SPRINGFIELD— After months of hard work, State Sen. Dan Kotowski’s efforts to lower the Cook County Board veto override threshold from four-fifths to three-fifths are a step closer to success. Both houses of the General Assembly have signed off on his proposal, and it is now on its way to Governor Quinn’s desk.

"It’s a matter of fairness," said Kotowski, a Park Ridge Democrat. "The four-fifths veto override threshold is so high that it takes nearly unanimous support to override the Cook County Board President’s veto. Having such a strong an executive doesn’t reflect the balance of powers we expect in a democracy."

The difficulty of overriding the county board president’s veto has become abundantly clear this year. Several times, the board voted to override a veto and fell a single vote short. Because the board is comprised of 17 commissioners, the four-fifths rule means 14 members must vote to override a veto

"It takes three-fifths of the General Assembly to override the Governor of Illinois and two-thirds of Congress to override the President of the United State," Kotowski said. "I believe these are reasonable numbers. The three-fifths threshold makes Cook County consistent with every other county in Illinois, and it doesn’t concentrate too much power with any one person."

Multiple versions of the veto override legislation have made their way through the General Assembly this year, each one slightly different from the others. The measure that gained final approval was House Bill 4625. It has an immediate effective date, but does not preempt Cook County’s home-rule, meaning voters could restore the four-fifths threshold by referendum.

"I urge Governor Quinn to sign House Bill 4625 as quickly as possible," Kotowski said. "The voters of Cook County have been waiting for this change for a long time."