* JB Pritzker spoke to the Evanston chapter of Action for a Better Tomorrow this week and said something for the first time…
During the Q&A portion of the event, Pritzker said he would get rid of gerrymandering and also does not support public financing of statewide campaigns
Pritzker has previously referred to his support for publicly financed judicial races, but never specifically ruled out statewide campaigns until now.
* But that’s not all Pritzker said on the topic. From a tracker video..
I don’t like the bill that I saw that’s in Springfield today.
That would be Sen. Daniel Biss’ bill to set up a publicly funded small donor matching system for all campaigns. That would also be the same Sen. Biss who recently endorsed Pritzker, but first wanted the nominee to come around on this issue.
We’ve got to work on trying to limit campaign contributions across the board, but I worry that since we’re going to have trouble convincing the vast majority of people in the state of Illinois that we should spend millions and millions of dollars on one race, for example, that that’s going to be very hard to do at a statewide level. I think for local races, for judicial races, even for state Rep and state Senate races, I think it’s very practical to do. I just have trouble at the statewide level — think about how much money is going to be spent in this attorney general’s race.
* I asked Biss about Pritzker’s opposition to publicly financed statewide campaigns and he chose to look on the bright side…
I think if we passed a law that was very similar to SB1424’s provisions for the GA that would be a huge step forward.
Look, I support SB1424. I disagree with him about the statewides. But I think what he’s proposing is real and would matter. It’s not window dressing.
Well, Daniel pretty much killed my “mess with JB” post, but whatevs. I guess he really is with Team JB now.
* The questions were pretty interesting, though. Biss may be on board, but some members of the audience clearly weren’t buying in…
Illinois Attorney General Candidate Erika Harold today announced sweeping recommendations to address the Democratic majority in the General Assembly’s failure to confront the #MeToo movement.
“The failure by Speaker Madigan, Senator Kwame Raoul and the Democratic majority in the General Assembly to enact meaningful reform of the investigation and complaint resolution process is a failure of leadership,” Harold said. “Women deserve real reform, and as Illinois’ Attorney General, I will demand no less.” […]
Erika Harold recommends the following changes:
* the law governing the Legislative Inspector General’s position should be amended to provide for an investigation that is independent of the General Assembly’s influence.
* the ethics commission should be expanded to include members of the public, so that legislators will be accountable not just to their colleagues in Springfield but also to their constituents.
* if the ethics commission finds evidence that a legislator engaged in sexual harassment, retaliation or other misconduct, then a Complaint should be filed with the independent Illinois Courts Commission, as opposed to being resolved by the ethics commission.
* the Illinois Courts Commission should be empowered to censure, fine or recommend for removal members of the legislature found guilty of sexual harassment or other misconduct.
* the perpetrator’s identity should be made public, as the public is entitled to know which legislators abuse their power and position.
* The Question: Which of these recommendations could you support and which would you oppose and why?
* David Risley, the director of criminal justice and public safety policy for the governor’s office, testified in a House committee hearing today and made a surprising offer…
Office of @GovRauner just committed to signing & @WillGuzzardi offered to sponsor standalone bill imposing a 72-hour waiting period on purchase of ALL guns. Waiting periods are evidence-based. We would be happy to work with the Gov & General Assembly to make it happen! #twill
Rep. Will Guzzardi: So what I’m asking you is to commit on behalf of the Governor’s office to enact a clean bill on a waiting period that the Governor’s office – on whose behalf you speak – admits will save the lives of Illinoisans without hanging it up on all these other provisions which are obviously very controversial. Is that a commitment that the Governor’s office can make to us today?”
David Risley: “Let me put it this way, we’ve already prepared that bill. We would hope that it would reach the Governor’s desk with exactly the language that he has proposed in the amendatory veto, without limiting it as it was in the original bill to a certain class of firearms, of long guns. The Governor wants to extend it to all firearms and it that bill reaches his desk I would fully expect he would sign his own bill.”
Rep. Will Guzzardi: “You say ‘that bill.’ You mean a standalone bill on a waiting period?”
