Opposition to new [gun] laws comes from counties with some of the highest firearm suicide rates in the nation, according to a report by the Giffords center, a gun violence prevention group named for former U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, who was severely injured during a mass shooting in Arizona in 2011.
The analysis focused on counties in Colorado, Illinois, New Mexico and Washington that directed their sheriffs to ignore new state laws if they deemed them unconstitutional. County resolutions include references to “tyrants throughout history” and say there is no “persuasive evidence that ‘gun control’ laws actually reduce crime.”
“There’s irony that the folks most resistant to these lifesaving laws are in areas where constituents are at the highest risk,” says Adam Skaggs, chief counsel at the Giffords center.
The report points to places such as Custer County, Colorado, where the firearm suicide rate is 32 per 100,000 – four times the state’s average, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In February, the county’s board of commissioners passed a resolution that says the state’s red flag law is “in direct conflict with provisions of due process, as outlined in the 4th Amendment, and contradict the right to bear arms.”
Firearms account for more than half the state’s suicides, according to the Colorado Health Institute.
* I asked for the breakdown of Illinois counties and you can find that by clicking here.
You must always be careful when comparing counties in Illinois because some are huge and most are small or even tiny. For instance, as you can see on the spreadsheet, there’s no data on 18 Illinois counties beyond annual suicide rates. That’s because, I was told, the actual numbers are so low (the counties are quite small) that the CDC doesn’t release the firearm-related breakouts. All 18 are above (some way above) the state average in suicide rates. 13 of those 18 counties are self-declared 2nd Amendment sanctuary counties. Other counties that didn’t make the list have such low numbers that the CDC doesn’t even release stats on suicide deaths per 100,000.
* Of the 63 counties with CDC-reported firearm suicide rates above the state average of 3.771 per 100,000 people, 39 are self-proclaimed “Second Amendment sanctuaries.” That’s 62 percent.
Seven of those 63 counties have firearm suicide rates above 10 per 100,000. Of those, 5 have declared themselves to be gun sanctuaries (71 percent). The highest firearm suicide rate in the state is in Massac County, at 17.254. It’s a sanctuary county.
Of the 13 counties with firearm suicide rates below the state average, just 3 are 2A sanctuaries. Those three counties (including Effingham) have a total population of about 127,000.
Cook County, by far the largest in Illinois, has the lowest firearm suicide rate in the state, at 2.440 per 100,000. All the suburban collar counties except McHenry have firearm suicide rates below the state average. None are gun sanctuaries.
* To be clear, nobody is suggesting that declaring a gun sanctuary county leads to more firearm suicides. As noted above, there’s just some real irony in the stats.
* This is mainly a problem for employees, who touch dozens or even hundreds of these contaminated receipts every day…
HB 2076 would prohibit bisphenol-A (BPA) from being used in paper for business and banking records such as cash register, debit card and sales receipts. BPA is present in most thermal receipt papers to develop color.#twill#Illinois
Pleasant Plains is a small but prosperous town about 15 minutes northwest of Springfield. Its schools are all rated “commendable,” and their test results outshine state averages in every subject.
And yet, in March, the high school principal, Luke Brooks, asked Illinois lawmakers to stop requiring algebra. […]
[Rep. Katie Stuart (D-Edwardsville)] negotiated an amendment that keeps the Algebra I requirement, but allows geometry to be taught as a component of an “integrated, applied, interdisciplinary or career and technical course,” such as carpentry.
State Sen. Jennifer Bertino-Tarrant, D-Shorewood, got a series of bills passed last week to help address the shortage of teachers across Illinois.
She passed H.B. 423, with bipartisan support, which places a hold on requiring educators to take a controversial licensing exam, according to a news release. […]
The bill eliminates the basic skills exam until July 1, 2025, during which time the Illinois State Board of Education is required to reevaluate the methods it uses to score a prospective teacher’s knowledge and preparedness and adopt rules for any changes. […]
Bertino-Tarrant’s legislation, H.B. 1472, would allow retired teachers to return to teach where there are shortages without impairing their status.
