In a most unusual letter signed by 13 of the state’s 18 House members, both leading Democrats and Republicans asked Gov. Bruce Rauner and legislative leaders to act quickly on a bill they say “will allow Illinois’ nuclear plants to continue to operate.”
The letter—signators include Democrats like Mike Quigley and Bobby Rush, Bill Foster and Tammy Duckworth, and Republicans such as Randy Hultgren and Bob Dold—says the industry is “in jeopardy if state and federal policymakers do not act soon” to protect it from “market challenges, including historically low natural gas prices.”
The bill does not detail the “market-based solutions” it proposes. But that’s a reference to an Exelon bill pending in Springfield that would hike rates on an average home by $2 a month, distributing the proceeds to “non-carbon” providers, such as nuclear plant operators.
Look for lots of debate on that, though the letter says that Illinois would lose 8,000 jobs and $1.8 billion in economic activity if just three nuclear plants close.
More than 150 shelter residents, homeless providers and students are in Springfield Wednesday with the Chicago Coalition for the Homeless (CCH) to talk to legislators about devastating cutbacks to homeless services proposed in Gov. Rauner’s FY16 state budget.
The action day includes a Twitter storm from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. today to protest the proposed cutbacks – please follow @ChiHomeless and tweet using the hashtags #nocuts and #twill.
More than 12,500 Illinois households would lose shelter, housing or services, as CCH detailed on our blog after the budget was announced on Feb. 18.
The “Twitter storm” is quite informative. Click here.
I invented the “twill” hashtage (a combo of Twitter and Illinois), so I’m always on the watch for it. But a legislator tagged me as well, just to make sure I got the hint…
I tried to reach you some days ago but something obviously went wrong, or you just didn’t have the time to check my email. Could you please revert to our infographic [deleted] If you liked it, then please consider sharing it along with your readers.
With Gratitude,
Xxxxx
Unless it’s specifically about Illinois, I’ll pass on the infographic, thanks.
* And I most certainly got the attention of Rep. Greg Harris, a well=known “Sharknado” fan, by asking him via a Facebook post what he thought about the news that Anne Coulter has been cast in “Sharknado 3″ as the nation’s vice president.
Breaking News!!! Whilst I drove to Springfield to Serve You the People, my friend Rich Miller posted this alert. What I want to ask is would any self-respecting Sharknado devour Ms. Coulter or would they just squeal EEEEEK and fly away?
Chris Cillizza interviewed Terris and he revealed something for what I think is the first time…
“Somebody actually called a couple of days before that and said ‘You gotta check out Aaron Schock’s office, it’s totally crazy looking.’”
He said he initially declined to bite on the story, but then decided that Schock was “an interesting guy” and maybe it would be worth the trip.
In any case, this wasn’t a self-motivated story. Somebody tipped him off. I’ve reached out to Terris on Twitter to ask who called him and whether that person was a political operative.
As we’ve seen multiple times, this Schock story has been ginned up and even directed by somebody and/or some entity in or very near politics. The DCCC has their fingerprints on this as well. Finding out who was behind the office decor story might possibly help lead us to who’s really behind this and why.
*** UPDATE *** He responded, sorta…
@capitolfax just someone who worked in the Capitol and had seen the office.
A Peoria County grand jury indicted two men for allegedly trying to rob a house rented by U.S. Rep. Aaron Schock last month.
Derek H. Martin, 24, of 3016 Springfield Road in East Peoria and Adam F. Bennett, 27, 23906 Veterans Road in Morton, both are charged with attempted residential burglary. Martin also faces an additional count of being a felon in possession of a firearm.
Prosecutors allege police were called to the house by a realty company on Feb. 7 after a representative had found the men there. Officials believe Bennett was the lookout and that Martin’s fingerprints allegedly were found on the windows around the house on Detweiller Drive.
The men were allegedly caught with a handgun and a recent Journal Star article which had discussed how the property, which isn’t owned by the Peoria Republican, often is vacant.
Already in the red by nearly $200,000, [Island Lake] would lose $400,000 more next year if Rauner’s [revenue sharing cuts are] implemented by the legislature.
“In 2014, the village reduced the deficit but still did not eliminate it. The village still remains insolvent,” said Ed McGinty, the village’s treasurer. “Any reductions in revenues will result in more cuts to local people and services.” […]
On average, the 90 suburbs would use up a quarter of the reserves to cover the loss of income tax revenue in the first year, according to the analysis. […]
The Government Finance Officers Association recommends reserves be kept at a minimum of two months of spending, or roughly 17 percent of annual spending. The state does not mandate any levels.