David Risley: “Right, right. Exactly.”
Rep. Will Guzzardi: “That’s a bill that the Governor’s office would commit to signing?”
I asked the governor’s office for comment at 1 o’clock this afternoon. I’ll let you know what they say if I do hear back.
*** UPDATE *** From the governor’s office…
The governor has presented a comprehensive public safety package to the General Assembly. We urge the General Assembly to consider this package that gets to the heart of critical public safety issues including a standard 72-hour waiting period for all gun sales, banning bump stocks, keeping guns out of the hands of dangerous individuals, holding judges and prosecutors accountable for sentencing, freeing up local revenue to hire school resource officers and the death penalty for mass murderers and those who would kill law enforcement officers. A motion to accept the Governor’s changes to House Bill 1468 has been filed by the sponsor. There is a clear opportunity for the House to consider the package in its entirety.
* Lt. Gov. Evelyn Sanguinetti appeared on a Bloomington-Normal radio station this morning to talk about Speaker Madigan and Kelly Cassidy. In case you haven’t been paying attention, Rep. Kelly Cassidy went public Monday with her story of being forced to resign from her part-time job in the Cook County Sheriff’s Office due to pressure from Madigan allies after she called for an independent investigation of sexual harassment within the state’s Democratic party organization, which Madigan also heads.
But either Sanguinetti has her signals crossed on who is doing the harassing, or perhaps she misspoke and meant something else, but she ended up calling Madigan the “harasser-in-chief”…
Host: Well, Madigan has a way of going after folks who make him look a little less than comfortable. I guess he feels that since he’s Illinois’ candy man, he can do it.
Sanguinetti: Absolutely, absolutely. And I have a daughter who just turned 18 and I’m always telling her to stand up for her rights and if you see something, you’ve got to say something. Look at what happened to Kelly Cassidy. What message does this send to our young ladies out there? You see something, you say something and what — you get fired? You get retaliated against? By the top harasser-in-chief. So we shouldn’t stand up for this. This should give you pause, this should give everyone pause.
For whatever reason, Sanguinetti’s “harasser-in-chief” comment was clipped out of the highlight reel distributed by the Rauner campaign this morning.
* Sanguinetti also echoed calls today for an independent investigator — other than Legislative Inspector General Julie Porter — to look into the Cassidy matter. As you’ll remember from yesterday, Sen. Melinda Bush told me that she and other female senators were planning on asking IG Porter to investigate the situation, but Speaker Madigan beat the senators to the punch and asked Porter to investigate the matter himself.
Sen. Karen McConnaughay (R-St. Charles) has been the loudest voice on this topic since yesterday. She sits on the Legislative Ethics Commission and chatted with reporters earlier…
.@kmcconnaughay33 says the current legislative investigative process is like the “fox watching the henhouse.” She says Madigan’s call to investigate Rep. Cassidy’s claims is an inherent conflict of interest. pic.twitter.com/2JqKAKWEkd
“You can’t say with a straight face that you have an independent process until you take the politics out of it, you take the political entities out of the equation and you give that independent individual the power to do the investigation. Remember, the way it works in Illinois is no Inspector General can go and do an investigation without asking the General Assembly to do so. It’s the fox guarding the henhouse problem that we have in Illinois…”
“As good as Julie Porter might be, if the person who’s responsible for hiring her is the person about to be investigated, then that is a clear conflict of interest. I don’t know how that could be at all complicated or confusing for anyone.”
I’m the communications manager for ProPublica Illinois and I’m writing with a story we wanted to make sure was on your radar. Today’s story is on our website, and also ran at the Sun-Times. This is part of Mick Dumke’s continuing coverage about the activities of the Illinois Policy Institute, which you may recall has been under heavy criticism for issues of transparency and accountability with the nonprofit’s political operations.
Please feel free to reach out if you have any questions. I’ve included a summary below and hopefully this may be a fit for a write-up at Capitol Fax.
