* Here’s the Friday dump, except for the veto message for HB 3449, which is below…
Veto Message for HB 2977
To the Honorable Members of
The Illinois House of Representatives
100th General Assembly:
Today I veto House Bill 2977 from the 100th General Assembly, which requires all Illinois elementary schools include a unit of cursive in their curriculum before students complete 5th grade.
This legislation constitutes yet another unfunded mandate for school districts that will not protect the health or safety of Illinois students. If the General Assembly believes that cursive writing instruction should be required in elementary schools because it will improve student outcomes, it should be included in the Illinois State Learning Standards and funded accordingly.
Therefore, pursuant to Section 9(b) of Article IV of the Illinois Constitution of 1970, I hereby return House Bill 2977, entitled “AN ACT concerning education” with the foregoing objections, vetoed in its entirety.
Sincerely,
Bruce Rauner
GOVERNOR
Signing Statement for HB 3488
To the Honorable Members of
The Illinois House of Representatives
100th General Assembly:
Today I sign House Bill 3488, which provides for responsible and respectful processes surrounding the disposition of remains of low-income decedents by providing better information-sharing with families regarding their options when a loved one passes as well as facilitating assistance of the medical, anatomical, biological and mortuary sciences.
I encourage the sponsor and advocates to continue to work collaboratively with the Department of Public Health to ensure that the goals of this legislation can be implemented in an effective and appropriate manner, even if further legislation is necessary to make sure the process contained is administratively sound.
Sincerely,
Bruce Rauner
GOVERNOR
Veto Message for HB 3745
To the Honorable Members of
The Illinois House of Representatives
100th General Assembly:
Today I veto House Bill 3745 from the 100th General Assembly, which requires school boards to allow community groups to post free after-school program information in a designated space on each school campus.
Although I applaud community groups and organizations who provide high-quality, affordable programming for children, this bill is an unfunded mandate that will not protect the health or safety of students. School personnel should be allowed professional discretion related to information shared by the school. While individual requirements such as this may not create significant costs to schools and districts, the accumulation of layers of unfunded mandates imposed on our schools simultaneously consume scarce resources and constrain schools’ flexibility in determining what is in the best interest of their students.
Therefore, pursuant to Section 9(b) of Article IV of the Illinois Constitution of 1970, I hereby return House Bill 3745, entitled “AN ACT concerning education” with the foregoing objections, vetoed in its entirety.
Sincerely,
Bruce Rauner
GOVERNOR
Signing Statement for HB 3904
Today I sign House Bill 3904, which represents a nationally significant bipartisan accomplishment toward reforming Illinois’ criminal justice system.
This legislation permanently codifies the existence of a Women’s Division within the Department of Corrections which will allow the Department to better serve the female corrections population with operations that specifically focus on the distinctive needs of the women in its care. This signature is accompanied by a commitment by the House and Senate sponsors to swiftly pass trailer legislation removing the requirement of Senate approval for the individual leading this new division. The appointment of a Chief Administrator for the Women’s Division of the Department of Corrections should lie solely within the discretion of the Director of the Department of Corrections. As the Director is confirmed with the advice and consent of Senate, he or she has been entrusted with leading the Department and should therefore be able to choose a candidate he or she deems fit to oversee the Women’s Division of the Department. I look forward to the General Assembly fulfilling this commitment, and the implementation of this historic program.
The goal of the legislation is both laudable and important to ensure that the corrections system in our state continues to be oriented around rehabilitation and the needs of those it serves. Ultimately, programs like this contribute to future reductions of the prison population and recidivism rates.
Sincerely,
Bruce Rauner
GOVERNOR
Veto Message for SB 321
To the Honorable Members of
The Illinois Senate,
100th General Assembly:
Today I veto Senate Bill 321 from the 100th General Assembly, which provides that the Auditor General initiate a performance audit of the Department of Healthcare and Family Services.
The audit requirement is specific to certain managed care provisions and can be performed as part of a larger internal or external audit of the Department’s managed care program. The Auditor General has authority to examine the Department and programs such as these every two years. Furthermore, the Department has worked on transparent implementation of the cited programs that has included involvement by the Medicaid Advisory Committee. Through this process the Department continues to diligently work toward compliance with all statutory requirements. Requiring a separate audit is expensive, time consuming, and unnecessary.
Therefore, pursuant to Section 9(b) of Article IV of the Illinois Constitution of 1970, I hereby return Senate Bill 321, entitled “AN ACT concerning State government,” with the foregoing objections, vetoed in its entirety.
Sincerely,
Bruce Rauner
GOVERNOR
Veto Message for SB 419
To the Honorable Members of
The Illinois Senate,
100th General Assembly:
Today I veto Senate Bill 419 from the 100th General Assembly. This legislation proposes two changes, both of which will likely increase the unfunded liabilities of the respective pension funds they impact. First, it allows a downstate firefighter to buy into a pension fund’s Tier 1 benefit system. Second, the legislation provides for a retrospective cost of living adjustment payment.
Illinois’ pension systems are in crisis. Decades of poor funding decisions and generous benefits have pushed many downstate pension funds to dangerously low funding ratios. Furthermore, the Firemen’s Annuity and Pension Fund of Chicago, which is at issue in this legislation, is only 21% funded. This makes it one of the worst-funded large pension systems in America. We owe it to taxpayers and pension beneficiaries to focus on legislation to bring stability to the pension funds to reduce pension debt.
This bill attempts to retroactively institute service credits in a downstate pension fund under a benefit system that the State closed off due to its unsustainability. These service credits are instituted without a full and accurate accounting of their cost. Furthermore, this bill requires the Chicago firemen’s pension fund to pay a retrospective cost of living increase on top of benefits already paid. This will increase costs for the fund, decrease its dangerously low funding levels, and ultimately drive still higher property taxes on Chicago taxpayers. Given the dire state of Illinois’ pension systems, any legislation that risks increasing pension debt levels ought to be heavily scrutinized for the long-term benefit of both taxpayers and pension beneficiaries.
Therefore, pursuant to Section 9(b) of Article IV of the Illinois Constitution of 1970, I hereby return Senate Bill 419, entitled “AN ACT concerning local government”, with the foregoing objections, vetoed in its entirety.
This afternoon Governor Rauner vetoted House Bill 3449, the Geolocation Privacy Protection Act. The legislation requires apps and services clearly and conspicuously inform you and receive your consent before collecting your geolocation information. The legislation was supported by Digital Privacy Alliance, American Civil Liberties Union of Illinois, Center for Democracy & Technology, Illinois PIRG, Chicago Alliance Against Sexual Exploitation, Promoting Awareness | Victim Empowerment, Cook County Sheriff’s Office, DataMade, SpiderOak, Social Change, Consumer Watchdog, and Privacy Rights Clearinghouse.
In response to Govern Rauner’s action, Illinois PIRG Director Abe Scarr made the following statement:
The Equifax breach has brought much needed attention to what can go wrong when vast amounts of private personal information is collected, stored and shared and sold in the big-data economy.
Signing HB3449 into law would have been a clear demonstration that Illinois is a leader in the technology industry and is forward thinking. Unfortunately, the Governor chose big business over protecting of Illinois citizens.
Many consumers understand some apps, especially when location-based like ride-sharing or maps, collect location data about them, but would be surprised to know that some collect it constantly or that the location information is then shared or sold. Very few know that more apps, including children’s game apps, also collect geolocation information.
Consumers deserve clear and conspicous iniformation about when and how their location may be tracked and the opportunity to provide informed consent or to opt out.
But some in the state’s business community see this as an added burden. They say it would divert focus from the actual protection of consumer data.
“And that’s where the money and the focus and the time should be going,” says Tanya Trishe, vice president and general counsel for the Illinois Retail Merchants Association. She explains companies need to “ensure that they’re spending all of their really valuable resources ensuring that the private information of consumers that they have is not being attacked.” […]
Trishe–from the Illinois Retail Merchants Association–says talks with the governor’s office have been positive and they remain hopeful he will veto the measure.
