Meanwhile, we lost one of the great ones yesterday…
“It is with profound sadness and heavy hearts that the Betts family announce the peaceful passing of Forrest Richard ‘Dickey’ Betts (December 12, 1943 – April 18, 2024) at the age of 80 years old,” Betts’ family announced in a statement to Rolling Stone. “The legendary performer, songwriter, bandleader, and family patriarch was at his home in Osprey, Florida, surrounded by his family. Dickey was larger-than-life, and his loss will be felt worldwide. At this difficult time, the family asks for prayers and respect for their privacy in the coming days. More information will be forthcoming at the appropriate time.”
“His extraordinary guitar playing alongside guitarist Duane Allman created a unique dual guitar signature sound that became the signature sound of the genre known as Southern Rock,” the band wrote in a statement. “He was passionate in life, be it music, songwriting, fishing, hunting, boating, golf, karate, or boxing. Dickey was all in on and excelled at anything that caught his attention.”
Although he was often overshadowed by Gregg and Duane, the brothers who gave the Allmans their name, Betts was equally vital to the band. His sweetly sinuous guitar style introduced elements of Western swing and jazz into the band’s music, especially when he was duetting with Duane. As a singer and writer, Betts was responsible for the band’s biggest hit, 1973’s “Ramblin’ Man,” as well as some of their most recognizable songs: the moody instrumental “In Memory of Elizabeth Reed,” the jubilant “Jessica,” and their late-period comeback hit “Crazy Love.”
A charity organized by Dolton Mayor Tiffany Henyard has been told by the Illinois attorney general’s office to stop soliciting or accepting contributions, and that it must register with the state.
Separately, a law enforcement source confirmed federal authorities, including the FBI, are conducting an investigation targeting Henyard. The source said the probe has included recent interviews by investigators both inside and outside of Dolton, but is in the early stages and no charges have been brought.
The attorney general’s letter, dated Wednesday and sent by certified mail, notes the Tiffany Henyard CARES Foundation is not in good standing and states the attorney general has sent multiple letters advising, among other things, that it is not registered with the state.
However, the foundation hasn’t responded “and we have not been advised why there has been a delay,” according to the recent letter, sent by Pasquale Esposito, deputy bureau chief of the attorney general’s Charitable Trust Bureau.
The FBI served subpoenas at the Dolton Village Hall on Friday amid allegations of corruption leveled against Mayor Tiffany Henyard and other city officials.
Four agents from the FBI paid a visit to Dolton around 2:30 p.m. They served two federal subpoenas. The first one was for employment records, personnel files, and disciplinary reports for 15 Dolton employees, including three police officers and Keith Freeman. Freeman, who is the village administrator, was charged with bankruptcy fraud on Monday.
The second subpoena was served specifically for Freeman, asking for records of all companies associated with him.
Illinois is now home to a federally recognized tribal nation for the first time after a decision from the U.S. Department of Interior placed portions of Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation’s northern Illinois reservation land into trust, officials said.
The decision placed portions of the Shab-eh-nay Reservation land into trust for Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation, coming 175 years after the U.S. government illegally auctioned off nearly 1,300 acres of Prairie Band’s Reservation land in northern Illinois.
The auctioning occurred when Chief Shab-eh-nay traveled from his home Reservation in what is now DeKalb County to visit his family in Kansas.
According to a press release, the legal title of the land is transferred to the U.S., which holds it in trust for the Prairie Band. This move confirms the land as “Indian country,” ensuring the Nation can exercise sovereignty over the land.
Authorizes the Director of Natural Resources to execute and deliver a quitclaim deed to the Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation for specified real property located in DeKalb County, subject to specified conditions. Effective immediately.
“We at Personal PAC are thrilled by the passage of the Birth Equity Initiative (HB5142) in the House, and applaud chief sponsor Rep. Robyn Gabel, Governor Pritzker, and Lt. Governor Juliana Stratton for their work. This initiative is an incredible step towards addressing the disparities in maternal mortality between Black women and other new parents in our state, and will end cost-sharing for essential healthcare services including abortion. We are excited to work with the Senate to pass this crucial legislation and send it to Governor Priztker’s desk as soon as possible.”
A Chicago investment firm lent millions to a South Florida real estate company that’s now being sued by Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul for enticing struggling homeowners to sign 40-year contracts he says were designed to grab their homes’ equity. […]
According to Raoul’s lawsuit and bankruptcy documents, the business worked like this:
MV Realty offered “financially distressed” homeowners a onetime cash payment if they signed an “MVR Homeowner Benefit Agreement” designating the company as the exclusive real estate listing agent when the homeowner decided to sell.
Upfront payments were about 0.3% of a home’s value — as low as $365 to a couple of thousand dollars.
But there were a few big catches:
- If the homeowner died, the complicated, 40-year listing agreements extended to the homeowner’s heirs.
- Also, if the homeowner or the heirs listed the home with another agent, that violated the deal, and MV Realty was entitled to 3% of the home’s sale price.
* Crain’s | Chicago’s D.C. lobbyist departs, leaving office empty: Christopher Hoey, Chicago’s lobbyist in Washington, D.C., has departed, leaving the city’s post in the U.S. capital empty until the role is filled within the coming weeks. The mayor’s office told Crain’s the search is on for a new director of federal affairs, but the Johnson administration has not filled that position permanently for over a year now.
