This just in, Part 2…
Thursday, Jul 26, 2007 - Posted by Rich Miller
* 5:34 pm - Senators are trickling into the chamber, so let’s open up a new thread. It could be an interesting evening as the Democrats may attempt to move a budget, the governor’s health care bill, a 90 cents per pack increase in the cigarette tax and the rate relief legislation. We can probably expect a long wait while the two parties caucus, however.
Also, if you’re just joining us, or missed part of the old thread, there’s been an update on the Cardinal George story. Despite the repeated insistence by the governor’s office that the Cardinal was calling Senate Democrats on behalf of the Illinois Covered plan, and other sources reporting the same thing, a lobbyist for the Catholic Conference said several minutes ago that to his knowledge, the Cardinal “has had no direct communication on this issue at this time” and it was “unknown” if he would.
Some other big news in the old thread which kinda got buried is that Congressman Ray LaHood is planning to announce his retirement tomorrow. Word is that Rep. Aaron Schock is giving the race a close look, which would be very bad for the Illinois House GOP since Schock’s district is so heavily Democratic.
* 5:45 pm - Sen. Rickey Hendon is in the chair and just said that the Senate would be taking votes very soon. The Rules Committee is about to meet.
Listen to the Senate debate here.
* 5:48 pm - I’ve told Paul to abandon his post and head to Boone’s. No sense in making him wait around. So, the party will start soon. Get over there and buy the guy a beer if you can.
* 5:51 pm - The Senate is now taking up the rate relief bill.
Rep. Schock, by the way, was one of 33 House members who voted against the rate relief bill. The roll call can be downloaded here.
* 5:56 pm - Interesting news from the Daily Herald…
Suburban lawmakers are on the verge of cutting a deal to raise the sales tax by a half-cent to bail out the CTA, Metra, Pace and build more roads.
A quarter-cent would go to keep trains and buses running, while the other quarter cent would go to suburban counties to build new roads and widen existing ones. […]
Initial suburban opposition was quelled Wednesday as the RTA cut the amount of cash going to the CTA, raised the amount going to Metra and Pace and required Chicago taxpayers to pony up much more in the form of a real estate transfer tax.
* 6:06 pm - House Republicans voting “Yes” on the electric rate relief bill: Bost, Cole, Coulson, Cultra, Durkin, Hassert, Bill Mitchell, Moffitt, Munson, Myers, Pritchard, Reboletti, Sommer, Tracy, Watson.
* 6:18 pm - The AP has a story up about LaHood…
U.S. Rep. Ray LaHood says he will retire next year after seven terms in Congress.
The Peoria Republican said in an interview Thursday with Peoria radio station WCBU that he decided to move on after 30 years in politics.
*** 6:38 pm *** The Senate has approved the electric rate relief bill 40-13-1. You can find the roll call here. It now goes to the governor.
*** 7:10 pm *** The Senate has adjourned for the evening without taking up the budget bills or the health insurance bill - or anything else beyond several resolutions. That’s it for me. Time to head to the party.
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* 12:13 pm - My buddy Ryan Hermes has been back in Springfield and blogging for WLS Radio the past couple of days. His latest update…
A proposal to crack down on predatory lending just passed out of the Illinois House.
Up next, the Senate.
The bill, SB 1167, can be found here.
* 12:41 pm - As if it didn’t have enough trouble, AFSCME is now lobbying against Senate President Emil Jones’ budget bill.
* 12:47 pm - Another update from Ryan Hermes…
It looks like a vote on the electric rate relief package will be coming this afternoon. […]
A source tells me that [problems] should be ironed out soon and the relief plan should pass both the House AND Senate today.
*** 2:11 pm *** It looks like the Senate has a new amendment that increases the proposed cigarette tax increase from 75 cents a pack to 90 cents a pack. The old amendment imposed a 37.5 mills per cigarette tax increase, while the new amendment proposes a 45 mills increase. It also has this language…
The county board of any county may, by ordinance or resolution, impose a county cigarette tax upon any person engaged in business as a retailer of cigarettes in a county located in this State. If imposed, the tax may not exceed the rate of 100 mills per cigarette sold or otherwise disposed of in the course of such business in this State.
[Adding… 100 mills would be $2 a pack.]
