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Friday, May 18, 2007 - Posted by Rich Miller

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Protected: SUBSCRIBERS ONLY - Gaming; Rates; Fees; Drugs; HIV; Ceasefire; Veggie oil; Rutherford; Seatbelts (Use all caps in password)

Friday, May 18, 2007 - Posted by Rich Miller

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Friday baseball blogging

Friday, May 18, 2007 - Posted by Rich Miller

The World Series trophy was at the Statehouse again, this time for the St. Louis Cardinals, who took the big prize last fall.

There was a big celebration yesterday at the Statehouse and this hilarious quote from Cardinals President Mark Lamping during a speech to the Illinois House…

“We do have more in common with Cubs fans than people think,” he said. “Until last October, neither team had won a world championship since they moved into their new stadiums.”

Ha!

The Cards moved into their new stadium in 2006. The Flubs moved into their “new” stadium in 1914.

Lamping gets our “Quote of the Month” award.

This is a Major League Baseball open thread.

Go Sox.

17 Comments

Question of the day

Friday, May 18, 2007 - Posted by Rich Miller

The setup…

Getting on a ballot in DuPage County could get a bit tougher if a plan proposed by state Rep. Bob Biggins, an Elmhurst Republican, becomes law.

The proposal would require candidates for county office to collect either 300 petition signatures or an amount equal to one-half of one percent of those who voted for their party in the last election, whichever is greater.

Members of the DuPage County government were concerned the current requirements to get on the ballot were too low given the county’s growing population. For instance, a Republican candidate for DuPage County Board District 1 in 2006 needed only 73 signatures to get on the ballot.

The question: Is this a prudent proposal? Also, should potential candidates have to show at least some ability to garner support before they appear on a ballot? Why or why not?

6 Comments

Little Bubba may spark a new law

Friday, May 18, 2007 - Posted by Rich Miller

Remember Howard Ludwig, the Daily Southtown columnist who got a FOID card for his baby? Well, Ludwig’s hilarious column describing the process has created a bit of a stir…

A Southland lawmaker will draft legislation to revoke the exemption in Illinois’ trigger lock law that allows homeowners to keep unlocked, loaded guns in a home if the children have Firearm Owners Identification cards.

The little-known aspect in the state’s gun law was revealed this week by Daily Southtown columnist Howard Ludwig, who legally obtained a firearm identification card for his infant son. […]

Ludwig, the Southtown’s Stay-at-Home Dad columnist, wrote in Sunday’s paper about getting such a card for his 11-month-old namesake son, better known as “Bubba.” The baby’s grandfather gave him a shotgun as a gift, and Ludwig wanted to see if the state would issue him the $5 ID card. […]

“The issue today that Bubba Ludwig got a FOID card, that’s a minor problem compared to the issue that gun owners who want to avoid the law can pay a $5 fee and then they don’t have to comply with gun safety laws,” Scully said. “I don’t think requiring people to use gun locks is an unreasonable intrusion on gun owners’ rights.”

The loophole was discovered when Ludwig got an e-mail from John Birch, the former president of Concealed Carry Illinois…

In his e-mail, Birch included pictures of FOID cards for his two children. His son was 15 months old when he got a card. His daughter was 8 years old.

Anyone owning a firearm or ammunition in Illinois must have a FOID card. The card is also needed to legally transport an unloaded weapon.

However, Birch had a different reason for getting his kids FOID cards. He wanted to “keep a loaded gun (or two) for self defense around the house.”

Illinois law requires parents with children younger than 14 years old to keep guns in a locked safe or use a gunlock that makes the weapon inoperable.

Meanwhile, there’s a move afoot to close other loopholes in the state’s gun laws…

Invoking the memory of last month’s massacre at Virginia Tech, a panel of Illinois lawmakers unanimously approved a proposal to “close loopholes” in the state’s gun laws.

If approved, the measure would force the state to contribute information to a federal gun database. Further, it would extend the list of people prohibited from buying a firearm to include mental outpatients judged to be a threat to themselves or others.

Ann Spillane, chief of staff in the Illinois attorney general’s office, said the state’s current database, which is maintained by Illinois State Police, includes only those patients who have received in-patient mental health treatment. […]

Todd Vandermyde, the National Rifle Association’s Springfield lobbyist, was on hand for the vote but offered no opposition during debate before the Senate Public Health Committee.

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Trial lawyers to have new ammo: “Grief and sorrow”

Friday, May 18, 2007 - Posted by Rich Miller

* Kevin McDermott of the Post-Dispatch has a top-notch report today on a bill that cleared the Senate and is now heading to the governor. Here are some excerpts, but you really should go read the whole thing to see just how good this story is. Pretty much every Illinois Statehouse reporter does a good job when their editors take off the shackles, and McDermott was obviously allowed to pursue several angles on this legislation…

Illinois lawmakers on Thursday passed a measure that lets jurors consider the grief and sorrow of survivors when deciding payouts in wrongful death lawsuits — a move that promises to reopen political wounds from the state’s medical malpractice battle of two years ago. […]

llinois now allows jurors to consider several factors when deciding how much to award plaintiffs who prevail in wrongful death suits. Factors include actual damages such as loss of income, as well as “noneconomic'’ damages such as the loss of love, comfort and other intangibles by the survivor-plaintiffs.

