“This guy, he’s a target-rich environment, and we’re going to light him up in November,” said Rauner of J.B. Pritzker, his Democratic opponent in the governor’s race, during the McLean County Republican Party’s annual Lincoln/Reagan Day Dinner. “He’s as corrupt a political insider as you can find.”
Rauner also took time to address Ives’ claim that Rauner signed legislation to make Illinois a “sanctuary state.” He said law enforcement in fact asked him last summer to sign the Trust Act, which stops police from arresting residents based solely on their immigration status, because they feared Democrats would pass something more restrictive in its place.
The attack was a centerpiece of Ives’ campaign for governor, which came within three percentage points of defeating the better-funded and incumbent Rauner.
“I am passionately against sanctuary states and against illegal immigration,” he said Wednesday.
* The Question: Your own “simple message” suggestions for the gubernatorial campaigns? And let’s just stipulate that “Rauner failed” is a given since it’s used so often in comments. Come up with other stuff.
Breaking: The SIU Board of Trustees did not pass item GG, which would’ve shifted $5.125 million in state allocations from SIU Carbondale to Edwardsville.
The Carbondale Chamber of Commerce opposes the idea. Interim director Jennifer Olson says it could stifle the city’s efforts to grow.
The chamber sent an opposition letter to the board of trustees citing a 2011 study, that said for every dollar of state funding, seven dollars would be spent annually. Olson says a cut over $5 million dollars could damage the local economy by nearly $39 million in revenue. […]
SIUC Chancellor Carlo Montemagno said in a blog post that the university had already cut over $31 million in funding since 2014 and more than $5 million in additional cuts would be equal to 110 layoffs.
During a meeting with The Southern Illinoisan’s editorial board Tuesday, Dunn said that the operating policy for the two campuses has dictated a 60/40 percent split in appropriation distribution between SIUC and SIUE since at least as far back as 1979.
Over the years, that split has gotten skewed by virtue of state cuts and loss of certain programs, Dunn said.
According to figures provided by Dunn, the appropriation distribution for Fiscal Year 2018 was $91,287,400 (63.9 percent) to SIUC and $51,565,000 (36.1 percent) to SIUE. […]
To reflect a 60/40 percent split, the adjustment would be about $5.6 million.
Nine months after Carlo Montemagno left a position as director of Ingenuity Lab to assume the chancellorship at SIU’s Carbondale campus, some members of the Alberta community are still picking up the pieces of what they call a failed project brought to life and then abandoned by its director. […]
Some individuals who worked closely with Montemagno said the employment of his family members, combined with poor leadership, may have contributed to the early downfall of what was intended to be a 10-year-long $100 million project to bolster innovation within Alberta’s oil-reliant economy. […]
“How could we blow this so bad when it looked so good?” a former research associate said. “How could it become so controversial, so dominated by hostility toward others? It became the thing that it was supposed to break. It became this extremely siloed, extremely closed environment that is exactly what that thing was designed to bust up in the broader context of the university.”
This ain’t rocket science. And we keep having unbalanced budgets. We still have an unbalanced budget, even though they overrode my veto on a tax hike last year. We’re still $3 billion dollars in a deficit. This is nuts. Totally nuts.
I vetoed the budget because even after the tax hike it was still out of balance. We’re still running billions of dollars of a deficit. This is fiscal irresponsibility at its worst.
However, because we’re now paying down the Medicaid bill backlog with bonding, one-time federal reimbursements are netting the state an additional $1.2 billion. Factor in one-time borrowing proceeds to pay off other parts of the bill backlog and subtract carry-over costs from last fiscal year’s unappropriated spending and it works out to be a $2.025 billion “surplus,” according to GOMB’s own figures. Yeah, that’s not truly a surplus, but it’s also not a $3 billion operating deficit. Not even close.
* Speaking of the backlog…
Rauner says that the bill backlog is "still climbing" after legislators overrode his veto and passed a bipartisan budget.
…Adding… From retiring GOP Rep. Steve Andersson, who voted for the tax hike and budget last year…
Well we know the Governor isn’t very good on facts, or accuracy or truth. I’m glad the facts are showing what we knew when we overrode him!
* The governor also said today that he was not insisting on his pension cost-shift proposal to schools and higher ed. As long as the final budget agreement is balanced, he said, he’ll sign it. That idea was just a placeholder anyway. He knew he couldn’t pass it, so it was basically designed to kick the can to the General Assembly.
And House Republican Leader Jim Durkin even admitted yesterday that his own caucus is “lukewarm” on the issue…
So, they’re gonna have to find a way to patch that $630 million hole.
Kankakee High School will help pilot an evolving education trend that measures student growth based on competency rather than time spent sitting in a classroom.
Last week, the Illinois State Board of Education named Kankakee School District 111 one of the 12 schools that will pilot a competency graduation program.
Essentially, the program allows high schoolers to advance at their own pace. For instance, a student who demonstrates mastery of ninth grade English requirements can move on to 10th grade English immediately rather than having to wait an entire school year.
“This is going to be more skills-based rather than time spent in the classroom,” said Felice Hybert, the district’s assistant superintendent of curriculum. “If a student can show competency in certain skills, they can move on and get credit. It’s not tied to a year of instruction. They can move on in 30 days, 60 days – whenever they show the ability to move on.”
Superintendent Genevra Walters believes the program will help improve the high school’s graduation rate. It will enable advanced students to challenge themselves. It will also measure skill sets for students who are not as engaged in school. At the same time, the district plans on providing more support for students who struggle. […]
Walters said the district plans on forming partnerships with Kankakee Community College, Olivet Nazarene University and local businesses to help students advance into careers.
At Kankakee Public Schools in Illinois, we’ve introduced 16 different career paths to about 70 percent of our K–5 students using Defined STEM’s career wheel. Some of these topics include agriculture, communication and information studies, human services, and health science. Each grade has a designated topic, paving the way for every student to explore and become familiar with a wide variety of career possibilities.
Three years ago, this began the transformation of Kankakee’s general education track into the College and Career Academy, which is 100 percent focused on using with PBL to prepare students for future jobs. With our new focus, we are one of 10 high school districts in Illinois that have started to move to competency-based learning. We’re also working to report on students’ mastery of skills with progress levels, rather than a traditional report card at the end of each semester.
“I don’t know why a district like yours that is struggling academically is willing to buy into this entire idea that we are going to now learn outside of school when they haven’t mastered obviously the requirements for in school,” Ives said.
Hybert countered by saying the numbers prove students have disengaged with the traditional school setting and need a change,
However, Ives still was not convinced, and said the risk of taking $2 million to fund a pilot program with no proven success is a no for her.
“I am sorry I am just not buying it,” Ives said.
Um, the whole idea is to try to help the kids who have trouble learning the traditional way. Left up to Ives, the kids would have to first learn the traditional way before being given the option to participate in an alternative educational format.
Illinois residents could enjoy lower taxes if their squabbling leaders tackle the debt-riddled state’s biggest problem — its massively underfunded pension system. But that’s a big if.
Republican Governor Bruce Rauner, who’s running for re-election this year, says he could lower taxes by as much as $1 billion. First, lawmakers must address a crisis that’s vexed the state for years, and get a plan cleared by the courts soon.
“When I sign it, we’ll get that in front of our state judiciary,” Rauner told reporters in Chicago this week. “Once they bless it as constitutional, then we will have a billion dollar income tax cut for the people of Illinois.”
But if history is any guide, that’s not likely to happen.
The gist of the rest is that the proposal is constitutionally suspect and is also unlikely to pass the House.
The governor has constructed a trick bag for the Democrats. Senate President John Cullerton says his bill is constitutional. Rauner says he believes Cullerton and says Madigan is now standing in the way of a billion-dollar tax cut, which wouldn’t really amount to much but it sounds nice. A billllion dollars!
