* 2:41 pm - Three top sources confirmed moments ago that the Republican challenge to the new congressional map was struck down by a three-judge federal panel today. Stay tuned for more info as it becomes available.
* Click the pick for a larger version, but this is the e-mail that was sent out by the federal court…
* 3:13 pm - No comment yet from the GOP plaintiffs’ spokesperson. Still working on getting a copy of the opinion. Stay tuned a few more minutes.
In a sign of the continuing divisions among Chicago aldermen on how to draw new ward boundaries, a group of 16 including the entire Latino Caucus today filed its preferred map with the city clerk.
Latino, black and white aldermen have been negotiating without success for two weeks to reach agreement on a new map for the 50 wards that could win a 41-vote majority of the City Council and avoid the uncertainty of presenting competing proposals to voters in the March primary election.
*** 3:22 pm *** To read the opinion and order, click here.
* All emphasis added, but this is from the opinion…
As to the partisan gerrymander claims, although we agree with the Committee that the crafting of the Adopted Map was a blatant political move to increase the number of Democratic congressional seats, ultimately we conclude that the Committee failed to present a workable standard by which to evaluate such claims, therefore they fail under Vieth v. Jubelirer, 541 U.S. 267 (2004).
The Committee’s vote dilution claims fail because the Committee has not proven by a preponderance of the evidence that the state legislature intentionally discriminated against Latinos in passing the Adopted Map. Again, we acknowledge that Latino ethnicity was a factor in creating District 4 in 1991, but times have changed: the weight of the evidence shows that the predominant intent of the 2011 Illinois legislature in maintaining Adopted District 4 in substantially the same shape as when it was created in 1991 was a desire to enhance Democratic seats in the state as a whole, to keep Democratic incumbents in Districts 3, 4, and 5 with their constituents, to preserve existing district boundaries, and to maintain communities of interest. Because race was not the predominant factor, the Committee failed to meet its burden of proof on its racial gerrymander claims under Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act or the Constitution. […]
…our conclusion that the Committee hasn’t shown intentional discrimination against Latinos dooms all three vote dilution counts. […]
The Committee has not proved the first Gingles precondition that the Latino minority group is large enough and geographically compact enough to be a majority in more single-member districts than the redistricting plan created. The Committee’s Map does not create two majority-minority Latino districts. District 4 under the Committee’s Map has 59.4 percent Latino voting-age population and District 3 has only 46.5 percent. […]
But, given the rule of thumb, and the need to account for Latinos within the voting-age population who are not citizens eligible to vote, we do not infer that 65.9 percent voting-age population of Latinos in Adopted District 4 suggests excessive packing… The addition of low Latino voting-age population areas to District 4 and exclusion of certain high voting-age population areas suggests that the state’s intent was not maximization of Latino voting-age population. […]
Further, as the Committee itself argues, the Adopted Map was drawn for predominantly political reasons, and we believe this is evident in Adopted Districts 3, 4 and 5. Maintaining substantially the same boundaries of District 4 allows Congressman Gutierrez to remain in a district with 82.3 percent of his current constituents. This in turn allowed the Democrats to draw Districts 3 and 5 with substantially the same boundaries, resulting in Congressman Lipinski’s remaining in a district with 76.4 percent of his constituents and Congressman Quigley in a district with 78.9 percent of his constituents. […]
The issue is whether District 4 was drawn to intentionally discriminate against Latinos. If the Democrats in the Illinois General Assembly crafted Adopted District 4 for reasons other than discriminatory intent, whether those reasons are legitimate state interests or not, the Committee cannot succeed. […]
The Committee contends that the Democrats want to keep Latinos out of District 3 to preserve Congressman Lipinski’s primary win because he has recently lost favor among Latinos on account of his stance on immigration. The state cannot draw district lines to exclude minorities merely because they might oppose an incumbent… Given that the Latino voting-age population in Cook County has nearly doubled since 1990 and is projected to continue increasing steadily, a 4.7 percent reduction in Latino voting-age population in Adopted District 3 doesn’t notably reduce the opportunity for a Latino candidate of choice to successfully run against Congressman Lipinski in the Democratic primary over the next decade. Additionally, the Committee presented little evidence, and certainly nothing convincing, that Latino voters in District 3 disfavor Congressman Lipinski. For example, the Committee did not offer Congressman Lipinski’s voting record on issues important to Latinos, or present examples of Latino organizations opposing his reelection.
Further, the Committee does not dispute Dr. Lichtman’s findings that in the 2010 primary election Congressman Lipinski received 57 percent of the Latino vote when running against a Latino candidate. […]
Neither do other relevant factors point to intentional discrimination against Latinos. Evidence that the redistricting process was “secretive” and excluded Republicans reveals partisan motivation, not racial discrimination. […]
Because the Board of Elections asserts that politics was the predominant factor in crafting Adopted District 4, it has made no attempt to justify the oddly shaped district under strict scrutiny.20 Despite the history of District 4, we agree with the Board of Elections that the predominant intent in maintaining the district in the Adopted Map was not race, but a desire to keep Democratic incumbents in Districts 3, 4, and 5 with their constituents, to preserve existing district boundaries, and to maintain communities of interest. […]
Preserving the core of prior districts and keeping incumbents with their constituents are legitimate redistricting objectives.
Keep in mind that two Republican justices from Indiana were on that three-judge panel.
*** 4:26 pm *** From a press release…
Statement of Illinois GOP Members of Congress Regarding Federal Ruling on Congressional Redistricting Case
“We are disappointed with the court’s ruling today, especially considering the very serious issues we raised in our challenge to the Democrats’ map, including discrimination against the state’s growing Latino population. We are in the process of reviewing the decision and evaluating our options for future action.
“Regardless of today’s decision, we continue to believe that fairness should be the driving principle in the redistricting process. A balanced congressional map is necessary to ensure that the people of Illinois have an opportunity to express their will at the ballot box and elect those representatives who best reflect their shared interests. Unfortunately, the Democrats who control state government decided instead to maximize their partisan advantage in the map-making process to serve their own interests. That kind of selfish approach to governing should never be tolerated.”
A probation report says ousted Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich may be a “ripe candidate’’ for a drug treatment program in prison.
That’s according to defense attorney Sheldon Sorosky, who says he doesn’t know what Blagojevich said to a probation officer to lead to that conclusion.
Judge James Zagel has agreed to recommend Blagojevich for a drug treatment program when he starts his 14-year prison sentence for corruption in March.
A prisons spokesman told the Sun-Times last week there typically has to be a documented history of abuse for an inmate to qualify.
[Blagojevich attorney Shelly Sorosky] said there is documentation. […]
The report came after a summer interview between Blagojevich and a probation officer, Sorosky said. Sorosky said he did not know the nature of what Blagojevich told the probation officer about substance abuse at the time — a few weeks after his June conviction — but it caused a recommendation to the judge.
I never saw the governor drink more than a tiny bit of alcohol, but, then again, I wasn’t around him that much in the evenings.
A successful completion of the program could shave a year off his sentence and allow him to go to a halfway house six months before the end of that sentence.
Kristin Milligan - for putting up with the throngs of “hangers on” in Skip’s office.
The non-stop crush of people in that office suite is always astounding and more than a little amusing. Yet, Kristin usually handles the chaos with aplomb, which is why they apparently all descended on the blog at once yesterday afternoon. And then there’s this…
Kristin because a) she has to put up with more crap than most and b) the end of session party. Well, ok, mostly because of b.
