Rep. David A. Welter (R-75) sponsored three bills in the second quarter of 2019, five less than the average Illinois state representative, and was added as a co-sponsor on 37 bills, 10 less than the average, according to a Grundy Reporter analysis of data made available by the Illinois General Assembly.
During the second quarter, 117 representatives sponsored legislation, with Rep. Jay Hoffman (D-113) sponsoring the most with 36 bills. 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 Welter sponsored in the second quarter.
SCH CD-SPEECH PATHOLOGIST
The following table shows the bills to which Welter was added as a co-sponsor in the second quarter.
Sen. Bill Cunningham (D-18)
CANNABIS REGULATION & TAX ACT
Rep. Darren Bailey (R-109)
Rep. Lawrence Walsh, Jr. (D-86); Sen. Pat McGuire (D-43)
EPA-UNCONTAMINATED PLASTICS
Rep. Jaime M. Andrade, Jr. (D-40)
AGING-HOMEMAKER SERVICES-WAGES
Rep. Patrick Windhorst (R-118)
COUNTY CD-TRANSITIONAL AUDITS
Rep. Delia C. Ramirez (D-4); Sen. Ram Villivalam (D-8)
EQUITABLE RESTROOM-BABY CHANGE
Rep. Allen Skillicorn (R-66)
ELEC CODE-PETITION SIGNATURES
US CONST-ART V-APPLICATION
Rep. Andrew S. Chesney (R-89); Sen. Brian W. Stewart (R-45)
TROOPER JONES-STORY HIGHWAY
Rep. Thomas Morrison (R-54)
CON AMEND-TAX-2/3RDS VOTE
GREAT LAKES APPRECIATION DAY
AMBUCS APPRECIATION MONTH
Sen. John F. Curran (R-41); Rep. Terra Costa Howard (D-48)
LIBRARY TRUSTEES-ELIGIBILITY
Sen. Antonio Muñoz (D-1); Rep. John Connor (D-85)
VEH CD-POLICE MEMORIAL SPOUSES
Sen. Linda Holmes (D-42); Rep. Emanuel Chris Welch (D-7)
CHARTER SCH COMMISSION-ABOLISH
LOC GOVT OFFICER COMPENSATION
Rep. Mark Batinick (R-97)
PRAIRIE RESEARCH-MICROPLASTICS
Rep. Ann M. Williams (D-11)
DRYCLEANER RESPONSE TRUST FUND
Sen. Suzy Glowiak (D-24); Rep. Natalie A. Manley (D-98)
ALZHEIMER'S-ADVISORY COMMITTEE
Rep. Mary Edly-Allen (D-51)
Rep. Marcus C. Evans, Jr. (D-33)
Rep. Mark Batinick (R-97)
Sen. John G. Mulroe (D-10)
TOBACCO PRODUCTS COMPLIANCE
Sen. Neil Anderson (R-36)
LICENSE PLATES-MOTORCYCLES
Sen. Robert Peters (D-13); Rep. Yehiel M. Kalish (D-16)
DCFS-APPRENTICESHIP STIPENDS
Sen. Emil Jones, III (D-14); Rep. André Thapedi (D-32)
COMPLETE COUNT COMMISSION
GOVT ETHICS-ECONOMIC INTERESTS
Sen. Omar Aquino (D-2); Rep. Carol Ammons (D-103)
VEH CD-LICENSE TO WORK ACT
Rep. Lamont J. Robinson, Jr. (D-5)
Sen. Antonio Muñoz (D-1); Rep. John M. Cabello (R-68)
SPEC PLATES-POLICE/FIREFIGHTER
Sen. Toi W. Hutchinson (D-40)
BANKING-CANNABIS BUSINESSES
HOTEL CASINO EMPLOYEE SAFETY
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