* Rauner campaign…
#TBT Pritzker Paid No State Income Tax in 2014, but Wants to Raise Your Taxes
JB Pritzker has made raising taxes on hardworking Illinoisans the defining issue of his campaign. But his personal history shows that he doesn’t put his money where his mouth is.
In 2014, Pritzker received a series of tax credits from his investments that ensured he paid no state income tax that year.
It’s crystal clear that Pritzker wants everyone else in Illinois to pay more with his immediate, destructive tax hike on Illinois families, but he will do whatever he can to avoid paying the taxman himself.
From the Chicago Sun-Times:
In May, Sun-Times reporter Tim Novak reported that Pritzker had saved nearly $230,000 on his property taxes by arguing that a Gold Coast mansion he bought for $3.7 million, began to renovate and then halted the work was “uninhabitable.”
Under the state angel investor program, four Pritzker businesses got a total of more than $1.2 million in tax credits in 2012. He got more state tax credits in 2013, 2014 and 2015, when two of his companies claimed a total of more than $537,000 in credits.
One Pritzker company that got a $250,000 tax credit later contributed $82,000 to the Illinois Democratic Party; the party’s chairman, state House Speaker Michael Madigan of Chicago; and three Democratic candidates for the Illinois House.
Taxes, Madigan, Taxes, Madigan, Taxes, Madigan, Taxes, Madigan, Taxes, Madigan all the way to November.
* Related…
* Editorial: Tax issues big in election year - Republicans have wasted no time speaking out against Democratic gubernatorial candidate J.B. Pritzker’s income-tax proposals.
* Three press releases from JB Pritzker’s campaign…
Bruce Rauner’s FY19 budget proposal attempts to “balance” the budget on the backs of working people. With the General Assembly holding budget hearings this week, the Pritzker campaign is highlighting the different communities that would be hurt by this failed governor’s unbalanced budget.
While 3.2 million Illinoisans rely on Medicaid, Bruce Rauner proposed a $150 million cut to the program in his FY19 budget. The failed governor made a 4% provider rate cut in his latest proposal, threatening the children, seniors, and disabled Illinoisans that rely on Medicaid for their healthcare needs.
“While Donald Trump proposes over a trillion in Medicaid cuts nationally, his local partner Bruce Rauner is following suit and proposing $150 million in cuts here in Illinois,” said Pritzker campaign spokeswoman Jordan Abudayyeh. “This failed governor’s unbalanced budget deals a blow to the healthcare system that millions of Illinoisans rely on to build better lives.”
Bruce Rauner’s agency directors followed their boss’ lead yesterday at a legislative hearing, pointing fingers and blaming others for Rauner’s fatal mismanagement of the Quincy Veterans’ Home.
The directors of Rauner’s public health and Veterans affairs departments were unwilling to talk about the emails at the center of the Legionnaires’ crisis and told lawmakers to direct their questions to the Adams Country Health Department and the governor’s legal team. One agency head even lied about Rauner halting construction of the Chicago Veterans’ Home that has been delayed years by his budget crisis.
“While Bruce Rauner and his agency directors claim they’re not in charge, their fatal mismanagement of the Quincy Veterans’ Home continues another day,” said Pritzker campaign spokeswoman Jordan Abudayyeh. “Illinois Veterans and their families torn apart by this failure of leadership deserve immediate answers, but all they’re getting is the runaround from Rauner and a team of people trying to shield him.”
Today, the Pritzker campaign released the results from Rauner’s leaked ‘Illinois Priorities Survey’ draft. Here’s what Illinoisans think about their failed governor:
To: Interested Parties
From: Pritzker campaign
Re: Leaked ‘Illinois Priorities Survey’
Date: April 12, 2018
A new survey conducted in Illinois details the extent of Bruce Rauner’s failure as governor. After polling underwater for quite some time, the incumbent faced a heated primary campaign that almost cost him his party’s nomination. Called the ‘Worst Republican Governor in America,’ Rauner barely squeaked by with less than a 4-point margin against insurgent challenger Jeanne Ives. Now failing to consolidate the Republican vote, let alone the support of independents or Democrats, an uphill battle faces the nation’s most vulnerable incumbent governor, and the results of this survey show why.
The Illinois Senate on Wednesday voted to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, renewing a push from decades ago amid the #MeToo movement to guarantee that rights can’t be denied because of a person’s sex.
The vote came about 36 years after the amendment appeared to die after just 35 states ratified it, three short of what was needed by the 1982 deadline. That means Illinois’ approval could be largely symbolic. Still, advocates have pushed for a “three-state solution,” contending Congress can extend the deadline and the amendment should go into effect if three additional states vote in favor.
The amendment passed on a vote of 43-12, with no debate on the Senate floor. It now heads to the House, where sponsoring Rep. Lou Lang, D-Skokie, says he is working to build support but warned it’s far from a “slam-dunk.” The House and Senate each have voted in favor in the past, but it has yet to clear both in the same year.
An effort to limit the amount of tax breaks the state would give to Amazon as officials seek to lure the company’s second headquarters to Chicago will not move forward.
Rep. Kelly Cassidy, a Democrat from Chicago, said Wednesday she was told her proposal would not get a committee hearing, which essentially kills the effort for the spring legislative session.
She was seeking to limit potential tax credits to $50,000 for each job the company would create in Illinois, saying lawmakers must be careful to balance incentives.
“The reality is when we talk about these amazing opportunities, like with Amazon, it’s almost like pie-in-the-sky predictions without any concrete proof of what it’s going to be like,” Cassidy said. “Which is why I talk about relating the incentive to the kinds of jobs that will be created and the kinds of salaries that will be paid by them because otherwise we are buying a pig in a poke.”
* Press release from a couple of days ago that I forgot to post…
Ensuring teachers earn a livable minimum salary is one significant step Illinois can take to recruit more educators into rural and downstate classrooms and address the ongoing shortage, State Senator Andy Manar said today.
The Senate Education Committee approved his measure raising Illinois’ minimum mandated salary for full-time teachers for the first time since 1980.
“Fewer talented young people are going into the teaching profession for numerous reasons, one of which is pay. Would-be teachers can get a higher salary right out of college in other areas of the workforce, which his opposite of our priorities and our needs in this state,” he said.
Senate Bill 2892 updates Illinois statute by increasing the minimum mandated annual salary for full-time teachers to $40,000.
The statute has not been updated in 38 years. Currently, minimum mandated salaries are set at $11,000 for a teacher with a master’s degree, $10,000 for those with bachelor’s degrees and $9,000 for teachers with less than a bachelor’s degree.
Manar said there are teachers in his Senate district who have master’s degrees but live under the federal poverty level.
“To me, this is an issue of respect – for the teaching profession and for the credentials we ask teachers to bring to the table,” Manar said.
“Today, Illinois is investing record amounts of money in schools that tend to have the least competitive salary schedules. There are hundreds of empty classrooms all over the state in communities with enormous challenges and the highest rates of poverty because they can’t recruit teachers,” he said. “Updating Illinois’ minimum mandated teacher salary is a good place to begin addressing the problem.”
* BGA press release…
Sen. Tom Cullerton (D-Villa Park) introduced Senate Bill 3604 which will limit exorbitant severance packages for public executives in a move aimed at restoring taxpayer trust in government.
Not only do Illinoisans face years of budget deficits, cuts to social services, and tax increases, they also foot the bill for six-figure severance packages, known as golden parachutes, for public executives who leave their jobs under questionable circumstances. Cullerton introduced the bill after the Better Government Association (BGA) examined public severance limitations in other states and outlined multiple cases of golden parachutes in recent years that left Illinois taxpayers footing millions of dollars in payouts to make bad executives go away.
Senate Bill 3604, the Government Severance Pay Act, will stop employees fired for misconduct from collecting a severance altogether and it will limit severance packages for other public executives to a maximum of 20 weeks’ compensation. The legislation gives governments in Illinois the ability to remain competitive while eliminating abuses that fuel taxpayer distrust.
