The House and Senate returned to Springfield this week. Session was Tuesday through Thursday, with the scheduled Friday Session cancelled. Both Chambers were focused on floor action, with only one week left until the final 3rd Reading deadline on May 27th.
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This week, the Senate Energy and Public Utilities Committee hosted a subject matter hearing on “The Next Generation Energy Plan”, SB 1585 (Sen. Donne Trotter, D-Chicago) amendment #3. The hearing consisted of nine different panels with over three and a half hours of testimony from both proponents and opponents. The Committee Chair indicated that all stakeholders should continue discussions and negotiations.
The House Public Utilities Committee met Tuesday. The Committee considered SB 2522 (Sen. Don Harmon, D-Oak Park). SB 2522 is an initiative of the Illinois Power Agency. The Agency is seeking changes to law that will resolve several recurring audit findings. SB 2522 was unanimously approved by the Committee.
This Wednesday, the Illinois labor unions organized one of the largest rallies at the Capitol this year. The unions are expressing concern over actions by the Governor that undermine the strength of organized labor. In response, the House and Senate passed numerous bills that were supported by the unions. The Governor has indicated that he intends to veto most of those bills.
Currently, there are no energy related bills scheduled to be heard next week. The General Assembly is in the final days of Spring Session, and it is unlikely that any new non-budget issues will be considered before adjournment.
Next week, the House and Senate are scheduled to be in Session starting Monday afternoon. The Chambers are not scheduled to adjourn until the end of May. The last days of Session are typically focused on forging a budget for the next fiscal year because after May 31st legislation will require a supermajority to pass.
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