The sponsors of a bill aimed at stemming the wage gap by preventing employers from asking about wage history had planned on holding a press conference Monday morning urging @GovRauner to sign the bill. But this afternoon Rauner amendatorily vetoed HB4163 https://t.co/o0PPRD7eMJ
Bill No.: HB 4163
An Act Concerning Employment
Action: Amendatory Veto
Note: Veto Message Below
To the Honorable Members of
The Illinois House of Representatives,
100th General Assembly:
Today, I return House Bill 4163 with specific recommendations for change.
This legislation would prohibit employers from inquiring about previous salary and compensation of prospective employees.
House Bill 4163 substantially resembles House Bill 2462, which I vetoed in August 2017 with the same recommendations I make today. Since that time, the gender wage gap has remained. My position has not changed – I am committed to eliminating the gender wage gap and I strongly support wage equality. I noted in my prior veto message that Massachusetts already has established a best-in-the-country approach to the issue of employers inquiring about salary history. I recommended that Illinois model its legal regime on Massachusetts’ model. Unfortunately, legislators again refused to push forward a bipartisan approach that properly balanced the interests of the business community.
Therefore, pursuant to Section 9(e) of Article IV of the Illinois Constitution of 1970, I hereby return House Bill 4163, entitled “AN ACT concerning employment,” with the following recommendations for change:
State Senator Cristina Castro (D – Elgin) issued the following statement today after Gov. Rauner vetoed a bill she sponsored concerning the gender wage gap in Illinois and the protection of middle class working women:
“I’m frustrated by this veto, but it certainly doesn’t surprise me. The governor has never been a friend of the working class or of women, so a veto of a bill meant to offer protections to working class women definitely fits his style.”
…Adding… Press release…
“It is long past time women receive equal pay for equal work, but in 2018, Illinois has a governor who disagrees with that basic statement of equality,” said JB Pritzker. “By amendatory vetoing this critical piece of legislation that would help fight wage inequality in this state, Rauner has yet again proven he has no interest in standing with Illinois women. We must be steadfast in our advocacy for gender equality, not play politics with basic rights. I urge the Illinois House and Senate to move our state forward and override Bruce Rauner’s shameful veto.”
Gov. Bruce Rauner today said that Deputy Gov. Leslie Munger would be taking on the new role of acting director of the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO). She replaces Director Sean McCarthy, who has accepted a position in the private sector.
“Leslie has more than two decades of private-sector experience, has connections with top business leaders, and is familiar with our pending economic development projects,” Rauner said. “In addition, she’s our point person on the Amazon HQ2 bid and leads the Bicentennial effort. She is the clear choice to take on this interim role.
* Speaking of Munger, she recently appeared at a press conference with Reps. Peter Breen (R-Lombard), Mark Batinick (R-Plainfield), Margo McDermed (R-Frankfort) and Tom Morrison (R-Plainfield) to denounce House Democratic attack ads. She was particularly upset with the HDems’ use of “no budget, no pay,” which was her big issue after she was appointed comptroller. From a press release..
In 2015, Batinick filed “No Budget, No Pay” legislation. Speaker Madigan refused to call his bill for a vote. When then-Comptroller Leslie Munger moved legislator pay in line with state vendor pay, she was sued by Speaker Madigan’s lawyers on behalf of Democrat legislators. […]
“There are a lot of words on these mailers,” said Deputy Governor Leslie Munger. In addition to her work on “No Budget, No Pay, when Munger ran against State Representative Carol Sente in 2014. She was subjected of one of the dirtiest, most dishonest campaigns in the state.
“These words mean nothing if we don’t have people willing to stand up and do what they say they will do… We have to be choosy voters… We need to vote for people who will not support the status quo; who will not continue the empty promises that we’ve had in the past from the leader of the Illinois House - and, frankly, the leadership that we’ve had in the General Assembly altogether. We need to vote for people who will stand up for the taxpayers… Be choosy voters.”
Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle jumped into the mayoral race [yesterday], joining an already huge field of people running to succeed Rahm Emanuel that is getting bigger by the day.