The work she does every year on that end of session party is enough to win this prize on its own.
Sally Smith for the House, although she’s so much more than an administrative assistant. She is one the smartest, hardest working people in this building. Many don’t know her because she’s tied to her chair in Ellis’ office, but this classy lady is the reason that office functions. She’s den mother to the Speaker’s legal staff. She tracks every bill and knows everything that’s going on in this place. She’s priceless.
* In the Senate, the clear winner is Bunny Fourez…
How has Bunny not won this award before? She always gets tons of votes because she is so amazingly organized, friendly, and on top of things. Add my vote for Bunny Fourez.
I love Bunny, and, like that commenter, I can’t believe she hasn’t won. This historical tragedy has finally been corrected.
My vote is for The Bulldog Selena Gorman. She has one of the. toughest groups in the capitol to wrangle, the Senate Democrat Legal Review Staff, while also being trusted with highly sensitive material.
* Before I move along to today’s nominations, let me just say that I have never met an administrative assistant who I didn’t like. They put up with a lot of guff at the Capitol, yet they’ve all treated me with such kindness over the years that this is by far the most difficult category for me. I hate to pick the winners because it implies that the rest are somehow losers. They’re most definitely not.
* On to today’s nominations…
* Best Illinois State Senator - Republican
* Best Illinois State Senator - Democrat
Please nominate in both categories. And, as always, keep in mind that this is more about intensity than numbers. If you don’t explain your nomination, I’ll ignore it - and I mean that. Thanks much.
The November unemployment rate fell to 10 percent as the state added 600 jobs, according to preliminary data released today by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and the Illinois Department of Employment Security (IDES). The data is seasonally adjusted. The decline from 10.1 percent occurs as Illinois has added jobs in eight of the past 11 months.
600 ain’t much, and 500 of those were government jobs. It’s the first time in a while that the government sector has added significant positions. The sector is down 9,500 over the past year.
Professional and business services added 3,600 jobs, which led the pack. 1,700 construction jobs and 1,300 financial services jobs were lost. Manufacturing lost a hundred jobs, but that sector is up 10,800 in the past year.
Illinois led the nation in October with 30,000 new jobs, so that’s why this is more than a little disappointing. I’m glad we’re trending up, but we need a ton of jobs to replace those lost during and after the ‘08 Crash.
Now that Chicago has fought off Indianapolis’ dastardly effort to woo away our CME Group Inc. (not that the outcome was ever in doubt; the Windy City has forgotten more about bribery, corporate and otherwise, than they’ll ever know in Indy) it’s time to even the score.
And I’m happy to report that someone here actually is planning to do that. Sort of.
In an under-reported development, the Chicago Convention and Tourism Bureau recently formed a sports commission. It’s been given a reasonable $300,000 start-up budget, an experienced and capable executive director and a mission that ought to raise a few eyebrows east of the state line.
The goal: Develop and implement plans to lure NCAA meets, world wrestling championships, soccer tournaments, auto races and other athletic competitions, mostly amateur, that can bring a lot of cash into town — and that Indianapolis has specialized in producing in recent decades. […]
“We’ve got a reputation of being one of the great sports cities in the world, but we haven’t had any organization whose job it is to attract and build sporting events,” said bureau chief Don Welsh — who, need I add, came here from Indianapolis.
The state should do this as well. As I’ve pointed out before, St. Louis has no basketball team. Let’s steal the Pacers and put them in the Metro East. That’ll teach those Hoosiers a lesson they’ll never forget.
Rep. Raymond Poe, R-Springfield, who attended the news conference [with House Republican Leader Tom Cross], said that he wasn’t worried that blowing an $800 million hole in the budget would mean layoffs to state workers. During the veto session, Poe and other downstate Republicans said their top priority was to restore cuts to the budget by Quinn that would have resulted in layoffs and facility closures.
That hole would be closer to $900 million and it would most definitely force state layoffs. Rep. Poe is dreaming.
Seven House Democrats filed a bill on Tuesday to repeal the corporate income tax increase entirely starting on or after Jan. 1, an idea Cross said that House Republicans proposed long before now. Cross said with the seven Democrats and the 54 House Republicans, the House should have no trouble passing corporate tax relief. […]
[House Speaker Michael Madigan Steve Brown] acknowledged that the House was not coming back into session before the end of the year, so there is no way the Democratic bill could take effect by Jan. 1.
Leader Cross first used that line yesterday about how they would have to come back into session this month so that the tax hikes could be rolled back by January 1st.
But this year’s income tax hike was retroactive back to last January 1st, so any tax cut could be retroactive as well. Another unscheduled session isn’t necessary. And, frankly, I don’t want to go back to that place for a while. I’ve had more than my fill.
* Meanwhile, I can’t believe it took them this long to go totally Hollywood…
After more than a half-century as a Chicago-based institution, Playboy magazine is packing up for the West Coast.
Executives confirmed Tuesday that the magazine’s editorial, art and photo departments will be based out of the company’s Los Angeles office by May of next year.
“Some of the magazine’s Chicago employees have been asked to relocate, while others have been asked to stay on in Chicago to ensure a seamless transition,” Playboy spokeswoman Theresa Hennessey said in a statement.
No final decisions have been made about other departments located at Playboy’s Chicago headquarters, including human resources, public relations, legal, accounting and information technology. Hennessey declined to say how many employees are based in Chicago.
The move has been the subject of much speculation since March, when octogenarian founder Hugh Hefner bought back Playboy Enterprises, the company he founded in his Chicago apartment in 1953. Hefner vacated the Chicago Playboy Mansion and moved to Los Angeles in 1975.
A good friend had a job at Playboy many years ago. I was single back then and she said she could get me invited to some parties. That was very cool of her, I thought, until the first invite finally arrived: A Lake Michigan boat cruise with centerfolds from the 1950s and early 1960s.
I took a pass. But as it turns out, my friend was testing me and I failed. Oh, well.
* Dems, GOP push plans to roll back biz tax hikes sooner: But small- and medium-sized businesses that don’t file with the state as corporations pay the same individual income tax rate that households do. Kim Clarke Maisch, the Illinois director for the National Federation of Independent Businesses, which advocates for small- and medium-sized businesses, said some form of tax relief for those paying the individual income tax is necessary.
Dropped by @Wendys at 111th and State for lunch http://twitpic.com/7qwcd4
* The photo, which I cropped down to size and color-adjusted to make it easier to see…
Dude… Seriously?
* I’ve been thinking about what to do with this pic for the past 24 hours, and I finally decided that we just can’t pass it up. I mean, hey, he posted it. Besides, we’re finally done with this year’s session and I need as many distractions as I can get.
So, campers, while this could very well be the most difficult assignment I have ever given you, I’d like you to caption the above photo without any racy (and I mean that both ways) commentary.
Do not get yourself banned for life. Keep it totally clean. If you have doubts about your comment, don’t post it. Yes, I’m fully aware that this will be almost impossible to do, but I have faith in you… I think. Don’t let me down, but do make me laugh.
It’s well documented that Illinois is technically bankrupt.
Illinois is neither technically nor legally bankrupt. It’s not even figuratively bankrupt. Bankruptcy is reserved for individuals and corporations that have no hope of increasing revenues to pay off their bills. Illinois is far from that point. Very far. Also, Illinois cannot legally declare bankruptcy.