* From the Chicagoland Chamber…
“The Chicagoland Chamber applauds the Governor for vetoing HB 3449 and for subsequently protecting the jobs of Illinoisans across the technology, retail and small business communities of our state. Protecting consumer privacy is important, but not when that legislation is designed to open up businesses of all sizes to litigation. This bill would have directly contradicted the FTC’s call for short, in-context disclosures, which are more effective and easier for consumers to understand. We hope to continue dialogue around this topic in the future in order to achieve protections in a real and meaningful manner, and not to enrich trial attorneys,” said Michael Reever, acting president & CEO, Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce.
…Adding… IRMA…
“This geolocation bill would have diverted resources and focus away from the actual protection of consumer data. Today’s business owners are on the front-lines of international cyber-warfare and are working tirelessly to ensure that their customer’s important private information is appropriately protected. Anyone who utilizes data needs cooperation, not additional requirements, that diverts focus and resources from the core mission. We applaud Governor Rauner for recognizing where the focus, and the resources, should be.”
* IL Chamber…
The Illinois Chamber of Commerce supports Gov. Bruce Rauner’s veto of HB 3449, the Geolocation Privacy Protection Act, which would have placed significant burden on businesses and consumers throughout Illinois.
HB 3449 would have stifled innovation in Illinois’ tech industry, burdened app users, and given Illinois a bad reputation in comparison to other states for enacting more regulations on job creators.
“It comes down to what message we want to send our innovators looking to invest in Illinois. With the governor’s veto, the message is clear Illinois is pro-business and welcomes companies of all sizes to invest here. The governor vetoing this bill is positive news for Illinois’ emerging tech industry and developing economy,” Illinois Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Todd Maisch said.
Illinois tech startups and businesses would have been substantially burdened by the bill’s complicated requirements. HB 3449 would have duplicated existing requirements already in place by the Federal Trade Commission, put businesses of all sizes at risk of frivolous lawsuits, and made the app experience for consumers less user friendly.
“There’s a misconception that this bill came from consumers looking for more privacy protection. In reality, special interest groups who would directly benefit from the bill’s increased compliance burden were the ones pushing for its enactment. Engineering liability that targets job creators does not put Illinois on a path to prosperity,” Illinois Chamber of Commerce Director of Legislative Relations Tyler Diers said.
Startups and small businesses play a huge part in Illinois’ economy and would have been directly affected by this legislation.
“This bill places an undue burden on many startups and small businesses, which will greatly affect their ability to operate in the state of Illinois,” Maisch said. “Killing this legislation is one step in the fight to protect our job creators from bad policies.”
* IL Data Security Alliance…
“Vetoing this legislation is a step in the right direction for the tech industry, as well as businesses of all sizes throughout the entire state,” said Todd Maisch, President and CEO of the Illinois Chamber of Commerce. “At the Illinois Chamber, we want to find ways to encourage development in the tech industry, and we feel today’s action by the Governor does just that. Without this veto, some of Illinois’ fastest growing businesses would be forced into complying with unnecessary and redundant hurdles that could have unfortunate consequences on our state’s economy. For these reasons, we fully support the Governor’s decision to veto House Bill 3449.”
House Bill 3449 was brought about as a disclosure law on the use of geolocation information. However, online companies are already subject to robust privacy oversight by the U.S. Federal Trade Commission, who has actively enforced privacy and data security protections for over two decades.
While ensuring the online privacy of Illinois consumers is of the utmost importance, the language in the proposed legislation did not provide additional protections in any way. For this reason, no state has enacted a law similar to HB 3449.
…Adding More… Here’s the veto message…
Veto Message for HB 3449
To the Honorable Members of
The Illinois House of Representatives,
100th General Assembly:
Today I veto House Bill 3449 from the 100th General Assembly, which would add an unnecessary and byzantine layer of state regulation to the use of most electronic devices by mandating additional prohibitions and penalties.
Protection of consumer privacy is an important goal that I fully support, but this legislation only serves to make things unnecessarily complicated where federal privacy regulations are the proper format for uniform and consistent consumer protections across the country.
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) already has the broad powers granted to it in Federal Statute 15 U.S.C. §§46 (a) to protect various aspects of consumer privacy in a uniform manner across the United States, and the commerce clause in the Constitution assigns the power to regulate interstate commerce to the U.S. Congress. If further privacy legislation is required, it should be enacted by the U.S. House and U.S. Senate. In addition to federal legal protections, consumers already have full control of geolocation data capture in their device settings through most operating systems, or by limiting access within specific applications they choose to utilize on their devices. Consumers also have the freedom to demand software products with more protective terms and End User License Agreements.
To the degree that there is company abuse of these laws and policies, such as tracking people without their consent or hiding collection and disclosure practices, the solution is not yet another layer of state government rules and bureaucracy, but instead the enforcement by the Federal Trade Commission of existing laws or enforcement of existing policies by creators and distributors of digital applications.
This bill would result in job loss across the state without materially improving privacy protections for Illinoisans or making devices and their apps safer for children. The addition of this policy to Illinois’ existing burden of red tape will hurt Illinois’ growing reputation as a destination for innovation-based job creation.
Therefore, pursuant to Section 9(b) of Article IV of the Illinois Constitution of 1970, I hereby return House Bill 3449 entitled “AN ACT concerning business”, with the foregoing objections, vetoed in its entirety.
Sincerely,
Bruce Rauner
GOVERNOR
* And from the Digital Privacy Alliance…
The private online information of Illinoisans took a major hit today after Illinois Governor Bruce Rauner rejected House Bill 3449, the Geolocation Privacy Protection Act. Had it been signed into law, this historic piece of legislation would have provided transparency by requiring corporations that collect, use or sell Illinoisans’ geolocation information from their mobile devices to obtain their consent before tracking them.
Instead, the Governor’s veto is a betrayal of consumer trust and total failure to people who value their personal privacy. The Governor’s action is a clear message that he values his Silicon Valley friends more than the people and small businesses in Illinois. Moreover, the Governor’s veto is a direct contradiction to his public commitment to protect Illinois citizens’ online safety, exemplified by his recently touted $1 billion dollar cybersecurity initiative.
“You can throw all the money in the world at a problem, but we can’t actually protect ourselves if we aren’t aware that our geolocation information is being collected, used, and sold in the first place. By vetoing this legislation Governor Rauner signals to all Illinoisans that their privacy rights aren’t as important as big business profits,” said Digital Privacy Alliance Board of Director Peter Hanna.
House Bill 3449 is a common sense consumer protection measure that simply requires a person or corporation to get consent before tracking someone through his or her mobile device. Current law does not require a corporation to be transparent about when and why they are tracking you and your personal data, which has led to the erosion of consumer trust in technology. Such corporate disregard for consumers’ privacy was recently highlighted by a report exposing the mobile app AccuWeather for continuing to collect and share location information even though a user previously denied the apps request for access to that information.
The industry’s lack of transparency is a public safety concern of the highest order. Just this past July, the FBI warned parents that the collection of personal information from connected devices posed privacy and physical safety threats to children. A national study conducted by the National Network to End Domestic Violence found that 72 percent of victim services programs across the country had seen victims who were tracked through a stalking app installed on a mobile phone or a stand-alone GPS device, and the Washington Post revealed that half of the 2,500 children’s apps it tested failed to protect their data.
The dozens of tech startups, enterprise software companies, and web development shops around the state that have stepped up in support of the Geolocation Privacy Protection Act believe it is necessary for the protection of citizens’ privacy rights and critical for ensuring consumer trust in their industry.
“Consumer trust is eroding in today’s digitally dominated world. As an industry, if we don’t start building up that trust, we will lose customers willing to use our services or download our apps. Illinois could be at the forefront of this movement and this act is a good move to start regaining that trust,” said Derek Eder, partner at DataMade, co-founder of Open City, and leader of Chi Hack Night.