Meanwhile, Health care providers have been asking for an increase in their reimbursement rates as part of any agreement to support the governor’s health insurance plan. (The Illinois State Medical Society filed in opposition to the insurance bill this week, however.) That same Senate amendment would create a new “Healthcare Provider Relief Fund.” According to the amendment, 17 percent of the cigarette tax money raised will go into that fund.
* 2:27 pm - An amendment to be taken up in Senate Executive Committee at 3 pm will raise the state’s borrowing authority to $34,348,149,369 from $27,658,149,369 - if you’re having trouble reading those big numbers, the increase is about $6.7 billion.
* 2:29 pm - The Illinois House is debating the electric relief bill. Listen here.
* 2:37 pm - The Senate plans to runs its budget proposal through the Approriations 2 Committee today at 3:30 pm. Download the proposal here and here.
*** 3:11 pm *** Bringing out the big guns. The governor’s office confirms that Cardinal Francis George is telephoning some Senate Democrats (Catholics, of course) to urge them to change their minds and vote for the governor’s health insurance bill. He appears to be making progress.
The governor asked the Cardinal earlier today to make the calls.
******************
5:18 pm UPDATE: The governor’s office has insisted, and did so yet again a few minutes ago, that the Cardinal made the calls, and other good sources backed that up. But I got through to the Catholic Conference a bit ago and was given this statement by one of their lobbyists:
“To my knowledge, he has had no direct communication on this issue at this time.”
The lobbyist added that it was “Undetermined” whether the Cardinal will make calls on this bill.
Contacts were apparently made by the Cardinal’s staff, however. Sorry about that.
******************
* 3:49 pm - The president of Dominick’s Finer Foods has released a letter praising the governor’s health insurance plan, but offering some additional suggestions. It’s not the Cardinal, but it’s something.
* 4:01 pm - The Daily Herald has a story up about the new cigarette tax hike…
Told Thursday that their 75-cent cigarette tax increase likely won’t bring in as many millions as first predicted, Senate Democrats responded by adding another 15 cents to make it a 90-cent per pack hike. […]
As proposed, all other counties in the state would gain the same authority to impose up to a $2 per pack tax as well. DuPage County has been lobbying lawmakers for this in an effort to try to fill its budget shortfalls. […]
Raising the tax another 15 cents would bring in nearly $50 million more.
*** 4:48 pm *** Rumors have been circulating in Washington, DC that Congressman Ray LaHood will announce his retirement tomorrow. A very top source with close access to LaHood says that will, indeed, happen. More later, perhaps.
*** 4:49 pm *** The House has approved the electri rate relief bill 80-33.
Adding… The roll call can be found here.
* 4:59 pm - The House has adjourned until tomorrow morning.
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Jerk of the month *** Updated x3 ***
Thursday, Jul 26, 2007 - Posted by Rich Miller
[I’ve changed the title and format to give this one it’s own post.]
Jerk of the Month: Peoria County juvenile court judge, Albert Purham, Jr.
A Peoria County juvenile court judge, Albert Purham, Jr., would not allow a blogger, Elaine Hopkins for Peoriastory.com, to observe and cover a July 25 juvenile court hearing. He ruled that a blogger is not a journalist under Illinois law.
Juvenile court is closed to the public in Illinois, but by law is open to journalists.
Operating a a “so-called blog” doesn’t make the person a journalist, Purham said.
Before the ruling he consulted the lawyers in the courtroom. A lawyer for the parent in this child welfare case had no objection, and her client, Lorraine Singleton who lost her children in 2003 and is trying to get them back, also had no objection.
But assistant state’s attorney Susan Lucas objected, as did an unidentified female lawyer apparently representing the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services.
An explanation that Peoriastory.com has operated since February 2007, has business cards, and is run by Hopkins, a former newspaper reporter known to court personnel, did not sway the judge.
Peoria Pundit adds his two cents…
One wonders what Judge Purham would have done were he a judge decades ago when the first radio journalists began doing their jobs. Most early broadcast reporters were, like Elaine, veterans of the print world who were trying their hand at a new exciting way to distribute the news. Would Purham have turned away young Walter Cronkite, a United Press reporter before he became Uncle Walter?
What makes a person a journalist isn’t the particular media he or she uses to disseminate the news. It’s the fact that they are disseminating the news to a mass audience.
My own advice to all bloggers who are doing legit journalism and want to avoid problems with jerks like Purham: Join the National Writers Union. Dues are relatively inexpensive and they have a vetting process for issuing press passes, so their approval adds substantial weight when dealing with those unfortunate souls who are still living in the 20th Century. There are other benefits as well. I’m a member.