The reserves of the 90 suburbs analyzed averaged 60 percent of annual expenses. Besides Island Lake with its deficit, only West Dundee, Aurora and Hampshire reported reserves below the minimum suggested threshold. Hampshire reported reserves of just 1.1 percent of the village’s annual expenses last year. Four more towns — Antioch, Barrington Hills, Carpentersville and Prospect Heights — could drop below two months of reserves after an initial year of income tax cuts.
The rest were in pretty good shape. Go read the whole thing. Downstate, however, could be a very different story. And towns already in fiscal trouble which also aren’t home rule units would be hit particularly hard.
* Related…
* Rantoul would lose more than $600,000 a year under governor’s proposal: Bennett said the county of Champaign would be hit, too, under Rauner’s proposal — losing $1.5 million. Two other villages in Rauner’s district that are in the Press’ coverage area would lost substantial funds. Gifford’s payment would decline from $92,948 to $46,474 a year, and the village of Thomasboro’s from $107,342 to $53,671 according to Bennett’s figures.
* Thomasboro formally opposes governor’s resolution to cut money to local government: Mayor Brad Morris said if the governor’s proposed budget went through, the village would stand to lose more than $55,000 from the state. Morris did say the money was a luxury for Thomasboro but not for other small communities around Illinois.
* Mayors Call On Rauner To Rethink Plan To Cut Local Government Revenue: On Monday, the Arlington Heights village board approved a resolution opposing the proposed reduction in local governments’ share of income tax revenue. Groups representing mayors and local government officials, like the Will County Government League, also oppose that portion of the budget proposal, and have sent a letter of opposition to the governor. Steve Quigley, executive director of the Will County Government League, said local governments in Will County would stand to lose more than $55 million.
* State superintendent warns of ‘perfect storm’ for districts: State Superintendent Christopher Koch told a House appropriations committee that the numbers of low-income and minority students are growing while budget cuts force districts to cut staff and eliminate various programs.
* Mixed feelings on budget cuts: Although Gov. Bruce Rauner’s proposed budget includes $300 million in education funding, [Ashton-Franklin Center School District Superintendent John Zick] said AFC would only receive $27,000. Factor in the lost of student enrollment, and the district would only get an estimated $12,000. “$300 million sounds really good, but we would only get a small piece of that pie,” Zick said.
Not so long ago, Exelon…was extolling the merits of an open market for power as its profits rolled in. Now, with power prices plunging, Exelon has lost enthusiasm for the open markets it championed in the 1990s and wants the Legislature to devise a new formula that will protect its profits, quite likely driving up utility bills for homeowners and businesses.
If Exelon is hard up, they can show us. The company should open its books to show how its nuclear fleet is performing.
What’s good for Exelon doesn’t much matter if it’s bad for the rest of Illinois.
Good old Exelon. The company has come up with legislation to subsidize its nuclear reactors, get electric users throughout the state to pay for it and claim it’s in the interest of clean energy.
State lawmakers need to see this bill for the dirty trick it is and kill it.
Among the budget cuts handed down in the Feb. 18 budget from Gov. Bruce Rauner was the elimination of funding for programs that stem school bullying. […]
“While I know every penny counts right now, we’re talking about half-a-million dollars that saves a lot of money for the state further down the road,” said [Rep. Kelly Cassidy]. “Besides the human cost, there is a financial cost to bullying as well—it drives up law-enforcement costs, for example. Remember, in Minnesota a school district got sued because of the bullying that took place there.” […]
“This impacts not just LGBT students, but students with disabilities, students of color [or] students who identify as female,” [said Anthony Papini of Illinois Safe Schools Alliance]. “We need to ask ourselves, do we want to be a state that promotes unsafe learning environments for our children? This is going to require a community effort, to reverse. I guarantee you that these cuts are going to result in unsafe schools.” […]
The Alliance is also concerned with Rauner’s appointment of Rev. James Meeks, who has opposed numerous pro-LGBT initiatives, as chair of the Illinois State Board of Education.
“He’s somebody who has preached that LGBT people are not normal,” Papini added. “Of course, it’s an ‘equal-opportunity’ hate. He’s spoken out against Jews and Hispanics as well. Is that the message the governor wants to send to students?”