Best,
Derrick
The Story: Groups connected to the Illinois Policy Institute, the state’s leading conservative think tank, have gained momentum on Chicago’s Northwest Side by organizing against an affordable housing complex. The proposal, supported by 45th Ward Ald. John Arena and State Rep. Robert Martwick, has stirred intense debate about government aid for the poor, racial segregation and housing density.
According to records obtained by ProPublica Illinois reporter Mick Dumke, starting with the 2012 elections, some Illinois Policy Institute leaders began funding campaigns after a series of transactions involving other organizations and political action committees they formed. In 2015 and 2016, the Government Accountability Alliance, which is also led by institute CEO John Tillman, gave more than $3 million total to the Illinois Opportunity Project. The IOP in turn has poured more than $1.7 million into political campaigns and committees across the state, including candidates opposed to the affordable housing complex. Tillman was also on the board of the Illinois Opportunity Project through 2016. (The story infographics help illustrate the money trail.)
The activities of some Illinois Policy Institute leaders have raised questions about accountability and transparency. For example, a report by the Chicago Sun-Times and ProPublica Illinois found that the now-defunct Project Six, touted as an independent and nonpartisan watchdog group, received 98 percent of its initial funding from the Illinois Policy Institute. And following that and similar reports, Congressman Dan Lipinski called for an investigation into IPI.
If you liked Airbnb versus the hotel industry or Uber-Lyft against taxi operators, a similar fight over what rules to apply to car-sharing companies is brewing in Springfield. And it could turn into a beaut, with the future of the transportation business and millions of dollars a year in tax income at stake.
Pending before the House Executive Committee is a bill backed by Enterprise and other traditional car-rental firms that would require emerging car-sharing competitors to follow the same licensing and regulatory rules that they do. The new competitors, such as San Francisco-based Turo, do not own and rent their own vehicles but instead use an app-based system in which travelers lease cars directly from individual car owners, with Turo playing intermediary.
Turo spokesmen argue that the bill, which is scheduled for a committee hearing tomorrow, would “effectively slow or stop Turo’s ability to offer a marketplace to 200,000 Illinois citizens and similar peer-to-peer car sharing companies.”
The company also argues that the 6,600 renters it has in the state, or “hosts” in company jargon, already are at a competitive disadvantage, because unlike Turo, they are exempt from paying the state’s 7.25 percent sales tax on car purchases.
But advocates of the bill say it’s the traditional firms that are losing out because lower-priced upstarts aren’t held to the same disclosure, insurance or consumer protection standards.
* Other bills…
* It’s ‘gut-check time’ for lawmakers on legislation to curb sexual harassment: The sexual harassment omnibus legislation Bush introduced expands the definition of harassment and extends discrimination protections to independent contractors. It would give workers two years, rather than six months, to file charges and sue. It would require reporting of settlements from large public contractors and employers, and prohibit non-disclosure agreements unless the victim wants one. Among other things, it also requires a panic-button system for hotel workers and mandates that anyone who works in youth sports be required to report abuse suspicions to the Department of Children and Family Services.
* New version of Trump tax-cap workaround goes to lawmakers: Under the new version, instead of paying taxes and losing some deductions as per the law enacted by the GOP Congress and President Donald Trump, taxpayers would be allowed to donate to “charitable funds” set up to benefit state and local school districts and municipalities. Donors would get a tax credit worth 90 percent of the donation that would be used to offset their state income or local property tax liability, and because federal law does not limit charitable deductions, the donation would be fully deductible, not capped at $10,000. In an interview, Morrison said she added the 90 percent credit—down from 100 percent in the House bill—with an eye toward the IRS, which some tax experts believe will block a dollar-for-dollar credit as a sale of sorts and not a charitable donation. “We want maximum integrity,” Morrison said.
* Editorial: Sexual assault nurses needed STAT: The bill passed the House 101-0 in April. It would require the 160 Illinois hospitals that treat sexual assault victims to make a SANE available within 90 minutes after a patient arrives in an emergency room. That’s a significant compromise from the not at all unreasonable standard of having a SANE on hand 24/7.
