.@GovRauner's team has apparently taken down the site link to their ed funding spreadsheet as they wait for ISBE final score to publish. https://t.co/4t44GdCfmP
State legislators who simultaneously serve as state party chairs are exceedingly rare. Among the 100 current Republican and Democratic State Party chairs in the nation, only nine also currently serve as state legislators. Of the nine, only two also serve in their party’s legislative leadership. This includes Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan (D), who has served as the Illinois Democratic Party’s Chair since 1998, totaling 19 years in the position.
Michael John Gray (D), outgoing Minority Leader for the Arkansas House of Representatives, also served as Chair of the Arkansas Democratic Party for about two months while completing his term as Minority Leader earlier this year. After the close of the state legislative session in May, the Arkansas House Democratic Caucus elected a new minority leader because of Rep. Gray’s March election as party chair.
Speaker Madigan is the only state party chair that also currently serves as the Speaker or President of his or her chamber. Illinois Republican Party Chairman Tim Schneider also serves as a Cook County Commissioner in the 15th District. It is not common for state party chairs to also maintain an active role as a public elected official, although it is not unheard of, with at least 13 other state party chairs currently holding public elected office in the U.S.
State party chairs serve as the representative of their party in that state, and are generally responsible for setting the party’s message and strategy, engaging with the media on behalf of the party, and organizing the party’s rank and file members. State Senate Presidents and House Speakers are responsible for representing and governing their respective legislative chamber. They may be tasked with keeping order, setting the agenda, moving bills along, and acting as spokesman for their chamber.
While a party chair is able to keep their focus on party interests, a legislative leader must also serve another role that transcends politics. ICPR Executive Director Sarah Brune explained, “It’s an age-old issue of separating politics and governance. A legislative leader is still a public servant, and has to keep the well-being of all Illinois residents in mind. Trying to manage politics and governance in this partisan environment is no easy task, and can present challenges if one person has to represent both interests.”
Outside of Illinois, it is very uncommon for an official to serve as both the party chair and the top chamber leader - and possibly with good reason. It may be difficult for officials to juggle what could be seen as conflicting responsibilities. In the case of Arkansas’ recent leadership changes, House Democrats were quick to put new leadership in place after Michael John Gray’s election as chair of the state party.
* The Question: Should legislators be barred from serving as state party chairs? Click here to take the poll and then explain your answer in comments, please.
* The list is getting really long and it’s going to get longer…
State Representative Patti Bellock (R-Hinsdale) announced today that she will not seek re-election to the Illinois General Assembly in 2018. She will continue to focus on serving her constituents and continuing her work on improving access to quality health care for every Illinois family and strengthening the safety net for the state’s most vulnerable residents until the completion of her current term in January 2019.
“It has been an honor and a privilege to serve my community in the Illinois General Assembly,” Rep. Bellock said. “I would like to thank my family, friends and the residents of my district for their support over the years and to all those who suggested ideas for legislation that we were able to enact into public policy together. Making a positive difference in the lives of others has been the greatest reward in this job. Next year will be time to give someone else the opportunity to serve our community in the Illinois House of Representatives. Until then, I look forward to continuing to work with my constituents and my colleagues to make progress on many important issues until the end of my term in January 2019.”
Representative Bellock became the first woman in Illinois history to serve as Deputy Leader of a legislative caucus when she was appointed Deputy House Minority Leader in 2013, a position she continues to hold.
Her landmark legislation –the SMART Act reforming the Illinois Medicaid system and bills requiring mental health parity, MRSA infection control, grant transparency and reform, improving the Amber Alert system and strengthening child support in Illinois have been recognized on a national level. Currently Bellock serves as a budget negotiator for the House Republicans, Minority spokeswoman for the House Human Service and House Human Service Appropriations Committees, as well as being the co-chair of the Illinois Human Trafficking Task Force. She has been a strong advocate and voice for people with disabilities throughout Illinois.
Bellock has received state and national awards for her role in numerous community projects and serves on several local boards for groups addressing the issues of Taxes, Substance Abuse, Alzheimer’s, Autism, Human Services, Mental Health, Child Welfare, Domestic Violence and the Arts. The Illinois Manufacturer’s Association rated Bellock among the top five legislators because of her consistency on business issues. The Illinois Chamber of Commerce also recognized Representative Bellock’s support of state and local business by naming her a Champion of Free Enterprise for several years. In addition she has been named Legislator of the Year by over 20 associations. Her focus on women’s issues earned her the honor of “Illinois Women Making a Difference” from the State Treasurer’s office.