THANK YOU to our partners at the Chicago Restroom Access Project (CRAP), which was established in 2015 with the goal of passage of public policy regarding conversion of gendered single-stall restrooms to all gender. CRAP is a working group of the @PrideActionTank.
In 2015, the United States Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration named gender neutral single-occupancy restrooms as a best practice in the workplace. SB 556 is also consistent with changes to restroom designation standards initiated by the International Plumbing Code in 2018 and International Building Council in 2019. SB 556 mirrors laws in California (2016), Vermont (2018), and New Mexico (2019).
Businesses support gender neutral single-occupancy restrooms. According to a survey conducted in 2017 by the Chicago Restroom Access Project, 79% of business owners in Chicago found it totally acceptable to update the current law to ensure single-occupancy restrooms are designated as gender neutral. Additionally, 51% thought such changes to law would have a positive impact on their business, and 39% thought it would have no impact.
Insurers would be required to cover medically necessary epinephrine injectors for minors under a proposal by State Senator Julie Morrison (D-Deerfield) that passed the Senate recently. […]
Epinephrine injectors – commonly known by the specific brand name EpiPen – deliver the life-saving drug epinephrine to individuals experiencing a severe allergic reaction. Epinephrine works by narrowing blood vessels and opening lung airways, reversing the symptoms of an allergic reaction that, if left untreated, can cause death.
Morrison’s proposal, contained in House Bill 3435, requires certain private insurance policies to cover medically necessary epinephrine injectors for those under 18 years of age. […]
House Bill 3435 passed without opposition on May 17 and will now head to the governor’s office for his approval.
* The Washington Post has a story about Rep. Brad Halbrook’s House resolution to eject Chicago from Illinois. The piece doesn’t really tell us anything new, but I did notice this…
According to Halbrook, there are eight co-sponsors, up from three when it was introduced last year.
I hadn’t checked the sponsorship list in a while, so I pulled up the status of HR101 and noticed that Rep. Tony McCombie (R-Savanna) is now listed as a co-sponsor.
Rep. McCombie is the chairperson of the House Republican Organization’s political action committee, which raises money for House campaigns.
According to a search of the Illinois State Board of Elections’ website, HRO has raised almost $71.6 million over the years. Of that, $28.1 million has come from contributors in the city of Chicago. That’s 39 percent of the total.
* House Republican Leader Jim Durkin, who put McCombie in charge of HRO, had no comment today. Statement from Rep. McCombie…
This is a political bill. As the political arm of the Illinois House Republicans, it is my responsibility to remind Chicago that there is more to Illinois than Chicago.
You’re gonna “remind” Chicago by… threatening to kick it out of Illinois? Apparently, however, she’ll still accept their contributions.
Deputy Republican Leader Tom Demmer complained that the governor’s office isn’t listening to a GOP proposal for balancing the budget. In an internal memo obtained by Capitol News, Dermer said, “While Governor Pritzker has been occupied hosting cocktail parties, the House Republican Caucus budget team has been working diligently to ensure we are on sound footing offering a budget plan that doesn’t rely on additional tax increases on Illinois families and small businesses.” That’s funny because Demmer, who represents the northwestern suburbs of the 90th district, attended a cocktail party just last night at the governor’s mansion in Springfield.
A Republican state senator on Wednesday suggested that Illinois’ Democratic governor issue a mass pardon of all low-level marijuana convictions to relieve legal concerns associated with a bill that would legalize possession and sale of recreational marijuana.
Sen. Jason Barickman of Bloomington said a mass pardon would pave the way for the automatic expungement of hundreds of thousands of past marijuana-related convictions, a goal of the bill’s sponsors to correct for injustices of the “war on drugs.”
