* “Gregory Krieg is a New York-based reporter at CNN Politics. His beat is the offbeat, writing and reporting on politics, culture, and political movements. He also produces interactive projects and feature video.” Here’s his take on Illinois…
A billionaire, a Kennedy, and a little known, progressive state senator are the three to keep an eye on as Democrats gear up for a fight with the wildly wealthy incumbent Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner.
J.B. Pritzker is the Hyatt heir and venture capitalist with a name familiar to everyone in the region (and a sister who served as President Barack Obama’s commerce secretary). Chris Kennedy, son of the late Robert Kennedy, had some practice jabbing at Rauner, assailing his “so-called turnaround agenda” as a sleight of hand, and “part of the narrative that government doesn’t work so he has to privatize it,” in remarks at the Democratic convention in 2016.
Kennedy is the early, if narrow, favorite, but Pritzker’s overstuffed pockets will allow him to spend (and spend and spend) all the way up to the vote.
State Sen. Daniel Biss might be the most interesting (and left-most) of the three, but his campaign is struggling to break through. In part, that’s a money issue. Pritzker and Kennedy are awash in it. Biss is not, and he tripped out of the gate when he brought on Chicago Alderman Carlos Ramirez-Rosa as his running mate, then promptly parted ways with him after Ramirez-Rosa’s support for the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement against the Israeli government grabbed some headlines. The decision dampened Biss’ progressive cred — Ramirez-Rosa, a Democratic Socialists of America member, never hid his support for BDS — and raised questions about the campaign’s vetting process.
* Mark is right…
Kennedy campaign is "awash in money?" I must've missed those campaign docs. If @CNN has poll #s showing Kennedy's lead, they should publish.
Exactly. Biss outraised Kennedy two quarters in a row and doesn’t have Kennedy’s ridic burn rate. And a recent poll had Pritzker over Kennedy and Biss 39-15-6, respectively.
* Press release from House Republican Leader Jim Durkin’s primary opponent…
Mickey Straub kicks off campaign to bring true conservative leadership to Springfield
“The support and energy of this crowd reinforces what we already know: Illinois is on the wrong path, the Republican Party has lost its way and we need new leadership in Springfield,” said candidate Mickey Straub. “Everyone here recognizes that career politicians like Jim Durkin and Mike Madigan have hurt the state with yet another tax hike. We need a representative who puts principles and the people before self-preservation. It’s time to put Illinois first and elect a true, principled conservative as our state representative for this district.”
Kicking off the campaign with Mickey was a crowd of over one hundred friends and community leaders, including former Chicago Bear and ‘85 Super Bowl Champion, Hall of Famer Dan Hampton. Last night’s rally follows a release of data by the state board of elections showing current GOP leader Jim Durkin has turned his back on conservative principles – families of his district – and Republicans by taking money from Democrats and Mike Madigan supporters.
“The people of our community want common sense leadership and more principled conservatives in our statehouse. The time for a new direction is now, because Illinoisans can’t take a back seat to career politicians and special interests any longer. I’m running to put Illinois on the Right Path.”
Mickey Straub is the conservative reform candidate for the 82nd House District, which includes Western Springs, Burr Ridge and Lemont. Mickey is the president of Sales Activity Management, Inc., a faith-based performance measurement company in Burr Ridge, a husband, parent, Catholic and a community leader. He is serving his second term as mayor of Burr Ridge.
The “release of data by the state board of elections” stuff probably refers to this recent story in one of Dan Proft’s papers.
* Anyway, on to the caption contest featuring Dan Hampton and the candidate…
Health care providers at facilities that require them to be vaccinated against specified flu viruses would no longer be able to opt out for philosophical reasons under legislation approved overwhelmingly Thursday by the Illinois House.
Rep. Marcus Evans’ bill, which affects only Chicago and other areas where the local health department has jurisdiction over more than 500,000 residents, would still allow health care workers to opt out of the vaccinations for religious reasons or if a doctor says the vaccine could affect a worker’s health.
“In any system, if you have a vaccination program … for whatever reason you don’t want to be vaccination, you can opt out with a doctor’s note or for religious reasons, but not for philosophical reasons,” Evans, D-Chicago, said.
The legislation passed 104-1.
Rep. Rita Mayfield, D-Waukegan, was the lone no vote. She said the bill forces people to get vaccines against their will.
“My personal preference is being overruled by your bill,” Mayfield said. “Your bill says you cannot refuse and you can be fired if you refuse. … I don’t think it’s your job to mandate what I do with my body.”
A resolution headed to the Illinois House floor Wednesday would require an audit of a $94 million online insurance portal and the performance of the only company that responded to the contract request.
The State Government Administration Committee unanimously voted for a review by the auditor general of the 10-year contract with Atlanta-based Morneau Shepell following an Associated Press report in June.
The AP reported that the search for a contract lasted just three weeks, Morneau Shepell was the only company to seek the work, its bid came in at just one-third of the state’s estimated cost, and the company was allowed to forgo requirements in state law for ensuring minority participation.
Credit reporting agencies could no longer charge consumers fees for placing a security freeze on their credit reports under legislation approved by the Illinois House Thursday.
The House voted 109-0 on House Bill 4095. Rep. Greg Harris, D-Chicago, said the bill is in response to the massive data breach at credit reporting agency Equifax.
The bill also prohibits credit agencies from charging a fee to consumers to unfreeze their reports if they want to obtain a loan or conduct some other financial transaction that requires access to the reports.
* Related…
* House Overrides Rauner On Salary History: Rep. Margo McDermed, R-Mokena, says wage disparity was a big issue when she entered the workforce in 1978 — and still is today. “Ladies and gentlemen here in the chamber, if you have a mother, a sister, a grandmother, a wife, a daughter, an auntie, or a niece who’s in the wage-earning private sector, you need to be a ‘yes’ on this vote,” she said.
In a press release today, the Chicago Republican Party expressed disappointment that a staffer has been denied access to Illinois Republican Party headquarters. The Chicago GOP staffer was told by a Rauner staffer that he could no longer use a desk within the office.
According to the press release, the reason the IL GOP offered is a press report that Chris Cleveland, chairman of the Chicago Republican Party, is under consideration as a running mate for State Rep Jeanne Ives. Ives is considering a gubernatorial bid.
“We’re disappointed the governor’s team would do something like this. We’re running candidates in Chicago, and the city and state parties need to coordinate so they’re not left out in the cold,” said Cleveland. “The governor should be above such petty retribution.”
* Democrat Renato Mariotti, who’s probably best known for several appearances a week on cable news shows, will announce his campaign for Illinois attorney general tonight on MSNBC’s “All In with Chris Hayes” program. He said he will begin touring the state this weekend.
His campaign website is here. In our conversation earlier today and on his website, Mariotti plays up his blue collar roots…
Renato is a Chicago native, born into a blue-collar family on the South Side. His father, a first-generation American who didn’t graduate from high school, worked as a barber and a newspaper deliveryman to help support his family while his mother answered phones at a local insurance agency. After moving to the suburbs Renato excelled in school and was accepted into the University of Chicago. He and his parents worked extra jobs to help afford his college tuition and he graduated with honors in 1998, earning entry into Yale Law School.
Mariotti eventually became a federal prosecutor in Chicago and was the first to convict a high frequency trader. He went into private practice about a year ago. He’s a partner at Thompson Coburn along with Senate President John Cullerton. One of Cullerton’s members, Sen. Kwame Raoul, is also running for AG, so partner meetings might get a bit awkward.
