Civil Unions Update, Medical Marijuana Moving

Civil Unions Stalled for Today, Moving Tomorrow?

Because of requests for fiscal notes and mandate notes have not yet been filed by the appropriate state agencies, SB 1716 was not able to move from second to third reading today in the Illinois House of Representatives. That does not mean the bill is not going to move!

Today there were more than 12 professional lobbyists working to raise support for SB 1716 in the Illinois Capitol. These are not amateurs, but professional, highly paid lobbyists. Along with those lobbyists, there are lobbyists from the major labor unions working in support of Civil Unions. Ralph Rivera and I have been working this legislation feverishly, trying to hold the line. Thankfully, we have been consistently working this legislation the entire year, so we have a good roll call and know where most legislators will be on this issue. That does not mean we can become complacent.

In 2005, the Gay Rights legislation was at least 6 votes away from passage on the day it passed. After the Governor and Senate President spent the afternoon cutting deals (one of the legislators involved said we would not believe the deals that were cut), suddenly the votes were there for the passage of the bill. We cannot underestimate the possibility of this happening. Therefore, to be safe, we need a powerful outpouring of sentiment by the people of Illinois opposing Civil Unions.

For that reason, we are asking that you call your State Representatives and Senators, and ask them to vote NO on Civil Unions. We are asking that you call both, because if the bill passes the House, the Senate can immediately vote on it when it reaches the Senate floor. Please call your state legislators at (217) 782-2000, and ask them to defend marriage by voting NO on SB 1716, or you can go to the State Board of Elections website at http://www.elections.state.il.us/DistrictLocator/SelectSearchType.aspx , enter your address, and find the contact information for your STATE REPRESENTATIVE and STATE SENATOR.

Medical Marijuana on the Move

Tonight before adjourning, the Illinois House of Representatives suspended the rules for the six day posting of SB 1381, the Medical Cannabis Bill. After adjourning, the House Human Services Committee, on a vote of 4-3, voted to pass the Medical Marijuana bill to the floor of the House. Tomorrow the bill will be on second reading, be able to move to third reading on Saturday, and be able to be voted on in the House on Sunday. Please ask your State Representative to vote NO on SB 1381.

End of Session Scenario

While there is not strong support for a tax increase, a member of the House told me tonight that the House Members are looking at the governor's latest proposal for a tax increase--an increase from 3% to 4.7%. With this tax increase, they would be able to fully fund the state pensions, but still would need to cut at least $3 billion from the state budget to have a balanced budget. If there is no agreement on a tax increase, the legislature will pass a bare bones budget for the next six months, then come back to do a budget for the rest of the year in January. This would allow them to end session on time, and to find out who will have an opponent in the primaries next year, so they will know who will be safe to vote on an income tax increase and who will not. Good politics, but bad public policy.

Years of neglecting to have a truly balanced budget has left the state of Illinois in extremely poor financial shape. Please pray for our leaders as they try to find the right path for our state, for us to have the stamina we need, for Christians to stand up for biblical principles in marriage in a way that honors the Savior, and for legislators to be responsive to their constituents. Ask God to protect the status of marriage in Illinois that His name may be honored and glorified in this.

In His Service, Rev. Bob