*** UPDATE 1 *** YDD makes an excellent point in comments about this issue by citing state law [705 ILCS 405/1-5(6)]
The general public except for the news media and the crime victim, as defined in Section 3 of the Rights of Crime Victims and Witnesses Act, shall be excluded from any hearing
Which YDD points out means…
I don’t think you’ll find anyone on the street today who would disagree that the Internet is a medium for news. Whether a blogger fits the definition of “journalist” is another question, but a completely irrelevant one under the law.
[Emphasis added]
And then there’s this…
This Act shall be liberally construed to carry out the foregoing purpose and policy.
YDD…
In other words, when in doubt, use the most liberal interpretation.
*** UPDATE 2 *** This was no run of the mill hearing. The grandmother of the girl in question claims she was abused in a foster home and has criticized a local judge. Elaine Hopkins, the blogger who was banned from the courtroom, is a former journalist and has covered the story on her blog…
Crystal Clark has settled down in front of the Peoria County courthouse, on the corner of Main and Jefferson, to protest the treatment of her grandchildren in foster care, and the refusal of Chief Judge Rick Grawey to meet with her group to discuss child welfare issues. […]
She said her grandchildren had been found to be dehydrated at the hands of foster parents, and she plans to refuse both food and water to call attention to their treatment. […]
Clark’s daughter lost the children when she was sent to prison for petty theft, but the children remained in the home they all were sharing with Clark. Then the children were removed from Clark’s care by a Catholic Social Service caseworker and placed in foster care. […]
While in foster care the children were abused, she said, and placed in several homes including one condemned by the the city of Peoria, before landing in foster care in a rural Peoria home. They have not been taken to their own church, she said, adding religious discrimination to the list of problems.
*** UPDATE 3 *** Google News is not 100 percent comprehensive, but it appears that the story about the foster care case is not being covered by the local media. I also have found no mention of the main players on the Peoria Journal-Star’s website.
Elaine Hopkins appears to be the only media person in the area who’s expressed any interest in this case. Without her reporting, nobody is gonna know anything. Maybe that’s how the Peoria judges like it.
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Question of the day
Thursday, Jul 26, 2007 - Posted by Rich Miller
Instead of the standard question today, I’d like to ask you a favor.
My intern Paul Richardson’s last day is tomorrow. He may be sticking around to do Morning Shorts for a while, but he’s leaving town on Saturday. Here’s what I wrote about him in this morning’s Capitol Fax…
My faithful and trusted intern, Paul Richardson, is leaving us tomorrow. Paul is going back to UIUC to finish his master’s degree and then perhaps to law school. I don’t know what I’m gonna do without that young man. He’s been a real treasure. Dependable, smart, honest, you name it. If you’re in Springfield this evening, head to Boone’s after session and help us send Paul off with gusto.
First, please try to make it to Boone’s tonight if you can.
Second, let’s all wish Paul well in comments. Thanks.
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More on the rate deal
Thursday, Jul 26, 2007 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Jack Darin of the Sierra Club describes a completely overlooked aspect of the electric rate deal…
…the General Assemlby is poised to approve a mandate that 25% of our electricity come from clean, renewable sources like wind by 2025; and to require that utilities plan for helping us customers use less energy.
The environmental benefits of the clean energy pieces of the rate deal are as significant as the shift in the politics of environmental protection in Illinois.
* Meanwhile, the Republicans are still complaining about the proposal, which cleared a House committee yesterday on partisan lines…
Republicans opposed the deal during Wednesday’s hearing, saying that the $1 billion wasn’t enough and that the state’s attorney general shouldn’t drop lawsuits against the utility companies.
Republicans also complained that Democrats kept them out of the negotiating process.
“It was my understanding that the door was open,” state Rep George Scully, D-Flossmoor, said.
Even though Democrats control the state House and Senate, Republican opposition could block the deal’s approval in the House.
* More…
Republican votes are needed to pass the plan if the [House] chamber votes, as planned, on Thursday. Republicans complained in committee that ComEd is helping to underwrite relief for Downstate consumers served by Ameren Corp. and they questioned how much the package would help individual consumers.
* And still more…
“It’s chump change,” said Rep. David Leitch, R-Peoria. “I get to tell all these constituents whose bills have doubled and tripled and quadrupled that they get eight bucks a month in relief?”