The new legislation would add heartache to that list of intangibles, allowing jurors to consider “damages for grief, sorrow, and mental suffering, to the surviving spouse and next of kin of such deceased person.'’ […]

Opponents say the change could prompt juries to go right up to the top award limits in more cases — and could lead to a rash of astronomical awards if those limits are eventually removed by the courts.

* More from the Daily Herald…

During debate over the proposal, which narrowly passed the Senate 31-23, Raoul and other lawmakers brought up a 2001 Illinois law, under which people could collect damages for mental suffering over the wrongful death of a pet.

“That’s ridiculous, and that’s hypocrisy,” Raoul said regarding a lack of similar treatment for humans. “We can get grief and sorrow for cats and dogs, but not people?”

The Illinois State Medical Society opposed the plan, claiming it would increase medical malpractice insurance premiums. Other critics say Democrats and trial lawyers are merely trying to get around recently enacted caps on pain and suffering damages in lawsuits by expanding the situations in which someone can sue.

Thoughts?

12 Comments

“No growth” off the table? Plus: Meeks on the budget, gaming and the guv’s hair; House survey

Friday, May 18, 2007 - Posted by Rich Miller

* I told subscribers about this letter in an “extra” yesterday afternoon. The Tribune had a piece today…

Fifteen Democratic senators on Thursday demanded that lawmakers tackle school funding reform this session while gambling advocates renewed their pitch that more casinos would help solve the state’s budget problems.

Sen. Kimberly Lightford (D-Maywood), who leads the Senate Education Committee, is among the coalition of black, white and Hispanic lawmakers from across the state who signed a statement saying that any talk of a “no-growth budget is off the table.”

* The letter is below. Click the pic for a larger image…

* Excerpt…

We will not be party to a betrayal of the people who elected us on a promise to bring education funding reform by voting for a no-growth budget. How can we Democrats work to gain a super-majority in the Senate, control the House of Representatives and control the governor’s mansion and not use this trust bestowed upon us by the people to bring education funding reform?

* Sen. James Meeks circulated the letter yesterday. Southtown columnist Phil Kadner has some quotes…

Meeks also said the governor would be breaking a personal promise to him if he supported such a scheme.

“When I withdrew from the governor’s race (in 2006), Gov. Blagojevich promised he would pass school funding legislation if re-elected,” Meeks said.

“If he signed a no-growth budget, I would consider that a betrayal of his promise to me and the people of Illinois.”

* Meeks also told Kadner that he is against expanding casino gaming in Illinois, saying “We may as well legalize brothels.”

“Brothels are legal in Nevada, just like gambling,” Meeks said. “They would bring in a lot of tax revenue, if that’s the intention. Then every little school girl in Illinois could one day aspire to becoming a prostitute.”

* We also have some raw audio of Meeks talking about the letter and gaming, courtesy of the fine folks at Metro Networks…

[audio:JamesMeeks.mp3]

* Excerpts…

“It doesn’t even have to be an income tax… Let’s put all the combs that [Blagojevich] combs his hair with on eBay.” […]

“He said during the summertime he was going to sell the Lottery for education. That plan seems to be gone off the table.” […]

“We’re at the point where somebody should start discussing how absurd the system is of waiting until the last 15 days to get serious. We’ve been here now for four months? Why would be just down to the serious discussion of the budget?”

* Back to today’s Tribune story for a moment…

Speaker Michael Madigan (D-Chicago) is sifting through surveys aimed at determining whether his caucus would support any type of tax increase and how much his troops believe should be spent in next year’s budget.

I also wrote about this survey in yesterday’s Capitol Fax. Since the Tribune reported on it, here’s a copy of the survey for your perusal…

Notice that there’s no category in the survey of House Democrats for the governor’s health insurance proposal.

* The funniest item of the day has to be the Tribune’s mockery of Gov. Blagojevich in an editorial that compares him to a Monty Python character.

36 Comments

Morning Shorts

Friday, May 18, 2007 - Posted by Paul Richardson

* ACLU: Illinois courts unprepared for girls seeking abortions

* Illinois Civil Service Commission ignores judge’s advice for 14 day suspension for Casey/Defraties

* Decision on fired Blagojevich workers delayed

* Commission wants more evidence in civil service firings

* Vrdolyak lawyer rips key witness

* Vrdolyak denies U.S. charges

* Editorial: An average state with average voters

* State backs HIV test change

* U of I tuition, fees soar:

Over the last decade, the state’s flagship university system has raised the cost of an education by more than 250 percent — five times the rate at which Americans’ incomes grew during that period and eight times the rate of inflation.

* U o f I freshman will be paying $18,900 per year

* Illinois higher education funding dwindles

* U of I will sell stock in firms tied to Sudan

* Law may sanction mixed martial arts

* Cardinals trophy gets mostly warm reception in Capitol

* Case of troubled Metro East hotel goes to federal prosecutors

* City to get other ‘Block 37′

* Ministers call on state lawmakers for tax cap

The expiring cap law allows homeowners to deduct up to $20,000 from the taxable value of their home, which is used to compute their annual property tax bill. Houlihan backs a version that would increase that maximum deduction to $60,000 per year.
Madigan wants the “cap on the cap” to stay at $20,000

* Stroger camp faces heat over budget questions

* Daley orders thousands of city managers to take unpaid furlough day

* City moves to tighten its belt on spending

* CTA chief warns of fare hikes, service cuts; more here

* Friday Beer Blogging: Nightmare Edition

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