Elected government officials frequently are advised to grant rich severances in an attempt to head off employment litigation. By adopting the Government Severance Pay Act, state lawmakers can set a clean, clear plan that will eliminate those thorny decisions for elected officials, just as is done in Florida and other states.
“It’s time to get control of these huge buyouts for public executives and institute some best practices,” Cullerton said. “Taxpayers deserve to have their hard-earned money protected. Let’s end these golden parachutes now.”
“Time and time again,” said BGA President and CEO David Greising, “government officials who are found abusing the public’s trust are allowed to walk away not just unpunished, but, in fact, rewarded. The Government Severance Pay Act acknowledges that severance packages are a part of today’s competitive employment market, while at the same time protecting taxpayers from six-figure giveaways.”
The BGA examined golden parachute packages last fall and found nine recent instances at Illinois universities, Metra and elsewhere that cost taxpayers more than $5 million.
Since that time, Des Plaines Elementary District 62 officials granted a $127,000 severance to former superintendent Floyd Williams Jr. following accusations he denied that he had sexually harassed employees. In northwest suburban Vernon Hills, elected officials asked the long-time village manager John Kalmar to leave recently, but have provided few details on a financial settlement or the reasons for it.
If Gov. Bruce Rauner achieves the anti-union, pro-business reforms he has made the hallmark of his administration, he plans to travel the world to promote the state — and the first country he’ll visit will be Poland, he said Sunday. […]
“We are working hard in Springfield on reforms so we can grow our economy and get more value for taxpayers and fund our schools properly,” he said. “I hope soon we’ll have those reforms accomplished, and then I’m going to travel the world to create stronger ties with the people of Illinois with nations across the globe.”
Gov. Bruce Rauner says he’s traveling to Germany and Poland next week to try to draw more companies to Illinois.
Rauner talked about the trip Wednesday during a question-and-answer session at an Illinois Chamber of Commerce luncheon in Springfield.
Rauner says Illinois is “expanding German investment in the state.” And he says Poland has been growing larger companies and “the No. 1 state where they should be investing when they come to the U.S. is Illinois.”
* Snark aside, I’m told the schedule for the Germany leg of that trip is brutal. Unlike his Asia trip, which looked like it was thrown together at the last minute by the since-ousted BTIA™, this one will feature lots of meetings. The governor told the Chamber yesterday that he hopes to make several announcements about companies moving jobs to or investing in Illinois.
So, good luck, Gov. Rauner. Get something done, please. Prost!
Rauner also took time to address Ives’ claim that Rauner signed legislation to make Illinois a “sanctuary state.” He said law enforcement in fact asked him last summer to sign the Trust Act, which stops police from arresting residents based solely on their immigration status, because they feared Democrats would pass something more restrictive in its place.
The attack was a centerpiece of Ives’ campaign for governor, which came within three percentage points of defeating the better-funded and incumbent Rauner.
“I am passionately against sanctuary states and against illegal immigration,” he said Wednesday.
Upset that the only choice Republicans in the 3rd CD have on the November ballot is a known Nazi sympathizer, a group of Cook County GOP members of the Jewish faith called on Cook County GOP Chairman Sean Morrison to step down in a letter sent to Cook County GOP committeemen
Thumbs Down: To Gov. Bruce Rauner and state Rep. Jeanne Ives for not contacting each other since Election Day.
It’s been more than three weeks since the two battled it out on the ballot for the Republican gubernatorial nomination. The two still haven’t talked. Frankly, the person who loses usually calls to concede the race. It seems clear Ives isn’t interested in doing that. Rauner also hasn’t shown any desire to mend fences.
No one expects these two to be buddies. But even Little League players shake hands and say “good game” after the innings have all been played. The two primary opponents need to talk and put this in the past.
* The electronic Twitter machine…
Gov. Bruce Rauner and Rep. Jeanne Ives were spotted together at Obed and Isaac's Microbrewery in Springfield. I showed up just in time to wonder whose SUV I saw pulling out of the lot at 8:53 p.m., and to be bitter about my inability to run a plate. GOP unity in the works?
*** UPDATE 1 *** With a hat tip to a commenter, somebody has a new website called LyingIves.com. The site was created on January 29th, but it appears to have been udpdated since the primary ended…
Ives has a long history of truth distorting and contempt for those she disagrees with.
Her colleagues call her abrasive and stubborn.
She’s only passed five inconsequential bills in the General Assembly.
She ran one of the most negative campaigns in Illinois history
Now she demands the Republican Party cater to her whims.
We are better than this.
There is no “paid for” disclosure on the site that I could find, but whoever is running it says: “This site is dedicated to exposing her lies till she leaves office.”
*** UPDATE 2 *** This was a good idea. He needs to start flipping public perception on Ives. She’s the one, after all, who never conceded to him…
RAUNER on his encounter with IVES at Springfield restaurant: "I went over to say hello and to wish her well and to tell her I look forward to getting together with her"#twill#ilgov
House Speaker Michael J. Madigan issued the following statement Thursday, following a meeting between legislative leaders and the governor:
“Today I advised the governor and the other leaders that we are already at work on the Fiscal Year 2019 budget with our colleagues across the aisle, just as we did a year ago when Republicans and Democrats stood together to end the Rauner budget crisis. If the governor is finally ready to accept responsibility for the management of the state and be an honest partner in trying to pass a budget, we welcome him to this process.
“In the past, Governor Rauner has resorted to severe cuts targeting women, children and the elderly. Democrats cannot accept this. If the governor’s agenda is to push more of his extreme cuts to health care, senior services, and resources for our most at-risk residents, or if he intends to again move the goalposts and create chaos, he should stay on the sidelines and allow serious leaders to continue working cooperatively to address the challenges facing our state.”
…Adding… The governor sent a letter to the leaders today asking them to appoint “budgeteers” so negotiations can begin. Click here.
…Adding… Senate GOP Leader Bill Brady said the “progress” today was two-fold: 1) The Democrats agreed to appoint budgeteers; 2) The Dems agree to certify a revenue estimate.
They coulda got that done by pony express.
…Adding… Raw audio of Cullerton’s media availability is here.
.@GovRauner and four legislative leaders to have a rare meeting this morning. Gov Wed. said he'll “lay out the game plan for a balanced budget. And I’m going to hold some dates and some deadlines to try to get ‘em to do it. The one thing I am is persistent."
* And for your captioning pleasure (if you so choose), the two Dem leaders confer ahead of the meeting with Gov. Rauner as Tim Mapes looks on…
House Speaker Michael Madigan, Senate President John Cullerton, House Republican Leader Jim Durkin and Senate Republican Leader Bill Brady are meeting with Governor Bruce Rauner right now. Rauner previously said they’re discussing the FY19 budget. pic.twitter.com/6TnwIcFskV
DGA Calls on Rauner to Renounce Greitens After Bombshell Legislative Report
Missouri Governor Appeared in Rauner TV Ad; New Report Accuses Greitens of Forced Sexual Encounter
Today, the Democratic Governors Association called on Bruce Rauner to renounce the endorsement of Missouri Governor Eric Greitens, following a Missouri House special committee investigative report that accused Greitens of a forced sexual encounter and attempt to blackmail his hairdresser.
Governor Bruce Rauner had Greitens appear in a television ad across Illinois. He has refused to renounce Greitens’ endorsement since the allegations first came to light, saying he wouldn’t take a position saying “those allegations need to be investigated.”
“The allegations have been investigated and it’s time for Bruce Rauner to do the right thing and call on Eric Greitens to step down,” said DGA Illinois Communications Director Sam Salustro. “Bruce Rauner should clearly say that this abusive behavior is unacceptable and renounce his political ally Eric Greitens.”
Some background is here. The full report contains some graphic stuff, so beware if you’re at work. Click here to read it.
