Capitol Fax.com - Your Illinois News Radar » 2015

Wednesday, Jan 7, 2015 - Posted by Rich Miller

* Oops. I forgot to post a question today. Sorry about that. It’s awful late, so let’s go with a tried and true subject matter…

* The Question: Caption?

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Speaker Madigan will support two-year term for new comptroller

Wednesday, Jan 7, 2015 - Posted by Rich Miller

* From Steve Brown…

FYI

Another special proclamation has been prepared allowing the special election applying to all appropriate constitutional offices.

Speaker Madigan stated he will support the legislation on Thursday

The new proclamation, issued by Madigan and Senate President Cullerton, is here.

47 Comments

Study panel: Don’t split Lincoln museum from state agency

Wednesday, Jan 7, 2015 - Posted by Rich Miller

* The study panel examining governance of the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum and its parent agency, the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency was released today. From a press release…

The report concludes that establishing ALPLM as a separate agency is unlikely to solve the complex problems that led to the introduction of the pending legislation. Rather, separation of the ALPLM from the IHPA would weaken both organizations and “would result in a significant lost opportunity for the state,” depriving it of important synergies between the ALPLM and the other historical sites, memorials and programs that exist under the IHPA.

Instead, the report urges integration of ALPLM into a reorganized IHPA, to achieve “a better balance between the political culture that created ALPLM, the bureaucratic culture that has managed ALPLM for the past decade, and a museum and research library culture that must assume a higher profile in the [institution’s] future.”

The author of the report, Dr. Brent Glass, director emeritus of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History, argues that changes in the current governing structure of both IHPA and ALPLM could provide Illinois “a nationally recognized public history agency with the resources—human, physical, and cultural—commensurate with its rich and varied heritage.”

The report’s conclusions and recommendations were unanimously endorsed by the study panel at its meeting on December 22. Co-chairs of the panel, Donna Sack of the Association of Midwest Museums, and Bernard Reilly, of the Center for Research Libraries, expressed confidence that the report will shed new light on the complex issues surrounding ALPLM governance and operations and their hope that it proves useful to state legislators in considering the pending legislation.

The full report is here. I’ve been sick all day, so I’ll get to it eventually. Let the rest of us know what you find. Thanks.

22 Comments

DCFS to get 8th director in three years

Wednesday, Jan 7, 2015 - Posted by Rich Miller

* Tribune…

The acting director of the Department of Children and Family Services told a packed legislative hearing Wednesday morning that she is leaving the troubled agency Jan. 19.

Bobbie Gregg announced her departure at a Chicago hearing investigating conditions at the state’s roughly 50 residential treatment facilities, which were the focus of the Tribune’s recent “Harsh Treatment” investigation. […]

Lance Trover, a spokesman for Gov.-elect Bruce Rauner, said in an email that Rauner “is committed to a transformation at the Department of Children and Family Services and will work closely with the General Assembly to ensure we protect our most vulnerable residents.”

Gregg said she is DCFS’ seventh director in the past three years.

From what I’ve been hearing, Gregg thought until very recently that she’d be asked to stay on at DCFS.

Administration and oversight apparently aren’t her only shortcomings. Add “foresight” to the list.

51 Comments

Tuition freezes and budget math

Wednesday, Jan 7, 2015 - Posted by Rich Miller

* From a U of I press release with emphasis added…

In-state freshmen at the University of Illinois would see no increase in base tuition next fall for the first time in more than two decades under a proposal that will be reviewed Monday by the Board of Trustees’ Audit, Budget, Finance and Facilities Committee. […]

Officials said the University hopes to hold future tuition increases to the rate of inflation or below, but cautioned that significant reductions in state funding and other factors could lead to larger increases.

* The Tribune explains how the university will cover the costs, with emphasis added…

The university will forgo about $2.6 million in tuition revenue by not instituting another 1.7 percent increase this year, Pierre said.

However, he said, the university expects about $25 million in additional tuition revenue during the 2015-16 school year in part because of increased enrollment in some programs and higher graduate student tuition. Also, under the four-year guaranteed tuition plan, some lower-paying students will be graduating, and new students — even with the freeze — will be paying more than those they replace.

Pierre warned that this could be a one-time freeze, especially as the state’s public colleges and universities are facing threats of funding cuts after the state income tax rate dropped Jan. 1.

“Certainly any changes in state support might have consequences on tuition rates for next year,” he said.

* Keep that $2.6 million figure in mind when reading this, with emphasis added…

The University of Illinois is preparing for a possible 20 percent cut in its state appropriation.

Last week, the university was asked to submit a report to the Illinois Office of Management and Budget and the Illinois Board of Higher Education on how such a reduction would affect its operations for the next fiscal year starting July 1, 2015.

A 20 percent cut in the UI’s approximately $670 million state appropriation would amount to about $134 million.

The tuition freeze’s $2.6 million cost amounts to 0.39 percent of the system’s $670 million state approp. Any hit to its budget beyond that, and either the freeze could be imperiled or tuition will have to rise even higher in the very near future.

43 Comments

Shine a light

Wednesday, Jan 7, 2015 - Posted by Rich Miller

* USA Today…

The election may be over, but the fundraising hasn’t stopped for some of the nation’s governors, whose allies are busy collecting more money from donors to help underwrite their inaugural bashes.

In some cases, the donations exceed what their supporters could contribute to their campaigns.

In Illinois, sponsors who give $25,000 to the committee raising funds for Republican Gov.-elect Bruce Rauner’s inaugural events get four VIP tickets to his Jan. 12 swearing-in, along with entry to two dinners, a reception and concert featuring country star Toby Keith and blues legend Buddy Guy, according to the committee’s website.

