Here we go again
Wednesday, Feb 15, 2012 - Posted by Rich Miller
* You may remember this from last year…
The House Agriculture Committee might seem like a proper venue to debate the state’s approach toward crossbow-hunting, soybean rust or farmers markets, but it became a battleground Tuesday over abortion.
By a 13-0 vote, before a standing-room-only room of angry abortion-rights supporters clad in “Women are not livestock” T-shirts and buttons emblazoned with a cow, the panel advanced legislation putting new financial burdens on abortion clinics.
The bill, sponsored by Rep. Darlene Senger (R-Naperville), would require abortion clinics to be retrofitted to resemble outpatient surgery centers, meaning equipment such as defibrillators and ventilators would be required for the first time while hallway and parking-lot dimensions would have to change. […]
The House Agriculture Committee, stocked mainly by socially conservative Democrats and Republicans from Downstate, has been the conduit to get guns-rights and anti-abortion legislation to the House floor for years — a fact critics of Senger’s bill zeroed in on.
The clinic bill didn’t survive a vote by the full chamber and it died. But nothing ever dies for long.
* House Bill 4117 is basically the same bill as last year’s bill. It was originally assigned to the House Human Services Committee on February 7th and then moved to House Ag on February 8th. The reason is that the House Speaker has tried to balance interests by accommodating both sides. So, for instance, pro-gun bills go to Ag, anti-gun bills go to wherever they can pass. The idea is to allow members to get their social issue hot-button bills to the floor and let them have their debates, or find out that their bills have not nearly enough support.
Anyway, as with last year, the ACLU of Illinois is not pleased with allowing Agriculture Committee members deal with abortion clinic regulations. From a press release…
“No one should be fooled by this effort to play politics with women’s health care,” said Colleen K. Connell, executive director of the ACLU of Illinois. “If the politicians and ideologues behind this effort have their way, the effect will be to shut down many clinics in Illinois that provide abortion and contraceptive care.” […]
“We heard the debate in the Agricultural Committee last year,” added Connell. “Those legislators know a lot about livestock, crops and salt licks. They do not know women’s health.”
“This is simple – women are not livestock and our health care should not be treated as politics.”
Discuss.
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Question of the day
Wednesday, Feb 15, 2012 - Posted by Rich Miller
* For whatever reason, I’m having a difficult time coming up with a question today, so let’s go with this press release…
Governor Pat Quinn today was joined by the South Suburban Mayors and Managers Association (SSMMA) and city of Harvey officials to announce the start of the clean-up and demolition of the old Dixie Square Mall in Harvey. Today’s announcement marks the first phase of the broader economic development of the site, which was the site of the famous car chase scene in “The Blues Brothers” movie 30 years ago. The clean-up and demolition project will support a total of 42 jobs, which include 18 newly-created full-time jobs.
“The demolition of the Dixie Square Mall will help revitalize the local economy and create much needed jobs,” Governor Quinn said. “Although we will always remember the Dixie Mall as the location for one of the most iconic scenes in ‘The Blues Brothers’ movie, it is time for this now vacant building to be torn down to make way for more economic development for the Harvey community.”
* The Question: What’s your favorite “Blues Brothers” movie scene?
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* Sun-Times…
Former Gov. Rod Blagojevich will serve his prison sentence for corruption at a low-security federal prison for male prisoners near Denver, as he had requested and a judge had recommended, sources said.
The Federal Correctional Institution Englewood — about 15 miles southwest of Denver near the suburb of Littleton, Colo. — is the same prison where Larry Warner, a co-defendant in the earlier corruption case that sent former Gov. George Ryan to prison, served two years after being convicted of conspiring with Ryan to steer state contracts his way. Blagojevich’s family isn’t expected to move to be closer to him, according to one of his lawyers, Carolyn Gurland, who said Wednesday the Blagojeviches had hoped to keep the prison assignment private.
* Meanwhile, Blagojevich’s judge, James Zagel, was sharply criticized for his behavior in another case by two appellate justices this week…
Appellate Court Justice Diane Wood ripped Zagel for his handling of juror issues that arose during the lengthy racketeering trial, calling his approach “a real problem.”
Wood, who has been considered a leading candidate for the United States Supreme Court during recent vacancies, was relentless in her criticism of Judge Zagel. The justice ridiculed Zagel’s “private chats” with an alternate juror who had expressed concerns about her own safety. Wood called the chats between Zagel and the juror “very foolish” and noted that there was no written record of the meetings anywhere.