…Adding… That Rauner ad is still online…
By blocking my reforms, Madigan is ensuring that Illinoisans continue to struggle. pic.twitter.com/Xs3xH10HHR
.@GovRauner calls the credible findings against MO Gov Eric Greitens “terrible” and “very disturbing” and echoes calls for Greitens to step down. pic.twitter.com/CroeziVQCm
Several senators were frustrated by the apparent nonchalant demeanor of Baldwin and IDOC chief financial officer Jared Brunk, who did not discuss the money request until a few minutes into their presentation. Lawmakers said the agency has downplayed the severity of the situation.
“This is a budget hearing. If you need that money, I would respectfully suggest that you come here and you advocate for it first thing out of the box,” said state Sen. Dale Righter, R-Mattoon.
State Sen. Andy Manar, D-Bunker Hill, said he had “heard more from the inmates about the need for a supplemental than I have from both of you sitting at this table.” […]
And ahead of an expected meeting on Thursday between Gov. Bruce Rauner and legislative leaders, state Sen. Heather Steans, D-Chicago, questioned why the urgent need for an appropriation was left off the governor’s list of priorities.
“My understanding is that the governor’s going to be having a leaders meeting,” Steans said. “If this is the nature of the situation, I don’t know why that wouldn’t be high that list of items that he was discussing with the leaders. It seems to merit that.”
Baldwin didn’t respond directly to the criticism, but said his staff has been “magnificent” at keeping the department going. To manage cash flow, they’ve had to cut back on things toilet paper and cleaning supplies.
Manar told Baldwin he’d heard about the toilet paper — but not from him, which he says is part of the problem.
“I’ve heard more from the inmates about the need for supplemental than I have from both of you sitting at this table,” Manar said.
But state Sen. Dale Righter, a Republican from Mattoon, says Democrats have been aware of the budget problems in the prisons.
“The bill that is necessary to appropriate the money for DOC has been on file. The bottom line is the Democratic majority hasn’t moved it,” Righter said.
High anxiety and frustration is expected among incarcerated criminals. But lately Governor Rauner’s administrators at the Illinois Department of Corrections are living under $420 million worth of pressure and they’re hoping lawmakers will quickly send them more money to operate.
Rauner’s Department of Corrections is unable to effectively operate and dig out of the deficit spending hole created by his drawn-out budget stalemate. IDOC officials say they’ve exhausted efficiency methods, all the way down to rationing of toilet paper available to inmates.
As serious as the situation seems, Senators from both sides of the aisle expressed frustration of IDOC Director John Baldwin’s lack of strong advocacy for the funds.
“If the Department of Corrections is out of money, the Governor has to shout it out,” said Senator Elgie Sims (D-Chicago). “Until today, I’ve really heard nothing about how desperate the situation is. I haven’t heard the governor say, ‘we need help, we need half-a-billion dollars for our prison system.’ Given all he has said about out-of-balance budgets and overspending from legislators, I don’t even know if Governor Rauner has a clue about this situation.”
Part of the challenge the Department of Corrections is facing is paying the obligations that were backlogged under the two-year budget impasse. During that period, spending continued in many agencies, including Corrections. After paying many of these bills, there are insufficient funds available to operate for a full year.
While there exists Republican legislation to help advance Governor Rauner’s request for $1 billion more additional spending, the Governor’s office has taken a quiet approach to exposing the need for a supplemental appropriation.
“In February, the governor’s budget director has used terms like ‘unappropriated liabilities’ instead of being blunt in saying he needs hundreds of millions of dollars more to spend,” said Senator Heather Steans, a top Democratic budget negotiator. “There’s a willingness to work to find a solution, but I wish the administration would stop trying to nuance the need.”
The bottom line is the SDems want Gov. Rauner to make a much more specific public ask for that cash. Your thoughts?
Morning Consult released their latest tracking poll of governors’ approval ratings, and it’s bad news for Bruce Rauner. The failed governor has a net approval rating of -34, the lowest of any incumbent running for re-election.
With his approval rating plummeting to 26% and disapproval rating soaring to 60%, Morning Consult singled Rauner out in their analysis:
Rauner dropped 10 percentage points in the first three months of the year. He emerged victorious in a March 20 primary contest against state Rep. Jeanne Ives, winning by almost 3 points. Three in 5 Illinois voters disapprove of Rauner’s job performance as he looks to hold off Democratic candidate J.B. Pritzker, a billionaire philanthropist and venture capitalist, in November.
“After Bruce Rauner’s disastrous record almost lost him the primary, the most vulnerable incumbent is stumbling through the general election and losing support by the day,” said Pritzker campaign communications director Galia Slayen. “Illinoisans know they can’t afford another four years of a failed governor that fatally mismanages the Quincy Veterans’ Home and drives the state economy into the ground.”
The poll is here. But, as always, be a bit wary. Its methodology is unusual.
According to Morning Consult, Rauner is the third most unpopular governor in the country and the most unpopular of those running for reelection this year.
* Almost exactly one year ago today, Morning Consult’s poll had Rauner trending upward…
Gov. Bruce Rauner (R) has improved his standing in traditionally blue Illinois. Forty-two percent of Illinoisans now approve of Rauner, up from 33 percent in September, while his disapproval rating has dropped from 56 percent to 49 percent over the same time period.
Then he fired his top staff and all heck broke loose.
* Some alternate history from a purged Raunerite…
He doesn’t fire us, he goes on tour to slam the GA. Runs new ads playing off his veto of the tax hike. No bad news all summer. He goes into education fight with leverage, issues clean AV of the bailout and runs ads saying Chicago is trying to shut down our schools. Clean AV of the abortion bill as promised and planned - go on offense calling on Madigan not to play politics with the right to choose. Never gets a primary. Runs ads against JB all winter. Emerges from primary stronger than ever.
Maybe. But even if all that worked out as planned, he’d still face a tough reelection because of the national headwinds.
The bottom line, though, is Rauner wouldn’t be nearly in such bad shape right now if he hadn’t decided to blow up his own office and campaign staffs last year (twice).
Over the past year, Quinn has done little to nothing to fix his image, and at 31 percent, Quinn’s job approval numbers trail only Rhode Island chief executive Lincoln Chafee among governors, making him the least-liked incumbent governor facing reelection this fall. […]
“The only thing the [Quinn campaign] can do is try to beat up Bruce Rauner—make him as unattractive as possible,” said Illinois political strategist Patrick Brady, a former chairman of the Illinois Republican Party who has been described as a Rauner supporter. “You haven’t seen any ads on what Pat Quinn is going to do in the next four years… All you’ve seen is ‘Bruce Rauner has horns.’ That’s their whole campaign strategy. They will literally spend tens of millions of dollars trying to convince Illinois voters that Bruce Rauner is evil.” […]
“He’s just not a good governor,” said Brady. “Being governor requires a lot of things. And he just hasn’t shown it. We pay for it and we’re really at a tipping point right now. If we don’t get our fiscal house in order, we are not going to be in a place where we can attract good jobs to keep people here.”
Despite his proclivity for extravagance, Rauner has crafted a campaign that promises much-needed changes on pensions, taxes, and government spending. But like many campaign promises, Rauner’s reforms are non-committal, and will likely be almost impossible to accomplish.
* Gov. Rauner was at an Illinois Chamber event today and was asked about his plans for his next four years as governor. He started by pointing to “record K-12 funding” and “more equitable school funding,” then said he wanted to do this…
More effective funding for our higher education system, both community colleges and our university system. We need a lot of restructuring of our universities and our community colleges because we’ve got too much capacity, we’ve got a lot of redundancy, we’ve got a lot of overlap.
But we need more resources for higher education. And I’m committed to doing that.
Restructuring, too much capacity, redundancy and overlap. That sounds like downsizing talk to me.
…Adding… Pritzker campaign…
Bruce Rauner decimated the state’s colleges and universities during his 736-day budget crisis, yet today he’s saying, “we need more resources for higher education.”
Throughout the manufactured budget crisis, colleges and universities across the state were forced to make devastating cuts year after year. Students fled, tuition was hiked, employees were laid off, and even bond ratings and rankings plunged under Bruce Rauner’s failed leadership.