House Republican Leader Jim Durkin (R-Western Springs) released the following statement today on the retirement announcement of Deputy Leader Patti Bellock (R-Hinsdale):
“I have been privileged to serve alongside Patti Bellock since she first came to the Illinois General Assembly in 1999. Patti has brought the common-sense approach of a mother and grandmother to her public role, combining a keen understanding of how the law impacts people’s lives with a depth of knowledge and expertise in key policy areas unequaled among her peers. Patti’s unparalleled work ethic has been a tremendous asset to our caucus, particularly over the past four years in her role as our Deputy Leader, the first woman in Illinois history to serve in that post. Patti will long be remembered as an extraordinary leader and a tireless advocate for Illinois families; particularly on health care, disability and budget issues. Patti and I have been personal friends for many years, so I wish her and her family all the best as she looks forward to the next chapter in her life at the completion of her term.”
Leader Durkin appointed Representative Bellock to the position of Deputy House Republican Leader in October 2013. Leader Bellock also currently serves as a budget negotiator for the House Republican Caucus, Minority Spokeswoman for the House Human Services and Human Services Appropriations Committees, respectively, as well as being the co-chair of the Illinois Human Trafficking Task Force. She has been a member of the Illinois House of Representatives since 1999.
The Democrats insist that’s not true. After May 31st, upholding an amendatory veto on a bill that has an immediate effective date requires a three-fifths super-majority, just like any other piece of legislation with immediate effective dates. Click here and scroll to page 9.
So, where did he get that info? It’s a common mistake. Heck, I’ve made it, too. But the governor’s legal counsel certainly knew that answer. Maybe the governor was listening to someone else?
The General Assembly can agree with the recommendations made by the governor by a simple majority vote in each of the chambers. The bill then becomes law, as amended by the governor. However, should the governor issue the amendatory veto after May 31 and the changes have an immediate effective date, the recommendations require a three-fifths majority vote in both chambers in order to pass. If the effective date is the next fiscal year, the changes only require a simple majority to pass.
* So, now what happens? Well, the Senate has to return to session and then enter the veto into its journal. The Senate will likely hold a perfunctory session this afternoon at 2 o’clock to get that done, I’m told. Once the bill is “journalized,” the chamber has 15 calendar days to act or the bill dies.
…Adding… The governor’s office is now admitting that accepting the AV requires a three-fifths vote.
*** UPDATE 1 *** DGA…
“Today Bruce Rauner soared to new heights of irresponsibility,” said DGA Illinois Communications Director Sam Salustro. “Rauner vetoed a school funding bill for political reasons without even fully understanding the repercussions of his actions. Illinois families were just dragged through a two-year budget crisis exacerbated by Rauner’s veto of the state’s first budget in two years - a crisis was only resolved when Republicans and Democrats joined together to override his veto. Now Bruce Rauner’s failed leadership is putting Illinois schools at risk.”
*** UPDATE 2 *** Pritzker campaign…
“Bruce Rauner doesn’t understand his own school funding plan, can’t say where his numbers come from, and now doesn’t even know how many votes he needs to pass it,” said Pritzker campaign spokeswoman Jordan Abudayyeh. “This is what happens when a failed governor clings to crisis and surrounds himself with a team of radicals. Illinois schoolchildren should not have to pay the price for this embarrassment in Springfield.”
I propose a public health insurance option that would allow every Illinois resident the chance to buy low-cost health insurance. I will work with legislators and the health care community to design this public option to provide another choice in the health insurance marketplace, to lower the cost of premiums and mitigate market uncertainty – at no cost to taxpayers.
If the Affordable Care Act (ACA) remains the law of the land, my plan would provide an important avenue to expand access to affordable healthcare in Illinois. But if Republicans in Washington are successful in repealing ACA, IllinoisCares would become even more necessary and could give Illinois a path to expanded innovative healthcare coverage at the state level.
IllinoisCares would allow Illinois residents to buy into the state’s Medicaid system:
* Because Medicaid is individually administered by states, the program offers a unique opportunity for states to function as laboratories and lead in the creation of progressive healthcare policy.