Yes, the state has a huge backlog of bills, but the Pantagraph and other editorial boards have made sure that a solution couldn’t be implemented for that problem. Yes, the state has a large unfunded pension program, but as I’ve written before, we ought to consider abandoning this notion that it must be permanently 90 percent funded when there’s no need to always have anywhere close to that much cash on hand. Yes, the state has a large number of bonds, but most of those bonds have identifiable funding streams.
So, enough with the stupidity, please.
Editorial commentary like that makes me want to demand that the General Assembly get rid of the sales tax exemptions on newsprint and ink.
Come to think of it, yesterday’s report on how Illinois doesn’t connect tax incentives to job benefit requirements fits right in with that idea. You’d be hard-pressed to find an industry that has laid off a higher percentage of its workforce than print media over the past five years, or has stripped them of more benefits.
…Adding… From a commenter…
you’d think the Pantagraph opinion writers would be a little more knowledgeable about bancruptcy, given that they fit the technical and legal definition:
The owner of the Pantagraph and dozens of other newspapers announced Friday that it plans to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy to complete a comprehensive debt refinancing plan.
Indeed.
* Meanwhile, check out this fascinating poll from California…
A new poll shows 60 percent of California voters, weary of state spending cuts and unsettled by the prospect of more, are ready to support Gov. Jerry Brown’s plan to raise taxes.
The Public Policy Institute of California poll, released Monday, is the first public measure of voter opinion about Brown’s tax initiative since he announced it this month.
Brown plans to ask voters in November 2012 to temporarily increase the state sales tax and to impose higher income taxes on California’s highest-earners, raising $7 billion annually for five years.
The poll comes amid deep pessimism about the economy and concern about the state budget. More than 80 percent of likely voters think the budget situation is a big problem, and more than two-thirds of likely voters predict bad times financially in the year ahead.
Gov. Brown made huge budget cuts which brutally showed Californians what life is like without the proper revenue streams to fund the services that most everybody wants. There was some thought of doing that here back in 2009. The consequences would’ve been awful in the short term, but Illinoisans might’ve eventually realized that they have to pay for what they ask for.
College Illinois!, which was started in 1998, is supposed to let families lock in today’s tuition rates for their children’s college educations at state universities in future years. But according to the report, the prepaid tuition program could require a $1.6 billion bailout from the state to remain solvent during the next 25 years.
The state hasn’t promised to come up with the money, but it must. Illinois simply can’t stick families with the bill. This is a problem created by the state, and it’s up to the state to solve it.
The families that bought into this program, often with an eye toward sending their son or daughter some day to the likes of University of Illinois or Illinois State University, are generally not folks with enough money to envision sending their offspring to pricey private schools. They had to put cash into the program at the same time they were trying to pay for everything from piano lessons to the mortgage.
If the state doesn’t deliver on its end of the bargain, they’ll be in trouble.
The Illinois Student Assistance Commission, which runs the program, has been criticized for slow sales and its investment decisions. The program’s underfunding rose from 7 percent in 2007 to 18 percent last May. As of March, the commission had 54,275 prepaid tuition contracts, but it stopped selling new contracts on Sept. 30 while it sorts everything out.
While a serious problem, the math shows it’s not quite the disaster that the media is claiming.
The fund needs $1.6 billion over 25 years. Without compound interest, that’s $64 million a year. The fund has 54,275 participants, so that works out to less than $118 per year, per contract, or less than $10 a month. Again, that’s without the magic of compound interest. A very modest fee increase coupled with perhaps an order to Illinois universities to accept what the program gives them, along with some much-needed internal reforms could wipe out that problem quite easily.
* Related…
* Chicago Tribune subscriber sues over rate hike: Cheryl Naedler, whose subscription rate more than doubled to $97.50 per quarter this year, contends in the lawsuit that her credit card and those of other subscribers were charged without their knowledge or consent of the increased price.
* Charter-school agency’s funding raises questions - A new Illinois commission can authorize charter schools rejected by local officials. Its money comes from a foundation that backs charter schools.
The Journal learned two area U.S. Representatives, Peter Roskam (R-6th) and Judy Biggert (R-13th), would back Republican candidate DuPage County Regional School Supt. Darlene Ruscitti in her run for the 8th Dist. seat.
Walsh announced he would run in the newly drawn 14th Dist. several months ago, after which Ruscitti, area businessman Andrew Palomo and Republican activist Richard Evans entered the Republican primary race in the 8th. Last week, Walsh announced he would run in the 8th.
A senior Roskam aide said the congressman is supporting Ruscitti. Biggert spokeswoman Kathy Lydon said Biggert gave her support to Ruscitti in September, donated money to Ruscitti’s campaign and is not one to go back on her word even with Walsh in the race. […]
Lydon said, “If the map stands (Biggert) supports her.”
U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin’s support for one candidate apparently altered the landscape of the race for the Democratic nomination for the U.S. House in the new 17th Congressional District.
One of the prospective candidates was state Sen. Dave Koehler, D-Peoria, but he decided just days before the end of the legislative filing period to run again for state Senate instead. As the Capitol Fax newsletter has reported, one factor in Koehler’s change of heart was a call from Durbin.
Durbin, a Springfield resident, is close to Gene Callahan, the father of one of the other candidates in the new 17th — Cheri Callahan Bustos. She is a former member of the East Moline City Council and also has support from Emily’s List, a nationwide organization that promotes pro-choice Democratic women.
“I knew that there was a relationship with Senator Durbin and the Callahan family,” Koehler told me this week. “I was hoping that the senator would be willing to stay neutral in the race.” But Koehler said Durbin called to say he was going to be supporting Bustos.
“I had to assess very quickly what that meant for my chances,” Koehler said.
Koehler has been in the state Senate for five years and thinks that would have helped him in the congressional primary in the Peoria area. However, he said Durbin’s expected endorsement of someone else would have been a factor elsewhere in the new 17th, “where I didn’t have any name recognition.”
This goes beyond Durbin’s close ties to Gene Callahan. Bustos just doesn’t have the same voting record as Koehler, who voted for the tax hike, borrowing, repeal of the death penalty and sponsored the civil unions bill. None of those bills are especially popular in that congressional district (although some less so than others), so the Republicans could have a field day with Koehler in the general election.
* Related…
* Harriman officially announces his bid for Congress
* City ward remap takes turn toward the bizarre: But this particular remap shows signs of becoming particularly ugly, with open clashes among white, African-American and Latino aldermen; rumored plans to cheat lakefront neighborhoods of their proper representation, and more threats of lawsuits than there are snowflakes in a December Chicago sky.
* Latinos and some others say they’ll file own ward remap plan: According to Mr. Fioretti, the proposed map — to be filed first thing on Thursday — will include 17 predominantly African-American wards plus one “influence” ward where a black would have a good chance of winning. It also would create 13 Hispanic-majority wards plus two Hispanic-influence wards.
Since the early days of the 2008 campaign, Smith has distinguished himself by being first to the news. Having a jump on the competition of even just five minutes has made all the difference, he says. But a lot has changed since 2008. Twitter, Smith says, is “sort of draining the life from the blog.”
“Where people were hitting refresh on my blog because they wanted to see what my latest newsbreak was, now they’ll just be on Twitter, and I’ll tweet it out and they’ll see it there,” he says. “What I’m doing right now is just incredibly old school. I might as well have ink all over my fingers and be setting type.”
Buzzfeed is basically just a headline and Twitter feed aggregation site, but it’s done so in a way that attracts the type of people who like to see what everybody else is being distracted by on the Interwebtubes. Smith is hiring some reporters, so it appears that the site will soon be breaking news itself.