“Bruce Rauner held our state colleges and universities hostage during his budget crisis, holding back vital state dollars while employees were laid off and students fled,” said Pritzker campaign spokeswoman Jordan Abudayyeh. “This failed governor is the reason we don’t have more resources for higher education, as our critical institutions continue to rebuild from his devastating leadership.”
* Appointed freshman Rep. Jonathan Carroll’s (D-Northbrook) HB4237 would give individual Illinois taxpayers a state tax credit for donations to a state-chartered charity for education. The idea is to get around the federal government’s new state and local tax deduction limit of $10,000. According to Greg Hinz, it is picking up some bipartisan support, including House Republican Leader Jim Durkin…
Carroll said he could call the measure vote a House vote almost anytime now, and believes the outcome will be close but favorable. Other Springfield insiders say a House vote easily could be delayed until later in the spring as the House works on other matters.
But significantly, spokesmen for both House Speaker Mike Madigan and GOP Leader Jim Durkin say they favor passage. “The bill does have some appeal,” said Madigan spokesman Steve Brown. And given that the IRS recently approved prepayment of some property tax bills to avoid the caps, “Perhaps they’ll support this too.” […]
Gov. Bruce Rauner has no official position. A source close to him tells me he believes the IRS will reject such a plan.
But that source did not promise a veto, and the reason seems obvious: While Rauner argues that the new federal rules provide a good reason to adopt some of his plans and reduce local property taxes, it’s hard to see a governor running for re-election vetoing a bill that would provide significant tax savings to tens of thousands and maybe hundreds of thousands of voters, many of them in affluent, GOP-leaning neighborhoods and towns.
Some experts consider IRS rejection of such a plan as extremely likely, if only because charitable contributions are not supposed to confer a benefit on the donor. But the measure almost certainly would end up in court, with no firm timetable on when a decision would come.
* Speaking of all this, if you click here you’ll see Rep. Allen Skillicorn’s very useful interactive map of Illinois by income levels. I tried to embed the map here and failed. So head on over. It’s also useful when discussing a progressive income tax.
As Zuckerberg prepares to testify before Congress, Facebook is quietly fighting a crucial privacy measure in the Illinois Statehouse. Starting tomorrow, state legislators will consider a new amendment to the Biometric Information Privacy Act (BIPA) that could neuter one of the strongest privacy laws in the US, giving Facebook free rein to run facial recognition scans without users’ consent.
For years, Facebook has been battling a lawsuit based on BIPA, which required explicit consent before companies can collect biometric data like fingerprints or facial recognition profiles. According to the plaintiffs, Facebook’s photo-tagging system violates that law, identifying faces in uploaded photos with no clear notice or consent. (Similar lawsuits have also been filed against Google and Snapchat.) Facebook added a more explicit consent provision earlier this year, but the lawsuit has continued on the basis of the earlier collection.
This week’s amendment would carve out significant new exceptions to the bill, allowing companies to collect biometric data without notice or consent as long as it’s handled with the same protections as other sensitive data. Companies could also be exempted if they do not sell or otherwise profit from the data, or if it is used only for employment purposes.
Our biometrics are easy to capture. Once captured, we generally cannot change our biometrics, unlike our credit card numbers, or even our names. Databases of biometric information are ripe targets for data thieves. .
The Senate proposal would allow companies to collect biometric information on their employees if it is used exclusively for employment, human resources or identification, as well as safety, security or fraud prevention.
That’s troubling to Adam Schwartz, a senior lawyer at the San Francisco-based Electronic Frontier Foundation. Currently, employers can take their employees’ fingerprints to have them clock in; they just have to notify them first.
That empowers “workers in Illinois to have a say in what their employers are doing with their biometrics,” Schwartz said. The proposed change would take away that power.
As is the case with many bills, Sen. Cunningham says he started out to address a constituent problem. The law provides for fines of $1,000 per violation if it’s unintentional. Cunningham told me about a nursing home in his district that dumped its old time-card system for fingerprint registration, but was unaware that it needed to notify its employees. So, it faced a penalty of $1,000 for each unintentional offense. That worked out to $4,000 per day per employee - $1,000 when they clocked in, another $1K when they clocked out for lunch, another $1K when they clocked back in from lunch and another $1K when the clocked out at the end of the day. Take that times 200 employees and it was looking at an $800,000 per day penalty.
So, it should come as no surprise that trial lawyers, particularly a narrow set of trial lawyers who file these sorts of lawsuits, are hotly opposed to Cunningham’s bill. Cunningham said he worries about “small employers being sued for technical violations.” But the trial lawyers have a lot of juice in the General Assembly.
In a ruling that may have significant impact on the recent wave of biometric privacy suits, an Illinois state appeals court held that plaintiffs must claim actual harm to be considered an “aggrieved person” covered by Illinois’ Biometric Information Privacy Act (BIPA), in a dispute arising from the alleged unlawful collection of fingerprints from a Six Flags season pass holder. […]
The plaintiff, whose son’s fingerprint was collected by Six Flags after purchasing a season pass for one of its Great America amusement parks, filed suit on behalf of her son and similarly situated class members, against Great America LLC and Six Flags Entertainment Corp. for allegedly violating Illinois’ BIPA by failing to obtain proper written consent or disclosing their plan for the collection, use, storage, or destruction of her son’s biometric information. The plaintiff further claimed that had she known of Six Flags’ collection of fingerprints, she would not have allowed her son to purchase a season pass.
Six Flags argued in a motion to dismiss that the BIPA allows only “aggrieved” individuals to sue for all alleged violations, and that the plaintiff’s son and other similar plaintiffs who had not suffered actual harm have not met the necessary threshold to bring a claim.
* Back to the Tribune for just one reason why big companies like Facebook and Google are hoping to revise Illinois law…
The law already appears to be influencing some product rollouts. Nest, a maker of smart thermostats and doorbells, sells a doorbell with a camera that can recognize visitors by their faces. However, Nest, owned by Google parent Alphabet, does not offer that feature in Illinois because of the biometrics law. Google’s Arts & Culture app rolled out a new feature late last year that matched users’ uploaded selfies with portraits or faces depicted in works of art, but it’s not available in Illinois, likely due to the state’s biometric law.
Opponents are concerned that the proposed changes would only require private entities to notify people if their biometric data is to be kept for more than 24 hours. Additionally, the law would only protect biometric data linked to “confidential and sensitive information,” such as a driver’s license number or Social Security number.
In honor of Equal Pay Day, women took to the Capitol to fight a decades-old battle for equal wages.
They say women deserve equality under the law and they’re calling on lawmakers to rise up and join the movement. One major way is by adopting the Equal Rights Amendment, found in the U.S. Constitution.
Simply put, the amendment protects someone from being discriminated against on the basis of gender and ensures equal rights for men and women.
Since it passed Congress in the 70’s, 37 states have adopted it. Illinois is not one of them. In fact, it’s the only northern state which hasn’t done so.
It takes 38 states for an amendment to become part of the Constitution. That’s why, Tuesday, women’s rights’ advocates were pushing for Illinois to be the final piece of the puzzle.
Dozens went to the Capitol Tuesday to call on lawmakers to put children first.
Several child advocacy groups met with lawmakers for Early Childhood Advocacy Day. They say they want full funding for programs like childcare and early childhood education.
The governor’s budget would slash childcare assistance funding by $96 million. Some say it’s unfair. Enrollment for childcare has dropped since Governor Bruce Rauner changed eligibility requirements.
Sometimes, taking daily medication is a matter of life or death. But, some healthcare providers are taking advantage of that and putting lives in danger.
Now, lawmakers are tackling the problem from all angles. One bill would stop insurers from switching drugs offered in a patient’s plan.
Several healthcare professionals who support the move say “bait and switch” is unfair and unhealthy. They say, when people sign up for healthcare plans, they should get exactly the drugs their bodies need and already rely on.