“Chicago can’t be a world-class city if we only focus on downtown,” Preckwinkle said at the Chicago Lake Shore Hotel in East Hyde Park. “The next mayor must make the needs of our neighborhoods their top priority.”
“I’m running for mayor because I want to bring opportunities not just to downtown but real investment to the neighborhoods that have been ignored,” said Preckwinkle. “I want to ensure that every Chicagoan has access to a solid education, feels safe and are thinking about their futures not worried about their present. I know that I can do something to make that hope a reality for all of our mothers, fathers, grandparents, aunts, and uncles who are worried yet feel powerless or ignored.”
Progressive State Senator Omar Aquino, 2nd District, was present also to support Preckwinkle’s mayoral bid. “Chicago is at a crucial time that calls for a progressive leader like Toni Preckwinkle, who is rooted in a new coalition which crosses gender, race, age, and geography. She understands the values of our city and reflects the diversity of its residents and communities and will bring that into the Mayor’s office.”
Preckwinkle also faced questions over the resignation of her chief of staff, John Keller. Keller resigned earlier this week after allegations of “inappropriate and disrespectful behavior.” […]
In a brief press conference after her mayoral announcement, Preckwinkle said she couldn’t say much about the situation because she doesn’t want the woman involved “to be victimized a second time.”
She added: “What’s important here is I have zero tolerance towards harassment of any kind. I learned about this allegation on Friday, after corroborating it on Tuesday I demanded his resignation. I believe we need to treat each other with dignity and respect at all times.”
“There are those who have asked, and will ask, why I want to take on this job. I understand their thinking,” said Preckwinkle, 71, who is unopposed on the November ballot for a third term running the county. “I’ve faced no shortage of challenges while in public office. Why would I want to tackle even more?”
Preckwinkle then gave an answer befitting a politician who holds the most powerful post in the Cook County Democratic Party: “I’m doing this because I can. I’m doing this because it’s necessary. I don’t make this decision lightly.”
“Because I can” isn’t exactly “Yes, we can,” but Preckwinkle’s no-frills 20-minute speech reflected a no-nonsense approach she’s long brought to bear, first as a schoolteacher and gun control advocate and later as a Hyde Park alderman and the county’s chief executive. […]
Preckwinkle, who would be the city’s first African-American woman to become mayor, highlighted her work to tamp down gun violence, reduce the county jail population and call out misconduct in the Chicago Police Department. As mayor, she said, she would emphasize the importance of neighborhood schools, push for an elected school board, help enforce police reforms under a new consent decree, work to decriminalize substance abuse and mental illness, collaborate with aldermen and promote neighborhood development along with growth in the Loop, proclaiming, “I’m non anti-downtown, I’m anti-only downtown.”
On education, she stated clearly that she wants an elected school board, and she is opposed to closing any more public schools.
“Schools are more than just buildings, they are anchors in our communities,” Preckwinkle said. “When we close a school, we aren’t just reallocating resources or addressing logistical challenges, we’re making a public withdrawal of support from an already struggling community. The unprecedented loss of so many neighborhood schools has been nothing short of devastating.”
She also scored a big endorsement Thursday from Valerie Jarrett, a top advisor to former President Barack Obama, as well as from the public employee union SEIU. […]
And Preckwinkle’s longtime ally, Cook County Commissioner Jesus “Chuy” Garcia, is expected to get in the race for mayor in the coming weeks. Garcia received a nudging on Twitter from his friend, U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, a former presidential candidate.
“My hope is today is more than a kick-off for a campaign, but a start of a movement,” Preckwinkle said.
Preckwinkle got her start as a high school history teacher and served 19 years as a Chicago alderman before becoming Cook County Board president. While she backed Rahm Emanuel in his last campaign, she criticized many of his decisions Thursday without mentioning his name. Among them, she highlighted what she believes is a lack of police accountability in black and brown communities..
Preckwinkle is the second high-profile candidate to jump into the race for mayor this week. Gery Chico, who ran against Emanuel in the 2011 race for mayor, threw his hat in the ring on Tuesday.
Chico, who served as longtime Mayor Richard M. Daley’s chief of staff, president of the Chicago Board of Education, and head of the Chicago Park District and City Colleges of Chicago, has said those experiences make him the most qualified candidate in the race.
