Harris Announces Chamber Tax Forum

For Immediate Release Contact: Rep. David Harris
17 November 2011 (224) 635-2010

Harris Announces Chamber Tax Forum

State Representative David Harris (R-Arlington Heights) announced today that he will be hosting a Small Business Tax Forum in conjunction with the Illinois State Chamber of Commerce and local Chambers of Commerce. Area owners of small and medium size businesses and their tax accountants are invited to discuss pending state tax law changes.

“The legislature is currently considering plans to offer tax incentives to large corporations like Sears Holding and the Chicago Mercantile Exchange in order to keep their headquarters in Illinois,” said Harris. “The intent of this local business tax forum is to ensure that small and medium size businesses are involved in the process of reforming the corporate income tax system in the State of Illinois.”

The forum will take place on Monday November 21st at the Arlington Heights Village Hall beginning at 9 a.m. Doug Whitley, the President the Illinois State Chamber of Commerce, will chair the forum. The forum will include participants from the Arlington Heights Chamber of Commerce, the Greater O’Hare Association, and the Schaumburg Business Association.

As the ranking Republican Spokesman on the House Revenue and Finance Committee, Representative Harris is seeking the advice from area businesses on how best to reform the corporate tax structure in the state. “This forum is important to ensure that small and medium sized businesses are part of the conversation on reforming the corporate tax structure in the state of Illinois,” added Harris. “The input from small and medium size businesses will be important to any changes that the legislature might make. The objective of change is to help business create jobs to improve the economy in the state of Illinois.”
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Rep. Harris Tackles Chicago and Cook County Pension Reform

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 25, 2011

Springfield, IL- Legislators in the Personnel and Pensions Committee unanimously approved House Bill 3813; a measure that seeks to reform the Chicago Pension Funds to make them more accountable to the taxpayers and further prevent abuses in the future.

State Representative David Harris (R-Arlington Heights) is the Chief Co-Sponsor of this bill, which would repeal a portion of state law passed in 1991 that allowed Chicago city employees to retire with a city pension that was based on a much higher union salary. House Bill 3813 would affect the Chicago Municipal Employees’ Pension Fund, Chicago Laborers’ Pension Fund and the Chicago Teachers’ Pension Fund. The change would only allow future union officials to accept a city pension based on their city salary when they left service.

“I am outraged by the stories I have recently read that highlight the fraud and abuse surrounding huge pension increases, dipping into multiple pension funds and employees pocketing far more than they have earned,” said Rep. Harris. “I am pleased to join Leader Cross on this effort to work toward a pension system that is sustainable and accountable to Illinois taxpayers.”

Additionally, this measure would also ensure that union officials cannot collect two pensions, one through the City of Chicago and one through a labor organization, by earning pension credit in both pension funds for the same period of service. This would affect the Chicago Municipal Employees’ Pension Fund and Chicago Laborers’ Pension Fund.
According to media reports in the Chicago Tribune and WGN TV, in some cases, pension fund boards did not report fraudulent activity. HB 3813 would also amend the Illinois Pension Code to state that if any board member or employee of any retirement system or pension fund statewide has reasonable suspicion to believe that fraud is being committed or has been committed, then that individual shall either notify the board or the State’s Attorney of the county having jurisdiction of the alleged fraudulent activity.

HB 3813 now moves to the Illinois House of Representatives for consideration

HARRIS SPONSORS LEGISLATION ENDING SCHOLARSHIPS

News From
State Representative David Harris

For Immediate Release Contact: Rep. David Harris
18 October 2011 (224) 635-2010

HARRIS SPONSORS LEGISLATION ENDING SCHOLARSHIPS

State Representative David Harris (R-Arlington Heights) announced today that he has joined State Representative Fred Crespo (D-Hoffman Estates) in sponsoring legislation that would end the General Assembly legislative scholarship program.

“I joined Representative Crespo as the chief co-sponsor of HB 3810, which would bring the General Assembly legislative scholarship program to an end as of June 1, 2012. My sponsorship of the bill he introduced adds bi-partisan effort to end the program,” said Harris.

Recently the Governor vetoed HB 1353, a bill dealing with the General Assembly scholarships which was passed in this year’s Spring session of the legislature. His veto put language into the bill that would end the program. However, because of the new legislative language the Governor added through his veto, he may have exceeded his constitutional veto authority and due to that it appears that the Governor’s veto of HB 1353 will not be considered.

“The best way to end the scholarship program is for the General Assembly to pass legislation doing so; it should not come through a gubernatorial veto. The House and the Senate should take positive action and send a clear message ending the program, and that is what HB 3810 does. I am pleased to join Representative Crespo on this,” added Harris.

The scholarships are distributed at the discretion of each legislator; they are tuition waivers forced on the state’s public universities. It is estimated that the waivers are an additional $13 million burden on the universities, which is in addition to the hundreds of millions they are already owed by the State of Illinois in overdue payments.
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Paid for by Committee to Elect David Harris. A copy of our report is filed with and available for purchase from the State Board of Elections, Springfield, IL.