* Crain’s | Police oversight chief defends herself amid criticism from Snelling: Chicago Police Superintendent Larry Snelling told reporters last week it was irresponsible for Andrea Kersten, chief administrator of the Civilian Office of Police Accountability, or COPA, to raise questions in a private letter to his office and in media interviews about the initial justification five officers provided for why they pulled over an SUV before the driver allegedly shot an officer and was subsequently killed by officers returning fire. Kersten read a statement at a meeting of the Chicago Police Board yesterday, arguing that raising preliminary questions about the veracity of the claim that officers stopped 26-year-old Dexter Reed in Humboldt Park for an alleged seat belt violation is a core part of her responsibility as the head of the independent agency.
* Crain’s Editorial Board | Yes, CTA chief Carter needs to go. But that’s not all: When prodded by a reporter for Capitol Fax to clarify whether “an evolution of leadership” meant Carter should be fired for his handling of a service that’s struggled for years with crime, cleaniness and understaffing, Pritzker sidestepped: “As you know, I have appointments at CTA but they’re not a controlling majority. But the people that we appoint, of course, we’ll be working with the others on the board to evaluate and make changes in management.” Which should make Carter and anyone else in his orbit nervous — except that, inexplicably, Carter and his team have remained in charge at the beleaguered public transit agency despite its shambolic state under his leadership and despite the election of a new mayor — an event that created an opening to reassess whether leaders with better ideas should be put in charge of Chicago’s network of buses and trains.
* NBC Chicago | Man behind effort to recall Chicago’s mayor says he’s not ‘some dude from the suburbs’: Boland lives in Lakeview, where he is currently unemployed. He said he doesn’t want the mayor’s 5th floor City Hall office, but he would consider it if no other opportunities materialize. […] Boland will kick off his petition drive next week with a news conference. He said he is thinking about asking the mayor to attend. […] Even if the signatures are enough to put the measure on the fall ballot, it will not automatically trigger a recall. That would require another round of petitions and a vote conducted through a special election.
* Tribune | Chicago Public Schools launches a new, ‘more equitable’ funding model: The new approach will protect the robustness of the city’s “strongest schools,” while ensuring those in high-poverty areas aren’t starved of resources that helped produce recent academic gains, district CEO Pedro Martinez told the Tribune last week. But, with a $391 million deficit projected, something will have to give. And, central office expenses, such as vendor payments which surpassed $2.8 billion this school year as of March 15, according to CPS procurement data, are currently under review, Martinez said.
* The Telegraph | Chairman wants Madison Co. Board to revisit Illinois, Chicago split: Madison County Board Chairman Kurt Prenzler said Friday he will ask the county board to reconsider Wednesday’s approval of placing a non-binding referendum on the November ballot that proposes separating Chicago and Cook County from the rest of Illinois on the November ballot. […] “County board members don’t need the voters to tell them to talk to other counties,” he stated. “They can do that today — without a resolution. Just pick up the phone.” “Second, creating a new state is simply unrealistic,” he said. “The United States Congress will not put a 51st star on the flag for a ‘New Illinois.’ Congress is more likely to add a star for Puerto Rico or Guam.”
* WICS | Several lawsuits filed by the families of the victims of the Teutopolis crash in September: We have learned that several lawsuits have now been filed by the families of the victims. We know that seven lawsuits were filed against Prairieland Transport, Jacob Bloemker, the driver of the semi, and Ohio resident Hailey Case. Case was driving the vehicle behind the tractor-trailer that was trying to pass it. So far, we have only received six of the cases. But of the six lawsuits we have, four were filed on behalf of the people who died and two of those who were injured.
* Tribune | Glenda Miller, former McHenry County treasurer, dies at age 68: Miller, 68, died on April 17 in her home in Harvard of complications from a stroke she suffered in late January, her family said. Donna Kurtz, Miller’s successor as treasurer, said she met Miller at a victory party when Kurtz’ mother, Rosemary, won a seat in the Illinois House. She was quickly struck by Miller’s “spirit of fun and happiness and optimism.”
* 21st Show | Appreciating the bats of Illinois: You’re in luck if you missed out, as on today’s show we’ll be hearing about all the native bat species in Illinois, myths associated with bats, and when’s the best season to see bats. We’ll be learning all this from Macon County Conservation District’s Ashton Nunn, who’s also hear to talk about the upcoming “Going Batty” event that’s happening tomorrow in Decatur.
* Pew | It’s Time to Fix Housing in America: Start With Financing and Zoning: For nearly a century, homeownership has been the largest source of wealth for most American families. Safe, traditional mortgages have been pivotal to achieving financial security and independence. But as home prices and rents skyrocket — and because outdated policies make small mortgages expensive for lenders and often unavailable for borrowers seeking low-cost homes — many families are struggling to afford reliable housing. This is a serious problem for people across all demographics, but Black, Hispanic, rural and Indigenous households are particularly affected. And some have turned to riskier and more costly alternative financing arrangements, such as land contracts, seller-financed mortgages, lease purchases and personal property loans.
*** Sports ***
* Globe and Mail | As sports teams grab billions in taxpayer funding for stadiums, Blue Jays president explains the strategy behind Rogers Centre renovations: Shapiro and I had first met last April, just before the club unveiled the first phase of the renovations, and he’d walked me through some of the math behind the project. I was curious about the numbers in part because the club was known to be exploring the idea of building a replacement stadium. How could a renovation – which last year was pegged at a little over $300-million before cost overruns pushed it closer to $400-million – make sense? He ticked off some of the revenue categories in which he expected improvements. “Ticket prices, sponsorships, F&B [food and beverage] – all the different areas that could be impacted,” he replied. “There’s a sophisticated [business] model, and it’s safe to say … it’ll get paid back long before we have to think about a new ballpark.” He figured a new stadium might be at least 10 or 15 years away; he expected the investment to be earned back in about half that time.