Despite Ben’s praise, Twitter is only good for a sentence or two. There is no room for thought, analysis and debate with that product. I like to drill down, and most of you do as well.
Besides, there simply aren’t as many hot, breaking political news stories day in and day out in Illinois as there are in DC. Twitter and headline aggregation alone aren’t enough for us.
Even so, there’s no doubt that Twitter has become an indispensable news tool. We were all glued to the Twitterverse during Rod Blagojevich’s recent sentencing hearing, for example.
* And that’s a big reason why I became so interested in ScribbleLive. Their program is so awesome that Tweets usually appear on ScribbleLive before they appear on Twitter itself. Twitter went down in my part of the world yesterday for about a half an hour, but ScribbleLive was still up and running and kicking out the Tweets.
Also, website owners like myself can’t monetize Twitter. To me, anyway, there’s no sense in allowing some faceless corporation to make money off of me if I don’t get a piece of the action as well. The idea is to use Twitter to bring people here, not the other way around. ScribbleLive allows me to do that by aggregating Tweets from numerous sources on my own site, along with news story excerpts, photos, video, audio and my own commentary/reporting. It’s almost a perfect platform for me, and it’s incredibly easy to update posts when I’m not in the office.
* The new system appears to be working. The live session posts are getting more popular with every passing session day. People are watching the House debate while sitting in the gallery, for instance, and following Senate action via ScribbleLive right here. We not only had tons of views for the Blagojevich sentencing hearing, the automatic updating benefits of ScribbleLive took a huge load off our servers. On a day when we might have been in danger of crashing from too much traffic, we had no problems at all. It’s just a very cool thing.
I’ve also come up with a way to monetize the ScribbleLive feeds without taking away from their value by adding too much clutter. I’m still working on pricing and frequency, but I should be launching it sometime soon.
* Anyway, you’ll notice this morning that I’ve moved the daily ScribbleLive news feed from its own post to the middle column. I’ve done this for a couple of reasons. The feed is getting a huge amount of views throughout the day, but it’s getting lost in the clutter in - and adding to the clutter of - the main section of the blog. I decided to put it in the center column to increase the value and usefulness of that column, which hopefully will then draw even more eyeballs to the same column as the advertising. Hey, if you think I wanna do all this for free, you’re insane.
But I couldn’t decide what to do about the icons in the ScribbleLive feed. I turned them off and on last night. Turning them off allows more stories to be seen before you have to scroll down. Turning them on makes the feed “pop” better.
…Adding… For BlackBerry users, just click the icon above the ScribbleLive feed. It’ll take you to a separate page.
*** UPDATE 1 *** OK, even though the poll is heavily in favor of leaving the icons “on,” I’ve turned them off for a while so you can see what the feed looks like without them.
*** UPDATE 2 *** I’ve turned the icons back on for those who didn’t see the blog earlier today.
A federal safety board called Tuesday for a nationwide ban on the use of cell phones and text messaging devices while driving.
The recommendation is the most far-reaching yet by the National Transportation Safety Board, which in the past 10 years has increasingly sought to limit the use of portable electronic devices — recommending bans for novice drivers, school bus drivers and commercial truckers. Tuesday’s recommendation, if adopted by states, would outlaw non-emergency phone calls and texting by operators of every vehicle on the road.
It would apply to hands-free as well as hand-held devices, but devices installed in the vehicle by the manufacturer would be allowed, the NTSB said. […]
At any given daylight moment, some 13.5 million drivers are on hand-held phones, according to a study released last week by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Some 3,092 roadway fatalities last year involved distracted drivers, although the actual number may be far higher, NHTSA said.
The announcement of the recommended ban followed an NTSB board meeting about the 2010 multi-vehicle highway accident in Gray Summit, Mo., that killed two people and injured 38 after a pickup truck ran into the back of a truck-tractor that had slowed because of a construction zone, officials said.
“The NTSB sees that incident and others as an example of how using cell phones and other personal electronic devices can have deadly consequences,” a spokesman said.
A recent NTSB investigation of the 2010 crash showed that the pickup driver sent and received 11 text messages in the 11 minutes before the accident, including one text received moments before his vehicle struck the truck-tractor.
Illinois already bans mobile phone use in construction zones and school zones. Illinois also bans texting while driving.
In a new survey of nearly 900 motorists, the company found that use of mobile web services has increased dramatically over the last two years.
For drivers 18-29:
* Accessing the internet while on a cell phone while driving increased from 29 percent in 2009 to 43 percent in 2011.
* Reading social media networks while driving increased from 21 percent in 2009 to 37 percent in 2011.
* Updating social networks while driving increased from 20 percent in 2009 to 33 percent in 2011.
* So far, though, banning all mobile phone use while driving appears to be a no-go with the states…
“States aren’t ready to support a total ban yet, but this may start the discussion,” said Jonathan Adkins, a spokesman for the Governors Highway Safety Association.
NTSB chairman Deborah Hersman acknowledged the recommendation would be unpopular with many people and that complying would involve changing what has become ingrained behavior for many Americans.
“I don’t think we need the federal government telling us what we should or shouldn’t do for cellphones,” said state Rep. David Leitch, R-Peoria. “It’s not like no one’s been acting on cellphone policy (in Illinois). They have. I think we’re capable of figuring this out ourselves.”
Leitch noted that state lawmakers already have acted to make illegal the practice of text messaging while driving and have separately also banned the use of cellphones by drivers passing through construction zones.
Meanwhile, state Rep. Jehan Gordon said she wanted more time to review the proposal and the detail behind it before deciding whether or not she favored it and pledged to “keep an open mind.”
However, the Peoria Democrat argued that “we’ve become a generation of people who try to multitask at all times . . . sometimes we’re forgetting the basic notion of safety.”
* The Golden Horseshoe Award for best legislative campaign staff director is Will Cousineau, of the House Democratic staff. Will not only got a ton of nominations, but they were the best written and most insistent. His father even chimed in…
My vote is for my son, Will. There are many times that he can not be with us because of his dedication to his job. Other times he may be with us but always takes whatever time is necessary to stay connected to those who count on him at the state. He is dedicated, loyal, strategic and conscientious. I could not dream of a career that he would be more devoted to. You are fortunate to have a person like him in your court.
Frankly, all of the campaign staff directors are solid people and are good at what they do. I respect every one of them. They’re all winners in my book. So, the other three tied for runner-up.
* On to today’s nominees. First up, the Beth Hamilton Golden Horseshoe Award for best House secretary/admin. assistant. We named it after Beth because she kept winning.
And, then, of course, we have the Golden Horseshoe Award for best Senate secretary/admin. assistant.
Have at it, and remember to explain your nomination in full. This is not a game of numbers, it’s about the intensity of the nominations. Thanks much.
...Adding… Try to nominate in both categories, please.
A federal judge today said a Chicago Tribune reporter does not have to turn over her notes from an interview of a juror in the William Cellini trial who apparently concealed her felony background during jury selection. […]
At a hearing today, U.S. District Judge James Zagel said Sweeney did not have to turn over her notes because Chiles did not say anything of merit.
Blagojevich’s attorneys also asked that the ex-governor be included in a prison residential drug abuse program. Successfully completing that can shave as much as a year off a sentence, but to qualify Blagojevich would have to show a documented pattern of substance abuse in the 12 months before his arrest three years ago.