* Wednesday hearing to focus on other Rauner public safety proposals: The Illinois House is set to hear testimony about a slew of measures Gov. Bruce Rauner has raised to enhance public safety, and among them is freeing up money for armed school resource officers. The House heard the governor’s plan Monday to bring back the death penalty for cop killers and mass murderers, but other issues the governor injected in a bill he changed with his amendatory veto are slated for a Wednesday hearing.
* Illinois Lawmakers Consider National Rap Back System: When a new employee is fingerprinted for a job in Illinois, the employer receives a snapshot of their criminal record, and they receive notifications for any future run-ins with the law in the state. But lawmakers are considering a proposal that would also allow employers to be notified of convictions that happen across state lines.
* State Lawmakers Consider “Voices Act” to Help Immigrant Crime Victims: The measure, SB34, doesn’t change any immigration rules, but instead requires Illinois police to more quickly certify that someone is a crime victim. That gives them a special visa so they can stay as long as they cooperate with an investigation.
Illinois’ Springfield-based Fourth District Appellate Court on Tuesday ruled that the State Board of Elections must reconsider issues involving the former campaign fund of state Auditor General Frank Mautino.
Previously, an elections board hearing officer found the former Democratic lawmaker “willfully” violated an order that he provide more information about his legislative committee’s spending — in particular more than $247,000 on fuel and car repairs over a 16-year period and other expenditures from a local bank.
Mautino faced a $5,000 fine, and his fund also was subject to a federal investigation. Mautino declined to testify during the board’s previous hearing process. His attorney contended that Mautino’s campaign committee was dissolved and no longer had records to back up the expenses.
But following an appeal brought by the Liberty Justice Center, the legal arm of the conservative Illinois Policy Institute, the Appellate Court ruled that the State Board of Elections “did not address or issue rulings” on some of the claims made in the complaint to the lack of specificity in Mautino’s campaign finance reports. The court sent the case back for further consideration.
The [Illinois State Board of Elections] initially told the plaintiff, Streator resident David Cooke, to forward his case to prosecutors because they have broader powers to investigate the allegations of improper use of campaign funds.
The Fourth District Appellate Court disagreed, saying that the election authority was the proper venue to address Cooke’s complaint.
“We find Cooke’s [election code] claims, if proved, would establish additional violations separate and apart from the Board’s other findings,” the panel wrote. […]
Mautino’s campaign was fined $5,000 in May for failing to report information during a probe into the spending.
A verdict from the board could mean more fines, but because the campaign committee is defunct, it’s unlikely to pay them.
Approving a new evidence-based funding model for public education last year was the first step in improving Illinois’ long-broken formula. Now the state has to find a way to pay for it.
The Illinois State Board of Education on Wednesday unanimously approved its fiscal year 2019 budget request, seeking nearly twice as much funding from the state – approximately $15.7 billion – in order to help districts across Illinois find equity and meet their adequacy targets.
A group of school superintendents is suing Gov. Bruce Rauner and the State of Illinois seeking more than $7 billion for schools.
Last August, Illinois adopted a new school funding plan. It’s called the “evidence-based model” because it’s calculated using dozens of metrics to determine how much money each district needs to provide kids with a good education. The State Board of Education, known as ISBE, says the total cost would be $7.2 billion. Lawmakers planned to get to that number over time, by appropriating around $350 million per year over the next decade.
But Dan Cox, superintendent of Staunton District 6, says schools that have been starved for cash for years want it now.
“We’re seeking a judgment of $7.2 billion in [fiscal year 20] 19 … to reflect the amount ISBE has always said is the amount required by Article X of the constitution,” Cox says. “We can’t wait for the General Assembly at some future date to appropriate these funds.” […]
Jackie Matthews, spokesperson for the state board, wouldn’t comment on the lawsuit except to say it’s consistent with the board’s budget request.
* Tribune: Madigan under fire again over handling of sexual harassment claims, asks for watchdog investigation: Porter’s contract originally ran through June 30, but it has been extended through the end of the year to provide time for a nationwide search for a replacement.