* WCIA | U.S. Dept. of Education announces rule clarifying athletes can’t be suspended during sex misconduct investigations: The U.S. Department of Education announced a rule that Terrence Shannon Jr. and the University of Illinois already litigated in court. The rule, part of the changes to Title IX, prevents colleges and universities from suspending students-athletes while investigators affiliated with their college conduct investigations into claims of sexual misconduct against them.
* Tribune | Tim Anderson looks ahead with Miami Marlins after time with Chicago White Sox: ‘I’m back on my journey’: Anderson is hitting .267 in 17 games as he looks to bounce back after batting .245 in 123 games last season. For years, the notion was “As Tim Anderson goes, the Sox go.” The shortstop doesn’t feel that needs to be the case with the Marlins. “I’m glad that’s definitely gone because it definitely takes a whole team to win,” he said. “To be from under that umbrella, now I can play the game free and just play my role.”
* AP | How Paris is preparing for the Olympics, from the venues to transportation to security: But behind the romantic veneer that Paris has long curated, mounting security concerns already have had an impact on the unprecedented open-air event. In January, the number of spectators allowed to attend the ceremony was slashed from around 600,000 to around 320,000. Tourists were told they won’t be allowed to watch it for free from riverbanks because the French government scaled back ambitions amid ongoing security threats. Then, on March 24, France raised its security readiness to the highest level after a deadly attack at a Russian concert hall and the Islamic State’s claim of responsibility.
Look, I think we ought to consider all the proposals out there. But let’s be clear: I have a sign on the other side of that wall that l’ve kept up ever since the very first credit upgrade that we got for the state. And the reason that we’ve gotten so many credit upgrades is we’ve been very careful about how we’re managing the fiscal condition of the state and our pensions, which are of deep concern to investors in our bonds. So when we consider sweeteners, we just need to be exceedingly careful about whether or not they really make sense from a fiscal perspective — and a fairness perspective too.
But from my perspective, let me just say that we’ve been going in the right direction; the percent funded of state pensions has gone up since I took office and it will continue that trajectory. We need, obviously, to make some changes to Tier 2 to make sure that we’re meeting the Social Security Safe Harbor. We don’t yet really know what that’s going to cost.
So that, in a way, is a sweetener in the sense that it’s going to cost taxpayers something. But we have to do it because the alternative would cost the taxpayers much more.
The House passed the Healthcare Protection Act by an 81-25 margin, with two members voting “present.” Several Republicans joined all Democrats in voting for the bill.
It overhauls parts of the health insurance industry in Illinois.
The bill would ban so-called “step therapy.” This is when an insurance company requires a patient to try and fail alternative medications before covering medications their doctor recommends. […]
“One of the major changes that we’re making with this bill is ensuring that when someone is having an acute mental-health crisis that they can’t be turned away from in-patient care in a hospital because of arbitrary insurance rules,” said state Rep. Anna Moeller, D-Elgin, the bill’s sponsor.
* Governor Pritzker…
Today, Governor JB Pritzker joined legislators, doctors, patients, and stakeholders in Springfield to celebrate the passage of HB5395, also known as the Healthcare Protection Act (HPA), in Illinois’ House of Representatives. The bill, first proposed by Governor Pritzker in his FY25 Budget Address, aims to put power back into the hands of patients by banning step therapy, banning prior authorization for crisis mental health care, improving network adequacy, banning junk insurance plans, and ending unchecked rate increases for large group insurance companies.
“I’m pleased that dedicated advocates and legislators have made further progress in passing the Healthcare Protection Act, a bill that will curb predatory insurance practices and empower both doctors and patients,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “I want to especially thank the HPA’S lead sponsors, Senator Robert Peters and Representative Anna Moeller, two outstanding partners in the longtime fight for health insurance reform. Both you and your cosponsors are doing important work to advocate for Illinois families, and I’m proud to have you fighting alongside me.”
The Governor was also joined by the bill’s chief sponsors, Representative Anna Moeller and Senator Robert Peters, alongside various cosponsors working to promote the sweeping health insurance reforms. Acting Director Ann Gillespie also attended on behalf of the Department of Insurance.
“The Department will hold insurers accountable for unfair business practices that undermine Illinoisans, requiring them to jump through hoops just to access the health care services that they pay for each month,” said IDOI Acting Director Ann Gillespie. “Protecting Illinois insurance consumers is our priority, and we stand ready to enforce the Healthcare Protection Act.”
The Healthcare Protection Act targets three primary issues with the healthcare insurance industry: utilization management, network adequacy, and rate review.
Utilization Management
The first goal of HPA is to eliminate harmful utilization management practices, which force consumers to wait for permission (also known as prior authorization) from their insurance providers before receiving doctor-recommended treatments. Often, utilization management causes patients to be denied care deemed medically necessary or delay the process and create barriers to care. Another example of utilization management is “step therapy”, which requires patients to try other less effective treatment options before their insurance company will approve access to the original prescribed treatment from healthcare providers.
