June 30, 2009

 

 

 

 

To the Honorable Members of the

Illinois Senate

96th General Assembly

 

Today I return Senate Bill 1905 with my specific recommendations for change. I appreciate the hard work of the sponsors and the Task Force on Health Planning Reform in passing this monumental bill and for the opportunity to further their efforts with this amendatory veto.

 

Since the task force completed its work, our State’s budget deficit has grown. In the midst of this unprecedented crisis, we all must work together to limit State spending and eliminate waste and inefficiencies in government. We cannot, at a time when we are confronted with the possibility of furloughs and pay cuts for existing state employees, expand government any further than is necessary. This amendatory veto preserves the substantive reforms recommended by the General Assembly and the task force but minimizes the fiscal impact on our State.

 

The Board is scheduled to sunset tomorrow. With the cooperation of the General Assembly, we can adopt these aggressive reforms and insure that there is not a lapse in the Board’s operations. It is essential that this bill be approved by the General Assembly today so that I can certify the changes prior to the sunset of the Board.

 

Therefore, pursuant to Article IV, Section 9(e) of the Illinois Constitution of 1970, I hereby return Senate Bill 1905, entitled “AN ACT concerning State government.”, with the following specific recommendations for change:

 

on page 33, line 17, by deleting “The members shall include a”; and

 

on page 33, by deleting lines 18 through 24; and

 

on page 37, by replacing lines 10 through 14 with “(g) The State Board, through the Chairman, shall”; and

 

on page 65, by replacing line 8 with “Health Facilities and Services Review Board Illinois Health Facilities Planning Board on a form prescribed”; and

 

on page 78, line 22, by replacing “subsections (a-15) and” with “subsections (a-10) and”.

 

With these changes, Senate Bill 1905 will have my approval. I respectfully request your concurrence. 

 

Sincerely,

 

 

 

 

PAT QUINN

Governor