Peoria Standard

The Illinois General Assembly, dominated by a Democratic supermajority, faces criticism for allegedly restricting public participation in the legislative process. This issue has come to the forefront with House Bill 2827, which affects families who homeschool their children. The bill is scheduled for a public hearing in Springfield this week, and over 19,000 people have filed electronic witness slips opposing it.

Concerns have been raised that the supermajority may employ tactics to undermine opposition testimony. These tactics reportedly include rescheduling committee hearings at inconvenient times or assigning bills to subcommittees that do not meet. Additionally, bills may be held in the Rules Committee indefinitely or reassigned to committees with favorable chairpersons.

The Citizen Participation Act emphasizes the importance of public involvement in government processes, stating that citizens' input is vital for making public policy and maintaining representative democracy. However, critics argue that Democrats are circumventing this by using strategies like vetting legislation in partisan working groups instead of public hearings.

A notable tactic is the "witness slip shell game," where legislative language from a bill with significant opposition is moved to a new "shell bill" without transferring existing witness slips. This leaves the new bill without recorded opposition and can proceed without notice to those who previously filed slips.

An example cited is the passage of the SAFE-T Act. After subject matter hearings where witness slips were filed, its language was transferred to another bill sent directly for a vote without carrying over any witness slips. Earlier this year, House Republicans requested including witness slip portability in House Rules but were denied by the supermajority.

Critics claim these actions aim to obscure proceedings and prevent dissenting views from being recorded, violating Illinois residents' rights as outlined in the Citizen Protection Act. They call on House Democrats to ensure transparency and protect citizens' rights to participate in state governance.