SPRINGFIELD – State Representative Patrick Windhorst (R-Metropolis) issued the following statement today after casting a vote to oppose HR 72, the parliamentary Rules that will govern the business and operations of the Illinois House of Representatives for the 102nd General Assembly.
“I voted in opposition to HR 72, the new House Rules for the 102nd General Assembly because I believe they lack the changes that I hoped could be made to make the House more accountable and responsive to the people of Illinois.
There are too many recent instances, the latest being the 2021 lame-duck session, where significant bills were brought forward to debate at the 11th hour. We saw legislation amended with hundreds of pages in the middle of the night and passed through both the House and Senate within a matter of hours. This happens every year with the State budget. Lawmakers simply do not have adequate time to read the bill, and the public and advocacy groups do not have time to properly weigh in.
One bright spot was that the rules do include term limits for the position of Speaker and Minority Leader. However, because the rules can be changed every two years, term limits for Speaker must be made by statute or constitutional amendment to have any real permanence.”