The diverse advocacy groups that have rallied behind the bill include the Digital Privacy Alliance, American Civil Liberties Union of Illinois, Center for Democracy & Technology, Illinois PIRG, Chicago Alliance Against Sexual Exploitation, Promoting Awareness | Victim Empowerment, Cook County Sheriff’s Office, Social Change, Consumer Watchdog, and Privacy Rights Clearinghouse.
“Signing this bill into law would have been a clear demonstration that Illinois is a progressive leader in the technology industry and is forward thinking. Unfortunately, the Governor chose big business over the protection of Illinois citizens,” said Director of Illinois PIRG Abe Scarr.
The Digital Privacy Alliance and its partners appreciate the leadership of Representative Ann Williams and Senator Tom Cullerton for putting this bill forward as we work to override the Governor’s veto.
The Governor’s Office of Management and Budget announced today that it has selected the financing team for an upcoming $4.5 billion sale of general obligation bonds by the State of Illinois.
The $4.5 billion in bonds will be a negotiated sale and is part of the $6 billion in bonds authorized by the General Assembly earlier this year. In addition to the $4.5 billion sale, the state plans to competitively bid $1.5 billion in general obligation bonds. Both series are expected to go to market in October and close in mid-November. Proceeds of the bonds will be used to pay down a portion of the State’s bills.
Governor Rauner agreed to sell the bonds to provide relief to vendors with unpaid bills, some of whom have carried the state’s debt for over two years. Nearly two-thirds of the bill backlog is accruing late payment interest at the annual statutory rate of up to 12%. The bonds will enable the state to finance the state’s obligations at a more favorable rate.
The following firms will assist with the $4.5 billion negotiated bond sale: joint senior managers: Barclays Capital, Bank of America Merrill Lynch, Citigroup Global Markets, J.P. Morgan Securities, Loop Capital Markets, and Siebert Cisneros Shank & Co. The co-senior managers are RBC Capital Markets, Piper Jaffray & Co., PNC Capital Markets, Ramirez & Co., and Stifel, Nicolaus & Company. The co-managers are Academy Securities, Backstrom McCarley Berry & Co., Blaylock Van, Cabrera Capital Markets, Estrada Hinojosa & Company, George K. Baum & Company, IFS Securities, Mesirow Financial, Mischler Financial Group, Raymond James & Associates, Rice Financial, Stern Brothers, and U.S. Bancorp.
Bond and disclosure counsel is Chapman and Cutler LLP and co-bond counsel are Burke Burns & Pinelli, Ltd. and Charity & Associates, P.C. The state’s financial advisors for the transaction are PFM Financial Advisors LLC and Public Resources Advisory Group.
“The team my office has selected is highly qualified, experienced, diverse, and includes firms in national and regional financial sectors, as well as firms owned by minorities, women and veterans,” said Scott Harry, Director of GOMB.
Additionally the state plans to issue up to $750 million in general obligation bonds in December, 2017 for fiscal year 2018 capital projects through a competitive bidding process.
Oakbrook Terrace wanted to put red light cameras at a busy but relatively safe intersection. IDOT must approve cameras on state routes in the suburbs, and it said no: Cameras are for boosting safety, and the intersection’s “low crash rates” did not support a need for cameras.
In just a few months, that no would turn into a yes.
* There may be lots of reasons why IDOT’s denial turned into an approval, and the paper has a long story on it which you should read all the way through. But one aspect is Senate Transportation Committee Chairman Martin Sandoval, the Safespeed red light cam company (which has contributed thousands to Sandoval’s campaign) and a project Gov. Rauner really, really wants built…
The emails that were released showed Sandoval contacted [then-IDOT Region One Director John Fortmann], and Fortmann told his peers that Sandoval brought up a Rauner administration proposal to add an extra toll lane to I-55 — known as the I-55 Managed Lanes Project — a proposal that, then and now, awaits legislative approval.
“He indicated that while unrelated he wants to work with the administration on other issues such as I55 Manage lanes (sic) but is not getting the type of cooperation on his issues that he would like to see,” Fortmann wrote to his peers.
In a recent interview, Fortmann told the Tribune that he didn’t recall writing that and, in general, didn’t feel Sandoval was threatening to withhold support of IDOT if it didn’t approve the Oakbrook Terrace camera permit.
That happened in 2015. Safespeed got its red light cam, which the Tribune claims its revenues from violations “could approach $5 million a year just from that intersection.”
On Wednesday, Rauner even gave Sandoval a shout-out during a press conference, calling him a “good friend of mine,” who, Rauner said “stood with me and said ‘Let’s do a privately financed new lane both ways on I-55′… Everybody wanted it… the leaders in the House wouldn’t approve it.”
* On the bright side, this story may show that Rauner can get involved in the traditional horsetrading of governance. Some, however, may not view this so positively.
* Back in 2000, the Cook County Board approved a new law designed to help “mom and pop” business owners who had an apartment or two above their storefronts. The break was for smaller buildings (under 20,000 square feet). Under the new law, the buildings were taxed based on 10 percent of their assessed value (the residential rate) rather than 25 percent (the business rate). That’s turned out to be just swell for some Wrigleyville businesses, including rooftop bars owned by the Ricketts family…
The Sun-Times examined the property taxes of 65 buildings with bars, restaurants and other businesses around Wrigley Field. The newspaper found that the assessor has classified 32 of them as residential because they include at least one apartment — which doesn’t even need to be occupied to earn the tax break.
Collectively, those 32 properties paid $1.6 million in taxes this year. That’s about $2 million less than they would have paid if they were taxed as commercial property, the Sun-Times found.
A caveat: Had the law never been passed, it’s unlikely the properties’ owners would have paid that full $2 million, as they’d undoubtedly argue that some parts of their buildings should be taxed as commercial and others as residential. Still, those so-called split assessments would generate more tax revenue from those buildings than are currently paid, experts say.
The properties include 13 apartment buildings along Sheffield and Waveland avenues where fans flock to rooftops to watch the Cubs play. Over the past few years, the Ricketts family has bought 10 of those buildings, paying $872,933 on them in property taxes this year — about $1.3 million less than they would have paid if they were classified as commercial real estate.
Republican polling found [Lisa Madigan’s] approval rating about 34 percent, hardly a surprise after Gov. Bruce Rauner spent tens of millions of dollars attacking the Madigan name.
I checked around and was told that’s true, but she was leading Erica Harold by 10 points in the head-to-head.
As I’ve already written, she was guaranteed to face a brutal and seriously ugly campaign.
* Meanwhile, from Chicago’s 39th Ward Democratic organization…
*** SPECIAL GUEST THIS SATURDAY ***
Our friend and fellow committeeman Aaron Goldstien has thrown his hat into the ring for Illinois Attorney General. Aaron will join us to share his vision on this important position. Similar to us here in 39, Aaron took on the Machine and won, beating Dick Mell in 2016. He is a Public Defender and champion of social justice. Come this Saturday at 10AM to hear more!
State Rep. Bob Pritchard and state Sen. Dave Syverson didn’t pretend to know the answer to a question posed by Laurie Borowicz, president of Kishwaukee College: What happens next year, when it’s time to pass another budget?
“I think that’s the unanswered question,” Pritchard, R-Hinckley, said Thursday during the Unplugged Politics event at the Genoa Veterans Home. “It all comes down to what [Gov. Bruce Rauner] will propose in his budget address, and what the Legislature will craft, and whether those two can come together. Those are unknowns. We’re in an election cycle. Having gone through these first two years, and the reaction we’ve gotten, that could have some impact.
“Politics has gotten too big of a play in Illinois, as well as nationally.”
Illinois State University President Larry Dietz said a looming state election cycle could hold new budget negotiations hostage.