More than a dozen other candidates have announced bids for mayor, including former White House chief of staff and Commerce Secretary Bill Daley, Cook County Circuit Court Clerk Dorothy Brown, 2015 former Chicago Public Schools principal Troy LaRaviere, former Chicago Police Board president Lori Lightfoot, former Chicago Police Supt. Garry McCarthy, former CPS Chief Executive Officer Paul Vallas, and millionaire businessman Willie Wilson.
* McCarthy slams Preckwinkle blaming her for rising violence: In his warning to voters, McCarthy noted, “Toni Preckwinkle has not only manipulated and controlled the budgets of the county’s criminal justice system, but in the process, she has contributed, as much as anyone, to people dying in the streets and to preventing prosecutors and the courts from effectively doing their jobs.” McCarthy claims the manipulation doesn’t stop there. “Preckwinkle, uses race-baiting and outdated Chicago machine politics to accomplish her manipulative goals.”
The WBEZ report raises many questions. The hat was appraised at $15,000 in 1988 but $6.5 million in 2007. Why the massive increase in value? Prior to the foundation’s purchase of the Taper collection, an appraiser said he based his evaluation on “prior in-depth research by the museum.” But the historians reported they found no evidence of that research. Where is it? Alan Lowe, who has been director at ALPLM since 2016, said he did not see the full report until about a month ago when one of its authors gave it to him. Why did the foundation not give it to him when he arrived? The museum’s curator has been fired. Why?
In that letter, [Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum executive director Alan Lowe] also told Knorowski and McCaskey that he had unearthed a document at the museum from former state historian Thomas Schwartz, who had arranged a 1988 tour of Lincoln artifacts and borrowed the hat from an earlier owner as part of that tour. Taper purchased the hat from that previous owner for an undisclosed price in 1990.
In 1988, Schwartz valued the hat at $15,000, a far cry from its $6.5 million appraisal in 2007, Lowe told WBEZ.
“I’d like to ask Ms. Taper and Mr. Schwartz, ‘Why between 1988 and 2007, what new thing did you see that led you to change the possible value of that from $15,000 to $6.5 million?’ Certainly, that means somewhere along the point, you saw something that was a slam dunk by saying that this belonged to Abraham Lincoln. And if you didn’t, why did you do that?”
WBEZ was interested in posing that question to Schwartz, now director of the Herbert Hoover Presidential Library and Museum in West Branch, Iowa, but he ignored an interview request.
Republican county chairmen are fundraising for state Rep. Jerry Long, the defiant Streator Republican accused of harassing an employee. Long’s conservative friends stepped forward after the House Republican Organization shut off the spigot of funds to his re-election bid and asked him to step down from his seat. Long has refused. “We’re going to do all we can to get him re-elected,” John McGlasson, the Central Committeeman for the 16th Congressional District, told POLITICO. He and county chairmen from Bureau, Putnam, Lasalle and Livingston counties are helping Long’s campaign..
* Those county party chairs ain’t exactly fundraising powerhouses. None have reported any contributions since the quarter began and here are their quarter-ending cash on hand balances…
John McGlasson was re-elected 16th Congressional District State Central Committeeman despite the objections of four state lawmakers.
McGlasson, of Pontiac, had supported Jeanne Ives for governor against incumbent Bruce Rauner in the Republican primary, as well as candidate James Marter, who lived outside the district, against incumbent Adam Kinzinger. Both candidates he endorsed lost.
Reps. Jerry Long, Streator, and David Welter, Morris, and Sens. Chuck Weaver, Peoria, and Dave Syverson, Rockford, signed a letter discouraging McGlasson from running.
“With the candidates you endorsed losing their elections, we feel it would be in the best interests of Republican voters in the 16th District for you not to stand re-election,” they wrote. “Your actions are not only unusual but call your judgment and political acumen into serious question.”
So, Long sided against McGlasson because of McGlasson’s support for Ives, which would also indicate that Long didn’t endorse Ives. But now McGlasson is standing with Long. Any port in a storm, I suppose.
