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Senate civil unions videos

Wednesday, Dec 1, 2010 - Posted by Rich Miller

* We’ll have more in a few. The governor will hold an avail at about 2:15, so check back.

Sen. Koehler, the Senate sponsor


Republican Sen. Tim Bivins


* 2:05 pm - Sen. Meeks after the vote


  63 Comments      


Meeks says he’s still a “No” on civil unions. PASSED 32-24-1

Wednesday, Dec 1, 2010 - Posted by Rich Miller

* 11:57 am - Sen. James Meeks said this morning that he intends to vote “No” on the civil unions bill when it comes up for a vote today.

This isn’t much of a surprise since Meeks’ record hasn’t exactly been pro-gay. But there had been some speculation that he might change his mind now that he’s running for mayor of Chicago. But Meeks said if he voted for the bill he’d be deemed a flip-flopper who was pandering for votes ahead of the mayoral election and he planned to stick to his principles.

Of course, the other side is it could be darned tough getting elected in Chicago with that “No” vote on his record.

* You can use this post to discuss the Senate’s civil unions debate, which ought to be soon. Watch or listen here.

• UPDATE: GOP Sen Dan Rutherford just announced that he would vote for the bill. Rutherford was just elected state treasurer.

• UPDATE: The bill passed 32-24 with Sen Ira Silverstein voting Present.

• UPDATE: Sen. Rutherford was the only Republican to vote for the bill.

  162 Comments      


Burris: “There’s no one better qualified than me”

Wednesday, Dec 1, 2010 - Posted by Rich Miller

* Roland Burris

“I’ve always said there’s no one better qualified than me to be mayor,” he said.

Oy.

* This story just gets
weirder and weirder

A notary public says her signature was forged on 400-plus nominating petition sheets filed by Chicago mayoral hopefuls Rob Halpin and James Meeks — a development that raises new questions for the supposedly rival candidates.

A signature and notary seal for Maricela Rodriguez appear on more than 25 percent of Halpin’s 1,185 petitions, including 266 circulated by a homeless sex offender, Arthur J. Hardy Jr.

Hardy also circulated 316 petitions for Meeks. Rodriguez isn’t listed as notarizing any of those sheets, but she does appear as the notary for 97 of the 4,691 petitions Meeks submitted to Chicago elections officials.

Despite that, Rodriguez, a district manager for a currency-exchange company, says she didn’t notarize any petitions for Halpin or Meeks.

So, to sum up, the implied allegation here is that Meeks and Halpin hired a homeless sex offender to gather petitions, who then allegedly forged a notary’s seal on the petitions he gathered for Halpin, but not for Meeks. However, somebody else allegedly forged that same notary’s seal on some other Meeks petitions.

If that’s true, then Meeks’ denials aren’t looking so great right now

Mr. Meeks says he believes the gatherer, Arthur Hardy Jr., effectively worked as a subcontractor for someone else whom his campaign had hired at the end of his petition drive to collect signatures on his nominating petitions.

Mr. Meeks says he does not know the name of that person but adds, “There was no coordination at all with Halpin. I don’t know him. I never met him.”

This may be the fault of the person who was hired by the campaign who also hired Hardy. It would be helpful if we knew who that was.

* As I’ve said before, Rahm Emanuel may or may not have a solid residency case, but this might all come down to the judge he draws

‘Rahm Emanuel may be the 800-pound gorilla in the mayor’s race,” said a savvy politico who phoned the other day, “but remember that Ed Burke is the 800-pound gorilla when it comes who gets to be a judge in this town. Keep your eye on the Daley Center.” […]

What my politico caller was asking was whether a judge blessed by Burke would be brave enough to rule strictly on the merits of the case, wherever that ruling might go.

Everybody knows Burke cannot stand Rahm Emanuel and is instead backing former schools and City Colleges chairman Gery Chico.

But another politico I called, one equally well steeped in Chicago politics, laughed at the notion that a ruling on Rahm Emanuel’s residency might depend on whether a judge felt beholden.