Dietz told the campus community during his State of the University speech on Thursday that possibility is tempering his essential optimism and forcing planners to come up with contingencies in case stopgap budgeting returns.
Dietz says the last two years of deadlock reduced ISU funding by $51 million compared to budgets frozen at 2015 levels.
* The Question: What do you think will happen with the budget next year?
* The new state budget authorized $297 million in transfers out of the Corporate Personal Property Replacement Tax Fund, and that is having an impact on some school district which thought they would be held harmless like every other district when the new school funding reform bill was enacted…
“We certainly now have huge red numbers, because of the diversion of CPPRT and the estimate of this year compared to last year.” [said Vic Zimmerman, superintendent of Monticello schools] […]
CPPRT was created when local units of government gave up their power to tax businesses in 1979. It basically promises local government units, including schools, the same money they got in corporate and personal taxes from corporations back in the 1970s — even for companies that no longer exist. CPPRT isn’t much of a factor in funding school districts that never had big corporations in their areas. But in areas that had major manufacturing plants in the 1970s, CPPRT is crucial, as Zimmerman can attest.
“I was superintendent at St. Joseph-Ogden before I came here, and we got $30,000 in CPPRT,” he says. “Then I come over here and I see we’re getting, you know, $6.5 million, and I’m like: What’s this?”
In the 1970s, Monticello was home to Americana Healthcare, Illinois Power, and General Cable. During the height of the cable television boom, General Cable company supplied most of the fiber for the nation, Zimmerman says. Like Illinois Power, General Cable is long gone, but the amount of their tax contributions — frozen in CPPRT — added up to 40 percent of Monticello Schools’ budget.
Monticello will lose $900,000.
But, man, we sure have some weird laws in this state.
Chicago Police Department leaders on Thursday unveiled a timeline for training officers on the department’s newly redesigned use-of-force policy.
By Oct. 15, when the new policy goes into effect, every sworn member of the department will have completed a four-hour “base course that introduces and familiarizes officers with the policy,” First Deputy Supt. Kevin Navarro said.
In 2018, officers will be required to take an eight-hour “scenario-based instruction that will give officers hands-on experience with the guidelines that they learned in the new policies,” he added.
The cornerstone of the policy, Navarro said, “is the sanctity of life.” […]
Aside from use of force, courses will focus on officers’ and civilians’ mental health, civil and human rights, pursuits of criminal suspects and court testimony, among other topics, according to the department.
* And today, the Sun-Times reports that the police union wants the Illinois Labor Relations Board to stop the change to the new use-of-force policy…
The FOP, which represents rank-and-file CPD officers, says implementing the new policy violates its contract because the changes were not negotiated with the union. […]
In a news release, the police union says the changes to the use-of-force policy “would affect, at a minimum, disciplinary investigations, witness statements required to be made by officers, and just cause issues.”
The FOP says its petition, filed Friday, also argues that the city’s implementation of the new policy “is part of a pattern of making unilateral changes” without negotiating them and demands the city cease and desist implementing any changes.
“We oppose this policy and the manner in which the City has attempted to impose it, and so we are immediately filing charges with the state Labor Board. The City is not negotiating in good faith, and, frankly, we are tired of it,” FOP President Kevin Graham said in a statement.
* I forwarded the pic to the ILGOP and asked for a response…
Hi Rich,
From what we can tell, the picture was posted to an event page for the Franklin County GOP. I spoke with the Franklin County Chairman, Jim Kerley, a minute ago and he says the Franklin County GOP has nothing to do with it. Jim has also asked the person responsible for posting the picture to take it down immediately. If you would like to follow up with Jim, his cell number is xxx-xxx-xxxx.
With that said, you can attribute the following quote to me.
“The Illinois Republican Party condemns violence in all forms and we ask anyone involved in creating these shirts to stop immediately.”
Drew Collins
Illinois Republican Party
* So, I called Chairman Kerley. He said he didn’t know about the t-shirt until the state party called him. “I don’t have internet out here where I live,” he said.
Kerley said he called the person responsible and found out the intention was to sell the t-shirt at the event.
“I told him to get it off and squash it,” Kerley said.
“We’re just trying to have a turkey shoot, but stuff like that is gonna hurt us more than it’s gonna gain us.”
The Facebook event page that formerly contained the image is here.
* The Daily Herald’s Kerry Lester has an interesting piece about Rep. Scott Drury’s rebooted campaign for attorney general. While he was running for governor, Drury raised some contributions above the state caps which apply to his current AG race, but didn’t apply at the time to the governor’s race because Chris Kennedy busted those caps months ago: $5,600 from individuals and $11,100 from corporations…
Heiji Black of Chicago gave Drury $5,600 on June 29, and then another $5,000 on June 30. Black also paid for about $1,500 in food and beverages for a Drury event at the Arts Club of Chicago in late May, records show.
Joyce Black of Deerfield gave Drury $250 on June 14, and then another $10,000 on June 29.
So, does he have to give that money back?
* The State Board of Elections doesn’t plan to do anything about it as of now…
Ken Menzel, general counsel for the State Board of Elections, said the board doesn’t plan to take any action in Drury’s case but might look at changes to rules or state law to address similar instances in the future.
Kent Redfield, professor emeritus at the University of Illinois Springfield and a leading campaign finance expert, said it’s potentially problematic to have candidates change their minds on which office they’re seeking and be able to use donations intended for other purposes.
Ethically, Redfield said, Drury “would have to segregate the money, and (not use) anything in excess of what the contribution limits are for attorney general.”
Drury didn’t respond to Lester’s inquiry, by the way.
In an usual split between two powerful Chicago politicians who are normally allied, signs are rapidly growing that Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan is trying to kill off Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle’s penny-an-ounce tax on soda pop and other sweetened beverages.
Knowledgeable sources in both Chicago and Springfield say Madigan fears the highly controversial tax, combined with city property tax hikes and a boost in the state income tax and other levies, has created a toxic brew that threatens Democratic House members representing suburban Cook County.
Madigan has two potential routes to success. One is to throw his support to repealing the tax when the Cook County Board meets next month, something some sources say already is in motion. Preckwinkle has vowed to resist a repeal, but at least three key swing votes on the board are undecided, two of them close to Madigan.
The other route is to pass legislation in Springfield overturning the tax. A bill to do so has been introduced, and several endangered Democrats from suburban Cook are co-sponsoring it, something that almost certainly would not happen without the speaker’s blessing and maybe direction. […]
According to my sources, Madigan and Preckwinkle talked some weeks ago and the speaker flatly asked Preckwinkle to drop the tax amid signs that the measure was increasingly unpopular with tax-weary voters. She refused.
One of those “swing votes” mentioned above is Ed Moody, one of Madigan’s top field guys. And the treasurer of the PAC that’ll be funding anti-pop tax candidates is Mike Kasper, who is Madigan’s chief outside counsel.
*** UPDATE *** ILGOP…
Madigan Opposes Pop Tax, Creates Divide Among Chicago Democrats
Now that it’s clear Mike Madigan opposes the Pop Tax, it remains to be seen if his designated choice for governor, J.B. Pritzker, will take action
While Toni Preckwinkle kicks the can down the road, pushing off a Pop Tax repeal plan until after a committee hearing next month, her political patron Mike Madigan is trying to kill it.
With his opposition, Chicago Democrats find themselves in a bind. If they take action on the Pop Tax now, it’s clear they are Madigan cronies simply following the leader. If they continue to bury their head in the sand, they ignore the 87% of Cook county residents who oppose the bill.
So tell us again, Cook County commissioners, that the beverage tax will make residents healthier. Tell us how adding more than a third to the price of a sugar-free sports drink protects our children. Tell us why that candy bar is OK.
Or tell us the truth, which is that you didn’t set out to reduce obesity, diabetes and heart disease — you set out to make $200 million a year without raising property taxes. That health shtick is a pretense plainly contradicted by that untaxed Reese’s sugar-and-fat bomb. Do you think taxpayers are stupid?
