Illinois Comptroller Leslie Geissler Munger warned Thursday that continued cash flow problems may once again force a delay in the state making its contribution into the government worker pension systems.
Munger said the state is entering a particularly precarious financial period because tax receipts historically drop in October and November, meaning there is less money on hand to pay bills. While some expenses such as debt payments and those covered by court order automatically go out the door, there is more flexibility when it comes to making the pension payment.
That’s because by law, the state’s contribution into the five employee pension systems must be made on a yearly basis. However, Illinois usually chops those up into smaller monthly installments to make the cost more manageable. That means if a payment is skipped, it must be made up by July 2017. […]
Munger pushed back a $560 million pension payment in October 2015, citing similar financial pressures. The payment eventually was made in April, when state coffers were flush with money from yearly income tax payments.
An independent congressional candidate is finally throwing in the towel.
David Gill had been suing for a spot on the ballot in the 13th District, despite failing to submit the required number of valid signatures for an independent candidate. Gill won an initial court ruling after arguing the state’s rules were unfair and burdensome but that decision was overturned on appeal. And two attempts to take the case to the U.S. Supreme Court have been rejected.
Comptroller Munger, who was appointed to the office after the death of Republican incumbent Judy Baar Topinka, recently upped the ante on the pay issue.
Earlier this year, Munger decided to make legislators wait in the same line as state vendors who face serious delays in payment for services rendered. That has resulted in paycheck delays that have stressed some legislators’ family budgets and forced them to take out loans (Republican state Rep. Chad Hays) or second mortgages (Democratic state Sen. Scott Bennett).
Now Munger, who is running for the office in the November election, is escalating the paycheck debate in a way sure to draw legislators’ further resentment.
Munger last week proposed what she called “no budget, no pay” legislation that she said will ensure members of the Illinois House and Senate meet their constitutional obligations by passing a balanced budget.
In other words, if legislators don’t pass a real balanced budget they won’t be paid — ever. Further, Munger said that her proposal would block retroactive pay, meaning that the longer there’s no balanced budget, the less lawmakers would make.
Of course, Munger’s proposal has no chance of becoming law because it requires the targets of the bill to pass it. But Munger still scores points by pointing out the failure of the General Assembly to pass full-year budgets two years in a row.
Politicizing the law as a means of garnering votes sets the stage for injustice.
The apple didn’t fall far from the tree in the case of Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan, the daughter of Democratic House Speaker Michael Madigan.
When it comes to spinning an effective political web, both she and he know what they’re doing. It’s a different matter, of course, when it comes to effective public policy. But in Illinois, who cares?
So it will be no surprise if Attorney General Lisa Madigan’s latest gambit into generating favorable headlines doesn’t prompt state legislators to act with alacrity on the question of abolishing the statute of limitations on more than 20 crimes involving the sexual abuse of children.
Who, after all, supports accused child molesters? No one.
Gov. Bruce Rauner addressed the Illinois General Assembly on Wednesday, outlining his plans for next year’s state budget. The poindexters whipped out their calculators.
117th District: Rep. John Bradley, D-Marion, did a better job for his district before he joined House Speaker Michael Madigan’s leadership team. Bradley may bring home more bacon serving in leadership. But he also is stuck voting for the speaker’s agenda, and that often conflicts with the values of his district. Example: Bradley voted for a budget that was $7 billion out of balance. Is that how homeowners of his district run their households?
This week, she filed a brief asking First District Appellate Court in Chicago to deny the Spring Valley Democrat’s request to delay the state Board of Elections’ inquiry into his campaign spending.
In his request for delay, Mautino, whose campaign spending is under federal criminal investigation, cited his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination.
In her brief to the court, the attorney general said she recognized the elections board’s administrative proceedings put Mautino in a less than ideal situation, but he would not suffer irreparable harm. That’s because he could still invoke his Fifth Amendment rights during the proceedings, she said.
“Therefore, he can choose not to take any action that would jeopardize a possible defense to any possible future criminal charges,” she wrote. “And while a negative inference may be drawn in the proceedings from Mautino’s invocation of his right to remain silent, the state board must prove its case against (him).”
In the elections board’s hearing, Madigan said, Mautino can still mount a “vigorous defense through cross-examination and other means.”
The state, she said, wanted a speedy resolution of the proceedings because of its interest in regulating the election process and ensuring political committees observe the rules.
Share your political memorabilia with the UIS History Harvest at the Old State Capitol
WHAT: The University of Illinois Springfield Department of History is inviting members of the public to bring and share any and all political memorabilia during a History Harvest at the Old State Capitol. Students will photograph, scan and record the stories behind the items in an effort to document the way that people in central Illinois have participated in elections.
