98TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2013 and 2014
HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT
HC0032

 

Introduced , by Rep. Bill Mitchell - Ed Sullivan, Jr. - Tom Demmer - John M. Cabello - Pam Roth, et al.

 

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:
 
ILCON Art. IV, Sec. 5
ILCON Art. IV, Sec. 11
ILCON Art. V, Sec. 21
ILCON Art. VIII, Sec. 2

    Proposes to amend the Legislature, Executive, and Finance Articles of the Illinois Constitution. Amends the Finance Article to provide that within 30 days of the enactment of the State budget for a fiscal year, the Auditor General must certify whether the enacted budget will be balanced with expenses not exceeding funds estimated by the General Assembly to be available during that year. Provides that the Comptroller may find at any time during the fiscal year that the State budget has become unbalanced and so report to the Auditor General, which shall have 10 days to respond to this report. Provides that, if the Auditor General certifies that the budget is not balanced or agrees with the Comptroller's finding that the State budget has become unbalanced, then (i) the Comptroller shall stop all payments (other than payments affecting the public safety of the State, payments mandated by a court of law, and payments mandated by the federal government) and stop all payments for the salaries of General Assembly members and the Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Attorney General, Secretary of State, Comptroller, and Treasurer and (ii) a special session of the General Assembly shall be convened within 10 days to enact a new State budget. Provides that, upon certification that the new budget will be balanced, the Comptroller will be allowed to resume payments. Makes conforming amendments to the Legislature and Executive Articles. Effective upon being declared adopted.


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HC0032LRB098 11481 JWD 43666 e

1
HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION
2
CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT

 
3    RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE
4NINETY-EIGHTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, THE
5SENATE CONCURRING HEREIN, that there shall be submitted to the
6electors of the State for adoption or rejection at the general
7election next occurring at least 6 months after the adoption of
8this resolution a proposition to amend Sections 5 and 11 of
9Article IV, Section 21 of Article V, and Section 2 of Article
10VIII of the Illinois Constitution as follows:
 
11
ARTICLE IV
12
THE LEGISLATURE

13    (ILCON Art. IV, Sec. 5)
14SECTION 5. SESSIONS
15    (a) The General Assembly shall convene each year on the
16second Wednesday of January. The General Assembly shall be a
17continuous body during the term for which members of the House
18of Representatives are elected.
19    (b) The Governor may convene the General Assembly or the
20Senate alone in special session by a proclamation stating the
21purpose of the session; and only business encompassed by such
22purpose, together with any impeachments or confirmation of
23appointments shall be transacted. Special sessions of the

 

 

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1General Assembly may also be convened by joint proclamation of
2the presiding officers of both houses, issued as provided by
3law or as provided in subsection (c) of Section 2 of Article
4VIII.
5    (c) Sessions of each house of the General Assembly and
6meetings of committees, joint committees and legislative
7commissions shall be open to the public. Sessions and committee
8meetings of a house may be closed to the public if two-thirds
9of the members elected to that house determine that the public
10interest so requires; and meetings of joint committees and
11legislative commissions may be so closed if two-thirds of the
12members elected to each house so determine.
13(Source: Illinois Constitution.)
 
14    (ILCON Art. IV, Sec. 11)
15SECTION 11. COMPENSATION AND ALLOWANCES
16    Except as otherwise provided in subsection (c) of Section 2
17of Article VIII, a A member shall receive a salary and
18allowances as provided by law, but changes in the salary of a
19member shall not take effect during the term for which he has
20been elected.
21(Source: Illinois Constitution.)
 
22
ARTICLE V
23
THE EXECUTIVE

 

 

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1    (ILCON Art. V, Sec. 21)
2SECTION 21. COMPENSATION
3    Except as otherwise provided in subsection (c) of Section 2
4of Article VIII, officers Officers of the Executive Branch
5shall be paid salaries established by law and shall receive no
6other compensation for their services. Changes in the salaries
7of these officers elected or appointed for stated terms shall
8not take effect during the stated terms.
9(Source: Illinois Constitution.)
 
10
ARTICLE VIII
11
FINANCE

12    (ILCON Art. VIII, Sec. 2)
13SECTION 2. STATE FINANCE
14    (a) The Governor shall prepare and submit to the General
15Assembly, at a time prescribed by law, a State budget for the
16ensuing fiscal year. The budget shall set forth the estimated
17balance of funds available for appropriation at the beginning
18of the fiscal year, the estimated receipts, and a plan for
19expenditures and obligations during the fiscal year of every
20department, authority, public corporation and quasi-public
21corporation of the State, every State college and university,
22and every other public agency created by the State, but not of
23units of local government or school districts. The budget shall
24also set forth the indebtedness and contingent liabilities of

 

 

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1the State and such other information as may be required by law.
2Proposed expenditures shall not exceed funds estimated to be
3available for the fiscal year as shown in the budget.
4    (b) The General Assembly by law shall make appropriations
5for all expenditures of public funds by the State.
6Appropriations for a fiscal year shall not exceed funds
7estimated by the General Assembly to be available during that
8year.
9    (c)(1) Within 30 days of the enactment of the law or laws
10comprising the State budget for a fiscal year, the Office of
11the Auditor General must certify whether the enacted budget
12will be balanced with expenses not exceeding funds estimated by
13the General Assembly to be available during that year pursuant
14to subsection (b). If the Office of the Auditor General
15certifies that the budget is not balanced, then the Comptroller
16shall:
17        (A) stop all payments other than: (i) payments
18    affecting the public safety of the State; (ii) payments
19    that are mandated by a court of law; and (iii) payments
20    that are mandated by the federal government; and
21        (B) stop all payments for the salaries of General
22    Assembly members and the officers specified in Section 1 of
23    Article V.
24    (2) Within 10 days after the certification by the Office of
25the Auditor General that the budget is not balanced, the
26General Assembly must convene to address the State budget and

 

 

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1enact a new State budget. If a special session is not convened
2by the Governor or the General Assembly by proclamation by the
3tenth day, the declaration by the Office of the Auditor General
4under this paragraph (2) shall operate to convene the General
5Assembly in special session on the tenth day. Upon the
6enactment of the law or laws comprising the new State budget,
7the Office of the Auditor General must certify whether the new
8State budget will be balanced with expenses not exceeding
9expected revenue. Only when the Office of the Auditor General
10certifies that the new State budget will be balanced will the
11Comptroller be allowed to resume payments under subparagraphs
12(A) and (B) of paragraph (1).
13    (3) If the Comptroller finds at any time during the fiscal
14year that the State budget has become unbalanced, the
15Comptroller shall so report to the Office of the Auditor
16General. The Office of the Auditor General shall have 10 days
17to respond to this report and, if the Office of the Auditor
18General agrees with the finding of the Comptroller that the
19State budget has become unbalanced, the Comptroller must stop
20payments as specified in paragraph (1) and the procedure in
21paragraph (2) must be followed to create a balanced budget for
22the remainder of the fiscal year.
23(Source: Illinois Constitution.)
 
24
SCHEDULE
25    This Constitutional Amendment takes effect upon being

 

 

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1declared adopted in accordance with Section 7 of the Illinois
2Constitutional Amendment Act.