Think again.
So, if Democratic commissioners flip-flop on the pop tax they are “Madigan cronies.” Hmm.
Today, Glenn Poshard announced his endorsement of JB Pritzker for governor. Poshard has spent over three decades in public service in Southern Illinois, serving as a member of the State Senate, Congress, founder of the Poshard Foundation for Abused Children, and President of Southern Illinois University.
“I am so proud to have the endorsement of a distinguished leader like Glenn Poshard,” said JB Pritzker. “He has served his community in so many different ways and changed the state for the better with his commitment to public service. As an elected official, an advocate for children, and an educator, Glenn Poshard has always fought for what’s right. I’m humbled to have him as a partner in this campaign and as we continue building our grassroots, statewide movement.”
“I was really impressed with JB Pritzker. Not only his background and experience in job creation himself, but what he would like to do with the state of Illinois and how he would like to do it,” said Glenn Poshard. “He stands up for working men and women. That’s one of his greatest attributes. Union wages and benefits built the middle class of America, and that’s what JB Pritzker understands more than anybody else in this race. He embraces the great principles of our party including equalizing educational opportunities for all of our children and protecting the most vulnerable among us and that’s important to me. He has both the head and the heart of a really good leader in government.”
State Rep. Reggie Phillips, R-Charleston, will not be running for a third term.
Phillips said he will be sticking to his two terms as he said he would despite interest later on to go for a third. The 64-year-old representative is ready to put more time and energy into his family, he said Thursday.
Chris Miller, an Oakland farmer, is currently the only person still interested in taking up the mantle for the 110th State District. Republican candidate Jeremy Yost of Charleston ended his campaign to run last week.
I think it may have been his vote for the tax hike that surprised me the most. I mean, the guy just didn’t fit the profile. But he just went ahead and did it and then he voted for the veto override despite enormous pressure.
Phillips denied that his decision had anything to do with the recent vote on the state budget that led to a controversial tax hike. He is confident he would’ve gotten a third term had he run.
Phillips still stands firmly behind his vote. He said he believes he has explained his reasoning to those in the 110th District and that most understand, even if they don’t agree.
“It was a ridiculous fight,” Phillips said, looking back on the budget stalemate. “It was just detrimental (voting against the budget measures).”
It is time to wrap up his work in Springfield, Phillips stated.
“I think I should get on my horse and ride off into the sunset,” he said.
Illinois state Rep. Dan Brady, R-Bloomington, wants Illinoisans to pay higher gas taxes to fund public construction across the state.
Brady didn’t specify exactly how much in new taxes he wants. But he thinks “that [a gas tax increase] may absolutely be where we can come together. Whether that’s a five percent increase, I don’t know. That’s going to be the ultimate debate.”
* There were two issues with the story. One of them was fixed…
Correction: An earlier version of this story misidentified state Rep. Dan Brady as Senate Minority Leader Bill Brady.
Best Team… nevermind.
* But the piece has also set off former Illinois Republican Party Chairman Pat Brady, a close ally of Gov. Bruce Rauner…
Idiots at Illinois Policy institute publish factually wrong piece on cuz Rep Brady #johnmichaeltilman
* The piece in question was based on a story by the Illinois Policy Institute’s news service…
An Illinois Republican lawmaker says the question isn’t whether the state should increase its gas tax to raise new revenue for roads and other capital projects. It’s a matter of how high it should be raised.
State Rep. Dan Brady, R-Bloomington, said there’s been plenty of talk at the State Capitol about raising the state’s gas tax. Now, those talks are narrowing in on how high the state will raise the tax.
“I don’t know how high we’re going to go,” Brady said. “But certainly the governor and others want a capital bill. We want a capital bill. Our infrastructure is crying for a capital bill in the state of Illinois.”
Brady isn’t sure when lawmakers may sit down and formalize the plan to raise gas taxes in order to build new roads. But those talks may not be too far off.
“I think that [a gas tax increase] may absolutely be where we can come together,” Brady said. “Whether that’s a five percent increase, I don’t know. That’s going to be the ultimate debate.”
So, I suppose you could say that Rep. Brady doesn’t really want a tax hike, he just thinks one is inevitable and do-able (and I wouldn’t be so sure of that, either).
* The word’s been going around all day that Sen. James Clayborne (D-Belleville) would announce his retirement today. He just now called me back to confirm. He was up for reelection next year.
“I’ve been doing this for 22 and a half years,” Clayborne said when I asked him why he was leaving at the end of this term. Plus, he said, the next term would be for four years. “I never planned on being here 28 years.”
He said it was simply time to “step aside and allow someone to come in.”
“I’ve made a lot of progress and benefited my district and it’s time to move on to the next chapter in my life,” he said.
Asked whether he had a replacement in mind, Clayborne denied it, saying he’s “working to help the party find someone.” But I’m told he may indeed have a preferred candidate.
“I want to thank my constituents over the years for allowing me to serve them in Springfield. In collaboration with my constituents we have worked together to improve the quality of life in the 57th Senatorial District by increasing education funding, building new schools and improving access to technology in the classroom.
“Additionally, we have worked together to provide greater resources through grants to our local police and fire departments to improve public safety. Our hard work has led to an improved transportation system and increased economic opportunities for all.
“I have decided that I will not be seeking re-election next year. I am going to focus on my family and my life out of public service. I look forward to this new chapter in my life and would once again like to thank the people of the 57th District for allowing me to be their voice in Springfield.”
Clayborne has represented the 57th Legislative District since 1995. The district is located primarily in St. Clair County, while also containing parts of Madison County.
Clayborne has also served as the Senate Majority Leader, the second highest ranking member of the Senate, since 2009.
The candidate filing deadline for Cook County Board seats is still about two months off, but the beverage industry has sent a signal to those who support the controversial soda tax.
Soda makers, bottlers and distributors earlier this month contributed a total of $111,000 to the Citizens for a More Affordable Cook County Political Action Committee, which has pledged to back commissioners who support repealing the tax.
Coca-Cola North America in Atlanta, Great Lakes Coca-Cola in Rosemont, Pepsico Inc. in Purchase, N.Y., and the Dr Pepper-Snapple Group PAC based in Plano, Texas, each contributed $22,200 to the fund. That’s the maximum amount state law allows each of them to give
* Chicago cable TV buys for this week, via Comcast…
Bloomberg’s ad buy is just for Friday through Tuesday.
And keep in mind that’s only his cable buy. Network is larger.
* The advantage the pop companies have is the public is on their side. They just don’t need as much money as the pop tax proponents. The companies can also give directly to individual candidates. And once Bloomberg starts spending money on political races, he’ll likely… um… pop those campaign caps.
* From a letter to the Illinois State Board of Elections from Cook County Commissioner Richard Boykin’s campaign treasurer…
I am writing to make the State Board of Elections aware of an issue with the Friends of Richard Boykin campaign required A-1 reports. On Monday, September 18th I, the campaign treasurer, became aware that A-1’s I had filed (using NGP software) in August and early September were not showing up on the State Board of Elections website. After speaking with Tom (no last name was provided) he encouraged me to file the missing August and September A-1’s. I did so on that day. I immediately began to investigate how this happened and have discovered that the problem was much larger than ever imagined.
* So, what happened? It seems to be a problem using NGP, which is used by Democrats…
Attached to this correspondence is each A-1 I filed with NPG that were never properly transmitted to the Board of Elections. Included on each A-1 is the signature date as well as the date and time stamp which was provided in my history log of all completed filing on NPG. You will see that each A-1 was indeed reported within the required time frame
What I believe has transpired and resulted in the confusion is the following. NPG has a 3 step process for filing quarterly reports and A-is. The first step is to create the form/report. Step 2 is to review the form and approve it for filing. This step requires the user to input a password. Step 3 allows the user to check a box that reads “mark as filed”. Once the report is “marked as filed” it then is added to the “history” log under a compliance tab. I completed all of these steps; however, NPG explains that “sometimes” if the user hits the “mark as filed” too quickly after completing step 2 the transmission to the board is interrupted. However the NPG software still allows the user to check the “mark as filed” box and allows the file to become part of the “history” log.