Monday, the idea came to a committee hearing, but not without some backlash. Business groups say the change could hike prices for employers.
* Gov. Rauner was asked yesterday by Bernie Schoenburg about recent allegations made by Sen. Sam McCann regarding the 2015 AFSCME arbitration bill vote…
He said Rauner suggested he skip the vote if he wouldn’t vote no, but made it clear that there was “one way to make him angry,” which would be a “yes” vote.
“And he looked at me, and said, ‘I’ll destroy you and your family if you go through with this,’” McCann said.
“No, I did not say that,” Rauner told Bernie with a laugh. Schoenburg asked if McCann was lying. “There’s a lot of wild stuff goes on in politics, I’ll say that,” Rauner replied.
Dahl: Speaking of that. House Bill 40, Ives and Madigan are together and Swedish grandparents. I mean, you’ve got a reputation for not telling the truth. [Rauner laughs.] How can people cast a vote for you with all that stacked up against you?
Rauner: I’ve fought hard for the people of Illinois to create a better future. We need to grow more jobs, we need to bring down our property taxes, we need integrity in government with term limits. I’m fightin’ for the people and a better future for our people and our children and grandchildren…
Dahl: But what about being a man of your word? You’re taking on water there.
Rauner: People know that I’m a fighter on principles that will make us a better future. Lower taxes, more jobs and integrity in government through term limits.
* Meanwhile, here’s a fun little snippet that came in over the transom. It’s from Gov. Rauner’s speech last night to the Annual Innovations in Construction, Asphalt, and Transportation Conference in Peoria…
And my kids were leavin’ Illinois. I’ve got six kids, they were leavin’ Illinois. I said ‘This is ridiculous.’ And my partners in my bidness said, ‘Bruce we gotta get out of here, we gotta leave.’ And I said: ‘I ain’t not leaving Illinois. I was born here. I’ve lived here my whole life. I’m not gonna run away. We’re gonna fix this, and that’s why I decided to run for governor.’
“I ain’t not leaving Illinois.” Man, does that Dartmouth/Harvard grad love talking like a hillbilly. Not to mention that it’s a double negative. Maybe those Italy reports were true? /snark
* Related…
* State Rep. McSweeney: Tim Schneider is “head of the Rauner Party, not the Illinois Republican Party”
Wednesday, Apr 11, 2018 - Posted by Advertising Department
[The following is a paid advertisement.]
Did you know that health plans are changing Illinois families’ benefits while consumers are locked into their plans for the year? People in Illinois, especially those living with chronic conditions, carefully shop for a health plan which covers the treatments they need at prices they can afford. But health plans aren’t delivering the benefits they have marketed and sold to Illinois consumers.
House Bill 4146 Fixes the Health Plan Bait-and-Switch
House Bill 4146 would simply prevent insurers from making unfair – and potentially unsafe – benefit changes while Illinoisans are locked into the plan. The legislation, however, would still allow insurers to utilize generics, add treatments to their formularies and also remove them for safety reasons.
Insurers need to deliver on the policies they sell. The Illinois Legislature should support HB 4146 to make health coverage fair.
States that impose graduated income tax rates, which vary in application but number 33 in all, present a troublesome case for their residents, and would, undoubtedly, present an equally problematic case here in Illinois; looking at California, for example, which has one of the most so-called progressive income tax bracket systems, with a base rate of 1% and a top marginal rate of 13.3%, an Illinois taxpayer that is earning a median household income of approximately $59,000 would be subject to a 9.3% income tax rate under the Golden State’s model - nearly doubling the current Illinois tax; using the New York tax structure, the Illinois taxpayer would be subject to a 6.33% state tax rate; using the New Jersey model, that same Illinois taxpayer would be subjected to a 5.525% income tax rate [Emphasis added]
HR975, supported by nearly the entire House @ILGOP caucus and @BruceRauner, calls a graduated income tax a "repugnant affront to Illinois families" and uses three states to make its point: California, New York, and New Jersey#twill#ilgovpic.twitter.com/aJrVOApWn8
— Illinois Working Together (@IllinoisWorking) April 11, 2018
* The essential problem with the resolution, as IWT points out, is that the House GOP looks at marginal, not effective tax rates. Click here if you need an explainer…
Your marginal tax bracket, or marginal tax rate, and the actual tax rate you pay on your income are usually two different numbers. This is because you don’t pay your marginal tax rate on your entire income, thanks to deductions, exemptions, tax credits, and the way the tax brackets are structured.
…Adding… The Center for Tax and Budget Accountability also weighed in on this topic. Click here.
* Related…
* House GOP blasts Pritzker’s plan for graduated income tax: Pritzker spokeswoman Jordan Abudayyeh called the resolution a “political stunt” to distract from Rauner’s “failure as governor.” The Illinois individual income tax rate is a flat 4.95 percent. Although he has not specified the rates he prefers, Pritzker has suggested a higher rate for higher levels of income — the idea being that those bringing home a bigger paycheck can afford to pay more in taxes. He hasn’t suggested bringing in more revenue with the rates. But Durkin scoffed at a Democratic plan that could be revenue-neutral. “They are not going to pass a progressive tax without having more money to spend. It’s in their DNA,” Durkin said. “That’s how they operate, and giving them more ability to raise taxes on individuals at different rates is going to be a disaster.”
* House Republicans Pledge To Oppose Progressive Income Tax: Yet – a poll last year by the Paul Simon Public Policy Institute showed 72 percent of voters support changing the state constitution to allow a progressive tax. Twenty-four percent are opposed.
* Republicans aim to make sure Pritzker’s income tax plan doesn’t progress: “First of all business owners will flood out of the state. It will lower our tax base, but more importantly in every state that puts in a graduated income tax hike, the middle class ends up paying more. The middle class gets whacked in the end,” Rauner said.
* Illinois House GOP voices opposition to progressive income tax: Rep. David Harris of Arlington Heights was the only House Republican not to sign the resolution. Harris could not be reached for comment. He was one of 10 House Republicans to split with Durkin and vote for last summer’s budget and tax package. “Taxpayers cannot afford the current increase in taxes,” Durkin said at a Statehouse news conference. “There’s no way the Democrats should even be floating an idea of the progressive tax. Both opponents and proponents know how debilitating this tax would be to Illinois taxpayers.”
* IL Policy Institute: Fifty lawmakers are taking a pledge to fight a progressive income tax in Illinois, denying progressive tax proponents the support needed to put a constitutional amendment on the ballot.
Governor Bruce Rauner says if asked by President Trump, he would send Illinois National Guard soldiers to the U.S.-Mexico border.
“Frankly, the president is the commander-in-chief of our military,” he said while fielding questions at an event in Springfield Tuesday. “Illinois has not been requested to send troops. If we are requested, I believe we’ll honor that request.”
So far, only Texas, Arizona, and New Mexico have agreed to send guardsmen, after President Trump called for a military response to what he calls “lawlessness” at the border.
*** UPDATE 1 *** Expected response…
.@BruceRauner needs to stand up to Trump’s blatant racism and political pandering. This is an unnecessary and irresponsible use of our National Guard.https://t.co/WTLLB2mvIF
State Senator Martin A. Sandoval (D-Chicago)son of immigrant parents that crossed the Mexican border in 1959, issued the following response to Gov. Bruce Rauner’sstatement that he would comply if President Donald Trump ordered Illinois National Guard soldiers to the Mexican border:
“Governor Rauner has shown us time and time again that he is totally unwilling to speak out against the president’s offensive, racist policies and statements. Sending Illinois National Guard soldiers to the border would be a ridiculous waste of taxpayer money. It would also send a message to immigrants in our state that they should be treated like criminals instead of valuable members of our communities. The governor needs to be a leader and stand up for the millions of immigrants living in Illinois
* I went over some of this poll with subscribers earlier today. Keep in mind that the proponents used both a Republican and a Democratic pollster. The 20 House and Senate districts polled were mainly in the suburbs, with three Downstate districts. Polling memo…
To: Interested Parties
From: Randall Gutermuth (American Viewpoint) and Jason McGrath (GBA Strategies)
Re: Recent Survey Findings in Key IL Legislative Districts Regarding Gun Dealer Licensing Act (SB 1657)
Date: April 11, 2018
The following outlines the key findings from a survey of key State House and State Senate districts commissioned by the Illinois Gun Violence Prevention Coalition and conducted by the bi-partisan team of American Viewpoint and GBA Strategies regarding the state regulation of gun dealers.