To address unfair utilization management practices, HPA will:
- require insurance companies to adopt the same definitions of medical necessity as doctors,
- require insurance companies to post all treatments that require prior authorization to help consumers make informed decisions while shopping for plans,
- ban “step therapy” processes in Illinois, and
- ban prior authorization for in-patient adult and children’s mental health care (becoming the first state in the nation to do so).
Additionally, with the passage of HPA, Illinois will join twelve other states in banning “junk insurance” plans, or Short Term Limited Duration plans, which are dangerous and misleading to consumers: junk insurance plans do not have to comply with the basic standards of the Affordable Care Act, such as coverage for preexisting conditions.
Network Adequacy
The second goal of HPA is to improve network adequacy and standards for transparency across Illinois. The bill implements stricter standards for insurance companies as they update their in-network care directories, which must now reflect actual availability. To ensure consumers can find care where and when they need it, companies will be required to indicate whether or not doctors and specialists are currently accepting new patients. Companies will also be required to remove healthcare professionals who are not in-network anymore or no longer practicing in a timely fashion. If these standards are unmet, companies will face potential penalties.
Rate Review
The final initiative of the Healthcare Protection Act eliminates unchecked rate increases in fully-insured large group insurance carriers. This follows similar action in June 2023, when Governor Pritzker signed HB 579, ending unfair rate hikes in the fully-insured individual and small group insurance market. Now, large-group providers will be required to do the same, protecting Illinois consumers further.
* House Sponsor Rep. Anna Moeller…
Illinois families will have access to better and more affordable health care coverage under a new measure backed by state Rep. Anna Moeller, D-Elgin, aiming to reduce costs and hold big insurance companies accountable.
“The fact of the matter is that healthcare has for far too long centered the needs of large, multi-billion dollar corporations versus those of working families and underserved communities,” Moeller said. “This legislation makes sure that health plans don’t get between a patient and their doctor when they are making life altering decisions, or requires that patients try alternatives to the prescribed medication, because it’s cheaper for the insurance company. These practices are not conducive to protecting people. Rather, they’ve protected profits. I am proud to join so many of my colleagues, including Governor Pritzker, to pass these landmark reforms and safeguard the health and wellbeing of Illinois communities.”
Moeller introduced House Bill 5395, which delivers a series of major reforms to make health care coverage better and more affordable. The new Health Care Protection Act would create a rate review process requiring insurance companies to justify premium increases, and empowering state watchdogs to reject unwarranted hikes that simply pad profits. Additionally, the measure curbs practices insurance companies use to deny access to medically necessary treatments, procedures, and prescription medications; instead, doctors and patients would be empowered to make important medical decisions—not insurance companies. The bill also stops insurance companies from selling inadequate short-term healthcare plans that provide little or no coverage.
* More…
* WAND | Insurance Reform: Illinois House passes Healthcare Protection Act: “For far too long, insurance companies and not doctors have been free to determine what treatment options patients should have and how quickly they can receive it,” Pritzker said. “With this bill, we’re putting power back in the hands of doctors and patients.”Short-term limited duration plans, or junk insurance, that fail to cover basic treatments like maternal healthcare and pre-existing conditions would also be banned under the legislation.
State Senator Dan McConchie (R-Hawthorn Woods) passed legislation to help ease the stress and inconvenience of frequently going to the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV).
“Nobody enjoys going to the DMV,” said Senator McConchie. “Offering an 8-year option in addition to the current 4-year option will save people time and the state money. It’s a win-win.”
SB275 will give drivers the option not to go to the DMV for as long as eight years to renew their license. Drivers can extend their license expiration date from four years with a fee of $30 (as current) to eight years with a fee of $60.
This legislation has passed the Senate without opposition and will now be moved to the House.
* The Question: What do you think of this and what other SoS changes would you like to see? Two-year license plate renewals? No front plates? Something else?
STATE BOARD OF ELECTIONS CERTIFIES RESULTS OF MARCH 19 PRIMARY
Voter turnout for the March 19 primary election was 19 percent, according to the official vote total certified today by the Illinois State Board of Elections.
The official total showed 1,518,856 of the state’s 7,965,287 registered voters cast ballots in the primary, resulting in a statewide voter turnout of 19.07 percent. It was the lowest turnout in a presidential primary in several decades. (See turnout charts below.)
Democratic voters cast 891,342 ballots, accounting for 58.69 percent of the total. Republican ballots totaled 609,941 for 40.16 percent of the total.
The only statewide office on the primary ballot was for President of the United States. Incumbent President Joseph Biden won the Democratic primary with 91.48 percent of the vote while Donald Trump won the Republican primary with 80.5 percent. Voters in those primaries also selected delegates to party conventions from the state’s 17 congressional districts.
Also on the state primary ballot were 118 representative and 23 senatorial seats in the Illinois General Assembly, 17 congressional seats and judicial races at all levels including the first and fourth Illinois Supreme Court districts.
Complete results can be found on the State Board of Elections website and the complete Official Vote Totals Book is available for download in the Vote Totals section of the site’s publications page.
Winners in the primary elections will appear on the Nov. 5 General Election ballot. For offices in which a party did not nominate a candidate in the primary, managing committees of those offices have until June 3 to fill the vacancy in nomination for the November ballot.
Independent and new party candidates will file nominating petitions with the State Board of Elections June 17-24. SBE is scheduled to certify the Nov. 5 ballot on Aug. 23. Early voting for the General Election begins Sept. 26.