As Illinois lawmakers consider a $1.5 billion cut in Medicaid spending proposed by Gov. Bruce Rauner, a new report is out that underlines just how widespread Medicaid and other health-related state spending has become in every corner of Illinois, even the most prosperous. […]
Overall, those in state health programs—the vast bulk in Medicaid, but also some ancillary programs such as Kid-Care and a high-risk insurance pool known as CHIP—total 2.8 million, or 1 in 5 Illinoisans overall, the study found. But among children, from infants to age 18, the figure is much higher, hitting 52 percent of those in that age group statewide.
The figure is at least 16 percent—1 kid in 6—in every single Senate district in the state. In most it’s 30 percent or more.
Figures also are high among seniors, many of whom go on Medicaid to pay for care in nursing homes. Despite getting Medicare, 1 senior in 10 in Illinois also gets Medicaid, too.
* The district-by-district study is here. From the narrative…
How does this play out in individual districts? Let’s use the example of State Senator Dale Righter whose district includes Mattoon, Illinois. He was quoted in the Chicago Tribune saying that “we can’t afford” the medical programs we have, and he clearly supports Governor Bruce Rauner’s proposal to slash $1.5 billion from Medicaid.
It turns out that Sen. Righter’s constituents need medical care as much as anyone else. One in five or 21 percent of his constituents are in state medical programs. Almost half — 47 percent — of children in his district are covered by state medical programs. How does a legislator seek to reduce medical care that half the children in his district are in need of?
* Other cut stories…
* Gov. Rauner’s proposed budget cuts are not acceptable: The governor’s proposed budget drastically cuts state funding for substance use disorder treatment by more than 20 percent. The presumption that cutting addiction treatment programs will save the state money is profoundly wrong and has no basis in fact. The opposite is true.
* Considering that we have a Republican governor and all but one other statewide constitutional officers are Democrats, Rep. Tryon may be doing the Democratic Party a favor with this bill…
In response to the appointment process that followed the death of Illinois Comptroller Judy Baar Topinka last year, State Rep. Mike Tryon (R-Crystal Lake) has filed legislation that would outline how a replacement would be chosen. […]
“There was a great deal of confusion surrounding the appointment process for Judy’s successor, and my House Bill 3094 clears up some ambiguities in the current statutes,” said Tryon.
“The bill simply states that in the event of a vacancy in a statewide elected office, the Governor must appoint a successor from the same political party as the individual who previously held the post. Pat Quinn put a Democrat in a seat that had been held by a Republican, and I think that was wrong.”
* Rep. Flowers: Medical cannabis makes state bank necessity; committee hearings could feature school choice, professional licensing, Link card photo ID and more from INN Radio
Wednesday, Mar 4, 2015 - Posted by Advertising Department
[The following is a paid advertisement.]
My name is Donna Harnett. My eldest son’s life was destroyed the moment it began as a result of a medical error.
Martin’s disabilities were severe. He was a quadriplegic. He didn’t walk and was unable to talk. He wore diapers.
The doctor who delivered Martin was a teaching physician at a prominent hospital in Cook County. My case against him was not the first; there were several others with similarly disastrous outcomes. Despite the other lawsuits, the doctor retained his license to practice and was not listed on the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation website as ever being disciplined.
Let me tell you about this lawsuit lottery winner’s life. Martin had at least one doctor appointment per week. He received physical therapy, not only at home but also at school every week. He was unable to socialize with others. He couldn’t run or play with his brothers. His existence consisted of laying or sitting in a wheelchair, completely helpless.
Martin passed away at the age of 14. I would give it all back if I could just have had my son as he should have been.
The Illinois Trial Lawyers Association fights to ensure all citizens get equal footing in the courtroom. To learn more about Martin, click here.
* The Senate Democrats explain their latest budget move via press release…
State Senator Heather Steans (D-Chicago 7) presided over a Senate committee that took the first step today toward solving the crisis caused when a program that assists working parents with the high cost of child care ran out of money earlier this year.
“Reliable, affordable child care is absolutely essential for parents who are doing their best to participate in our economy and improve their families’ prospects,” Steans said.
“Our solution to the shortfall involves no borrowing and no new revenues, and it is imperative that we move forward immediately to resolve this short-term crisis, which has already shut down child care centers and left working parents without options.”
