Rep. Jay Hoffman (D-113) sponsored 36 bills in the second quarter of 2019, 28 more than the average Illinois state representative, and was added as a co-sponsor on 24 bills, 23 less than the average, according to a Metro East Sun analysis of data made available by the Illinois General Assembly.
During the second quarter, 117 representatives sponsored legislation, with Hoffman sponsoring the most. There were 120 representatives that co-sponsored legislation, with Rep. Elizabeth Hernandez (D-24) co-sponsoring 129 bills, more than any other representative.
When a bill is introduced to the House, the clerk reads the bill title before the House and it is automatically referred to the Rules Committee. If the Rules Committee thinks that the bill merits further consideration, it is assigned to another committee. If the committee reports favorably on the bill to the House, or if the committee has been discharged with respect to the bill, the bill will be ready for its second reading before the House.
According to House rules, a bill can be passed only after the House clerk has read the bill before the House on three separate days. However, many bills are introduced as shell bills in order to circumvent the rule requiring three readings before they can be passed. These shell bills, which are far more common in Illinois than in other states, are created with the purpose of beginning the often lengthy process of passing a new piece of legislation. But since they would only make trivial or meaningless changes in the law in the form that they initially appear, they are either left to die or are later changed to something more substantive that can be rushed to passage without bothering with procedure. This has the unfortunate effect of leading to laws that may not have been debated or discussed sufficiently.
Representatives that sponsor an inordinately large number of bills are often sponsoring many shell bills.
The following table shows the bills that Hoffman sponsored in the second quarter.
CRIM CD-CRITICAL INFRASTRUCTUR
DIGITAL LICENSE PLATE PROGRAM
WORKERS' COMP-ABILITY TO PAY
STUDENT RECORD/CONFERENCE-DCFS
CONGRATS-FAIRVIEW HEIGHTS
FORECLOSURE-PUBLICATION-NOTICE
LOC GOVT OFFICER COMPENSATION
VEH CD-HEAVY DUTY TOW VEHICLE
IL POWER AGENCY-CONTRACTS
UTILITY-HIGH IMPACT BUSINESS
LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE-NEW ACT
AUTOMOTIVE PARTS RECYCLER
FINANCE-APPROP FOR EDUCATION
FOIA-ARREST/CRIMINAL RECORDS
PEN CD-GA-BOARD OF TRUSTEES
NON-HOME RULE MUNI RETAILERS
STRUCTURAL ENGINEERING-SUNSET
SERVICE MEMBER-EXPEDITED LIC
IL INSURANCE GUARANTY FUND
CHILDREN'S ADVOCACY-INTERVIEW
DHFS-MEDICAID-LONG TERM CARE
ATTY GEN-WORKER PROTECT UNIT
GOVT ETHICS-ECONOMIC INTERESTS
VEH CD-FREIGHT TRAIN CREW SIZE
COURT REPORTERS ACT-VARIOUS
The following table shows the bills to which Hoffman was added as a co-sponsor in the second quarter.
Rep. Carol Ammons (D-103)
Rep. Lance Yednock (D-76)
Rep. La Shawn K. Ford (D-8)
NO REPRESENTATION WITHOUT POP
VOCATIONAL ACADEMIES-GRANTS
Rep. Lawrence Walsh, Jr. (D-86); Sen. Pat McGuire (D-43)
EPA-UNCONTAMINATED PLASTICS
Rep. LaToya Greenwood (D-114)
PROCURE DOMESTIC PRODUCTS
Rep. Katie Stuart (D-112)
UNIVERSITY-SURPLUS REAL ESTATE
Rep. Carol Ammons (D-103)
Rep. Charles Meier (R-108)
Sen. Iris Y. Martinez (D-20); Rep. Delia C. Ramirez (D-4)
LICENSE-REMOVE CITIZENSHIP REQ
Sen. John G. Mulroe (D-10); Rep. Robert Rita (D-28)
Rep. Marcus C. Evans, Jr. (D-33)
Rep. Mark Batinick (R-97)
Rep. Mark Batinick (R-97)
Rep. Mark Batinick (R-97)
Sen. Melinda Bush (D-31); Rep. Lawrence Walsh, Jr. (D-86)
PENCD-DNST FIRE-SECONDARY EMPT
Sen. Michael E. Hastings (D-19)
STRUCTURAL ENGINEERING-SUNSET
Sen. Pat McGuire (D-43); Rep. Carol Ammons (D-103)
Rep. Mary E. Flowers (D-31); Sen. Jacqueline Y. Collins (D-16)
PREGNANCY & CHILDBIRTH RIGHTS
Rep. Lance Yednock (D-76)
PROCURE DOMESTIC PRODUCTS
Sen. Jacqueline Y. Collins (D-16); Rep. Anna Moeller (D-43)
NURSING HOME CARE ACT-VARIOUS
Rep. Mark L. Walker (D-53)
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