* With the creation of IllinoisCares, Illinois would be the first state in the nation to expand Medicaid in this manner.
* Medicaid is a lower-cost option than private insurance, giving Illinoisans another choice when faced with rising premiums. It can be offered in every county, as opposed to the dwindling number of plans on the Affordable Care Act exchanges in many counties.
* Illinois currently spends about $3,350 per year per adult and $2,108 per child for Medicaid coverage.[1]While an actuarial analysis will have to be completed to set premiums and cost-sharing rates for the program, it is clear that IllinoisCares offers a lower cost option for families compared to those being offered in the private insurance market.
* As a Medicaid buy-in option, IllinoisCares would require Illinoisans who do not receive federal healthcare subsidies to pay premiums to cover the full cost of Medicaid coverage. As a result, there should be no additional cost to taxpayers for this program.
* Participants who qualify for ACA tax credits could use those to help pay for their premiums.
* IllinoisCares would be designed to encourage healthy young adults as well as older Americans who are not yet eligible for Medicare to participate and would help ensure a robust patient mix.
* IllinoisCares could allow for affordable deductibles and copays as well as open enrollment and special enrollment periods, which are all standard features that keep plans affordable and stable in the private insurance market.
In the event of full repeal of the ACA, I will work to make sure IllinoisCares gives all Illinoisans affordable health insurance, and will enact patient protections so that Illinoisans with pre-existing conditions will not be discriminated against in healthcare coverage.
*** UPDATE 1 *** Pawar campaign…
Ameya Pawar, 47th Ward alderman and Democratic candidate for Illinois governor, released the following statement after J.B. Pritzker suggested a policy proposal that would limit Illinoisans to a public option healthcare model:
“A public healthcare option for Illinois doesn’t go far enough to provide quality healthcare for everyone while lessening the burdens put on working families and small businesses. Illinois needs a single-payer healthcare system, and as Governor, I will take the steps to get us there.
“For far too long, government has perpetuated a culture of ‘deserving’ and ‘undeserving.’ Healthcare is a human right and single payer healthcare will deliver quality affordable care to every Illinoisan. Single-payer is about making our society a better place. It’s about putting people over profits. Single-payer is about doing the right thing.
“We need to elect more leaders who will advocate for a system that guarantees health care for all people, helps working families get the care they need while saving small businesses money that otherwise would be paid to big insurance companies.”
A single-payer system would allow healthcare providers to operate with far greater efficiency, meaning that more money is being spent on actual care than our current system allows. Medicare has a 2 percent overhead rate - that’s a remarkably efficient program, allowing significant savings that private insurance companies would be making in profit instead of passing along to the people. The total cost savings for Illinois under a single-payer system would amount to $17 billion annually, nearly two-thirds of our health care spending as a state, by eliminating private insurance providers and their administrative costs.
This issue has driven activism from a wide array of organizations, including social justice advocates, unions, physicians, health associations and religious institutions. But despite these efforts, the bills that lawmakers introduced in Springfield never made it out of committee.
Pawar’s campaign website has been mostly silent on this issue, however. Click here.
*** UPDATE 2 *** Sen. Daniel Biss…
“Health care is a human right, and I’m disappointed that J.B. considers it an option. We need a single-payer health care system in Illinois that covers everyone. I call on J.B. to put aside half-measures like optional care and embrace health care for everyone.”
Except, Pritzker does support a single-payer health care system. From part of Pritzker’s press release that I didn’t post…
I hope there continues to be conversation about how we can expand healthcare coverage across our country, including the consideration of a federal single payer system, which I support. But with Donald Trump in the White House and Republicans in control of the House and Senate, it’s now up to the states to innovate. That’s why I’m proposing a public option for Illinois, which would be the first in the nation leading in this way. [Emphasis added.]
…Adding… From the Biss campaign…
In the language you cite, JB states he supports a “federal” single-payer system. The criticism Daniel made of his plan, is that he doesn’t support a state level single payer system. Indeed, the fact that Trump and Republicans control Congress is all the more reason a single-payer system at the state level, as we’ve seen with efforts in CA, is needed. The larger point is, while it’s nice he supports a federal level system, he’s not running to be governor of Congress. He’s running to be governor of Illinois, and his position on single-payer for the state is what Democratic primary voters want to know.