WHEN: Saturday, October 22, 2016, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
WHERE: Old State Capitol, 1 SW Old State Capitol Plaza, Springfield, IL
DETAILS: UIS students are asking people to share campaign literature, brochures, letters, photographs, diaries, buttons and bumper stickers related to the democratic process. Digital copies of the items made during the event will be included in an online exhibit and catalog. Participants will also have an opportunity to tell the ‘harvesters’ the stories behind the objects.
History Harvest offers the opportunity to “put yourself in the historical record.” By collecting information on the memories of the local electorate, the project will provide a unique insight into how ordinary citizens in central Illinois have participated in and remembered the democratic process. Items from both the recent and distant past are welcome.
Students from UIS Assistant Professor of History Devin Hunter’s undergraduate public history class and UIS Assistant Professor of History Kenneth Owen’s graduate history and digital media class will lead the effort to digitize items for the online digital exhibit. Illinois State Historian Dr. Samuel Wheeler will be on site between 11 am and 1 pm. Students will also display items from the Nelson O. Howarth Papers (Springfield Mayor, 1955-1959 and 1963-1971) and the Kozeliski Campaign Button Collection, courtesy of the UIS Archives and Special Collections.
* I’ve been hoping they’d do an album like this for years. They’re just too old to be rock stars. I loved the “Stripped” album because it was a grownup departure from their usual stadium rock nonsense. Keep it simple, keep it basic and keep it bluesy…
Those who like their Rolling Stones music raw and unfiltered may get their wish Dec. 2 when a new studio album, “Blue and Lonesome,” will be released. […]
Produced by Don Was, who has been working with the band for more than two decades, the 12 blues covers were recorded in a rapid-fire three-day session in London last December. “Blue and Lonesome” includes songs associated with Howlin’ Wolf (“Commit a Crime”), Jimmy Reed (“Little Rain”) and Magic Sam (“All of Your Love”). Eric Clapton adds guitar to two songs: Johnny Taylor’s “Everybody Knows About My Good Thing” and Dixon’s “I Can’t Quit You Baby.”
The Stones — Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Charlie Watts, Ronnie Wood — plus sidemen Darryl Jones (bass), Chuck Leavell (keyboards) and Matt Clifford (keyboards) approached the sessions as more of a live recording and avoided overdubs, according to a statement released by the band.
With a few exceptions, they dug a layer or two deeper than the obvious Chicago blues classics on these tracks, reflecting their roots as fledgling blues appreciators who listened obsessively to albums released on Chess, Vee-Jay and other labels imported from overseas in the early ‘60s. As Was said in a statement, for the Stones, the blues is “the fountainhead of everything they do.” That hadn’t always been reflected in their post-‘70s recordings, but it appears they’re doubling down on that commitment now.
Current state law allows the owners of properties that become vacant unexpectedly to ask tax officials for a break on their bill — as long as they are doing everything possible to find a new tenant for the store or office.
But there are troubled properties that have received the break for decades — when, in some cases, the owners should be paying the property’s tax bill in full, Martwick said.
If the measure authored by Martwick is passed by the General Assembly and signed into law by Gov. Bruce Rauner, government agencies that collect property taxes — like the city of Chicago and the Chicago Board of Education — would have an incentive to investigate the claims of property owners asking for the vacancy deduction, Martwick said.
If officials determine that claim was false or fraudulent, they could force those owners to pay back three times what they owe as punishment, according to the measure. […]
“I’ve been a broker since 1981 and I’ve never done business with a landlord who does not want their building rented,” said Rich Kahan, a principal at commercial real estate brokerage KB Real Estate. “The law provides some relief. You don’t always get it, sometimes you do. At end of day, you make zero income on any empty space.” […]
“Chicago needs to start imposing penalty taxes on property that sits vacant for more than a year in hot areas — the number of commercial spaces that just sit empty due to landlord greed or indifference could be reduced significantly,” [Michael VanDam, an East Village resident in West Town] commented on Neighborhood Square.
On the other hand, what happens to those landlords when the economy turns downward again? I’d bet that’s why the original law was enacted.
Lost amid Donald Trump’s hot takes on life in Chicago during last week’s presidential debate, Hillary Clinton made a statement that could sound overly optimistic to many people here in the city of her birth.
“We also have to recognize, in addition to the challenges that we face with policing, there are so many good, brave police officers who equally want reform,” she said.
“We also have to recognize, in addition to the challenges that we face with policing, there are so many good, brave police officers who equally want reform,” she said.
Promoted Stories from politicsChatter
Many good and brave officers? No doubt.
