Today Sen. Mark Kirk was transferred from Northwestern Memorial Hospital to the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago (RIC) where he will be under the care of Dr. Richard L. Harvey, Medical Director of RIC’s Center for Stroke Rehabilitation.
Dr. Harvey said, “RIC’s team of experts will spend the next few days assessing Senator Kirk’s condition and developing a comprehensive, targeted rehabilitation program tailored to achieve the goals that will be established by Senator Kirk and his family. The Senator has several pre-stroke factors in his favor that our research and experience demonstrate will foster a better recovery, including his relative youth, good general health and fitness, strong personal motivation, and high intelligence.”
The office of Senator Mark Kirk (R-Ill.) today released the following statement at the request of Senator Kirk’s family:
“We want to extend our deepest gratitude to the incredible team at Northwestern Memorial for all they have done for Mark. Words will never be good enough to express the love and appreciation we feel. From the bottom of our hearts, thank you. As Mark begins the next phase in his recovery, we want to thank the thousands of people around the state, the nation and the world who have called, written notes, sent flowers and offered their thoughts and prayers. Mark’s drive and spirit are stronger than ever and we know he will give 110% in the days ahead.”
* At least two neighboring states, Missouri and Wisconsin, plan to use money from the national foreclosure settlement to help balance their budgets…
The Missouri House Budget Committee chairman said today that he supports Gov. Jay Nixon’s proposal to use $40 million of a multi-state bank settlement to ease higher education budget cuts.
Gov. Scott Walker, who joined Van Hollen for the announcement, says about 18 percent of the settlement – or $25.6 million – will go into the state’s general fund.
Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett begs to differ. After hearing Walker’s plan, Barrett called a news conference to urge the governor and attorney general to return the funds to the communities, instead of using them to balance the budget.
* Overall, the national settlement will require about a billion dollars to be spent in Illinois compensating mortgage holders who were victims of robo-signing schemes and to lower principal on certain mortgages.
Illinois’ governmental share is about $100-110 million, according to Attorney General Lisa Madigan. AG Madigan told me today that the settlement creates a special trust fund in Illinois, controlled by her office, which she will then use to keep people in their homes.
*** UPDATE *** AG Madigan’s staff just contacted me to further clarify Madigan’s comments on the trust fund. This is actually a federal trust fund and Illinois’ share is $100-110 million. That money, per the settlement, will be overseen by the AG’s office.
[ *** End Of Update *** ]
* Asked about other states which are using the cash for their budgets, Madigan said that while she understood the states’ financial problems, the settlement was all about the mortgage issue and the money ought to go for that.
“The one sector of our economy that is showing no signs of recovery is the housing market,” Madigan said. “One of the best things you can do is to make resources available to help people pay on their mortgages and stay in their homes. That will help our state economy… That’s what this was all about. That’s what [the money] should be used for.”
* Madigan also pushed back against reports like this one…
The $25 billion settlement with banks over foreclosure abuses may result in a wave of home seizures, inflicting short-term pain on delinquent U.S. borrowers while making a long-term housing recovery more likely.
The deal could help break a logjam that has stalled foreclosures from moving through courts, a scenario that has allowed some delinquent homeowners to stay in their homes more than two years without making any mortgage payments.
According to Madigan, the banks “paused” foreclosures for a couple of months, but she did not believe there was a large backlog that would suddenly create a flood of foreclosure proceedings. She also noted that part of the proceeds from the $100 million will go to some legal aid groups to help homeowners facing foreclosure.
* There is another school of thought, particularly with some liberals, that the $2,000 people can get if their mortgage documents were robo-signed translates into: “They stole my house, I got $2,000.” But the robo-signing doesn’t mean that people necessarily lost their homes when they shouldn’t have. If a home was actually taken without cause, another program, run through the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, will make former homeowners whole, Madigan said. That program has an application deadline of April 30th.
As for other issues involving the mortgage meltdown, Madigan said, “This was not intended to address every issue, it’s purely focused on robo-signing and the complete overhaul of servicing standards.” Her office also released a document entitled “Setting the Record Straight about the Bank Foreclosure Settlement.” Click here to read it.
* Related…
* AG: Homeowners can seek hotline after mortgage settlement
* Quinn: Mortgage settlement will help Illinoisans
* Madigan: Illinois to get $1 billion as part of multi-state mortgage settlement
Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn says if he wins the $310 million Powerball jackpot this weekend, he’ll still keep his job.
The Democrat purchased a $2 ticket Thursday for the Illinois Lottery game. […]
When asked if he’d use the winnings to help pay down the state’s massive backlog of unpaid bills, Quinn said he’s got to pay down some of his own bills, but there would be money left over.
* The Question: What do you think Gov. Quinn will do with the money if he wins the Powerball jackpot tomorrow?
* Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s newly unveiled handgun registration proposal has zero chance of passage, but will probably rake in big bucks for the pro-gun lobby. Check out this Illinois State Rifle Association e-mail…
URGENT ALERT:
CHICAGO MAYOR RAHM EMANUEL LAUNCHES NEW ATTACK ON YOUR RIGHTS
On Thursday, February 9th, Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel called for the Illinois General Assembly to pass a $65 per handgun fee to be levied against every law-abiding gun owner in Illinois – INCLUDING YOU. Of course, gang bangers, murderers, robbers and rapists are exempt from the fee. This fee would be charged every 5 years on every handgun you own. Additionally, you would have to register with the government in the same manner as sex-offenders.
WHAT THIS MEANS TO YOU
If Rahm Emanuel’s gun tax passes, you will be required to pack up your handguns and take them to the local police station for examination and registration. If you have 10 handguns to bring in, you’ll walk out paying $650 in taxes. If you own 100 handguns, the government will lighten your wallet to the tune of $6,500. And, you’ll have to repeat this process every 5 years – unless Emanuel and his buddies in the legislature bump this up to an ANNUAL FEE.
WHAT IF YOU DON’T HAVE THE MONEY TO PAY THE TAX?
If you cannot pay the $65 tax on EACH of your handguns, you will have to surrender your guns to the local police for destruction.
WHAT IF YOU DECIDE NOT TO PAY THE TAX?
If you decide not to pay the tax, the police will come to your house and take your guns away. They will also arrest you and charge you with a CLASS 2 FELONY.
WHAT CAN YOU DO TO HELP STOP THIS HANDGUN TAX IN ITS TRACKS?
1. Using the link below, contact your State Senator and State Representative and politely tell them that you are a law-abiding Illinois firearm owner who does not want their rights taxed. Tell your Senator and Representative that you expect them to vote AGAINST Rahm Emanuel’s gun tax should it come to the floor of the legislature.
2. Please pass this alert on to all your gun-owning friends and family, tell them to follow the directions contained in the alert.
3. Please post this alert to any and all Internet Blogs or Bulletin Boards to which you belong.
4. Go to the City of Chicago web page and fill out this form. Tell Emanuel that you will NOT LET HIM TAX YOUR GUNS.
http://webapps.cityofchicago.org/eforms/org/cityofchicago/eforms/controller/contactUsForm/preFeedbackForm.do
5. Please use the donation link below to send a generous donation to the ISRA, today. We badly need the money to continue to fight against Emanuel and his gun-grabbing pals. Think about it:
would you rather send your money as taxes to Emanuel, or donate to the ISRA?!
* As I pointed out yesterday, Mayor Emanuel has worked hard to convince Downstate Democrats to help with his agenda. They are not happy campers…
Rep. Brandon Phelps, who has championed efforts to pass a concealed weapons bill in Illinois, said the mayor’s office called him Thursday morning to let him know the registration proposal would be introduced.
“Number 1, my first response was I don’t know why you’re trying to do this statewide because we don’t want your policies on us downstate,” said Phelps, a Southern Illinois Democrat from Harrisburg. “Number. 2, it’s never going to work. They’re trying to go after criminals. They’re never going to register their guns. They won’t pay the fee. “
Phelps called Emanuel’s initiative a “slap in the face of every law-abiding gun owner.”
But metro-east legislators, who have been working in the opposite direction, to allow concealed carrying of handguns, say they’ll fight Emanuel’s proposal hard. One of them called the bill ridiculous, and another, Sen. Bill Haine, said there’s “just no damned way we’re going to let that happen.”
“Why does Chicago think they’re smarter than anybody else in the rest of the United States? I don’t think they are,” says Senator Gary Forby. […]
“The city and the area of the country with the toughest gun laws in the country is also the highest crime rates in the country and I don’t think that’s a simple coincidence,” says Bradley. […]
“People down here I wouldn’t be a bit surprised if they have 25, 50, 100 guns down here. Can you imagine $65 for every gun?,” asks Forby.
“I didn’t go into it because I thought it was a slam dunk. You don’t need me for that. You don’t need my political capital for the easy things. You use your political capital for the tough things that are the right things to do,” the mayor said during a news conference at a Roseland youth center across the street from a memorial to the victims of youth violence.
“This is a tough issue politically. But I want you to measure that against the toughness of that memorial [across] the street.”
Emanuel noted that 56 percent of the guns used in Chicago crimes were purchased in Illinois, but outside the city. That leaves what he called a “gaping hole” that criminals are exploiting.
“We need to close that hole, shut it down, so that the hard work of the law enforcement community, the hard work of our community groups, the hard work of our faith-based community, the hard work of our parents [doesn’t go to waste and] our laws are backing them up and keeping their kids safe, rather than making them more vulnerable,” the mayor said.
