* Didn’t Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner sign HB40 into law? Wasn’t he the guy who essentially funded the ILGOP for five years? I guess times truly have changed…
Yesterday, Governor J.B. Pritzker issued an executive order concerning taxpayer-funded abortion and stated Illinois will be the “most progressive state in the nation” on abortion under his administration. Illinois Republican Party Spokesman Aaron DeGroot issued the following statement in response:
“Making Illinois the ‘most progressive state in the nation’ on taxpayer-funded abortion is not something to be proud of. Rather, it’s tragic. At a time when our state budget is strained already, allowing this new and unfettered entitlement program to continue is beyond fiscally irresponsible. The Illinois Republican Party is deeply disappointed in Governor Pritzker’s executive order and will continue to oppose taxpayer funding of abortion.”
Illinois Republican Party Chairman Tim Schneider released the following statement after Governor Rauner announced he will be signing House Bill 40 into law:
“I am disappointed in the Governor’s decision to sign HB40 as the Illinois Republican Party opposes taxpayer-funded abortions.
“While I am frustrated and saddened, I also know that Speaker Madigan and the Democrats are trying to use this issue to divide our party and elect a Madigan-backed candidate for governor.
“As Chairman of the Illinois Republican Party, I will not let that happen. Our state faces great challenges, and we are focused on the issues that unite us as Republicans and as Illinoisans. There is no daylight between Governor Rauner and the Illinois Republican Party and we will continue working hard to ensure his reelection and finally defeat Mike Madigan once and for all.”
House Speaker Michael J. Madigan and members of the House Democratic Women’s Caucus are calling on the Trump administration to stop a plan to roll back protections against sexual harassment in public schools and college campuses.
Madigan, Assistant Majority Leader Kelly Burke and House education committee chairs Michelle Mussman, Rita Mayfield and Sue Scherer are working with the National Women’s Law Center (NWLC) to submit public testimony to Trump’s Department of Education ahead of a vote this week on proposed rule changes that would make it harder for students to report abuse.
“Here in Illinois we have taken important steps to allow all students learn and reach their full potential in an environment free of harassment, but the Trump administration’s extreme ideology is threatening to take our schools backwards,” Madigan said. “No student should face harassment in school, but the administration’s onerous new rules would silence survivors and create an environment where unacceptable behavior is ignored, excused or accepted as normal. We will not sit back and allow this to happen.”
Madigan, Burke and fellow House Democrats have submitted letters decrying the Trump administration’s proposed changes to Title IX. Under the proposed rules, schools would no longer be required to take action on complaints made to teachers and counselors; only reports made to the few school employees with “authority to institute corrective measures” would require follow up. When an investigation does occur, the rules would require schools to assume no harassment had occurred, and schools would be encouraged to use a standard of proof the NWLC says “stacks the deck against survivors.” Additionally, schools would also be required to ignore harassment that occurs outside of a school activity, including most off-campus and online harassment, even if a student must see her assailant each day at school.
“The House Democratic Women’s Caucus and Speaker Madigan are dedicated to working together to create a culture free of harassment. But the Trump administration’s policies undermine these efforts in our schools, where we can least afford it,” Burke said. “The administration’s message to young people is that they should remain silent. In Illinois, we will do the opposite. We will speak up on behalf of survivors and continue to work toward a better culture for all.”
Citizens can join House Democrats in expressing concern about the Trump administration’s proposed changes to Title IX by joining NWLC letter campaign to submit testimony to the Department of Education at ilhousedems.com and facebook.com/HouseDemsIL.
Climate Science Coalition Executive Director Steve Goreham said there is demonstrable evidence that the more renewable energy injected into the power grid, the higher the utility cost will be for ratepayers. He said that could lead to ratepayer revolts that have been seen in other countries.
“If you look around the world we’re seeing ratepayer revolts already,” Goreham said. “The most visible one is the yellow jackets in Paris regarding a fuel tax that [French] President Emmanuel Macron was putting on.”
In December, Macron suspended France’s gasoline tax increase after weeks of violent protests.
* Since this will be run through the state’s linked deposit program, the only state cost will be lost investment returns…
Governor JB Pritzker joined Illinois Treasurer Michael Frerichs to announce a $100 million program to fund zero or low-interest loans so furloughed federal workers who live in Illinois can pay their bills during the partial federal government shutdown.
In addition, the Governor called on lenders doing business in the State of Illinois to waive fees and provide other support to furloughed workers, especially as they deal with mortgage payments, student loans and car loans. Lenders that have already agreed to participate are listed online at www.illinois.gov/shutdownaid; their assistance ranges from deferments on loans to 0 percent interest to assisting individuals on a case-by-case basis.
The Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO) is also offering winter heating assistance to qualified federal workers through the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP). Federal workers whose last 30 day income has been impacted by the federal shutdown can find a complete listing of LIHEAP’s local administering agencies and additional information about the programhere, or call the LIHEAP toll-free hotline at 1‑877‑411-WARM (9276).
More than 8,000 federal employees who live in Illinois have been affected by the partial shutdown that began Dec. 22. Nationally, the figure is more than 800,000.
“Through no fault of their own, federal employees living in Illinois are not receiving their paychecks while expenses continue to pile up,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “We have an obligation as a state to do everything we can to help those paying a direct price for the actions of the president. This loan program will help those struggling to meet their day-to-day expenses as the shutdown drags on. My administration is continuing to explore all possible options to shore up critical services that receive federal funding, to make sure our most vulnerable families are protected from the harm the Trump shutdown might cause, and to assist impacted federal employees.”
The “linked” deposit loan program will be run by the Treasurer’s office in partnership with various banks and credit unions across the state. The Treasurer’s office will make deposits in participating financial institutions, allowing these institutions to provide below-market rates to federal workers who qualify for the program. For example, the state might offer a deposit at 0.01 percent if the financial institution agrees to loan out the money to federal works at 0.0 percent. Specific rates and terms of eligibility will vary by institution.