* And even more…
One controversial portion of the deal that’s unsettling to some is that the state would dismiss six lawsuits brought against the utilities and power companies as a result of the September power auction. That includes the case filed by Attorney General Lisa Madigan’s office that alleged the power companies colluded to set electricity prices that robbed customers of an extra $4.3 million.
Rep. Jim Durkin, a Western Springs Republican, was one of the skeptics. “How’s the public protected by not following through and getting to the bottom of each one of these lawsuits instead of just dismissing them with the signing of this letter of understanding and the passage of this legislation? How in good faith can the state of Illinois settle those two cases when you have made serious allegations of manipulation and fraud upon the public?” He was the lone Republican to vote “present” in committee because he said he supported offering rate relief but didn’t like the process of coming to this deal.
Susan Hedman, senior assistant attorney general, justified the dismissal of the lawsuits by saying her office believed rate relief was needed now and that the procurement of power needed to be reformed for the future. “There’s a tradeoff between getting relief up front and waiting. If we do not get reforms in the procurement process now, it would mean that every year that we’re litigating that case, there could be another reverse auction with the danger of the same problems that we observed last time.” She later cut someone off and said, rather bluntly, that without dismissal of the lawsuits, “the deal falls apart.”
* But Speaker Madigan had a warning…
“I am told that there are some Republicans that plan not to vote for the rate relief for electric ratepayers,” said Madigan, who supports the deal. “And if there are Republicans, especially from the Ameren service territory, that are going to vote against rate relief, why, I welcome them to do it.”
Thoughts?
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The tax cycle
Thursday, Jul 26, 2007 - Posted by Rich Miller
* John Patterson has an excellent story on the cigarette tax today. As you already know, the bill passed a Senate committee yesterday…
There’s a cycle that’s developed with state cigarette tax policy. The state raises the tax, rakes in the added millions, watches it begin to drop off after a couple years and then pushes another tax increase.
This cycle has played out at least three times since the early 1990s.
The last state cigarette tax increase was 40 cents per pack, approved in 2002. It increased the state’s tax take by 33 percent. But by 2005, cigarette tax revenue plunged 14 percent, followed by a 2.7 percent drop in the 2006 budget year.
The result? The latest push for a cigarette tax increase, this time on the heels of a statewide ban on smoking in public places such as restaurants and bars.
Critics said the volatility shows why the tax is a bad idea. Supporters said it’s still better than raising other taxes.
* I’m probably quoting too much, but I just had to add this tidbit from Patterson’s piece…
However, later that same year [2002], Blagojevich’s campaign waylaid Republican nominee Jim Ryan when Ryan suggested he’d consider raising sin taxes to balance the budget if elected.
“Name a kind of tax (increase), Rod is opposed to it,” Blagojevich’s campaign spokesman told the Daily Herald in October 2002.
* Meanwhile…
Senate President Emil Jones, D-Chicago, has previously opposed cigarette tax hikes, including in 2005 when Gov. Rod Blagojevich proposed an identical increase.
“President Jones is behind it,” said Sen. Terry Link, D-Waukegan, a member of Jones’ leadership team. “He wants it moved, and he wants it passed.”
Asked why Jones has had a change of heart, Link said, “It’s July 25th, and there’s a lot of change of hearts around here.”
* Meanwhile…
The Illinois Department of Revenue said it supports the proposed cigarette tax, straying away from the governor’s campaign pledge not to sign any legislation that would increase sales tax. “This is different than the sales tax,” said Larry Doll, spokesman for the department. “It’s an excise item. It’s different than a general sales tax. A sales tax is applied to all items included necessities. People need food, clothing, what have you, whereas I don’t think you can make the same argument for cigarettes.” Doll also said it’s his understanding that the governor would sign the legislation if it wins approval.
* More stories, compiled by Paul…
* State Senators fight for new cigarette tax hike
* Lawmakers consider tax hike on cigarettes
* Senate committee votes to raise cig tax by 75 cents
* Budget put on the packs of smokers
* Illinois Senate committee OKs cigarette tax
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Another one-chamber budget?
Thursday, Jul 26, 2007 - Posted by Rich Miller
* The Senate Democrats are talking about passing a budget of their own this week…
Meanwhile, a key budget negotiator for the Senate Democrats said his caucus is crafting its own full-year budget that they hope to pass by the end of the week and send to the House. Even some Democrats said the proposed spending plan is unrealistic, though, since it is balanced using revenue from a massive expansion of gambling that is stalled in the House. […]
“Something will be done before the end of the week,” pledged Sen. Donne Trotter, D-Chicago, a key budget negotiator for the Democrats. “It will be a balanced budget based on revenue streams that have already been passed or will be passed.”
