Why does it have to be a war? Because the entrenched power brokers that have run Illinois for so long do not wish to release their power … despite running the State into the ground! They’d rather remain in charge than fix this State (think on that, please). So this will be the summer of our political discontent. Some of the battles will be conspicuous and well known, but most will not. But just know this, there is a war happening right now for the future of Illinois. And Illinois is worth fighting for. PLEASE read the link http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/editorials/ct-madigan-rauner-cullerton-illinois-afscme-edit-20150605-story.html
* Moving on to Twitter…
.@GovRauner actually pays tax dollars for @LTrover to behave like a juvenile on Twitter? What a colossal was waste of state funds. #twill
— State Rep. Lou Lang (@StateRepLouLang) June 5, 2015
Committee of the Whole on Property Tax System in Illinois Announced
What: Testimony on Property Tax System in Illinois
Who: President Cullerton Announces Committee of the Whole
Where: Senate Floor, Springfield
When: Tuesday, June 9th at Noon
House Democrats on Thursday passed their own workers’ compensation reform bill despite warnings from their Republican colleagues that it faces a certain veto.
Rep. Jay Hoffman, D-Collinsville, said Democrats were making a sincere effort to improve the administration of the workers’ comp law and deliver savings to employers.
“We believe that, for the first time, this is us trying to extend an olive branch to the governor,” Hoffman said. “We are trying to move this issue forward.”
House Republicans were not buying in, especially when it came to changes in the definition of causation, or what makes an injury a workers’ comp-eligible injury.
Rauner rejected the proposal labeling it as “phony” and warned that it could potentially cost businesses more. “This makes us less competitive,” he said. The legislation, which passed along party lines. The measure simply codifies existing interpretation of the law for legal purposes, critics say.
Rauner bashed Madigan, saying he believed some Democrats might embrace his proposals if not for their fear of angering the head of the state Democratic Party, who controls the party’s purse strings.
One of the amendments added to the legislation addresses how compensation is paid if an injury is repetitive. Another would allow insurers to sue a previous employer for some of the costs incurred with injuries.
Another item makes it difficult for a company’s employees to obtain compensation if they injure themselves while traveling.
But it wasn’t workers’ compensation that sparked a scorching verbal volley at day’s end. It was a Rauner aide’s comments to lawmakers who earlier in the day questioned him about how Rauner is paying his $250,000-a-year education secretary.
Deputy Chief of Staff Richard Goldberg labeled the appropriations committee’s proceedings as a “sham” when asked why school czar Beth Purvis is on the payroll of the Department of Human Services – an agency Rauner has targeted for spending cuts to deal with the deficit. The Chicago Sun-Times reported the arrangement last week.
Goldberg said previous governors had done the same thing and said, “There’s no reason to subject a great leader like Beth Purvis to a sham hearing.”
* I posted the governor’s stuff yesterday, so let’s take a look at the response…
Democrats say they are not concerned about Dr. Purvis’ qualifications or salary, but that her pay is coming out of a department facing significant cuts which will affect the elderly and children. They argue Dr. Purvis’ salary should come out of the education department or the governor’s office.
“This is not anything other than us being worried about precious dollars being diverted from the programs we are struggling to maintain,” said Representative Natalie Manley (D) Joliet.
“It really looks bad when we’re taking poor people off of child care and kicking them off of community care and paying somebody out of this budget,” said Rep. Sara Feigenholtz, D-Chicago. […]
“Her gender should have absolutely nothing to do with this conversation,” said Rep. Kathleen Willis, D-Addison. “That is not what we’re questioning. We’re questioning why is her salary coming out of our budget.”
Purvis herself did not appear before the committee, though numerous members said they wanted to question her personally.
Later in the day, state Rep. Lou Lang, D-Skokie, blasted Rauner’s aide on the House floor.
“You used that committee time as an opportunity to be insulting and to be degrading and to say things that are beneath the dignity of this chamber,” Lang shouted. “I stand against those comments. I stand against that press release. . . . Those comments were degrading to the process, and they should stop.”
When Lang sat down after his remarks, Democrats gave him a standing ovation, including Madigan — who inched toward Lang while applauding and smiling.
State Rep. Lou Lang took to the House floor on Thursday to denounce Gov. Bruce Rauner’s administration for accusing Democrats of launching a “sexual smear campaign” against education czar Beth Purvis.
A key Rauner aide answered back.
On Twitter.
“Seriously, Lou. Give it up. It is a sexist smear campaign you and your colleagues continue to engage in,” Rauner’s communication director Lance Trover (@ltrover) tweeted.