You have to be very brave to even show up for work at the Chicago Police Department, especially these days. Let’s also put aside the alleged “Ferguson effect” and assume the vast majority still do the job as well as they can.
But all these officers who Clinton says “want reform”?
If they’re really out there, it’s been hard to hear them in the debate that’s roiled politics here since last November, when the dashcam video of 17-year-old Laquan McDonald’s death in a hail of 16 CPD bullets became public.
A Hinsdale South High School student who allegedly threatened to “shoot up” the Darien school has been charged with several crimes after police found firearms, explosives and a Nazi uniform in his residence, DuPage County prosecutors said Wednesday at a juvenile detention hearing.
Prosecutors said the youth, 16, had promised a “Southocaust” and on Monday had made a specific threat against a fellow student on social media. That brought police to his house, where they found the guns and explosives in his bedroom, prosecutors said.
The youth has been charged with eight felonies and was ordered to be held in a juvenile facility by Judge Michael Wolfe.
How the teenager acquired the cache of weapons is still under investigation.
“We were very disturbed. It’s very shocking. We have great kids. We have great families. This is a great place to live, a great place to send your kids to school,” said Bruce Law, Superintendent of Hinsdale School District 86.
Despite the discovery of the Nazi uniform, police said there’s no indication of a racial motive or an indication of any accomplice. Police said the suspect’s parents were not aware of the weapons cache.
Police also said they searched the student’s locker and found no other weapons or devices.
Nuckolls said police found a flare gun that had been converted to a working gun, as well as a shotgun, a sawed-off rifle, more than 150 rounds of ammunition, knives, ski masks and brass knuckles. His bedroom also contained Nazi posters and flags, a World War II German soldier’s uniform, a Soviet flag and paper targets.
Police said they found an incendiary device in the boy’s closet that contained black powder, razor blades and ball bearings. In addition, Nuckols said the boy had PVC pipe and other materials commonly used in building pipe bombs. […]
The teen’s attorney said the boy’s mother was unaware of her son’s threats and of the materials found in his room. The mother asked Judge Michael Wolfe to release the teen to her with an electronic monitoring device.
“In the interest of the protection of others, in light that the family had no idea what was going on under their own roof, the minor will be detained,” Wolfe said.
The University of Iowa has signed an articulation agreement with the Illinois Community College Board that will provide a seamless transition for eligible students who want to continue their education at the UI.
The agreement sets a minimum number of semester hours in communications, humanities, math and science and a minimum GPA. Students who meet those standards and earn an Associate of Arts degree at Illinois Community College will be admitted to the UI as a junior and will have met all freshman and sophomore level general education requirements, with the exception of a Diversity and Inclusion requirement and the World Language requirement needed for each college.
“This is an exciting new partnership that will benefit thousands of Illinois community college graduates who want to pursue a bachelor’s degree at UI,” says P. Barry Butler, executive vice president and provost at the UI. “At the core of this agreement is the completion of an Associate of Arts degree, which will help increase degree completion rates at both the community college and the University of Iowa.”
* Southern Illinois University President Randy Dunn was not pleased in a system-wide e-mail…
Earlier this summer, The University of Iowa announced on its website that it had just inked a new master articulation agreement with … wait for It … the Illinois Community College Board. In the words of P. Barry Butler, executive vice president and provost at Iowa, “[t]his is an exciting new partnership that will benefit thousands of Illinois community college graduates who want to pursue a bachelor’s degree at UI.”
I get it. A lot of Illinois kids — in Chicagoland, as well as where I grew up, in the western part of our state — head off to Iowa City for their baccalaureate degrees. No doubt these agreements improve accessibility and make for easier transitions in those cases.
But in the wake of record drops in enrollment at numerous of our state’s public institutions of higher education, as well as recent national press (most notably, coverage in The New York Times) that highlighted Illinois’ role as one of the country’s largest exporters of post-secondary students, one might reasonably wonder why this was on the “to do” list right now for the ICCB.
I know we have the Illinois Articulation Initiative that provides us something akin to UI’s special agreement, and I guess I should begrudgingly give Iowa credit for going after this … assuming the impetus for this came from their side.
But as this news has made the rounds across SIU over the last day or so, it has caused any number of our folks to wonder aloud about timing and how something like this happens as Illinois’ universities find themselves struggling through their greatest operational and financial distress of the last 50 years.
Republicans have spent nearly $2 million in television advertising to help a state lawmaker win a Chicago-area legislative district — the most spent on air time for any legislative candidate in the nation.