Barickman said he is “interested in coming to an agreement” that would allow him to support Senate Bill 7. But he said the expungement process would be “incredibly convoluted” in the state’s 102 counties without a mass pardon by the governor. […]
A mass pardon or individual pardons would avoid the potential of expungements being declared invalid under the Illinois Constitution because the legislature lacks the power on its own to reverse convictions, according to Robert Berlin, president of the Illinois State’s Attorney’s Association.
2) The opponents also objected to the proposal’s provision providing for future expungements. But the state already has a similar automatic expungement law on its books, and it hasn’t been challenged in court…
Except as otherwise provided in subsection (0.15) of this Section, the Department of State Police and all law enforcement agencies within the State shall automatically expunge, on or before January 1 of each year, all juvenile law enforcement records relating to events occurring before an individual’s 18th birthday…
* From Ben Ruddell, Director of Criminal Justice Policy, ACLU of Illinois…
There is no constitutional reason why the General Assembly can’t pass a law requiring the automatic expungement of criminal records. We already have such laws on the books here in Illinois.
It is our understanding that SB 7 is still a work in progress. The ACLU and other advocates and stakeholders have, at the invitation of the sponsors, submitted comments and suggested changes to these provisions and a host of others. But any suggestion that the legislature can’t constitutionally require the automatic expungement of marijuana convictions is just a red herring.
* But law enforcement interests aren’t the only ones with objections to the bill as written…
State Representative Carol Ammons said during a recent interview it will be difficult for her to get behind a proposed bill to legalize cannabis without significant changes to the legislation. The Urbana Democrat said expungement for prior marijuana offenses is chief among her concerns. A summary of the legislation outlines an automatic expungement process for people arrested and convicted of cannabis crimes.
But the summary explicitly excludes individuals who were also charged with other offenses when they were arrested for cannabis crimes. Those individuals could separately petition the courts to have their records expunged, according to the summary.
Ammons said that’s not fair. She believes everyone regardless of what other crimes they may have been charged with should still be able to receive automatic expungement for cannabis offenses.
“If I have a marijuana charge, and I may have robbed a bank and they found a little marijuana on me, and they charged me with that up-charge. Take away the marijuana charge. I’ll still deal with the bank robbery,” she said.
I’m thinking that’s a bit much.
* Related…
* Wolf Signs Bill Sealing Some Criminal Records After Decade: Lower-level, nonviolent crimes in Pennsylvania will automatically be sealed from public review after 10 years under a law signed Thursday, a change designed to lessen the stigma for people seeking jobs or housing.
This is as good a time as any to pick a fight with Chicago aldermen — the public thoroughly disgusted by a federal investigation that has left the City Council’s most powerful member severely wounded and threatening others.
Mayor Lori Lightfoot pushed to take full advantage Monday on her first day in office.
She started by using her inauguration speech to give the aldermen a visual demonstration that the public is on her side in her call for reform, employing the audience at the Wintrust Arena to help make them squirm. […]
But the more interesting part came a minute later when Lightfoot called out public officials who “cut shady backroom deals.”
“Stopping it isn’t just in the city’s interest. It’s in the City Council’s interest,” Lightfoot said.
When she delivered that line, she struck a tough guy pose, turned around and looked at the aldermen directly — among them Ald. Edward M. Burke, currently facing federal charges.
The crowd went wild, seeing exactly what she was doing. Then Lightfoot began a slow clap and raised her arms to instruct the aldermen to get to their feet, too.
This was how she led up to her comments on taking away “the worst abuses of the so-called aldermanic privilege.”
* After reading a few stories quoting aldermen whining about how Lightfoot has treated them, I texted a buddy of mine who is also a Statehouse lobbyist…
Me: So, do you think I could away with writing: “Most politicians come across as dominant people, but they’re really submissives”?
Buddy: Better than fragile ego maniacs.
Me: Probably so.
Buddy: Better framing is politicians are mortal. No amount of popularity or ascension on the political ladder will ever be enough to mask their insecurities.