* Presidential primary election turnout, including party split of the total vote, back to 1972…
* Turnout figures and party splits for all primaries – midterm and presidential – back to 1972…
An increased moratorium on closing Chicago Public Schools – including charters – for an additional two years easily passed the state House Thursday night over the objections of the Chicago Teachers Union, which described the measure as “racist,” and despite protestations from Mayor Brandon Johnson’s appointees to the city’s school board. […]
All of the restrictions would be lifted come February 2027, when the board will for the first time be fully elected. The measure will now head to the Senate.
“We have a duty to protect the schools from irreversible damage until we have a fully-elected school board that will have to be accountable to the voters of Chicago as well as the parents and families,” said state Rep. Margaret Croke, a Chicago Democrat, who sponsored the measure (House Bill 303). […]
Gov. J.B. Pritzker, who previously lent his support to Croke’s plan to stave off major changes to selective enrollment schools until the elected board is seated, reiterated during a press conference on Thursday night that the concept has “merit,” while also blasting those who labeled it or Croke racist as “extreme.”
* CPS Parents for Buses statement on HB303…
1) CPS already closed both magnet and selective enrollment schools earlier this year to low income students who depended on the busing they were promised when they picked a school they love.
2) Halting an unelected school board from making drastic changes to selective enrollment schools is appreciated by many of our members who are parents of selective enrollment students….and our parents of magnet students, like parents of all students, look forward to learning more details on how this bill affects their children’s school budgets.
3) We note that Jianan Shi visited Springfield to oppose HB303, and saw his concerns ignored. Perhaps now he may be able to better understand parents who have seen him ignore their concerns.
4) State legislators and Secretary of State Giannoulias now need to act on behalf of those who have lost busing. The Safe Student Transport Act (HB3476), the Under the Hood Waiver, allowing CDL driver testing in Spanish, and providing more CDL testing dates will expand the pool of drivers for children of CPS and other Illinois districts.
A bill that would ban certain additives and chemicals in food has advanced in the Illinois legislature.
On Thursday, Senate Bill 2637 passed the Senate. It will now head to the House.
The bill, introduced late last year by Illinois Senator Willie Preston, aims to ban specific ingredients in candy, soda and other snack foods. These additives include titanium dioxide, brominated vegetable oil, potassium bromate, propylparaben, and red dye No. 3. […]
The bill includes provisions for manufacturers and distributors to adopt safer alternatives and update their recipes by Jan. 1, 2028. It also establishes penalties for multiple non-compliance violations.
Senate Bill 2637, known as the Illinois Food Safety Act, passed on a 37-15 bipartisan vote and will head to the House for consideration. The banned chemicals would include brominated vegetable oil, red dye No. 3, propylparaben and potassium bromate. […]
The bill had bipartisan support in the Senate with both Sen. Seth Lewis, R-Bartlett, and Sen. Steve McClure, R-Springfield, voting for it.
“(Red dye 3) was banned by the FDA for use in makeup over 30 years ago. So, the FDA doesn’t allow you to put it on your face for makeup. But yet kids are eating this in candy,” McClure said in the Senate Thursday. “That to me is outrageous. So, for that reason I am voting for this bill.” […]
Industry groups such as the Illinois Manufacturers’ Association have pushed back against the bill throughout the legislative process. In January, the IMA issued a statement in opposition of “this well-intentioned legislation,” claiming it would undermine the FDA and negatively impact Illinois’ economy as it would “create a confusing and costly patchwork of regulations.”
A priority piece of legislation in Pritzker’s budget proposal passed the Illinois House on Thursday. The Birth Equity Initiative will allow for “better access to affordable pregnancy, postpartum and newborn care services,” according to a statement from Democratic state Rep. Robyn Gabel, who carried the legislation.
From Pritzker: “Passage of HB5142 by the House moves Illinois one step closer to our goal of making all mothers and children safer and healthier regardless of race or financial status,” he said in a statement. “The Birth Equity Initiative will work to close the tragic gap in maternal mortality between Black women and other new parents, building an Illinois where everyone can feel safe in their decision to start and raise a family.”
Also passing the House: The Healthcare Protection Act, first introduced in the governor’s budget address. Its goal is to ban prior authorization for crisis mental health care, improve access to primary care physicians and end unchecked rate increases. The measure heads to the Senate after passing on a bipartisan vote in the House.
State lawmakers are making another attempt to create a state tax credit that would increase the production of affordable housing.
The Build Illinois Homes Tax Credit is a model of the federal low-income housing tax credit. The Illinois Housing Council says while federal credit is an essential tool used to develop and preserve affordable rental housing throughout the country, it never covers the entire cost of finishing a development project. […]
The House bill, supported by Rep. Dagmara Avelar (D), asks for a $20 million investment annually for six years that developers can apply for a long-term payment solution.
“Grants are a band-aid solution, very much needed, but they help us in the short term, and we need long-term solutions,” Avelar said.
State representatives passed a plan Thursday night to ban people from keeping servals, caracals, wallabies or kangaroos as pets.
House Democrats argue these animals are too dangerous for people to keep in their homes, and Rep. Daniel Didech (D-Buffalo Grove) said law enforcement and animal control professionals requested a change in state law. […]
This comes months after a serval escaped from a Decatur man’s apartment less than two weeks after he bought the animal. […]
The legislation passed out of the House on a 67-34 vote with three representatives voting present.
