An interesting development
Friday, May 16, 2014 - Posted by Rich Miller
* RxP Illinois, which is pushing a bill to allow psychologists to receive extra training and supervision so that they could prescribe medication. The group sent this e-mail to its supporters today…
We are hearing from legislators that they are concerned by the number of psychologists calling in opposition to SB 2187. Please make some time to give your Representative(s) another call in the Springfield office today or early next week. They will be in Springfield every weekday until they adjourn for the summer.
If you have social worker, counselor, or nurse colleagues who are supportive of SB 2187 or have neighbors or friends who are supportive and have not called yet, please ask them to do so also. We need to keep making the point that many more psychologists and associated professionals and citizens are supportive of SB 2187 than are opposed.
I’m not sure yet if those are organized phone calls or not, but check out the comments under a recent op-ed by Sen. Don Harmon, the bill’s main Senate sponsor. You’ll see quite a few comments by opponents who say they’re psychologists.
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Question of the day
Friday, May 16, 2014 - Posted by Rich Miller
* House Speaker Michael Madigan confirmed today that Gov. Pat Quinn will address the House Democratic caucus on Monday…
Quinn will reportedly talk about his tax hike extension plan, among other things.
* The Question: Top talking points the governor will use to convince House Democrats to vote to permanently extend the income tax hike?
It’s Friday, so have fun.
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Today’s numbers: 4 million and 20,000
Friday, May 16, 2014 - Posted by Rich Miller
* If true, that’s almost a third of the state’s population…
Approximately 4 million people in Illinois currently have some type of arrest or conviction record that would show up on a routine background check, said Anthony Lowery, director of policy and advocacy with the Chicago-based Safer Foundation, an organization focused on reducing recidivism rates.
“You may find a few employers who may understand the need for providing second chances, but the majority of employers don’t,” he stressed. “This has been a long-standing battle over the years to just level the playing field [and] provide people who show that they’ve rehabilitated their lives the opportunity to just work. I think the simplicity of work is the most direct link to reduce recidivism, saving taxpayers in this state millions of dollars in the associated costs of incarceration.”
Illinois already prohibits state agencies from asking about criminal history on initial government job applications. Job applicants no longer have to check a box on state employment applications indicating whether they have pled guilty to or been convicted of any criminal offense other than a minor traffic violation.
* On to our second number…
Under the Juvenile Court Act, both arrest and court records for juveniles in Illinois are confidential and sealed. That sounds pretty off-limits. So why should people have to spend time and money to expunge juvenile records, if they’re already protected? […]
These are jobs in which the application form will typically include a request for authorization to run a background check. Once a prospective employer sees that, “even while you may figure that these records are sealed and you don’t have to worry about them,” Hamann said, “there’s a whole number of exceptions where it’s within their right and it’s commonplace for them to consider juvenile arrest records.”
He says that includes the Chicago Park District and many government jobs. […]
In 2013 there were about 26,000 juvenile arrests in Cook County. A little over 20,000 of those were arrests that never led to formal criminal charges. Now, bear in mind that juvenile records can’t be expunged until a person turns 18. So each year you have people in the pipeline, coming of age, who are eligible for those expungements. But as you see in the chart above, in 2013, there were only 660 juvenile records expunged in all of Cook County.
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Credit Unions – Individual service, united in focus
Friday, May 16, 2014 - Posted by Advertising Department
[The following is a paid advertisement.]
As not-for-profit financial cooperatives, credit unions hold a strong belief in giving back to their communities at the credit union level and on a geographic basis. Twenty-four chapters unite the state’s 333 credit unions and are integral to fulfilling their mission for nearly three million consumer members. Like the boards at credit unions, chapter boards are also run by volunteers. The Illinois Quad Cities Chapter alone serves 10 credit unions and their 234,000 members in a three county area. Similarly to other credit union chapters, Illinois Quad Cities is particularly active in community charitable activities and worthwhile causes. This includes helping consumers protect their personal information by sponsoring community shred days to properly dispose of documents. The chapter also hosts “community nights” to provide local organizations a forum to request financial support. As a result, more than $15,000 has been provided to a variety of local charities. Motivated by their stories, credit unions separately hold fundraisers to support these groups, as well participate in events for others, including the local children’s hospital. Members know credit unions will be there for their daily financial needs and support their community – just some of the many virtues that define the credit union difference.