Me: That’s pretty good. I think I’ll steal it
Buddy: Have at it. I’ll be spending the next 2 weeks exploiting those insecurities.
With less than two weeks left in the spring legislative session, Democratic Gov. JB Pritzker’s office is putting the kibosh on any taxpayer bailout of the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library Foundation, which as of last year owed more than $9 million from the purchase.
That pronouncement deepens uncertainty about the fate of some key bits of so-called “Lincolniana”: the blood-stained gloves Lincoln had with him the night he was assassinated, a quill pen left on his desk and a presidential seal he used.
Also in the cache bought by the foundation is a stovepipe hat that purportedly belonged to Lincoln. The hat was once appraised at more than $6 million before experts questioned its authenticity.
Last year, the foundation asked for state support to pay off its outstanding loan balance. If that support didn’t materialize, the group threatened to auction pieces of the Lincoln trove it acquired in 2007 from collector Louise Taper, who at the time was a member of the foundation’s board.
The governor and Democratic state Sen. Andy Manar, of downstate Bunker Hill, have been pressing for greater transparency into the foundation’s finances.
Earlier this year, Manar floated legislation that could have forced out the foundation’s senior leadership. Now, he is pushing a measure designed to foster greater cooperation between the foundation and the Springfield-based cultural institution it was set up to serve, the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum.
“The governor has spoken with Sen. Manar, and they don’t believe it’s appropriate for the state to pay off this private debt. They are working on legislation to reset the relationship with the foundation,” Pritzker spokeswoman Jordan Abudayyeh told WBEZ in a prepared statement.
Not sure what happens next. Maybe the foundation’s board of directors ought to pass the hat amongst themselves.
* This is a long look, but the payoff is worth it. From Legal Sports Report…
Illinois is considering a three-year penalty box for daily fantasy sports companies that operated in the state previously. This is despite the fact that they operated during a gray period of legality and that sports wagering is different from DFS.
Allies of casino operator Neil Bluhm and others that already have a brick-and-mortar presence in the state are battling with internet operators DraftKings and FanDuel, which are in the market with a form of betting on fantasy sports despite a 2015 advisory opinion from then-Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan that the practice was illegal under current Illinois law.
Bluhm is pushing an amendment to disqualify DraftKings and FanDuel from being licensed under the sports betting bill. “They are free to team up with other entities that did not violate the law,” like Bluhm’s Rivers Casino, says Bluhm attorney Paul Gaynor, a former top official with Madigan’s office.
The internet gamers respond that Bluhm is just trying to parley the clout he’s built with millions of dollars in campaign contributions into anti-competitive legislation.
(N)o online sports wagering license or sports wagering skin license shall be granted for a period of 3 years after the effective date of this Act: to an applicant if the applicant, any affiliate of the applicant, or any officer or director of the applicant or its affiliate engaged in conduct constituting illegal gambling under any law of the United States, the State of Illinois, or another state as determined by a final decision of a court of competent jurisdiction or as described in an official opinion or pronouncement of the Attorney General of this State or any other state and continued to engage in such conduct after that opinion or pronouncement was issued
In response to that [attorney general] opinion, the fantasy sites filed suit, asking the courts to declare they were not illegal gambling operations. After years of litigation, the state and fantasy sports sites settled the matter without a ruling, allowing the sites the right to again sue the state should any authority use the Attorney General’s opinion to seek to prosecute them for illegal gambling.
In their report, the Jenner & Block attorneys noted no such prosecution has ever taken place in Illinois. Further, during the litigation, they noted Madigan’s office itself asserted the opinion was non-binding and “entirely without legal effect,” and thus “not reviewable” by a judge.
Yet now, the Jenner attorneys said, supporters of the “bad actors” amendment are attempting to use the 2015 non-binding Attorney General’s opinion to give the opinion the force of law, aimed squarely at two primary targets.'’