Keep an eye on what McGlasson and Ives do next. Ives has remained stone silent about Rep. Long. Her close ties to the Richard Uihlein cash pipeline means we might possibly see some money coming in for Long.
* The video’s audio are a bit out of synch, but one of the lesser-told stories of last night’s debate was how JB Pritzker dodged and weaved throughout the evening. The man just doesn’t like to talk specifics…
JB took Rauner to task on higher education and taking credit for Andy Manar’s historic school funding reform, saying “virtually everything you just tried to take credit for happened in spite of you, not because of you.”
Illinois not-for-profit hospitals can continue to skip paying property taxes, after a Thursday ruling by the state’s highest court.
The Illinois Supreme Court upheld a lower court’s ruling that a 2012 law exempting not-for-profit hospitals from having to pay property taxes is constitutional. That law says that not-for-profit hospitals in Illinois don’t have to pay property taxes as long as the value of their charitable services is at least equal to what they would otherwise pay in taxes.
About three-fourths of the state’s more than 200 hospitals are not-for-profit.
Section 15-86(c) of the Property Tax Code provides that a hospital applicant “shall be issued” a charitable property tax exemption if the value of certain qualifying services or activities provided by the hospital in a given year equals or exceeds the hospital’s estimated property tax liability for the same year. 35 ILCS 200/15-86(c). In her single-count complaint, plaintiff alleged that section 15-86(c) commands that the hospital applicant receive the charitable property tax exemption if the statutory criteria are satisfied. Plaintiff contended that section 15-86 was facially unconstitutional because the statute mandates the issuance of the charitable property tax exemption without consideration of the constitutional requirement that the subject property be “used exclusively for *** charitable purposes” […]
The appellate court affirmed. The court rejected plaintiff’s argument that the legislature intended the word “shall” in section 15-86(c) to be mandatory. Rather, the court held that the word “shall” is merely directory
* Illinois Hospital Association…
The Oswald plaintiff argued that the statute was unconstitutional because it does not expressly mention the constitutional requirements for exemption. The Supreme Court rejected the plaintiff’s argument:
“In the case at bar, while [the statute] does not expressly provide that the hospital charitable property tax exemption is limited to applicants that satisfy the constitutional requirement of exclusive charitable use, section 6 of article IX of the Illinois Constitution does say so, and we presume that the legislature intended to comply with this constitutional limitation.”
“In the case at bar, the legislature was certainly aware of section 6 of article IX of the constitution and its requirement of exclusive charitable use, and it intended to enact a constitutional hospital charitable property tax exemption.”
* SEIU…
“Today’s Illinois Supreme Court ruling upholding the constitutionality of exempting non-profit hospitals from paying property taxes when their charitable services and activities equal the tax amount does not end the debate.
“The constitution requires ‘exclusive charitable purposes’ for property tax exemption, and the Illinois Hospital Association (and the hospitals themselves) will have to answer why it continues to defend these mostly large corporate non-profit hospitals that abuse their tax exemption.
“A law crafted by the IHA allows non-profit conglomerate hospitals to count such things as Medicaid shortfalls and graduate medical education toward its ‘charitable care’ total, making it possible for most hospitals to retain their exemptions without providing any additional care to the poor.
“Additionally, these hospitals – Northwestern Memorial, Advocate, Presence-Amita and others – make billions in profits collectively, pay their executives millions and divest resources into off shore bank accounts instead of paying employees fairly. Many have employees whose wages are so low that they rely on Medicaid.
“The one-two punch strategy of the IHA is to enrich its large corporate non-profit hospitals while keeping wages for service workers low and making it hard for hospitals in economically challenged communities to survive.
“We call on elected officials to address this issue and hold these hospitals and the IHA accountable, even as future lawsuits will more directly address the IHA’s abuse of the charity care requirement.”
Gov. Bruce Rauner’s administration is at odds with the state’s chief lawyer again, this time about the public health investigation of a suburban Chicago sterilization plant connected to the governor.