The plan, Senate Bill 274, allows the governor to move $579 million in excess money sitting unused in various state funds to fill gaps in essential areas of spending, including the Child Care Assistance Program, which helps low-income parents who are working or attending school afford care for their young children. The $300 million shortfall in CCAP funding threatens to leave 100,000 families without access to affordable child care. The measure will also provide overtime owed to prison guards and services for people with developmental disabilities. Today, the Senate Appropriations I Committee approved the legislation.
“The governor has sought broad budgetary powers, and we have continued engaging in a dialogue with the governor’s office while focusing on giving him the authority needed to keep working parents on the job,” said Steans, who chairs one of the Senate’s two budget committees. “It’s been almost a month since parents who rely on this program came to us with their stories, asking us to support them as they build better lives for their families, and we owe them a solution.”
SB 274 now advances to a vote of the full Senate.
* The measure passed committee without any Republican support. Tribune…
Rauner is seeking extraordinary powers to manage the $1.6 billion budget shortfall he inherited that threatens subsidized child care and paychecks for state prison workers. But talks stalled after Rauner unveiled a spending plan for the next budget year that calls for massive cuts, with Democrats who control the legislature saying they want more details about how he’d manage the current budget crisis.
Senate Democrats said Tuesday they’ve run out of patience and began moving a proposal that would take money from funds earmarked for special purposes ranging from road construction to oversight of doctors. The measure sailed through a Senate appropriations committee with nine Democrats voting in favor. […]
Sen. Matt Murphy, R-Palatine, accused Senate Democrats of breaking off negotiations with Rauner. Murphy said the proposal falls short of fixing the entire problem and wouldn’t give Rauner the proper authority to spend the money.
“Why are you going off on this tangent right now rather than solving this problem?” Murphy said. “The reason is this is an early test of the governor, and what you are doing today is choosing to play politics with the lives of working mothers and their children.”
* From the governor’s press shop…
This is the exact type of short-term thinking that created this mess and it does not even solve the major crises that will occur at the end of this month. The people of Illinois deserve a comprehensive solution instead of another half-baked idea that will lead to yet another crisis in the immediate future. After weeks of detailed negotiations, including three hours yesterday morning, it is clear that Senate Democrats are more interested in playing politics than solving this problem.
* From House GOP Leader Jim Durkin…
“The unbalanced FY 15 budget needs to be corrected immediately and brought into balance. For over a month, Republicans and the Governor have been ready to move forward with a plan to fund child care, court reporters, payroll at our correctional facilities and also balance the remainder of the deficit. We are ready to clean up the mess Governor Rauner inherited on January 12, 2015.”
With Republicans all voting “present,” the Senate Appropriations Committee approved the plan that will allow Gov. Bruce Rauner to use nearly $580 million from dozens of special state accounts. Among them, the bill allows for taking $59 million from the state’s road fund, $37 million from a fund set aside to buy land in congested areas for open space and $63 million from the personal property replacement fund that distributes money to local governments around the state. […]
Murphy contended negotiators were making good progress toward a compromise on giving Rauner emergency budget powers as recently as Monday. Senate Democrats had been demanding Rauner provide greater detail about how he planned to use those powers – such as which programs would get a spending cut – before granting him that authority.
However, Sen. Dan Kotowski, D-Park Ridge, said the bill doesn’t derail those negotiations. He also noted that Rauner has indicated a desire to use money from the funds to help fix the current budget. Kotowski said people have “no patience left” waiting for lawmakers to negotiate an agreement with Rauner.
Still, Kotowski acknowledged he had not spoken to anyone in the House about the bill to tap into special state funds. If the Senate approved the bill, it would still have to be approved by the House before it could be sent to Rauner.
Democratic House Speaker Michael Madigan’s spokesman, Steve Brown, said Madigan doesn’t have a position on the Senate’s legislation at this point. But Brown reiterated Madigan’s statements that he believes this year’s budget hole should be patched with a combination of special funds and reductions in spending.
* The attorney general doesn’t usually issue an opinion on a proposal unless she is specifically asked. So, I’ve been wondering when somebody was gonna do this. From a press release…
In the ongoing fight to protect working families from overreaching anti-employee initiatives, State Senator Gary Forby (D-Benton) sent a letter to Attorney General Lisa Madigan to inquire about the constitutionality of right-to-work zones.
Across the country, right-to-work laws have crippled unions’ ability to protect workers’ rights. Studies of other states concluded that right-to-work laws drive down wages and benefits and do not improve a state’s business climate or create jobs.
Governor Rauner wants to experiment with their anti-worker policies at the state level.