“Once a judge gets to the bench,” he told me somewhat ruefully, “they forget everybody.” It wasn’t a compliment.

Despite the politics involved in picking our judges, there are some excellent people on the bench in Cook County.

Then again, there are some utterly incompetent ones as well.

* Related…

* Sandi Jackson runs for re-election as alderman, not city clerk

* Deadline brings objections in mayor’s race

* Ballot shenanigans

* More than half mayoral hopefuls face petition challenges

* Rahm Emanuel pledges to end revolving door at Chicago’s city hall

* Rahm Emanuel on “Chicago Tonight”

* Stroger administration spent nearly $79,000 on zoo picnic for flood victims

  28 Comments      


A mixed bag for lame duck session

Wednesday, Dec 1, 2010 - Posted by Rich Miller

* Those who worry about lame ducks getting too far out of control should look at the medical marijuana bill, which came up way short yesterday afternoon in the House. The bill needed 60 votes, but when all was said and done it got 53

After nearly two hours of sometimes passionate debate, the measure fell just a handful of votes short of the 60 needed to advance to the Senate, which must approve changes made in the House before it can go to Gov. Pat Quinn’s desk.

Under the legislation, certain patients could obtain medical-grade marijuana from state-regulated dealers for use in their homes.

Patients would have to receive permission from a physician to apply for a license. The Illinois Department of Public Health would then authorize the person to obtain three marijuana plants per month.

All of you know where I stand on this issue. I’m not sure this is the greatest bill in the world, however. Three plants per month seems a bit much. Not that I would know anything about that, of course.

* Here’s the bill’s sponsor, Rep. Lou Lang


* And then there was the death penalty abolition bill, which wasn’t called for a floor vote yesterday for lack of support

A House committee [yesterday] morning voted to abolish the state’s death penalty, after a contentious debate, with critics alleging the bill was being rushed through the Legislature for political reasons.

The measure could come to a House floor vote as early as [yesterday] afternoon. “I’m still counting votes. [Monday] night we had 58,'’ said the sponsor, state Rep. Karen Yarbrough, D-Broadview. It needs 60 for House passage, and then would move to the Senate.

The House is losing some members today, so it’s fate, as they say, remains uncertain.

* Some other big stuff did pass, however. The Tenaska folks won the House round, but they have a tough fight ahead in the Senate

The $3.5-billion “clean coal” power plant that has been the subject of a fierce lobbying war in Springfield between labor and business interests was approved on a second vote late Tuesday in the Illinois state House of Representatives.

The bill, which would require Illinois ratepayers and business users of electricity to purchase the Downstate Taylorville power plant’s output for 30 years, initially was narrowly defeated Tuesday and then was held, allowing Speaker Michael Madigan to call it for another vote later.

The Tenaska bill passed 63-50 on the second vote, after having lost by two votes the first time around.

Some lawmakers said on the floor that the second vote for the clean coal plant Downstate was a trade for the vote earlier in the day in favor of a $3-billion synthetic gas plant on Chicago’s South Side.

Subscribers know the rest of that interesting little story.

* And some sweeping changes were approved for police and firefighter pension funds in the House yesterday without much debate

— Changes the standard retirement age for police and firefighters from age 50 to age 55. Police and firefighters could retire early starting at age 50, but would lose 6 percent for each year before 55.

– Reduces benefits to a surviving spouse from 100 percent to 67 percent of the deceased police officer’s or firefighter’s pension.

– Cost of living increases — the lesser of 3 percent or one-half of the urban consumer price index — would not kick in until a public safety employee or surviving spouse reach age 60.

– Starting in 2015, pension funds could petition the state comptroller to subtract funds from tax money owed to the cities by the state if a city does not make complete payments to the system.