Urged by fellow Republicans to cooperate with Attorney General Lisa Madigan, a Democrat who isn’t running for re-election, the Rauner-led Illinois Environmental Protection Agency instead refused in late August to provide Madigan’s office with key documents about highly toxic ethylene oxide gas emitted in Willowbrook by Sterigenics, a global sterilization company bought in 2011 by a private equity fund co-founded by Rauner. The governor still has a financial interest in Sterigenics, according to a report he filed in May with a state ethics commission.
After Madigan’s office filed another request for Sterigenics records under the Freedom of Information Act, the EPA took more than two weeks to respond, then withheld detailed reports about pollution from Sterigenics during the past two decades, records show.
According to the Tribune, IEPA Director Alec Messina received phone calls yesterday from House Republican Leader Jim Durkin and Sen. John Curran, who both represent the area. Messina released the files by the end of the day.
I’ve met with Willowbrook residents and listened to them express fear for their families. As a cancer survivor myself, I take their concerns personally and find it unconscionable that any public official would ignore a documented carcinogenic threat, especially given the conflict of interest in this case. Bruce Rauner owes local residents answers and an apology.
Tax increment financing–or TIF–made the news this summer with the release of a report by Cook County Clerk David Orr. The Tribune covered the report with the headline “Nearly a third of city property tax collections diverted into special taxing districts.”
But do TIF districts really “divert” hundreds of millions of property tax dollars that would otherwise go to the city or its schools? The short answer: mostly not. But to understand why not, and why “mostly,” you’ve got to understand how TIF and property taxes both work.
Today, Sen. Kwame Raoul’s campaign for Attorney General released a new television ad, “Banned,” highlighting his commitment to protecting a woman’s access to healthcare and Republican Erika Harold’s extreme position in favor of banning abortions, even in cases of rape and incest.
“At a time when a woman’s access to reproductive healthcare is under relentless attack, state attorneys general have become the last line of defense,” said Raoul. “As my record of public service reflects, I respect a woman’s choice and as attorney general, I will always protect her rights. My opponent’s extreme views make her a dangerous choice for women in Illinois.”
You won’t believe what Erika Harold believes. Harold believes abortion should be banned, even in cases of rape and incest. And as Trump’s Supreme Court nominee threatens to overturn Roe v. Wade, Harold opposed the Illinois bill that would protect a woman’s right to choose.
Kwame Raoul believes in a woman’s right to choose. He’s always fought to keep a woman’s healthcare decisions between her and her doctor, and always will.
[Raoul]: I’m Kwame Raoul. This is the work of my life, and I’m just getting started.
* If you missed it last night, the debate video is here. From NBC 5…
NBC 5 Political Editor Carol Marin started things off by questioning Democratric challenger J.B. Pritzker about toilets.
“You’ve saved hundreds of thousands of dollars in property taxes by having toilets disconnected in your Gold Coast mansion,” she said. “First of all, who unhooks all their toilets?”
Two billionaires with big names and two others that are less familiar all blamed each other for the state’s problems.
The debate in the race for Illinois Governor began with toilet talk as J.B. Pritzker addressed unhooking the johns in his Gold Coast mansion for tax breaks.
“That was a tax reduction that we received,” said J.B. Pritzker, (D) candidate for governor.
“To own a mansion and take the toilets out where he does not pay the proper taxes and to use your inherited wealth to try to buy political office,” said Illinois Governor Bruce Rauner.
A bitter race for Illinois governor that has played out in TV attack ads for more than 16 months carried over to the debate stage Thursday as Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner and Democratic challenger J.B. Pritzker assailed each other’s character and integrity before voters.
But in the first face-to-face meeting of the contenders for governor, it was Rauner’s exchange with third-party candidate Sam McCann, a Downstate Republican state senator running under the Conservative Party banner, that was the sharpest. […]
Rauner said of McCann: “He has received funding from Mike Madigan for his campaign. He was put on the ballot by Mike Madigan’s attorney.”
“You’re a liar. You’ve been lying to the people of Illinois from the very beginning,” McCann replied.
“He has received funding from Mike Madigan for his campaign. He was put on the ballot by Mike Madigan’s attorney,” Rauner said.