That includes more than $2 billion from a massive expansion of gambling in Illinois. The Senate approved the expansion — which adds new casinos and allows existing casinos to expand — but the House has not taken up the bill. Madigan has said he doesn’t think the House will pass an expansion bill that includes new casinos.
Trotter said the Senate Democrats’ plan will increase school spending by $900 million, fully fund pensions and pay raises and provide additional money for Medicaid payments.
“We do not anticipate needing Republican votes (to pass it),” Trotter said.
* But the Sun-Times has the real story on its chances, as well as the prospects for the governor’s health insurance plan, which aren’t exactly great…
But Sen. Martin Sandoval (D-Chicago) indicated he likely would not support the Jones-crafted spending plan as configured if it was “not a compromise budget that we can send to the governor.”
Sen. Louis Viverito (D-Burbank), an ally of Madigan whom Jones kicked out of leadership meetings, said he would be another no vote on a Jones budget.
“The budget he’s proposing is unrealistic. It’s a fairy tale,” said Viverito, who was angrily confronted on the Senate floor by Jones after Viverito made his views known during the private Democratic meeting.
The votes also appear well short of what is needed in the Senate for Blagojevich’s less-expensive, health-care plan. Legislative sources said the $1.2 billion plan has only about 25 votes in the Senate. Thirty are needed to pass it to the House.
Capitol Fax reported on that 25 figure yesterday, but the governor’s people insist they’re getting closer to passage. We’ll see.
* And speaking of that health insurance plan…
Meanwhile, a stripped-down version of the governor’s health care expansion plan won approval in a Senate committee. It would cost about $1.2 billion, down from its original $3 billion.
The plan would levy a 3 percent tax on businesses that spend less than 4 percent of their payroll on health insurance.
Opponents said it would hurt small-business owners whose margins may be too small to pay for the program.
State Sen. Bill Brady, R-Bloomington, scolded supporters for not offering enough details about how the plan would work.
“You can’t even tell me how many businesses you’re going to tax?” he asked.
Oy.
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Morning Shorts
Thursday, Jul 26, 2007 - Posted by Paul Richardson
* New Clout Street: Oberweis Dairy ad results in fine
* New Spontaneous Solutions: Why do editorial boards want us to suffer?
* State hires firm to erase data from computers
Under a 2003 law, state agencies were responsible for running software programs designed to clean hard drives 10 times on each machine they were sending to CMS for disposal or resale.
But in 2005, Auditor General William Holland’s office examined 50 computers ready for resale and found 15 still had sensitive state data on them. Holland would not reveal what was found but said it would be “publiclyembarrassing” and could cause a security breach.
The memo from CMS Acting Director Maureen O’Donnell said during the fiscal year that ended in June 2006 — more than a year after the audit — 4 percent of the 10,000 computers that CMS processed contained data that
violated the law. Another 900 could not be turned on to see if they were clean, so they were not resold.
* Editorial: In praise of IL smoking ban
* Editorial: Huffing and puffing over smoking ban will pass
* Editorial: Don’t water down statewide smoking ban
State Rep. Patrick Verschoore, D-Milan, is proposing that the ban not take effect in casinos for five years or until smoking is banned in casinos in neighboring states.
Verschoore’s Quad City-area district includes Casino Rock Island. Iowa does not have a statewide smoking ban.
Harrah’s Metropolis Casino, located across the Ohio River from Kentucky - which also does not have a smoking ban - is planning to offer a smoking area that would not be affected by the Illinois ban but would be protected from the weather and “temperature controlled.”
* House vote hits Indiana for BP plan
* Rep. Kirk faces war on many fronts
The North Shore, once heavily Republican, has changed politically since 2000, when Kirk succeeded his former boss, longtime Republican Rep. John Porter. A majority of the area’s state legislative districts are held by Democrats, and presidential candidate Sen. John Kerry carried the 10th District in 2004.
The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, the campaign arm of Democrats in the House, has taken notice and put a bull’s-eye on Kirk.
* Prosecutors: Stroger stabbed us in the back
* DuPage judge slows O’Hare expansion plan; more here
* Daley spent $89K on war chest study
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