“In essence, (the amendment) would give legal effect to the Attorney General’s disputed advisory opinion after the fact and without judicial review, all to the benefit of and at the behest of particular in-state casinos,” the Jenner lawyers wrote.
In 2001, then-Attorney General Jim Ryan issued an advisory opinion in which he declared he believed a practice known as “advance deposit wagering” (ADW), which allows would-be bettors to place horse racing wagers online, was illegal under Illinois state law.
Lisa Madigan replaced Ryan as attorney general, but in 2008 said the opinion should stand.
The law was ultimately changed in 2009, specifically allowing ADW betting in Illinois through companies licensed by the Illinois Racing Board, and who operate in partnership with an Illinois horse racing track.
However, in the intervening years between the Ryan ADW opinion and the change in state law, a number of interests continued to offer ADW services to Illinois residents.
Notably among these was online wagering site YouBet.com. In January 2008, for instance, YouBet announced it agreed with four Illinois horse tracks – Hawthorne, Fairmount Park, Maywood and Balmoral – to create an ADW platform for Illinois residents. The announcement came despite the attorney generals’ opinion. […]
Others operating ADW services in Illinois before 2009 included a company known as America TAB. In 2007, America TAB was acquired by Churchill Downs. The company continued to use the platform to collect wagers from Illinois residents after the acquisition.
Three years later, Churchill Downs also bought YouBet.
Earlier this year, Churchill Downs secured a controlling interest in Rivers Casino.
From: Katherine Patterson, Public Policy Polling
To: Interested Parties
Subject: Majority in Key Illinois HDs Support Fair Tax Amendment
Date: May 20, 2019
A new Public Policy Polling survey finds that a majority (58%) of voters in Illinois Legislative Districts surveyed support an amendment to the Constitution called the Illinois Fair Tax. The amendment, currently being considered by the State Legislature, would change the state’s income tax from a flat tax, where everyone pays the same rate of income tax, to a graduated tax system where wealthier people making more than $250,000 a year pay a higher rate. Only 33% of voters oppose the Illinois Fair Tax amendment.
When presented with arguments in support of and in opposition to the Fair Tax amendment, a majority of voters in the Districts surveyed are convinced by arguments supporting the amendment. 51% of voters are very convinced by the argument that the tax system would be fairer with the amendment, and that 97% of those surveyed would see no increase in their state income taxes. An additional 19% find the argument somewhat convincing, with only 28% of voters unconvinced. A plurality of voters surveyed (47%) are not convinced by the argument by opponents of the Fair Tax that new taxes will be wasted by the state, and that higher income taxes on the wealthy will hurt the Illinois economy.
Key findings from the survey include:
• 75% of Democrats and 55% of independent voters surveyed support the Fair Tax, with only 16% of Democrats and 37% of independents in opposition.
• A majority of voters in every age group support the Fair Tax, with 53% of voters age 18 to 45, 62% of voters aged 46 to 65, and 55% of voters older than 65 in support.
PPP surveyed 517 Illinois voters in House Districts 45, 48, 49, 51, 53, 55, 56, 57, 61, 62, 76, 80, 84, 96, 111 and 112 from May 15-16, 2019. The margin of error is +/- 4.3%. This poll was conducted by telephone.
1) 58 percent is strong support, but it’s gonna need 60 to pass muster with voters (or over half of everyone who votes in the election).
Opponents of the Illinois Fair Tax say these new taxes will simply be wasted by the State and that taxing higher income people more will hurt the Illinois economy and cost jobs. Do you find this a very convincing, somewhat convincing, or not a convincing reason to oppose the Illinois Fair Tax?
Very convincing 26%
Somewhat convincing 21%
Not convincing 47%
Not sure 5%
Tuesday, May 21, 2019 - Posted by Advertising Department
[The following is a paid advertisement.]
On Monday, thousands of voters gathered and marched demanding Illinois pass the RHA. The time is now for action — so that Illinois is not dragged into the past.
