* The city has apparently pulled the plug…
…Adding… HFA 3 to SB 222 looks to be the last major item on the House’s agenda today. It’s a “cleanup” measure backed by the Illinois Gaming Board. The proposal allows the FBI to conducted fingerprinting on gaming background checks. And it addresses some confidentiality issues in the sports betting law. Without this bill, the gaming expansion rollout would be delayed.
…Adding… The city has apparently put a down arrow on the cleanup bill in retaliation for not getting its casino legislation. The bill has an immediate effective date, so it will require 71 votes. Stay tuned.
*** UPDATE 1 *** After several Chicago legislators rose in outrage that the Chicago casino bill wasn’t brought to the floor for a vote, the House approved the cleanup bill 72-7-3 with 35 not voting. Many of those who didn’t vote were Chicagoans or suburban women.
*** UPDATE 2 *** Mayor Lightfoot…
While we are disappointed that a much-needed fix to the gaming bill won’t be made during this compressed veto session, the Chicago casino is still very much in the sightline thanks to the progress we’ve made with our state partners. While this delay does not impact the City’s FY 2020 budget, this fiscal challenge looms large for FY 2021 and thereafter. Thus, the heightened sense of urgency remains. A substantial percentage of the state’s vertical capital bill depends on the revenue from a Chicago casino.
After 30 years of only being talked about, our proposal has moved Chicago closer than ever to bringing much-needed relief for our police and fire pension funds, while unlocking significant economic opportunity for our communities and capital funding for our entire state. From the beginning, the city’s proposal for the gaming bill has always been about finding a workable tax structure for a casino development that is projected to fuel thousands of new jobs, create hundreds of millions in new gaming revenues for the City as well as the state, all while redirecting $260 million in additional funds annually that have otherwise been lost out to gambling across the border.
I want to thank Governor Pritzker, Speaker Madigan, Senate President Cullerton, Representative Rita and members of the Chicago Federation of Labor, as well as other members of the General Assembly for their partnership this veto session, and I look forward to continuing our conversations about advancing the casino starting in January. With so much potential on the line, our city and state deserve to get this done and get this done right.
- Wow - Thursday, Nov 14, 19 @ 3:46 pm:
Big failure by MLL.. had months to put a simple bill together.
- Oswego Willy - Thursday, Nov 14, 19 @ 3:49 pm:
But… the Mayor has a mandate… and the Mayor will tank the progressive tax… and the …
Tough lesson for a mayor who can’t help but get in her own way.
- Chicago Cynic - Thursday, Nov 14, 19 @ 3:49 pm:
W.O.W.
- Bertrum Cates - Thursday, Nov 14, 19 @ 3:49 pm:
Negotiating through the press, blaming the Legislature for shortcomings, throwing out blatantly false accusations, and an inability to accept compromise.
Where have I seen this before?
- Ok - Thursday, Nov 14, 19 @ 3:49 pm:
Always bet on nothing happening
- Rich Miller - Thursday, Nov 14, 19 @ 3:50 pm:
===Always bet on nothing happening ===
You would’ve lost all your money in May.
- Melido Perez - Thursday, Nov 14, 19 @ 3:53 pm:
Did she suggest that the General Assembly paid off faith leaders to kill the bill?
- @misterjayem - Thursday, Nov 14, 19 @ 3:58 pm:
I’ve never seen so much post-election good will squandered so quickly.
The Mayor’s team really needs to get its act together — and soon.
– MrJM
- DarkDante - Thursday, Nov 14, 19 @ 3:59 pm:
Queue blame game in 3… 2…
Seriously worried about MLL’s communications and legislative teams. This should have been the first thing on her to do list. Her team should have been working the halls of the Capitol for weeks if not months now (especially seeing as how she was the one who lined right up behind the “too onerous” argument about the tax structure).
- Bernie Epton RIP - Thursday, Nov 14, 19 @ 3:59 pm:
Lightfoot continues to prove she’s in over her head and that she needs some experienced hands on her staff. Sad.
- Oswego Willy - Thursday, Nov 14, 19 @ 4:01 pm:
Lightfoot goes *down* to try to salvage things and the mayor and Crew still are outside looking in.
Maybe it was bad to have Lightfoot talk to the HDems?
Think on that.
- Oswego Willy - Thursday, Nov 14, 19 @ 4:03 pm:
Amateurs get *one* chance to be… Amateurs.
The whole operation has so much to prove, be it in the city or downstate.
Lightfoot isn’t helping herself, but at some point, if the boss won’t listen to you, then it’s on the whole group, Crew included to figure out how to be scussesful.
- crazybleedingheart - Thursday, Nov 14, 19 @ 4:06 pm:
==The Mayor’s team really needs to get its act together — and soon.==
But … they aren’t allowed to fire the principal
- Ebenezer - Thursday, Nov 14, 19 @ 4:11 pm:
===Always bet on nothing happening ===
=You would’ve lost all your money in May.=
But with all the money you would have banked in the Rauner years you wouldn’t care.
- DuPage Saint - Thursday, Nov 14, 19 @ 4:17 pm:
Is it worth trying to get a bid under the current law? Why not try? Otherwise probably be a long time coming. Are other towns proceeding under the current law?
- SSL - Thursday, Nov 14, 19 @ 4:21 pm:
Mayor Lightweight needs to take a step back and reflect on why there is so much self inflicted damage. Think twice before you say anything, and when you are sure your position is solid, step back and think again.
- Chuckles - Thursday, Nov 14, 19 @ 4:26 pm:
Maybe The Mayor needs to hire the ComEd lobbying team.
- Chicagonk - Thursday, Nov 14, 19 @ 4:33 pm:
All of the Chicago legislators should be disappointed that they allowed this to happen.