More…
U.S. Appellate Judge Diane Wood told Monday’s hearing she was troubled by accounts that trial Judge James Zagel occasionally wandered into the jury room during the 2007 trial outside the presence of attorneys.
“There’s a real problem here with how the trial judge approached it … having all these private chats with people,” she said. Wood said it meant a vital court record of just who said what to whom was “woefully” lacking.
* More…
“Don’t you find it a little remarkable that the judge was wandering in and out of the jury room?” Wood asked. “This seems to be an invitation to trouble.”
“Judge Zagel’s approach was a little foolish,” she said. Fellow judge Diane Sykes likewise wondered aloud if the juror’s “reasons for needing to be excused spilled over to the remainder of the jury.”
He’s unique, that one.
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Will J3 never learn?
Wednesday, Feb 15, 2012 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Congressman Jesse Jackson, Jr. is already under investigation for using government resources, including his congressional e-mail account, to campaign for an appointment to the US Senate in 2010. You’d think he and his staff would learn. You’d be wrong. From WBEZ…
As [Jackson’s Democratic primary opponent Debbie Halvorson] moved toward launching her campaign in September and early October of 2011, WBEZ asked for comment from Jackson’s staff. In two instances, the aides sent statements from their government e-mail accounts, once with the subject line “Jesse Jr. statement in response to Halvorson” and another titled “Halverson statement” [sic].
In February, an unsolicited press release was sent noting the congressman’s opposition to a proposed immigrant detention center in south suburban Crete, Halvorson’s hometown. Deep in that document is a reference to Jackson’s “congressional opponent, Debbie Halvorson,” and a statement from the congressman noting that Halvorson did not speak out on the issue when she was in Congress. The release was sent from a government email account on government letterhead and remains posted on Jackson’s government website.
This past Monday, an unsolicited email, from a Jackson staff member’s government email account, contained nothing but a news clip about how a Super PAC is targeting Jackson in the upcoming election.
This is just insane. It’s like Jackson is all but begging for an expansion of the current investigation. Sheesh.
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A newly revived Pat Quinn?
Wednesday, Feb 15, 2012 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Last week, Gov. Pat Quinn’s administration announced it wasn’t going to wait for federal government approval to implement Medicaid fraud rules. The feds wanted yet another study before agreeing to allow Illinois to check residency and income status before adding people to the Medicaid rolls…
[Federal] officials wanted another study of the Illinois proposals, but [Julie Hamos, director of the Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services] said she feared that six months from now “we would still be tearing our hair out and saying, ‘Where is the approval?’”
Medicaid is Illinois’ single biggest operating expense, a $14 billion program with 2.7 million people on the rolls. That’s 1 in 5 Illinois residents.
It is a lifeline for many poor people. But there’s good reason to think that many people are getting Medicaid from Illinois who don’t qualify for it — who don’t even live in Illinois. In a letter to federal authorities, Hamos revealed that about 6 percent of Medicaid identification cards sent to Illinois households in November bounced back as “undeliverable with out-of-state addresses.”
* And, now, Quinn is looking to at least temporarily bypass the General Assembly on setting up a new health insurance exchange…
Gov. Pat Quinn is weighing whether to use an executive order to jump-start planning for Illinois’ health insurance exchange, a move that could rankle both state legislators and business groups.
In an apparent sign of impatience with the slow-moving Illinois General Assembly, a spokeswoman for the governor said the administration may use the order to create the “skeleton” of an exchange, which would allow staff to push forward with planning efforts.
That option immediately drew criticism.
“We would not favor that approach,” said Laura Minzer, executive director of the Health Care Council of the Illinois Chamber of Commerce. […]
Jim Duffett, executive director of the Champaign-based campaign, called creating the exchange via an order “a very viable thing” that would “move the process forward.”
Duffet has been arguing that business interests have too tightly controlled the legislative process to create the exchange. which is required under the federal health insurance reform law.
* What do you think? Do these actions show that Pat Quinn is acting more like a governor, or is it just my imagination?
* Related. and a Statehouse roundup…
* ADDED: Illinois could divert tax refunds of city debtors
* Cellini’s wife off preservation agency board: Without fanfare, Democratic Gov. Pat Quinn filed a notice with the secretary of state that he was making a new appointment to the spot held by Julie Cellini, whose term had expired.