* A Midwest High Speed Rail Association blast e-mail to supporters…
Tell Gov. Pritzker the capital bill needs more trains and transit!
Springfield is debating the capital bill right now.
Several weeks ago, Illinois Senator Martin Sandoval introduced legislation for a major transportation package that could lead to more trains around Illinois and the Midwest by significantly rethinking the way the state funds and selects projects.
Last week, Governor Pritzker released his own proposal for a “capital bill,” but it lacks some of the critical advantages of Sen. Sandoval’s proposal, and instead opts for “business as usual.”
Please click here to send a message to the Governor
Sen. Sandoval’s proposal includes the creation of a sustainable, dedicated fund for transit that sets aside money every year for things like track upgrades for better Metra and Amtrak service. Knowing that these funds would be available into the future would make it easier to plan and execute the sort of large-scale, transformational projects we need to bring high-speed rail to the Midwest.
Gov. Pritzker’s proposal only contains a few one-time allocations for certain transit projects, leaving trains and transit to an uncertain future of relying on one-off legislative appropriations. A good solution would be to dedicate 30% or more of new state transportation revenue to trains and transit.
Sen. Sandoval’s proposal also included a requirement that major projects be evaluated and prioritized based on a broad range of data-driven, measurable factors like environmental impact, economic development, and safety. This would make it much easier for trains to compete with traditional highway projects, but Gov. Pritzker’s proposal lacks this forward-thinking requirement.
Finally, Sen. Sandoval’s proposal indexes the gas tax and other transportation user fees to inflation, ensuring these revenue sources do not effectively degrade over time as they do today. Gov. Pritzker’s proposal does not index to inflation, meaning the state will find itself back in the same funding squeeze ten or so years from now.
Illinois has a once-in-a-generation opportunity to make it easier to get around and significantly reduce our carbon impact by setting a transportation policy that favors investing in trains and transit. Instead, the Pritzker administration is pushing a retrograde approach that would only further entrench Illinois and the Midwest’s reliance on cars and highways.
We’ve made it easy to send a message to Gov. Pritzker. Time is running out on Illinois’ legislative session, so act now!
Nearly two years ago, voters in Cook County rebelled against taxation. It was a rare galvanization.
Overtax our income, we’ll shrug. Overtax our property, we’ll acquiesce. But add 68 pennies to a bottle of soda and you’ve unleashed a “Game of Thrones”-style Battle of Winterfell, a thousand Arya Starks with dragonglass daggers and steely eyes.
R.I.P., soda tax of 2017. Even Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle realized she would have to pry bottles of Mountain Dew from Cook County taxpayers’ cold dead hands before they would back down.
And yet, where is the swell of opposition to broader, deeper, more impactful taxation? Gov. J.B. Pritzker, now in the final, frenzied days of the spring legislative session, is pushing a $41.5 billion bricks-and-mortar capital program that would hike taxes on top of the tax hikes in his budget proposal. Remember that columnist a few weeks ago who advised taxpayers to guard their wallets? Yes, that was me. I told you so. […]
The state of Illinois — we taxpayers — are still paying for projects built in the mid-1980s through bond programs. We’re still paying for former Gov. George Ryan’s “Illinois FIRST” program, for pension bonds sold during the last 15 years to make ends meet, for former Gov. Pat Quinn’s infrastructure bill. We still can’t pay vendors on time for services they perform for the state, and we are paying off bonds we bought to cover those day-to-day costs. But what the heck. Let’s see how much more debt we can accumulate.
The need for the pop tax and the use of its revenues were never adequately defined by Preckwinkle. Capital projects cost money, and this isn’t Washington, DC where we can just borrow without worrying about ever paying it back. You want your road fixed? Pay up.
With that being said, I’m not loving the idea of borrowing money for 20 years for infrastructure repairs that won’t last as long as the bond payments. What the governor has proposed is six years of projects financed with bonding and tax hikes that will last much longer than the construction. I’d personally be more comfortable with more pay-go.