“It wasn’t mentioned during the first trial, it wasn’t mentioned during the the second trial at all, even when he testified, so I think that you have look at that a little skeptically,” said Cramer.
You will recall that Scott Fawell recommended that Blagojevich apply for admittance into the program in order to take some time off his sentence. Blagojevich ought to be asked publicly about details before that request is granted.
* And the Tribune looks at why Rod Blagojevich may have wanted to be imprisoned in Colorado…
At first blush, Blagojevich’s request for a prison 1,000 miles from Chicago would seem to be an odd one, especially since attorneys said his family doesn’t plan to move to Denver. Blagojevich’s legal team on Tuesday did not explain the reasoning behind the choice. But Sam Adam Jr., a former attorney for Blagojevich who remains close to the ex-governor, said Blagojevich opted for the Colorado prison because of its reputation and proximity to Denver and its airport.
“My understanding is that it has fewer fighting outbreaks and gang problems,” Adam said. “And since this is not going to be a camp, you have to consider who goes there.”
While Blagojevich’s lawyer acknowledged the former governor would have preferred a federal prison camp and its lesser restrictions, he likely wouldn’t qualify for that because he was sentenced to more than 10 years in prison — the usual cutoff for camps.
Larry Levine, a prison consultant who served time himself, said that the Littleton institution also offers some perks not available at a similar facility in Milan, Mich., the closest low-security federal prison to Chicago. It has a smaller inmate population than Milan, one additional day a week for families to visit and perhaps most importantly, a camp that Blagojevich could move to in a few years, Levine said.
Blagojevich’s family isn’t moving to Colorado, so they’ll have to fly out to visit him. That could be costly…
Scott Fawell, former chief of staff to former governor George Ryan, served four years at a prison in Yankton, South Dakota.
He says Blagojevich’s preference of a prison in Colorado - more than a thousand miles from home - will be a costly one.
“We tallied it up. It was about $21,000 for Andrea to come and see me on a regular basis,” said Fawell.
A federal judge is scheduled to hear arguments on whether a juror’s criminal record entitles convicted Springfield powerbroker William Cellini to a new trial.
After Cellini was convicted Nov. 1 of trying to shake down a Hollywood producer for a campaign donation, it was revealed that a juror hadn’t disclosed two felony convictions.
Cellini’s attorneys say that juror cannot be trusted and compromised the verdict. Prosecutors argue the juror wasn’t automatically disqualified.
The newspapers’ plight has garnered support from the Chicago chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists, which has criticized Zagel’s rulings on media issues in the past. The organization’s leadership said it objects to the reporters’ notes being used to do work that should be done by court officers.
“There isn’t anything the Tribune found that the judicial system and law enforcement couldn’t have found on their own,” said Beth Konrad, a past president of the Chicago chapter and a Loyola University Chicago journalism professor. “You can’t have a journalist acting as an arm of the courts.”
The situation also is being monitored nationally by First Amendment advocates, who argue that the public’s faith in both the court system and an independent press could be eroded if reporters are forced to surrender their work product.
“The last thing you want as a journalist is to be seen as an operator for the government, the judiciary or the defense,” said Lucy Dalglish, executive director of the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press. “How are citizens supposed to trust you if they think you’re working for someone else? They need to know you’re operating independently.”
* And while I may live to regret this, how about a caption contest? Here’s Judge James Zagel…
Winner will get a free ticket to a big party I’m throwing early next year. Sorry, but I can’t be more specific than that.
* Related…
* Brown: Strict rules for Blagojevich’s prison stint
Illinois’ main economic development programs don’t have enough safeguards in place to make sure taxpayers get quality jobs from companies receiving incentive packages, according to a national analysis of state programs to be released Wednesday.
Good Jobs First, a Washington-based nonprofit that researches economic development subsidies, gave Illinois a D in the report, saying the state doesn’t require companies to offer workers health benefits or set goals on their pay. Those drawbacks more than offset the state tying incentives to jobs.
Illinois lags most other states in requiring that high-quality jobs result from its business relocation and retention incentives, a new study found. […]
“For a state that’s a big spender, to be rated this low and to be under the gun with high-profile deals like Sears or Motorola Mobility or CME, Illinois needs to be sure the jobs it is subsidizing pay good wages and have health care,” said Greg LeRoy, executive director of Washington, D.C.-based Good Jobs First, a non-profit critic of corporate subsidy programs, which conducted the study.
* The problem with this study is it looked at statutes and not results. So, for instance, a few of the major beneficiaries of state incentives over the past year have included Ford, Motorola Mobility, CME Group and Sears. All of those companies have solid wages and benefits at their headquarters and/or factories. But, the study doesn’t look at that.
Also, on the basics like job creation, job retention or training requirements, Illinois gets a perfect score in all but one of its incentive programs. In fact, in its “Performance Requirements” category, Illinois scores 140 out of 175, and has perfect scores 11 out of 15 times.
* However, the group does make a good point. The race to the bottom shouldn’t be happening here. We shouldn’t be using tax credits to create minimum wage jobs, which has happened in other states. Illinois has no market-based or even non-market based wage requirements, no healthcare coverage requirements and no other benefit requirements.
* One other point, according to Good Jobs First, states spent $11 billion on business incentives last year. Illinois spent $148.7 million in 2010. That’s just barely over 1 percent of the total spent nationally. We have a long ways to go before we’re spending more than other states.
…Adding… From Good Jobs First…
Rich,
Just thought I’d respond to your criticism that we only looked at statutes. We looked at both statutory language (statutes, administrative code, rules, other publications by the agency) as well as interviewed officials about what is typically included in subsidy contracts. DCEO was surprisingly difficult to get a straight answer and required us to file a number of FOIAs just to learn what the practices were with these programs. Ultimately, they rejected our most of our requests. Other states are very clear on what their programs require. Take, for instance, Virginia. It puts up documents detailing what each program requires. DCEO doesn’t do that. Conducting economic development on an ad hoc basis behind closed doors is not the standard set in other states.
While it’s true that Illinois does “only spend” $150 million in this fiscal year, we also know that many of the EDGE tax credits are not utilized (per Chicago Tribune investigation) because companies don’t have liabilities these days. Single Sales Factor apportionment, other than the down economy, is the most likely reason why many companies don’t have tax liabilities. When the economy bounces back in Illinois, it is quite likely that these blank check tax credits will bump up costs to the state. Since taking office, the Quinn administration has awarded $600 million in EDGE tax credits alone. These will cost the state at some point in time, even if it’s not today.
These state figures also ignore how much Illinois spends on local subsidies like TIF and property tax abatements. The last time anyone counted, in 2008, TIF alone diverted over $1 billion in property tax revenues from local governments. It could be the case that state aid to local governments is picking up the tab for the revenue loss from local subsidies.
Best,
Thomas Cafcas
Good Jobs First
…Adding More… Response from DCEO…
While it is not the department’s usual practice to engage in political rhetoric through the media, we feel it is important to address a number of the claims made by Thomas Cafcas to the Capitol Fax. After Mr. Cafcas contacted DCEO regarding film subsidies, we arranged a conversation with the director of the Illinois Film Office and other DCEO officials. Following that conversation, DCEO sent him the attached letter, which included the offer to provide any additional information he needed.
We make every effort to provide the public with adequate and timely information related to our programs, which is why much of the information related both to our services and our program expenditures is now posted online. It’s unfortunate that Mr. Cafcas seems to be more concerned with garnering headlines than serving as the public watchdog his agency purports to be. Were they genuinely interested in productive dialogue aimed at boosting job creation, perhaps they would have shared their findings with states – rather than just the media.