* Sun-Times: Is the speaker hearing the ‘message’? Or just mouthing the words?: Is Madigan, who turned 76 last month, ready for a full investigation of his own operation? Or is he just going through the motions for political cover?
* SJ-R: Madigan denies retaliating against Democratic lawmaker, calls for investigation: Cassidy said she has had several aides, lobbyists and others come up approach her and thank her for speaking up. She has also found wide support among her colleagues.
* AP: Madigan seeks probe of sexual-harassment retaliation claim: The bill had been assigned to a House Judiciary Committee, on which Cassidy serves as vice chairwoman. Cassidy said her opposition was based on House Democrats’ well-publicized moratorium on enhanced criminal penalties when there’s no evidence they’re effective at discouraging crime.
* WCIA: Madigan denies intimidation allegations: Senator Karen McConnaughay (R-St. Charles), who sits on the Legislative Ethics Commission, says Madigan’s letter represents a conflict of interest since he appointed Porter to the position.
* NBC5: Madigan Pens Letter Responding to Lawmaker’s Claims of Retaliation: Cassidy said she did not link Dart to the retaliation and chose to resign from her position.
* Hinz: Pritzker breaks with Mike Madigan as #MeToo flap deepens
* WTTW: Speaker Madigan Denies Retaliation Claims, Calls for Investigation: But Cassidy says her opposition had no impact on [the legislation]. She also says she believes it was not a conflict of interest to hold both jobs. “That’s something that we worked through quite thoroughly when I was contemplating joining the team there,” Cassidy said. “House counsel was clear that there was no conflict of interest, especially given my history of work on criminal justice reform.”
* Meanwhile, from the ILGOP…
93 days ago, Democratic Party of Illinois Chairman Mike Madigan asked Comptroller Susana Mendoza to serve on the Anti-Harassment, Equality and Access Panel charged with, among other things, investigating the sexual harassment claims against Speaker Madigan’s political organizations.
Over the course of the last 93 days, one of Mendoza’s harassment panel co-chairs resigned, more harassment claims emerged against Madigan’s organization, and now Democratic State Rep. Kelly Cassidy –who publicly criticized Speaker Madigan’s response to claims of harassment—claims she was pushed out of her job with the Cook County Sheriff’s Office because she spoke out against Madigan.
Through these turbulent 93 days, there has been one constant—Mendoza’s silence.
“Multiple women have now come forward with stories of harassment and retaliation by the Madigan organization, yet Susana Mendoza has remained silent—failing to do her job, much less act like a leader in her party. Mendoza’s quick to launch the hyperbolic partisan attack, but when it comes to taking a critical look at her own party leaders and defending her fellow colleagues—Mendoza remains silent. Illinois women simply cannot afford more silence from Mendoza.” said Darlene Senger, Republican candidate for Comptroller.
With yet another potential investigation into harassment and retaliation in Mike Madigan’s political organization, will Mendoza break her silence now?
* And then there’s this…
State Senator Karen McConnaughay (R-St. Charles) joins several other lawmakers in calling for an investigation following the recent allegations made by Rep. Kelly Cassidy, who says she was forced to resign from her part-time job at the Cook County Sheriff’s Office after speaking out against Speaker Mike Madigan’s handling of sexual harassment claims within his political office. McConnaughay says retaliation of this kind, or any kind, needs to be taken very seriously and has no place in the Capitol.
Madigan, himself, has asked for the Legislative Inspector General (LIG) to investigate Cassidy’s allegations; however, Sen. McConnaughay believes the investigation needs to be done independently from the LIG and free from Madigan’s control.
“No inspector general should be handling an investigation regarding allegations made against the person who appoints them,” said McConnaughay. “If the Legislative Inspector General were to be in charge of this investigation, it would be a clear conflict of interest, as Madigan played a significant role in the current LIG’s appointment. The LIG cannot conduct an unbiased investigation when she is investigating the person who appointed her. This investigation must be independent.”
When sexual harassment allegations first came to light about an individual on Madigan’s political staff, Rep. Cassidy was one of few who voiced her opinion on the matter calling for an investigation and a review of sexual harassment policies. Cassidy has since publicly claimed that as a result of her speaking out against the way Madigan handled the situation, she felt forced to resign at the Cook County Sheriff’s Office.