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Rant of the week
Friday, May 16, 2014 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Fox 32 reports on the often contentious appropriations bill debates yesterday…
The Illinois House was voting all day, and sent one appropriations bill after another to the State Senate. However, angry Republicans, and several suburban Democrats, complained that the Democratic majority is spending money the state doesn’t have.
They had signs asking, “Temporary?”
It was a mocking reference to the state income tax increase that is scheduled to roll back next January.
* One of the signs…
* But the Democrats did have a response…
Democrats, however, say Republicans only want to criticize, and haven’t put forth a plan of their own.
Representative Jay Hoffman (D-Swansea) says he searched for the Republican budget everywhere. He even asked his dog.
“And I said, ‘Willie, did you eat the Republicans’ plan?’ But he wouldn’t do that to you, he’s a good dog, he would never eat your plan,” he said. “You know what your plan is? Your plan is to not have a plan.”
Regardless of what you think of the debate, Hoffman’s full speech was hilarious. Our good friends at BlueRoomStream.com isolated it for me last night, but their live video host livestream.com has been down since late last night. I asked Amanda Vinicki at WUIS if she could post a copy of Hoffman’s entire rant. Listen to the whole thing…
Heh.
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*** UPDATED x1 *** This Is Illinois
Friday, May 16, 2014 - Posted by Rich Miller
*** UPDATE *** AP…
The 16 flights cost a total of about $7,400. This is the first year of a three-year program that’s largely funded by federal dollars.
[ *** End Of Update *** ]
* Scott Reeder…
Our cash-strapped state government has found a new use for its fleet of aircraft – flying birds into Illinois.
I kid you not.
State aircraft are flying to Kansas and transporting prairie chickens back to the Land of Lincoln.
And at a time state lawmakers are looking at raising the state income tax, Illinois state employees have been hiking across Kansas trapping these chickens.
Talk about fowl fiscal deeds.
State pilots have flown between Illinois and Kansas not once, not twice but 14 times this year taking prairie chickens to downstate Jasper and Marion counties.
“Illinois is the Prairie State and prairie chickens are an endangered species here, so we thought it would be a good idea to bring them back,” said Scott Simpson, site manager for Prairie Ridge State Natural Area in Newton, Ill.
The feds are chipping in $337,000 toward the program and the state will pay $117,000. Some of the cost to state government may be offset by private fundraising done by the Audubon Society, Simpson said.
* The AP has the state’s response…
Illinois Department of Natural Resource spokesman Chris Young says the greater prairie chicken is a threatened species. He says the state started a program this spring to bring the chickens to the Prairie Ridge State Natural Area near Effingham to increase their dwindling population. Young says the Kansas chickens are needed to improve genetic diversity. The state has brought about 90 chickens to Illinois on multiple flights.
Young says hunting and fishing license fees along with private donations pay the rest.
* And we’re getting the birds from more states than just Kansas. From Minnesota Public Radio…
In the past few years, several hundred Minnesota chickens have been captured and relocated to help rebuild populations in North Dakota, Illinois and Wisconsin. There’s even talk of moving Minnesota birds to Texas to help save a cousin, the Atwater Prairie Chicken.
Missouri is also getting threatened birds from Kansas, but they’re driving the birds, not flying them.
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* Attorney General Lisa Madigan responded yesterday to the multiple lawsuits filed against the pension reform law. The Tribune’s Rick Pearson has a very good story about her arguments…
In arguing to uphold the law, Madigan’s office contended that since 2000 and the subsequent recession, the state’s underfunding of the pension systems “contributed significantly to a severe financial crisis…that adversely affected the long-term financial soundness of those retirement systems, the cost of financing the state’s operations and outstanding debt, and the state’s abilty to provide critical services to Illinois residents and businesses.
“Although the systems have been underfunded for many years, their underfunding now greatly exceeds the state’s annual budget for all categories of expenditure, including, without limitation, public education, public health and safety, medical coverage for the poor and for current and retired public employees, road construction, repair and maintenance, and all other public services provided by state employees,” the attorney general’s response to the challenges said. […]
The state’s response also argued that a significant driver of the unfunded liability, annual 3 percent compounded cost of living adjustments on retiree pensions, was not a “core benefit” that would be protected by the state constitution.