A fact that is missing from Mr. Cafcas’ letter is that the $150 million or so the state has made in EDGE investments, it has supported nearly $11.5 billion in actual and projected investment, and created and retained tens of thousands of jobs. Since January 2010, Illinois has added 108,100 jobs and saw the largest job gain in the nation (more than 30,000) in the month of October. We acknowledge there is still more work to be done, and this administration is committed to continuing our work to bring businesses to Illinois by highlighting our tremendous assets such as reforms to unemployment insurance and the workers’ compensation program; investments in our infrastructure, innovation and foreign trade; and of course highlighting our world-class workforce. Those are the headlines that matter to us in Illinois.
Thanks,
Marcelyn Love
Communications Manager
Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity
CME’s earnings per share will be about 4.76% higher than they would have been; CBOE’s will be 3.16%, [Chicago exchange analyst Niamh Alexander of Keefe Bruyette & Woods Inc.] estimated.
Did anybody buy stock this week?
* And while CME Group was lobbying for a big tax cut, it was also angering traders, who say the firm’s new rules could leave them out of a job…
CME said it will start incorporating data from electronic trading to set grain and livestock closing prices by next spring, a move that could sharply limit the role of the trading pit where closing prices have always been set.
We essentially leave it up to the governor’s office to make sure that these incentives aren’t being doled out to companies that don’t care about their employees. […]
While the pits are typically quiet for much of the day, the final minutes of each trading session are marked by frenetic buying and selling because only pit-traded dealings are used to set the official end-of-day price. […]
CME has a long history of adopting rules that tend to push trading to the computer screens, in large part because once contracts are traded electronically, volume historically rises. […]
“Basically it will be a pit killer,” said Jim Clarkson, an analyst for A&A Trading. “My feeling is big traders, including funds with the big volume, want the business on screens. But I believe the more traders you have, the better markets you have. In the end, all electronic trade will be much more volatile with bigger price moves.”
* House Republican Leader Tom Cross is having a press conference today at 9:30 about the corporate tax rate. I may do a live blog. We’ll see. Check back…
House Republican Leader Tom Cross, of Oswego, who has called for rolling back the temporary increase in the corporate income tax, is expected to unveil legislation regarding that tax Wednesday morning.
* And Gov. Pat Quinn and Senate GOP Leader Christine Radogno both offered up observations yesterday…
“Sometimes when you have an emergency, where another state is trying to take a big employer… we’re not going to stand on the side of the road and watch them do it,” [Quinn] said. “We’re going to roll up our sleeves and protect our jobs.” […]
Senate Minority Leader Christine Radogno, R-Lemont, said she’s willing to say “no more” to individual business tax breaks until the state’s corporate income tax structure is reviewed.
“I don’t call the shots entirely, but I think that’s one approach,” she said. “We need to say, ‘We recognize we have a problem,’ I think you heard a lot of recognition of that today. We need comprehensive reform, and that may be one way to hold our feet to the fire to get it done.”
*** UPDATE 1 *** Leader Cross’ presser is starting, so let’s go to the ScribbleLive session feed. BlackBerry users click here, iPad and iPhone users remember to use the “two-finger” scrolling method…
*** UPDATE 2 *** From Senate Republican Leader Christine Radogno…
“We’re hopeful the House effort is successful and we’ll have the opportunity to repeal the tax increases that are driving jobs out of Illinois and hurting families. Our similar efforts in the Senate have so far fallen on deaf ears. But perhaps, with the spotlight now clearly shining on the failure of the Democrats’ tax increases and fiscal management, they will join with us to take a comprehensive look at Illinois’ tax structure, business regulation and over-spending.”
* Cat: R&D provision ‘a small step’: “Passage of this bill does not alter the fundamental dynamic for the state as a place to do business. From a financial standpoint, Illinois is a patient in critical condition. Yet Springfield continues to react in crisis mode, using Band-Aids rather than developing a long-term plan to get the state on the road to being healthy,” Dugan said. “We hope our political leaders can move away from this crisis approach and develop and implement a long-term strategy that moves Illinois away from being rated 48th out of 50 states in terms of business climate to a ranking that will encourage job creation, business growth and business involvement.”
* Rosenthal: Tax wishes keep Sears, CBOE, CME Group home in Illinois for holidays and beyond - Incentive package, worth an estimated $371 million a year, heads to governor for approval
* Press Release: Chamber Commends Illinois Governor and Legislature’s Support for Business
* Press Release: Sears Holdings Applauds Illinois Lawmakers for Recognizing Company’s Value to the State
* Bill to ease rules for small cemeteries sent to governor
The video replays footage of Walsh’s famous brunch-time freakout at Uno Chicago Bar & Grill, over a soundtrack of The Clash’s cover of “Brand New Cadillac,” which is supposed to make us feel that Walsh is out of control.
“Don’t blame banks and don’t blame the marketplace for the mess we’re in right now,” he shouts. “I am tired of hearing that crap.”
Without a doubt, this Walsh candidacy is gonna be a fundraising bonanza for Duckworth and Raja Krishnamoorthi, but…
It is not true that House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) promised Walsh $3.5 million for an 8th district run. Last week, Walsh switched from the 14th district, where he faced a GOP primary with Rep. Randy Hultgren (R-Ill.)
“That number credited to him is not accurate,” Cory Fritz, Boehner’s political spokesman told me Monday. Duckworth is using the $3.5 million number to help jumpstart her donations, attributing it to a report in a suburban paper.
* Meanwhile, Peter Roskam isn’t exactly champing at the bit to endorse Walsh…
Rep. Peter Roskam (R-Ill.), a member of House leadership, says it is premature to back anyone yet because a federal court panel in Chicago has not yet ruled on the legality of the Democratic-drawn congressional map. The map is designed to help Democrats pick up seats.
“We’re not even convinced the new 8th District is going to exist. So It is entirely premature to discuss any hypothetical matchup while the map is still with the Courts,” Dan Conston, Roskam’s spokesman told me.
* Duckworth’s campaign is doing whatever it can to generate press, including placing stories about old donations…
Top House and Senate leaders cut checks for Iraq War veteran Tammy Duckworth’s (D-Ill.) House bid recently — a strong signal that top Democrats are ready to make a significant investment in her campaign for the 8th district.
House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (Calif.), House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer (Md.) and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (Nev.) donated to Duckworth in the past couple of months via their campaigns or political action committees, according to the House hopeful’s campaign.
The disclosure comes only a few days after freshman Rep. Joe Walsh (R) announced he’ll seek re-election in the 8th district instead of running against his fellow GOP freshman Rep. Randy Hultgren. The donations are also notable because Duckworth faces former Illinois Deputy Treasurer Raja Krishnamoorthi in the Democratic primary this March.
* In other campaign news, the idea for allowing candidates to draw a salary from their campaign funds was designed to let the non-wealthy compete with people who didn’t have to work for months at a time. But, of course, it was inevitable that somebody would take advantage of the law…
Chicago aldermen get paid $114,000 a year, but a FOX Chicago News investigation finds two of them are paying themselves out of their campaign funds for extra work, like marching in parades, passing petitions, and slating candidates at political meetings.
Ald. Danny Solis (25th Ward) has paid himself $194,778 since 2004.
“My job is to promote the Democratic Party in the 25th Ward, and that’s what I paid myself for,” Solis said. “If I paid a consultant, they would probably get paid maybe a little more than that if they were doing this full-time.”