* The bill received a whopping 95 votes, even though it was hotly opposed by Mayor Daley, who sent his chief legislative liaison to town yesterday…

The bill established a steep yearly payment schedule for Chicago to restore the city’s underfunded police and fire retirement funds to financial health, but Daley warned the extra $548 million the city will have to pump into city police and fire pension funds by 2015 could leave homeowners stuck with higher property taxes.

“You cannot place the financial problems on the back of every homeowner in Chicago. Besides that, every business in Chicago. That will make our city basically a city that will have a financial disaster,” Daley said.

* Roundup…

* Bill to abolish death penalty passes House committee

* Police, fire pension reforms pass Illinois House - Benefits for future hires would be reduced

* House Okays Cop, Firefighter Pension Changes

* House OKs Taylorville coal plant

* Lawmakers Finally OK Taylorville Clean Coal Plant

* Medical marijuana, death penalty on hold

* State school panel backs Huntley funding fix idea

  19 Comments      


Protected: SUBSCRIBERS ONLY… Senate schedule and redistricting reform

Wednesday, Dec 1, 2010 - Posted by Rich Miller

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Calm down, please

Wednesday, Dec 1, 2010 - Posted by Rich Miller

* I covered the years-long debate here over whether to include sexual orientation in the state’s human rights code. There were plenty of predictions of doom and gloom back then if the bill passed. It did pass, and I cannot remember a single instance where this law has created undue controversy or hardship. People generally expect the worst when big changes happen, but that rarely ever turns out to be the case.

So, let’s all try to keep a cool head as the civil unions bill moves through the Senate today. I banned one of the bill’s opponents yesterday for some very weird, over the top comments. Some of the proponents got a bit too hot-headed as well, but I was too busy covering the event to monitor comments as closely as I should have. Let’s try not to let that happen again today, please. We can have a vigorous debate without resorting to needless insults, or breathless remarks or drive-by bumper-sticker slogans. Thanks.

* This should be a non-issue for two reasons

Robert F. Gilligan, the Catholic Conference’s executive director, said he is disappointed that civil unions passed, but now is focused on lobbying senators to vote it down Wednesday. Senate President John Cullerton, D-Chicago, is an avid supporter of the bill, and supporters have considered the House a tougher obstacle

Gilligan said he was particularly dismayed that the bill passed during a lame-duck session. The measure got a boost from as many as a dozen lawmakers who will not return because they are retiring or were defeated in the Nov. 2 election.

First, every lame duck member who voted for civil unions was either elected two years ago or (in one case) constitutionally appointed to the seat. Those legislators all serve until January under our Constitution. This is a legitimate vote.

Second, the Catholic Conference of Illinois is actively supporting SB 3539 during the veto session. That bill would abolish the death penalty. If it’s OK for lame ducks to abolish the death penalty, why isn’t it acceptable for those same legislators to establish civil unions?

I don’t get it.

* I kinda get this, but not quite

During the House floor debate on civil unions, Harris told his colleagues that Illinois senior citizens as a whole would possibly benefit more than same sex couples from legalizing civil unions because under civil unions they could have the best of both worlds — maintain their federal Social Security benefits and still gain the right to jointly occupy nursing homes as well as determine their partner’s medical care.

Indeed, Rep. Harris’ comments may be a worse slam to the sanctity of marriage than allowing the state recognition of same sex couples. With the passage of civil unions for same sex and opposite sex couples, Harris’ comments suggested those widowed senior citizens that choose to traditionally marry a subsequent life partner of the opposite sex with the blessing of their church will foolishly give up federal and state financial resources.

Churches don’t issue marriage licenses, government does. So, why couldn’t two seniors decide to join in civil union and then ask their church to sanctify it with a wedding ceremony? The church wouldn’t have to do it, of course, but they could.

* It might be better if Gov. Pat Quinn would leave his religion out of this debate

Cardinal Francis George and other Catholic leaders have fought civil unions, but Quinn, who is Catholic, said he has no reservations about supporting the measure.

“My religious faith animates me to support this bill. I think that people of good faith, maybe, can disagree and have different points of view,” Quinn said.