These findings conclude that there is widespread bi-partisan support for requiring firearms dealers to be licensed by the state. This includes widespread support from gun owners.
“As you may know, recently there was a proposal passed by the state legislature to require firearms dealers to become licensed by the state of Illinois. From what you know, do you favor or oppose this proposal?”
• Across these districts, 71% of voters favor the proposal, with only 23% opposing it. Intensity is much greater on the supporting side, with 52% strongly favoring the proposal and 16% strongly opposing it.
• Nearly two-thirds of Republicans favor the proposal (65%-30%) as do an overwhelming majority of voters in GOP-held Senate (71%-22%) and House (73%-22%) districts.
• The key swing voting bloc of Independents favor this proposal 68%-25%, including Independent women favoring it by a 79%-16% margin. Support from Independent women is nearly as high as it is among Democrats overall (80%-13%).
• There is also little difference seen by geography. For example, voters in the downstate districts favor the proposal 67%-23% and voters in the west suburbs favor it 74%-19%.
Given that gun owners also widely support this proposal underscores that this isn’t seen as an infringement of 2nd Amendment rights.
• 33% of respondents are in a household that owns a firearm. These voters favor the proposal by a greater than two-to-one margin (63%-30%).
Opponents of this proposal will struggle to build opposition.
• After hearing a balanced set of arguments from both sides, more than two-thirds of voters continue to favor the proposal (67%-30%).
• The most powerful argument from proponents was:
o For years, Congress has cut essential funding for law enforcement to prevent gun dealers from selling guns illegally. As a result, gun dealers operate with minimal oversight and are inspected only once every five years. This has resulted in over 4000 illegal guns that each year are traced to gun dealers in Illinois. Licensing gun dealers in our state will improve monitoring and help ensure that guns sold in Illinois don’t end up in the wrong hands. (69% very/somewhat convincing)
• None of the opposing arguments we tested were as resonant as the most powerful arguments from supporters. In particular, arguments about regulatory burdens and the costs to small gun manufacturers fell flat.
o This proposal will put an enormous regulatory burden on gun owners and add between $150 and $300 dollars to the price of any new firearm. This will result in many gun dealers closing, causing law-abiding citizens to drive hundreds of miles to find a gun dealer still in business and will result in the loss of hundreds of well-paying jobs. (42% very/somewhat convincing)
o Small gun manufacturers in Illinois will be priced out of business with the proposal to license gun dealers, as they would have to comply with this proposal as well. The costs to manufacturers would be prohibitive and they would have to move out of state or shut down, forcing many Illinoisans to lose their jobs. (40% very/somewhat convincing)
In the divisive and polarized world of today, it is rare to see a legislative proposal that sees this level of support across partisan lines. The upside for legislators is significant, while the downside for Republicans concerned about their base is extremely limited. Requiring gun dealers to be licensed by the state is both good policy and good politics.
* Methodology…
N=600 interviews were conducted on March 26-28, 2018 in 20 key State House and in State Senate Districts located primarily in the suburban Cook and Collar Counties of Chicago and a few downstate. 40% of interviews were conducted with a cell phone sample of those who couldn’t be reached on a landline. The margin of error for the full sample is +/- 4.0% at the 95% confidence level and the margin of error among sub-groups is greater.
* Accompanying press release…
During a time of significant political divisiveness, there is one issue where Illinois voters across party lines are united: license gun dealers in Illinois as part of the Gun Dealer Licensing Act (SB 1657), thus paving the way for an override of Governor Rauner’s veto of this bill.
Despite passing with bipartisan support this session, Governor Rauner vetoed SB 1657 shortly before the March primary. Starting April 10, the state Senate has 15 days in which to override his veto; if overridden, it will then move to the House, opening another 15 day window for an override.
The Gun Dealer Licensing Act would require criminal background checks for all gun shop employees. It would require training to help gun shop employees identify a buyer purchasing a gun for someone else, require basic store security measures to help prevent theft, and strengthen law enforcement’s ability to catch those responsible for illegal gun trafficking.
The Illinois Gun Violence Prevention Coalition (ILGVP) conducted a bipartisan poll to gauge public opinion around this bill in key swing suburban cook, collar county and (a few) downstate districts. Support for this bill is widespread, with 71% of voters across these districts favoring the proposal. This gives legislators in traditionally more conservative and gun friendly districts assurances that their voters strongly support putting common-sense measures in place to ensure firearms from local gun dealers don’t hand end up in the hands of those looking to do harm.
“Republicans, Independents and gun owners all support this common-sense legislation that would help keep illegal guns out of our communities,” said Kathleen Sances, President and CEO of the Illinois Gun Violence Prevention PAC (GPAC). “Legislators can rest assured that their constituents are on the right side of this issue and they are empowered to vote to override the Governor’s veto of SB 1657.”
The Governor argued that the bill duplicated the work of the Federal government in regulating gun dealers to justify his veto. However, while the ATF is required to monitor gun dealers across the country, including Illinois, they are significantly underfunded and understaffed due to Congressional budget cuts. In fact, the ATF inspected just six percent of the 136,000 gun dealers in the U.S. in 2015. Meanwhile, a typical Illinois dealer may go up to 10 years between inspections. Perhaps worst of all, because the ATF is prohibited from requiring dealers to conduct annual inventories the actual number of guns lost or stolen in the U.S. each year is unknown. SB 1657 addresses these issues, creating a better system of checks and balances that will save lives.
This bipartisan poll was conducted by American Viewpoint and GBA Strategies on March 26 – 28, 2018 in 20 key state House and Senate Districts located primarily in the suburban Cook and Collar Counties of Chicago, in addition to a few downstate districts. 600 likely voters were interviewed and the poll has a margin of error of +/- 4%.
* Related…
* Democrats face two-week deadline in trying to override Rauner veto of gun store bill: “For years we have been combating the intense depth but narrow breadth of NRA-supported districts,” Harmon said. “The same 20 or 30 guys show up at a senator’s office over and over and over again and demand that the senator not support common sense gun laws. And meanwhile there are 30,000 people in the district who feel the opposite but they don’t have the same intensity. And that’s something that has changed in the wake of these horrific shootings.” But opponents led by gun shop owners said they were “optimistic” Rauner’s veto would stand. They note that just 30 senators voted for the proposal the first time around, and Harmon needs 36 votes to override the governor.
While the Rauner campaign launched an “Illinois Priorities Survey” yesterday, it was wildly different than a first draft sources tipped us off to. Take a look for yourself:
“Bruce Rauner forced this state into a 736-day budget crisis, fatally mismanaged the Quincy Veteran’s Home, and decimated the tools Illinoisans need to build better lives,” said Pritzker campaign spokesman Jason Rubin. “After three years of crisis, damage, and pain the results are in: Bruce Rauner has failed.”
* They missed an opportunity, however. A reader recently pointed out this question in the governor’s survey…
Do you believe patronage hires in state government should be illegal?
The snark possibilities are almost endless, but the topic is also in the news this week. From a Daily Herald editorial…
Late last year, we urged a change in state law that allows professional contracts to be awarded at the discretion of the Illinois Toll Highway Authority board.
Rather than seeking sealed bids and awarding the contract to the qualified bidder offering the lowest cost, current law allows the board to choose from among three finalists vetted by a blue-ribbon committee.