“This program will help bring relief for working families impacted by this impasse,” said Treasurer Michael Frerichs. “The President shut down the federal government and threatened the livelihood of thousands of families in Illinois to play political games. Difficult policy debates are a hallmark of government, but we cannot let our disagreements hurt working families who want nothing more than to pay their bills, raise a family, and save for the future.”
“The Illinois Bankers Association’s 300 member banks stand with Governor Pritzker in his call to assist workers who are struggling with the federal government shutdown,” said Linda Koch, President & CEO, Illinois Bankers Association. “We are proud that banks throughout Illinois are offering help to federal employees and other businesses and individuals affected by the shutdown.”
“On behalf of the IBA Board of Directors, I thank Governor Pritzker for his leadership and call to action on this serious matter,” said Daniel P. Daly, Illinois Bankers Association Chairman and President & CEO, SENB Bank, Moline. “Illinois’ banking community takes pride in serving the needs of our customers, and certainly those individuals and businesses impacted by the shutdown are no exception. Our bank, and all Illinois banks, stand ready to help our customers through this hardship.”
“Based on the makeup of the membership, we have a number of the 270 credit unions in Illinois with a significant percentage of federal workers as members,” said Tom Kane, President Illinois Credit Union League. “Many of these credit unions have implemented formal programs to assist federal workers with special low or no interest payroll interruption loans, skip-a-payment options, or waiving penalties for cashing in a CD early. In addition, I would urge any furloughed federal employee who is a member of a credit union to stop into a branch and ask what they can do to help during this challenging time.”
A partial list of participating banks and credit unions offering assistance are below:
1st Mid America
Bank of America
BMO Harris
CIBC
Citizens Equity First Credit Union (CEFCU)
Community Plus Federal Credit Union
First Midwest Bank
Heartland Credit Union
Home State Bank
IH Mississippi Credit Union (IHMVCU)
KCT Credit Union
R.I.A. Federal Credit Union
Scott Credit Union
JP Morgan Chase
SENB Bank
SIU Credit Union
University of Illinois Community Credit Union
U.S. Bank
U.S. Employee Credit Union
Wells Fargo
Wintrust
Vibrant Credit Union
A full list services being provided by participating banks can be found here and participating credit unions can be found here. For more information on aid for federal workers during the shutdown visit the governor’s website at www.illinois.gov/shutdownaid. The site will be updated periodically with additional information.
Ald. Rod Sawyer says wearing a wire to snare colleagues and save his own neck is “not how I was raised.” Where he comes from, if you get caught doing something wrong, you “take your punishment and keep your mouth shut.”
Ald. Carrie Austin (34th), the always outspoken Budget Committee Chairman, was suddenly speechless when asked to comment about Solis.
“Not about Danny. I might cry,” Austin said. “You don’t do that. You just don’t.”
Rules Committee Chairman Michelle Harris (8th) offered a variation on Don Corleon’s infamous admonishment to his son in the movie, “The Godfather”: “Don’t take sides against the family.”
“I try to think that we’re a family down here and we all work together. So, I got to say it’s probably a little disheartening for me,” Harris said.
…Adding… Paul Vallas…
My fellow candidates have been extremely and unusually quiet today, so let me be the first to call out the latest episode around corruption at City Hall. I said it first and I will say it again – there is a “code of silence” amongst Chicago’s political elite – including many elected and appointed officials and those who lobby to them, many of whom have made generational wealth of the city. Today’s revelation that Alderman Solis wore a wire to tape criminally-charged Alderman Ed Burke is just the latest scandal at City Hall.
There was a code of silence around Laquan McDonald and cover up of the video tape. There was a code of silence around former Country Assessor Berrios and his outrageous tax assessment practices that punished working families. There was a code of silence around the $22 million no-bid contract that landed CPS CEO Barbara Byrd-Bennett in prison. There was a code of silence around Emanuel and McCarthy’s degradation and scapegoating of the police department. This has got to stop!
There are only two reasons someone would wear a wire when conversing with public servants: they are in trouble themselves and are seeking to lighten the consequences through cooperation, or they have a sense of integrity. I won’t pretend to know which is the case in this instance of Alderman Solis taping conversations with the charged Alderman Ed Burke.
However, the sense of betrayal that is being expressed today by some other aldermen is frankly disgusting. One alderman said Solis was like “family,” with the clear inference that Solis betrayed the family. If there is a family of aldermen like that, then it is a crime family with a code of silence – and every one of the machine candidates who got into this race after Emanuel bowed out is connected to Alderman Burke in some way or another. I will be holding a press conference tomorrow to talk more about those connections. It is time for a clean sweep at City Hall. We need a Mayor and a City Council that are honest and puts our citizens first.
* Some interesting layers to this Tribune story. First…
Ald. Edward Burke’s son was under internal investigation for allegedly making inappropriate sexual comments at the sheriff’s office when Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle’s administration hired him to a nearly $100,000 per year job, newly released records show. […]
One investigation began after a female sheriff’s employee alleged that Burke was “consistently disrespectful of women,” talked about sex acts and would leave the office by saying, “I’m leaving, going to watch the girls on Rush Street,” records show.
Preckwinkle’s office denies knowing anything about that investigation.
* Preckwinkle and Sheriff Tom Dart have feuded for years, so this is also a fascinating angle…
[The female sheriff’s employee] also said Burke called himself “the law,” claimed to have “tapes” that would “humiliate” Dart, vowed to run for sheriff and said he would fire a bunch of employees when he won, records show. […]
A male lieutenant filed a separate complaint from a female employee against Burke, claiming he made false allegations against the supervisor and had said publicly he had $11 million for a sheriff’s run.
The lieutenant quoted Burke saying that if anything happened to him as a result of his own complaint against the supervisor, “his father (Ald. Burke) would take care of it,” according to the records.
Rumors about the younger Burke challenging Dart circulated for quite a while. So, Preckwinkle got a twofer. She did a solid for a powerful alderman and hired someone who thoroughly despised Dart, which probably irked the sheriff.
Also, I don’t hate patronage because people who campaigned for their bosses get jobs. That’s never really bothered me. I hate patronage when connected, self-entitled swellheads think they can’t ever be touched (and rarely are) no matter what they do. The world would be a much better place if politicians would stop protecting their mopes. But that won’t happen, obviously.
