* And, now, perhaps the greatest song of defiance against the darkness that sometimes seems to be everywhere around us, with a little rocker at the end for some joyful dancing. Crank up the volume as loud as you can…
May your heart always be joyful,
May your song always be sung,
And may you stay forever young
* I’ve been telling subscribers about the possibility of a “carbon tax” proposal for over a week now, and Bethany Jaeger gives it mention this afternoon…
There’s more talk about Gov. Rod Blagojevich seeking to garner revenue through a so-called carbon tax, which the Illinois Chamber of Commerce already is prepared to oppose if it appears in his annual budget address February 20. […]
If the governor does propose a form of tax on carbon dioxide emissions, expect vocal opposition from the agribusiness and coal industries. We’ll have more on the carbon tax later if it is indeed proposed. The chamber suggests http://www.carbontax.org/ to learn more in the meantime.
I wonder if the Chamber was being tongue in cheek because that website favors carbon taxes.
…Adding… I’ve also been told about internal discussions involving a corporate asset tax.
*** UPDATE *** The administration responds to the IL Chamber’s worries about the potential for the governor introducing a carbon tax…
Blagojevich spokeswoman Rebecca Rausch issued a written statement that the chamber is misguided. “It seems like a waste of time and resources,” she wrote, “but if that’s what the chamber wants to do, it’s their decision.”
A bill that would require state universities in Illinois to automatically accept the top 10 percent of all high school seniors isn’t going to be an easy sell, state Rep. William Davis (D-Hazel Crest) admits.
But as the bill’s chief sponsor, he hopes that at the very least it will highlight the need for the state to level the playing field in terms of funding for high schools and bring higher education institutions to the forefront in addressing that issue. […]
“The idea is to make high school education more competitive all over,” Davis said, adding he sees the bill “as a way to help minority students in particular.”
Davis said he welcomes the argument that he expects will come from college admissions people: that a top 10 percent student in one school isn’t as prepared for college as one from another school.
He said that argument speaks to the need for more funding for disadvantaged schools and for higher education to take a greater role in high school-related issues.
Texas has a similar law.
* Question: Do you support this idea or not? Explain.
* We discussed this a bit late yesterday afternoon, but there are now more news stories available, so let’s delve deeper…
Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan wants to put curbs on Gov. Rod Blagojevich’s power, prompting a Republican leader to predict the legislature will “grind to a halt” this year.
Madigan, D-Chicago, is seeking to add a clause to most House bills preventing Blagojevich and his state agencies from writing their own rules about how to administer the laws.
Madigan believes the governor has abused his authority to do that, especially last fall when the Blagojevich administration unilaterally tired to expand health-care programs by rewriting eligibility requirements. The General Assembly didn’t approve the expansion, and Blagojevich said an obscure legislative panel did not have the authority to stop him.
“The issue today is one that could amount to a constitutional crisis,” said Rep. Barbara Flynn Currie, D-Chicago, Madigan’s top lieutenant. “The governor is not a lawmaker. He is an executive.”
Not only will the House put the clause in most House bills, she said but also will add it to any bills that originate in the Senate and are passed over to the House.
* House GOP Leader Tom Cross warned the Democrats that their proposal was folly…
“We will be bogged down in rules that (this special committee) has historically done for many, many years to the point that nothing gets passed and the people of the state of Illinois will not have their issues addressed in this session,” he predicted.
* Here’s the text of the rider that will be added to all relevant House bills…
Notwithstanding any other rulemaking authority that may exist, neither the Governor nor any agency or agency head under the jurisdiction of the Governor has any authority to make or promulgate rules to implement or enforce the provisions of this amendatory Act of the 95th General Assembly.
If, however, the Governor believes that rules are necessary to implement or enforce the provisions of this amendatory Act of the 95th General Assembly, the Governor may suggest rules to the General Assembly by filing them with the Clerk of the House and Secretary of the Senate and by requesting that the General Assembly authorize such rulemaking by law, enact those suggested rules into law, or take any other appropriate action in the General Assembly’s discretion.
1) As a political matter, Madigan’s new strategy is a clear indication that his bitter feud with Blagojevich, a fellow Chicago Democrat, will continue into its second year. The prospect is both titillating (for us political junkies, anyway) and exhausting.