That’s a critical distinction among Dem primary voters and among the candidates in this race. I’d hate for people to get the impression that he supports single-payer, writ large, as your piece implies. Because he doesn’t.
* I told subscribers this morning about the governor’s hope to pass a $100 million private school “scholarship” tax credit bill, which is backed by the Chicago Archdiocese, among others.
Gov. Rauner said today he’s “excited and hopeful that as part of a compromise… that that would include tuition tax credits.” He didn’t answer a question about whether he would require those credits as part of a final deal. (The proposal that’s currently on the table does not allow federal tax deductions on top of the state tax credits, I’m told.) Background on that potentially controversial issue is here.
…Adding… From the Catholic Conference of Illinois…
The Scholarship Tax Credit is an initiative that seeks to create scholarships for low- and middle-income students so they can attend Catholic and other private schools. The grants would be created from corporate and individual donations to scholarship-granting organizations. To encourage these donations, corporations and individuals would receive a dollar-for-dollar state income tax credit for their contributions.
So, if you donate $20,000, your state income tax would be lowered by $20,000. That seems a bit much.
* One of the things I’ve been telling subscribers is that the Democrats really wanted to avoid reopening the budget talks. Gov. Rauner confirmed to reporters today that his amendatory veto of SB1 would require “a new appropriation line” for Chicago pensions. That means a new approp bill, which would give him an avenue to reopen the budget if the AV was accepted, and it almost undoubtedly won’t be.
Several sources tell NBC 5 that Gov. Bruce Rauner had planned to sign the new Automatic Voter Registration bill last week during the Rainbow PUSH Coalition Convention, but at the last minute the event was cancelled.
The bill allows voters to automatically be registered to vote through an electronic process when applying for a driver’s license or state ID, unless they opt out.
Repeated questions to the governor’s communications team have not been answered, but those who support the bill expect him to sign it.
* Asked to address the possibility that lawmakers may not address his amendatory veto changes to SB1, Gov. Rauner told reporters this morning that he’s AV’d a number of pieces of legislation and the GA simply redrafted the bills to reflect his changes and re-passed them.
Gov. Rauner then pointed specifically to the automatic voter registration bill as an example of where this process has worked. Rauner, of course, hasn’t yet signed AVR, so that’s the best indication yet that he’ll go ahead and approve that piece of legislation.
*** UPDATE 2 *** Here’s the relevant excerpt from the AV…
*** UPDATE 3 *** Gov. Rauner told reporters today that the Senate and House could accept his amendatory veto with a “simple majority.” Not true, says the Senate. Since we’re past the May 31st deadline for simple majorities, an acceptance motion would require three-fifths in each chamber. The governor seemed surprised about this and dodged a follow-up question from a reporter who asked whether his staff should have known such a thing. Oops.
…Adding… The governor’s office is now admitting that accepting the AV requires a three-fifths vote.
*** UPDATE 4 *** Most react will be on the live coverage post. But this is from the Pritzker campaign…
In response to Bruce Rauner issuing an amendatory veto on Senate Bill 1, a bill that funds schools and ensures they open on time, JB Pritzker released the following statement:
“Apparently 736 days worth of damage done by Bruce Rauner wasn’t enough. Now he is holding school funding for Illinois children and families hostage and pitting communities against each other again by vetoing Senate Bill 1,” said JB Pritzker. “Bruce Rauner is so blinded by his crusade against Chicago’s children and families that he seems incapable of understanding a very simple fact: every child and every school district benefits under SB 1. Even though he supports 90% of the bill, Rauner and his new team of radicals once again chose to use our kids, parents, and teachers as leverage to try and score a political win.”
*** UPDATE 5 *** Kennedy campaign…
This is a stunning low point in the history of our state. SB1 is a product of the governor’s own School Funding Reform Commission and his characterization of the bill as a bailout for Chicago has been debunked by the BGA and Politifact. Yet, Bruce Rauner chose political games over our children.
We need fundamental change in Springfield, including ending our reliance on a property tax system that inadequately funds our public schools. Today’s veto proves that Springfield is broken and Rauner will not lead Illinois toward real change.