At the first City Council Finance Committee meeting in decades without embattled Ald. Edward Burke in charge of the body, aldermen on Tuesday took a step toward giving up the $100 million-per-year workers’ compensation program he has long tightly controlled with little oversight.
Ald. Patrick O’Connor ran his first meeting as chairman of the committee weeks after federal authorities charged Burke with attempted extortion and he stepped down from the powerful post. Burke did not attend Tuesday’s meeting as O’Connor fielded questions from aldermen pushing for more transparency about how the opaque workers’ compensation program is run.
The committee voted to move workers’ compensation to the city Finance Department, a change Mayor Rahm Emanuel backed as one of several City Council reforms after the charges against Burke.
With President Donald Trump and the GOP prolonging the partial government shutdown, a Republican lawmaker had an uncomfortable run-in Tuesday when a fellow airplane passenger found him flying first class from Chicago to Washington, D.C., according to a video of the encounter shared with HuffPost.
“Congressman, do you think it’s appropriate to fly first class while 57 TSA agents aren’t being paid?” the person says to Rep. Rodney Davis (R-Ill.), in an apparent reference to the Transportation Security Administration’s 57,000 employees, who are being required to work without pay. […]
Davis remained silent, prompting the person to say, “Taking that as a yes.”
“Taxpayers paid for this flight? Fair enough,” he added.
Davis spokesperson Ashley Phelps told the site that the lawmaker has never used tax-payer money to purchase first-class tickets, and did not do so for Tuesday’s flight.
Phelps said Davis’s office bought a coach ticket and was upgraded to first class because of his frequent flyer status.
“There was no additional cost to taxpayers,” she said.
OK, fine. I’ve taken upgrades before (the first time was when I was 16 and was delighted to be treated to champagne at takeoff). And the frequent flyer upgrades are allowed by congressional ethics rules. But it’s not like this hasn’t been an issue for Davis in the past. From the 2014 campaign…
Eerily prescient right down to the shutdown.
Not to mention that an ad on endless loop supporting Davis last fall made a big issue out of his opponent’s membership in a local yacht club.
The safety and health of our residents and staff is the highest priority for the Illinois Department of Veterans’ Affairs. To ensure that you are fully informed, I’m writing to provide information about a recent case of Legionellosis at the Manteno Veterans’ Home.
On January 8, 2019, a sole case of Legionellosis was detected in a resident who lived at the Manteno Veterans’ Home.
At the time of the diagnosis, we immediately put protocols into place out of an abundance of caution, including installing filters on all showerheads, conducting additional wellness checks on residents, conducting thermal eradication of our water, and increased flushing of the water system. Engineers also conducted additional testing of the water to determine whether there was a “false positive” or whether other locations in the facility had been impacted.
On January 22, 2019, the Manteno Veterans’ Home received our first preliminary water sample test results. These results showed low levels of Legionellosis at three fixtures: a faucet, a sink, and a shower. These three water fixtures were immediately taken out of service. To confirm these test results, the facility will undergo additional testing on Wednesday, January 23, 2019. Results for the second round of tests are expected on February 1, 2019 and we will promptly communicate those results to you and your family.
Through this period, we will support the care of residents and staff with filtered and bottled water. Bottled water and fresh ice are being delivered to the home for drinking and preparing meals. Filters in showers will remain in place until Legionella-free water test results are received. IDVA will continue increased resident vital sign checks. Legionella bacteria exist in most public places, and test results can vary day by day, which is why we will continue testing and keeping rigorous protocols in place to protect the health and safety of our residents and employees.
We will continue to inform you of developments moving forward. If you have any questions, please reach out to Tanya Huston, Manteno Home Administrator at (xxx) xxx-xxxx, ext. xxx. The State of Illinois will take every precaution necessary to protect our residents, staff, and visitors at the Illinois Veterans’ Home in Manteno.
Sincerely,
Brig Gen (R) Stephen Curda, Ph.D. Acting Director
Illinois Department of Veterans’ Affairs (IDVA)
Surrounded by environmental advocates in the state capital’s Southwind Park, Governor JB Pritzker took executive action joining the U.S. Climate Alliance, becoming the 18th governor to uphold the environmental protections despite President Trump’s withdrawal from the Paris Climate Agreement.
“I ran on a bold agenda to protect our environment, help our workers thrive and build the 21st century economy our state deserves, and now I’m taking action to join the U.S. Climate Alliance and stand on the side of science and reason,” said Gov. JB Pritzker. “I’m proud to join the bipartisan coalition of governors and states committed to upholding the provisions of Paris Climate Agreement. While the president is intent on taking us backwards, I will work hard every day to move our state forward. We know that climate change is real. We know it’s a threat. And we know we must act.”
Advancing a key environmental priority, the governor officially signed on to the U.S. Climate Alliance which commits the state to the principles of the Paris Climate Agreement in order to protect Illinoisans from the damaging effects of climate change. President Trump pulled out of the international agreement on June 1, 2017.
Executive Order 2019-06 also directs the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency to monitor the Trump Administration’s environmental proposals and identify opportunities to protect Illinoisans from environmental harm. The executive order takes effect immediately.
“Communities across America are facing the impacts of climate change. We need more leaders like Governor Pritzker that are committed to deploying climate solutions, promoting sustainable economic growth and creating high-quality jobs,” said Julie Cerqueira, executive director of the U.S. Climate Alliance. “We welcome the state of Illinois into the Alliance, and look forward to supporting their priorities and learning from their experience.”
“The governor’s commitment to clean energy will improve public health and bring new economic opportunities and investment to Illinois,” said Jennifer Walling, president of the Illinois Environmental Council. “The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has found that we have just 12 years to limit carbon emissions in order to keep climate change at moderate levels. Governor Pritzker’s executive action commits Illinois to the goals of the U.S. Climate Alliance.”