Trover also tweeted: “Lou Lang – another politician Madigan controls,” and “Speaker Madigan to Gov: please, please just raise taxes so we can all go home!!”
As House Speaker Mike Madigan took questions from reporters after the House session, Trover tweeted: “The Speaker is the best spokesman for everything that is wrong in this state.”
* An e-mail sent to state employees by the administration…
The many important issues facing the State of Illinois require that all of us make every effort to be thoroughly informed.
The ongoing collective bargaining process is of particular interest - understandably so - given the contracts’ expiration date of June 30, 2015.
To provide a forum for all employees to raise questions and seek answers is one way that we can be better informed with timely and accurate information.
A new website will be available today and will be at http://www.illinois.gov/EmployeeFAQs.
The site will provide you the detail regarding how to submit questions and will be periodically updated with questions and their associated answers. We urge you to visit this site every few days to inform yourself and raise any concerns that you might have.
Welcome to the Illinois state employee Frequently Asked Questions website. The state recognizes that its employees may have concerns about a variety of issues. This website provides a forum for employees to raise questions and find answers about a variety of subjects, including labor issues, the state’s finances, and new policies that may have an impact on state employees.
All questions submitted by employees through this website will remain anonymous. In fact, employees can and should submit questions without providing their names. Thank you for your interest in the state.
State Finances & Economics
Q: Is the state truly facing a financial crisis?
A. Yes. Years of mismanagement have caused a financial crisis. When Governor Rauner took office, the state had nearly $6 billion in unpaid bills, a mid-year budget deficit of $1.5 billion, and over $100 billion in unfunded pension liabilities. Moreover, the state is now facing an over $3 billion hole in the budget the General Assembly recently passed for the upcoming fiscal year.
Contract Expiration – 6/30/15
Q: Will managers have to perform the jobs of union employees if those union employees strike?
A. The administration is negotiating with the unions in good faith and hopes all employees remain active and productive. That said, the state is developing plans to ensure continuity of services for any number of contingencies.
Q: Who makes the decision to strike? Can I abstain?
A. Most unions follow some process by which they request the union membership to vote to authorize their bargaining representatives to initiate a strike. You should familiarize yourself with the process your union follows. If the union initiates a strike, you still have the absolute right to remain at work or return to work.
Ten years ago, I invited a wounded warrior from Walter Reed Army Medical Center to join me in the Capitol for the State of the Union address. Her name was Tammy Duckworth.
Now, my friend, Congresswoman Tammy Duckworth is running to represent Illinois in the U.S. Senate in an amazing journey from the battlefields of Iraq to the campaign battleground in Illinois.
Tammy is no stranger to tough challenges, but to win this race, she is going to need our full support. Join me in backing Tammy’s campaign for U.S. Senate by contributing today. […]
From the beginning, Tammy impressed me with her determination to overcome adversity and her commitment to her brothers and sisters in uniform.
It wasn’t long after I met her that she was calling me about problems facing other wounded soldiers and combat veterans at Walter Reed. So eventually, I encouraged her to run for Congress so that she could better advocate for veterans and for working families.
She’s already doing a terrific job, working to help veterans find jobs and access mental health care, and standing up for working families on issues like protecting Medicare and making college more affordable.
The incumbent in this race is already running television ads — 18 months before the election! Tammy needs our help to catch up.
Illinois families deserve a champion like Tammy Duckworth fighting for them in the U.S. Senate. Contribute $5 now to support her campaign.
The timing of Durbin’s endorsement is an extra boost. At the end of March, Duckworth announced her bid to replace Sen. Mark Kirk, R-Ill. Since then, competition in the March 2016 Democratic primary surfaced.
Andrea Zopp, who is leaving as Urban League chief and Chicago Board of Education member, also is running, with a formal announcement coming in July or August, her campaign said.
I asked Zopp for her reaction to the Durbin move, and she noted that his endorsement was no surprise.
* Remember when Sen. Mark Kirk refused to endorse Durbin’s Republican opponent last year? Well…
Kevin Artl, Kirk’s campaign manager, said in statement that Durbin “is once again choosing political party over Illinois. By hand-picking Sen. Kirk’s opponent, he abandons the bipartisan partnership that they have cultivated on behalf of our state and has delivered a real blow to Illinois.”
* The ILGOP piles on…
“It is clear that Dick Durbin’s endorsement of Tammy Duckworth’s fledgling campaign is a reflection of growing concern among Washington powerbrokers about her candidacy. Duckworth is not an independent voice because she is beholden to insiders in Chicago and the nation’s capital. Senator Mark Kirk is a thoughtful, reform-minded leader who speaks for all Illinois citizens,” said Nick Klitzing, Executive Director of the Illinois Republican Party.