* Mariotti says he makes 5-10 appearances a week on MSNBC and he’s built a strong following on Twitter. He said he plans to use that social media presence to help him raise money.
“I have a good base of support financially,” Mariotti claimed. Hundreds of people, he said, have already reached out to him about the race. He’s filed A-1’s totaling about $82K so far. He has a goal of $3 million, which would be impressive if he reaches it. Mariotti claimed that MSNBC had made him a pretty good offer, but he is passing it up to run statewide. This period we’re in is a lot like spring training. Everybody’s hopes are high that they’ll make the team and go on to win the World Series with a walk-off grand slam.
Mariotti said he plans to use Periscope, Facebook Live and other social media to run a “more modern” campaign that will allow “tens of thousands of my fans” to get involved. He said he will focus more on Downstate than the other current candidates, with a specific emphasis on economic justice.
* The sponsor of this bill, Rep. Marty Moylan, is facing a contested race next year against a very pro-gun Republican opponent. Just something to keep in mind…
Only 48 votes on Moylan’s bump stock ban that opponents said went way too far, would criminalize many legit gun owners pic.twitter.com/R6ZuZQxCjD
Amends the Firearm Owners Identification Card Act. Provides that no person may acquire or possess any pre-packaged explosive components within this State without having in his or her possession a Firearm Owner’s Identification Card previously issued in his or her name by the Department of State Police. Amends the Criminal Code of 2012. Prohibits the knowing sale, manufacture, purchase, possession, or carrying of a trigger modification device. Defines “trigger modification device”. Creates the offense of unlawful sale or delivery of pre-packaged explosive components. Defines “pre-packaged explosive components”. Establishes penalties for these offenses. Effective immediately.
* From the debate…
IL House debating HB4117, which bans bump stocks (used by Vegas shoter) but also any other trigger devices that accelerate rate of fire.
Opponents, including Rep. Costello, D-Smithton, say language too broad, would apply to gun owners who change a spring or add a new trigger. https://t.co/uwjzNfwNf0
Costello's district includes the World Shooting Complex in Sparta, says it would criminalize competition shooters and hurt local economy. https://t.co/0Nq9VkA9oR
Changing gun laws typically is a tough sell in Illinois. The state is politically fractured along geographical lines, with city and some suburban lawmakers calling for tighter restrictions as those from Downstate push back.
Detractors called for action on a competing bill backed by Rep. Barbara Wheeler, R-Crystal Lake, that would only ban bump stocks, not other devices. That bill has the support of the Illinois State Rifle Association.
“The language in the actual bill matters,” said Rep. Mark Batnick, R-Plainfield. “If you want to address the issue, let’s address the issue in a thoughtful, bipartisan manner.”
Following the vote, Moylan said he was willing to consider narrowing the proposal to win more support, but argued the bill pushed by Republicans did not go far enough.
“We’re not going to dilute it so it’s not effective,” Moylan said.
*** UPDATE *** Chris Kennedy campaign…
Illinois needs a common sense ban on bump stocks. These devices turn weapons into mass killing machines. Everyday in Illinois, we are losing our fellow citizens to gun violence. Springfield needs to rise above politics to stop the slaughter. Now is the time for immediate action. Governor Rauner and the General Assembly must pursue this public safety measure to protect the people of Illinois from gun violence.
The House also failed to override Rauner’s veto of a plan to set up an independent insurance company to compete for workers’ compensation coverage. But it did override Rauner on legislation to prohibit employers from seeking applicants’ salary histories and a measure pushed by Democratic Treasurer Michael Frerichs designed to make it easier to claim life insurance benefits when a policyholder dies.
The House voted 71-40 Wednesday to override Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner’s veto.
The proposal requires life insurance companies to compare electronic records of its policies in force since 2000 with the Social Security Administration’s list of deaths to determine whether a policy should be paid.
Auditors hired by the treasurer found that life insurance companies held more than $550 million between 2011 and 2015 that should have been paid to a decedent’s family members.
Republican Reps. Andersson, Harris, McAuliffe, McSweeney, Mitchell, Welter and Winger voted for it.
* The treasurer sent this out yesterday…
Thank you to the Illinois House of Representatives for siding with grieving families and overriding Governor Bruce Rauner’s amendatory veto of House Bill 302.
For decades, greedy life insurance companies have gotten away with using loopholes to pad their bottom line by avoiding paying grieving families.
Today’s action is a major step forward to help put a stop to this trend and require life insurance companies to pay what is owed to beneficiaries dating back to 2000.”
“I want to offer a special thanks to the House sponsor, Rep. Robert Martwick, AARP, NAACP, the many beneficiaries who stood with us to share their personal stories, and the seven House Republicans who voted to override the Governor’s veto and put aside partisanship to do the right thing,” added Frerichs.
The Illinois House vote to override passed 71- 40. The motion to override the Governor’s amendatory veto now moves to the Senate where Sen. Jacqueline Collins is the lead sponsor. If Sen. Collins’ motion to override receives the required 3/5 vote in the Senate, then House Bill 302 will become law despite the Governor’s veto.
House Bill 302 requires life insurance companies to compare electronic records of policies in force since 2000 with the Social Security Administration’s Death Master File (DMF) to determine if policies should have been paid to grieving families. Between 2011 and 2015, outside auditors hired by the state treasurer identified more than $550 million held by life insurance companies that should be have been paid to grieving families in Illinois.
The Senate approved an override of a bill backed by Attorney General Lisa Madigan which aims at protecting students when taking out student loans. SB1351, creates the Student Bill of Rights and prevents loan servicers from engaging in unfair or deceptive practices toward student borrowers.
“At a time where many young people are graduating from college with crippling debt, we need to make sure that students understand their rights and have access to proper resources. This legislation is a good first step to take in helping students and their families from falling behind on payments or defaulting on their loans.” said Senator Scott Bennett, (D-Champaign).
* I’m getting some strong and legitimate pushback for something I wrote for subscribers this morning…
I think we can safely stipulate that lots and lots of men aren’t directly contributing to the culture of sexual harassment at the Statehouse. But, just remember this, almost all women have experienced problems in one way or another. Something has to be done to stop this problem.
My intent was to address the men who are acting defensive and claiming they aren’t part of the problem. We are part of the problem no matter how pristine we may think our behavior might be because just about every woman has at least one (and some have many) horror stories to tell about being harassed, groped, discriminated against, silenced, etc. That means, on its face, the culture is really messed up here and far more men are perpetrators/witnesses/enablers than we might allow ourselves to believe, so everybody has to participate in a solution, both personal and structural. Men don’t have the luxury of distance here. You don’t get to say it’s not you just because you never groped anybody.
I’m truly sorry that I wasn’t clear. I wasn’t attempting to excuse people who turn a blind eye or don’t step up. And by “lots and lots” I didn’t mean to imply that it was the majority or the vast majority.
We’re all learning and we all need to continue learning.
State Sen. Kimberly Lightford endured crude remarks about her legs from a male colleague in Springfield. She had to remind another fellow legislator that he was the same age as her grandfather to get him to stop making “inappropriate” comments about her.
“I think that when you’re just around people who are in powerful positions, men and women alike, they think they can do that,” Lightford, who is from Maywood, told Sun-Times political reporter Tina Sfondeles on Tuesday as women who work at the state Capitol spoke up about being sexually harassed by men in power.
Galvanized by women who have gone public with allegations of harassment and sexual abuse by Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein, and the ensuing #MeToo social media campaign, women in Illinois politics are talking about their own experiences. Some are telling their stories on the “Say No More” Facebook page, and more than 150 women who are elected officials, lobbyists or consultants have signed a letter describing harassment by powerful men they work with. So far, the alleged harassers have been lucky — they haven’t been named publicly.
