BRTA LEGISLATIVE REPORT
November 2023 By Mary Lang My report has 3 parts: Correspondence to National legislators, bills that did and did not pass in the IL General Assembly veto session, and lastly the convention wrap up. On the national level, I wrote three letters to our representatives.
These bills passed both chambers: SB1956: Grans an annual 3% non-compounded COLA to all Tier 1 Chicago Police retirees who reach 55 with 20 years of service, effectively removing a birthdate restriction on eligibility. HB2104: Adds water safety instruction with respect to safety education for students enrolled in pre-K through 6th grade. HB2473: Ends the moratorium on construction of new nuclear energy plants in the state and addresses concerns Governor Pritzker had with a similar bill (SB76) he vetoed. Major issues not passed include: The “Invest in Kids” program was a scholarship program where low income students are sent to private school using tax deductible donations to a charity. Currently 9,500 students are taking part in the program this year. The program will expire on December 31, 2023, but may come back next year An agreement could not be reached on a bill to alter the plan to transition Chicago Public Schools from an appointed to an elected school board. However, the General Assembly still has until April first to pass a way forward for CPS. The Senate did not5 consider legislatio0n passed by the House to enable legislative staff to unionize. Convention Wrap Up The Delegate Assembly approved a resolution to increase membership dues. Effective January 1, 2024, a Regular Member’s annual dues will be $50, or $3.50 monthly deduction which decreases dues to $42. Regular Members’ Lifetime Dues would be $600. Associate Members’ Lifetime Dues will be $200. Additionally, the 5 year dues option will be dropped as of January 1, 2024. About a year ago, IRTA hired a consulting firm to help us reorganize the association. The focus was on organizational changes. A question voted on at the convention was should we reorganize Regional and Area representatives? The firm suggested we eliminate Regional Representatives in favor of just having Area Reps. That was voted down, so we still have both. There was some controversy concerning how dues increases would be decided in the future. Would the delegates to the convention make the decision? The answer is NO. Future dues increases will be decided by the Board of Directors. The Board of Directors consists of our elected officers and 6 elected Area Reps and the 128 appointed Regional Directors (previously called Regional Representatives. The consulting firm suggested we should drmocratize the organization through direct voting by each member from home. Constitutional amendments were approved to elect Officers and Area Representatives, and to amend the constitution by sending either paper or electronic ballots directly to every active member, no matter where they live. The new constitution defines the Standing Committees as: Finance, Legislative, Member Benefits, Membership and Leadership Development (formerly Nominations). The Finance and Leadership Development Committees shall be constituted of a Chairperson and a voting member from each area. The rest of the committees shall be composed of a Chair, the corresponding local unit chair, and any other members expressing interest. Committee Chairs are appointed by the President. Some of us asked, if we do all election of officers and vote on constitutional amendments directly from home, what would we do at a convention? The answer was: we could make resolutions, have guest speakers, do training, and honor members. During the convention a silent auction was held which was a success, raising a total of $6,380 to support the IRTAPAC initiatives. Without the support of IRTA locals, the PAC could not be effective in making campaign contributions to candidates for state elective office. These contributions make it possible for IRTA to have a voice at the Capitol when retiree pensions and healthcare benefits are being discussed. Normally, we donate a basket, a stay at a vacation condo or a monetary donation. We forgot to make a donation this year. |
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