The Republicans are attempting to cause as much trouble for Duckworth as they can because they apparently fear her more than Zopp.
“I don’t know of any bill that actually passed that’s more important to the business community,” says Illinois Chamber of Commerce chief Todd Maisch, whose group was one of several business and labor organizations that backed the measure. “We’ve been pushing this for 10 years.”
The measure, sponsored by Sen. Sue Rezin, R-Morris, and Rep. Elaine Nekritz, D-Northbrook, deals with something known as Prevention of Significant Deterioration permits. According to the chamber, 41 other states, including all of those around Illinois, now have state-run PSD programs. The bill allows Illinois to do the same, “putting the state on a level playing field with other states,” by adopting federal regulations as state rules.
There were some changes in wording during the legislative process, and those were enough to get green groups to drop their opposition, says the Environmental Law & Policy Center’s Howard Learner. For instance, the state rules can be more stringent than the federal standards, and those who object to proposed rules will more easily be able to intervene in court or appeals process.
Nekritz notes that Gov. Bruce Rauner’s office also was actively involved in developing the bill. “Everyone negotiated,” she puts it—despite the “bigger picture” battles over the budget, pensions and other matters.
Several fronts saw significant progress this year. This is only one.
In Steve Reinboldt’s 1970 high school yearbook, wrestling coach Dennis Hastert wrote that Steve was his “great, right hand man” as the student equipment manager of the Yorkville, Illinois wrestling team.
But Steve was also a victim of sexual abuse at the hands of Hastert, Steve’s sister said today in an interview with ABC News. It is the first time an alleged Hastert victim has been identified by name since his indictment for lying to the FBI and violating federal banking laws to cover-up past misconduct. Hastert, due in court next week, has not responded to the allegations.
In an emotional interview, Steve Reinboldt’s sister Jolene said she first learned of her late brother’s purported years-long sexual abuse at the hands of the future Speaker of the House back in 1979 when her brother revealed to her that he was gay and had been out of high school for eight years.
“I asked him, when was your first same sex experience. He looked at me and said, ‘It was with Dennis Hastert,’” Jolene said. “I was stunned.”
Jolene said she asked her brother why he never told anyone. “And he just turned around and kind of looked at me and said, ‘Who is ever going to believe me?’” […]
“He took his belief in himself and his kind of right to be a normal person,” Jolene said. “Here was the mentor, the man who was, you know, basically his friend and stepped into that parental role, who was the one who was abusing him… He damaged Steve I think more than any of us will ever know.”
There’s so much more. Click here if you can stomach it.
He was a manager of the wrestling team that Hastert coached, the AP found. He was also manager of the football team, student council president and a member of the pep club, letterman’s club, the French club and the yearbook staff. […]
Burdge said her brother told her about his past with Hastert in 1979, after she graduated high school, but never brought his story out into the open because he feared “nobody would believe him.” […]
Burdge considered telling her brother’s story in 2006, as a scandal involving Rep. Mark Foley unfolded. Foley, a Florida Republican, was discovered sending inappropriate emails and sexually explicit instant messages to former House pages while Hastert was speaker. Burdge spoke briefly with news outlets, including the AP, but she ultimately decided against coming forward with a statement at that time. Hastert stepped down in 2007.
By the end of 2006, the House Ethics Committee put out a 200-plus page report indicating that Hastert, his aides and others had failed to take sufficient steps to put a stop to Foley’s long-standing overtures to current and former House pages.
Hastert was singled out for not acting on warnings about Foley’s emails — cautions delivered separately to him by two GOP officials in spring 2006. That was months before media attention on the sexually charged electronic communications Foley sent to former pages led to Foley’s resignation. The warnings came after top Hastert aides were told Foley was behaving inappropriately with male pages, the report said. […]
The committee, in a 200-page report issued in December 2006, found the “weight of the evidence” supported the conclusion that Hastert was told, at least in passing, by both Boehner and Reynolds about Foley’s worrisome emails.
“In all, a pattern of conduct was exhibited among many individuals to remain willfully ignorant of the potential consequences” of Foley’s conduct with pages, the report said.
In the worst of his personal scenarios, Rauner does not run for a second term.
He goes back to one of his seven homes and two ranches. He pops open one of those exclusive bottles of California wine as his friends pat him on the back for giving it his all.
That sounds like a damn good alternative for a man with little to lose.
Rauner knows that.
So does Madigan.
Yeah, and what folks are failing to realize is that Madigan may be willing to “help along” that very scenario: Make Rauner’s life so miserable that he leaves office after a single term.
Something to think about while everyone seems to be cheerleading for war.