“You already buy a title for a car. You already buy a title for a motorcycle. You buy a title for a boat. I’m not asking you to do anything you don’t do already.””
The mayor didn’t get immediate public support from Democratic Gov. Pat Quinn. While the governor campaigned on a statewide ban on assault weapons, he said Thursday that he would reserve his opinion on Emanuel’s gun registry plan. Quinn wants lawmakers to first weigh in and “give their wisdom.”
That’s the smart move. Why alienate a huge bloc of legislative votes over somebody else’s bill that isn’t going anywhere?
* Reminder: Keep your overheated slogans to yourself. Also, the stupid references to Nazi Germany yesterday were blocked before they were even posted, so don’t even try that goofiness here.
* According to the Tribune, 65 percent of collar county voters and almost 60 percent of Republicans favor the “workers pay more” option. More…
[On cutting benefits for current retirees] Opinion was divided along income levels, with 13 percent of those earning less than $50,000 a year supporting benefit cuts for retirees, and 28 percent of voters earning more than $100,000 a year favoring it. […]
30 percent of voters would support cutting other state programs to better fund pensions. Opinion is heavily divided along partisan lines, with just 17 percent of Democrats supporting that idea compared with 50 percent of Republicans.
* The Tribune has released its poll results for Gov. Pat Quinn’s job approval rating. Quinn’s rating is as dismal as always: 30 percent approve and 54 percent disapprove. TPM poll tracker has Quinn’s average job approval rating at 31.9 percent over the past 2 years, while his average disapproval rating is 54 percent.
The poll of 600 registered voters, which has an error margin of 4 percentage points, was conducted Feb. 2-6. The interviews began a day after Quinn delivered an optimistic State of the State speech to lawmakers in Springfield in which he declared that after three years of his leadership, “Illinois is back on course. Illinois is moving forward. And Illinois is a place that we can be proud to claim as our own.”
That’s not the view many Illinoisans hold about the state’s economy. About three-quarters of Illinois voters said they failed to see an improvement in Illinois’ economy or thought that it is getting worse. Of that group, 88 percent disapproved of Quinn. […]
The governor scores best within his own party, though the poll found fewer than half of those who identified themselves as Democrats approve of Quinn’s job performance — 44 percent. But 61 percent of independent voters, always a key political demographic in statewide elections, expressed disapproval with his handling of the job.
Outfit crime boss Michael “The Large Guy” Sarno was sentenced to 25 years in prison this week. Sarno ordered the bombing of a business that was encroaching on his illegal video poker racket.
I’m glad that Sarno’s going to prison. I’m also happy that Illinois finally wised up and legalized video poker machines for taverns, fraternal clubs and truck stops.
A legal, regulated video poker industry means wise guys like Sarno will be put out of business. Illinois’ ridiculous “For Amusement Only” tax stickers on poker machines will finally come to an end once the legal, regulated machines are put into place. Nobody plays video poker at a tavern purely for their own amusement. They play because they’re hoping to win an illegal jackpot.
I have no fundamental problem with people who want to plunk quarters into a poker machine while they sip a beer and watch a game at their corner tap. They’re not criminals.
The problem, you see, isn’t video poker.
The problem is that the Outfit has been able to rake in untold millions of dollars while Illinois turned a mostly blind eye. Yeah, a few guys with bent noses and a handful of tavern owners were busted once in a while, but nothing ever stopped.
Legalization is the only proven way to cut the gangsters out. Illinois quickly killed off the illegal numbers rackets when the state started its own lottery, for instance.
On Friday, Gov. Pat Quinn will hold a press conference to “encourage people to support education and capital construction programs by playing Powerball,” according to his office. Before legalization, the numbers games just lined the pockets of violent criminals. Now, they help fund schools and roads.
Legalization also worked when the United States decided to end Prohibition. The Mafia doesn’t control the liquor industry, multinational corporations do. And whatever else you can say about them, rival corporate CEOs rarely bomb one another.
It’s never easy to legalize a “vice.”
The opponents of legalized video poker are still screaming about the “massive expansion” of sinful gambling it represents, as if the tens of thousands of machines that illegally pay out somehow don’t exist.
While most opponents are quite sincere, all their opposition really ends up doing is helping the mob. People are going to gamble. If a game of chance is illegal, the mob will find a way to make money. Lots of money. And then other people are going to be hurt, or killed, or bombed or bribed or whatever. Bet on it.
Lately, Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle has been pushing hard to lower the penalties for possessing small amounts of marijuana. There’s no reason, she says, to keep locking people in steel cages with violent criminals simply because they’ve decided to put something into their own bodies.