Ironically, a state Legislature charged with writing laws about discrimination, harassment and protecting vulnerable people is under fire for fostering an environment ripe for abuse. It’s up to leaders in Springfield to transform the culture. Insiders have known forever that the Capitol can be a toxic and sleazy place. House Speaker Michael Madigan, Senate President John Cullerton as well as minority leaders Jim Durkin and Bill Brady — and all their deputies — must make it a more decent and professional place to work. It’s what they would demand of a rogue corporation, university or public agency that mistreats people.
* And JB Pritzker has a long Medium piece on the topic which concludes this way…
As for Springfield, the capitol is not a club house. It is a place where democracy and the free exchange of ideas should thrive. As long as women are being demeaned, harassed, and assaulted as the price of entry into Illinois politics, we, as a state and as a democracy, are failing. We must take steps to address these issues in our state capitols:
We must make sure women are elected, appointed and hired in all levels of government to break up the culture of “boys’ clubs.”
We must enact formal sexual harassment and interruption training for lobbyists, elected officials, and staff and establish a culture of accountability.
In the end, it’s all of our responsibility to change the culture to one where women are treated with dignity and respect. It will be uncomfortable, and it will require an ongoing effort even when the news moves on. But I’m inspired by the women who have persisted for so many years — who quietly kept going in the face of such adversity, who never allowed those who would demean them to diminish them, and who are now fighting so bravely for a better future.
The burden and opportunity to create change falls significantly on me and on other men. It is our responsibility to make it better. I accept that responsibility and will carry it out in the days, weeks and years ahead — and as your next governor in Springfield.
* And Speaker Madigan’s proposed legislation has surfaced as an amendment to SB402. Click here for the text. Here are some bullet points…
1) The State Officials and Employees Ethics Act and the Lobbyist Registration Act are amended to specifically state that all persons have a right to work in an environment free from sexual harassment, and that person shall refrain from sexual harassment.
2) Every constitutional officer, legislator, unit of local government, and lobbyist is required to adopt a sexual harassment policy that includes a prohibition on sexual harassment, how an individual can report allegations, and any disciplinary actions for violation of the policy.
3) Every constitutional officer, legislator, State employee, and lobbyist is required to attend sexual harassment training, which includes a description of sexual harassment utilizing examples.
4) Each state Inspector General will have authority to review allegations of sexual harassment and submit any founded complaints to the applicable Ethics Commission for a hearing. Each Ethics Commission will have the authority to fine an individual up to $5,000 for a violation of the prohibition on sexual harassment.
5) Every constitutional officer and legislative leader must annually submit to the applicable Ethics Commission a report detailing plans for training and the names of those who did not participate in training.
*** UPDATE *** A House Personnel & Pensions Committee hearing on Speaker Madigan’s proposal has been scheduled for next Tuesday morning at 10 in the Bilandic Building.
* Unanimous override votes are not a common occurrence, to say the least…
Illinois House members sent a message about transparency Wednesday, voting unanimously to override Gov. Bruce Rauner’s veto of a bill requiring greater disclosure of state finances.
The House voted 112-0 to reject Rauner’s veto of House Bill 3649 that requires state agencies to report monthly on bills they have not forwarded to the comptroller’s office for payment. Currently, agencies are only required to report the information annually, which makes it completely out of date by the time it is disclosed.
Comptroller Susana Mendoza, whose job it is to write the checks to pay the state’s bills, has pushed for the legislation to give her a clearer picture of what bills are waiting to be paid.
“I understand that our problems are really bad financially, but the only way to ever get to a position where we can fix the state’s financials is to know the true extent of how bad our financials are,” Mendoza said at a news conference following the House vote.
* From the Illinois Policy Institute’s news service…
Wednesday’s vote was 112-0. When the bill initially passed the House in April, it passed by a margin of 70-40, with many Republican lawmakers opposing it. […]
Illinois’ backlog of bills as of last Friday was $16.3 billion, but Mendoza’s office said it could be more than that because state departments aren’t required to report their expenditures regularly.
Rauner said the legislation was an attempt by Mendoza to “micromanage” state agencies. Lawmakers, though, countered it was commonsense accounting that would help officials gain a better understanding of Illinois’ finances. After the House vote, the bill now heads to the Senate.
“Today is a great day for transparency in the state of Illinois,” Mendoza said after the vote. “I understand that our problems are really bad financially, but the only way to ever get to a position where we can fix the state’s financials and get us on better financial footing is to know the true extent of how bad our financials are.”
Rauner vetoed the measure on Aug. 18, saying “the inclination” to be more transparent about the state’s finances is a “good one.” But he said her bill “more closely resembles an attempt by the Comptroller to micromanage executive agencies than an attempt to get the information most helpful to the monitoring of state government.”
Rauner too said it would divert limited funds and staff attention from their main duties in providing services to Illinois citizens.
Though the veto message appeared to take a political shot at Mendoza, bill sponsor state Rep. Fred Crespo, D-Hoffman Estates, said the intent of the bill wasn’t a continuation of the Mendoza-Rauner war.
“I know on her end I can attest to this, it was never political. It’s just doing the right thing,” Crespo said.
State legislators only rarely do the right thing for the right reason. They sometimes do the right thing for the wrong reason, and that may be the case here.
This legislation reeks of politics, Democrats sticking it to Republican Rauner. The party of Chicago House Speaker Michael Madigan, which controlled the governor’s mansion from 2003 to 2015, never raised the issue during that time — a time when Govs. Rod Blagojevich and Pat Quinn routinely held back invoices. Suddenly, it’s become a top legislative priority. […]
Whatever the merits of the claim, few outside the governor’s office put much stock in Rauner’s words. They suggest that, for political reasons, he wants to hide what’s really hard to hide — the amount of the state’s unpaid bills. They’re currently $15 billion-plus, and when numbers are that big, people understand the circumstances are dire.
Nonetheless, Rauner is taking regular public beatings as a foe of transparency for purely venal reasons.
Since it’s unclear who has the better argument, we’ll follow our instincts and go with transparency.
If the mandate really is as burdensome as Rauner claims, Democrats can repeal H.B. 3649 when a Democrat holds the governor’s office.
On the last weekend of Aug.1999, then-Illinois House Republican Leader Lee Daniels held a golf outing and fundraiser dinner at Medinah Country Club that attracted 1,200, raising $680,000 for his members’ campaigns– $1.01 million in 2017 dollars, inflation-adjusted.
Jim Durkin, the current House Republican Leader, spent the last weekend of Aug. 2017 hosting a recycling event. That was weeks after holding an animal adoption fair and, before that, a “children’s safety expo.” […]
The summer before an election year was once filled with outings, rallies and donor meetings, as legislative leaders scrambled to friend-raise and fund-raise, amassing the millions required to compete for majorities, from thousands of Republican supporters.
House GOP Leader Durkin and Senate GOP Leader Bill Brady have relinquished the “rainmaker” role their predecessors once embraced. Instead, they are working a single contributor this year who, they hope, will cover it all: Governor Bruce Rauner.
For his House Republican Organization (HRO), which is supposed to fund member campaigns next year, Durkin raised just $60,675 from 19 outside donors between July 1 and Sept 30, according to his filing with the Illinois State Board of Elections (ISBE). […]
Durkin and his members need supporter votes, but he isn’t asking for their money. He’s waiting for a check from Rauner, who spent $12 million on House legislative races in 2016, instead.
