June 2, 2017     

To the Honorable Members of

The Illinois Senate,

100th General Assembly:

Today I veto Senate Bill 19 from the 100th General Assembly, which would prohibit the Department of Corrections from entering into contracts with outside vendors of medical and mental health services unless the Department retains the same number of state medical personnel as it did on January 1, 2016.

Our Administration has always been committed to thoughtfully considering the effects of subcontracting with an outside vendor on state employees.  Already, the existing collective bargaining process is the appropriate tool to determine the correct balance between the State’s operational and fiscal needs and the interests of state employees. By mandating an arbitrary number of state employees, chosen as of an arbitrary date, Senate Bill 19 would circumvent the collective bargaining process and should be rejected for this reason alone.

But not only does the legislation subvert the collective bargaining process, it is also unnecessary.  Senate Bill 19 sought to interfere with the Department’s then-current plans to contract with outside vendor for nursing services.  This is not needed.  Since the passage of Senate Bill 19 by the General Assembly, our Administration has negotiated a new contract with the Illinois Nurses Association and addressed these concerns.  The agreement allows the Department to achieve the necessary fiscal and operational objectives without resorting to contracting with outside vendors.  The agreement represents what is possible when all parties work together. 

Therefore, pursuant to Section 9(b) of Article IV of the Illinois Constitution of 1970, I hereby return Senate Bill 19, entitled “AN ACT concerning state government”, with the foregoing objections, vetoed in its entirety.

Sincerely,

Bruce Rauner

GOVERNOR