A bill carried by State Representative Jeff Keicher of Sycamore, which would help child trafficking victims, was unanimously passed in the state’s House of Representatives. House Bill 5465 would help juvenile victims of human trafficking receive resources to help them heal and recover from their trauma.
Keicher says the bill builds upon a law passed last year by simplifying the process of helping juvenile victims of trafficking with sealing or expunging any criminal records that occurred while they were trafficked.
Keicher showed appreciation to his fellow representatives fro their bipartisan support. Keicher has a personal attachment to this issue, as he had a family member who was abused who died due to a lack of resources available to help.
A plan moving in Springfield could require insurance coverage for at-home pregnancy tests.
Sponsors say insurance companies should provide coverage for prescribed urine-based pregnancy tests regardless of whether the tests are available over the counter. […]
If the measure becomes law, Medicaid will cover pregnancy tests for Illinoisans starting January 1, 2025. Illinois insurance companies would be required to provide coverage starting January 1, 2026.
House Bill 5643 passed unanimously out of the House Insurance Committee Thursday morning. Representatives could vote on the plan before the House bill 3rd reading deadline Friday night.
* The Illinois Harm Reduction & Recovery Coalition…
Today, the Illinois Harm Reduction & Recovery Coalition (IHRRC) brought together scores of advocates from across Illinois in response to the lack of urgency around necessary policy solutions proven to decrease overdose deaths. According to the CDC, nearly 4,000 Illinoisans died from an overdose in 2022, the equivalent of 10 people daily. People in self-defined recovery (including people who use drugs), families who have lost loved ones, peer harm reduction providers, religious leaders, treatment professionals, public officials, and more are contributing to Harm Reduction Week of Solidarity. Legislators will be able to learn from an on-site model demonstration of an overdose prevention site tent and mobile harm reduction outreach vehicles.
IHRRC commends the legislators leading the way to authorize a pilot overdose prevention site (OPS) in Chicago through House Bill 2/Senate Bill 78, led by sponsors Representative La Shawn K. Ford and Senator Sara Feigenholtz. The legislation has garnered support from Representatives Kelly Cassidy, Will Guzzardi, Anna Moeller, Senators Robert Peters, David Koehler, and Kimberly Lightford, and more than 24 co-sponsors. Yet, regardless of widespread support, IHRRC is dismayed that the General Assembly has failed to advance this commonsense and lifesaving policy.
“Despite decades of supportive data, hundreds of conversations with legislators, and impactful events like August’s Overdose Awareness Day Rally spirited by the courageous Angel Moms, stigma among legislators is delaying necessary public policy changes. It has been frustrating that legislators have limits to the type of life-saving harm reduction interventions they are willing to support. Sitting out on OPS is the equivalent of supporting safe driving without voting for texting restrictions or safe sex without funding condom distribution. We are talking about human beings - our friends, family, and neighbors,” said Jennifer Nagel-Fischer, Director of The Porchlight Collective in Madison County and a person with lived and living experience.
Overdose prevention sites are evidence-based health resource centers where people can use pre-obtained drugs under the supervision of trained staff. OPSs save lives, save money, and keep communities safe. They reduce the risk of harm related to drug use, including fatal overdose and HIV/Hepatitis C transmissions, and provide health services to people who use drugs, including medical assistance, counseling, case management, referrals to community services, education about safer use techniques, and much more.
* Sen. Mike Porfirio and Rep. Angie Guerrero-Cuellar…
Sen. Mike Porfirio and Rep. Angie Guerrero-Cuellar recently filed legislation to acquire a new police district facility representing their districts on the Southwest Side of Chicago. The current 8th Chicago Police District is the busiest and largest by population, ranking first for all crimes committed across the city.
Southwest Side residents voted overwhelmingly - at nearly 87% - for a new police district in the March 19 primary. A group of 15 elected officials representing the community sent Gov. Pritzker a letter last month requesting the state sell them a vacant building to be used as a new police district facility.
An amendment to SB386 and one filed to HB478 would transfer the Midway Flight Facility located at 5400 W. 63rd St. to the City of Chicago for the express purpose of a police district for $1. The payment would be made to the Department of Military Affairs, which currently owns the property.
“Our residents have spoken and we are moving forward with their wishes for a new police district for our community,” said Porfirio. “We hope Governor Pritzker and Mayor Johnson want to support us in this effort.”
The 8th District has the worst data points in the city on key police staffing metrics, which has led to slow police response times and resident frustration. At its current size, which hasn’t changed since the late 1960s, the 8th District is the busiest and third-largest police district in the city (at 23 square miles) and serves the highest population with over 250,000 residents. That equates to 10 officers for every 10,000 residents, which is the lowest officer to resident ratio in the city.
“It is past time that our community received the police support it needs and deserves,” Guerrero-Cuellar said. “We hope this legislation signals how serious we are about increasing safety and police presence on the Southwest Side.”
The legislation would be effective upon Gov. Pritzker’s signature.
* Rep. Jay Hoffman…
Responding to the rise in catalytic converter theft, state Rep. Jay Hoffman, D-Swansea, passed a plan out of the House Tuesday that would classify catalytic converters as “essential parts” – subjecting them to enhanced tracking and state record laws that address hijacking and vehicle theft.
“Many residents have been frustrated by the cost of dealing with catalytic converter thieves who systematically damage cars to make a quick buck,” Hoffman said. “We have to continue to take steps to limit the ways these criminals make money on the crime, and this proposal would update how junk yards keep track of and handle catalytic converter sales.”