Excluding Rauner, HRO is on pace to register just 110 outside contributions this year– including corporations and individuals, but not contributions from candidate political action committees– for a grand total of $220,000.
In contrast, two decades ago in 1997, Daniels managed to raise seven times as much money from nine times as many contributors.
Daniels’ House Republican Campaign Committee (HRCC) reported $979,314 raised from 1,019 contributors in 1997, the equivalent of $1.506 million today. […]
The Illinois State Medical Society, which represents doctors, donated $1,002,512 to state political campaigns in the 1999-2000 election cycle, or $1.436 million, inflation-adjusted.
In 2015-16, it donated just $536,904, 60 percent less.
The Illinois Manufacturer’s Association donated $453,058 in 1999-2000, or $649,381.
In 2015-16, it gave just $138,311.
Proft is running a primary opponent against Durkin, but he’s not wrong about how things have changed. If Rauner loses next year, the Republican leaders are gonna be in a world of hurt.
* No press conference, no rally, not even a video. Just a press release…
Nancy Rotering, the first woman elected Mayor of Highland Park, banned assault weapons in her city, and then fought the NRA all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court and prevailed, launched her campaign for Attorney General of Illinois.
Nancy Rotering vows that as Attorney General, she will be uncompromising in her commitment to protect citizens from gun violence, and will use the power of her office to hold Big Pharma accountable for flooding our communities with the opioids causing death and heartbreak throughout Illinois.
Several years ago, Rotering founded a local legal aid clinic focusing on helping woman escape domestic violence, and to help families battling deportation. The legal aid clinic now has more than one hundred volunteer attorneys and has processed more than four hundred cases.
“As Attorney General, I will be a powerful advocate, continuing my fight against the NRA to reduce gun violence, and taking on unscrupulous drug makers and online and offshore pharmacies to help curb the opioid epidemic gripping our state,” said Rotering. “As a mother of four and a local Mayor, I know how to get things done. I have a record of holding big corporations accountable and cleaning up government - something we need now more than ever in Illinois,” added Rotering.
During her two terms as Mayor, Rotering has maintained balanced and sustainable budgets, reformed city government, and forced ComEd to invest millions in infrastructure upgrades after they repeatedly left residents of northeast Illinois stranded without power. As an attorney, who practiced with McDermott Will & Emery in Chicago before taking leave to care for a child with Type 1 diabetes, Rotering worked on white collar crime and regulation matters in the health care industry.
“I have built a strong team and have support from across the state. My background in business and law, coupled with my experience of taking action, will serve the people of Illinois well. Illinois deserves a strong, principled advocate,” said Rotering.
State Rep. Jeanne Ives sounds like she’ll be a candidate for Illinois governor.
The Wheaton Republican is one of the most conservative members of the General Assembly and she is hopping mad at Gov. Bruce Rauner who she contends is not trustworthy.
Rauner angered many in his party by signing a bill last month providing state funding for elective abortions. He did this after promising multiple Catholic bishops and state lawmakers that he wouldn’t.
“He’s failed the integrity test. No one in the Legislature believes a word he says,” Ives said.
If Ives enters the race, she would be the only candidate opposing abortion rights in either the Republican or Democrat gubernatorial primaries.
* The Question: Suggested Jeanne Ives campaign slogans?
In a big win for Gov. Bruce Rauner — and perhaps a sign that Republican legislators haven’t deserted him — the Illinois House failed by just one vote to override his veto of a bill that would prohibit local municipalities from enacting “right-to-work” zones to get around unions.
This week of the veto session was seen as a test of how badly the governor had alienated Republicans after signing into law a House bill that expands public funding of abortion — a move that even spawned the possibility he’ll get a primary challenger.
The test comes three months after Rauner saw some House Republicans buck him on a tax and budget package. But on Wednesday, Illinois House Republican Leader Jim Durkin worked his caucus hard — and only four Republicans broke ranks on the override measure, joining 66 Democrats. The 70-42 vote fell one vote short.
Rauner’s victory lap for an issue he’s pushed since his election may be a short one, however. A motion to reconsider the vote can still be filed, and bill sponsor state Rep. Marty Moylan, D-Des Plaines, plans to file separate legislation ahead of the veto session next month to remove a controversial portion of the measure that offers a criminal penalty to local governments that enact right-to-work. Both of those options offer an opportunity to get additional votes on the measure.
* Gov. Rauner’s statement…
The people of Illinois scored a victory today. The House of Representatives rejected efforts to close a door to job opportunity here.
Instead, courageous House lawmakers stood together to dump the old playbook and move forward to make Illinois more competitive.
Local communities should be able to decide how best to compete for jobs and choose reforms that can make their economies stronger, help their businesses grow and give the freedom to individual workers to support a union at their own discretion.
It will help Illinois be better positioned to be competitive nationally and globally and create opportunity for all the people of our state.
Democrats say they might try to override him again soon, though.
Sponsoring state Rep. Marty Moylan, D-Des Plaines, said he’d try again when lawmakers return to Springfield for the second half of their annual veto session in November. The Senate already voted to override the governor Tuesday.
Moylan noted that one Democratic lawmaker was absent, and he said he planned to offer a second bill that would remove criminal penalties for officials who violate the right-to-work ban. Republicans had raised concerns about charging local elected officials with a crime for proposing ideas they believe would benefit their communities. […]
The override effort’s 70 votes was four more than when the legislation first passed the House in June. Four Republicans voted in favor, but most were unwilling to buck Rauner on the issue.
Rep. Martin Moylan, D-Des Plaines, House sponsor of the bill, said workers in right-to-work states have lower wages and less workplace safety than workers in states that are not right-to-work. He also said that being right-to-work does not promote economic activity.
“Right-to-work laws have no impact on job growth,” he said.
Opponents disagreed. Rep. Jeanne Ives, R-Wheaton, said a vote to override Rauner’s veto would be a “nail in the coffin” for Illinois’ economy. Other Republicans complained that the bill actually made it a misdemeanor crime for local officials to enact a right-to-work ordinance.
“A yes vote is a vote to lock up village trustees and putting local mayors in jail,” said Rep. Allen Skillicorn, R-East Dundee.
Business and industry leaders say the fact Illinois is not a right-to-work state hurts it when trying to lure job creators.
“Illinois is at a competitive disadvantage to attract the employers we need,” Rep Tom Morrison, R-Palatine, said. “Our citizens need these jobs.”
The village of Lincolnshire enacted an ordinance creating a “local right-to-work zone” in 2015. The new ordinance was immediately challenged in court and is still ongoing. SB 1905 would void that ordinance.
Two Republicans – Reps. David Harris, R-Arlington Heights, and Terri Bryant, R-Murhpysboro – who voted against the right-to-work ban legislation in June changed their votes Wednesday and voted to override Rauner’s veto. Republican Rep. John Cabello, R-Machesney Park, did not vote on it in June and voted for the override.
Among the losses state lawmakers dealt Gov. Bruce Rauner Wednesday was one over a signature issue: Whether the state should require schools to teach cursive writing.
Rauner vetoed a bill to enact such a requirement, and the Illinois House voted to override him on Wednesday. The Senate would have to follow suit when it returns next month for the proposal to become law.
In pushing for one mandatory cursive unit in elementary schools, Rep. Emanuel “Chris” Welch said children need to be able to read documents the Founding Fathers wrote, as well as notes from grandma. And there was a political angle to making sure kids could sign their names too.
“Can sign your driver’s license. Can sign your passport,” the Hillside Democrat said. “Can sign a petition to run for office.”