The law “is a permissible exercise of the State of Illinois’ reserved sovereign powers (sometimes referred to as the State’s police powers),” Madigan’s response said, adding that those challenging the statute “cannot sustain their burden of establishing that (it) is unconstitutional.”
* Here are AG Madigan’s four five responses…
* We Are One lawsuit
* ISEA lawsuit
* Doris Heaton et al vs. TRS
* State University Annuitants Association vs. SURS
* ADDING: RSEA lawsuit
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Another cart before the horse
Friday, May 16, 2014 - Posted by Rich Miller
* I’m assuming that we’ll be hearing more about this in the not too distant future. From yesterday’s approp bill debates, here’s a choice nugget from the Sun-Times…
Republicans also injected some election-year politics into the debate, focusing on the federal investigation of Gov. Pat Quinn’s now-disbanded Neighborhood Recovery Initiative and asking whether anti-violence spending tucked into some of Thursday’s budget bills represented a continuation of that botched 2010 program.
In one instance, Rep. Jeanne Ives, R-Wheaton, zeroed in on a mysterious $15 million grant program for at-risk communities that Democrats inserted in the state Department of Labor budget with little to no explanation of its purpose.
“Can I have the criteria for qualifying for this grant program?” Ives asked Arroyo, who sponsored that spending bill, as well.
After a brief back and forth with Ives, Arroyo answered, “We’ll develop the program after we pass this budget.”
“You cannot make this stuff up,” Ives shot back in disgust. “I hope people are watching. This is appalling. This sickens me.”
I gotta agree with Ives on this one. Bad move.
* And speaking of the NRI, this is from the Senate Republicans…
The Legislative Audit Commission will begin its review of the NRI audit at a meeting scheduled for May 28, 8:30am. We anticipate Auditor General Bill Holland will present the audit, the findings and the recommendations before taking questions from Commission members. If time permits, the Audit Commission will hear from Jack Cutrone, CJIA head, as well.
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House budget roundup
Friday, May 16, 2014 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Reuters…
Democratic lawmakers pushed dozens of fiscal 2015 appropriations bills through the Illinois House of Representatives on Thursday over protests largely from Republicans that the money does not exist to pay for higher spending.
The bills for the budget that takes effect July 1 were based on Governor Pat Quinn’s preferred spending plan that calls for making permanent higher income tax rates that were put in place in 2011 and are scheduled to partially expire on January 1. But instead of voting first on the taxes, Democratic House Speaker Michael Madigan decided to start with appropriations.[…]
At the beginning of Thursday’s marathon budget session, House Republican Leader Jim Durkin said that the budget process was taking the wrong turn.
“We are voting today for an unconstitutional budget, plain and simple,” he said.
* Illinois Issues…
The plan approved [yesterday] was largely based on Gov. Pat Quinn’s budget proposal, which calls for an extension of the current income tax rates. The rates are scheduled to begin stepping down in the second half of next fiscal year. The plan would increase spending for K-12 and higher education, as well as human services. The spending includes several line items specifically requested by Quinn, including increased funding to the Monetary Assistance Program (MAP) for low-income college students, additional funding for maternal and early childhood health programs, money to turn two shuttered youth centers into special treatment centers for mentally ill and substance addicted adult inmates and raises for home health care workers.
Still, the plan would not fully fund General State Aid to schools. GSA has been prorated for the last three years. The legislation passed today would fund GSA at 90 percent. Some Republicans argued that if there is going to be a tax increase, more of the money should go to education. The line item for transportation would be funded at 83 percent. “We’re spending more money than at any time in history and the question is where is the money? Cause it doggone sure is not in education,” said Rep. Chad Hays, a Catlin Republican. “Where is the money? This process doesn’t add up.” Lewiston Democratic Rep. William Davis, who is chairman of the House K-12 education budgeting committee, said that K-12 education would be getting a bigger chunk of revenue than other areas of the budget. “Tell me someone in this chamber who doesn’t run on some education platform—that they support education and want to see it fully funded? I think we all agree on that. But I think the reality is that there are always some limitations. We don’t have an unlimited pot of resources that we can use.”