State law limits candidates accepting more than $10,500 from a corporation or union or $5,300 from an individual.

* Finke…

Rauner, who is not using taxpayer money to pay for his inaugural activities over the coming week in Springfield, will release information about who is paying for it when the time is right, spokesman Mike Schrimpf said Tuesday.

“We already committed to releasing the donors and will release the relevant information at the appropriate time,” he said in an emailed response to questions.

Schrimpf did not answer questions about the total estimated cost of the inaugural events. […]

Although Rauner has promised to disclose contributors, that isn’t enough for some critics of privately funding inaugural events. David Melton, executive director of the Illinois Campaign for Political Reform, said it still leads to the perception that someone or something is buying access.

“I’m not questioning the good faith of anyone involved about this idea of privately funding inaugurations, whether it’s for the governor, the president or anyone else,” Melton said. “But I think it’s a mistake because it undermines the position that they hold and leads to misperceptions about where their chief loyalties lie.”

* Meanwhile, Mark Brown looks at Rauner’s pledge to shift his assets into a blind trust…

Rauner’s most obvious and serious potential conflicts involve his holdings in GTCR, the private-equity company he ran before entering the governor’s race, and the firm’s work investing state pension funds. I honestly don’t know what he can do to alleviate that conflict.

Many of Rauner’s investments are complex and probably can’t be undone by any trustee, which means he will keep them for many years.

That’s why Robert Walker, a former chief counsel to both the U.S. Senate and House ethics committees and now a lawyer at Wiley Rein LLP, says blind trusts are of limited value in the short term.

After all, Rauner will know exactly what he put in the trust, and what actions might benefit those investments.

“It’s a good gesture initially if there are strict provisions applied and followed. It’s not a panacea for potential conflicts of interest,” Walker said.

34 Comments

Economist: Rauner’s pension plan doesn’t add up

Wednesday, Jan 7, 2015 - Posted by Rich Miller

* The Tribune shines some belated light on Bruce Rauner’s 401(K) proposal for public employees…

In his successful campaign, Rauner spoke generally about wanting to shift public employees from receiving a defined pension benefit into becoming members of a defined contribution plan similar to a 401(k)-style system.

Rauner has said public workers should be able to keep the benefits they have already accrued, but, moving forward, go into a defined contribution system. He also has said public safety workers should stay in the current system. And, with 80 percent of public employees not eligible to receive Social Security, Rauner has said he favors some unspecified plan to create a retirement safety net.

But it’s unclear whether Rauner’s concept is constitutional, as he maintains, or how it would address the current unfunded pension liability since payments would go into a new retirement system rather than address the shortfalls in the current system.

“Not only does it not solve the problem, but it makes it worse in the near term,” [Richard Dye, an economist on the faculty of the Institute of Government and Public Affairs at the University of Illinois] said. “Whatever the solution is will cost something, and I don’t know how it would be implemented. It’s hard to add (Rauner’s concept) up as a fiscal benefit for the state.”

86 Comments

Andrzejewski claims “flood” of support for failed comptroller bid

Wednesday, Jan 7, 2015 - Posted by Rich Miller

* From an e-mail to supporters…

Over the Christmas Holiday, more than 300 letters, notes, and emails of grassroots support flowed to the Rauner Team regarding my application for Illinois Comptroller.

THANK YOU!

Governor-elect Bruce Rauner decided to appoint North Shore businesswoman Leslie Munger as the next Illinois Comptroller. It’s a good pick which I support and respect.

Here’s what I texted her yesterday morning…

Hi Leslie, Congratulations on Comptroller appt. I personally wish you much success! Time to Shake up Springfield. Again, Best Wishes and Congratulations- Adam Andrzejewski

Thank you for your outpouring of support. The Rauner team described it as a “flood.”

I especially appreciated these supportive notes, because you took time out of your Christmas Holiday. Volunteer Susan Petty, founder of Turning Point USA Charlie Kirk, and IL Tea Party Denise Cattoni and many others did much to organize support.

Our teams at For The Good of Illinois and OpenTheBooks.com work extremely hard to protect taxpayers and fight spending abuse. Your support further steeled our spine for the long road ahead.

Thank you to U.S. Senator Tom Coburn who sent a supportive email to Bruce Rauner. As Dr. Coburn leaves the Senate, we will work hard to carry his legacy of transparency and aggressive spending oversight.

Thank you to Solidarity founder, Nobel Laureate, and Polish President Lech Walesa for his 2010 endorsement and continued friendship. The possible appointment was a leading story in the largest Polish weekly newspaper, Wprost- here.

Thank you to Deroy Murdock at National Review who wrote an incredible biography piece, Let Andrzejewski Open The Books in Illinois.

Thank you to Michael Flynn at Breitbart for his early piece- IL Governor-elect Faces First Test of Leadership.

Thank you to the ten elected members of the General Assembly who backed my application, members of the GOP State Central Committee, GOP County Chairman, leaders of center-right persuading organizations, pro-family organizations, prominent business people across Illinois, donors and of course… regular people across our state.

From the bottom of my heart, I deeply appreciate all of you. Thank you. All of you put your good name next to mine. It’s a charge that I will not forget.

It’s good news that Rauner picked from the deep well of Illinois business talent and not from politics. All of us have high hopes. We wish Bruce Rauner and his team the best!

Now, let’s get back to work. All of us have a lot of work to do.

For The Good of Illinois.

ADAM ANDRZEJEWSKI
Founder & Chairman, For The Good of Illinois

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