* More from the Illinois Policy Institute’s news service…
Rep. Grant Wehrli, R-Naperville, asked if there’s a law to mandate that schools teach keyboard or typing. Welch said lawmakers can consider that later.
Wehrli said schools are teaching cursive already without the mandate.
“Why does this have to be law?” Wehrli asked.
“It’s our job to pass good policy,” Welch said. “This is good, sound policy.”
The veto override passed 77-36. It now heads to the Senate, where a successful override will mean Illinois’ public elementary schools and high schools will be required to teach cursive writing.
Captain James T. Kirk has been added to the bridge of Chicago’s all-hands-on-deck bid to try to woo Amazon to build its second headquarters here, say aldermen who saw the city’s pitch video.
On Wednesday morning, City Council committee chairmen and other aldermen whose wards include potential sites for Amazon’s HQ2 were treated to a private screening of the presentation that city officials will make to the company.
William Shatner, the hammy actor who played the confident, daring Starfleet captain in the original “Star Trek” TV series and movies, does the narration. That’s an attempt to curry favor with Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos, who’s a rabid fan of the franchise and even appeared as a heavily made-up alien in last year’s “Star Trek: Beyond.”
Mayoral spokesman Grant Klinzman said the city economic development agency World Business Chicago is picking up the tab for the presentation. He declined to discuss how much Shatner was paid for the voice work, or other costs of the presentation.
Unfortunately, the video is still under wraps. I’ll post it if it ever surfaces.
* With Patty Schuh’s move to the governor’s office, he has big shoes to fill…
The following is a statement by Senate Republican Bill Brady on his selection of a new Press Secretary.
“I am excited to announce that Jason Gerwig will serve as my, and the Senate Republican caucus’ new Press Secretary beginning today,” said Brady (R-Bloomington). “Jason brings over 20 years of communications and government experience to this important position, and he’s been a well-respected, and valued, member of our staff. I look forward to working with him, and all or our staff, as we prepare for another important legislative session.”
Jason Gerwig’s biography:
Illinois Senate Republican Staff, Communications, 1996-2001
Illinois State Treasurer’s Office, Legislative Liaison, 2001-2003
Illinois Republican Party, Communication’s Director, 2003-2005
DuPage County Board, Communication’s Manger, 2005-2010
DuPage County Health Department, External Affairs Manager, 2010-2013
FleishmanHillard, Vice President of Public Affairs, 2013-2015
Illinois Senate Republican Staff, Assistant to the Chief of Staff for Communications, 2016-2017
Illinois Senate Republican Staff, Press Secretary, 2017-present
* Democratic Rep. Sam Yingling was absent today, so that hurt the proponents. Retiring GOP Reps. Bill Mitchell, Chad Hays and Bob Pritchard didn’t vote. House Republican Leader Jim Durkin worked the roll call very hard. Rep. McCombie, who voted Yes when it initially passed, didn’t vote today. Rep. McAuliffe didn’t vote last time and voted “Present” this time. The sponsor can make another run at it, however. The Senate overrode the veto yesterday…
The bill is here. It received 67 votes when it originally passed. The House sponsor, Rep. Marty Moylan, said he planned to file a trailer bill to remove criminal penalties for passing local ordinances to implement the zone. The bill has no immediate effective date, so he would have until June to get that done.
…Adding… The misdemeanor criminal penalty was the focus of much of today’s debate…
Rep. Moylan says he will file a trailer bill to take off misdemeanor language. Then call right-to-work bill again the second week of veto.
* Meanwhile, this gubernatorial veto was also overridden with 80 House votes, down from 91 when it originally passed. It now moves to the Senate, where it received 35 votes (one vote shy of an override, but some Dems were missing) in May…
The Illinois House has voted to override Gov. Bruce Rauner on a measure that would prohibit employers from asking applicants about their salary history.
Elgin Democratic Rep. Anna Moeller’s (MOH’-lurz) legislation is seen as a gender-equity bill. Women are often paid less than men for the same work and are at a disadvantage if forced to report a previous, unfairly low wage.
The legislation would prevent employers from demanding past salary history, screening job applicants based on wage history, or requiring that past salary meet a certain criteria.
* And on a related note, this override motion really had no chance. While Republicans may be super angry at the governor these days, they aren’t ever gonna be up for stuff like this…
House fails to override a veto on a state-sponsored workers’ compensation insurance company, 65-50.
On an 86-29 vote, the House overrode Rauner’s veto of legislation that would require small businesses to hire a licensed roofer to perform roofing or waterproofing work on a residential property that is being used as a business, preventing the business owner from using an employee to conduct the work.
Rauner vetoed the legislation, saying it was another example of the over-regulation of job creators in the state.
The bill’s sponsor, Rep. Daniel Burke, D-Chicago, said it’s a public safety issue.
“You can’t expect to hire your dishwasher to use a torch to fix your roof and expect you’re not going to have problems,” Burke said, pointing to a specific example of a non-licensed employee improperly using a torch on a roof in a Chicago neighborhood. “Our job in this body is to protect the public in any way we see fit.”
* In other veto session news…
Daniel Biss released the following statement as the Senate successfully overrode Bruce Rauner’s veto of the Student Loan Bill of Rights.
“I was proud to introduce the Student Loan Bill of Rights, and I’m grateful for the advocates and legislators who fought to override Bruce Rauner’s veto today.
“After a summer of diverting taxpayer dollars to private schools and siding with predatory lenders rather than vulnerable student borrowers, our billionaire businessman governor has again proven himself incapable of setting aside profit motives to protect students and middle-class families like mine. I urge my House colleagues to override the veto as well and finally provide students the protections they deserve as they pursue higher education.”
The bond-market drop didn’t diminish demand in Illinois’s biggest debt sale in more than a decade.
As the state marketed $4.5 billion of bonds Wednesday, securities due November 2028 are being offered at a preliminary yield of 3.74 percent, according to four people with knowledge of the pricing who requested anonymity because the yields aren’t final. That’s lower than the 3.78 percent yield for the November 2029 portion of last week’s $1.5 billion deal, even though bond prices have slid since then.
Investors said the yields are alluring, with benchmark 11-year tax-exempt debt paying about 2.1 percent.
“The issuer still offers a tremendous amount of yield in a pretty yield-starved environment,” said Gabriel Diederich, fixed income portfolio manager at Wells Fargo Asset Management, which holds $41 billion in municipal bonds, including those issued by Illinois. “Outside of this little supply hump here with this deal, there really hasn’t been much muni issuance before this or likely in the weeks ahead.”
Part of the reason it’s a “yield-starved environment” is that most other states have their fiscal houses in order, unlike Illinois.
* The bonds are designed to pay off past due bills…
Of course, whereever the yields land in final wire on $4.5B deal it's A LOT better than 9% and 12% rates on some bills……and better than the 193bp and 185 spreads on 2016 deals and 273 and 292 spreads before budget passed.
Do Your Job, Inc. is debuting a new digital ad in response to Governor Rauner’s re-election slogan in which he reminds people that instead of governing he chooses to fight.
After spending most of his first term campaigning instead of governing, Governor Rauner announced Monday that we’re in for more of the same. He may have ditched the Carharrt jacket and cheap watch but don’t let his costume change fool you, Illinoisans are in for a wild ride.
People from across the political spectrum don’t trust Governor Rauner. With each day, more and more conservatives are voicing their criticisms.