* Daily Herald…
On scores of votes, state Reps. Sam Yingling of Grayslake, Marty Moylan of Des Plaines, Anna Moeller of Elgin, Stephanie Kifowit of Aurora and Deborah Conroy of Villa Park voted “no.” The five could face tough Republican opponents in November.
“It’s irresponsible to vote for a budget with a fictional income source,” Yingling said in a statement.
And Moylan said he’s opposed the tax extension and therefore couldn’t vote for a budget that relies on its money.
Other Democrats who have had competitive races in the past — state Reps. Michelle Mussman of Schaumburg, Fred Crespo of Hoffman Estates, Elaine Nekritz of Northbrook and Kathleen Willis of Addison — voted “yes” on the budget.
* SJ-R…
Among those voting for most of the bills was Rep. Sue Scherer, D-Decatur, who previously said she is against extending the temporary tax hike and even co-sponsored a bill in 2013 to immediately eliminate the tax increase. The bill never came to a vote.
Scherer received substantial financial support from House Speaker Michael Madigan, D-Chicago, both in her first election campaign in 2012 and again this spring in the primary election during which she successfully fended off a challenge from Gina Lathan of Springfield.
Scherer said Thursday her votes for the budget do not indicate she will vote to extend the temporary income tax increase.
“My feeling has not changed,” Scherer said. “There’s not been a single vote taken today about taxes. I know there are people trying to say this is a tax vote. This is a budget vote, which is not an annual financial report. It’s a budget vote.”
* Illinois News Network…
“I’ve been visited a lot today by people who know the extension is going to be very vital for social services, hospitals; they’ve all contacted me,” state Rep. Daniel Beiser, D-Alton. “What I’m trying to do right now is I’m trying to figure out what’s best for my district. … What if we don’t extend the tax? What’s going to be cut in my area? Because I don’t need one more job cut in my area. I don’t need anything else closed. I’m going to take all of that into consideration and I’m going to do what’s best for my district.”
His view was echoed by state Rep. Mike Smiddy, D-Hillsdale.
“We have two and a half weeks left in the session to look at whether or not people want to keep the … tax increase that was put into effect three years ago,” he said. “I think we could’ve done things a little bit differently. I’m a freshman down here and whatever they decide to do, I have to make the best of and make my decisions on how I would like to vote.”
* Sun-Times…
In a late development Thursday filled with political intrigue, House Speaker Michael Madigan, D-Chicago, invoked a rare parliamentary maneuver that blocks the spending bills from being sent to the Senate, keeping them under House control. […]
The day offered no clarity on whether House Speaker Michael Madigan, D-Chicago, was making any headway toward reaching the necessary 60 House votes from his 71-member caucus to keep the temporary income-tax increases from rolling back in January. At one point Thursday, the Capitol Fax political blog estimated that Madigan’s headcount stood at a mere 53.
“He hasn’t given me a number, but I think we’re a decent ways away,” Madigan spokesman Steve Brown said late Thursday, when asked how far his boss had to go to reach the 60-vote threshold.
That estimate was made before the votes were clear yesterday. Subscribers know more.
* Also…
House Speaker Michael Madigan has filed a motion that will effectively prevent the more than 70 budget bills passed today from automatically going to the Senate. Madigan told the Chicago Tribune that the move was needed in case the House wanted to further amend the bills.
* WUIS…
There are other possibilities: there are murmurs of meeting in the middle; instead of keeping the tax rate where it is or letting it drop to 3.75 percent, choose a number in between.
Other lawmakers say Illinois could come up with more cash by closing so-called corporate loopholes, or reducing the portion of state taxes shared with cities and towns. The problem is, neither of those ideas would match the amount of money Illinois would rake in through a higher income tax.
Which leaves Democrats scrambling to herd their members.