At the time, we were concerned about the awarding of a $157 million contract to a Lisle-based engineering company that employs the daughter of the tollway chair and the son of the chief tollway engineer. […]
Daily Herald transportation writer Marni Pyke reported this week that the tollway authority has paid more than $636,000 over seven months as part of an estimated $6.6 million contract with a politically connected communications firm.
Ald. Marty Quinn (13th) would be a lock to become the new chairman of the City Council’s Aviation Committee if not for his role in the #MeToo scandal swirling around House Speaker Michael Madigan’s political organization.
But Quinn is simply too hot to handle after playing a pivotal go-between role between his own brother and political consultant Alaina Hampton, who has accused Kevin Quinn of stalking her with a series of harassing text messages.
As a result, the race is wide open to replace Aviation Committee Chairman Mike Zalewski (23rd), who is resigning his City Council seat, effective May 31.
Although the Aviation Committee budget is a modest $109,496-a-year that’s been frozen since 2011, the position is pivotal.
The new chairman will preside over the $8.5 billion O’Hare Airport expansion project and make certain that African Americans and Hispanics get a fair share of the bonanza of jobs and contracts.
Zalewski’s 23rd Ward is closely allied with Speaker Madigan’s 13th Ward, the home of Midway Airport, which is always in danger of being overshadowed by O’Hare. Quinn would’ve therefore been a perfect contender.
[Ald. Ricardo Munoz] is allied with onetime Emanuel opponent Jesus “Chuy” Garcia, and he is a member of the City Council Progressive Caucus that occasionally opposes the mayor’s initiatives. So it’s questionable whether Emanuel would put someone with such an independent streak atop a key committee.
“I would think the mayor would want someone who’s willing to do the work, to work hard,” Munoz said when asked if the mayor would consider him too much of a wild card.
[Ald. Nick Sposato] has been on the council since 2011, and it could rankle some longer-tenured aldermen if Emanuel gives him such a powerful chairmanship. But Sposato pointed to his work as vice chairman on the committee and his proximity to O’Hare.
“Come over to my house. If someone’s on a plane they can wave to you out the window,” he said.
Remember, however, that Chuy has been cutting a whole lot of interesting political deals the past several months, particularly on the Southwest Side.
In this suit under §2 of the Voting Rights Act, 52 U.S.C. §10301, plaintiffs (registered voters, some of whom are parents or grandparents of school-age children) contend that this system deprives black and Latino citizens of their right to vote. School boards elsewhere in Illinois are elected; plaintiffs say that failure to elect the school board in Chicago has a disproportionate effect on minority voters. The district court dismissed the complaint. […]
The Voting Rights Act has been on the books for 53 years, and as far as we are aware no court has understood §2 to re- quire that any office be filled by election. Several courts have rejected contentions to that effect. […]
There is a further problem with plaintiffs’ position. Black and Latino citizens do not vote for the school board in Chicago, but neither does anyone else. Every member of the electorate is treated identically […]
Plaintiffs have a second theory: that allowing the Mayor to appoint the Board’s members violates the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. […]
This equal-protection theory is brought up short by Sail- ors v. Board of Education, 387 U.S. 105 (1967), which holds that appointing a school board is constitutionally permissible, and by Hearne v. Board of Education, 185 F.3d 770 (7th Cir. 1999), which holds that the 1995 Illinois statute is valid not- withstanding the line it draws between Chicago and every other city in Illinois.
How Bruce Rauner Decimated Agriculture in Illinois
Rauner Tried to Zero Out Ag Funding, Shut Down Illinois State Museum
Chicago, IL – Bruce Rauner is celebrating Illinois Agriculture Legislative Day today at the Illinois State Museum, but his failed record on supporting the agriculture industry begs serious questions:
Why did Rauner propose eliminating funding for agriculture education? In 2016, Rauner zeroed out funding for the second time.
Why did Rauner cut tens of millions of dollars for agriculture programs? In late 2017, Rauner cut $21 million from the Department of Agriculture in a budget legislators passed over his reckless vetoes.
Why did Rauner hold back on disbursing the soil and conservation funds approved by the legislature? Rauner only disbursed $5 million of the $13.5 million appropriated, a nearly 63% reduction.
Bonus: Why did Rauner close the Illinois State Museum for nine months? A few months into the budget crisis, Rauner closed the museum — which caused two thirds of management to leave — and suggested it charge admission to re-open.
“From gutting agriculture education to slashing funding for agriculture programs, Bruce Rauner has failed hardworking farmers and workers across Illinois,” said Pritzker campaign spokeswoman Jordan Abudayyeh. “Illinoisans deserve a governor who knows one in 17 Illinois jobs is in the agriculture industry and values the working families that drive our agricultural economy — and that’s JB Pritzker.”
Read JB’s plan to nurture our agriculture economy HERE.
Rauner’s Unbalanced Budget Cuts Funding, Increases Expenses in Communities Across Illinois
Chicago, IL – Bruce Rauner’s FY19 budget proposal attempts to “balance” the budget on the backs of working people. With the General Assembly holding budget hearings this week, the Pritzker campaign is highlighting the different communities that would be hurt by this failed governor’s unbalanced budget.
To balance the state’s budget, Bruce Rauner is reducing shared income tax revenue while offloading state expenses to local governments across the state. Rauner proposed a 10% cut to the Local Government Distribution Fund while forcing cities and towns to pay for road construction and school districts to pick up pension costs. Now, local governments will be left to either slash services or increase property taxes.
“Bruce Rauner’s unbalanced state budget is leaving gaping holes in local government budgets across the state,” said Pritzker campaign spokeswoman Jordan Abudayyeh. “Towns, cities and schools in communities across Illinois will suffer as Rauner tries to balance the budget at their expense and lets his fiscal mismanagement spiral.”
* And here’s the Rauner campaign with a Tuesday press release about something Pritzker said the previous Friday which also mentions Joe Berrios, who lost his primary race and is about to lose his party chairmanship job…
On Friday, JB Pritzker appeared on WJBC and criticized the property tax system as “regressive” and “not fair,” despite personally abusing the system to secure a $230,000 tax break. In doing so, Pritzker forced other residents who are unable to afford politically-connected lawyers to pay more in taxes to cover his reduction.
“Lowering the tax burden is the goal. By lowering the tax rate that they might pay on income taxes, and also, very important, lowering local property taxes, which are so regressive. The poorest neighborhoods and in middle class neighborhoods, people are paying higher rates of property taxes than people who live in wealthy neighborhoods, they’re paying lower rates. That’s just not fair.” - JB Pritzker on WJBC
Pritzker is hypocritically criticizing a system he took advantage of himself. This comes after months of Pritzker’s refusals to condemn Cook County Assessor Joe Berrios, the man implicated in multiple independent reviews as having directed a corrupt property tax system that benefitted political insiders like Pritzker and Mike Madigan.
It’s “just not fair” that taxpayers are paying the price for JB Pritzker to benefit from a corrupt system while refusing to criticize Joe Berrios.
* Erratic, arrogant leaders who lay off staff and slash newsroom budgets while spending lavishly on themselves, and demeaning reporters and editors by forcing them to interview to keep their own jobs will often lead to this sort of thing. Even so, wow…
One of the nation’s oldest and most prestigious regional newspapers, The Chicago Tribune, could soon have a unionized staff. Wednesday morning, journalists from its newsroom informed management they are preparing to organize and they have collected signatures from dozens of colleagues.
This is a historic move at a paper that had for decades taken a hardline stance against unions.
The move will likely not go over well with its current corporate owner Tronc. Two months ago, the newspaper publishing company struck a deal to sell another venerable daily the Los Angeles Times, weeks after the paper’s journalists succeeded in unionizing its newsroom.
Journalists at the Tribune say the move will help them secure better pay and ensure they can fulfill the paper’s mission.
The Tribune always kept the union out of its hair by treating its people well. That era has ended.
You can learn more about the organizing attempt by clicking here.