2) As a practical and legal matter, Madigan’s new strategy will make the already cumbersome and dynamic process of lawmaking downright insane. Again, fun to watch. But not so fun if you have an legislative agenda in Springfield and you actually hope to advance it.
The problem with advancing bills will be most acute when those measures reach the Senate, which has not yet signed off on Madigan’s idea and is not expected to since Senate President Emil Jones is a Blagojevich ally.
* Mayor Daley was asked about Jim Laski’s book yesterday, including allegations of corruption that lead directly to the 5th Floor…
The mayor was asked point-blank whether Laski was lying when he claimed to have worked through Daley’s top lieutenants to get Hired Truck business for the lifelong friend who betrayed him.
“He’ll say everything in a book about me. Nobody else. That’s how it is,” Daley said, claiming Laski is “definitely” trying to sell the book by making such allegations.
That would be known in the parlance as a “non-denial denial.”
“Jim Laski has had a lot of personal problems in his life and challenges,” Daley said Thursday. “I know his family. Just get on with his wife, get on with his family, and handle his own situation. I am not going to respond to his personal challenges.”
“When is he gonna have the guts to stand up and tell the truth? It’s typical Daley,” Laski said. “Somebody called him on something, and he doesn’t like it. He’s the mayor. He’s not God. Take responsibility.”
Mayor Richard Daley on Thursday defended the right of Ald. James Balcer (11th) to deny a zoning request for a property in Daley’s native ward and scoffed at the notion that retribution against a developer who has sued the city played any role.
“It’s all ‘political payback’ when someone denies somebody,” Daley said. “I hear that all the time.” […]
Though fingers have been pointed by the media in the Bridgeport Village case, both the Chicago Sun-Times and the Chicago Tribune have been happy to accept zoning “favors” from him, Daley said.
“It’s all right for you, but it is inappropriate for someone else to get it,” he said.
Deny without directly denying and then shift blame elsewhere. Classic Daley.
* Meanwhile, Laski told Fox Chicago about how things allegedly worked in Bill Lipinski’s 23rd Ward…
Mark Suppelsa: “So you guys would not only forge signatures, but you’d even take a look at absentee ballots.”
Jim Laski: “Yeah.”
Mark Suppelsa: “Would you guys cut and paste too if it wasn’t the right…?”
Jim Laski: “Yeah chads were pasted.”
Mark Suppelsa: “If it wasn’t the right guy, you’d move it to the right…”
Jim Laski: “Sure.”
Mark Suppelsa: “Really.”
Mark Suppelsa: “The Chicago way.”
Jim Laski: “The Chicago way.”
* Could Daley’s Olympics bid be tainted by the “Chicago way”?
Chicago 2016 chairman Pat Ryan met with a member of the International Olympic Committee in Kuwait on Feb. 5, officials confirmed Thursday, possibly breaking an Olympic regulation. That rule is designed to insulate IOC voters who will decide which city will host the games.
But Ryan did not speak with Sheikh Ahmad Fahad al-Sabah — who is an IOC member and head of the Olympic Council of Asia — about Chicago’s efforts to secure the Games, Chicago 2016 spokesman Patrick Sandusky said. Sandusky said they discussed education.
* Rock Island County Democratic Chairman John Gianulis resigns after leading party for 4 decades…
There are likely to be several suitors for his job. One of the names mentioned today was former Sen. Denny Jacobs of East Moline.
* Judge rejects bid by Tony Rezko to delay fraud trial
Also Thursday, St. Eve declined to bar the testimony of the government’s key witness, Stuart Levine, who pleaded guilty to scheming with Rezko to extort investment firms seeking state business. […]
Court records show St. Eve also declined to reconsider Rezko’s bond on Thursday.
The horrific tragedy at Northern Illinois University is on all of our minds today, but this is a political blog, so I don’t want us to get dragged into any “debate” over the incident right now. There are plenty of other news sources and blogs out there that are covering this event, so let’s just keep the victims and the entire NIU campus in our thoughts and prayers today. Thanks.