Illinois House Republican Floor Leader Peter Breen was recently quoted as saying: “I’ve had a front-row seat to a governor that is unable to adequately and competently administer Illinois government.” While conservative state Sen. Dan McConchie is on the record questioning “whether the governor’s word can be trusted.” […]
Do Your Job, Inc. will continue to speak up on behalf of Illinoisans disappointed with Bruce Rauner’s refusal to do his job. The organization is led by IL Sen. Michael E. Hastings of South Suburban Cook County, IL Rep. Lou Lang of Skokie and Illinois AFL-CIO President Michael T. Carrigan.
Local and state behavioral health advocates are sounding the alarm on Illinois’ swelling mental health crisis.
“Wait times to see a psychiatrist in Illinois’ community mental health system can now range from 4 to 6 months,” said Tim Sheehan, Chairperson of the Public Policy Committee of the Community Behavioral Healthcare Association of Illinois and Vice President of Home and Community Services at the Des Plaines-based Lutheran Social Services of Illinois. “The lack of an adequate behavioral health care workforce is causing longer and longer wait times for people struggling with mental illness to receive care, a situation which has reached crisis proportions in the state.”
Sheehan noted that according to the Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services, the inadequate behavioral health workforce is responsible for the state’s “insufficient community behavioral health services capacity.”
In fact, Illinois ranks 30th in mental health workforce availability with 844 people per mental health worker compared to the national median of 752, Sheehan points out.
A top Illinois behavioral health advocacy group leader says that the limited access to front-line mental health care in Illinois is “staggering and shameful” while local community agencies’ budgets are spending more on administrative costs due to the state’s new managed care system.
“There is a staggering and shameful lack of access to behavioral health care represented by a shortage of specialists, such as child and adolescent psychiatrists, advanced practice nurses, and physician assistants,” said Community Behavioral Health Association of Illinois CEO Marvin Lindsey. “Meanwhile, the administrative staff costs of providing community behavioral health services have increased dramatically, by as much as two to five times, since Illinois implemented Medicaid Managed Care.”
Sheehan agreed.
“More money is being devoured by administrative costs associated with paperwork demands of Illinois’ expanded Medicaid Managed Care program and less on investing in an adequate, front-line behavioral health workforce to care for patients,” Sheehan said.
Lindsey, Sheehan and other behavioral health advocates are planning a two-prong state legislative offensive to address Illinois’ deepening mental health care crisis.
“We’re planning on pushing a Resolution in the Illinois General Assembly to declare a ‘mental health care emergency in Illinois’ to raise awareness of the critical problem of access to care,” Lindsey said. “And we are going to advance legislation that would comprehensively address the behavioral health workforce crisis, which is undermining mental health care in Illinois.”
Fixing behavioral health workforce is a “priority,” says Sheehan.
“For community mental health agencies across the state, including Lutheran Social Services of Illinois, providing more support, more training, and a deeper bench to the behavioral health workforce is a top advocacy priority,” said Sheehan. “It’s critical.”
The three governors say the troubles in Illinois have created new jobs in Wisconsin, Indiana and Missouri. The ad debuted Tuesday, October 24th.
“Our economy’s on fire…so we owe you,” [Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker] says. “Cheeseheads love you, Madigan.”
Democrats said Walker should focus on his own job and improve Wisconsin’s slow economic growth.
“Gov. Walker cutting an attack ad on jobs in Illinois is a bizarre move for a guy who broke his 2010 promise to create 250,000 jobs in here by 2014 and still hasn’t gotten to that number in 2017,” said Scot Ross, executive director of the liberal group One Wisconsin Now.
Rauner donated $100,000 of his own money to Holcomb’s campaign last year immediately after Indiana’s then-lieutenant governor secured the Republican nomination for the state’s top job.
Indiana Democratic Party Chairman John Zody wasn’t impressed by Holcomb’s appearance in Rauner’s ad.
“Gov. Holcomb is implying his party’s policies aren’t responsible for growing good-paying jobs in Indiana, and he’s right about that,” Zody said. “Fact is, Indiana remains 38th in per capita income, and there is no plan to grow wages at the Statehouse — except to study the pay of state elected officials.”
In the latest example of Governor Greitens caring more about out-of-state politicians and wealthy campaign donors than working Missourians, the Missouri Democratic Party is highlighting that Greitens recently focused his attention on shooting a TV ad for an Illinois politician who gave $100,000 to his campaign last year.
In the TV ad for Illinois Governor Bruce Rauner, Eric Greitens talks directly to the camera, along with other anti-worker politicians like Governor Scott Walker, in an attempt to explain why the Republican Governor of Illinois should not be blamed for the state’s economic problems.
“When Eric Greitens promised he’d be an outsider, who would of guessed he literally meant he’d spend all his time and attention outside of Missouri?” said Missouri Democratic Party Chair Stephen Webber. “But then again, we’re not surprised he found a way to step in front of a camera – especially in an attempt to help another politician and wealthy campaign donor.”
* From the Illinois Policy Institute’s news service…
Illinois’ candidates for governor support making businesses pay higher minimum wages but don’t pay their campaign interns.
J.B. Pritzker, Chris Kennedy, Bruce Rauner, and Daniel Biss have together accumulated more than $100 million in campaign funds with more than a year until the election. All of the Democrat candidates last week expressed support for a higher minimum wage than the $8.25 the state has had since 2010. The federal minimum wage is $7.25 an hour. […]
None of their campaigns offer paying internships, including Rauner’s, and none respond Tuesday to requests for comment.
Trevor Smith with the non-profit “Pay Our Interns” said it’s disingenuous when a politician pushes for a minimum wage hike but leaves his interns to work for free.
“If someone is for the ‘Fight for $15′ but doesn’t pay their interns, we see that as someone that’s not truly invested in helping lower income people,” he said. “If they campaign on raising the minimum wage to $15 an hour, but then don’t pay their interns behind peoples’ backs, I would call it phony.”
Smith said unpaid internships also perpetuate the wage gap between students that are able to work for no pay for months and those that must support themselves and possibly others. […]
The governor, whose interns also work for free, says he supports a more modest increase of the state’s minimum wage.
Following a Tribune report on deaths of children in a privatized child welfare program, a state Department of Children and Family Services official said Tuesday that the agency has started taking back some of those cases from contract agencies and will handle them in-house.
Nora Harms-Pavelski, the agency’s deputy director of child protection, also disclosed at a legislative hearing Tuesday that agency administrators are now getting immediate reports on any instance of mistreatment of a child in the “intact family services” program, among other reforms.
The program, which serves roughly 2,700 children statewide, provides counseling, resources and oversight to keep families together instead of removing children from their home and placing them with strangers.
A surge in deaths began in 2012 after DCFS completely privatized the program, putting the care of families in the hands of nonprofit groups but doing little to evaluate the quality of their work, give them guidance and resources, or hold them accountable when children were hurt or put at risk, DCFS officials acknowledged in response to the Tribune investigation.
Illinois House Democrats on Tuesday endorsed [in committee] banning firepower-boosting “bump stocks,” the same device used by the Las Vegas gunman in the nation’s deadliest mass shooting three weeks ago. […]
“It’s a device used to kill and injure as many people as you can by modifying a semi-automatic weapon into an automatic weapon,” the legislation’s sponsor, Democratic Rep. Marin Moylan of Des Plaines, told the committee.
Critics call it an overreach because Moylan’s measure technically addresses “trigger modification.” It’s defined in part as any implement “intended to accelerate the rate of fire of a firearm.”
Sport-shooters routinely make after-market modifications to get an edge on firing speed, the National Rifle Association’s Todd Vandermyde testified. He labeled Moylan’s language so broad, “it would make a criminal out of the vast majority of the state’s 2.2 million” Illinois firearm-permit holders.
