Rep. Bob Morgan (D-58) sponsored 16 bills in the second quarter of 2019, eight more than the average Illinois state representative, and was added as a co-sponsor on 44 bills, three less than the average, according to a Lake County Gazette analysis of data made available by the Illinois General Assembly.
During the second quarter, 117 representatives sponsored legislation, with Rep. Jay Hoffman (D-113) sponsoring the most with 36 bills. There were 120 representatives that co-sponsored legislation, with Rep. Elizabeth Hernandez (D-24) co-sponsoring 129 bills, more than any other representative.
When a bill is introduced to the House, the clerk reads the bill title before the House and it is automatically referred to the Rules Committee. If the Rules Committee thinks that the bill merits further consideration, it is assigned to another committee. If the committee reports favorably on the bill to the House, or if the committee has been discharged with respect to the bill, the bill will be ready for its second reading before the House.
According to House rules, a bill can be passed only after the House clerk has read the bill before the House on three separate days. However, many bills are introduced as shell bills in order to circumvent the rule requiring three readings before they can be passed. These shell bills, which are far more common in Illinois than in other states, are created with the purpose of beginning the often lengthy process of passing a new piece of legislation. But since they would only make trivial or meaningless changes in the law in the form that they initially appear, they are either left to die or are later changed to something more substantive that can be rushed to passage without bothering with procedure. This has the unfortunate effect of leading to laws that may not have been debated or discussed sufficiently.
Representatives that sponsor an inordinately large number of bills are often sponsoring many shell bills.
The following table shows the bills that Morgan sponsored in the second quarter.
PRAIRIE RESEARCH-MICROPLASTICS
ESTATES-HEALTH DIRECTIVES
PERSONNEL-INTERNS-DISABILITY
INS CD-MENTAL HEALTH PARITY
MHDD CD-ADV PRACT PSY NURSE
AGG ASSAULT&BAT-VET&SERVICEMEM
PERSONNEL CD-ELIGIBILITY LISTS
BANKING-CANNABIS BUSINESSES
SCH CD-NURSE-MEDICAL CANNABIS
HOTEL CASINO EMPLOYEE SAFETY
The following table shows the bills to which Morgan was added as a co-sponsor in the second quarter.
Rep. Carol Ammons (D-103)
Sen. Bill Cunningham (D-18)
CANNABIS REGULATION & TAX ACT
Rep. Kathleen Willis (D-77)
Rep. Diane Pappas (D-45); Sen. Donald P. DeWitte (R-33)
KENNEL OPERATION-FIRE ALARMS
Rep. Daniel Didech (D-59)
REVENUE-PROPERTY TAX FUND
Rep. Kathleen Willis (D-77)
Rep. Carol Ammons (D-103)
Rep. Camille Y. Lilly (D-78); Sen. Don Harmon (D-39)
KIDDIELAND AMUSEMENT PARK ROAD
Rep. Sara Feigenholtz (D-12)
COMMEND-DR. STEVEN NASATIR
DACA LEGISLATION-U.S. CONGRESS
TRAUMA-INFORMED AWARENESS DAY
Rep. Will Guzzardi (D-39)
AFFORDABLE HOUSING-INVESTMENT
Rep. Sara Feigenholtz (D-12)
COMMEND-DR. STEVEN NASATIR
Rep. Elizabeth Hernandez (D-24)
CHILDHOOD PROGRAMS-FUNDING
Sen. Iris Y. Martinez (D-20); Rep. Delia C. Ramirez (D-4)
LICENSE-REMOVE CITIZENSHIP REQ
Sen. Linda Holmes (D-42); Rep. Emanuel Chris Welch (D-7)
CHARTER SCH COMMISSION-ABOLISH
LOC GOVT OFFICER COMPENSATION
Rep. Kelly M. Burke (D-36)
STATE TREASURER-ABLE ACCOUNT
Rep. Mark Batinick (R-97)
PRAIRIE RESEARCH-MICROPLASTICS
Sen. Don Harmon (D-39); Rep. Michelle Mussman (D-56)
CHILD PERFORMERS-TRUST ACCOUNT
Sen. Linda Holmes (D-42); Rep. Jeff Keicher (R-70)
INSURANCE-DIAGNOSTIC MAMMOGRAM
Sen. Iris Y. Martinez (D-20); Rep. Aaron M. Ortiz (D-1)
UNIV OF IL-STUDENT TRUSTEE
Rep. Mary Edly-Allen (D-51)
Rep. Marcus C. Evans, Jr. (D-33)
Rep. Michael J. Zalewski (D-23)
Sen. John G. Mulroe (D-10)
TOBACCO PRODUCTS COMPLIANCE
JUV CT-FAMILY SUPPORT PROGRAM
Sen. Julie A. Morrison (D-29); Rep. Kathleen Willis (D-77)
INS CODE-DENTAL ANESTHETICS
Sen. Cristina Castro (D-22); Rep. Debbie Meyers-Martin (D-38)
ILLINOIS BANK ON INITIATIVE
Sen. Toi W. Hutchinson (D-40); Rep. William Davis (D-30)
PROP TX-INCOME PRODUCING PROP
Sen. Omar Aquino (D-2); Rep. Delia C. Ramirez (D-4)
Rep. Curtis J. Tarver, II (D-25)
PARTITION OF HEIRS PROPERTY
Rep. Michael D. Unes (R-91)
AGG ASSAULT&BAT-VET&SERVICEMEM
Sen. Melinda Bush (D-31); Rep. Kathleen Willis (D-77)
WORKPLACE TRANSPARENCY ACT
Sen. Ann Gillespie (D-27); Rep. Mark L. Walker (D-53)
COM COL-MANUFACTURING GRANTS
Rep. Jonathan Carroll (D-57)
STATE TREASURER-REAL PROPERTY
Rep. Kathleen Willis (D-77)
PUBLIC DEFENDER BAIL PROGRAM
Sen. Sue Rezin (R-38); Rep. Joyce Mason (D-61)
Rep. Mary Edly-Allen (D-51)
VEH CD-DISABILITIES AWARENESS
Sen. Terry Link (D-30); Rep. Jay Hoffman (D-113)
VEH CD-FREIGHT TRAIN CREW SIZE
Rep. Mary Edly-Allen (D-51)
Sen. Scott M. Bennett (D-52); Rep. Carol Ammons (D-103)
COAL ASH POLLUTION PREVENTION
Alerts Sign-up