Our children’s education remains a top priority for Illinois House Republicans, which is why they have taken action to address the growing teacher shortage in our state. First and foremost, our members are committed to ensuring highly prepared and effective educators are teaching our children. To do that, Illinois must address the teacher shortage.

Background
The Illinois State Board of Education said the 2017-18 school year began with about 2,000 unfilled teaching positions across the state.* And a recent survey conducted by the Illinois Association of Regional Superintendents of Schools found that school districts were increasingly having difficulty finding qualified candidates to apply for teaching positions.

EDUCATION FUNDING
Gov. Rauner issues amendatory veto to ensure school funding bill is fair, equitable for all students. Tuesday, Gov. Bruce Rauner issued an amendatory veto to Senate Bill 1, the school funding bill. The matter now heads to the Illinois General Assembly, where the governor has respectfully requested that lawmakers uphold his changes. If these changes are upheld, Illinois will achieve historic education funding reform.

State Senators Jason Barickman and Dan McConchie, and State Representatives Avery Bourne and Bob Pritchard today released the following statement in response to State Senator Andy Manar’s Springfield press conference:

"We've long known that Democrats would attack the Governor's amendatory veto. The question is whether they'll work with us in good faith on a bipartisan agreement. The time for pointing fingers is over. We need to work together, in good faith, to reach a bipartisan solution to this unnecessary crisis. Schools and school children need to know that their government is being responsive to their needs. We stand ready to work together to finish the job. There's too much at stake to wait any longer."

House Republican Leader Jim Durkin released the following statement on the recent retirement announcement of State Representative Bob Pritchard:

“I have served with Bob in the House of Representatives since 2003, his dedication and values of hard work have made it a privilege serving with him. Even though Bob is not seeking re-election, his work in the legislature is not finished yet. Bob has and continues to work diligently on issues which are important to our state and the next generation. His expertise and passion to find a solution that is beneficial to both schools and tax payers is invaluable, which is why I recently appointed him to serve as a lead negotiator on education funding reform. Bob is a friend whose work ethic and values will be missed in the General Assembly.”

Representative Pritchard has been a member of the Illinois House of Representatives since 2003. Pritchard currently serves as Republican Spokesperson on the following three committees; Appropriations-Elementary & Secondary Education; Elementary & Secondary Education: School Curriculum & Policies; and State Government Administration.

All Illinois school districts would benefit from a more equitable distribution of state education dollars under a compromise proposal introduced by State Representative Bob Pritchard (R-Sycamore) to fix the state’s broken school aid formula and end the budget stalemate, according to data released by the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE).

The legislation, House Bill 4069, is a true compromise that embraces the priorities of lawmakers from both parties and both legislative chambers, and reflects the recommendations of the Governor’s bipartisan, bicameral Illinois School Funding Reform Commission.

House Republican Leader Jim Durkin today announced his appointments to the newly formed Illinois School Funding Reform Commission. The commission will be composed of five designees from the Governor’s administration and each of the four legislative leaders. Secretary of Education Beth Purvis will serve as chairperson.  

“The current school aid formula is archaic and needs to be reformed. I applaud Governor Rauner for forming this commission in an effort to bring all sides to the table to find a solution that is fair to both schools and taxpayers across Illinois,” said Durkin. “Each of my appointees to this bi-partisan, bi-cameral commission has taken a strong interest in reforming education funding, and each will bring a different regional perspective to the discussion.”  

House Republican appointees are:

• Avery Bourne, 95th District
• Sheri Jesiel, 61st District
• Dwight Kay, 112th District
• Bob Pritchard, 70th District
• Christine Winger, 45th District

The Commission is charged with coming up with a recommended comprehensive solution to reform Illinois’ school funding formula. A report is to be presented to the Governor and the Illinois General Assembly by February 1, 2017 with action to be taken in time for the 2017-2018 school year.

On Friday, State Representative Bob Pritchard’s (R-Hinckley) boat racing certification reform bill, House Bill 4369, was signed Governor Rauner. The bill no longer requires temporary participants in a sanctioned and insured boat race in Illinois to have a valid Boating Safety Certificate of Competence issued by the Illinois Department of Natural Resources.

Currently, temporary out-of-state boat racers between the ages of 12 to 18 are required to complete an eight hour course and pass an exam before racing on state sanctioned and insured events in Illinois. Since out-of-state racers have already completed similar training in their own states; the current certification requirement in Illinois is redundant and deters out-of-state competition. Read more here.

Governor Bruce Rauner joined Acting Director of Agriculture Raymond Poe and other local elected officials to discuss his support for the Fairgrounds Foundation bill (HB 4990/SB 2903). The bill – that has bipartisan support – creates a foundation that allows private donors to support and maintain the fairgrounds in Springfield and DuQuoin.

“The Illinois and DuQuoin State Fairs are vitally important to our agriculture community and the local economies of both cities,” Governor Rauner said. “By creating a private foundation, companies and citizens will be able to donate directly to the fair to help maintain the grounds without any additional burden on the state.”

General Assembly Pay
House Republicans vote for bill to deny pay increase for selves in FY16. The measure, HB 576, amends State law to block implementation of the automatic pay increases slated to be paid in FY16 to Illinois elected officials. This action is necessary to prevent an annual automatic pay increase from being paid to members of the General Assembly, statewide elected officials, certain Cabinet-level executive branch agency directors and appointees, and county state’s attorneys. Automatic pay increases of this type have been mandated by the Compensation Review Act since 1984.