“Right-to-work zones are the opening shot to roll back the protections we take for granted,” Forby said. “I want to know if the Governor’s proposal is constitutional because it doesn’t seem legal.”
Workers living in right-to-work states earn about $1,500 less per year than workers in states without these laws.
“Our economy is finally getting back on its feet,” Forby said. “Right-to-work zones mean a pay cut to the middle class, which goes against what the people in Illinois voted for last November.”
* Forby has 3 specific questions for AG Madigan. Click the image for the complete letter…
In his first ad of the runoff, Mayor Rahm Emanuel speaks directly to the voters and shares why he fights so hard for Chicago’s future. The Rahm for Chicago campaign begins airing “Chicago’s Future” today.
“They say your greatest strength is also your greatest weakness. I’m living proof of that. I can rub people the wrong way or talk when I should listen. I own that.
“But I’m driven to make a difference. When politics stood in the way of a full day kindergarten or tougher gun laws, I charged ahead. And when business interests said a $13 minimum wage was too high, I didn’t back down.
“Look, I’m not going to always get it right. But when it comes to fighting for Chicago and Chicago’s future, no one’s going to fight harder.”
Aldertrack reports this morning that the mayor’s campaign purchased $605,000 of network TV ads for next week and $55,000 in cable TV for this week.
As the Illinois Legislature searches for ways to provide taxpayers relief, everything must be on the table.
That is why I have introduced House Bill 261, which will remove the state unfunded mandate requiring local units of government to publish public notices in newspapers. HB 261 will save local units of government and taxpayers’ money by allowing public notices to be placed on government websites instead of in newspapers. […]
One quick example that happens all over Illinois: Boone County spent more than $17,000 in 2013 on assessment publications for property taxpayers who had an assessed value change. That’s $17,000 to publish assessment information. Currently, a resident receives notification in the mail of changes in assessed value and Boone County has property assessment information on their website every day.
We should not financially punish local governments that are accountable and transparent to their taxpayers; therefore, why do we require local governments to pay more to put this information in the newspaper that will be published and viewable only once?
The answer is the newspapers lobby. Yes they have lobbyists in Springfield looking to get their cut of taxpayer money. The newspaper lobby claims they are increasing accountability and transparency by fighting for these types of notices to be filed in the paper. Articles written by some journalists claim my proposal will decrease government transparency. That is utterly false.
The only thing that will be affected is the profits of newspapers. It’s not the taxpayer’s responsibility to keep newspapers afloat. If we are being serious, how many of us are avidly searching their local weekly newspaper to find a fire protection district budget, school annual statement of affairs, taxpayer property ID numbers, etc.? If you miss it, it is not printed again, whereas if the notice was posted online it would be available all the time and readily available for public viewing.
Tuesday, Mar 3, 2015 - Posted by Advertising Department
[The following is a paid advertisement.]
Credit unions were first exempted from federal income tax in 1917 because of their unique structure as not-for-profit financial cooperatives. Contrary to what some banks may suggest, credit unions pay property, payroll, and sales taxes.
Yet while banks decry the credit union tax exemption, nearly 40 percent of banks in Illinois elect Subchapter S status under the Internal Revenue Code to avoid federal income taxation. That’s $59 million in diverted tax dollars. These for-profit Sub-S banks also pay dividends and fees — not to customers, but to directors/investors/stockholders who may or may not be depositors — to the tune of more than $1.3 billion. This is far in excess of the estimated federal income tax credit unions would pay.
In contrast, credit unions return net revenue to their members. The banker argument against the credit union tax exemption is simply disingenuous. If banks really believed that credit unions operate with an unfair competitive advantage, they would restructure their institutions to credit union charters. None would, however, because doing so would expose them to becoming democratically controlled, locally-owned financial cooperatives governed by their very own volunteer members that put people before profits — all the virtues that define the credit union difference.
Randolph County State’s Attorney Jeremy R. Walker and Attorney General Lisa Madigan today announced that defendant Drew Peterson waived his right to a preliminary hearing and entered a plea of not guilty in the state’s case charging him with one count of solicitation of murder for hire and one count of solicitation of murder.
Peterson, 61, an inmate at the Menard Correctional Center, waived his right to a preliminary hearing and entered the plea before Randolph County Circuit Judge Richard A. Brown.
The charges, both Class X felonies, allege that between September 2013 and December 2014, the defendant solicited an individual to carry out a murder-for-hire plot against Will County State’s Attorney James Glasgow. The case is being jointly prosecuted by the Randolph County State’s Attorney’s Office and the Illinois Attorney General’s Office.