* 11:30 am - I was told yesterday - and then promptly forgot - that the Senate would take up a “trailer bill” for the mass transit bailout today. What I got yesterday is that there would be no attempt to reduce or expand the governor’s amendatory veto to give all seniors free rides on public transit systems statewide.
The Senate is in session now. You can listen or watch here.
***UPDATE *** My bad. The bill, SB 1920, passed out of committee this morning. Here’s the synopsis…
Provides that the County Boards of DuPage, Kane, Lake, McHenry, and Will counties must report annually to the General Assembly and the Commission on Government Forecasting and Accountability certain information regarding moneys received from a retailers’ occupation tax and a service occupation tax imposed by the Regional Transportation Authority.
*** 11:46 am *** Chicago Reporter has a very interesting take on the Cook County State’s Attorney race. First, some bullet points from the press release announcing the story…
* [Anita] Alvarez was the top vote getter in 23 of Cook County’s 80 wards and townships, slightly more than Chicago 38th Ward Alderman Tom Allen and 21st Ward Alderman Howard B. Brookins Jr., who each captured 21 county wards and townships.
* In addition to winning the city’s 11 majority-Latino wards and the heavily Latino townships of Berwyn and Cicero, Alvarez also won two majority-white wards and six majority-white townships, including Schaumburg and Barrington, where Latinos make up less than 10 percent of the population.
* Even where she didn’t finish first, Alvarez finished strong in most places. She received at least 20 percent of the vote in 62 of the county’s 80 wards and townships. By contrast, Allen, Alvarez’s closest competitor, received more than 20 percent of the vote in 51 wards and townships.
* The publication also looked at the African-American vote and came up with this…
[Congressman] Jackson’s backing of third-place finisher, Cook County Commissioner Larry Suffredin, who is white, and the presence of defense lawyer Tommy H. Brewer, an African American, may have diverted votes that might have otherwise gone to Brookins, the leading African American candidate in the race. […]
Suffredin and Brewer received a combined total of more than 62,000 votes in Chicago’s 20 black wards and an additional 33,145 in the six suburban townships with a significant black presence. Brookins received a total of 171,263 votes, or about 71,500 less than Alvarez.
Brookins’ campaign had no traction outside of black wards and townships with a large black presence; he received 90 percent of his votes from those areas. But he garnered less than 5 percent of the votes in more than half of the 80 wards and townships in the county.
Suffredin also captured the 2nd and 27th wards, two predominantly black wards.
*** 12:45 pm *** No resolution yet on moment of silence law…
An Illinois House committee deadlocked today on whether to remove the word “prayer” from the title of a law requiring schools to observe a moment of silence each morning.
The law’s formal name is “The Silent Reflection and Student Prayer Act,” but supporters say that name has triggered a lawsuit. They say the moment of silence is about a brief period of peace and quiet — not prayer.
The proposal to rename the law failed on a 10 to 10 tie in a House education committee.
Other legislators want the law changed more dramatically, so that schools could choose whether or not to observe a moment of silence.
Chicago Public Schools officials said Thursday they need an additional $180 million in state aid to balance the fiscal 2009 budget. But they stopped short of threatening to shut schools, lay off teachers or take other severe steps if the money doesn’t arrive.
In a news conference that provided the first peek at finances for fiscal 2009, which starts in September, schools CEO Arne Duncan said the system faces a hole of $340 million in its $5-billion budget — mostly due to rising costs, but also because of a few new spending initiatives. […]
Chicago schools got an additional $130 million in state aid last year. The city system generally gets about 20% of the state’s school dollar, so boosting Chicago aid by $180 million would imply a $900-million increase statewide, an unlikely figure without some major new state revenue source.
*** 1:35 pm *** What about talking truthfully to legislators, voters, contributors, etc.? [/snark]
Illinois Director of Public Health Dr. Damon Arnold read a proclamation on behalf of Gov. Blagojevich. He implored parents to “talk truthfully” to their children. “Make sure they know that in every sexual encounter there’s a possibility that you can die. When you decide to have unprotected sex, you are putting a loaded gun to your head,” he said.
*** 2:23 pm *** Subscribers read about this in detail this morning, and now the AP has a brief online…
House Speaker Michael Madigan is stepping up his fight with Governor Rod Blagojevich by trying to strip some of the governor’s executive power.