“By joining the U.S. Climate Alliance as one of his first acts in office, Governor Pritzker is showing the world that, even though Donald Trump wants out of the clean energy economy, Illinois is all in,” said Jack Darin, director of Sierra Club Illinois. “We can and must reach these climate goals, and we know we need to do so in a way that puts our workers and disadvantaged communities first. We know Governor Pritzker shares these values and can unite Illinois in planning for the 100% clean energy future we all want, and that starts today.”
“Climate change is real and Illinoisans are already experiencing its harmful effects,” said Sen. Melinda Bush (D-31st), who chairs the Senate Energy and Environment committee. “I’m proud to stand with Gov. Pritzker in acknowledging science and taking action to preserve and protect our planet. We must make every effort to secure Illinois’ place as a leader in the green economy”
“The governor’s actions today will put Illinois at the forefront of efforts to develop and use clean energy and take concrete steps to reduct carbon emissions,” said Rep. Ann Williams (D-11th), who chairs the House Energy and Environment committee. “We must get serious about pushing back on the dangerous environmental policies of the Trump administration which have left our communities vulnerable and put the public health at risk. Today, under the leadership of Governor Pritzker, we’ve done just that.”
One thing he could do is come up with some reasonable and uniform statewide siting requirements for solar and wind power to prevent local NIMBYs from stopping reasonable developments. Counties are developing patchwork quilts of regulations, some reasonable, some less so. We need to standardize this across the state, but the various interest groups haven’t been able to reach an agreement on their own. An engaged governor could knock some heads and offer some capital plan goodies to convince folks to go along.
…Adding… Illinois Clean Jobs Coalition…
While the Federal Government remains shut down, today’s announcement is an important reminder that the responsibility to protect citizens from the harms of climate change has fallen to the states. By signing on to the U.S. Climate Alliance, Governor J.B. Pritzker has taken an important first step in fulfilling his commitment to put Illinois on a path to 100% renewable energy by 2050, and he has demonstrated his leadership on climate action in the Midwest.
Illinois officials are going to undertake a comprehensive study of the Capitol dome after secretary of state workers noticed small pieces of concrete fell from the inside portion of the outer dome.
Described as about the size of marbles, the pieces do not represent an emergency situation, said Harl Ray, senior project manager for Secretary of State Jesse White, whose office is in control of the Capitol. […]
There is space between the inner and outer domes, which is where the pieces concrete were seen. The metal skin of the outer dome is attached to lightweight concrete panels, which in turn are attached to the steel framework for the dome.
Ray said there is evidence of some leakage occurring in the outer dome, likely from places where the outer metal skin is bolted to the concrete panels. That probably has caused the pieces of concrete to fall. The last time the dome was patched for leaks was in 2000 or 2001, he said.
Wednesday, Jan 23, 2019 - Posted by Advertising Department
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Democratic Gov. J.B. Pritzker on Tuesday signed an executive order aimed at ensuring the state is properly enforcing a politically divisive law that allows for the taxpayer funding of abortions — saying he was “concerned” former Gov. Bruce Rauner’s administration wasn’t “making sure that it was enforced for state government employees.” […]
The American Civil Liberties Union of Illinois said that within the past month, some state employees had received notices that abortion is now covered under their plan. The group says Rauner’s administration “didn’t really prioritize fully implementing and creating the mechanics for people to be able to easily access abortion through Medicaid.”
“We were concerned and are concerned that the leadership that Gov. Rauner had in place wasn’t in fact making sure that it was enforced for state government employees,” Pritzker said. “And of course more broadly we want to make sure that private and public health insurance coverage included it and that it’s enforced. So we had some indications, but the most important thing is we’re going to make sure that everyone, every woman in state government has the coverage that she deserves.”
You may recall that I asked the governor’s office yesterday about complaints or compliance issues with state employee group health insurance plans. I was referred to the ACLU of Illinois.
* Ed Yohnka with the ACLU…
Here is the information about the state insurance plans’ coverage of abortion. This is based on information we received via FOIA requests in 2017 and mid-2018.
The following plans do not appear to cover abortion in most circumstances. As of the time of our FOIAs, it appears these three plans covered nearly half of all enrollees.
* Healthlink OAP. Appears to contain a life exception only. This plan does not renew until 2021.
* Aetna QCHP. Appears to contain a life exception only. This plan does not renew until 2021.
* Aetna HMO. Does not cover “elective abortion” or “abortion drugs.” This plan was renewed for FY2019. We do not have any more updated information to indicate if abortion was covered, but we believe it might not be.
The following plan just expanded its abortion coverage, but it is not complete.
* Health Alliance HMO. Before viability, it now covers abortions determined by the physician to be necessary. After viability, the abortion is covered if the life of the mother is endangered, the fetus has a condition incompatible with life outside the uterus, or the pregnancy is the result of rape or incest. Based on the notice we received, it does not contain an exception post-viability for the health of the pregnant person.
Two other plans cover election abortions, but have a lifetime limit of two.
Clearly, mapmaking is a power that Madigan has no intention of ceding. So how to go forth? First, lawmakers can stop leaving the fight to others; that includes the U.S. Supreme Court. Those applauding the court’s decision to again hear a pair of gerrymandering cases this term should be careful what they wish for. The court’s new makeup has court observers worrying that the majority will protect, not reject, partisan maps.
That means Pritzker and Illinois lawmakers must take the matter out of justices’ hands by crafting a constitutional amendment that creates an independent commission to draw districts that let voters choose their political leaders and not the other way around, as well as answers the constitutional objections raised in past court challenges.
They must then demand en masse that Madigan and Senate President John Cullerton call identical bills — without amendments — for a vote. And Pritzker must sign it.
Um, governors don’t sign constitutional amendments. And governors who publicly and loudly demand things from Madigan don’t succeed. Perhaps the editorial board missed the last four years.
As I’ve said many times before, you don’t need a constitutional amendment to get a fairly drawn map. The best leverage Pritzker has is to stick to his March, 2018 pledge to veto any map “that is in any way drafted or created by legislators, political party leaders and/or their staffs or allies.” If their super-majorities hold up, the Democratic leaders will try to override a map veto in 2021. Then it’ll be up to Pritzker to pick off as many members as he can to prevent the override.