Preckwinkle appears to be making progress with Chicago Police Supt. Garry McCarthy, who said this week that he’s “all in favor” of issuing tickets for possessing small amounts of pot.
And while this is a necessary first step, it doesn’t go nearly far enough. It would be like decriminalizing a can of beer instead of ending Prohibition, or handing out small fines for possessing a numbers ticket in the 1960s. It doesn’t stop the real, festering societal problem of the control of vice by pathologically violent criminals.
If you truly want to hurt the Outfit and the street gangs, the only proven method is to legalize, regulate and tax their vice products.
* Related…
* War against drugs has failed on many fronts, panel says
* Preckwinkle Decries War On Drugs At Palatine Breakfast
* “Downstate has seceded from the Democratic Party,” bemoaned a Democratic operative a few months back. The Tribune’s latest poll shows President Obama, who split the Downstate vote with John McCain in 2008, is in bad shape in the region. These first numbers are the president’s job approval ratings…
* And these ratings are for his handling of the economy…
Democratic legislative leaders are pushing hard to win every possible suburban seat they can because they’re deathly afraid of a Downstate bloodbath. Those results show you why.
* However, the Tribune poll also clearly shows that Obama is rebounding in suburban Cook and in the collars. That October poll mentioned above had Obama upside down in the collar counties, 43 percent approved, 55 percent disapproved.
The survey found Obama to be particularly strong among women — especially among white suburban women who tend to be more socially moderate. Obama wins 63 percent of their vote against Romney and 65 percent of their vote against Gingrich, the poll found.
Yikes.
Suburban Republican candidates, particularly in Cook County, are not gonna like those numbers.
While tea party support for a congressional candidate has some influence among Republican voters, only 17 percent of voters overall said such an endorsement would make them more likely to vote for a contender.
Fully 34 percent of all Illinois voters said a tea party endorsement would make them more likely to vote against a candidate, and 39 percent said it would have no effect on their votes.
* But that’s about November. Let’s look at some primary news. House Speaker Michael Madigan’s primary campaign is getting some help from what some might think is an unlikely source…
A mostly Latino group headed by the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights has scheduled a press conference for Friday morning and a rally for Saturday that’s aimed directly at Michele Piszczor, the young legal assistant who’s actually daring to take on the speaker in next month’s Democratic primary.
Joshua Hoyt, the group’s chief strategy executive, says Ms. Piszczor has refused to sign a “no hate” campaign pledge and is getting help from wealthy businessman Jack Roeser, a strong social conservative and vehement foe of the federal and state Dream Acts.
But Ms. Piszczor says she’s never even seen the pledge, and continues to deny any Roeser ties. “All of this is a play by Madigan.”
The pledge states that a candidate “will refuse any association with or support from — direct or indirect — individuals or entities that have a history of anti-immigrant extremism in Illinois.”
This is about interests. And having a Speaker who is now on board with the group’s agenda is most likely seen as far more preferable than electing a freshman who happens to have been born a Latina, especially if she’s being supported by “the enemy.” It’s not personal, it’s just business.
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce is making an extraordinarily early move to shore up two embattled Republican members of Congress here.
The chamber this morning began a cable and broadcast TV ad blitz on behalf of U.S. Reps. Robert Dold of Winnetka and Judy Biggert of Hinsdale.
The “substantial” ad buy is the “earliest we’ve ever been up” in Illinois, according to a chamber spokesman, and comes a full month before the primary election, in which both are expected to be made the official GOP nominee for re-election.
Those surging Obama numbers may be one reason for the ads. I’m hearing that Obama is surging in Dold’s district, for instance. Here’s the Chamber’s Dold ad…
Well as if you did not have enough reasons to pick Congressmen Manzullo over Congressmen Kinzinger, here is another one. Adam Kinzinger does not even live in the 16th Congressional District!
I know, I know, I know, the Kinzinger campaign will come back with “Joe Walsh does not live in the 8th Congressional District but he is running for re-election.” The reason for that is simple he did not want to take on a fellow CONSERVATIVE Republican. Congressmen Walsh would rather take on the Chicago machine than go against Randy Hultgren.
You might ask yourself why didn’t Kinzinger run against the winner of the ultra-liberal Jesse Jackson Jr and the ultra-liberal Debbie Halvorson (who he beat in 2010) in the 2nd Congressional District? Well your guess is as good as ours!
The online group has endorsed Manzullo.
* The Question: Are the residency/should’ve stayed and fought the Democrats legitimate issues to attack Kinzinger with? Explain.
A number of Illinois lawmakers have started discussions to bring full marriage equality to the Land of Lincoln as early as 2013, according to an exclusive report in the Windy City Times.