I spent an hour on the phone with Monique, our auditor from the State Board of Elections, today. She was fantastic! I explained to her concern with the fines as it appears the campaign has made several violations; however, I assure you that at the time of completing these A-1’s I 100% believed I had followed the proper procedure and that the reports were filed.
I called NGP and left a voicemail with its communications person. I also DM’d him on Twitter a while ago. No response yet.
* Political tech wiz Scott Kennedy tweeted about this today…
I didn’t know this until I started calling around to people about their own problems using that software (”It’s always been a pain in the a** for our people,” said one), but our old pal Dan Johnson has started a competing business to NGP called Campaign Filer. According to the website, you can file Illinois campaign finance reports for free. But he only takes Democratic clients.
*** UPDATE 1 *** From Lou Levine general manager of Fundraising & Compliance…
“This was a simple case of user error. We’ve been happy to work with the client to resolve any issues they have.”
*** UPDATE 2 *** Another letter to the Illinois State Board of Elections from the campaign treasurer, who I spoke with earlier and who was kind of aghast at being pulled into this controversy and not meaning to suggest that it was all the company’s fault…
September 21, 2017
State Board of Elections 2329 S. MacArthur Blvd Springfield, IL 62704
Re: Clarification
To Whom It May Concern:
On September 20, 2017, I submitted a letter of correspondence regarding errors in filing A l s. As a follow up to that letter, especially in light of the fact that is public information, I would like to clarify that my sole purpose in mentioning the specific name of the software we are using, NGP, was to explain what process I used to file the reports and how I fully believed they were filed in accordance with all rules. I intended my letter to show our commitment to following all election and contribution rules. Further, as of today, I used the system without error to file another A-1.
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me.
Bruce Rauner is digging himself a deeper hole with his latest non-response to Republicans’ disastrous healthcare plan. After twice failing to join other Republican governors in a public letter opposing Trumpcare, Rauner claimed he had “expressed” his “concerns to members of Congress and members of the administration” — but he’s refusing to even say who he has contacted.
American Bridge Spokesperson Lizzy Price made the following statement:
“Yet again, Bruce Rauner has shown he’s not up to the task of standing up to Trump. Rauner’s response is too little, too late, and driven purely by his personal interests after coming under mounting political pressure. Voters will see through this.”
* DGA…
As the U.S. Senate moves closer to a vote on the Graham-Cassidy health care overhaul, Rauner continues to take a back seat on the issue, putting political considerations ahead of Illinois families. This morning’s Sun-Times Editorial enumerated the consequences for Illinois, like the $153 billion the state will lose out on over 16 years. The Sun-Times also wrote: “Dismayingly, Gov. Bruce Rauner was not among a bipartisan group of 10 governors who sent a letter asking Congress to back away from the bill.”
A full review shows Governor Rauner is even more of an outlier than that. As of this morning, eight Republican governors have come out against Graham-Cassidy:
Except for Governor Kasich, all the governors listed are executives of “Clinton-won” states. The only governors missing of that category are Governor Paul LePage, a close Trump ally who supports the overhaul, and Governor Bruce Rauner.
He truly is one of a kind.
“Bruce Rauner’s abdication of leadership is truly unique,” said DGA Illinois Communications Director Sam Salustro. “Governors all across the country are actively fighting the latest and worst attempt by President Donald Trump to destroy health care, that is except for Bruce Rauner. Time and time again he has failed to show leadership on issues that might hurt his reelection campaign. Bruce Rauner is lucky that cowardice doesn’t count as a pre-existing condition. But Illinois families with pre-existing conditions could face skyrocketing premiums under the Cassidy-Graham bill.”
* Yesterday from the Pritzker campaign…
Yesterday, as a bipartisan group of governors condemned the latest effort to repeal the Affordable Care Act, Bruce Rauner offered nothing but a half-hearted critique of the callous Graham-Cassidy bill.
The failed governor’s refusal to stand up for the Illinoisans who will be harmed by the law comes on the heels of reports laying out the law’s devastating effects. The latest estimate shows Illinois losing $18 billion in federal funding by 2027, with even steeper cuts projected afterwards. The report also warns of protections for pre-existing conditions being scrapped, devastating Illinoisans currently protected under the ACA.
“If Bruce Rauner was ever going to grow a spine and stand up for Illinoisans then now is the time to do it,” said Pritzker spokeswoman Jordan Abudayyeh. “This is a moment when bipartisan governors across the country are standing up to Donald Trump and speaking out against this devastating healthcare bill, but Rauner is asleep at the wheel.”
* But it’s not just partisan Democrats. From the Chicago Coalition for the Homeless…
Millions would lose health insurance coverage under Graham-Cassidy, a bill many are calling the most harmful repeal measure yet. Homeless and low-income adults would immediately lose coverage in Medicaid expansion states, including Illinois. It would eliminate insurance subsidies paid to moderate-income workers who earn too much to qualify for Medicaid. Over time, families and children could also lose coverage. Illinois is projected to lose $8 billion in federal Medicaid funding by 2026, $153 billion by 2036.
Graham-Cassidy also would hurt those of us who are insured, allowing insurance companies to charge a person more based on medical history. Leading patient advocates, the AARP, hospitals, and medical groups have strongly criticized the bill.
Twelve governors, including five Republican governors, have spoken out against Graham-Cassidy in recent days — but Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner has failed to publicly oppose the bill, as he did during his previous repeal efforts. Please call Gov. Rauner at (312) 814-2121 and tell his office:
“Gov. Rauner must speak out publicly to oppose the Graham-Cassidy repeal bill. Too many people would be hurt if this bill is passed, including the most vulnerable residents of our state.”
* And it’s not all about Rauner. This is from the Illinois Hospital Association…
The Illinois Health and Hospital Association opposes the latest Senate proposal to repeal the Affordable Care Act, which would do great harm to patients, hospitals, the healthcare delivery system, and our state budget and economy. The Graham-Cassidy-Heller-Johnson bill is even more damaging than the previous Senate and House repeal proposals. Not only will it result in the loss of healthcare coverage for up to one million Illinoisans, but it will erode key protections for patients and consumers and will cut federal healthcare resources to Illinois by more than $150 Billion.
IHA also opposes changing Medicaid to a capped funding model. Illinois already ranks 50th in the country in federal funding support per Medicaid beneficiary. Capped funding would lock Illinois into low, insufficient federal funding levels and shift costs to the state.
Illinois cannot absorb additional financial burdens that would be imposed on the state and would be forced to reduce eligibility, covered services, and payments to providers. The magnitude of these cuts and changes to Medicaid is staggering.
We were encouraged by recent bi-partisan negotiations to stabilize the individual marketplace. The Graham-Cassidy-Heller-Johnson bill will do nothing in the short or long term to create marketplace stability.
We urge the Senate to reject this proposal, and we implore the members of the Illinois House Delegation to oppose the bill if it passes the Senate. There is a great deal at stake for the health and well-being of the people of Illinois.
* Until yesterday when a buddy told me, I didn’t realize that Rep. Jeanne Ives (R-Wheaton) doesn’t have a legislative district office. So, I reached out to her today and she was kind enough to respond with a very reasonable and thorough explanation…
Rich,
In the four years that I had a District Office I had maybe 5 people cold call - just walk in to find me and most the time I wasn’t there. My assistant would take a message or help them if she could. My office became a place to store a bunch of government brochures paid for by taxpayers (with my name on them) that no one was really interested in and to meet primarily with other government officials to discuss policy. I did have some constituent meetings as well, but not an every day or even every month occasion as often times we handled problems over the phone.
