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92_HB5961gms
STATE OF ILLINOIS
OFFICE OF THE GOVERNOR
SPRINGFIELD, 62706
GEORGE H. RYAN
GOVERNOR
August 16, 2002
To the Honorable Members of the
Illinois House of Representatives
92nd General Assembly
Pursuant to Article VI, Section 9(b) of the Illinois
Constitution of 1970, I hereby veto House Bill 5961 entitled
"AN ACT concerning well water."
House Bill 5961 creates the Contaminated Well Water
Revolving Loan Program Fund to be administered by the
Illinois Department of Public Health. The state-wide program
would provide loans of up to $30,000 to help homeowners with
contaminated water wells obtain an alternative water well
source. These interest-free loans would be repaid over a
thirty-year period.
House Bill 5961 originated because of water well quality
problems in Downers Grove, Illinois. While I support the
concept of House Bill 5961 and believe it would be a useful
tool in fighting private water well contamination, it was
passed without identifying a funding source for either the
loans or additional administrative costs associated with the
program. Because I believe this is a very serious problem, my
office has worked diligently with the area legislators and
the officials in Downers Grove and nearby communities to
address the specific water quality problems in the area. To
this end, I recently approved House Bill 6061, which included
$2 million earmarked specifically to help provide and
alternative water source to those affected homeowners in most
need of immediate relief. Additionally, I recently signed
Senate Bill 2072 into law to assure notification of affected
homeowners as a further means of reducing future problems.
These recent actions have rendered House Bill 5961
unnecessary. Futhermore, with the State's current fiscal
situation, I am not in favor of creating another program that
places additional pressure on an already strained State
revenue stream.
For these reasons, I hereby veto and return House Bill
5961.
Sincerely,
s/GEORGE H. RYAN
Governor
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