“The only way for these unethical behaviors to stop is if people, like Rep. Cassidy, come forward to tell their story,” said McConnaughay. “Unfortunately, this kind of conduct has been going on for way too long in the Capitol building, and it’s long past time for it to end. Illinois cannot afford this kind of culture to continue. I commend Rep. Cassidy’s bravery to speak up and for being a trailblazer in the effort to end this kind of corruption.”
* And Rep. Kelly Cassidy gets the last word in this post…
In February, I first spoke publicly about the inadequate response to allegations of sexual harassment within Speaker Madigan’s operation. On two occasions since that time, someone loyal to Speaker Madigan has attempted to intimidate me and my part-time employer. After the second occurrence, I knew it wouldn’t stop, and I knew that the only way to ensure that these retaliation efforts cease is to place a spotlight on them.
Having spent my entire adult life advocating for those without power, I have advocated for stronger responses to discrimination at all levels as well as in the private sector. I know that my role in the House affords me a greater degree of safety than many who have long complained about the ways women are treated in Springfield. Since coming forward yesterday, I have been stopped by more women (and men) than I can count, thanking me for speaking up because they don’t feel safe speaking out about their own experiences of intimidation, retaliation, and harassment.
As this story now turns to the inevitable he said/she said and denials, I remain firmly committed to being a steadfast voice for justice and equality, just as I have worked against harassment and discrimination throughout my career. I stand by my story. I did not want to leave the work and the team I loved being a part of, and I certainly did not want to spend the waning days of this session focused on anything other than passing my bills and getting a budget completed.
I am encouraged to see the call for an investigation by the Legislative Inspector General from both the Illinois State Senate Women’s Caucus and Speaker Madigan. Based on the widely reported concerns about the ability of the LIG to operate with true independence, I stand by my original call for a truly independent and outside investigation into this culture that appears to pervade the organizations led by Speaker Madigan.
I am committed to speaking out against retaliation and intimidation, and to doing what I can to change this abusive culture. We can and must do better for all of us.
*** UPDATE *** From the three members of the Democratic Party of Illinois’ anti-harassment panel…
“This is nothing more than desperate politics being played on the part of Darlene Senger and the GOP, shamefully using the stories of brave women who have spoken up against sexual harassment, to change the subject away from her suggestion to pin the blame on Sen. Tammy Duckworth for Governor Rauner’s horrible failure to keep our veterans safe in Quincy. Senger lost all credibility and trust the instant she chose protecting Governor Rauner’s image over safeguarding the lives of veterans and their families.
The work of the Anti-Harassment, Equality and Access Panel is to focus on the future of women in this party, and engage them as it develops guidelines and a framework to eliminate obstacles to their success, such as sexual harassment, and elevate them into positions of leadership, while creating a culture of equity, safety and respect in the workplace.
Independence around this issue is so important to the three of us that we were prepared to step down from our respective positions in the event that the party attempted to appoint a member of its leadership to our panel.
If Darlene Senger and the GOP are truly interested in rooting out sexual harassment and elevating women within their own party, we hope they will follow our lead and adopt our ultimate recommendations for their own party.
What: Gov. Rauner joins public safety and transportation leaders at a ‘Give Them Distance’ awareness event
Where: Illinois State Capitol Building-Press Room, Springfield
Date: Wednesday, May 23, 2018
Time: 10:00 a.m.
Note: No additional media availability
So… the governor is going to the Statehouse press room and not taking reporters’ questions? That’s so odd. I don’t think I’ve ever seen that before.
*** UPDATE *** Here’s how the governor’s unusual press conference ended. Some folks were not pleased. The old rule was if you came to the Blue Room you couldn’t leave until the reporters said they were finished. Hey, it’s our room, so you abide by our rules. It’s why some people don’t hold these things in the press room…
Many thanks to the fine folks at BlueRoomStream.com for the video clip. If you don’t already subscribe to that service, you should.
