratings	2005-06	2003-04	2001-02	1990-00	1998	1997	1996
	87%	91%	92%	94%	91%	85%	90%

Representative Donald Moffitt (D-IL-074)
	Name of Legislation							Score
	SB 0475 - Medical Liability Reform
	SB 2350 - Cook County Property Tax Shift
	SB 2399, Amendment #2 - Independent Contractor Reclassification
	HB 0500 - Consumer Choice Benefits Act
	HB 1044 - Employer Health Care Disclosure Act
	HB 1079 - Union Boss Protection
	HB 2113 - Prevailing Wage Expansion
	HB 2137 - Workers' Comp Reform
	HB 4202 - Health Care Unfunded Mandate
Historical Illinois Chamber Scorecard Ratings	2005-06	2003-04	2001-02	1990-00	1998	1997	1996
	80%	91%	69%	75%	91%	69%	100%

DESCRIPTION OF THE 2005-06 KEY BUSINESS LEGISLATION

SB 6 - Labor Mandate - School Activity Leave - Expands the school activity leave act.  Currently, employees are allowed up to 8 hours during a school year to participate in school activities during the work day.  This bill would expand that to 24 hours, and eliminates provisions requiring an employee to exhaust all accrued vacation leave before becoming eligible for leave under the act.  The Illinois Chamber opposed this bill.  It passed.

SB 293 - No PLA's - School Construction - Provides that the State Board of Education and the Capital Development Board shall not require a project labor agreement for any school construction project grant or debt service grant provided under the Law.  PLA's add unnecessary costs to construction programs, and ending the requirement for schools to use them will save districts millions of dollars.  The Illinois Chamber supported this bill.  It passed.

SB 475 - Medical Liability Reform - This legislation creates meaningful medical liability reforms to keep medical professionals in Illinois, and lower costs for consumers.  Includes caps on non-economic damages: $500,000 for doctors, and $1 million for hospitals.  Also includes other litigation reforms such as affidavit of merit, expert witness guidelines, as well as annuities for paying medical bills.  The Illinois Chamber supported this bill.  It passed.

SB 761 - Isolated Wetlands Act - Illinois Chamber coalition legislation establishing common sense regulations for use or activities in isolated wetlands.  Creates a statewide standard that provides uniformity for businesses in Illinois, protects businesses from excessive costs by statutorily setting fees, gives administrative duties to the Illinois EPA.  Supported by a wide coalition of business and labor. The Illinois Chamber supported this bill.  It passed.

SB 2350 - Cook County Property Tax Shift - Legislation that would extend the Cook County Assessor's "7% solution," which shifts property tax burdens to commercial and industrial property, senior citizens, renters, and homeowners in slower appreciation areas. The Illinois Chamber opposed this bill.  It failed.

SB 2399, Amendment #2 - Independent Contractor Reclassification - Amendment #2 would have redefined the term "independent contractor" to determine who is considered an employee and who is not.  The proposed definition was too broad in its scope.  The amendment also would allow third parties to sue contractors for violations of the act.  The Illinois Chamber opposed this bill.  It failed.

SB 2691 - Cook County Property Tax Shift - Legislation that would extend the Cook County Assessor's "7% solution," which shifts property tax burdens to commercial and industrial property, senior citizens, renters, and homeowners in slower appreciation areas. The Illinois Chamber opposed this bill. It passed.

HB 500 - Consumer Choice Benefits Act - Would allow insurance companies to market individual health care plans that did not include all state health care mandates.  Doing so would provide individuals with more choice in health care plans and make health care more affordable to thousands of Illinoisans.  The Illinois Chamber supported this bill.  It passed.

HB 1044 - Employer Health Care Disclosure Act - Requires state government to collect data on employers who have 25 or more employees that utilize public health programs such as Medicaid or the Children's Health Insurance Program.  Providing health care is not a requirment under Illinois law, so collecting such information seems unnecessary and raises questions about how the data will be used. The Illinois Chamber opposed this bill.  It failed.

HB 1079 - Union Boss Protection - Allows special privileges for organized labor in matters regarding communications between union agents and membership.  Would provide the same confidentiality protections that doctor/patient, lawyer/client, and spouses have in court proceedings.  Unnecessary legislation that could lead to work place cover ups of sexual harassment, discrimination, or safety violations.  The Illinois Chamber opposed this bill.  It passed.

HB 2113 - Prevailing Wage Expansion - Expands the prevailing wage requirements to trucking jobs that haul aggregate materials to prevailing wage work sites.  Also would apply to facilities in close proximity to prevailing wage work sites.  This legislation will kill jobs and increase costs for taxpayers.  The Illinois Chamber opposed this bill.  It failed.

HB 2137 - Workers' Comp Reform - Represents the first major workers' compensation reform in Illinois in the last thirty years.  Contains statutory provisions to help control workers' compensation medical costs, combat fraud, streamline the adjudication of claims and increase benefits for seriously injured workers.  The Illinois Chamber supported this bill.  It passed.

HB 4202 - Health Care Unfunded Mandate - Unfunded mandates continue to increase the cost of health care in Illinois, making it unaffordable for thousands.  HB 4202 would mandate insurance providers to nearly double the coverage for outpatient treatment of mental illness.   The Illinois Chamber opposed this bill. It passed.