GENERAL ASSEMBLY
Lame duck Democrats let bad bills fly. In the final minutes of the Illinois House of Representatives’ 2024 Veto Session, House Republican Floor Leader Patrick Windhorst called for a vote to end Veto Session, and the entirety of the 103rd General Assembly, “sine die,” a Latin term that means “without a day.” A Sine Die adjournment would have ended session without setting a date to reconvene, but the motion was struck down by House Democrats, thus setting a time for the 103rd General Assembly to reconvene once more in early January in what is known as a “lame duck session.”
A lame duck session is a time when members of one General Assembly meet after a new General Assembly has been elected but before members are sworn in. In theory, the General Assembly can use this reconvention to resolve legislative matters still lingering from the spring or Veto sessions or address pressing issues that require immediate action.
While spending more time in Springfield to iron out important bills before the new General Assembly convenes may seem like a good idea, the term “lame duck” alludes to one of several flaws of such sessions. Given General Elections take place in November and inaugurations just before the beginning of a new General Assembly in January, legislators who will not serve another term, whether that be due to retirement or losing their election, retain their position until their successor is sworn in. During this period, outgoing legislators continue to legislate in their full capacity despite having no obligation to serve in their constituents’ best interest or uphold promises made before the election. If a Generally Assembly does not adjourn sine die and reconvenes for a lame duck session in early January, lame duck members are given the opportunity to return to the Capitol once more for a few days of scot-free lawmaking.
Not only do lame duck sessions grant outgoing members a chance to legislate without any accountability to their respective districts, they are also a time where bills can pass without broad consensus. During Veto Session, which takes place in November, certain legislation, like tax hikes, requires a supermajority three-fifths vote, or 71 members in the House, to pass. During lame duck sessions, however, Illinois House rules require a mere simple majority of 60 votes to pass any bills discussed on the Floor. Given that outgoing legislators may be more likely to vote on contentious bills due to their lack of answerability, achieving this lowered vote threshold allows for the supermajority party to advance significant pieces of legislation with ease.
In recent years, the majority party has taken full advantage of the lame duck loophole, saving their worst for last. Thanks to the lower vote threshold, presence of outgoing members, and short time frame, State Democrats often reserve the additional days at the Capitol to file thousands of pages of their most costly and controversial bills knowing they are subject to little deliberation and are more likely to pass than if they were brought about under normal circumstances. Some of the most notable bills passed during previous lame duck sessions include:
- SB 2505 (2011) – Imposed a 67% income tax hike on working families and 46% tax hike on employers
- SB 3531 (2019) – Gave a 15% pay increase to the Governor’s appointed bureaucrats
- HB 3653 (2021) – Created the SAFE-T Act, eliminating cash bail and placing unfunded mandates and restrictions on law enforcement
- HB 5471 (2023) – Established Illinois’ so-called “Assault Weapons Ban”
- SB 1720 (2023) – Increased pay for State politicians and created $400 million Pritzker slush fund
- HB 969 (2023) – Created a Supplemental Budget appropriating more than $4.1 billion in fund requests
With lame duck session scheduled for January 4th to 7th, Illinoisans can expect to see a laundry list of out-of-touch bills filed, rehashed, or passed in the next few days. As is the case with most lame duck sessions, taxpayers should prepare to cough up more of their money in the near future, especially given the estimated $3 billion deficit in the upcoming budget. While Democrats like to keep their cards close their chest before lame duck sessions, looming fiscal shortfalls facing the State and the city of Chicago will likely spur new legislation to make up for these unbalanced budgets by increasing income, property, and sales taxes or reallocating money from other statewide funds.
High-ranking Illinois Democrats have also been vocal about their wish to “Trump-proof” Illinois following the 2024 Presidential Election. In essence, members of the majority party have voiced a desire to create new laws that counteract legislation they proclaim the President-elect will usher in over the next four years, many of which revolve around progressive social ideals. Though the supermajority was unable to receive enough support on such bills during November’s Veto Session, they will likely use the lame duck loophole to hastily push through far-left legislation at the last minute. This could take shape through strict environmental regulations, new burdens on job creators, programs for undocumented immigrants, and additional protections for abortion. Whatever State Democrats may do to limit the soon-to-be President’s goals, such measures will certainly be costly to working Illinoisans.
Now, two days into the scheduled Lame Duck Session, no significant action has been taken. I released the following statement in response to this waste of time and money:
“The buck stops with the leader…the speaker: we won’t be subject to the mismanagement and chaos of his own making. We are here on the taxpayers dime and it is an expensive waste.”
OUTDOOR SPORTS
Firearm deer season numbers for fall 2024. In an increase of 8% from 2023, the Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) reports that 82,496 deer were taken throughout Illinois during the first and second weekends of the full firearm deer season. The count reflects the deer tags reported by licensed hunters to the Department. The count includes both the first weekend (November 22-November 24) and the second weekend (December 5- December 8) of the traditional, shotgun-centered deer hunting season. In addition to these full weekends, archery deer hunting, and supplemental deer seasons bring down more of the game animals.
The three Illinois counties with more than 2,000 deer harvested during the firearm deer season were Randolph (2,183), Adams (2,141), and Jackson (2,010). Counties reporting 1,500 – 1,999 deer were Fayette, Fulton, Hancock, Jefferson, Macoupin, Marion, Pike, and Williamson Counties. All of these counties are in Southern Illinois or Western Illinois.
BLOOD DRIVE A SUCCESS
Thank you to everyone who participated in the Savanna Community Blood Drive last week. We had a significant number of attendees, which collected a total of 38 units, which exceeded our goal…it also equates to saving up to 114 lives!
TUNE IN TONIGHT
I will be hosting a teletownhall tonight with my colleague, State Representative Brad Fritts. I encourage you to tune in to hear our update from Springfield:
HAPPY NEW YEAR
I wish you a wonderful new year! For 2025, I am hopeful for a productive new term. The inauguration for the 104th General Assembly will be held this Wednesday, January 8th.
This year, I will kick things off with a tour of the district. It is important to me to make sure constituents around the 89th District have the opportunity to meet with me, ask questions about legislative issues, or express concerns. The district tour will begin the week of January 13th; check out my website: RepMcCombie.com for more details!
The tour around the 89th will also be partnered by upcoming office hours events:
I hope to see you at one or all of these; here’s to a great new year!