* Illinois chamber joins lawsuit over ‘Obamacare’
* Business group wants quick decision on health care
* Editorial: Citizens deserve power to enact ethics reforms
* Constitutionality of Illinois eavesdropping law challenged in court - Attorney argues statute ‘not designed to protect police conduct that is open and in public,’ should not prohibit audio recording
* Lawmaker proposes new solution to distracted driving in Illinois
* High-tech car gadgets distracting, experts say
* Another plan floated to ground state’s air fleet
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* Dear top-level Pat Quinn administration official,
I contacted you last week to ask about rumors that former Rep. Bob Flider would be named as the state’s Agriculture Director. You waved me off the story.
Bite me…
Former state Rep. Bob Flider, D-Mount Zion, will be named Wednesday director of the Illinois Department of Agriculture, an official in the administration of Gov. Pat Quinn said.
Flider has apparently been sitting in cold storage over at Connected Illinois while waiting for the heat to die down over his vote to raise the income tax in the 2011 lame duck session. Flider lost his reelection bid in 2010 after campaigning against a tax hike…
Speaking in October [of 20100, Flider called the income tax hike proposed by Democratic Gov. Pat Quinn “the absolute last thing we need to be doing” and urged the state to “eliminate waste” and make “hard choices.”
Flider might have been given the Ag spot or another top job after he left office, but Quinn stirred up a huge media controversy by appointing former Rep. Careen Gordon to the llinois Prisoner Review Board. Gordon also lost her 2010 race and then voted for the tax hike. Her appointment came three days after that vote. Quinn then waited six months before appointing former Rep Mike Smith to the Educational Labor Relations Board. Smith was another lame duck who voted “Yes” to raise the income tax.
* All told, 12 lame duck House members voted for the tax increase. Counting Flider, five have now received public payroll jobs (Gordon, Smith, John O’Sullivan, Michael Carberry). The husband of former Rep. Betsy Hannig is now Quinn’s legislative director, but that’s not exactly connected. Quinn needed Hannig a whole lot more than Hannig needed Quinn.
*** UPDATE 1 *** I missed one, so it’s six of the twelve, not five. Thanks to a commenter for pointing out that former Rep. David Miller was hired by IDPH.
*** UPDATE 2 *** The governor’s office asked if I would pretty please post these nice things people are saying about Flider. Here you go…
“Bob Flider worked well in the agricultural arena when he served in the General Assembly and on the House Agriculture committee. Bob’s door was always open and we look forward to working with him in his new role as Director of the Department of Agriculture,” said Philip Nelson, President of the Illinois Farm Bureau. “We look forward to sitting down and addressing the many needs of agriculture with him.”
“The Illinois Soybean Association is pleased to support the appointment of a new director of agriculture who comes from the heart of Illinois soybean production and processing. It’s important for Illinois soybean producers to have a strong leader to help grow animal agriculture, improve crucial transportation infrastructure and lead the industry. We look forward to working with Director Flider on issues that promote a healthy food production system in Illinois.” –Matt Hughes, Illinois Soybean Association chairman from Shirley, Illinois
“Bob has a thorough understanding of the issues facing agriculture and agri-business, and he will be a strong advocate for all the state’s agricultural sectors as Director,” said Chris Olsen, Vice President of Community and Government Affairs at Tate & Lyle.
“Bob has lived most of his life in a rural area and represented a rural district as a state legislator, which makes him very familiar with issues important to farmers,” President and CEO of the Association of Illinois Electric Cooperatives Duane Noland said. “He has also been in public service for a long time. He knows his way around the Capitol as well as the rural areas, so he will be very effective in his new role.”
“Bob was always someone that was supportive and understanding of issues impacting agriculture when he was a member of the General Assembly,” said Jim Kaitschuk, Executive Director of the Illinois Pork Producers Association. “He certainly has the knowledge and understanding of the legislative dynamics, as well as how important agriculture is to the viability of Illinois. These tools will be essential in helping him continue his positive relationship with agriculture and working with the many dedicated people in the industry and within the Department.”
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Chicago Mag’s top 100
Wednesday, Feb 15, 2012 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Chicago Magazine has published a list of what it claims to be the city’s most powerful 100 people. Here’s the top five…
1. Rahm Emanuel - Mayor, City of Chicago
2. Patrick Fitzgerald - U.S. attorney, Northern District of Illinois
3. Jim Skinner - CEO, McDonald’s
4. Mike Madigan - Speaker, Illinois House
5. Rocky Wirtz - Chairman, Chicago Blackhawks
Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle was listed as 13th and White Sox owner Jerry Reinsdorf was 14th. Bill Daley was 99th and 100th was Marc Weissbluth, the founder of the Sleep Medicine Center at Children’s Memorial Hospital.
Go have a look. Reasoning behind the rankings is here.
Who did they leave off? Where do you disagree?
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