I filed HB4735 to provide Illinois residents with full transparency from legislators in the state house. This bill would require the Illinois House of Representatives and the Illinois Senate, and their respective committees, to conduct business only during the hours of 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Passing a massive budget at 3:00 a.m. while everyone is asleep only causes people to lose trust in their government, and rightfully so. The notion of backroom partisan conversations and waiting until the last minute to present a multi- billion dollar budget is not how government should work for its people. There is no reason why session days can’t begin at 8:00 a.m. rather than 3:00 p.m. The wasted time is unreal. Republicans are ready to work, however, most days we are waiting for Democrats to wrap-up their one-sided meetings before we actually start debating bills. I believe this is a good bill and it would provide full transparency on bills filed, debates, and voting record for the general public.
Listen to Coffey’s interview on WMAY about the budget and more!