Provides that: all laws of this State applicable to marriage apply equally to marriages of same-sex and different-sex couples and their children; parties to a marriage and their children, regardless of whether the marriage is of a same-sex or different-sex couple, have the same benefits, protections, and responsibilities under law; parties to a marriage are included in any definition or use of terms such as “spouse”, “family”, “immediate family”, “dependent”, “next of kin”, “wife”, “husband”, “bride”, “groom”, “wedlock”, and other terms that refer to or denote the spousal relationship, as those terms are used throughout the law, regardless of whether the parties to a marriage are of the same sex or different sexes; and, to the extent laws this State adopt, refer to, or rely upon provisions of federal law as applicable to this State, parties to a marriage of the same sex and their children shall be treated under the law of this State as if federal law recognized the marriages of same-sex couples in the same manner as the law of this State. Amends the Illinois Marriage and Dissolution of Marriage Act by making various changes concerning: parties who may marry; solemnization; prohibited marriages; jurisdiction; and other matters. Amends the Illinois Religious Freedom Protection and Civil Union Act. Makes various changes and additions regarding recognition of marriages. Authorizes the voluntary conversion of a civil union to a marriage under specified circumstances. Makes other changes.
David Smith, executive director of the Illinois Family Institute, said the bill will destroy traditional marriage and is a slippery slope toward polygamy.
“It’s an emotional argument. People say, ‘Well, they love each other.’ If four people love each other, are we going to say, ‘OK, polygamy?’ Right now, we’re not. But in 10 years, anything is going to go,” Smith said.
The state sanctions marriage, Smith added, because “it’s the best way for the next generation to be raised as healthy, productive members of society.
“A man and a man cannot procreate,” he said. “A woman and a woman cannot procreate. It’s not my bigotry. It’s nature.”
* The bill was introduced in the wake of a federal appeals court ruling that struck down a voter-approved California ban on same-sex marriage. Washington’s state legislature also passed a gay marriage bill this week. So, there was definitely a timing issue here.
Paula Basta is a former Equality Illinois board president and is heavily involved in groups affiliated with the LBGT community. Cassidy’s endorsement by Equality Illinois has ruffled some feathers.
One of Basta’s top campaign promises is to pass a gay marriage bill. Cassidy has Mayor Emanuel’s support, along with a whole lot of others, but Basta refuses to go away and every incumbent hates a primary, so a surge of publicity won’t hurt Cassidy’s primary bid at all.
* Mayor Rahm Emanuel has been working quite well with Downstate Democratic legislators since his election last year. I wondered aloud to subscribers several months ago, however, what would happen to those relationships he so carefully built once Emanuel unveiled the city’s annual gun control legislation. I guess we’re about to find out…
Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel wants lawmakers to require that all handguns in Illinois be registered with the state, or gun owners could face felony charges.
A statewide gun registry is key in helping solve Chicago crimes that involve handguns from outside the city, and would also help crack down on gun trafficking, Emanuel is expected to argue Thursday.
Under Emanuel’s proposal, handgun owners would have to pay $65 for a registration certificate from the state, which would function much like the title to a car. Illinois law currently requires that gun owners and shooters have a firearm owners identification card, which works like a drivers license. But the guns themselves are not registered at the state level. […]
Chicago’s tough gun ordinance, which was passed in 2010 after the U.S. Supreme Court gutted the city’s outright ban on handguns, already makes owners pay a fee and register firearms with the city. But Emanuel will now push for a statewide handgun registry because the majority of guns recovered at crime scenes in Chicago - about 56 percent - come from outside city limits, but within the state, according to data from the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives that were provided by the Emanuel administration.
I can see his point about non-Chicago guns being used in crimes, and registering handguns probably doesn’t poll all that badly in the suburbs, either. But, as with Mayor Daley’s annual anti-gun legislative ritual, this idea is most likely doomed from the start. The job now for the mayor’s Springfield crew is to prevent this bill from damaging the city’s far more passable agenda items.
As always with this issue, keep your bumper sticker slogans to yourself and try your best to stay level-headed in comments or I’ll just ban you for life.
* Gee, wasn’t it just the other day that Senate President John Cullerton was worried that Carol Marin’s Sun-Times column would “harm his relationship with the governor during the spring session”? Why, yes, it was just the other day.
Cullerton has apparently changed his mind. The Senate Prez kinda went off on Gov. Pat Quinn during an editorial board meeting with the State Journal-Register…
“Well, it’s not [Quinn’s] strength to work with the legislature,” Cullerton said. “Obviously, he’s got a history of fighting the legislature, right?” […]
“I’ve been here (as president) just a little over three years, and I think that most of the accomplishments that we have had emanated from the legislature, rather than from the governor.” […]
Cullerton said the multibillion-dollar capital bill was “clearly something that came from the legislature” […]
“Well,” Cullerton said of Quinn, “he’s different than those other governors. I think it’s a weakness, if you will. But he’s hopefully getting better.”
