Session Update
The House returned to Springfield on Thursday, September 9th for session. The primary topic of consideration was the omnibus energy package. There was no action in the Senate as the upper chamber was not in Springfield yesterday.
The Senate is scheduled to return to Springfield on Monday, September 13th to address energy legislation.
SB 2408 is the new omnibus energy package which passed the House by a vote of 83-33-0 late last evening. This bill now heads to the Senate on concurrence. This bill creates the Energy Transition Act. Includes a second enormous subsidy for Exelon, not even five years after the last enormous subsidy. In provisions of the Environmental Protection Act concerning greenhouse gases, provides that if the emissions reduction requirement is not achieved by December 31, 2035, the plant shall retire one or more units or otherwise reduce its COe emissions by 45% from existing emissions by June 30, 2038. Requires municipal coal facilities to achieve 100 % carbon capture or close operation by 2045. Requires the closure of all private coal-fired and oil-fired electric facilities by 2030. Establishes goal of 1 million electric vehicles in Illinois by 2030. The Chamber opposes this bill.
Anyone concerned about this energy legislation should reach out to their Senator by Monday morning.
Also last night, The amendatory veto of SB 539, ethics bill was accepted in the House by a vote of 74-41-0. Last week, the amendatory veto was accepted unanimously in the Senate but failed in the House by a vote of 59-35-0. This bill, among other things, amends the Lobbyist Registration Act. Applies the requirements of the Act to municipalities, counties, and officials thereof, and other specified State officials. Requires candidates filing for supreme court justice, appellate court judge, circuit court judge, or judicial retention to file their statement of economic interests in written or printed form. Provides further revolving door requirements for executive branch officers and members of the General Assembly concerning lobbying. As stated on the floor, Republican opposition in the House stemmed from the perception that the bill will not eliminate public corruption in a meaningful way.
Both Chambers will also be in session October 19th-21st and October 26th-28th for veto session.
Illinois Chamber Responds to House Omnibus Energy Package
On Thursday morning, the Illinois Chamber of Commerce released the following statement on the omnibus energy package that was under consideration in the House. While changes were made to the bill since release, the Chamber's statement is in full below.
GENERAL ASSEMBLY SET TO DOUBLE DOWN ON LARGEST ELECTRICITY RATE HIKE IN ILLINOIS HISTORY
As the Illinois House of Representatives returns to Springfield today to take up a comprehensive energy proposal, the Illinois Chamber of Commerce urges legislators to oppose recently proposed language that takes an already flawed proposal – one that will dramatically increase costs and call reliability into question – but then doubles down by throwing an additional $200 million more at a “solution” that solves nothing. Senate Bill 2408, introduced by House Democrats, and Senate Bill 18, passed by the Senate last week, both include extensive language that needs significant refining, but there are a number of provisions which the Chamber believes are extraordinarily troublesome. Those include:
- Inclusion of a new $200 million subsidy for Prairie State increases the cost impact to ratepayers, but does little to address the premature closure of the facility and the enormous financial impact to communities who rely on it for power. Only in fantasy land can you try to resolve the significant financial impact to ratepayers by asking ratepayers to pay an additional $200 million in subsidies (Note: This portion has been removed from the bill that passed the House on Thursday).
- Emission limits on gas peaker plants will force the closure of plants that are essential to meeting peak demand when our most sensitive residents need it the most. These plants only operate when the grid needs those facilities to meet exceptional demand, and their closure will lead to outages and extreme exposures inside residents’ homes during heat waves.
- Electricity generation and steam production for industrial or commercial users for on-site use would be shut down. This would subject businesses that are currently able to provide for their own energy needs to paying the increased energy costs associated with this bill, but also and more significantly, force industries that rely on steam for their operations to shut down.
- A second enormous subsidy for Exelon, not even five years after the last enormous subsidy. The Chamber appreciates the need to support nuclear energy generation in Illinois, but further controls, such as the Senate’s efforts to limit this new subsidy in the event the federal government takes similar action, independent audits to verify financial need, and claw-backs in the event these plants are profitable are critical.
- With the costs of this omnibus energy package soaring, controlling the overall program costs by eliminating questionable new spending contained in a host of new programs is essential.
As the House returns to Springfield today to tackle what is a very complex, technical issue, the Illinois Chamber strongly urges legislators to focus on energy affordability and reliability, jobs in existing and burgeoning industries, and the impact to ratepayers across the State. The concerns noted above are real, will have a significant impact on electricity prices on ratepayers, and will call our ability to provide electricity during peak demand in to question. We encourage the discussion to continue in an effort to find the right balance between the interests of ratepayers and those who produce energy.
Biden Administration, OSHA Developing Vaccine Requirement Rule for Large Employers
On Thursday, President Biden announced his "Path out of the Pandemic" COVID-19 action plan. The plan, which has 6 parts, aims to "vaccinate the unvaccinated" and "protect economic recovery" among other things.
The Biden Administration said that the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is developing a rule that will require all employers with 100 or more employees to require COVID-19 vaccinations in the workplace. For those employees who choose to remain unvaccinated, a weekly COVID-19 testing requirement will be required. Employers with 100 or more employees will also be required to provide paid time off for employees to receive the vaccine and recover from post-vaccination symptoms.
Speaking to ABC 7 Chicago on this issue, Illinois Chamber President & CEO Todd Maisch said that the OSHA rule may have a negative impact on an already-struggling labor market.
Maisch said "When you see that there's so many jobs being unfilled out there, making it harder and harder to hire people is a real problem."
In this plan, all federal executive branch workers will be required to be vaccinated. This executive order also extends to federal government contractors. In addition, the centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services is set to require that workers in most healthcare settings that receive Medicare or Medicaid funds be vaccinated against COVID-19. This is set to affect 50,000 healthcare providers throughout the country.
The White House is also asking that large venues require vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test for entry.
Illinois Chamber Participates in Electric Vehicle Presentation
On Tuesday, the Chamber along with the Dutch Consulate, Intersect Illinois and Ford Motor Company had a presentation about the future of electric vehicles in Illinois. President & CEO Todd Maisch provided the Chamber's prospective about EV policy here in Illinois. Ford Motor Company's Tony Reinhart presented several great things Ford is pursuing right here in Illinois.
For those who were unable to attend the event, the entire presentation can be viewed here.
Bills of Interest That Became Public Acts
HB 684, Ambulance Service veto was overridden by a vote of 112-1-0. This bill requires the Department of Healthcare and Family Services to exempt ground ambulance services from the State's managed care medical assistance program. Per the veto override, this bill became a public act without the Governor's signature.