A new report by the Center for Public Integrity released Thursday shows the Chicago-area contest has helped makeIllinois the state with the most money spent on TV ads for legislative candidates across the country this election cycle. Nearly $14 million has been spent on legislative races in Illinois since Jan. 1, 2015, a staggering amount that reflects the struggle between wealthy Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner and Democratic leaders amid an epic budget stalemate. Democrats are trying to strengthen their control of the Legislature while Rauner is trying to give his party greater influence. […]
The Illinois race with most money spent on ads pits GOP Rep. Michael McAuliffe, a 20-year veteran of the House, against Democrat Merry Marwig, a political newcomer on leave from her job at a Chicago software company. […]
Even so, the amount they’re spending is remarkable. In 2012, for example, the Republicans’ two major party committees spent just over $2 million combined on all races from July 1 through Sept. 30. […]
Marwig has spent about $187,690 on television ads so far, according to figures from the Center for Public Integrity.
And there’s still more than a month to go before election day, so expect much more like this.
Also, at this pace, state Rep. McAuliffe could wind up outspending US Sen. Mark Kirk on Chicago TV. Let that sink in for a minute.
Munger just got $5 million, so why is she giving $3 million away? And why would they blow the contribution caps in Leader Durkin’s race when he doesn’t even have an opponent?
* Scott Kennedy’s explanation could apply to both developments, although I’m told by one top Munger person that it doesn’t apply to her. We’ll see.
Kennedy’s theory is that the Republicans could be using Munger’s and Durkin’s no longer contribution capped committees as entryways to move huge amounts of fresh, non-Rauner cash into legislative races. Campaign committees can contribute unlimited amounts to state parties, and state parties can contribute unlimited amounts to candidates in general elections, so I suppose it’s possible that Rauner doesn’t want his personal campaign committee’s name on every single dollar going into the system…
Another very likely possibility is that [Munger’s] campaign committee is being used as an entryway to get unlimited contributions into the system where that money can then move freely around to be spent on other races. I discussed the need for entryways in my previous post. The House Dems have had a number of large donors, particularly in labor and legal, who are willing to contribute more than the maximum amount so they’ve had to break up those contributions into the amounts permitted by contribution limits and then contribute those amounts to as many Democratic affiliated committees as necessary to get all the money in the system. In a general election candidate committees can make unlimited transfers to party committees and party committees can make unlimited transfers to candidate committees so once that money is in the system the candidate committees with surplus funds can either transfer those funds to their fellow candidates up to the limited amount or they can make unlimited transfers to their party committee where the funds can then be redistributed in unlimited amounts to other candidates in need.
However in this case the contribution limits are off for the Comptroller’s race because of the $260,000 loan Munger received from her husband. Munger (and Mendoza) can accept contributions in unlimited amounts and if they so choose they can then make unlimited transfers to the party committee who can then spend or transfer unlimited amounts on other candidates, such as targeted general assembly races.
Prior to last week the Governor had been almost single-handedly funding the Republican legislative effort. The only other significant pool of money was in the Independent Expenditure committee Liberty Principles PAC which had raised $5 million since June, $2.5 million from Governor Rauner personally, $1.5 million from Richard Uihlein and $1 million from Ken Griffin. However the funds in the IE committee are somewhat walled off, independent expenditure committees are not allowed to transfer funds to candidate or party committees so if these donors wanted to use their money to help legislative candidates they could only do so by making expenditures independently. But now that the contribution limits have been lifted in the Comptroller’s race they can make direct unlimited contributions to Munger who can then transfer that money to the party as needed and it can be put to use elsewhere.
Just because Munger transferred $3 million to the State Party today doesn’t mean she won’t get additional financial support later to supplement her campaign budget, she may still very well spend $5.5 million on her fall effort if additional contributions are received. Also, it’s unlikely that this is our last unexpected development before the election. Stay tuned.
The Republican comptroller also defended recent moves within her campaign finance fund, which have brought allegations from challenger Mendoza that she is gaming the system.
Late last month, Munger got a $260,000 loan from her attorney husband, which lifted contribution limits in the race. That cleared the way for $5 million in donations from hedge fund billionaire Ken Griffin and frequent conservative GOP donor Richard Uihlein, key Rauner allies. Since then, Munger’s campaign transferred $3 million to the Illinois Republican Party, which can now distribute that money to various candidates as the GOP tries to cut into the Democratic supermajorities held by House Speaker Michael Madigan and Senate President John Cullerton.
Mendoza called it “blatant money laundering” in a Twitter post. Munger said she was just taking advantage of campaign financial rules Democrats put in place in 2009 that Mendoza voted for while in the House.
“We are really just taking advantage of the law that she passed,” Munger said. “Everything I’ve done is completely transparent, and it’s certainly legal.”
* All of the following stories have been posted online since just yesterday. Let’s start with the Naperville Sun…
Residents should call 911 if they see someone dressed as a clown behaving suspiciously, according to a community alert posted on the DuPage County sheriff’s office Facebook page.