It’s not that he’s wrong on the facts. Cullerton is actually right. I agreed with most of what he said in Bernie Schoenburg’s piece, including his positive remarks about Quinn’s much-needed addition of Gary Hannig as legislative chief.
* I’m on so many e-mail lists from so many candidates and political organizations that I’m literally overwhelmed every day and more than a little turned off. So I was pleasantly surprised to see this e-mail arrive yesterday via one of this site’s “contact” links…
Dear Capitol Fax,
My name is Lane Smith and I currently work with some up and coming indie bands here in Birmingham AL. One such band is called Let’s Manufacture Static. Its one of my management projects but also one of my new favorite bands. I am really hoping to get some coverage outside of this area. We have recently performed an interview on the local NPR stations and lots of local shows. I have included the EP that you can also find elsewhere on the internet. I hope you guys like this and take an interest. In the rare case that you don’t any feedback is greatly appreciated.
Lane Smith
* From the band’s Facebook page…
The Jimblejorp once proclaimed that a breed of giants would emerge from clouds and descend upon instruments in the form of man. This band is not those descendants. Furthermore, the Jimblejorp is only rumored to exist, much less tell prophecies, even much less tell them accurately. These are just four guys from Birmingham Al, who aspire to outlandish genres of musical creation and exploration, such as Extraterrestrial Jive, Metalo-Tribal Jazz Splice, Post-Minimalist Avant Pop, just to name a superfluous few. If you see the Jimblejorp, report him to this band for a reward and the authorities for benefit of humanity.
* They’re actually pretty good. I used the band’s EP as background music this morning when writing the Capitol Fax. You need to let this play a bit while it picks up steam, but definitely have a listen…
Caterpillar Inc. will not be building its new North American plant anywhere in the state of Illinois, officials with the company told local leaders Tuesday, with part of the reason being continued concerns about the business climate in the state.
The company will instead focus on a location closer to its division headquarters in Cary, N.C., Peoria County officials were told in an email sent to them shortly after the close of business and later obtained by the Journal Star. The plant stood to bring with it from Japan roughly 1,000 jobs manufacturing track-type tractors and mini hydraulic excavators.
As you know, we have a site selection and business modeling team in place that has been reviewing a comprehensive set of criteria to determine the optimal location for this facility. These factors include logistics, port access, labor markets, supplier base, and governmental partnership opportunities. We have defined a very tight search area that is primarily being driven by logistics, port access, and proximity to our division headquarters in Cary, North Carolina.
As a result, we regret to inform you that your community is not a viable option for this particular project.
Please understand that even if your community had the right logistics for this project, Caterpillar’s previously documented concerns about the business climate and overall fiscal health of the state of Illinois still would have made it unpractical for us to select your community for this project.
Caterpillar intends to continue calling for long-term changes in Illinois and to offer help to the state as it works toward real and fundamental reforms that will position communities like yours to compete for future projects. While we understand this news is not positive for your community, it is our hope that you and your leaders will join us in our efforts to improve the business climate in Illinois.
Sixteen companies have notified the state they have cut or plan to cut nearly 1,800 jobs by the end of March.
At the top of the list: Hull House Association, which closed its doors last month after years of financial struggles. The social services agency laid off a total of 295 employees in January, more than any other company on the list.
Texting while bicycling? Apparently it’s a problem in Illinois, and one lawmakers want to make illegal.
State Rep. Kelly Cassidy, D-Chicago, has filed legislation that would prohibit bicyclists from texting while on the road, according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
* So, “Illinois” doesn’t necessarily want to ban texting while biking. It’s just a bill introduced by a state Rep. ten days ago. The legislation has no co-sponsors as of this writing, so I’m not sure where they got the idea that “Lawmakers” are saying the problem is growing.
* This topic is one of my biggest pet peeves about Statehouse news coverage - and not just in Illinois. Somebody introduces a bill, often an incredibly goofy bill (although I’m not saying that Cassidy’s bill is goofy by any means) and then it generates big, hugely misleading headlines all over the place. Then the bill fails and everybody moves on like it never happened. Hey, I’m guilty of this myself. I try to avoid it, but I don’t always succeed.
* As it turns out, Cassidy’s bill passed the House Transportation Vehicles & Safety Committee this morning by a 5-4 vote. But the measure still has a very long way to go. It needs to survive a vote by the full House, then a Senate committee and then the full Senate. It could be amended numerous times along the way. Then it goes to the governor’s desk where it could be vetoed, AV’d or signed into law.
Cassidy’s bill might actually become a statute. I really have no idea, but neither did that silly headline writer five days ago.