Todd Vandermyde, who represents the National Rifle Association, said Moylan’s bill is too broadly written and will effectively outlaw a number of trigger modifications that many gun owners legally have performed on their guns. Those modifications can increase the rate of fire, he said, but do not come close to turning the weapons into machine guns.
“This bill would essentially outlaw, in our estimation, 50 percent of the firearms (in Illinois),” he said. “It would make a criminal out of the vast majority of the 2.3 million FOID card holders for mere possession. This may be a response to what took place in Las Vegas, but the net result is criminalizing a lot of (gun owners).” […]
Vandermyde said the National Rifle Association is open to regulation of the bump stocks but does not want to see a total ban.
Moylan said he didn’t think his bill would have the far-reaching effects that Vandermyde said they would. He also rejected a comment from Vandermyde that the bill was a “knee-jerk” reaction to the Las Vegas shooting.
The bill passed a committee on a 7-5 vote, sending it to the House floor. Republicans voted against it. They favor a competing bill that would only apply the ban to bump stocks, not other devices. That measure, sponsored by Rep. Barbara Wheeler, R-Crystal Lake, has the backing of the Illinois State Rifle Association.
Wheeler contended Democrats’ bill “muddied the water,” noting that it would also require people to obtain a Firearm Owners Identification Card in order to purchase explosive components such as Tannerite, which is commonly used for target practice. Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner vetoed legislation passed earlier this year that put similar restrictions on Tannerite.
Moylan countered that Tannerite was found in the Las Vegas shooter’s car and said requiring a FOID card to buy it would allow it to be more easily tracked.
“Just because my bill tries to protect people, I shouldn’t do it? No. We have to act responsibly,” Moylan said.
[Rep. Jerry Costello II, D-Smithton] said he doesn’t believe the bill would pass the General Assembly.
“At the end of the day, when you look, a lot of liberal anti-gun groups that are in Chicago, in Northern Illinois, those are the ones who are right now pushing this legislation. It’s overly egregious,” Costello said. […]
State Rep. Katie Stuart, D-Edwardsville, said she hasn’t had time to fully read the legislation, but she thinks Moylan’s proposal goes too far.
“I do like looking at these issues at single things at a time, so we could really debate the individual things,” Stuart said. “I think sometimes bills throw a lot of things into the pot, and we’re not sure where someone stands on one specific item like the bump stocks.”
* Remember the post on Monday about how Gov. Rauner is pushing a federal proposal that could allow Illinois to void some of its pension costs through some sort of bankruptcy component?…
“We’ve got a bill now, we’re working with Congress. (If) Congress passed a law, we’re lobbying right now, allow states to restructure their pensions, supercede the restrictions that the special interest groups have put on the state,” Rauner said at the Sept. 28 event
“There’s not a specific proposal - it’s all part of conversations that have taken place in DC for a long time, is my understanding,” said governor’s office spokeswoman Patty Schuh. “The General Assembly is looking for ways to do it - the Attorney General argued for it because of the out-of-whack costs. But as we all know, the Supreme Court stepped in. If it’s necessary for the feds to provide state legislatures like Illinois some flexibility in addressing the costs that are strangling the budget … we’re open.”
We circled back with Congressman Peter Roskam after Rauner told the U.S. Chamber of Commerce he hoped to advance language allowing pension funds to file for bankruptcy reorganization through the tax overhaul that Roskam is helping lead.
That is not looking likely. The congressman’s office tells us that the issue seems better suited for the Judiciary committee and that Roskam is “hyperfocused on tax reform.”
“We’re happy to listen, but honestly the governor’s office has a lot of work to do to build a constituency for this kind of idea,” a Roskam office spokeswoman said.
* And this is from the Illinois Policy Institute’s news service…
But none of Illinois’ Republican congressional delegation would confirm this week that anyone from Rauner’s camp has approached them about a standalone proposal or one that would be tied in with the coming tax reform plan.
Rauner doesn’t have the best relationship with the GOP Congressmen. They strongly rebuked Rauner last month for his signing of a controversial bill allowing for the public funding of abortions.
An open letter outlining rampant sexual harassment in Illinois politics began circulating Monday and garnered signatures from more than 160 women and men vowing to demand better. […]
“A lot of us felt like it was just us — we were being singled out because we were young or we were alone or we were single,” [Katelynd Duncan, founder of political fundraising organization KJD Strategies] told me. “This demonstrates solidarity that there’s not a woman in this industry we know who hasn’t had this experience. It’s a testament to how long we’ve been experiencing this in the shadows and behind closed doors and keeping it to ourselves.” […]
In each of the explosive sexual harassment and sexual assault stories that have captured the public attention since Weinstein’s downfall, we’ve tended to focus — rightly — on the dehumanizing, demoralizing effect of power players preying on their less powerful subordinates.
But we shouldn’t ignore the equally dangerous chilling effect on women’s professional success, particularly as we’re made aware just how many industries the harassment and assault cut across.
“Women in politics are taught very early on there will be negative repercussions for speaking up,” Duncan said. “This type of behavior and this type of culture really deeply changes how women feel about themselves in the workplace, and they limit the opportunities they expose themselves to. You don’t want to go out to dinner with candidate x, y or z. You don’t want to stay out for drinks. You don’t want to meet them at their house to pick up some papers.
“I had a candidate who refused to pay me because I rejected him constantly, to go out to dinner or break up with my boyfriend, and I also had another candidate who fired me when I used the word inappropriate to his campaign,” Duncan said.
Duncan said her harassers include some elected officials who are still in office. She did not want to name them so as not to distract from the effort to change the culture. […]
“For every woman who feels comfortable talking about their experience, there are 100 women who are too afraid to share their story for fear of being fired, for fear of not being believed, for fear of public shaming,” Duncan said.
The issue isn’t just about the hazards women face in the workplace, supporters said – it’s also about the negative impact a toxic culture has on the policies that come from Springfield.
“I’ve devoted my life to fighting for a strong state, to fighting for a healthier planet, for healthier communities and ultimately this culture in Springfield is preventing us from having a stronger democracy,” [Kady McFadden with the Sierra Club] said.
“We’re the ones that pass legislation and laws, and if we can’t set the bar, if we can’t set the standard for how to behave, then shame on us,” added Duncan.
State Sen. Toi Hutchinson, who signed the open letter, said the campaign is not about naming names. It’s about making women feel they don’t have to be ashamed or silenced about their experiences.
“That open letter was never intended to start hauling people out of the Capitol and criminalizing a whole bunch of stuff. That’s not the issue. The issue is this survives in silence. And there are a number of people who are tired of being silenced,” said Hutchinson, D-Olympia Fields.
“Anytime you’re talking about changing the culture around something it starts with robust conversation. There used to be a time when you were the only black lobbyist in the room, you could hear people make racial jokes. And black folks had to grin and bear it if you want to work in the Capitol. There was a time when there were no women lobbyists. So for the first ones that were here, I can’t even imagine what it was like for them.” […]
State Rep. Ann Williams, D-Chicago, said she hopes the conversations expand from sexual harassment to battling sexism in politics.
“I think we get so used to it, it almost becomes something that we work around, coping mechanisms to get around sexism and sexual comments and the objectification of women. But I think the more deeper issue I want involved in any deeper conversation are the systemic issues that exist in the workplace for women and are alive and well in Springfield,” Williams said.
The solutions called for in the letter are for women to speak up, men to call out sexual harassment and voters to hold politicians who engage in sexual harassment accountable on Election Day.