“The DuPage County Sheriff’s Office is aware of the recent ‘clown sightings’ occurring locally in our parks, on the paths and trails, and even on our roadways,” according to the alert, which features a photo of clown shoes and the sheriff’s office seal.
It warns residents not to confront any clowns and, “always maintain a safe distance.”
The creepy clown phenomenon that has recently swept the nation hit Lake County Tuesday as police departments in Round Lake, North Chicago and Waukegan reported clown threats made on social media and in person at one Waukegan school during lunch recess, prompting that school to briefly be put on lockdown.
Carpentersville police and School District 300 officials issued statements Tuesday calling clown-related reports a prank and aiming to assure residents there have been no credible threats or known local sightings of red-nosed creeps.
Closer to home, a “performance artist” was detained by UIC police—but not arrested or charged—after joining the trend, or making a pointedly meta commentary about the trend, or… something.
Social media was all a-twitter Monday evening with the reported sighting of a creepy clown in Worth.
The Chicago Ridge Neighborhood Watch Facebook group posted a photo from a member’s daughter, who took a picture of the joker’s backside near 111th Street and Harlem Avenue, across the street from the Worth Police Department. […]
Sightings of people dressed as creepy, menacing clowns have been reported in 26 states, according to the Boston Globe. […]
Earlier Monday, the @IllinoisClown account tweeted that he was in Shorewood, heading for Plainfield.
ATTORNEY GENERAL MADIGAN & U.S. ATTORNEY JAMES LEWIS MEET WITH KANKAKEE COUNTY STATE’S ATTORNEY’S OFFICE TO ENSURE FAIR, OPEN & LEGAL ELECTION IN KANKAKEE COUNTY
Chicago – Attorney General Lisa Madigan, U.S. Attorney James A. Lewis for the Central District of Illinois and officials with the Illinois State Board of Elections today met with Kankakee County State’s Attorney Jamie Boyd and an official from the Kankakee County Clerk’s office to ensure a fair, open and legal election this fall that allows all residents to vote equally without obstacles or intimidation by law enforcement officials or offers in exchange for votes, all of which are prohibited by law.
“We are committed to ensuring that we hold a fair, open and legal election and that all voters’ rights are protected,” Madigan said.
“The voting process is central to our democratic system,” Lewis said. “We came to Kankakee County today and had a good discussion with the State’s Attorney and other officials intended to ensure that each and every person can vote fairly and properly.”
They discussed complaints, including allegations of some minority voters being subject to unnecessary requirements and misinformation about their ability to cast their vote, law enforcement officials intimidating voters and questioning people who drove them to vote, and offers in exchange for casting ballots.
Voters and county election officials are reminded that current law allows for voters to register to vote and cast their ballot at the same time during both the early voting process and on General Election Day following a Tuesday ruling by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 7th Circuit.
I’ll let you know if the local state’s attorney sends anything out.
* Meanwhile, the Illinois Republican Party blasted this out today…
Media Advisory: ILGOP Chairman Tim Schneider Holds Press Conference to Discuss Vote Fraud Investigation in Kankakee County
Schneider To Announce Launch of Voter Fraud Hotline
When: 2:45 p.m.
Where: 55 W. Monroe, Suite 940
Yesterday, the Kankakee County State’s attorney announced an unprecedented investigation into voter fraud following reports of individuals from Chicago offering gifts in exchange for votes for Rep. Kate Cloonen and Hillary Clinton.
Here’s what we know so far:
The State’s Attorney’s office began the investigation after the clerk’s office “reported three complaints from people who said they were offered bribes for votes.”
Several applications filed with the election authority appear to be fraudulently executed.
Kate Cloonen and Mike Madigan’s political team have lashed out at the Republican Party and personally attacked the State’s Attorney himself in order to distract from the allegations that Democratic candidates are benefiting from election fraud.
Chicago’s practice of appointing a school board violates the rights of all city taxpayers to elect who taxes them, disproportionately affecting minority voters, and has left the district in worse financial shape since 1995, when it was placed under mayoral control.
That’s according to former Gov. Pat Quinn and a handful of active Chicago Public Schools families and Local School Council members who plan to sue the city’s school board and the state Board of Education on Wednesday in state and federal court.
The group wants a judge to order elections to replace the mayor’s appointees on Chicago’s Board of Education, Quinn said by telephone Tuesday.
“Looks like gadfly Pat Quinn has latched on to his next failed endeavor. Coming from a governor who could have fixed the most racially discriminatory education funding formula in the nation but didn’t, and who failed miserably to address chronic education underfunding despite pushing through record tax increases, this is another absurd waste of energy and taxpayer dollars,” Claypool said.
