Illinois Valley Times

Republican state Sen. Sue Rezin (R-Morris) said the upcoming veto session week is already conjuring up memories of times past. 

“Today I'm joined by several of my fellow Senate Republican colleagues to provide a quick update on some issues that we anticipate may be coming up this upcoming week,” Rezin said during an Oct. 26 news conference. “While this is technically the second week of veto session, it's feeling more like last January's lame duck session or maybe at the end of May, where the majority party waited until the final day to push through major pieces of legislation in a short amount of time with little notice or input from the public.”

The Illinois General Assembly reconvenes every fall for a two-week “veto session” where lawmakers are expected to consider bills the governor has rejected, with other initiatives often surfacing that are likewise considered and voted on during the gathering. This year holds no shortage of hot-button issues, among them unpaid debt and public pension reform, gaming expansion and abolishing legislative scholarships.

Whatever the issues on the table, Rezin argues there needs to be a system for handling things.

“Waiting until the last minute to pass legislation that could greatly impact the people of Illinois is a bad habit that our Democrat colleagues have seemed to more and more often let happen and I'm here to say that it's time that this needs to stop,” she said. “Waiting to pass important legislation until the final hour is not a good functioning government and it's not how a good functioning government is supposed to work. Important legislation should be vetted and given proper time and the opportunity for the public to weigh in.”

Last year’s fall veto session was canceled due to a surge of COVID-19 cases across the state.