* The first round of the “bills in committee” period is kind of like spring training. Hope springs eternal. Legislators, not unlike baseball coaches, are eager to turn their new prospects into shining stars. And we always see a bunch of news stories about those prospects, who are often never heard from again. It’s kinda fun to watch, but the games don’t really mean much in the end.
The House and Senate’s committee passage deadlines are both March9th. So, try to keep all the above in mind until then. Thanks.
* Gov. Pat Quinn leaked a few details about his upcoming budget speech yesterday…
Speaking before a packed City Club of Chicago audience, Quinn said he wants to cut Medicaid expenses by $2 billion, close tax loopholes that cost the state millions of dollars and examine changes to the public employee pension system that include raising the retirement age for workers.
Quinn said that when it comes to pension cost reform “everything must be on the table,” including lowering cost of living increases, hiking the retirement age and asking employees to pay more for benefits. He also wants to examine shifting some of the pension burden to universities and local school districts, saying they pay little or nothing toward the cost of retirement benefits for their workers.
The governor would not say whether he would support efforts to revamp the state’s pension payment structure, which requires the state to make larger contributions each year in what was supposed to be an effort to fund the system by 90 percent by the year 2045.
Meanwhile, the governor is looking to off-load some of the state’s pension costs. The state contributes $5.2 billion a year to pensions, but Quinn complains that only a fraction of that benefits workers directly under state control. Employees of state universities, community colleges and local school districts, for example, are in state-funded retirement plans.
He wants state universities and school districts to contribute, figuring if they have “skin in the game,” they’ll think twice about awarding generous benefits.
Quinn said the state can no longer afford to pay $15 billion a year for the Medicaid program, which provides health care for the poor. He wants to cut that by $2 billion, and amount he says lawmakers “shifted” over from last year’s budget by delaying payments.
Some options for restructuring the system are shrinking payments to hospital and doctors, reducing how many people are eligible and cutting benefits the state isn’t legally required to offer.
Rep. Greg Harris, D-Chicago, said even ending optional benefits would mean tremendous pain for some people.
“If you look at the services the federal government says are ‘optional,’ they are prescription drugs, they are long term care nursing homes, they are hospice care. So this is going to be horrible decision making,” said Harris, chairman of the House Human Services Committee.
Last year Quinn proposed cutting the state’s Medicaid budget by $600 million. The state Senate cut that to $300 million and in the House of Representatives, “Democrats and Republicans banded together and announced they would take ‘zero percent’,” Quinn said. He plans to triple down and try for a bigger cut.
What exactly will he cut?
Quinn said he would spell that out in his budget address in two weeks. But it involves changing the state’s Medicaid program into a “wellness system” instead of a “provider payment system,” he said. The problem he faces is that cuts to Medicaid can mean cuts to federal matching funds.
“We’ll ask the loophole lobby: ‘What’s more important, early childhood education for a 4-year-old or your loophole?’ We’ll ask: ‘What’s more important: Scholarships for somebody who’s deserving but can’t go to college without a scholarship or your loophole?’”
Speaker Michael Madigan on Tuesday outlined grim budget news to House Democrats who left a closed-door meeting predicting deep budget cuts, particularly in health care for the poor. […]
Madigan’s memos laid out scenarios for how much additional money could come in during the next budget year that starts July 1. If revenue grows a modest 2 percent, the state would collect an additional $568 million. If it grows 4 percent, which one lawmaker suggested is unlikely, the state would gain about $1.13 billion.
But the amount of new money isn’t likely to be enough to cover the increased costs of public worker pensions, which are expected to increase by $957 million. And that doesn’t take into account the desire to increase spending in the rest of the budget, especially on politically popular areas like education.
* More budget stuff…
* Washington State’s Medicaid Program Will No Longer Pay For Unnecessary ER Visits
* Chicago Ald. Joe Moore has been busily lobbying Senators on behalf of his own possible nomination to run the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency. Many of the largest business groups in the state released a letter they sent to Senators last month opposing Moore’s nomination…
(W)e are teaming up to discourage the nomination and, if necessary, lobby against his confirmation to this critical state government position.
As background, Alderman Moore has been a member of Chicago’s City Council since 1991 and is probably best known for three big, public City Council battles: the Fois Gras ban, the Big Box Ordinance and the Chicago Clean Power Ordinance.
We believe that he’s not the right person for IEPA Director
• Chicago Power Ordinance — By championing the Clean Power Ordinance in Chicago, the Alderman showed his willingness to undercut an IEPA-negotiated agreement, create uncertainty in the regulatory process, introduce the concept of a city having greenhouse gas emission regulations and, most importantly, single out specific plants for specific regulations in an effort to treat them differently. His willingness to lead the charge on an ordinance with these ramifications is an example of what the business community often complains is over-reaching government interference and its negative impact on job creation.