But, think about it, if the Democratic leaders do wind up overriding a governor’s veto of an unfair map, there’s no way in Hades their members would’ve ever approved a constitutional amendment to remove that power from them and no amount of yelling at the clouds will do any good. The only leverage Pritzker would have at that point would be to threaten to do something drastic like shut down the government or something, and we’ve all seen how that turns out.
CHANGE Illinois wants legislation or a proposed state constitutional amendment that will strip legislative leaders of their map-drawing authority and transfer it to a bipartisan commission directed to draw maps without regard to voting patterns. That way, more voters will have a real choice on Election Day.
But Madigan is a ruthless political tactician who is determined to retain gerrymandering. Using the courts, he’s twice defeated efforts to put a proposed Fair Map constitutional amendment to a public vote.
Further, one ought not get too excited about Pritzker’s anti-gerrymandering pledge because, unfortunately, campaign promises don’t count for much.
When he was governor, Democrat Pat Quinn made the same pledge Pritzker did, only to meekly sign Madigan’s gerrymandered 2011 maps into law.
Quinn flip-flopped on a lot of things. For instance, he said he wouldn’t sign any tax increase above a single percentage point and signed a two-point hike. And Madigan knocked the remap amendments off the ballot with ease because they were Rube Goldberg contraptions which clearly exceeded the constitutional limits of what can and what cannot be placed before voters.
* From ILGOP Chairman Tim Schneider…
An overwhelming majority of Illinois voters supports independent redistricting reform, but Speaker Madigan and President Cullerton have, through lawsuits and obstruction in the legislature, blocked all efforts to let the people have their voices heard. Governor Pritzker must follow through on his fair map pledge, work around Madigan and Cullerton, and empower rank-and-file Democrats to stand up to their leaders and enact meaningful change. Republican lawmakers are ready to work with Democrats on this critical issue to finally get the job done. It’s time for the people to truly be able to choose their representatives, not the other way around.
The Republicans have 44 members in the House and 19 in the Senate. That’s a very long way from the 71 and 36 required to pass a constitutional amendment over the objections of Democratic Party leaders.
I support fairly drawn maps, so it’s fine to keep up the heat, but people should retain some perspective and try to learn from the failures of the past. And one of the biggest failures is relying on frontal assaults against Madigan. They don’t work. They only make him stronger.
* Related…
* Sun-Times editorial: In the glow of victory, Governor, listen to the GOP on gerrymandering
Retiring Ald. Danny Solis (25th), the powerful chairman of the City Council’s Zoning Committee, has secretly recorded more than a dozen conversations with Ald. Ed Burke (14th) over the last two years, including at City Hall, to help federal investigators build their corruption case against him, the Chicago Sun-Times has learned.
Those conversations include Burke meeting with individuals seeking actions by the city, a source familiar with the matter said. […]
Solis’ cooperation is extraordinary, not only because the target was Burke but because Solis was a trusted ally of both Burke and Mayor Rahm Emanuel. Solis’ position as Zoning Committee chairman gave him the influence and standing to arrange for meetings where Burke could pitch potential clients.
In late November, Solis surprised his colleagues by announcing that he would not seek re-election, ending a 23-year career in the City Council that began with his 1996 appointment by then-Mayor Richard M. Daley to replace the disgraced and convicted Ambrosio Medrano.
Now that his role as an FBI mole has been exposed, Solis is prepared to resign immediately and start taking his aldermanic pension, the source said.
* From Board of Elections spokesperson Matt Dietrich…
Yes, the board voted 8-0 to withdraw from Crosscheck, though for some time we have been operating on the belief that Crosscheck was dormant and likely to remain so.
The main purpose of today’s action was to facilitate our creating a data sharing agreement with Indiana to help with voter list maintenance efforts in both states. Indiana’s statute allowed the state to enter into a data sharing agreement with Illinois in the event that we withdrew from Crosscheck but didn’t have specific language about creating such an arrangement if Illinois was still a member. In our initial talks with Indiana election officials this month, they indicated it would be easier (from a legal/technical standpoint) to craft an agreement if Illinois was officially not a member of Crosscheck.
You might recall that when the General Assembly last year passed its bill to remove Illinois from Crosscheck, it contained a clause allowing us to enter into a data sharing agreement with Indiana. That bill was vetoed by Gov. Rauner and an effort to override his veto in November was unsuccessful.
As things stand now, three of our neighboring states - Wisconsin, Missouri and Iowa - are members of Electronic Registration Information Center (ERIC), which Michigan also recently joined. https://www.ericstates.org/ Kentucky also has expressed interest in joining ERIC.
We’re not sure how long it will take to get a data sharing system with Indiana in place but we’re already in contact.
While many in the political world, and mayor’s race in particular, are trying to distance themselves from the alderman, The FOP is standing by [Ald. Ed Burke], but a spokesman would not comment on why the organization was endorsing Burke amidst his legal troubles.
Burke is accused of trying to force owners of a Burger King in his ward to hire his law firm for property tax work in exchange for building permits.
Earlier this month, Burke stepped down as chair of the city’s finance committee but announced he would continue in the alderman’s
* You dance with the one that brung you, I suppose…
“We are supporting Ed Burke because he has supported us and because we, unlike the Tribune and Sun Times, believe a man is presumed innocent until he is proven guilty,” Martin Preib, the FOP’s second vice-president, wrote in a statement to the Chicago Sun-Times.
“Furthermore, we believe that people should be tried in courts, not in [the] court of public opinion, as the acquittal of three officers last week and likely vote for a payout to the Englewood Four this week demonstrates.” […]
Burke was one of only a few City Council votes the FOP could count on. He could not be reached for comment.
“It’s not surprising, given his longstanding relationship with the police. In the wake of the Laquan McDonald video unleashing, he still had the audacity to say on the Council floor that there were no institutional issues at the Chicago Police Department,” said Jaime Guzman, one of two serious challengers vying to end Burke’s 50-year reign as 14th Ward alderman.