Hoffman’s House Bill 4589 would require recyclable metal dealers to acquire and maintain additional records involving catalytic converter transactions, including the vehicle identification number it was removed from as well as any other specific numbers, bar codes, stickers or unique markings on the part. Recyclable metal dealers must also require a copy of the vehicle’s certificate of title or uniform invoice clearly showing the seller’s ownership.
The same rules apply to other “essential parts,” which includes vehicle hulks, engines, transmissions, fuel tanks and other critical vehicle components. Hoffman’s measure further aims to clarify that catalytic converters can only be sold at licensed recyclable metal dealer locations. […]
House Bill 4589 received bipartisan support and will head to the Senate for consideration.
* Gov. JB Pritzker held a media availability Thursday night after the House passed his Healthcare Protection Act legislation…
Isabel Miller: Governor, do you have confidence in Dorval Carter’s ability to lead the CTA?
Gov. Pritzker: Look, a lot of changes are going to have to take place, there’s no doubt, at CTA. And I think that’s going to take some new leadership, and additional leadership.
It’s something the legislature and I, and of course the city of Chicago, and we’re gonna have to consider the plan that the CTA should have come forward with already, which we haven’t seen, but that may include changing fares and other things that will help us deal with what is clearly going to be a fiscal cliff here. We’re also hoping to see help from the federal government.
Isabel: ‘New leadership’ meaning Dorval Carter should be fired?
Pritzker: I know you all have tried to use the word ‘fired’ here. I think that there needs to be an evolution of leadership in order for us to get where we need to go with CTA.
So, that’s something that will be discussed. As you know, I have appointments at CTA but they’re not a controlling majority. But the people that we appoint, of course, we’ll be working with the others are on the board to evaluate and make changes in management.
The “additional leadership” comment is also interesting. Sounds like the proposed combined regional agency that the transit agencies oppose.
*Block Club | Is It Time To Fire CTA Boss? Gov. Pritzker Says ‘New Leadership’ Needed: Rather, over the last two years, Carter has largely governed himself by launching initiatives that measure his own success without much direction from the board, which has almost always gone along with him despite an onslaught of rider complaints coming out of the pandemic. Yet Carter has received at least two salary raises yearly since 2018. In the eight years he’s led the CTA, his salary has climbed more than 60 percent, jumping from $230,000 to $376,065 as of July, according to CTA records.
* Tribune | Gov. J.B. Pritzker says ‘evolution of the leadership’ needed at CTA: Though CTA is based in Chicago, Pritzker has some measure of control over the agency, appointing three of the transit board’s seven members. And the recommendations under consideration by lawmakers have heightened the importance of Carter’s relationship with state officials.
* ICYMI: Gov. J.B. Pritzker expresses support for expanded CPS school closing moratorium; House sends bill to Senate. Tribune…
- The moratorium extension is included in a bill sponsored by Rep. Margaret Croke it’s aimed at protecting selective enrollment schools, and would prohibit any admission changes for selective enrollment schools until 2027.
- Pritzker said extending the moratorium is the right call “so that decisions can be made by people who are representative of the people of Chicago.”
- The House passed the bill late Thursday in a 92-8 vote, with all eight no votes from Democrats. The bill now goes to the Senate.
* Daily Herald | ‘I’m begging you’: Distraught tollway workers ask board, Pritzker to avert potential layoffs: SEIU Local 73 members, who include former toll collectors now working as customer call takers, said they feared layoffs affecting over 100 people. They appealed both to the tollway board and Gov. J.B. Pritzker, who appoints its members, for help. “Losing my career with the Illinois tollway would be devastating,” Melissa Jacobson said. “It would affect me emotionally, mentally and financially. It would affect my opportunity to have my home, pay utilities and the list will go on.
* AP | Emergency rooms refused to treat pregnant women, leaving one to miscarry in a lobby restroom: One woman miscarried in the restroom lobby of a Texas emergency room as front desk staff refused to admit her. Another woman learned that her fetus had no heartbeat at a Florida hospital, the day after a security guard turned her away from the facility. And in North Carolina, a woman gave birth in a car after an emergency room couldn’t offer an ultrasound. The baby later died. Complaints that pregnant women were turned away from U.S. emergency rooms spiked in 2022 after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, federal documents obtained by The Associated Press reveal.
Capitol news
* WTTW | Need a Notary? Now You Can Get One Online as Illinois Launches New E-Notary Service: Illinois had previously allowed portions of notarization to take place online, but Giannoulias’ office said a notary still had to sign and seal a paper document and that all parties still had to be physically in Illinois. As the National Notary Association describes it: “Notarization is the assurance by a duly appointed and impartial Notary Public that a document is authentic, that its signature is genuine, and that its signer acted without duress or intimidation, and intended the terms of the document to be in full force and effect.
* WAND | Plaintiffs file brief in challenge of Illinois public transit carry ban: “As noted in the brief,” said SAF founder and Executive Vice President Alan M. Gottlieb, “this case asserts the Illinois Public Transportation carry ban cannot stand unless it is consistent with the historical tradition of firearms regulation at the time of the ratification of the right to keep and bear arms. It is abundantly clear the defendants can’t provide such information, and in their response, they have failed to offer any Founding-era evidence supporting the ban.”