“You’re a liar,” McCann responded. “You’ve been lying to the people of Illinois from the very beginning. You said you had no social agenda and all you’ve been able to accomplish is to make yourself the most progressive liberal governor the state of Illinois has ever had. You’re a liar and a thief.”
“Are you getting paid on a per interruption basis by Madigan or a lump sum?” Rauner asked the senator. Rauner said McCann had one purpose of being on stage: “to help Pritzker be victorious for Mike Madigan.”
“We’re here to take both of you out,” McCann said to both Pritzker and Rauner.
While the two had a brief consensus on immigration reform, most policy discussions degenerated into sniping.
On reducing gun violence, Rauner, a venture capitalist from Winnetka, said “the simple, biggest fact is we need more jobs and more economic growth.”
Pritzker interjected, “You know — people who want to get jobs and want to get trained — and you cut funding for people who want skills training. You’ve got it all backward.”
Rauner told the Hyatt hotel heir, “It’s easy to sit on the sidelines and criticize when you’ve not done an honest day’s work in your life.”
The heated moments continued — from arguments over the record-spending in this governor’s race to issues such as integrity and Illinois’ historic budget impasse under the Rauner administration.
“You’re a failed governor,” Pritzker said. “You have failed through every year of your term. It is abominable to me. and it’s time for a change in the state.
“I will respond with this,” said Rauner. “Mr. Pritzker — your lack of character, your lack of integrity, your cheating on your property taxes, your cheating on your income taxes. you’re trying to use your inherited wealth to buy political office from imprisoned Rod Blagojevich.”
But Pritzker refused during a debate Thursday, as he has throughout the campaign, to detail what those [progressive income tax] rates should be. He says the Legislature should decide, while Rauner says Pritzker is dodging the question because he “cannot be trusted when it comes to taxes.”
“He doesn’t want to talk about it because the truth is so painful and politically unpopular,” Rauner said.
“Gov. Rauner you’re lying,” Pritzker responded. “He’s defending a system that’s good for him, and it’s bad for middle-class taxpayers.” […]
Pritzker blamed Rauner for Illinois’ yearslong state budget impasse, which brought huge cuts to social services, higher education and other programs and took Illinois to the brink of having its credit rating downgraded to “junk” status. And he criticized Rauner for constantly blaming others — namely Madigan — for the failures of his administration, noting the governor declared late last year that “I am not in charge” of Illinois.
“The truth of the matter is, Gov. Rauner has got to go,” Pritzker said.
It was a nasty night of name-calling as all those ugly TV ads came to life on stage for the first TV debate in the governor’s race. Voices were raised. Integrity was questioned. And then, just before the screen switched to commercial, there was J.B. Pritzker putting his hand out to Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner—and he took it. What theater!
The moderator asked Rauner and Pritzker if the tens of millions of dollars they’ve spent on this campaign embarrasses them. Pritzker answered first.
“I think this race is about values, not about money. It’s about what we’ve been doing our whole lives to stand up for working families across the state and standing up and expanding early childhood education in the state of Illinois,” said Pritzker.
Rauner scoffed at Pritzker’s comments saying, Mr. Pritzker has inherited billions of dollars. There’s nothing wrong with that but what’s unethical and just deceitful is for him to keep that money in the Bahamas where he does not pay any taxes.”
When election hacking came up, it was the Libertarian Kash Jackson’s turn to rip both parties.
“Why are we worried about the hackers when right here, the General Assembly, the democrats and republicans continue to rig elections year after year,” Jackson said.
Pritzker blamed the governor’s intransigence for a historic two-year budget shortfall, five public Illinois universities falling into “junk” credit status and eight credit downgrades that have left the state the worst-rated in the nation.
“You’re the biggest deficit spender in the history of Illinois,” Pritzker said. “You’re a failed governor, you have failed every single year of your term. It’s abominable to me, and it’s time for a change in this state.”
Rauner responded with a line he repeated several times during and after the debate.
“Your lack of integrity, your lack of character, your cheating on your taxes, your trying to use your inherited wealth to buy political office from imprisoned governor Rod Blagojevich,” meant the Democratic nominee was “not worthy of public office,” according to the third-least popular Republican governor in the country.