Burke makes judges and some of those judges go on to do things like ignore clear Illinois Supreme Court precedent and go light on sentencing of a convicted cop. It’s all one thing.
* Meanwhile, who wants this endorsement?…
The highly coveted endorsement of someone under federal investigation … https://t.co/jYkW8EmIMP
House Republican Leader Jim Durkin (R-Western Springs) today announced that he, along with the entire House Republican caucus, has filed HJRCA 10, a constitutional amendment for the independent drawing of legislative maps.
“Governor Pritzker has urged the legislature to create an independent commission to draw legislative maps, so House Republicans are proposing to do just that,” said Leader Durkin. “Not only are we answering the Governor’s call on this issue, but we are also prepared to provide the majority of the votes required to pass this out of the House and on to the Senate. So I call on my Democratic colleagues to join us and Governor Pritzker in supporting the independent drawing of legislative maps and pass HJRCA 10 this legislative session.”
HJRCA 10 would establish an independent commission, comprised of 11 members, charged with proposing a legislative map. The commission would be required to hold public hearings both before and after releasing a proposed plan.
The map would need to receive the affirmative vote of at least seven commissioners, including two from each political party whose candidate for Governor received the most and second-most votes and two commissioners not affiliated with each such political party.
If the commission fails to adopt a new map by June 30 of the year following the decennial census, the Chief Justice of the Illinois Supreme Court and the next senior Justice, not of the same party as the Chief Justice, will be required to appoint a Special Commissioner for Redistricting that must adopt and file a map by August 31 of the same year.
* I can see one big Democratic objection right away…
the redistricting plan shall respect the geographic integrity of units of local government
That could wind up packing Chicagoans into the city.
* The process for choosing mapmakers starts with the Auditor General, who would select a pool of 30 potential “Reviewers,” then draw three names out of a hat. The three Reviewers would in turn choose 100 potential commissioners. Each of the four legislative leaders would be allowed to strike five people from that list and then a lottery would be held to choose seven commissioners, with two Democrats, two Republicans and three unaffiliated people. The four leaders would each get to appoint one commissioner from those not selected.
I would like a simple declarative sentence from Pritzker, “I believe a wildlife professional should head the Illinois Department of Natural Resources.”
Unfortunately, I am losing faith.
Rumors have had Downstate legislators or former legislators as likely to be named director of the IDNR. The latest came earlier this month when the O’Fallon Weekly reported that state representative Jerry Costello II (D-Smithton) is “likely to be appointed the next Director of the Illinois Department of Natural Resources.”
Four years ago some of the state’s wildlife columnists were up in arms about the appointment of then-Rep. Wayne Rosenthal as director of IDNR. Just like now, they wanted a wildlife professional as director. But putting someone with such a narrow focus to run an agency with such broad powers seems like an even worse idea than putting a politician in that job.
What’s really needed are highly capable professionals running the various departments like Conservation/Preservation and Hunting/Trapping and Fishing/Boating. The person at the very top needs administrative skills and a real passion to protect the outdoors for future generations.
Bowman also wrote about rumors that Rep. Costello may not get the gig. There are lots of rumors out there about every agency, but his campaign contributions from coal and energy interests probably aren’t helping.
Just days into her new job as a state representative, Anne Stava-Murray (D-Naperville) has managed to cause a stir among her constituents by characterizing her hometown of Naperville as having “white supremacist policies.”
Her remarks about Naperville came in a Facebook response to a post by Felicia Palumbo, who in early January wrote that “Naperville is the biggest bullies … horrible.”
“I know and I am so sorry,” Stava-Murray replied on her “Anne Stava-Murray for U.S. Senate” Facebook page. “I actually wanted to move to Oak Park but stayed to work on my community. Our history of white supremacist policies is ongoing.” […]
A white supremacist Naperville was news to Mayor Steve Chirico.
“I would never characterize Naperville in this way,” Chirico told the Policy Journal, “but I realize that people have many different perceptions and views.”
Stava-Murray said Friday she is glad her comment, which was posted about two weeks ago, is getting attention.
“I think this is a very necessary conversation people need to be having in Naperville and the Chicago area because we are still so segregated,” she said. “There are many schools in Naperville that have almost no black students in them and many schools where there is not a single black teacher teaching.”
She also said Naperville makes no effort to educate residents on the city’s history as it relates race disparities and the city’s lack of a race-based bullying policy is “one of the areas where a lack of policy is a white supremacist policy.”
Keep in mind that her plan is to run statewide in two years.
An Orthodox rabbi was appointed to serve in the Illinois State Legislature.
Rabbi Yehiel Kalish was sworn in to the Illinois House of Representatives on Sunday night. Kalish, 43, is the first rabbi to serve as an Illinois state representative.
“I may be the first rabbi in any state legislature. And that’s very exciting,” Kalish told the CBS affiliate in Chicago. […]
He replaces Rep. Lou Lang, a Democrat who served in the legislature for 32 years. Lang resigned following his reelection after receiving a partnership offer from prominent lobbying firm Advantage Government Strategies. He was harmed last year by a sexual harassment allegation, though absolved of the allegations after an investigation by the Illinois Inspector General. Lang was on the three-member committee that selected Kalish from among 20 possible candidates.
Rabbi Kalish spent more than 10 years at Agudath Israel of America, focusing on governmental advocacy in state capitols across the country.
Rabbi Kalish was chosen by a three man committee from a field of 20 other candidates. In the 16th House district which he now represents, Orthodox Jewish residents comprise approximately 30 percent of the population.
Kalish said he believes even more strongly that “church needs to be separated from state.”
“As it relates to issue that may come up in the Legislature, I will support the law of the land. And if the law of the land is Roe v. Wade, I will support Roe v. Wade. At the same time, I will support Zelman v. Simmons-Harris. That’s school vouchers. That’s educational choice,” he said.
“I have not been chosen to be the rabbi of the state legislature. I have been chosen to be the representative of the 16th District.” […]
“Just because he’s a rabbi and just because he works for an organization that is pretty conservative does not mean that he is not personally progressive,” Lang said Monday.