* The typical taxpayer is forking over about $1,100 more this year as a result of the tax hike, according to government numbers crunched by the AP…
Number of Illinois taxpayers: 5.99 million
Average taxable income: $55,000
2014 average state tax liability at 5 percent: $2,750
Average liability at 3 percent rate: $1,650
Average liability at 3.75 percent if tax is rolled back: $2,062
Average reduction with the rollback: $688
* From House GOP Leader Jim Durkin’s press release…
Leader Durkin has sent a letter requesting an Attorney General opinion regarding the constitutionality of an appropriation of public funds in a state budget, where the appropriations listed in the budget exceed the funds estimated by the General Assembly for that fiscal year.
House Democrats are expected to pass further budget bills next week and the total spending number is expected to climb and could reach a record high of $38 billion before adjournment.
* And there was also this quite harsh press release from Democratic freshman Rep. Sam Yingling…
State Representative Sam Yingling will once again assert his independence by voting against a State budget proposal promoted by Democratic leadership in the Illinois House. The series of budget proposals are based on the assumption that Illinois’ temporary income tax increase will be extended or made permanent, something Yingling staunchly opposes.
“It’s irresponsible to vote for a budget with a fictional income source,” said Yingling from Springfield, “I will fight against the income tax increase and it would be illogical, hypocritical, to vote for a budget on a premise I believe is the wrong direction for taxpayers.” […]
“I was elected to fight the status-quo, no be part of it. My area has among the highest property taxes in the County, asking people to pay more is beyond comprehension.”
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* Sun-Times…
House Speaker Michael Madigan plans Friday to push a plan to ask voters this fall to decide whether Illinois’ lowest-earning workers deserve an increase in pay. […]
Madigan’s legislation is posted for a Friday morning hearing in Springfield. Brown said a floor vote on the measure likely will come next week. […]
As much as Madigan is seeking input from voters on the question, his push also could help spur turnout in the Democratic Party base and help Quinn in what is a tight re-election bid against Bruce Rauner.
The referendum also keeps alive what key Democrats believe is a potent campaign weapon against Rauner, the multimillionaire private equity investor who has waffled on the question of whether to require employers put more in the pockets of Illinois’ lowest wage earners.
* Tribune…
Under the measure, voters could voice their opinion on whether the minimum wage in Illinois for adults over the age of 18 should be raised to $10 an hour by Jan. 1. With the first-of-the-year trigger date, the referendum could place the matter on the legislative agenda in the post-election fall veto session, since it’s unlikely to pass before lawmakers go home at month’s end. […]
Democratic Sen. Kim Lightford of Maywood said approval of a referendum could help her bid to pass a minimum wage hike in the Senate, where she believes she is a couple of votes shy of the 30 needed to pass. The idea of a referendum gained currency as Madigan, who doubles as Illinois Democratic Party chairman, and U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., suggested the issue should go before the general public to build support, Lightford said.
As we’ve discussed before, this is a “win-win” for Madigan and Senate President John Cullerton. They avoid a fight-to-the-death showdown with groups like the Illinois Retail Merchants Association, put Bruce Rauner on the spot by making this a campaign issue and maybe gin up a little turnout in November.
*** UPDATE 1 *** From Dave McKinney…
*** UPDATE 2 *** Both unclear on the concept. Sun-Times…
Madigan got into a testy exchange with one Republican on the panel, state Rep. Jeanne Ives, R-Wheaton, who opposes his plan and justified her position from observations she collected as a tax preparer for eight years.
“I can assure you that I have done a number…of tax returns for people at the bottom and when it’s all said and done — when you take into account all the public benefits they’re receiving — they receive an inordinate amount, well over their amount in earned income, in benefits back from the government,” Ives told Madigan. “There is a safety net already in place, and I personally think this is…anti-business.”
Madigan appeared to grow angry at Ives’ statement.
“I don’t think you should use the word ‘inordinate’ when you’re talking about people who are on government benefits. They don’t want to be on government benefits. They want a job where they can earn a living, support their family, live a nice life. So please,” Madigan continued, his voice rising, “don’t use the word ‘inordinate’ when people are on government benefits. They don’t want to have the benefits.”
Madigan missed Rep. Ives’ point. She was talking about the working poor, not the unemployed. Notice Ives mentioned “earned income.”
But Ives also missed the point. Those workers are on government benefits because they don’t make much money. And so those government benefits are acting as a direct subsidy of the businesses which employ workers at sub-par wages and don’t offer full-time employment. Ives is basically arguing to continue that government subsidy.
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