At 40 years old, Landus Jackson walked out of Vienna Correctional Center on Tuesday morning wearing street clothes and a smile after spending the majority of his 30s behind bars — about 8 1/2 years total for drug- and gun-related offenses in Alexander County.
The first thing he did was wrap his arms around his 16-year-old daughter and then his father and cousin, who were there to greet him and take him home. But before the family headed out toward Mound City, with plans to get breakfast along the way, there was a brief ceremony for Jackson as state officials granted him his cosmetology license.
Though cameras and a celebration do not typically greet former inmates returning to society, Illinois Department of Corrections officials considered this a special occasion because Jackson, thanks to new regulatory changes aimed at reducing barriers to employment, has the distinction of being the first to leave a state prison with a professional license in hand.
“I just want to say this is a testimony, and I’m a witness that God is good,” Jackson said after state prison officials handed him that license. “… I want to thank Ms. Moyers as well. She’s been real good to me, real good.” […]
DOC Director John Baldwin, also in a statement, said he was “extremely proud” of this step taken by regulators.
“Everyone deserves a second chance and that is exactly what Landus is getting today — a fair shot at finding employment that will increase his odds of not returning to IDOC custody.”
* From the Kankakee Daily Journal’s story on fraud and voter suppression allegations flying in that county…
Late last week, Kankakee County Clerk Bruce Clark said potential voters were being brought to the clerk’s office to vote early.
“Whoever it is should not be doing this,” he said. “People should be allowed to come in here and vote without being harassed.”
If Clerk Clark thinks bringing people to the polls to vote early is somehow fraudulent activity or “harassment,” then he needs to go back to election school.
Effective immediately no “I voted” stickers will be issued to voters. This will end the practice of vote purchasers using the stickers as proof of voting.
That’s an all too common scam. They “buy” the stickers to avoid directly paying people to vote.
A “race to the bottom” in state workers’ compensation laws has the Labor Department calling for “exploration” of federal oversight and federal minimum benefits.
“Working people are at great risk of falling into poverty,” the agency says in a new report on changes in state workers’ comp laws. Those changes have resulted in “the failure of state workers’ compensation systems to provide [injured workers] with adequate benefits.”
In the last decade, the report notes, states across the country have enacted new laws, policies and procedures “which have limited benefits, reduced the likelihood of successful application for workers’ compensation benefits, and/or discouraged injured workers from applying for benefits.”
The report was prompted by a letter last fall from 10 prominent Democratic lawmakers, who urged Labor Department action to protect injured workers in the wake of a ProPublica/NPR series on changes in workers’ comp laws in 33 states.
The ProPublica/NPR stories featured injured workers who lost their homes, were denied surgeries or were even denied prosthetic devices recommended by their doctors.
That’s not a bad idea. Some states (like Indiana) have gone overboard with their lousy treatment of injured workers in an attempt to attract employers. Even Greg Baise at the IMA admits this.
We were fans of Rep. Michelle Mussman and her “Mom on a Mission” slogan when she first ran for office in 2010. Now it seems she’s a mom on a mission to bankrupt the state. After running for office promising to whip Springfield into shape, she has voted for phony, unbalanced budgets, including House Speaker Michael Madigan’s spending plan in May that spent $7 billion more than the state would collect in revenue. Voters: You’ve been duped. Republican Jillian Rose Bernas of Schaumburg would be a proper check on state spending and would promote policies to attract to Illinois more businesses and jobs — maybe even bring back residents who’ve fled to other states. Bernas is endorsed.
* NBC 5 interviewed Comptroller Leslie Munger and she unveiled a new line of attack against her Democratic opponent Susana Mendoza…
Munger noted that her opponent has gotten substantial donations from unions and special interests. Additionally, the comptroller claimed Mendoza has received contributions from companies that she gave contracts to during her time as Chicago city clerk.
“She is getting donations and funding from organizations who she owes or does business with to benefit them,” Munger said. “So there’s definitely a pay-to play, quid pro quo-thing going on there.”
The Mendoza responded to the claims Tuesday afternoon, placing the onus on Munger for shattering the race’s fundraising limits.
“Susana has been in full legal compliance with both city and state limits,” Mendoza campaign manager Lauren Peters said in a statement. “It was Comptroller Munger who broke the cap so she could receive unlimited funds, including just receiving $5 million from two billionaire donors who are close friends of Governor Rauner, one of which has a contract with the state. The only quid pro quo here is that if Munger is re-elected, the comptroller’s office will continue to be a wholly owned subsidiary of the governor’s office, not the independent fiscal watchdog Illinois taxpayers need.”