*** UPDATE 6 *** Press release…
House Speaker Michael J. Madigan issued the following statement Tuesday:
“Governor Rauner’s decision to pit one child against another is disappointing, especially as Republicans and Democrats in the House and Senate continue to meet and negotiate. The governor has yet again chosen crisis over compromise, but Democrats will continue to work with legislative Republicans in order to enact education funding that is fair to every student, every school and every community.”
Today, Gov. Bruce Rauner issued an amendatory veto to Senate Bill 1, the school funding bill. The matter now heads to the Illinois General Assembly, where the governor has respectfully requested that lawmakers uphold his changes. If these changes are upheld, Illinois will achieve historic education funding reform.
“It doesn’t matter where you come from or who your family is. With a great education, you can go anywhere in life and be whomever you want to be. You can grow up, get a good job and provide for your family. That’s why the changes I have made to the education funding bill are so important,” Gov. Rauner said. “With my changes, our state ensures that enough resources flow to children in the poorest and most disadvantaged school districts across the entire state. And my changes ensure that the education funding system in our state is fair and equitable to all students in Illinois.”
More than a year ago, Gov. Rauner established the Illinois School Funding Reform Commission. This group came together on a bipartisan basis to study the way Illinois funds its public schools, and to chart a path to a fairer and more equitable system.
“These changes included in my amendatory veto reflect years of hard work by our education reform commission and our ability to overcome our political differences for the good of our young people’s futures,” Gov. Rauner said. “I urge the General Assembly to act quickly to accept these changes and let our students start school on time.”
The governor’s amendatory veto makes the following changes to ensure an adequate and equitable school funding formula:
• Maintains a per-district hold harmless until the 2020-2021 school year, and then moves to a per-pupil hold harmless based on a three-year rolling average of enrollment.
• Removes the minimum funding requirement. While the governor is committed to ensuring that the legislature satisfies its duty to fund schools, the proposed trigger of one percent of the overall adequacy target plus $93 million artificially inflates the minimum funding number and jeopardizes Tier II funding.
• Removes the Chicago block grant from the funding formula.
• Removes both Chicago Public Schools pension considerations from the formula: the normal cost pick-up and the unfunded liability deduction.
• Reintegrates the normal cost pick-up for Chicago Public Schools into the Pension Code where it belongs, and finally begins to treat Chicago like all other districts with regards to the State’s relationship with its teachers’ pensions.
• Eliminates the PTELL and TIF equalized assessed value subsidies that allow districts to continue under-reporting property wealth.
• Removes the escalators throughout the bill that automatically increase costs.
• Retains the floor for the regionalization factor, for the purposes of equity, and adds a cap, for the purposes of adequacy.
The amendatory veto also removes the accounting for future pension cost shifts to districts in the Adequacy Target. This prevents districts from ever fully taking responsibility for the normal costs of their teachers’ pensions.
Speaker Madigan said last week that there was a “good possibility of an override” in his chamber, noting the willingness in early July of some House Republicans to break ranks with Rauner on an income tax increase and budget.
But House Republican Leader Jim Durkin said Monday that his members were united on this front.
“They don’t have the support in the House,” Durkin said of an override attempt. “Our caucus is pretty strong on this. If someone believes it will be a repeat of what happened with the budget, they are sorely mistaken.”
I think that is very true today for a few reasons. Come October? Maybe not. But, for crying out loud, let’s all hope it doesn’t come to that. For once, cooler heads need to prevail before real damage is done once again to this state’s economy, its people and its already shattered reputation.
* Related…
* Mark Brown: School funding crisis needn’t become another standoff
* Politifact looks at the governor’s contention that SB 1 is a Chicago “bailout”. Go read the whole thing, but here’s the conclusion…
Attempting to parse a political buzzword like “bailout” might be impossible if not for the clear direction provided by Rauner’s own Illinois Education Funding Reform Commission. It called for an “evidence-based” school funding formula but also recommended a “hold harmless” provision that would ensure no district received less this year than last.
By that dictate alone, CPS should not be in line this year for a cut in the size of its block grant. What’s more, SB1 does do away with the CPS block grant starting with the 2018-19 school year, poking a major hole in Rauner’s “bailout” claim.
The bill’s Chicago pension component can’t be called a “bailout” or even a perk because it only gives CPS what every other school district already has. And Rauner clearly had sought previously to bargain CPS pension help for other, statewide pension reforms. He got a major one in the budget lawmakers enacted July 6.