- City Zen - Thursday, Nov 14, 19 @ 4:38 pm:
Rosemont It.
- Ok - Thursday, Nov 14, 19 @ 4:41 pm:
=== You would’ve lost all your money in May. ===
I am a responsible better. Never bet all your money.
And really, if the bills they passed in may were broken, did they really pass them at all?
I think we are all looking a bit different at Capital, Gaming, and Marijuana today vs. May.
- low level - Thursday, Nov 14, 19 @ 4:52 pm:
Governor from Chicago
Senate President from Chicago
House Speaker from …. (drum roll) Chicago
Yet Mayor of Chicago cant get it done. This is what happens when you vote for outsider “progressives”.
(I’d really hate to see how she would have done when Pate was around and the Dems hadn’t elected a Governor in a generation)
- Oswego Willy - Thursday, Nov 14, 19 @ 5:09 pm:
=== Yet Mayor of Chicago cant get it done. This is what happens when you vote for outsider “progressives”.===
While not “wrong”, I’d say it more this;
When your word is worthless, you want to fight everyone, you attack easy allies in the press, you threaten from the weak position… when you can’t count to 60/30 (the 13 Dems who “opposed” her in the House, for example) and when you can’t close the deal on a personal appeal…
… that’s on any Pol… and the failure of a Crew that couldn’t save that Pol from themselves.
That whole crew and Mayor need to seriously take stock of who they are (as a Crew, top to bottom) and how they go about their business… publicly, and behind the scenes.
This is a huge wake-up call. Will they all wake up and learn, or continue to be asleep at the switch to get what needs to be done… done.
- Thomas Paine - Thursday, Nov 14, 19 @ 5:19 pm:
Progressive outsider Will Guzzardi passed insulin bill.
Progressive outsider Kelly Cassidy passed cannabis.
That was just this session.
I am not going to relitigate Lightfoot’s progressive credentials. She fought against social workers in schools, wants to water down the minimum wage, champions pension theft etc. But believe what you want.
Just don’t delude yourself into believing progressives or outsiders are ineffective by their very nature.
Lightfoot has been a train wreck because of Lightfoot.
- James - Thursday, Nov 14, 19 @ 5:20 pm:
If everything went well–the legislature passes the bill in May, the bidding takes 90 days, the construction takes 4 months, Chicago might have a casino at the earliest in the first half of 2021.
But I can also visualize the Mayor out there passing her re-election petitions in late 2022, with no casino on the horizon.
- Montrose - Thursday, Nov 14, 19 @ 5:20 pm:
To the retaliatory vote - That’s her victory?
“You passed your bill, but with only one vote to spare. Take that, Springfield.”
- Oswego Willy - Thursday, Nov 14, 19 @ 5:40 pm:
To Lightfoot’s response;
“We’ll try in January, we’re good for now, the state needs this casino too… the end”
Lots of words to say that one sentence.
Then again, you fail, ya gotta explain yourself out of how bad it actually is.
It’s quite bland. It’s better than blaming everyone, so there’s that.
They have got to get better at these things.
- Rod - Thursday, Nov 14, 19 @ 5:44 pm:
Well there it is pretty obvious that Chicago was not going to be granted a bigger cut of the tax revenue than other casinos outside of the City unless everyone got that kind of a deal. The revenue hit was just to big if it was passed on to all the casinos state wide. I am sure there was opposition from both Democrats and Republicans to the amendment. Lightfoot seems lost right now.
- Chicago Cynic - Thursday, Nov 14, 19 @ 6:30 pm:
This is actually a good day for her. Her team failed her and she didn’t know what she didn’t know. She’s going to have to come to grips with that and make a course correction…fast. In the end, this will be a gift.
- {Sigh} - Thursday, Nov 14, 19 @ 7:27 pm:
If the mayor really want a fix, then she should have stayed in Springfield longer. When you want something bad, you don’t swoop in for one day…One day is just a photo opt & soundbites…Leadership means staying to the end and giving it your best try, instead of leaving it up to other to figure out. {sigh}
- Been There - Thursday, Nov 14, 19 @ 9:36 pm:
I’m not going to say her and her team did the best job but it is never easy opening up that gaming Pandora’s box. And not having Madigan involved made it harder to herd the cats.
But while labor did work the bill there could have been way more involvement. That she should have been able to easily do. She also should have coordinated better opposition to the other gaming clean up bill and held that hostage and used as a carrot to other gaming town legislators.
- Thomas Paine - Thursday, Nov 14, 19 @ 9:57 pm:
It’s a well-worded statement from Mayor Lightfoot.
The statement of peace and words of praise for cooperation, however, are overshadowed by her attempt to kill the trailer bill for gaming.
Do they give her a pass, no harm done?
- Nadigam - Thursday, Nov 14, 19 @ 10:53 pm:
=== It’s a well-worded statement from Mayor Lightfoot.===
Some words missing from that statement are ‘Durkin’ and ‘Brady’. Big swing and miss by the mayor. She got called out publicly by Rep. Butler for not meeting with HGOP.
- Been There - Thursday, Nov 14, 19 @ 11:10 pm:
===She got called out publicly by Rep. Butler for not meeting with HGOP. ====
I agree except she had to have something to trade. Definitely would cost her or at least some Chicago Dems to take votes and push bills they would not be inclined to take.
- Oswego Willy - Friday, Nov 15, 19 @ 7:36 am:
Mr. Butler’s phony screech reinforces two very important things Raunerites need to understand;
There was little chance any HGOP member(s) were going to vote for Chicago’s casino plan (I don’t blame them, it’s about being purely disingenuous)
There’s little chance on this issue specifically that there was an honest open mind to discussions to vote for the Chicago change.
If there was, Leader Durkin would’ve and could’ve helped his personal friend by ensuring the possibility of both happening.