State Representative Bob Pritchard (R- Sycamore) was recognized as 'Legislator of the Year' by the Illinois Association of Fire Protection Districts.

Representative Pritchard was honored at the annual IAFPD conference this past weekend in Peoria. Both will have their names engraved on a patio brick at the Illinois Firefighter Memorial near the state capitol. This is the second time in his 12 years in office that Representative Pritchard has been selected to receive this honor.

"It is a privilege to sponsor legislation that enhances and benefits firefighters and fire protection districts," Representative Pritchard said. "I take the safety and priority of our firemen and first responders very seriously and as such I consider IAFPD to be an important legislative partner. I will continue to collaborate with IAFPD on legislation that assists our Illinois fire services and their abilities to protect citizens."

The Illinois Association of Fire Protection Districts represents over 650 fire districts throughout Illinois. Every year the IAFPD honors a legislator who has supported fire service legislation and promoted the interests of fire service personnel. The award is named for Representative Don Moffitt (R- Galesburg), chairman of the fire services caucus.

The bipartisan House Task Force on Education Funding will hold its first organizing meeting on Wednesday, March 11 at 3:00 PM in Room 118 in the Capitol. It is expected the Task Force will set objectives and future meetings. The Task Force will study equity and adequacy issues as it relates to funding schools in Illinois and from the information gathered, propose any necessary changes to the current school funding formula.

Rep. Robert Pritchard is the Republican Spokesperson for the 23-member Task Force and Republican lawmakers include Representatives Steven Andersson, Peter Breen, Mike Fortner, Jeanne Ives, Ron Sandack, Joe Sosnowski, Mike Tryon, Grant Wehrli and Barbara Wheeler. In January, Rep. Wheeler sponsored and filed HR9 calling for the creation of a committee to examine the existing school funding formula.

Budget work begins
General Assembly starts work on FY16 budget. The budget reform work necessary to finish up Fiscal Year 2015 and start FY16 remained on the table this week as Illinois House committees began to hold hearings on Illinois spending plans. The first hearings by the House appropriations committees began on Thursday, February 26.

In the first committee hearing, the new heads of three of the State’s biggest-spending agencies – the Department of Public Health (DPH), the Department of Human Services (DHS), and the Department of Healthcare and Family Services (DHFS) – introduced themselves to the House of Representatives. All three were appointed by Governor Bruce Rauner. Major work will be necessary to develop a spending program that does not flow money out faster than it comes in. DHFS, in particular, is a department of key interest to budget watchers. It handles the multi-billion-dollar Illinois Medicaid program. Controversial decisions and hard choices are expected to be made. Representative Patti Bellock has taken the lead in working pushing for Medicaid budget reforms. A DHFS overview of the implementation of the reforms so far enacted, and the current budget status of Medicaid, can be found here.

Business
IL workers’ comp rates to fall in 2015. Workers’ compensation insurance rates – a key item for many Illinois employers, particularly manufacturers – will drop 5.5 percent next year.

Governor Quinn announced Wednesday the cut in rates is being recommended by the National Council on Compensation Insurance, which annually reviews payments and fees and proposes new premium figures.

Illinois Department of Insurance officials are estimating the latest proposed reduction in workers’ compensation advisory and loss cost rates could result in overall reduction of premiums of up to $143 million in 2015, with savings totaling $450 million since reforms were enacted in 2011.

Gov. Pat Quinn on Friday visited the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign to sign a law to help boost the quality of distance and online learning programs across Illinois and other states....

“Attending college online is an important educational option more people around the world are pursuing,”  Quinn said. ”Illinois’ higher education institutions have found a willing and world-wide audience for these types of course offerings. This new law makes sure the educational programming offered online out of Illinois maintains the same high quality standards in order to help ensure all students receive a high quality education, regardless of where they live.”

Senate Bill 3441, sponsored by state Sen. Pat McGuire, D-Crest Hill, and state Rep. Robert Pritchard, R-Sycamore, authorizes the Illinois Board of Higher Education to make agreements with other states to guarantee distance learning programs maintain common standards and that completed course work is recognized by institutions in each state. The agreements will also establish a mechanism for handling complaints and refunds across states and institutions. The new law is effective Jan. 1, 2015. Read more in the Morton Times News.

Today 23 Republican members of the Illinois House of Representatives signed letters sent to the Governor and Attorney General regarding the shortage of propane, urging them to take further action. The shortage during severe weather is causing prices for propane to skyrocket. Many are finding it impossible to pay their heating bills and keep their families warm.

House Republicans thanked the Governor for the recent disaster proclamation and asked him to:

1. Allocate additional emergency funds for the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) to assist Illinoisans in paying their propane or other heating bills.
2. Provide emergency low-interest loans/temporary lines of credit to propane distributors/suppliers to ensure they will have the resources necessary to purchase additional propane to alleviate shortages.
3. Work with the General Assembly to pass a temporary suspension of the state sales tax on LP/propane in order to provide some relief to families struggling to heat their homes.
4. Urge the federal government to create a strategic reserve of LP/propane and moderate exports of the fuel while supplies remain critically low.

Additionally, they asked the Attorney General to protect Illinoisans from improper tactics firms may be using during the crisis to gouge consumers.

Row 1:  Rep. Bob Pritchard celebrated summer reading success with members of his Summer Reading Club.  House Republican Leader Tom Cross checks out the chickens at Kendall County Fair.

Row 2:  Rep. Charlie Meier discussing the status of  Murray Center. Rep. Sandy Pihos joins Lombard village trustees for ribbon cutting for the Great Western Bike Path Bridge over Grace Street.