* Sun-Times | 25 years after my dad was killed, his murder is unsolved. Two bills could spur action on cold cases like his: There are two bills currently up in the Illinois General Assembly written specifically to address the issue of unsolved homicides and homicide data transparency. This legislation, sponsored by state Rep. Kam Buckner, aim to increase our homicide closure rates, deter future violence, and rebuild trust between communities and law enforcement. […] While we can’t legislate all our problems away, these bills could pave the way for a transformative future for Chicago. Solving unsolved homicides isn’t just about statistics; it’s about bringing closure to grieving families.
* WCBU | Illinois medical license system still plagued with delays despite new mandate: Republican Rep. Bill Hauter of Morton, who is also an anesthesiologist, said this issue impacts all healthcare workers, from nurses and doctors to pharmacists and physical therapists. He said the problems have only gotten worse with workforce shortages. “With this shortage we have in all the medical fields, with having temporary workers come from out of state,” Hauter said. “So therefore, it puts a great strain on the licensing process, because you’re having so many applications for licenses in Illinois from out of state workers.”
* Center Square | Hundreds of gun owners rally at Illinois Statehouse: State Rep. John Cabello, R-Machesney Park, addressed attendees after they marched through the capital city. He told the crowd that police want to help protect people, but they can’t always be there and that’s why he wants a “stand your ground” law as found in his House Bill 5803. “You should not have to retreat,” Cabello said. “You should not have to worry about a lawsuit if you’re protecting yourself or your family.”
Chicago
* Sun-Times | No cracks in Blue Wall? Top Democrats vow Chicago is ready for convention, despite party divisions: Hundreds of Democratic Party officials came to Chicago this week for tours and meetings ahead of the Aug. 19-22 convention, including an executive committee on Tuesday to select members of three convention standing committees. At a downtown news conference on Thursday, party leaders were joined by convention chair Minyon Moore, who sought to quell concerns that intra-party divisions over the war in Gaza could derail the convention — and Biden’s campaign. Biden won this year’s Democratic primary in Wisconsin but about 50,000 voters cast a ballot for an “uninstructed” delegation.
* Tribune | Democratic Convention organizers leaning on locals to handle possible migrant surge in August: So far, Johnson and Pritzker have not detailed how they’ll respond if Republican Gov. Greg Abbott of Texas attempts to make political hay by busing a larger-than-normal number of asylum-seekers to Chicago during the four-day convention at which President Joe Biden is expected to accept his party’s renomination. […] “First of all, we can’t just look at these as migrants,” Minyon Moore, chair of the Democratic National Convention Committee, told reporters Thursday during a gathering of state Democratic Party leaders from across the country. “These are human beings. These are people that are being bused to places that some don’t even know where they’re going. And we have to show them compassion and the concern as a Democratic Party and a Democratic family.”
*Sun-Times | Howard Brown, union reach tentative agreement after 17 months of negotiations: The contract would include raises across the union body — including annual wage increases — a new minimum wage of $19.23, insurance for part-time employees, two weeks of paid leave for gender-affirming care, a union rights clause and protections against layoffs, among other things.
* Sun-Times | Pride Parade will now allow participants from schools, organizers say: The change came a day after the Sun-Times reported parade organizers denied entry to six Chicago schools that had a history of participating in the parade. Nettelhorst School will now coordinate with the five other previously denied schools, said Francis W. Parker School teacher Karen Liszka. The heavily attended parade passes by Nettelhorst in the heart of the city’s well-known LGBTQ+ area in Lake View.
* Sun-Times | Rainbow PUSH leader’s quick exit underscores challenge following Rev. Jackson: ‘It’s the most difficult job in Black America’: But former Rainbow PUSH insiders and longtime allies of the coalition agreed Haynes’ short-lived appointment was hamstrung from the beginning by a split commitment with his Texas megachurch — and it only raises more questions about the future of the organization. “For [Haynes] to be here and there — it was impossible,” said Hermene Hartman, founder of the Black Chicago publication N’DIGO. She worked alongside Jackson in the 1960s at Operation Breadbasket, a precursor to the groups that would become Rainbow PUSH.
Everywhere else
* Daily Herald | DuPage County Board members want answers on county clerk’s election invoices: Several DuPage County Board members are asking for answers about some no-bid contracts awarded by the county clerk. Each of the county board’s seven Republican members and one Democrat have signed a letter requesting discussion about the contracts be placed on the agenda for Tuesday’s board meeting. The contracts, which covered the printing of election material, total more than $250,000.
* Lake $ McHenry County Scanner | State’s attorney declines to file charges in 3 McHenry County inmate custody deaths; 4th case still pending: The three inmate deaths in a two-week span prompted the sheriff’s office to issue a lengthy statement saying they are “transparent” and “faithfully serve the community, promoting the safety and equal protection of all.” Illinois Department of Corrections Criminal Justice Specialist Sara Johnson conducted compliance monitoring at the McHenry County Jail on February 15. […] The report said the jail was in compliance with Illinois county jail standards and no recommendations were made for changes.
* WBEZ | Talking to your kids about race can reduce bias, a Northwestern professor found: In 2018, Perry began experiments in her lab. She brought in nearly 90 white parents and their 8- to 12-year-old children to discuss kid-appropriate situations dealing with prejudice and racism — and she measured whether those chats had any effects on the racial biases. The results were clear. “An overwhelming majority of them, their data points are showing a reduction [in bias]. It’s a very large effect,” Perry said.