“I would never, ever appoint somebody to replace me that didn’t share my values.”
He’s for years lobbied on behalf of the nursing home industry. And as an Orthodox rabbi, his appointment has some political observers wondering whether Kalish will be as supportive of progressive issues as Lang, such as a minimum wage increase and strengthening the rights of women and LGBQT communities. […]
“During my conversation with Lou Lang, I said, ‘The voters of the 16th District won’t notice a difference in my voting record compared to yours.’” That means: “Yes,” he’s pro-choice. “Yes,” he supports gay marriage. And “yes,” he supports a $15 minimum wage—and wants to “make sure Medicaid providers have what they need for quality care” in nursing homes, too.
Kalish is a father of six children who attended private religious schools, so his personal view is to support school choice and private school vouchers. But he said he’ll work with public schools to “grab as much funding” as possible for those institutions.
First and foremost on Rabbi Kalish’s agenda is to defend the state’s newly-launched private school scholarship program for low-income children, which has brought roughly $10 million in aid to Orthodox families in Chicago. The program was initiated by former Republican Governor Bruce Rauner, but its elimination was one of the campaign promises of newly inaugurated Democratic Governor J.B. Pritzker.
Another high priority is protection for the healthcare industry, which is a leading employer in Chicago’s Jewish community. […]
While the 16th district is home to much of Chicago’s Jewish community, it has become increasingly diverse, with sizable populations of east Asians and Muslims. Rabbi Kalish said that he was eager to engage in a “listening tour,” with the hopes of gaining a fuller grasp of the needs of the constituency beyond his home community.
* I asked the Pritzker folks whether there’ve been any complaints or compliance issues with state employee group health insurance plans and have yet to hear back…
On the 46th anniversary of the landmark Roe v. Wade decision, Governor JB Pritzker took executive action making Illinois the most progressive state in the nation for women’s reproductive rights.
“On the anniversary of Roe v. Wade, I’m proud to declare under my administration, the State of Illinois will be the most progressive state in the nation when it comes to guaranteeing the right to choose for every single woman,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “Thanks to the courageous advocates across our state, HB 40 is the law of the land. I was proud to stand with you in that fight, because a right is only a right if it can be exercised by everyone. And today, I’m proud to sign an executive order that will further protect and expand the right to choose in Illinois – and that will fully implement all the provisions of HB 40.”
In today’s executive order, Gov. Pritzker took swift action to ensure the state fully enforces HB 40, now known as Public Act 100-0538. Through EO 2019-05, the governor directed the Department of Central Management Services to review all state employee group health insurance plans, identify barriers to women exercising their right to choose, and present recommendations to bring all health insurance plans into compliance with the law within the next 60 days.
The governor signed the executive order at Planned Parenthood of Illinois surrounded by women’s health advocates and co-sponsors of the legislation.
“Women’s rights are human rights. It’s important that women have the right and ability to chose what is best for them and their bodies,” said Lieutenant Governor Juliana Stratton. “Today’s executive order makes it clear that our state is a leader in that respect.”
*** UPDATE *** From the Pritzker administration…
The office of the governor learned that advocates for safe and legal abortion are concerned that there are several state employee group health insurance plans that are not fully compliant with the intent of HB40. Advocates cited issues of potential non-compliance ranging from failure to cover “elective” abortion or the abortion pill to failure to cover abortion unless it’s necessary for the health of the woman. The governor took immediate action today requiring CMS to conduct an internal review of all state employee group health insurance plans so we can officially identify and take action to correct any residual compliance issues.
Just days into his term of office, Gov. J.B. Pritzker last week signaled an abrupt about-face in government relations with organized labor after 4 years of rancor.
The Democrat took a series of pro-worker actions, highlighted by reinstatement of long-postponed, experience-based salary increases for state workers represented by the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees.
Restoration of the so-called step increases is good news in itself not only to the 20,000 employees affected but also, advocates contend, to taxpayers. Step increases, required by state law, are paid to employees in their first 8 to 10 years who, as a savings to state government, start at below-market rates as incentive to gain experience and stick around. Former Gov. Bruce Rauner halted them in 2015 when AFSCME’s last contract expired. […]
The new governor is giving clear signs that high-profile litigation with AFSCME is on the wane. Appellate courts have ruled that Rauner should pay the back-due step increases, and that the negotiations his team left 2 years ago were not at an inextricable “impasse.”
“We’re living up to the court orders,” Pritzker said Friday. “That wasn’t being done by the prior administration and that’s our job. Our job is to follow the law.”
We don’t yet know the full costs of what turned out to be Rauner’s illegal impasse declaration and his decision to stop paying step increases, but one estimate puts it at $415 million. And, as Hannah Meisel pointed out today, the state owes 7 percent annual interest on that tab…
A program designed to curb Illinois’ pension debt is now underway. Early numbers show more Illinois state employees than expected are choosing to take a pension buyout from the state.
Public employees hired before 2011–and who have worked for at least eight years–get an annual three percent boost when they collect their pensions. That adds to what the retirees bring in, but also the cost of Illinois’ pension debt.
So, state lawmakers introduced the option as part of last year’s budget. State retirees can now choose to swap the three percent annual adjustment on their pensions for a lump sum payment–70 percent of what they would have gotten.
They also get to keep their base pension and 1.5 percent adjustment each year. […]
Since it launched in December, at least 200 new retirees took the deal, more than expected. Blair says their buyouts have ranged between $80 and $100,000.
With pro-marijuana J.B. Pritzker now in the Illinois governor’s mansion, all eyes are on his plan to legalize cannabis for recreational use. But even if approved by lawmakers, that could take more than a year to implement, and many voices are raising the call to take things slowly.
In the meantime, advocates say there’s a simple way the governor could greatly increase access to marijuana for those who want it for medical reasons.
At least eight lawsuits are pending to expand the conditions for which medical marijuana would be allowed under the state’s existing program. Chief among them is intractable pain, which the courts have already ordered to be added as a qualifying malady. But that ruling was appealed by the administration of Pritzker’s Republican predecessor, Bruce Rauner.