Also today, the state filed a required notice disclosing the case involved the use of a court-ordered eavesdropping device on two occasions – from Oct. 24 to Nov. 23, 2014 and from Nov. 23 to Dec. 22, 2014.
* Trenton, New Jersey columnist Jeff Edelstein doesn’t much care for Gov. Bruce Rauner’s claims about his home state…
When I think of Illinois, I think of women shaped like fire hydrants wearing sausage-stained Chicago Bears sweatshirts. For the men, I just add a mustache.
I just wanted to get that out there.
Why? Because Illinois’ newly-elected governor, Bruce Rauner, said the following last week about our fair state: “New Jersey is lost. They’re going down the drain and they ain’t turning it around.” He said this in remarks to the Illinois Farm Bureau, a group with the motto, “Farm. Family. Food,” which makes me wonder if full sentences are beyond the grasp of Illinois farmers.
But enough with the cheap insults.
Rauner, who may or may not have once fed his family dog to serial killer and Illinois native John Wayne Gacy, was speaking about the property tax situation in the Prairie State, which he claims is second worst only to the property tax situation here in the Garden State. (Yes, the Prairie State. Prairies are wide open spaces. Like the craniums of most of Illinois residents.) (“Cranium” is another word for “skull,” Illinoisans.) (Say, how are those Cubbies looking this year?)
“I don’t want to compete with New Jersey on anything, especially that. That’s a disaster,” Rauner said, according to the State Journal-Register in Springfield, Illinois.
Believe you this, Rauner, we don’t want to compete with Illinois on anything either. We prefer stiffer competition. Like from New York, California, Texas. That’s the A-league right there. You guys are B-league at best. Go play with Iowa or something.
My sister in law Mika Baugher and father in law Eric got in a car accident today. Eric seems to be doing okay so far, but Mika has 7 broken ribs. This is particularly bad for Mika because she has Cystic Fibrosis, and needs to cough often in order to keep her lungs from getting infected. It’s days like this that make me so thankful that Jason Kozemczak and I have such incredible families, and grateful that technology can connect us all in times of need. Warm thoughts and prayers are welcomed/requested for Mika and Eric. Life is precious.
Mika is the front-office receptionist for House Speaker Michael Madigan. She takes a whole lot of grief from the public almost every day, but she always manages to maintain a super-sweet and friendly demeanor. I don’t know how she does it.
* Mika posted an update on her condition yesterday…
Hi everyone! I am blessed for all the wonderful friends and family. I am ok. Very sore. Seven broken ribs in the left side and some are broken numerous times. The fear is my lungs will fill with fluid as I lay here. My goal is cough as I can and get up and walk as I can. I’m working on that.
Thank god for my husband. He’s been here and is going to be back tomorrow. Waiting on me hand and foot. He’s an angel. My Mom she is my rock and such a huge help to us. My in laws thank you for everything! Today was scary and it was a jolt but could have been so much worse! Thank you all again! Love you all.
Please join me in sending best wishes to Mika. Thanks.
Republican Reps. John Anthony of Plainfield and John Cabello of Loves Park and former Rep. Dennis Reboletti joined Assistant House Majority Leader Lou Lang, D-Skokie, at a news conference Monday to announce the introduction of legislation to combat the drug. Lang said he filed House Bill 1 after a 2014 task force found the problem was much worse than he expected.
The bill looks to attack the problem from a variety of different angles instead of just focusing on treatment, Lang said.
It includes provisions for the disposal of certain potentially addictive medications, limits the number of those medications to a 10-day supply, changes Medicaid to cover rehabilitation services and provides at no cost to police departments medicine used to remedy heroin overdoses. Money would also be allocated for education and treatment purposes.
Lang estimates the entire proposal would require about $25 million. He said he thought the program was worth it, but acknowledged the state faces tough fiscal times and may need new revenue streams to fund the initiative.
“Heroin is a huge problem but the budget is very tight this year also,” said Rep. Patti Bellock, House Republicans’ point person on the Medicaid health program for the poor. “I would try to look at cost effective ways of doing things.”
Lang acknowledged that portions of the legislation -including limiting painkiller prescriptions and requiring pharmacies to serve as prescription “take back” sites - could be opposed by the powerful pharmaceutical and hospital lobby in Springfield, because of increased regulation. […]
While Illinois State Medical Society President William McDade said the group was still reviewing the legislation, he pointed to a recent paper released by the group stating support for expanding access to antidotes but urging caution in limiting the number of pills a physician can prescribe.