Think that’ll be an effective TV ad? Remember, Munger now has $5 million to play with. She can probably afford to run two messaging tracks (positive and negative) at the same time.
* Wordslinger posted a wicked rant on this topic yesterday that deserves front-paging…
=Ask us your questions on our plans to create jobs and grow the economy.=
OK.
–How do you plan to reverse the three-year slide in Illinois farm incomes?
–What actions will you take to prevent abundant and cheaper natural gas from replacing Illinois coal?
–How will you reverse technological advances in coal-mining to save Illinois jobs?
–Same question as above, when it comes to direct jobs and related service jobs being lost in the financial services sector on LaSalle Street?
–How do you intend to raise the world-wide price of oil (and gasoline) to make Illinois fracking profitable?
–Will you devalue the Illinois dollar to make Illinois exports more attractive?
–Do you intend to re-negotiate Illinois trade agreements with foreign nations?
–What’s the plan to combat the growing state teacher shortage with more enticing salaries and benefits for prospects? You know, like you do in the private sector when you have a labor shortage?
–How are you going to save Sears?
– What is the state plan to revitalize Illinois’ buggy-whip industry?
Obviously, I kid. The governor can’t do any of those things, nor can he reverse the global trend in manufacturing, despite all the mumbo-jumbo he continually spouts.
Here are some real questions:
–What scholarship should we read to fully understand your theory of centrally planned, state direction of “the economy?” Marx? Lenin? Mao? Goldberg?
–Where’s your capital plan? For infrastructure? For technology? How are you going to pay for it? Is that not a fundamental purpose of state government? What are you waiting for — you’ve been in office nearly two years.
–What is the GOMB whiz kids’ projections on job and economic growth if the State of Illinois was on a reasonable timetable for paying its record backlog of bills (set on your watch), pumping those billions directly into the state economy?
–Do you have any plans for job assistance for the thousands who have been tossed out of work due to your refusal for political reasons to honor contracts or fund higher ed at levels you, yourself, recommended in your proposed budgets? How much have those layoffs cost the state, fiscally and economically, in unemployment insurance costs and lost economic activity?
–Do you believe in the sanctity of contracts? For realsies?
–What is your master plan for Illinois universities and community colleges? For the social safety net? By your actions, you’re certainly up to something, but you’re just not being square with us peasants.
I’ll hang up and listen to your usual scattered-brain non-sequiturs…. I mean, “answers.”
Ouch.
* For the record, however, Word and I disagree somewhat about this topic. I believe there are several ways to retain businesses and encourage them to expand here rather than elsewhere. Obviously, I think the governor’s ideas go way too far and are mostly unrealistic given the political realities, but I do believe there’s plenty of room for compromise if anyone would freaking listen to each other.
* Related…
* Equal sweetener plant closing: Eighty-nine workers at Manteno’s Merisant plant — which produces Equal, the artificial sweetener — were told Monday the location will be closing its doors in mid-December and moving to a southeastern state… Of the company’s 89 Manteno employees, 70 were involved in production. A production worker earned between $16 to $24 per hour. The company, one of the mainstays of the Diversatech campus, operated three shifts, five days per week. Overtime work was not uncommon.
* From the Paul Simon Public Policy Institute’s latest poll…
· While term limits for legislators aren’t on the November ballot, they are on the hearts of voters. There are over 80 percent who favor a constitutional amendment limiting the number of terms a state representative or state senator can serve. There are 17 percent opposed. Gov. Bruce Rauner is pressing lawmakers to act.
· Recently, the state Supreme Court ruled that an amendment establishing an independent commission to draw legislative district lines was unconstitutional. However, 72 percent of likely voters support that idea, while 18 percent are opposed.
The Simon Institute has been polling on this question since 2010 and the support for redistricting reform this year is at a record high.
“The massive support for these… measures is evidence of just how upset Illinois voters are with the way things are done in Springfield,” said David Yepsen, the director of the Institute.
* Historical trendlines…
* The actual questions…
* A proposal to limit state legislators to a total of eight years of service, whether in the House of Representatives, the State Senate, or a combination of the two. Would you favor or oppose this proposal? [In 2010, 2011, 2012 the question was this “limit state representatives to five consecutive two-year terms and state senators to three consecutive four-year terms.” In year after it was worded the same - “a proposal to limit state legislators to a total of eight years of service, whether in the House of Representatives, the State Senate, or a combination of the two.”]
* Other people have proposed a constitutional amendment that would have legislative district maps created and recommended by a commission that is independent of the elected representatives. Would you favor or oppose this proposal?