If Pritzker and new Attorney General Kwame Raoul drop the appeal, the court order would take effect within 30 days. The Illinois Department of Public Health, which resisted adding some new qualifying conditions during Rauner’s term in office, could also now choose on its own to expand access to medical cannabis. Neither Pritzker nor Raoul, who are both Democrats, have yet said what they’ll do with the pending lawsuits.
* Meanwhile, from the Chicago Crime Commission…
Today, the Chicago Crime Commission along with representatives from Drug Free America Foundation, the Illinois Association of Chiefs of Police, and a former member of the White House Drug Czar’s office and expert physician specializing in addiction medicine held a news conference to discuss the dangers of legalizing recreational marijuana. The news conference was held to urge Governor JB Pritzker and the Illinois General Assembly to fully consider and prepare for the consequences before legalizing recreational marijuana in Illinois.
“Legalizing marijuana presents significant public safety and health concerns that need to be fully discussed and considered before Illinois moves forward in this endeavor,” said Jeffrey Johnson, a member of the board of directors for the Chicago Crime Commission.
“First, it is important that we must address the misconception that legalizing marijuana will somehow be a panacea in addressing the illegal marijuana trade and other crime in Illinois by examining the experience of other states that have legalized recreational marijuana,” Johnson said.
I asked the commission to identify the person or persons who have been calling marijuana legalization a “panacea,” but have yet to hear back. The truth is, nobody in power believes that this will solve all our problems. It’s simply one step forward on a number of fronts.
The commission’s press release went on to cite junk science reports and made wild “reefer madness” predictions and I refuse to post crud like that. Instead, I’ll wait to see if any media outlets are silly enough to fall for it.
Gov. J.B. Pritzker announced last week that he had picked Sol Flores to be his fourth deputy governor. He’d previously announced deputy governors Dan Hynes, Christian Mitchell and Jesse Ruiz.
Pritzker’s deputies are each overseeing a block of related state agencies and departments, and will “track” their progress on goals that the governor wants those entities to meet. They’ll also ensure that the agency and department directors are all cooperating with each other, whenever and wherever needed. Flores will oversee human service agencies, Hynes has budget and economic development, Ruiz has education and Mitchell will handle the capital bill, among other things.
Pritzker specifically pointed to the issue of Medicaid during a recent interview with me. He said he wants to make sure that the Department of Health and Family Services and the Department of Human Services are “working together,” rather than operating in their own individual agency “silos.”
So, Flores will have a big job to do. Those two agencies cover everything from health care, to child care, to long-term care, to cash and food assistance, to housing programs, to mental health, to child support, to everything in between. They do, indeed, need to work together better. Both departments are the products of past mergers of smaller agencies, but forcing yet another merger could once again disrupt operations for months or even years.
The administration has not yet released a flow chart, but it’s likely that Flores will also be given responsibility for the Department of Children and Family Services, which has been “led” by nine different directors and acting directors since 2011 and has been in constant disarray.
By all accounts, these new deputy governors are very capable, bright, intelligent people. Flores built a much-admired organization from the ground up that provides shelter to homeless people and works to prevent homelessness, but she’s never overseen anything close to this huge before. And, for that matter, neither has anyone else at the top of Pritzker’s administration, except for Ruiz, who served as vice president of the Chicago Board of Education and then the interim CEO of Chicago Public Schools. Hynes was a state comptroller for 12 years, but that’s not exactly a gigantic agency. Mitchell was a legislator who served a stint as interim executive director of the Democratic Party of Illinois.
They won’t be managing day-to-day government operations, of course, but their portfolios are gigantic. They’re all taking jobs where you can’t really get the required experience until you do it. And their tasks are enormous if Pritzker truly wants to rebuild the government after years of neglect, whether through deliberate disregard or incompetence, or just because bad stuff happened and the state wasn’t ready or able to deal with it.
I’ve pointed this out before, but this state’s fiscal condition has not recovered since the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, which vastly accelerated a downward economic slide and literally dried up state revenues and forced up government costs around the same time that state pension payments were finally starting to really ratchet up.
And then came the 2008 worldwide financial and real estate crash. And then came the partial expiration of the 2011 income tax hike in 2015 (a tax hike which basically just helped pay state pension costs and didn’t do much to rebuild government), followed by a two-year governmental impasse that, among other things, wreaked havoc on our social services provider network, followed by another inadequate tax hike and two substandard state budgets.
Throughout all this, healthcare, state employee and pension costs continued to rise, the General Assembly passed legislation to guarantee annual $350 million funding increases to K-12, and governors have done things like a consent decree recently entered into by Bruce Rauner’s past administration, which will completely revamp the wholly inadequate health care system at state prisons with unknown, but likely high taxpayer costs.
As a result, state agencies have been forced to rely on sorely inadequate resources to do more. Our service delivery system — already nickel-and-dimed half to death by miserly and constantly delayed funding, then body-slammed by the impasse — could require years to recover.
Much, probably most of that destruction was endured by human and social services. And now some of those same crucial providers are suffering yet again under the partial federal government shutdown.
I do not envy Ms. Flores one iota. She arguably has one of the toughest and one of the most important jobs in all of Illinois government.
St. Clair County State’s Attorney Brendan Kelly is set to have a new job.
Gov. J.B. Pritztker is nominating Kelly to be director of the Illinois State Police, the administration confirmed to the Belleville News-Democrat.
Kelly, who has been state’s attorney since 2010, ran for Congress in this most recent election. Kelly, of Swansea, lost to incumbent U.S. Rep. Mike Bost, R-Murphysboro, and was a top Democratic recruit. […]
“This governor and his team are very serious about governing and very serious about public safety,” Kelly said. “There’s already ongoing conversations about how do we confront the challenges we have about forensics and other manpower issues and I’m very excited to be able to serve with the men and women of the state police and this team which is trying to reach out to both sides of the aisle … to do the work hard work of governing and there’s nothing more important for government to do then to make sure we provide for justice and safety and the Illinois state police is at the heart of that in this state.”
