* Gov. Pat Quinn reiterated his solid support for closing state facilities for the developmentally disabled last week…
Quinn made a point of reiterating his belief that residents of those facilities will be better off in community-based settings than in a state institution.
“I do believe in community care,” Quinn said. “I’m not sympathetic to the institutional approach.”
The governor’s comments came as the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees union slammed the administration for the way it is handling the moving of residents out of Jacksonville.
AFSCME said a contractor hired by the Illinois Department of Human Services has moved residents out of the institution with just 48 hours’ notice, no advance visits to determine the propriety of the placement and over the objections of staff.
AFSCME said one resident fell and suffered a broken bone after being moved, even though Jacksonville employees had objected to the placement of this individual.
“Given this level of dysfunction, we urge DHS to embrace the decision by the General Assembly to fully fund (Jacksonville Developmental Center),” the letter notes. “At the very least we urge you to slow this rushed process and do what you publicly promised — to transition residents only as quickly as safety allows.”
DHS issued a statement Thursday calling AFSCME’s allegations “absurd and misleading.”
“The process of transitioning individuals out of Jacksonville has been and will continue to be careful and deliberate,” DHS said. “There have been months of planning in this process, including the assessment of individuals’ needs, and those individuals were given the opportunity to visit sites and in some cases stay there to get a feel for their new environment. The individuals continue to be monitored weekly and are doing quite well.”
It’s tough to discern who’s right without a lot more information. Accidents do happen and transitions of this sort are never easy. I think we’ll need more evidence than a broken bone to see if DHS is doing the right thing here. Your thoughts?
* Roundup…
* State still losing taxes due from online sales The $9.4 million in self-reported sales taxes from online purchases so far this year in Illinois is up nearly 24 percent from the same period of 2011, according to figures from the state Department of Revenue. But more than a year after the Main Street Fairness Act attempted to step up enforcement, even supporters of the law acknowledge an estimated $150 million in sales taxes due from online sales go uncollected in Illinois.
* No limit on cigarette tax stamps, judge says: Illinois must sell as many cigarette tax stamps to distributors as they want, a Sangamon County judge decided Thursday. Shortly after the ruling, one distributor bought $13.2 million worth of stamps from the state, more than the state normally sells to all distributors in an entire week.
* Measure would put small dent in backlog of state’s bills: Illinois lawmakers have found a way to whittle $1.3 billion from state government’s massive backlog of unpaid bills, but it comes too late for The Counseling Center of Lake View. The Chicago nonprofit, a mental health services provider, shut down at the end of April, waiting on about $200,000 in state money.
* Training funds may be out of governor’s reach as tool to attract, keep businesses in Illinois - Lawmakers want to dispense $6.8 million through five private entities, leaving the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity in control of $615,800, down from $11 million in fiscal 2012
* Bill requiring state actuary about to become law: A bill requiring Illinois to hire a state actuary to report on the pension systems is about to become law. Democratic state Rep. Barbara Flynn Currie sponsored it. She says it’s simply a second set of eyes to go over figures that Illinois’ five pension systems already provide.
* Watchdog: How safe is your child’s school? It’s hard to find out - Across Illinois, districts fail to let state know about thousands of cases involving drugs, weapons and attacks on teachers
Former Gov. Jim Edgar says Illinois’ inability to pull together has cost the state dearly as it tries to dig itself out of a deep financial hole.
It’s a problem Edgar says he wants to chip away at with his new Edgar Fellows initiative at the Institute for Government and Public Affairs at the University of Illinois.
In August, a group of 40 younger politicians and other state officials and leaders will meet for a 4-day training session and follow-ups on key issues.
Along the way, Edgar hopes they’ll learn more about what he calls the poorly understood history of the state and make connections they’ll later draw on to reach across geographical and ideological lines.
“If they’re downstaters, maybe they’ll have an appreciation for some of the issues in Chicago and that all those people don’t have horns on their heads, and vice versa – that all the people downstate aren’t all hicks,” Edgar said in an interview Thursday with The Associated Press.
* The Question: What topics should be studied at Edgar’s training session? Snark is encouraged, but not required.
* Another “fake” Mike Madigan has appeared on Twitter…
@MayorEmanuel, the famously profane and famously fake Twitter account created in mockery of then-mayoral candidate Rahm Emanuel, by Chicago writer Dan Sinker, set a precedent for frustrated Illinoisans looking to express their angst towards some of the city and state’s political leaders.
So when Jeff Poole, a Chicago-based comedian and instructor at the Second City comedy club, read a series of stories in the Chicago Tribune spotlighting the alleged misbehavior of the powerful Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan, he decided to write several humorous posts about it on his private Facebook page.
He realized though, that the private posts wouldn’t get him any attention, so he started a Twitter account called @KingofIL, and began tweeting satirically from Madigan’s perspective. […]
“If I got money into a Super PAC, I’d love to hire a Madigan impersonator, and take him to Springfield, and run amok a little bit,” Poole said. “I just want to keep pushing the buttons until something happens. Even a cease-and-desist letter from the Madigans would be a victory for me — I just want some evidence that he’s listening.”