“In short, there’s going to be a lot of pushback,” Lang said.
“It’s an antidote that works,” said Lang. “But it’s not an antidote that everybody has.”
The bill requires [and pays for] first responders to carry the product. West Frankfort Police Chief Shawn Talluto supports the idea, as long as officers get the proper training. […]
“We’ve had people who’ve been overdosed,” said Talluto. “Once they bring them into the ambulance and administer that drug, it will bring them back.”
However, the EMTs could be farther away in some of the smaller counties. A police officer may be the first on scene.
“They’re not for sure if that person is overdosed or not, because they’re not a medical person,” said Talluto. “They can administer that drug, and there are no ill effects against an individual if they are not an overdose victim.”
• An increase in the number of times an individual can be admitted to drug court, providing people with more potential access to rehab instead of a direct path to prison.
• A mandate that requires all coroners to share information involving death due to drug overdose with Illinois’ Department of Public Health and requires hospitals to report all controlled substance overdoses to the Department of Public Health within 48 hours.
• A measure to improve the Prescription Monitoring Program, which ensures people aren’t “doctor shopping” to receive more opioids than needed, by mandating that pharmacies update dispensing information every day and barring patients from having more than two prescribers in a 30-day period.
• A mandated statewide prescription return program that would allow Illinois residents to return unused medications to any pharmacy for disposal.
* This e-mail was entitled “Chicago Credit Downgrade”…
One step closer to going bankrupt due to the out of line pensions. Are you and Karen Lewis ready to float out to the middle of the lake together in shame when the city goes belly up? Just wait until the whole state goes belly up trying to pay pensions such as our former govenor’s pension that is 11, 000 a month. Oh, and what Quinn paid in for his pension will only last 18 months and then the rest of his life will be funded by taxpayers. Read up on it dope, it is all true. The only people that think this is sustainble are either idiots or biased or both. Pension default is headed our way followed by pension reform approved by the US Supreme court, not the crooked pro union courts in Illinois. Reality trumps all, and reality says the pensions are done. Once the state rejects pension reform Chicago’s credit rating will go to junk and with already too high of taxes there will be nothing left to do but go belly up as the mayor has hinted at over and over now. Enjoy the collapse!
The Republican governor of Illinois has some harsh words for Republican New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, who campaigned hard for his election last year.
Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner says New Jersey “is lost.” He said during an Illinois Farm Bureau conference last week his state has the highest property taxes in America after New Jersey. He says he doesn’t want to compete with New Jersey on anything — especially that.
He says the situation in New Jersey is a disaster. He says: “They’re going down the drain, and they ain’t turning it around.”
In September, Christie appeared at a campaign event with Rauner, where the GOP challenger praised Christie as “one of the greatest public servants in America today, and one of the greatest governors in the United States” as well as “a role model for me,” a “superstar” and “a friend of mine.”
Less than a day after the Chicago Sun-Times revealed that Rep. Aaron Schock, R-Ill., billed taxpayers for a private plane ride to Chicago for a Bears game, on Monday he repaid the government $1,237 for the trip. […]
With the latest check, Schock in the past weeks has paid $41,237 back to the U.S. Treasury to cover expenses billed to taxpayers. The bulk of the money was to cover costs for the redecoration of his “Downton Abby” House office in Washington.
Frank Sinatra once famously crooned, “My kind of town, Chicago is.” These days he would be joined by a chorus of business and industry executives who have chosen to invest in the Windy City. In fact, 385 companies either expanded or located in Chicago in 2014, resulting in the city being named Site Selection’s Top Metro in the US for the second straight year. The consecutive wins are a pleasant endorsement, says Jeff Malehorn, president and CEO of World Business Chicago.
“Winning back-to-back speaks to the economic leadership and the work being done here in the city and the region,” he says, tipping his cap to Mayor Rahm Emanuel, assorted partner organizations and the business community.
Chicago’s appeal is hardly surprising. The city’s boasts outstanding transportation and logistical assets, including two international airports, a rail hub and seaport, and stands at the crossroads of major Interstates. Chicago and the region are home to a wealth of talent educated at some of the nation’s premier colleges and universities. Foreign companies looking for a US home are drawn to the city’s diverse ethnic population. “Any company outside the US can look to Chicago and see a home,” says Malehorn.