One of the signers of the letter, State Representative Sara Feigenholtz, has also filed a resolution urging those in government to work on changing the culture in Springfield that the resolution says breeds sexual harassment.
* Meanwhile The Hill continues its series about problems at Statehouses throughout the country and our old friend Emily Miller was interviewed…
Miller recalled having to slip away from a colleague who tried to follow her back to her hotel room.
After the man was fired from his job for harassing another young woman, Miller called his boss to share her story. She got a quick view of how difficult it can be for women, whether they are lobbyists, aides or state lawmakers themselves, to get justice.
“I feel like I could have prevented this, but I didn’t think you would believe me,” Miller told the man’s boss.
“You’re right,” she said the boss told her. “We wouldn’t have.”
* Related…
* Mark Brown: Sadly, Springfield hasn’t outgrown boys’ club nonsense: It’s an awkward discussion, especially coming from a guy, because I know that some of the best insights and story tips can emerge from those after-hours conversations in Springfield’s bars and restaurants. And women shouldn’t have to exclude themselves just because men fail to recognize appropriate boundaries.
House Bill 3649, the Debt Transparency Act, is a good step toward providing increased oversight and better management of Illinois’ still-enormous backlog of unpaid bills. The Civic Federation supports and is encouraged by commonsense legislation that would provide for better public accounting of the State’s liabilities, particularly the requirement to identify interest penalties owed on past due bills.
It is reasonable to require state agencies to disclose certain information to the public on a regular basis, including the amount of bills being held by each agency and an estimate of late payment interest penalties for eligible liabilities. With increased access to this information in real time, legislators and executive leaders can make appropriate policy decisions to better manage the State’s obligations and prevent the backlog from growing. Taxpayers will be informed about whether their tax dollars are being efficiently spent.
Rauner said he vetoed the bill because it would make the bureaucrats work too hard. Awwww. That’s a real eyebrow raiser, governor. We’ve never heard a Republican make that kind of argument.
We don’t know exactly what prompted the reform-minded former investment fund manager to veto this common sense good-government measure, but we have a hunch: Perhaps he wants to hide the whole truth about how much the state owes people or companies that have provided services to the state and have not been paid. It would be an inconvenient truth on the campaign trail.
And perhaps he wants to hide the true condition of Illinois specifically from the young, up-and-coming Mendoza, an ambitious political dynamo with the charisma the good Lord denied Rauner. […]
Our main point remains: Illinois should be striving to open the processes of government to the taxpayers who must pay for decades of mismanagement.
We agree with the Better Government Association and newspaper editorial boards throughout Illinois in urging lawmakers to override Rauner’s veto, which is scheduled to come up for a vote Wednesday.
And I still haven’t seen a single editorial or independent opinion column arguing in favor of the governor’s position.
Republican Gov. Rauner’s new re-election ad unusually features three neighboring state GOP governors bragging about their job climate over Illinois. Now, another Republican governor is on the way to Illinois to try to poach jobs — Florida Gov. Rick Scott.
Scott’s office announced Tuesday he will be leading an economic development mission to Chicago later this week “to share why businesses in Chicago should consider moving their operations to Florida.”
“While Gov. Rauner has tried to grow Illinois’ economy, Chicago leaders and state legislators have for years been passing shortsighted policies and overwhelming increases of taxes and fees,” Scott said in a statement. […]
Not mentioned in the new ad or in Scott’s statement is that several Republican lawmakers broke with Rauner to enact the budget and spending package over the Illinois governor’s veto — effectively ending an historic budget stalemate that nearly sent the state into junk status, hiked unpaid bills and tattered the social service safety net.
Today, Governor Rick Scott announced he will be leading an economic development mission to Chicago this week to share why businesses in Chicago should consider moving their operations to Florida.
Governor Scott said, “Over the past seven years, we have cut taxes more than 75 times in Florida, saving our taxpayers more than $7 billion, and leading to the creation of more than 1.3 million private sector jobs. Florida’s success story is in stark contrast to the anti-business policies that have overburdened Chicago families and companies for far too long. That is why I will be leading an economic development mission to Chicago to meet with site selectors and job creators and encourage them to move to and invest in Florida.
“While Governor Rauner has tried to grow Illinois’ economy, Chicago leaders and state legislators have for years been passing shortsighted policies and overwhelming increases of taxes and fees. In fact, the average Chicago family today pays nearly $1,700 more in taxes and fees every year than they paid only seven years ago. While Florida has been able to pay down $7.6 billion in state debt and increase general revenues by more than 30 percent without raising taxes, Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel and city leaders announced yet another proposed round of burdensome tax and fee increases just last week. This follows the state legislature passing an increase to the state income tax earlier this summer- overriding Governor Rauner’s veto and strict opposition to such a burdensome tax increase. The entire nation needs to follow Florida’s lead- but until then, we will keep calling on businesses to move to Florida.”
* Meanwhile, Bernie wrote about the governor’s new ad as well today…
Now that Illinois is in competition with many other states to land a second headquarters for Amazon, does it make sense for Rauner to let other governors talk down Illinois to its own voters and beyond? Just asking.
It does, said Justin Giorgio, a spokesman for the Rauner campaign.
“With entrenched Democrats like Mike Madigan at the helm, Governor Rauner has vowed to pull out all the stops to make change in Illinois,” Giorgio said. “That includes having three successful governors help make his point that Illinois has to change and we need to get rid of Mike Madigan in order to grow.”
*** UPDATE 1 *** DGA…
After bashing Illinois’ economy for three years as governor, Bruce Rauner launched his reelection campaign by teaming up with out-of-state governors to attack Illinois’ economy. Rauner’s new ad skirts over the fact he’s been governor since 2015 and deflects any responsibilities for his failures.
Just hours later, Florida Governor Rick Scott announced he would come to Chicago in an attempt to lure away jobs. Gov. Scott parroted Rauner’s campaign message and joined in bashing Illinois’ economy – all while calling on companies to set up shop in Florida. Scott praised Gov. Rauner, without mentioning his two-year budget crisis, and said states need to follow Florida’s lead “but until then, we will keep calling on businesses to move to Florida.” Scott wrote “That is why I will be leading an economic development mission to Chicago to meet with site selectors and job creators and encourage them to move to and invest in Florida.”
All of this begs the question – is Governor Rauner okay with this?
“Bruce Rauner’s campaign message is being used by out-of-state governors to steal Illinois jobs,” said DGA Illinois Communications Director Sam Salustro. “Rauner may think it’s a good reelection strategy to highlight the lack of job growth under his failed leadership, but now his rhetoric could hurt middle-class workers even more. Rauner needs to stop putting his reelection before the needs of Illinois families.”
*** UPDATE 2 *** Pritzker campaign…
Florida Governor Rick Scott is in Chicago today openly poaching Illinois companies and badmouthing the state. But where is Bruce Rauner? Sitting by idly and letting it happen on his watch.
The State Journal Register put it this way: “Now that Illinois is in competition with many other states to land a second headquarters for Amazon, does it make sense for Rauner to let other governors talk down Illinois to its own voters and beyond? Just asking.”
“Just a day after Bruce Rauner invited three neighboring governors to bash the state he’s supposed to lead on TV, Rauner is letting yet another Republican governor take a swing at Illinois,” said Pritzker campaign spokeswoman Jordan Abudayyeh. “This failed governor has given up on growing our economy and is doubling down on his mission to drive the state’s reputation into the ground.”
* Ever have one of those mornings when literally everything seemed to go wrong? That was me today. Anyway, all is well now I think, so follow along with ScribbleLive…
