SE Illinois News

The Illinois Freedom Caucus (ILFC) is seeking an end to consent calendar votes in which members give a simple up or down without debate. 

A consent calendar is a list of clustered bills that are voted on in one roll call vote, which the group is opposed to.

"Now that we are on the tail end of COVID, COVID is over, and now the mandates have been lifted, it's time to go back to substantive bills being properly vetted on the House floor and held for a vote," state Rep. Adam Niemerg (R-Dieterich) told The Center Square. "Substantive bills should be debated on the floor and allowed that due time when it comes to that specific piece of legislation.” 

The Illinois Freedom Caucus detailed its stance in a press release. 

“Any bills that come out of committee with no opposition end up on the Consent Calendar," the ILFC said in a press release. "While a single member can object and have any piece of legislation removed from the Consent Calendar at any time, the truth is the process to remove a bill is unwieldy and it is easy to miss some of the bills because the list of legislation is so long.” 

ILFC stated that, “There is nothing wrong with voting on ceremonial legislation on a single roll call, but substantive bills need to be stricken from the Consent Calendar. It is certainly easier to vote on hundreds of bills on one roll call vote, but this process is not in the best interest of the people of Illinois. Substantive bills deserve individual roll calls so that members are completely aware of the full implication of their votes. The people of Illinois expect legislators to do their jobs and debating and voting on legislation is part of the job. It is time to stop taking the easy way out. It is time to end the Consent Calendar for substantive legislation.”

Apart from Niemerg, the Illinois Freedom Caucus is comprised of state Reps. Chris Miller (R-Oakland), Brad Halbrook (R-Shelbyville), Blaine Wilhour (R-Beecher City), and Dan Caulkins (R-Decatur). Miller, the ILFC chairman, took to Facebook to say it is “TIME TO END THIS CORRUPT PROCESS.” 

The Illinois Freedom Caucus is part of the broader State Freedom Caucus Network. “We need patriots who will serve in our state capitals to fight federal overreach and stand firm against those — in both parties — who prioritize seizing political power over representing constituents,” the group’s website reads.