So, I got rid of the office saving in my estimation $80,000 a year for taxpayers. We are allotted $69,000 to run our office - and I always returned some of the money each year, but if you had a full time staffer, the state picked up healthcare and pension costs on top of that allotment, easily approaching 80k.
I have a full time assistant in Springfield who now takes constituent calls for me (admittedly we are not a busy office), she books appointments for me, and handles any other work I need done. Also, each Republican Rep has a communication staffer (shared), access to policy staff on any question we have, and access to legal staff.
I meet with constituents now at my local library - similar to what other state reps with large geographical areas do when they have remote office hours - and I am posting my office hours today or tomorrow - I am just re-checking the dates on that now. I have met with constituents many times already this year with no problems.
Prior to getting rid of my office I had LRB give me a report on our state legislator compensation, including office allotment, compared to certain other states. No surprise, our benefits are very generous. I have attached that report to this email.
I thought during this budget crisis I should do my part. This was an easy cut to make - and if everyone did it I believe it would be over $14 million saved. As far as being available to constituents, I have hosted 5 open town halls this year and 2 more at retirement homes.
FYI - I also filed a bill to reign in the excessive stipend given to committee chairs and minority spokesperson. HB 1857. Also attached is a spreadsheet on how infrequently most of these committees meet - on average in 2016 - 4 times and some of them never. That is an average of over $2500/meeting - and many of them no action was taken. I have written op-eds about this too.
Call if you have questions.
Jeanne
The LRU study is here. The committee meeting report is here.
This obviously works fine for her district, but perhaps not in others. Your own thoughts?
Also, try to take a breath before you comment. Some of y’all really don’t like Rep. Ives, but she took the time to respond and I think she justified her decision well. She also hasn’t grandstanded about her decision. I’m only posting this because somebody told me about it and it’s unusual, so I was curious and asked her.
During the reception in Secretary of State Jesse White’s office after the Steve Schnorf “celebration of life,” a loud alarm went off. People barely looked up. Nobody left as ordered. Instead, one of his top employees made a call to see if the alarm was real.
State Representative Lindsay Parkhurst (R-Kankakee) and Kankakee County Board Chairman Andy Wheeler met with representatives from the Governor’s office, House Republican Leader Jim Durkin (R-Western Springs), and the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity to request Kankakee County’s inclusion in Illinois’ statewide proposal for Amazon’s ‘HQ2’ this morning.
“The Kankakee County proposal offers an inspired, inventive, imaginative, and innovative plan quite different from most submissions. Plus, Kankakee County is the ideal location for transportation, water resources, workforce, accessibility, and other opportunities. Our workforce has a ready to work attitude and an unmatched desire to grow and develop a thriving economy,” Rep. Parkhurst stated.
Amazon’s ‘HQ2’ is accepting proposals for a second headquarters and Illinois is in the running. The ‘HQ2’ would provide tens of thousands of jobs and billions of dollars in investments.
“Chairman Wheeler presented a visionary, comprehensive, and conceptual plan as a candidate for a potential ‘HQ2’ location in Illinois’ Amazon’s ‘HQ2’ proposal,” said Rep. Parkhurst.
The statewide proposal is due October 25th to Amazon.
Parkhurst defeated an incumbent Democrat last year, so press pops are always in order.
* Steve McClure, a former assistant state’s attorney whose father was commerce director under Gov. Jim Thompson and whose late mother held important positions with Jim Edgar, kicked off his GOP primary bid against Sen. Sam McCann this week…
McClure said McCann made a mistake this summer when he voted for the spending plan that ended the state’s two-year budget impasse “because it came with a 32 percent income tax increase.”
McCann voted for the spending plan, but voted against the income tax increase. McClure said that didn’t excuse the vote for the budget.
“That’s typical of my opponent,” he said. “He likes to spend money, but not pay for things. In this case, I think there’s no question that for the budget, that went along with a 32 percent income tax increase.”
McCann said Tuesday he was proud of his vote for the budget “since the governor has abdicated his duty for three years in a row by failing to introduce a balanced budget. The legislature had to take matters into its own hands.”
McClure will be a tough opponent for McCann. And McCann doesn’t make it easy on himself. Lots of financial oppo.
Additionally, he said that he has seen first-hand friends and family leave the state because of the exodus of businesses. McClure said he sees the environment for businesses within Illinois as “toxic” and that the only way to bring more families into the state is to focus on attracting business through incentives.
“There are lots of things that are necessary to turn the state around,” he said. “We need to keep taxes low. We need to turn state finances around. One of the things that drives businesses away is that they want to be in a state location where the government is stabilized, taking care of bills and staying on top of debt. Right now we don’t have that. We have a government that is absolutely out of control.”
It was “absolutely out of control” when we didn’t have a budget, which he apparently opposed. It’s somewhat better now.
The 2017 growing season was supposed to be the year of “spotless” soybean fields after Monsanto introduced a new generation of soybeans – the largest single biotechnology launch in the company’s history.
The new soybeans can tolerate the use of dicamba, a traditional herbicide used on corn that spreads easily and has historically harmed soybeans.
But the idea was that dicamba would make quick work of the “superweeds” wreaking havoc in fields across the Midwest. Over the past years, the weeds had developed a resistance to glyphosate – the active ingredient in Roundup, the most widely used herbicide in corn and soybean production.
Monsanto and German chemical company BASF also touted a new, less volatile version of dicamba that wouldn’t drift like traditional versions.
But where the companies saw a solution, Illinois crop scientist Aaron Hager saw major problems coming.
Instead of weed-free fields, the dicamba herbicide drifted off target throughout non-dicamba-resistant soybean fields in the Midwest and South. Leaves cupped in nearby fields. Growth was stunted. Some plants withered and died.
As a result, the Illinois Department of Agriculture has received 368 complaints so far in 2017, which are more alleged pesticide misuse complaints than in the previous three years combined, according to a review of a statewide database of complaints by the Midwest Center for Investigative Reporting.
239 of those complaints were about dicamba drift.
Warren Goetsch, acting director of the Illinois Department of Agriculture’s bureau of environmental programs, told the news outlet that the department is investigating the complaints, but it could be months before that was completed.
* One estimate by the crop scientist mentioned above estimates that at least half a million acres show some damage…
“This was very predictable that this was going to happen,” said Hager, a crop science professor at the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign. “We’ve only known for 50 years that soybeans are one of the most sensitive plants to dicamba. I continue to be amazed when people ask, ‘Why is this so common?’ I mean, what did people really expect?”
Frequent denials of payment for substance-abuse and mental-health services in Illinois are creating unnecessary barriers to treatment despite an ongoing opioid crisis, a report released Tuesday says.
“This raises a lot of red flags,” Kelly O’Brien, executive director of The Kennedy Forum Illinois, said during a news conference. The not-for-profit group released the 16-page report with partners that included the Illinois Association for Behavioral Health and the Illinois Health and Hospital Association.
Three out of four treatment providers responding to the non-scientific survey in late 2016 and early 2017 said managed-care companies serving patients on Medicaid denied paying for a range of services either sometimes, often or always.
About 60 percent of those providers said Medicaid managed-care companies always or often denied payment for inpatient treatment.
And when patients were covered by private, commercial insurance plans, nearly half of the plans denied coverage for inpatient mental health and addiction at least sometimes, according to the treatment providers.
As part of a current overhaul of Illinois’ Medicaid managed care program, the state will include language in its contracts with insurers addressing the need to cover mental health, addiction treatment and medical conditions comparably, Hoffman said. Medicaid managed care organizations also will be required to prove their compliance with those laws, he said.
However, Jeff Myers, president and CEO of Medicaid Health Plans of America, said the report should be taken with a “big grain of salt.” He doesn’t think Medicaid managed care organizations are denying coverage for mental health and addiction treatment services any more than other insurers. He also criticized the way the data was collected, as part of a self-reported survey.