Likely voters in Illinois overwhelmingly support a proposed state constitutional amendment requiring gas taxes be spent only on road projects, according to a poll by the Paul Simon Public Policy Institute at Southern Illinois University Carbondale… The sample of 865 likely voters was taken Sept. 27 – Oct. 2 and has a margin of error of 3.3 percentage points.
· There are 80 percent of likely voters who support what’s been dubbed the “lockbox” amendment requiring that gas taxes, tolls and license fees be dedicated to roads, bridges and other transportation projects. Only 13 percent oppose it, and the rest are undecided.
Supporters argue state policy makers have sometimes shifted these dollars to non-transportation projects over the years, taking dollars from needed infrastructure projects. Opponents contend leaders need to have flexibility in the way they manage state finances and meet all the priorities they face.
Support is strongest downstate, where 87 percent support the measure. Seventy-eight percent support the measure in the Chicagoland suburbs and 73 percent in Chicago.
A lot of newspaper editorial boards have come out against the proposal (the SJ-R is the latest). I also don’t think it’s great policy, but I can see why this makes sense to voters who are frustrated with the General Assembly’s ability to do anything right.
* “On the ballot in November is an amendment to the Illinois Constitution that would make sure that funds from the gasoline tax, tolls, license fees, and other transportation levies can only be spent on roads, bridges, and other transportation-related projects. If that question were on the ballot today, would you vote for or against it?”…
*** UPDATE *** Press release…
Two new ads explain why Illinois needs to support the Safe Roads Amendment this November as a commonsense approach to protecting taxpayers’ investment in a stronger transportation system.
Citizens to Protect Transportation Funding – a coalition of business, labor and construction groups – today announced it has rolled out the new spots as part of its aggressive statewide public education campaign for a constitutional amendment on the Nov. 8 ballot to prevent transportation funds from being spent on anything but transportation.
A 60-second radio ad and 60-second animated ad explain the Safe Roads Amendment – what it is, how it works and why it’s needed.
The radio ad, titled “Common Sense,” explains that years of decisions to spend road money on non-road purposes has helped create a dire situation for the state’s network of roads and bridges. The constitutional amendment is an easy way to start to address the backlog of disrepair.
“With the Safe Roads Amendment, we can fix our roads without raising taxes,” the narrator says in the ad, now running in the St. Louis market and to run statewide in the final three weeks of the campaign.
The animated ad, titled “Spread the Word,” takes a closer look at the bipartisan push to address transportation needs through the amendment.
“Your vote will create a lockbox for transportation money, so that gas taxes, car registrations and other transportation fees we already pay can only be spent on transportation,” the narrator says in the video intended to educate and advocate for the amendment online.
These ads follow the 30-second TV spot titled “When,” running on stations around the state.
Same-day voter registration in Illinois is back for now after a federal appeals court on Tuesday stayed a judge’s order that blocked the practice for the Nov. 8 election.
The 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals asked attorneys to file briefs by Thursday on why the case should face an expedited appeal.
On Sept. 29, U.S. District Judge Samuel Der-Yeghiayan declined to reconsider his ruling that the same-day registration option benefited Democratic strongholds, like Chicago, and disadvantaged rural regions that may favor Republican candidates. The state law that created Election Day registration applied only to counties of 100,000 people or more with electronic poll books.
The attorney general’s office on Sept. 30 filed a motion for a stay of the lower court ruling, pending appeal. A judge on Tuesday granted that motion, while also giving the defendants until Thursday to provide a statement about why they believe the appeals should be expedited, according to court records. […]
In its motion for stay, the attorney general’s office argued the legislation doesn’t deny equal protection or infringe on anyone’s right to vote.
“On the contrary, it enhances the right to vote by making it possible for people to register at the polling place on Election Day,” the attorney general’s office said in its motion.
The attorney general’s office also argued that the statute is constitutional and that it doesn’t deny anyone the ability to register or vote.
*** UPDATE *** Common Cause Illinois…
Common Cause Illinois and other members of the Just Democracy Illinois coalition applaud the appellate judge for halting a lower court judge’s decision, which would have stopped all Election Day voter registration in polling places. Illinoisans will continue to be able to register to vote at polling places on Election Day for the upcoming election.
“Common sense has prevailed as Election Day registration is restored in polling places across Illinois,” said Brian Gladstein, Executive Director of Common Cause Illinois. “To remove this option so close to an election would have caused irreparable harm, especially in under-registered communities. More than 110,000 people registered to vote on Election Day last March, and now Illinoisans will continue to have access to their elections.”
The challenge to Election Day Registration was a troubling tactic to limit voter turnout during a crucial election year. While this decision allows voters to register on November 8th, the appellate court will still need to decide the merits of the case at a later date.