• Product Attacks – The Alderman’s own website included attacks on the use of plastics, pesticides, fertilizers, and genetically modified (GMO) foods as harmful to health and the environment (note: these references have been recently removed from the website but hard copies are available upon request). Regardless of your own position on these issues, it should be generally recognized that the Chicago City Council is not the proper forum for them. This is another example of the Alderman being unable to exercise sound judgment as to appropriate use of government powers.
• Aldermanic Record – Alderman Moore’s record includes taking on big issues that have generated attention for him and his positions. As alderman, that type of aggressive advocacy may have its place. However, the job of the IEPA director is an administrative position that is best done outside the limelight. It’s not a place to make laws, push personal agendas or single out companies or industries; it’s a place to administer policies and regulations. It seems as though Governor Quinn would be trying to put a square peg into a round hole when it comes to this nomination.
• Big Box Ordinance – The Alderman’s very public Big Box ordinance was a measure that put a narrow agenda over the interests of thousands of consumers. His belief in this kind of government intervention in the market while denying consumers access to retail opportunities gives businesses leaders great pause as to how he would run an agency that regulates businesses large and small.
• Experience – Alderman Moore does not have experience running an organization as large as IEPA. An Alderman typically has three to five staff to manage with a small office budget. The IEPA has more than 800 employees and an annual budget of more than $300 million. Unlike previous IEPA Directors who have all been well versed in the state’s Environmental laws, Alderman Moore’s only environmental experience appears to be advocating for the Chicago Clean Power Ordinance and work with the National League of Cities’ committee on land, air and water.
“I think they ignore the fact if you look at entirety of my record as a public official I take a very balanced approach,” Moore said.
Moore defended the Clean Power Ordinance, saying emissions from the power plants affect every ward in Chicago.
“There have been documented adverse health effects. The emissions from those power plants are carried throughout the city of Chicago and the region. … I think that’s really what this is all about. It’s not about my qualifications.” […]
“I think they have very little to worry about,” he said. “I think political experience is also very important. You need to work well with the state legislature. As a legislator myself, I understand the importance of that.”
The Illinois Chamber, the Manufacturers, the NFIB, the Pork Producers, Chemical Industry Council, Petroleum Marketers and others signed the letter.
* This statement was released yesterday and I didn’t see it…
“The swelling in Senator Kirk’s brain has subsided and this morning we were able to reattach the portion of his skull that had been removed following his stroke. This is an important milestone in his recovery and a step toward the next phase, rehabilitation. He remains in good condition,” said Richard Fessler, MD, PhD, neurosurgeon at Northwestern Memorial Hospital and professor of neurological surgery at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine.
The news just keeps getting better. My father had a stroke a while back, so I know recovery takes time and there can be setbacks along the way. We shouldn’t celebrate quite yet, but we should definitely be encouraged by this news.
A newly retired state representative who shepherded two utility bills through the House in 2010 and 2011 landed a new job last month as the utilities’ lobbyist, a practice government watchdog groups say should be banned.
Former state Rep. Kevin McCarthy, an Orland Park Democrat who served 14 years in the Illinois House, retired in late December after sponsoring the controversial ComEd “Smart-Grid” legislation and, the year before, a much-debated bill AT&T wanted. On Jan. 26, McCarthy filed paperwork with the Illinois Secretary of State’s Office to serve as a lobbyist under a new firm he created, KMAC Consulting. He lists two clients so far: AT&T Illinois and its affiliates, and ComEd.
The practice of state lawmakers becoming lobbyists after retiring is not uncommon. Government reform groups have criticized the practice because they say it creates a perception elected officials are serving their own interests, rather than the public’s, when they collect a paycheck from firms whose interests they aided through legislation. The lobbying rail at the Illinois Capitol in Springfield includes at least a dozen former lawmakers on any given day.
“The problem is they know the inside game,” Illinois Campaign for Political Reform Executive Director Brian Gladstein said. “They know who the people are pulling the strings. They have the relationships with the people who can get a bill passed.”
Gladstein’s organization tried for several years to slow the so-called revolving door of lawmaking to lobbying through legislation that would require a lawmaker to wait six months between leaving the General Assembly and registering as a lobbyist. The bill died after failing to garner enough support from legislators.
I told subscribers about McCarthy’s pending ComEd lobbying when he stepped down.
ICPR’s proposed six-month ban on lobbying wouldn’t do a whole lot in some cases. For instance, if a legislator retired at the end of the May 31st spring session, he or she could start lobbying well before the next spring session began.
* The Question: Should legislators be banned from lobbying for six months to a year after they leave the General Assembly? Take the poll and then explain your answer in comments, please. Thanks.