Numbers are sure to fly fast and furious as Rauner and lawmakers duke this out in Springfield in the days ahead, but we find Rauner’s generalization that SB 1 is a “bailout” for Chicago schools to be False.
Although we question the pension portion for Chicago, it’s not enough of a concern to diminish our support for the bill. Also, we’re a bit tired of Chicago, a world-class city that still attracts corporate headquarters, being cast as an evil entity. We want Chicago schoolchildren to succeed as much as we want students in other areas of the state to succeed and we think a new funding formula can help make that happen.
SB1 is the best shot Illinois has at reworking a financing system that has created huge disparities among school districts and does not help educate children. It’s a bill that has been revised several times since Sen. Andy Manar first proposed it a few years ago.
A study by The Education Trust in 2015 showed that Illinois school districts with the greatest number of students living in poverty received nearly 20 percent less state and local money than affluent districts. Your ZIP code should not determine the quality of education your child receives.
SB1 would give state money to the students and schools who need it most. That’s how schools should be funded.
The governor went on to point out that Springfield “loses half a million dollars” under the Democratic plan compared to his. Decatur, he said, “loses $1.6 million.” He called SB1 a “diversion of money” from the rest of the state to Chicago and even said his AV was “an improvement” for CPS school children.
Later, he referred back to the Politifact issue and called it “false spin,” and repeated himself. “That’s false,” he said. “We need the truth to be told to the people of Illinois, not political spin.”
As Senate Bill 1 heads to Governor Rauner’s desk, Do Your Job, Inc. is asking him to get a grip, do his job and sign the bill.
After decades of talks around reforming the state’s education formula, Senate Bill 1 is the only bill to have passed the legislature. The bill is endorsed by editorial boards, community partners, school districts and school superintendents across the state. By vetoing the bill, Governor Rauner will put the funding of our schools in jeopardy.
In the past, Governor Rauner has recognized the need for a more equitable education funding formula.
According the Illinois Policy Institute, Governor Rauner said the following in his 2017 State of the State Address:
For years, Illinois has provided the lowest percentage of education financial support from any state in the country. And we have the largest gap between funding for high income schools and low income schools in the country, both across the state and within the city of Chicago.
This June, the SJ-R ran a piece entitled “Purvis: Rauner likes 90% of school funding reform bill but will veto” where the lede was:
Gov. Bruce Rauner’s education adviser, Beth Purvis, said the governor supports 90 percent of the education funding reform bill that was passed by the legislature this spring, but would still veto it because it is too generous to Chicago Public Schools.
On July 17th, Governor Rauner reiterated the value of SB 1 on his twitter page:
Lawmakers should send education funding bill SB1 to my desk immediately. This helps public schools in IL get equitable and adequate funding.
But Governor Rauner’s actions have gotten even more bizarre during the Governor’s not-so-special session.
He hasn’t disclosed legislative language for the Illinois General Assembly to act on.
He’s refused to meet with Senate President Cullerton or Senate Bill 1’s sponsors in the House and Senate. In fact, he’s called the Senate President’s desire to negotiate an “outrageous” demand. (After all, Governor Rauner is on the record saying: Nobody tells me what my policies are, nobody.)
And a day later, in a move which we can only assume can be attributed to Rauner’s “unhealthy obsession with media and messaging” as a Sun-Times source called it, Rauner created a working group which has yet to produce a legislative alternative which can pass the General Assembly.
The ad, entitled “Lost It” will run on digital platforms and can be viewed here and contains the following narration:
Serious people are questioning whether Governor Rauner has lost it.
After a three-year budget crisis, Rauner alone wanted to take the state over the cliff.
Republicans and Democrats worked together to solve the problem without him.
Then, Rauner fired his professional staff and replaced them with some questionable characters.
And now he’s stoking a school crisis, threatening to veto a new funding formula educators support, and his own education secretary said has 90 percent of what Rauner likes.
Governor Rauner, get a grip. Do your job.
Do Your Job, Inc. is led by IL Sen. Mike E. Hastings of South Suburban Cook County, IL Rep. Lou Lang of Skokie and Illinois AFL-CIO President Michael T. Carrigan.