The report’s authors acknowledged in the report that it’s somewhat limited because the nearly 200 Illinois medical practices and organizations that responded to the survey aren’t necessarily representative of all mental health and addiction treatment professionals across the state.
David Lloyd, policy director for the Kennedy Forum Illinois, called the report a “valuable starting point,” providing “more information than we had before.”
* Mark Brown has a really good column about this (of course) that you ought to read in full about the mother of a young man who was addicted to opioids. Here’s one point…
What bothers her even more is the belief that her son would still be alive today if health insurers had made it less difficult for him to access the proper treatment for his mental health problems.
“I think I would have celebrated his 25th birthday,” she said.
Obviously, I can’t speak to whether that’s truly the case, but I believe there’s a lot of truth in her related observation: “They make it real hard for people to get help.”
* The numbers do bear it out, but I’d just make one tiny caveat. This is from the press release with numbers from the actual study in brackets…
Upwards of 75 percent of responding providers reported that Medicaid MCOs sometimes/often/always denied coverage for inpatient treatment [57 percent often, 2 percent always], partial hospitalization [40 percent often, 2 percent always], intensive outpatient treatment [33 percent often, 4 percent always], and medication-assisted treatment [16 percent often, 6 percent always]. Nearly half of responding providers reported commercial insurers at least sometimes denied inpatient treatment.
More than 60 percent of responding providers reported that Medicaid MCOs sometimes/often/ always refused to cover the requested level of care and instead approved only a lower level of care [19 percent often, 5 percent always], while 54 percent of responding providers reported commercial insurers did the same [19 percent often, 8 percent always].
With Medicaid MCOs, nearly 65 percent of responding providers reported that they were told often or always that networks were simply closed. Nearly half of responding providers were told this often or always with commercial plans. The result: with mental health and addiction care providers unable to join plan networks, patients have more difficulty accessing care, due to the narrow network.
More than 90 percent of responding providers report that both Medicaid MCOs [24 percent often, 9 percent always] and commercial plans [21 percent often, 9 percent always] have refused to provide requested medical necessity criteria, despite clear legal requirements that plans do so.
“Sometimes” is most definitely “always” if this happens to you or a loved one. And the numbers for “often” and “always” are way too high on their own. But we need a more thorough, scientific study, particularly since the governor is drastically expanding MCOs for Medicaid. The opioid crisis is all too real and it won’t get any better if we’re not helping people who need it.
* Gov. Rauner’s press conferences are almost always sweet bloggy goodness goldmines. For instance, he said this yesterday…
“I don’t like to borrow to fund deficits,” Rauner said.
* Galia Slayen at the Pritzker campaign…
If Bruce Rauner doesn’t like to borrow to fund deficits, then he shouldn’t create them. Rauner manufactured a 736-day budget crisis on the backs of Illinois children and families and his damage is done.
On Day One of his campaign, the state senator is already fighting back against criticism over his “temperament” on a WVON interview on Tuesday, as well as comments he made to the State-Journal Register about Harold. […]
Asked about the comments, Raoul said he’s a “human being like anybody else.”
“I’m a fighter and I think whomever we elect to be attorney general needs to be a fighter,” Raoul said of the radio interview, while adding the two apologized to each other after the interview. He said he also called co-host and former political reporter Charles Thomas on Tuesday: “We had a very pleasant exchange.”
And Raoul said he would “rewind the tape” on his Harold comment if he could.
“I think Erika Harold has exceptional credentials,” Raoul said. “If I could rewind the tape and not make reference to that certainly I would, but I’m ready to march onto a campaign and if she is the nominee, I look forward to talking about the issues.”
* WVON host Maze Jackson has also walked it back. From his Facebook page…
I would like to encourage everyone to really think hard about voting for Senator Raoul. He is a qualified candidate, a gentleman, and a scholar. I wish him all the best in his pursuit of the office of Attorney General. He’s an awesome public speaker, thoughtful, and measured in his approach to the voters and media. He has been known to be a champion for criminal justice reform, public education, and opioid addiction prevention.
I think the Sun-Times article leaves room for speculation that there could have possibly been some hostility in the exchange. I thought it was positive experience and I would have loved the opportunity to continue the conversation at a local coffee shop or bar which is what I am sure he meant. He will be a really great candidate and represent Black People well!
Um. Wow. That’s a long way away from all but accusing the guy of assault.
“Illinoisans need not look further than the past few days to know that Kwame Raoul lacks the temperament and disposition needed to serve as the state’s top law enforcement officer,” said RAGA Executive Director Scott Will. “Raoul needed to announce his candidacy today to divert all the negative attention he has received for inappropriate comments and actions he has made since Attorney General Madigan decided to retire last Friday. First, Raoul made an inapt remark aimed at Republican attorney general candidate, Erika Harold, which he later apologized for after others alleged him of being sexist. And just earlier this week, he lost his temper when asked about sanctuary states (which he supports, unwilling to use state resources to carry out immigration policy) on a radio morning talk show, threatening physical harm to an interviewer. These actions are shameful and unbefitting of someone looking to serve as the state’s attorney general.”
Today, the JB Pritzker campaign released a new TV ad, “Stand Up.” The ad comes as Bruce Rauner refuses to support HB 40, a bill that would protect a woman’s right to choose in Illinois if Roe v. Wade were overturned at the federal level.
“Stand Up” highlights Rauner’s cowardly refusal to stand up for Illinois women and JB’s commitment to making HB 40 the first bill he would sign as governor. Two weeks ago, JB and HB 40 co-sponsors Senator Heather Steans and Representative Sara Feigenholtz delivered 4,000 postcards from women across the state in support of HB 40 to Governor Rauner’s office as a part of his ongoing effort to support Illinois women and fight for reproductive rights.
“Illinois women deserve a governor who will protect their healthcare, not one that will stand by as those fundamental rights are under threat,” said JB Pritzker. “As governor, I will be a steadfast supporter of a woman’s right to choose, and HB 40 will be the first bill I’ll sign in office. Every day, I’ll show up and fight for issues that matter to Illinois women and families, just like I have been doing my whole life. With Donald Trump in the White House and Bruce Rauner failing to lead, we need fierce leadership in Springfield – and that’s exactly what I’ll provide as governor.”
VOICEOVER: 1975. Illinois passes the trigger law, meaning if the US Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade, a woman’s right choose would be banned in Illinois.
This year, the legislature passed a bill to eliminate the law, but Bruce Rauner has promised to veto it.
JB PRITZKER: As governor, I’ll fight to protect women’s healthcare just like I have my whole life.
HB 40 will be the first bill I sign in office because we have to stand up for a woman’s right to choose.
* A text message from GOP state Rep. Dave McSweeney…
Rich - Did you listen to this? It sounds like the Governor is ok with the Madigan tax increase. That would explain why he looked the other way and didn’t work hard against it.
He sent me a link to Gov. Rauner’s comments today and I asked him what the governor said.
* From McSweeney…
On the video, starts at 21:29. He’s crowing about Illinois allegedly having a low income tax rate. He said that he’s working to KEEP it at the new tax rate. Doesn’t sound like he has a problem with it. I stand by my statement above.
“The good news is Illinois still has a lower income tax rate at the high end compared to cities on the coasts. That’s a strategic advantage. I want to work to keep it there and not have our income taxes go up even further. That’s a critical strategic imperative.”
He has, indeed, been promising to roll back the income tax rate to 3 percent since the campaign. And he’s made the same sort of promises since the tax rate went up to 4.95 this year.
So, is the governor now saying he’s OK with the current income tax rate?
* Rauner spokesman Hud Englehart…
Are you kidding? Does the Rep. not remember who vetoed Madigan’s 32 percent tax increase? Where in the definition of the word “veto” are the words “doesn’t have a problem?”