Legislators bickered at length on the House floor today over a new requirement for legislation pushed by Madigan.
He is requiring most bills to include language that bars the governor or his agencies from using administrative rules to implement state programs and services.
Instead, House Democrats want those kinds of instructions to be included in bills lawmakers vote on.
*** 2:36 pm *** Chris Lauzen will apparently not be extending an olive branch to Jim Oberweis, unless it’s to thrash him. Ouch.
* We occasionally do this question after elections, so let’s try it again…
Now that the primary election is over, political candidates are embarking on a new battle: to remove the thousands of campaign signs from the frozen ground.
They’ve been at it for about a week, trying their best to expeditiously remove the colorful signs from yards, corners and other highly visible locations.
“It’s a matter of wanting to do the right thing and prevent visual clutter,” former 92nd District candidate Allen Mayer said of his hundreds of signs. “The weather has not been very cooperative, both in terms of it snowing and being so bitterly cold. It was hard to get them in (the ground) and I’m sure will be equally as hard to get them out.”
* Question: Which candidates still have yard signs up in your area? Are there any particularly egregious examples?
* A bill which passed the Senate last year 56-0 which could pump a bit of money into the Illinois economy remains stuck in the House, and some Senators want the Speaker to take action now…
Larger tax refunds for struggling families hung in the
balance Wednesday, as Democrats in Illinois’ Senate urged the House to pass an economic stimulus bill that’s been collecting dust for the past year.
The bill, which is stuck in a legislative committee, would double the maximum amount of money low-income families collect through their state Earned Income Tax Credit to $470 from $235 over two years. […]
But the bill has a hefty $95.8 million price tag over two years, which is why it hasn’t made better legislative headway yet, Rep. Verschoore said. “That has been the chief hang up,” said Sean Noble, Voices for Illinois Children liaison, who has followed the legislation since it was proposed. “Just the question of how you pay for it — that’s not uncommon for sure when you talk about anything with a price tag.”
Illinois has one of the lowest caps on earned income tax credits in the country, according to Mr. Noble.
It’s not exactly a huge economic stimulus, but i can see the point about raising the cap. Your thoughts?
Several bills to broaden exemptions to the state’s indoor smoking ban were put on hold for at least a week. A House committee was scheduled to hear the bills Wednesday, but Speaker Michael Madigan, D-Chicago, asked the bill sponsors to hold them.
Rep. Randy Ramey Jr. said he was told the speaker wants to remove an exemption for riverboat casinos from a bill Ramey is sponsoring.
[The bill] would allow smoking in bars, bowling alleys, veterans’ halls, strip clubs and casinos. In other words, restaurants would be one of the only mandated smoke-free facilities.
A third bill, sponsored by state Rep. Mike Boland, D-East Moline, would allow veterans clubs, such as the American Legion and Veterans of Foreign Wars, to permit smoking on their premises again.
Early on, Democrats used procedure to prevent a lawmaker from altering his plan allowing smoking in Veterans of Foreign Wars halls and American Legion posts.
The lawmaker, state Rep. Bill Black, R-Danville, slammed down his chair in the hearing room, berated a Democratic staff member in the hallway and later called the committee’s chairwoman “an idiot.”
* Black also complained about a lobbying push against the bills, which he termed “misinformation“…
“Their lobbying groups smack of something out of the 1930s!” Black shouted at members of the House Environmental Health Committee, in an apparent reference to old-fashioned misinformation campaigns. “I’ve received dozens of calls. … They’re telling people that this bill repeals (the smoking ban), and nothing is further from the truth, and they know it!”
Mike Grady, spokesman for the American Cancer Society, later acknowledged that the group had organized a phone campaign to pressure lawmakers to prevent any weakening of the new law, but he emphatically denied it was a misinformation campaign. […]
He alleged that Black’s proposed exemption wouldn’t merely allow smoking in VFW and American Legion halls, as has been suggested, but could be used to lift the ban in thousands of other quasi-public venues all over the state, which could lead to bars and restaurants demanding like treatment. Grady added, “The reason the law was made the way it was, was because it was uniform and equitable across the board. … Any effort to bust that wall down is only going to lead to more” attempted exemptions.