…Adding… The late Chuck Sweeny’s final column was a lament that no projects for his beloved Rockford were listed in the governor’s capital plan outline…
I’m surprised — but maybe I shouldn’t be — that Gov. JB Pritzker’s $41.5 billion, six-year capital spending plan listed no transportation projects for the greater Rockford area west to the Mississippi River. […]
Now these aren’t the only northern Illinois projects that will be funded should the governor’s plan pass, but I sure would have liked to see the greater Rockford area included in the initial plan he released Friday.
I am hopeful that the $14.7 million the state owes the Chicago Rockford International Airport for the state’s share of funding for the $41 million AAR maintenance, repair and overhaul hangars will come through should this plan pass.
Once again, Quinn promised the money in 2014; Rauner put it on hold in 2015 when he and the General Assembly couldn’t agree on a budget for two years. To get the hangars built on time and on budget, the airport took out a $17 million line of credit from five local banks in 2015 and is paying $80,000 a month in interest.
The governor’s plan provides $70 million for “aeronautics.”
On a party line vote, a House committee Monday sent the constitutional amendment to bring a graduated state income tax to Illinois to the full chamber for a vote.
The amendment’s proponents, however, dodged questions from House Republican Leader Jim Durkin of Western Springs about whether there are 71 votes in the House to approve the amendment and place it on the November 2020 ballot for voters to consider.
Also, House committees have so far not taken up any of the three companion bills that were approved by the Senate which set the rates that would be in force with the graduated tax, that would eliminate the estate tax in Illinois and would provide some property tax relief if the state puts more money into K-12 education. […]
It was Durkin, who is not a regular member of the committee, who cut to the critical question of whether the supporters of the graduated tax believe they have the necessary 71 votes lined up to put the issue on the ballot. Neither the amendment sponsor, Rep. Robert Martwick, D-Chicago, nor representatives from Pritzker’s office would directly answer the question.
All six Republicans on the committee sided with Reick, while all nine Democrats supported the amendment — even one who had stated publicly he was leaning against voting for a graduated tax amendment.
That legislator is Jonathan Carroll, a Northbrook resident who is widely believed to be a swing vote in the 74-member Democratic House caucus. To be put on the ballot, the amendment, which has already passed the Senate, needs 71 votes in the House.
“I still have strong reservations on this,” Carroll said, calling it “way too important of an issue” not to be brought for a full floor vote. He also said his committee vote does not mean he would necessarily vote for the amendment when it comes before the full House.
* Rep. Carroll approvingly posted what I think is an Illinois Policy Institute cartoon on his Facebook page over the weekend…
* The House may not get to the rate bill this month. We’ll see…
House Democrats are still negotiating with the governor’s office over the rate structure and potential property tax relief, a key issue for some holdouts.
Illinois income tax calculator: How would Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s proposed graduated income tax affect you?
“They want to use that leverage to extract as much property tax relief as they can,” Rep. Robert Martwick, a Chicago Democrat who’s sponsoring the proposed constitutional amendment, said before Monday’s hearing. “When you’ve got a rate structure that’s going to get you enough to close the structural deficit and a little more, then you have to figure out where it fits into the list of priorities.”
Asked during Monday’s committee meeting how a rate proposal in the House will differ from proposals from Pritzker’s administration and the Senate, Martwick said he expects it will be “substantially similar to what we’ve seen.”
I still think the better way is to do everything at once and get it over with.
Referring to a graduated income tax, Pritzker said “states with a fair tax create jobs and grow their economies faster than we do.”
To support that claim, a Pritzker spokeswoman pointed us to five states — two with large populations and three that border Illinois — that levy their income tax at graduated rates and saw greater economic growth than Illinois over the past five years, according to federal data.
But that tiny sample overlooks what else those datasets show: GDP and employment increased at faster rates than Illinois’ in nearly every other flat-tax state as well, along with a number of states that levy no income tax at all.