* The thing is, though, Poole’s posts are kinda lame. For instance…
Saw doc. about Henry Hill on TV last night. Could you imagine being around someone so arrogant they think they’re above the law?
* Poole apparently has no experience with state politics, and it really shows in his work. The other fake Madigan Twitter account, called “Da Speaker” and run by an unknown person or persons, is far wittier and demonstrates an actual understanding of state politics…
How can it be claimed that Cullerton disagrees with me when I’ve yet to demand obedience?
Heh.
* Poole, meanwhile, has an ongoing fascination with Madigan’s relationship to his wife, Shirley…
I yelled at Shirley until she cried. When I say I’m going to do something I do it, whether it’s needed or warranted.
* Illinois made possession of up to an ounce of marijuana a misdemeanor offense many, many years ago. But far too many people are still getting arrested for possession of small amounts. Other cities have turned to ticketing people for having a bit of pot on them to free up police for far more important work. Chicago is now doing the same, with Mayor Rahm Emanuel fully on board…
Mayor Rahm Emanuel and Police Superintendent Gary McCarthy both support an ordinance that would allow police officers to ticket anyone caught with a small amount of marijuana instead of going through the time-consuming arrest process that takes them off the street for hours at a time.
Police arrested more than 18,000 people last year for misdemeanor possession of 10 grams or less of marijuana, which “tied up more than 45,000 police hours,” McCarthy said in a statement. “The new ordinance nearly cuts that time in half… freeing up cops to address more serious crime.”
More significantly, the alderman who drafted the ordinance – which turns small amounts of pot into a ticketable, not jailable offense_ said it not only addresses concerns about fairness but also provides increased safety for city’s most dangerous neighborhoods.
In those cities in Illinois where possession has been decriminalized, officials said, the change resulted in cops having more time to address more serious crime and also resulted in additional revenue ending up in city coffers. It also meant that those ticketed faced some consequences for their actions, when in the past they often saw the charges against them completely dropped. Still, those ticketed for pot possession didn’t walk away with a criminal record, officials note. […]
Springfield Police Chief Robert Williams said giving his officers in 2009 the option to write tickets for small amounts of marijuana possession did free them up to prioritize more serious crimes.
It also benefits first-time younger offenders who avoid getting a permanent mark on their record, he said.
“It gives the officers some options and some tools, for which [offenders] don’t have a criminal record. I like to believe it’s given our young people some option not to be introduced into the criminal justice system formally,” he said.
But an arrest could still be necessary in cases involving small amounts of pot, he said.
“We’re being asked to do more with less. There are occasions when it frees up time. But I want to be clear that in certain situations … I strongly support them going through the more traditional things,” he said. “There are some things that are just the cost of doing business as far as what we do.”
Gov. Quinn told reporters Friday that city officials will decide what’s best for Chicago, but he believes police should be focusing on going after dangerous criminals.
“Violent street crime, I think, is where the public wants their law enforcement significantly deployed in order to fight back for the people,” he said.
Quinn said he doesn’t think the new ordinance would lead to the total legalization of marijuana in Illinois if it is passed.
Only a handful of state House Democratic incumbents targeted for defeat by the Republicans were endorsed by the Illinois AFL-CIO last week, but the damage to the Democratic Party’s chances this fall will likely be minimal.
Organized labor’s umbrella organization met in Springfield last week to make endorsements in state legislative and other races. Labor leaders turned a strong thumbs down to some suburban House Democratic members who’ve supported pension changes and voted to cut health insurance coverage for state retirees.
Labor fought pitched battles on several fronts this past spring. Public employee pensions and health insurance coverage were the most visible. Unlike neighboring states such as Indiana, organized labor has worked well with both parties here, and has historically been able to fend off the sort of attacks that Indiana’s unions were unable to when Hoosier legislators debated a so-called “right to work” bill this year. That bill is now law.
There were no massive protests this year in Springfield like there were in Wisconsin last year while the General Assembly considered changes to state worker benefit plans. That’s mainly because the unions were at the bargaining table here. Unions were completely shut out up north. But labor still didn’t get what it wanted here, and some union leaders were furious at the outcome.
AFSCME, which represents state employees, and other unions were hoping to withhold labor’s endorsements from several House incumbents and candidates because of those fights over pensions and retiree health care. The public employee unions were only partially successful.
Just three Downstate House Democratic incumbents who are heavily targeted for defeat by the Republicans were given labor’s nod. Reps. Pat Verschoore (D-Milan), Dan Beiser (D-Alton) and Jerry Costello II (D-Smithton) were endorsed. Unions are still pretty strong in those districts and are considered important to election outcomes, so Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan pushed unions hard for their endorsements.
But some suburban Democrats were left without labor’s backing.
Reps. Fred Crespo (D-Hoffman Estates), Michelle Mussman (D-Schaumburg) and Carol Sente (D-Vernon Hills) were not endorsed. According to one top labor official, the unions withheld their endorsements in those races as a warning to others that the AFL-CIO will not blindly follow the Democratic Party down its current conservative path.