The practice of paying for political work is completely legal, but David Morrison from the Illinois Campaign for Political Reform says when politicians pay themselves, it creates huge ethical problems.
“I can’t give you a bribe, but if I can give you money you can convert to your own use it’s the same thing,” Morrison said.
That’s less than $28K a year, but the guy is making a decent buck as an alderman.
Lots of people in Washington, D.C., own lots of stock in companies whose profits are affected by federal legislation. But one holding by DuPage County Congresswoman Judy Biggert now is drawing particular scrutiny.
According to her federal financial disclosure, Ms. Biggert, R-Hinsdale, is one of four members of Congress who own stock in TransCanada Corp., the company whose plans to lay pipeline from Alberta to the American Midwest have stirred an environmental furor and have been at least temporarily sidetracked by the Obama White House.
Ms. Biggert’s stake is valued at between $1,000 and $15,000, according to the disclosure.
If that’s all that was there, the matter likely wouldn’t be worth much more review.
But, as first reported by the Sunlight Foundation, a Washington research group, Ms. Biggert last month tweeted about the White House action, writing, “WH caves to anti-American energy lobby, delays job-creating Keystone XL Oil Pipeline.”
Nowhere in the tweet did she mention her ownership of up to $15,000 in stock.
Rod Blagojevich’s attorneys on Tuesday requested a 30-day extension on the date the former governor must report to prison. Judge James Zagel granted the extension during a hearing at the Dirksen Federal Building.
Blagojevich’s new date is March 15.
During the hearing Blagojevich’s attorneys also made a request for which prison he’ll be sent to. They asked for Englewood, Colo.
A federal judge ordered a Chicago Tribune reporter on Monday to turn over notes and other related documents concerning a juror who apparently concealed her criminal record in the William Cellini trial, a directive the newspaper called “unnecessary” and harmful to the independence of the reporting process. […]
During a brief hearing last week, U.S. District Judge James Zagel brought up the idea of compelling the Tribune to turn over its notes from a conversation with the juror before any of the lawyers in the case even raised the issue. The judge identified the juror in Monday’s ruling as Candy Chiles.
The defense argues that the Chicago woman compromised the verdict by concealing her criminal history and potential bias during jury selection. In an effort to bolster their position, Cellini’s lawyers sought access to notes of Tribune reporter Annie Sweeney from a brief interview with Chiles.
In his ruling issued late Monday, Zagel ordered that Sweeney “produce any and all notes, memoranda, tape recordings, documents, or other records, from Oct. 3, 2011, to present, of any conversations the journalist had with the juror” related to her previous criminal history or answers during jury selection.
I really don’t think judges ought to be nosing around in reporters’ notebooks. I asked Dick Ciccone, Cellini’s spokesman, about why they’d ask for such a thing…
It is simply to learn if the juror said anything about Cellini or the trial that did not appear in their stories.
“Journalists must be free to ask questions and collect information secure in the knowledge that their notes will not be seized by the government or litigants in court and used for other purposes. Unfortunately, that security now is threatened by this ruling.
We believe that these subpoenas are unnecessary and in fact do harm to the independence of the reporting process. We are disappointed by Judge Zagel’s ruling, and we now are considering our options.
We do not know why this juror’s record or suitability for service were not ascertained earlier by the court. Had that occurred, we might not face this situation now.
We argued in our court filing that there are other, more direct sources of information available to learn about the juror’s record and actions. These include the court’s jury selection records, the juror herself, her friends and family, and her fellow jurors.
Public court records also are available to everyone in this case, as they were to us when we revealed the felony convictions in our Nov. 11 story. “
Something has come up about you, I said. I am not here to judge, but we know about your convictions. And now there are questions about whether you were eligible to serve on the jury.
She began repeating the word no and indicated she did not want to be interviewed.
I continued talking. I was not taking notes.
She said she had nothing to say and told me to leave. She then made one brief remark that was not in direct response to a question. She said something about they should have known. I am not sure those were her exact words and I did not understand what she meant. I didn’t have an opportunity to ask her to explain it.
At some point I also asked her about her jury questionnaire in which she revealed she had a criminal history in her family but failed to put in the details.
She did not answer my questions and kept asking me to leave, so that’s what I did. The brief conversation ended before I could get a meaningful statement from her and I went to my car and wrote down my recollections of her remarks. They were not verbatim and not in perfect chronological order.
* Today’s SJ-R has by far the best explanation I’ve seen in print of the constitutional argument in favor of the pension reform bill that was sent to Gov. Pat Quinn’s desk…
Senate Democratic leaders, who are aligned with the House Republicans on this issue, believe that in the case of the two IFT officials, Steven Preckwinkle and David Piccioli, another part of the constitution backs their position.
Preckwinkle and Piccioli taught for a day in the Springfield School District in 2007, taking advantage of earlier legislation that allowed union officials to get into the teacher pension fund and count previous years as union employees. They were required to obtain teaching certificates, conduct classroom work and buy pension credits.
However, Article 8, Section 1 of the Illinois Constitution bars public funds from being used for anything but public purposes. Senate Democrats believe the loophole employed by Preckwinkle and Piccioli violated that provision of the constitution, thereby allowing lawmakers to revoke their pensions.
The other side of the argument is that the bill will allow the courts to test the constitutionality of taking away benefits from active employees.
* Sponsoring Rep. Kevin McCarthy laid out his reasoning for having proposed what amounts to a “just in case” trailer bill…
“If we only go forward with the one (piece of legislation) and that is found to be unconstitutional, then it’s as if we did nothing,” McCarthy said.
McCarthy said almost every lawmaker opposes what Preckwinkle and the other union leaders did. But he’s not sure that the Illinois Constitution allows the Legislature to change pension benefits once someone has paid into the system.
State Rep. Frank Mautino, D-Spring Valley, said the question about Preckwinkle and the other double dippers is not a question of right and wrong.
“Is it legal, that’s the question,” said Mautino. “If a court rules against (the pension reforms) then you have case law, a legal precedent, that public pensions cannot be altered.”
We don’t expect the perpetrators — a slew of Democrats in the Illinois House — to confess. But let’s all remember what they nearly achieved in Springfield late Sunday afternoon, when half of Illinois was shopping and the other half was watching the Chicago Bears.
That obscurity would have been perfect cover for gutting important elements of legislation to crack down on egregious pension abuses that are cheating rank-and-file union members and millions of Illinois taxpayers.
We can’t prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the arrival of four news reporters at this special meeting of a House pension committee radically changed its outcome. See whether you think the Democrats, realizing that they had been found out, hurriedly abandoned a plan to help some important union officials who just happen to be their political allies:
Even if the amendment had passed, the House Republicans and several Democrats would’ve created a huge ruckus on the House floor the following day. And even if it did pass the House, this bill would have never passed the Senate, so wiser heads prevailed.
However, Sunday’s committee hearing did show that the House Democrats aren’t at all enamored with the prospect of having a law out there which could test the constitutionality of taking away pension benefits from current employees, no matter what they may be saying in public. And, needless to say, the bill which already passed is putting the governor in a very tight spot with the unions.
* Roundup…
* State halts sales of underwater college savings plan - Illinois stops accepting new participants due to gap in funding: The new report, commissioned by the Illinois Student Assistance Commission, finds that, as of March 31, the fund was 30% short of what it needed to meet its long-term obligations. That was about the same shortfall found on June 30, 2010, the date of the previous financial-health study. But the latest review incorporates lower, and probably more realistic, forecasts on investment returns and sales of new contracts, assuming they resume.