Spending on state sponsored health coverage has grown significantly in the last few years. Liability of the state’s Medicaid plan grew 28% between fiscal years 2003 and 2007. Services provided under the umbrella of state health insurance exceeded $8 billion in fiscal year 2007. […]
While spending more on health care, the number of uninsured in Illinois has not changed significantly. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, approximately 1.76 million Illinoisans (13.9% of the population) were uninsured in 2003. In 2006, the estimate of uninsured was 1.78 million, or 14.0% of the state’s population.
The governor’s office claims that the number of insured has increased since that Census report was issued, but the impact - while undoubtedly important to those who now have health insurance - hasn’t been huge overall, despite all the huffing and puffing from the guv.
* Also, as I told you yesterday, the governor’s office blames legislators for the current budget imbalance, but Hynes points out this hole…
Further contributing to a fiscal year 2008 budgetary imbalance, the Medicaid program appears to be underfunded by at least $220 million when compared to the Governor’s original budget projections.
* And this…
Based on current expenditure trends, well over a billion dollars worth of bills are likely to be sitting at DHFS at the end of the year.
Against the backdrop of looming budget problems, Gov. Rod Blagojevich resumed his push Wednesday for an expensive expansion of state healthcare programs.
Lawmakers pushed back, however, saying they still aren’t confident the state has enough money to bankroll the governor’s plan. […]
(M)embers of the Joint Committee on Administrative Rules said they wanted to first hear the governor’s budget address, which is scheduled for next Wednesday. In a unanimous vote, the panel said it wouldn’t act on the expansion plan until Feb. 26.
That drew complaints from Department of Healthcare and Family Services Director Barry Maram, who is the governor’s point man on health insurance matters.
HFS, one of the state agencies under the governor’s control, in November filed an emergency administrative rule to expand the income-eligibility guidelines for Family Care. JCAR blocked the emergency rule from taking effect, but the governor went ahead with his plans. People already are receiving medical care through the expanded program, Rausch said Wednesday.
Blagojevich’s decision to bypass JCAR prompted a court battle, which is ongoing.
Homeowners facing possible foreclosure will be able to apply to refinance their mortgages at stable, affordable rates under a program to be announced Thursday by Gov. Rod Blagojevich.
The Homeowners Assistance Initiative program, funded with $200 million from four mortgage lenders, is aimed at trying to ease the rising tide of home foreclosures.
9) Melissa Bean , Democrat, Illinois’ 8th ($1.9 million). Though Bean is a centrist Democrat with an effective campaign style, she probably will be a target of the Republican Party as long as she represents this suburban Chicago district, which historically has voted more Republican than Democratic. This year, as she runs for a third term, is no exception: She is opposed by Republican Steve Greenberg, a businessman.
* McCain to raise cash for Oberweis in race to succeed Hastert
* Both parties think the 14th District is theirs to take
During the year that Mayor Daley’s son had a hidden ownership stake in a sewer company, the business not only landed lucrative deals at City Hall, it also got work from another local government — the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago.
* United across party lines, lawmakers take FutureGen fight to Bush
* Officials worry about local economy in wake of Rend Lake closings
Chicago’s African-American population has the city’s biggest untapped economic potential and will play a key role in determining whether the city is globally competitive in the next decade, a study released Wednesday states.
To realize this potential, Chicago’s government and business leaders must improve academic, business and job opportunities for African-Americans, who make up 37 percent of the city’s population, the Chicago Urban League report says.
* The Mayor in the Mirror - When it comes to skyrocketing property taxes, Mayor Daley is wagging his finger in the wrong direction.
* Daley: Property tax assessment reform sought
* Ameren defends request for rate hike in Illinois
* Illinois authorities to compile list of felons needed for DNA database; more here
* Pothole on Edens Expressway snarls morning traffic near Northbrook
* City of Aurora and Planned Parenthood are sued over alleged zoning violations at clinic site
The plaintiffs, including residents and a group called Fox Valley Families Against Planned Parenthood, say the clinic misrepresented itself to the city and to the public, denying residents a chance to express opposition to the clinic.