However, those three Democrats represent suburban districts where organized labor is not hugely important, and some of those incumbents may eventually receive backing from individual unions which are locally influential. Ironically enough, Rep. Elaine Nekritz, who has played a key role in negotiating pension and health insurance changes for public employees and retirees, was endorsed by the AFL-CIO. Nekritz (D-Northbrook) is facing a fairly serious challenge this fall and she’s also in the process of becoming a top Madigan lieutenant.
Some of the biggest election battles in the House will be in “open” districts where no incumbents are running, and labor dutifully endorsed several Democratic candidates in those districts. The AFL-CIO also endorsed several Democrats who are challenging sitting Republican incumbents.
For instance, Scott Drury (D-Highwood), who was running against Republican Lauren Turelli for retiring Rep. Karen May’s seat until Turelli dropped out this week, was endorsed, Stephanie Kifowit (D-Aurora) and Sue Scherer (D-Decatur), both of whom are running in hotly contested newly created districts, were endorsed. Katherine Cloonen (D-Kankakee), who is running to replace retiring Democratic Rep. Lisa Dugan, was also given the thumbs up. Jeremy Ly (D-Minooka), who’s up against GOP Rep. Pam Roth (R-Morris), was given the nod, as were Sam Yingling (D-Round Lake Beach) and Mike Smiddy (D-Hillsdale), both of whom are challenging Republican incumbents.
Labor also endorsed Republican state Rep. Saviano, who is being targeted heavily for defeat by the House Democrats. Saviano (R-Elmwood Park) usually gets labor’s endorsement, so it was no surprise.
The news was far better for the Senate Democrats. All of their most heavily targeted incumbents were endorsed, despite the fact that the Senate passed a state employee pension reform bill. No Senate Republican incumbents or candidates were endorsed. But the more important Democratic challengers to sitting Republicans or in open seat contests were also given the nod.
The bottom line is that the House Democrats barely got a slap on the wrist for what they did this past spring. It will take a much sterner rebuke from AFSCME and the teachers’ unions if the Democrats are to get any sort of “real” message.
* The DCFS personnel budget has been cut by $27 million, but making those reductions won’t be easy…
The proposed spending plan, which is awaiting action by the governor, will force the agency to reduce its 2,961 workers by 375.
But, because DCFS is operating under a 1991 court order that requires certain caseload levels for each employee, they cannot simply cut caseworkers.
Instead, the agency is looking at ending grants to social service agencies that provide assistance to troubled families. Officials also are investigating whether to curtail grants for child abuse prevention programs.
Nancy Ronquillo, president and CEO of the Children’s Home and Aid, a Chicago-based organization that contracts with DCFS to provide programs for troubled families throughout the state, said the reductions now could end up costing the state a lot more down the road.
As an example, she said counseling and support services that can help keep a child out of foster care are much less expensive that putting a child into foster care. […]
She said other programs potentially on the chopping block include six crisis nurseries that serve as safe havens for babies whose parents are struggling to overcome poverty, drugs or sexual abuse.
“All these reductions could result in either more children in foster care or more children in dangerous situations,” Ronquillo said.
* The financial troubles at the Illinois Department of Natural Resources are pretty well known…
Last year, the Adeline Jay Geo-Karis Illinois Beach State Park in Zion had to close after summer storms ripped through the area and knocked down or damaged hundreds of trees. The department couldn’t afford to hire a contractor to quickly clean up the safety hazards, so workers slowly chipped away at the job and the park reopened about nine months later, having lost hundreds of thousands of dollars in camping revenue, Miller said.
The agency ran into other problems during southern Illinois floods last year. Conservation police were called in to help rescue those trapped by the rising water but had to borrow boats from other agencies because the ones they normally use were in such bad shape.
This year, Miller said, he is concerned that a wave of employee retirements may make it difficult to keep sites staffed and open. The agency has been under a hiring freeze for the last decade, and staff levels have dropped from 2,400 employees in 2002 to about 1,100 employees now. But that number may drop even lower, as 80 workers have already expressed interest in retiring this year amid ongoing talks about reforming the state’s public employee pension system. More than 200 others are also eligible for retirement this year.
A new proposal emerged that would raise license plate fees for all motorists by $2, with the money being used to keep parks open and repair those suffering from years of neglect. The proposal narrowly passed the House last month but failed to get enough support in the Senate during the waning hours of the spring session.
Sponsoring Rep. Frank Mautino, D-Spring Valley, had said the measure would raise $15 million in its first year and $32 million in later years for the DNR.
* But that bill had difficulties passing in the House. It took two tries on May 31st to get enough votes. And then the Senate didn’t take up the proposal until after midnight, meaning that the bill needed a three-fifths majority. It would’ve likely passed had the Senate voted on it before midnight beccause it received 33 votes - 3 more than a standard majority.
I watched the Senate debate that night and the Republicans made a good point. The Democrats under the last two governors have, for years, short-changed IDNR. Their budget choices led to these problems, the Republicans said, and now the Democrats wanted to increase fees to solve the problem of their own making.
The Democrats, for their part, rightly pointed to the problems of crumbling infrastructure and lack of staff and pleaded for help.
The end result is it will likely be January before this plan can be run again, unless the governor reprioritizes his budget this fall.