* Illinois youth prisons fail inmates, society, report says: Illinois’ youth prison system is an expensive failure with more than half of young offenders returning within three years of their release, many of them for trivial problems such as skipping school and staying out late, according to a new report. The Illinois Juvenile Justice Commission made the report for Gov. Pat Quinn and the legislature and issued it publicly Tuesday. The report makes recommendations it says could save nearly $80,000 per imprisoned youth annually, without sacrificing public safety.
* Report: Illinois failing to help young offenders
* Kadner: Corrupt schools boss gets 18 months’ probation
* Meter company sends city $13.5 million bill for disabled parking: Chicago Parking Meters LLC sent the city a $13.5 million bill to cover losses from people who used disability placards or license plates to park for free in metered spots between Feb. 28, 2010, and Feb. 28, 2011, records show. The parking-meter company didn’t gauge how many of those drivers were legitimately disabled — though its surveys have city officials convinced that fraud played a major role in the bill being that high.
* Our first winner from yesterday’s nominations for Senate Democratic campaign staffer is Noe Chaimongkol. An anonymous commenter summed him up…
Never gets the credit he deserves, especially on the political side. Don’t let his quiet demeanor fool you. He knows strategy backwards and forwards and is a someone every candidate should want in their corner. And really - Linda Holmes, twice? That’s worth a horseshoe in itself.
* Runner-up is Bryen Johnson. Here’s “Sideline Watcher’s” nomination…
Bryen Johnson for many of the reasons listed above but mostly because in politics it can be very easy to get cynical and jaded. Bryen erases all that by being an absolutely genuine, hardworking, honest broker who plays to win. We need more people like him, especially in this environment.
Agreed.
“Michelle Flaherty” wanted a special playoff on this one, but it’s not to be…
How about a pay-per-view smack down between Bryen and Noe? It could be broadcast online to CapFax subscribers.
Winner gets the horseshoe.
LETS GET READY TO RUMBLE !!!!!!!!!!!
* Our winner on the Senate Republican campaign staff is Jo Johnson…
Jo Johnson does a swell job on the legal side of things. She’s quick-witted and direct.
She’s done a heckuva job during the petition phase as well.
* A whole lot of people nominated Ryan Cudney, but Ryan runs the operation, so I’ll give him an honorable mention here rather than a runner-up. There were also a ton of nominations for Magen Ryan, who runs the SDem operation, so she also gets an honorable mention.
But instead of pitting the top dogs against their own staff, I’ve decided that we need a new category this year: Best legislative campaign staff director…
* Will Cousineau - House Democrats
* Kevin Artl - House Republicans
* Magen Ryan- Senate Democrats
* Ryan Cudney - Senate Republicans
Make extra sure to explain your nomination in comments, please. I’ll just ignore a simple name. I can’t stress enough that this contest is based far more on intensity than numbers.
And I know how competitive some of y’all are when it comes to partisan campaigns, so do your very best to avoid slamming somebody else. Just stick to the positive aspect of your own nomination, please. Any negativity will hurt your candidate.
…Adding… I’ve already nullified two votes because people are ignoring my insistence that they stay positive. It won’t be too many more of these and the candidate with the most negativity on his or her behalf will be disqualified. Final warning, people. Enough.
* If nothing else, the corporate tax cut bill raids Indiana…
An Indiana-based maker of automobile replacement parts is one step closer to receiving a tax incentives package worth $3.5 million over 10 years that would see the company move its corporate headquarters to Illinois.
UCI International Inc. is the latest in a growing number of companies seeking a special break in exchange for jobs. The company was added last week to a bill aimed at keeping Sears Holdings Corp. and CME Group Inc. from exiting the state. The Illinois House approved the tax-break package Monday. The Senate is expected to consider it Tuesday.
Look, I’m no fan of these cross-border raids, but I’m really getting tired of Indiana and other states bad-mouthing Illinois and attempting to steal our companies.
A buddy of mine had an interesting suggestion yesterday. Every time one of these states tries to lure a company out of Illinois, we ought to go after one of that state’s biggest companies with everything we have. In other words, the “Chicago Way.” Don’t bring a knife to a gun fight, fellas.
We might not have to do that too many times before other states get the message: Lay the heck off.
For instance, how about we make an offer on the Indianapolis Colts? The team sucks this year, but they’ll improve when their quarterback returns. We could move it to Arlington Heights in exchange for no slots at tracks. And then we could grab the Pacers and move them to the Metro East or the STAR Bonds district in Marion. St. Louis has no basketball team, so let’s get one and grab another state’s money in the process.
OK, that was mostly snark. But, seriously, we can’t just sit by and allow ourselves to be hammered like this. Repealing the tax increase would cost too much money and put the state in an even deeper fiscal hole. Maybe it’s time to fight fire with an even bigger fire as well as reforming some business laws.
The Illinois House approved a package of tax relief on Monday for families and businesses, including some big names like Sears and the Chicago Mercantile Exchange that are threatening to leave the state.
When fully phased in, the tax cuts would cost state government roughly $320 million a year. Chicago-based financial exchanges operated by CME Group Inc. and CBOE Holding Corp. would get about $85 million of that tax relief. Sears Holdings Corp. would get about $15 million.
Those companies have warned that they might move their operations to other states unless Illinois offers them incentives to stay.
During the debate, protesters unfurled a banner saying “Stop Corporate Extortion.” They were soon led out of the House chamber and discussion of the bills resumed.
The Illinois House approved tax breaks for the Chicago Mercantile Exchange Monday in a move that could cut short its parent company’s talks with outside suitors, including Downtown Indianapolis and Carmel.
It was CME Group Inc., after all, that made noises about relocating most of its highly paid 2,000 employees to another state after the House initially voted down a similar measure last month.
Still, the Indianapolis mayor’s office is watching the developments closely until any possibility of a move is off the table.
Also, local governments — such as Community Unit District 300 in Carpentersville — would get about double the property taxes they now get from the deal, and Hoffman Estates wouldn’t be allowed to use its share to run or pay for the Sears Centre.
“This is a bittersweet victory for us,” said District 300 Superintendent Michael Bregy, who was in Springfield Monday. He noted that while the school district will get more money under the plan the House approved, it wasn’t as much as he wanted.
“We were able to negotiate the best possible deal,” Bregy said.
Thirty-nine Republicans supported the [corporate tax cut] plan after accounting for only one of the eight votes on Nov. 29.
“It’s not a break. It’s not a credit. The reality is they’re being taxed on all of their trades, and that’s not fair. That’s not right,” House Minority Leader Tom Cross (R-Oswego) said of CME, whose trades are taxed by Illinois whether they occur in or out of the state. […]
House Republicans were mostly missing in action on the other piece of the tax-relief package that passed 67-49. It would double the earned income tax credit available to the working poor and increase the standard exemption for all taxpayers by tying it to the rate of inflation.
Senate President John Cullerton, D-Chicago, and Senate Republican leader Christine Radogno, of Lemont, each are optimistic the provisions will win Senate approval on Tuesday, according to their respective aides.
The measures are nearly identical to those of a single, overarching package that received bipartisan support in the Senate late last month, only to be shot down in the House.
“We had agreement about what was put into one proposition and we hope there will be the same level (of) support,” said John Patterson, a spokesman for Cullerton.
