Capitol Fax.com - Your Illinois News Radar » 2005

Wednesday, Apr 13, 2005 - Posted by Rich Miller

Another gambling proposal has surfaced in Springfield.
This version is similar to one that Governor Rod Blagojevich introduced last month but it also includes a subsidy for Illinois horse racing.

The governor’s office says he’s interested in the idea.

It comes from Democratic Representative Robert Molaro (moh-LAR’-oh).

He wants to let existing riverboat casinos expand to serve three-thousand people at a time. They are now limited to 12-hundred.

Casinos would have to pay 20-thousand dollars for each new gambling position, but the current 70-percent tax rate would drop to 50-percent.

Three-percent of casinos’ gross revenues would be set aside to help Illinois racetracks.

The plan does not include any new casinos.

15 Comments

Breaking news

Wednesday, Apr 13, 2005 - Posted by Rich Miller

From a press release:

The American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ), which specializes in constitutional law, today filed a lawsuit in state court in Illinois on behalf of two pharmacists challenging Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich’s emergency amendment to the state code requiring pharmacists to dispense medication even if filling the prescriptions violate their conscience and religious beliefs. The ACLJ lawsuit charges that the Governor’s order is unenforceable and urges the court to declare it null and void because it violates state law including the Illinois Health Care Right of Conscience Act.

“This directive is not only legally flawed but it puts pharmacists in the untenable position of having to choose between adhering to their religious beliefs and violating a law that could cost them their jobs,” said Francis J. Manion, Senior Counsel of the ACLJ, which is representing the two pharmacists. “There are protections in place to prevent employees from being punished because of their religious beliefs. The Governor’s directive is out of step with state law and we are urging the court to issue an injunction that would block the enforcement of this directive and ultimately declare the Governor’s action null and void.”

8 Comments

Question of the day

Wednesday, Apr 13, 2005 - Posted by Rich Miller

Some members of the “Comment Posse” (trademark pending) have asked that I post a dangerous question so they can satisfy their bloodlust and commence mass deletions. They really want to kill something. Bad.

However, I’m not ready to tempt the fates just yet. I’m liking this new civility and don’t want to provide any temptation to the handful of morons and hooligans who were populating the comment section before the crackdown.

I’ve told the posse to go with their gut feelings here and delete comments they feel are offensive. Everyone has their own views of what is and isn’t offensive, but I’m curious what you think should be the limit.

So, the question today is, how far should the Comment Posse go?

Posse members are, of course, encouraged to post as well.

25 Comments

Grow up, please (continued from today’s Capitol Fax)

Wednesday, Apr 13, 2005 - Posted by Rich Miller

The goofiness continues.

A new push by Gov. Rod Blagojevich to tighten regulation of landfills has stoked a feud with his father-in-law, Ald. Richard Mell, and prompted some of the governor’s fellow Democrats in Springfield to question whether he is trying to divert attention from more pressing state problems.

“The governor’s office had to be aware that this legislation would resurrect the previous family battles,” said Rep. John Fritchey (D-Chicago). “That simply leaves the question why they want to revisit those issues at a time when southern Illinois is clamoring for medical malpractice reform, northern Illinois is clamoring for regional transportation funding and all of Illinois is looking for education funding reform.” […]

“The feud never ended. It’s just like a divorce–both of them are so emotional,” said one Democrat who has close ties to Blagojevich and Mell and asked that his name not be used. “They could have softened the language [about fathers-in-law] in the bill. Why do we need this in there?” […]

Charles Wheeler, an associate professor at the University of Illinois at Springfield and a longtime state government observer, said he doubted that Blagojevich’s attention on the landfill bill would provide him with a break from more substantive problems facing the state.

“To the extent that people are paying attention to the problems, the problems are so systemic and endemic that you maybe gain the equivalent of 10 minutes of relief, but the headache comes back,” Wheeler said.

This is a private feud. It should stay that way. I’m really disgusted by the whole thing.

By the way, do you want to lay odds on who leaked this story to the press?

A top aide to powerful Ald. Richard Mell (33rd) said Tuesday investigators probing the city’s scandal-ridden Hired Truck Program questioned him recently.

Chuck Lomanto, Mell’s chief of staff, said a subpoena from a grand jury prompted him to meet with investigators and discuss his former job as a general foreman of truck drivers in the city Streets and Sanitation Department.

Lomanto said the investigators told him that he is not a target of their probe.

9 Comments

DJWinfo has the scoop

Wednesday, Apr 13, 2005 - Posted by Rich Miller

If you’re interested in mass transit funding and where it is in the General Assembly right now, check out Weinberger’s report today.

Tomorrow (today) at 10 am the Mass Transit Committee is having a subject matter only hearing on the 1983 funding formula for how the saes tax is allocated to RTA, Pace, Metra and the CTA. It is possible and not unlikely that Chairwoman Julie Hamos will begin the ’solution’ phase of the proceedings by releasing what she thinks a 2005 funding formula ought to look like.

Glad to see he’s doing more in Springfield than hanging out with gorgeous women. I kid you not, the man is a magnet.

3 Comments

Good one

Wednesday, Apr 13, 2005 - Posted by Rich Miller

I always read Mark Brown’s Sun-Times columns, but today’s is definitely worth a plug.

Several bills are on this day’s agenda for the Environment and Energy Committee agenda. The hearing room is packed.

The room itself has been lovingly restored, its ceiling an intricate vision of pastels, but you only notice when your mind wanders — from watching all that legislating.

Legislating can be a tedious process, even for legislators.

Sen. Donne Trotter (D-Chicago) is playing with his microphone. The microphones are adjustable.

Trotter makes his microphone stand up straight. He makes it bounce. He makes it twirl around. How does he do that?

Just another mystery of the legislative process.

It’s a fresh perspective on the Statehouse and a very good read. Make sure you check it out today.

2 Comments

Pal o’ mine

Wednesday, Apr 13, 2005 - Posted by Rich Miller

Sean Hemmerle is a photographer friend of mine from when I was in Baghdad. We had a great time together drinking beer on the roof of our hotel at night, listening to the gunfire and talking about our very weird days. We got to know each other pretty well during that relatively short period of time.

Sean is working on a photo book about political walls. He’s traveled to Berlin, Israel, Mexico… just everywhere.

In the meantime, he has a gallery opening this Saturday, and while I doubt that many of you are planning to be in New York before May 8th, if you do go tell him I said hey.

Lots more info here.

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