Project highlights for Chicago in 2014 include:
Valence Health — a health services company based in Chicago adding 500 jobs over the next five years;
Yelp — the online review and advertising site based in San Francisco, Calif., is opening an office in Chicago and plans to hire 300 employees;
Braintree — the global payments platform expanded into a 65,000-sq.-ft. (6,000-sq.-m.) headquarters on the eighth floor of the Merchandise Mart. The company is adding 360 new jobs by 2017.
ADM — the food services company opened its new global headquarters in downtown Chicago in August 2014.
But no other Illinois city cracked the top ten in rankings for smaller towns.
For all of the positive national press Indiana, Kentucky and Ohio seem to receive on a regular basis, a recent breakdown of the Gallup-Healthways 2014 Well-Being Index makes the region look less appealing.
Analyzed by Yahoo’s 24/7 Wall St. blog , Indiana, Kentucky and Ohio landed among the nation’s 10 most miserable states, according to key measures of the index.
Areas such as poverty, unemployment, obesity, mental health, smoking habits, vaccination and insufficient sleep were highlighted in Yahoo’s ranking.
Indiana fared worse than Ohio, ranking number 3 on the list with a 31.8 percent obesity rate, among other measures.
The full rankings are here. Illinois finished 36th, behind New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania.
Also, this Illinois Policy Institute study purports to show how high our “global” tax rates are in comparison to surrounding states. But four of the bottom five states (Illinois included) are separated by only half a percentage point.
* Gov. Bruce Rauner wants to cut $9.2 million from the Illinois State Police’s budget next year, which means no new troopers…
The lack of new hires, combined with a number of troopers heading off to retirement, will mean fewer officers patrolling.
That has budget officials projecting a continuing drop in the number of alcohol-related citations handed out by the state police, from more than 16,800 in the fiscal year ending July 1, 2012, to an estimated 12,224 citations in the year ending July 1, 2016.
Despite that decrease, a state police spokesman said public safety for Illinoisans and others on the roads roadways remains a top priority for the governor.
“Given the inherited budget crisis, Governor Rauner faces some extremely tough budgetary challenges,” said Master Sgt. Matthew Boerwinkle.
He added that Rauner’s pick to run the state police, former Chicago Police Department administrator Leo Schmitz, “will utilize strategic enforcement strategies and best practices in order to maximize resources” to protect the lives and property of Illinois citizens.
* The governor made two speeches yesterday. One was in Pontiac…
“You choose” was the motto of Gov. Bruce Rauner in an address Monday at the Livingston County Courthouse.
From union rules to public employee pensions to term limits for elected officials, Rauner promoted local control in a 15-minute speech that raced through his post-election agenda.
The Republican governor specifically said he does not support the idea of making Illinois a “right-to-work” state — one where unions can’t make employees of a specific business pay union dues — but added certain areas of the state need to function that way for Illinois to attract businesses currently going to neighboring states with “right-to-work” laws.
If the Legislature passes a proposal to allow those areas — which Rauner calls “economic opportunity zones” — he said, “I’m going to Indiana, and I’m getting companies to move to Livingston County.” […]
“The state orders you in how to do your teachers’ pensions, your police officers’, your government workers’,” he said. “You should decide that.”
“I want you to have the power to control your future. That’s the key to turning our state around. If you want your teachers to be in the union and pay dues, terrific, have it, keep it. If you don’t, you shouldn’t have to force them to join a union. And you should be able to decide what you collectively bargain with your teacher’s union. You decide. Springfield doesn’t decide. Special interest don’t decide. You decide,” said Governor Bruce Rauner.
Although Rauner didn’t explain in much detail, he said he plans to introduce 12 bills over the next year that will change the way government works. […]
“I want local voters to take the power over collective bargaining in your schools, municipalities, county and state,” Rauner said. “If you’re happy with status quo, then fine. Keep it. I won’t stop you. But if you want to even the playing field, I’ll stand with you.”
School districts typically cannot survive a teachers strike of 10 days or more, Rauner continued, saying the administrators have little leverage to bargain with.
“I’m not anti-teachers; I just don’t think they should have unlimited power,” Rauner said.
* The governor also refused to take questions from reporters…
Rauner posed for photographs with club members but refused to answer questions from reporters after the speech.
“No gaggling,” he told the Daily Herald.
When one reporter asked him about his political agenda while he was buying a Rotary raffle ticket, he asked her if she planned to purchase a ticket and ignored her questions.