I completely concur that people of faith can disagree on this, but I’m not a Roman Catholic. If I was a Catholic, like Quinn, I’m not sure I could say that.

* Now, on to some videos. First up, the bill’s sponsor, Rep. Greg Harris


* Rep. Ron Stephens started out well enough, then veered off the track


* Gov. Pat Quinn talks to reporters


* Our commenters did a good job last night live-blogging the civil unions debate. But Illinois Review did a remarkably even-handed and thorough job, so if you missed the debate, then you should click here and read through their notes. The bill text is here. The roll call is here.

* Roundup…

* Illinois House passes civil unions for gay and lesbian couples

* Civil unions pass Illinois House; Senate president supports measure

* Civil unions gain House passage

* Sun-Times: Civil unions vote is on right side of history

  78 Comments      


Question of the day

Wednesday, Dec 1, 2010 - Posted by Rich Miller

* From a press release…

GOVERNOR QUINN ANNOUNCES ILLINOIS INAUGURAL COMMITTEE 2011 AND SCHEDULE OF INAUGURAL EVENTS

CHICAGO - Today, Governor Pat Quinn announced the creation of the Illinois Inaugural Committee 2011. The Committee is a non-partisan, not-for-profit organization responsible for the planning of the 2011 Inaugural events, with the newly-elected constitutional officers serving as honorary co-chairs. The Inauguration is dedicated to the people of Illinois – showcasing their strength, spirit and character. All funds for the Inaugural events will be raised from private donors and any remaining funds will be contributed to the Illinois Military Family Relief Fund.

“The 2011 Inauguration marks the start of a new era in Illinois Government,” said Governor-Elect Pat Quinn. “This committee will work closely with all the Constitutional Officers to present Inaugural events that will bring Illinoisans together in a bipartisan way that will move our State forward.”

The Inauguration will be held in Springfield on Monday, Jan. 10. All events will be held in Springfield; schedule as follows:

Sunday, Jan. 9

* Gold Star Families Reception (military families only): 4 p.m. - 6 p.m. at the Executive Mansion. The Governor and his family will welcome Gold Star family members for a reception honoring their loved ones.
Monday, Jan. 10

* Inter-Faith Service: 9 a.m. - 10 a.m. (doors will open at 8:15 a.m.) at the First Presbyterian Church (321 South 7th Street). The Governor and his family will join the Constitutional Officers and their families for an interfaith service.
* Inaugural Ceremony: 11 a.m. -1 p.m. (doors will open at 8:00 a.m.) at the Prairie Convention Center. The Governor and the Constitutional Officers will take the Oath of Office and deliver their inaugural addresses.
* Executive Mansion Open House: 2:30p.m. – 4:30 p.m. at the Executive Mansion. Governor Pat Quinn will be joined by Lieutenant Governor-Elect Sheila Simon in greeting the public at the Executive Mansion.
* Inaugural Ball: 8 p.m. – Midnight at the Prairie Convention Center. The Governor and Constitutional Officers will take part in the traditional Inaugural Ball.

More information on the Illinois Inauguration 2011 can be found at http://www.IIC2011.com.

So far, the event’s website lists just two corporate sponsors, the Merchandise Mart and Chicago-Copywriter.com.

* The Question: Who else should sponsor the governor’s inauguration?

Snark is obviously encouraged.

  38 Comments      


Protected: SUBSCRIBERS ONLY - Today’s edition of Capitol Fax (use all CAPS in password)

Wednesday, Dec 1, 2010 - Posted by Rich Miller

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* Selected react to budget reconciliation bill passage (Updated x3)
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* SUBSCRIBERS ONLY - Some fiscal news
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* Open thread
* Isabel’s morning briefing
* SUBSCRIBERS ONLY - Supplement to today’s edition (Updated)
* SUBSCRIBERS ONLY - Today's edition of Capitol Fax (use all CAPS in password)
* Selected press releases (Live updates)
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