Experts told us a graduated income tax is not likely to solve Illinois’ every economic ill, as Pritzker suggested, nor drive workers and businesses away in droves as critics of his proposal predict.
In downstate Illinois, we’re proud of our communities. We work hard, and we welcome everyone who obeys the law. Sanctuary Chicago has other ideas though.
That’s why Chicago Democrats want Betsy Londrigan elected. Her boss J.B. Pritzker - says Chicago should remain a sanctuary city forever and that we should defend all sanctuary cities everywhere. And they want her in office, so there’s no resistance to their plan to block law enforcement in downstate Illinois.
We cannot allow our communities to be made into “sanctuaries” for crime. Sanctuary cities are dangerous because they prevent the removal of criminals. If you agree, then sign your name now to oppose any extension of “sanctuary” status to downstate:
Chicago has always wanted to impose their will on us, and this time it’s no different. With the support of J.B. Pritzker, Betsy Londrigan wants to make us a vassal state of the city, and sanctuary status is just the first step.
Meanwhile, Eastern Bloc leader Rep. Brad Halbrook was on Fox News this morning. Click here to watch it.
Three years after our municipal finance analysts last evaluated U.S. states’ recession preparedness, Moody’s has published an update (attached) that looks at four fiscal and credit variables and determines how well states can weather a moderate recessions without significant adverse credit impact. Our new criteria shows 22 states strongly prepared for the next recession, with 26 states moderately prepared, and two – Illinois (rated Baa3/stable outlook) and New Jersey (A3/stable) – weaker in recession preparedness.
“While current economic conditions are strong, states are aware that a downturn will come eventually and are building reserves to prepare,” said Emily Raimes, Vice President and Senior Credit Officer at Moody’s. “While most states have healthy reserves and inherently strong fiscal flexibility, Illinois and New Jersey both have low levels of reserves relative to the potential revenue decline in our recession scenario. In addition, they both show weakness in their pension risk scores.”
Moody’s rated the states on the following credit factors:
Moody’s adds that while fiscal expansions at the federal level has offset state revenue shortfalls in previous recessions, the economy will enter the next recession with less fiscal space than before the financial crisis. Wide federal budget deficits, a rising debt burden, and a polarized political environment have reduced the fiscal space of the United States (Aaa/stable) compared with its position before the most recent recession. The federal government therefore might not be in a position to help states in the next recession as it has in the past.
* I’d really like to see Think Big spend some money on district-by-district polling, but here you go…
Today, Think Big Illinois released a new poll showing that marijuana legalization enjoys broad support from Illinoisans across the state. When asked whether marijuana should be legalized, taxed, and regulated just like alcohol, 60% support it, with 35% opposing. Support spans across the state – 60% in the city of Chicago, 68% in suburban Cook County, 60% in the Collar counties, and 54% Downstate.
“As discussions in Springfield continue surrounding marijuana legalization, it’s clear that Illinoisans are strongly in favor of legalization,” said Quentin Fulks, Executive Director of Think Big Illinois. “Legalization would help end the era of mass incarceration, while creating much-needed revenue for our state. Legislators should do what Illinoisans are calling for and enact this commonsense measure to make Illinois a more safe, just, and equal place for all our residents.”
• Six out of ten voters support legalizing recreational marijuana, taxing it and regulating it (60% support vs. 35% oppose). Notably, a plurality of voters strongly supports legalizing marijuana (41% strongly support, 19% somewhat support, 7% somewhat oppose, 27% strongly oppose and 6% don’t know).
o What voters heard: Do you support or oppose legalizing recreational marijuana, taxing it, and regulating it just like alcohol? [IF SUPPORT/OPPOSE] Is that strongly or somewhat?
• Legalizing recreational marijuana enjoys broad support across the state.
o City of Chicago: 60% support vs. 33% oppose
o Cook County Suburbs outside Chicago: 68% support vs. 26% oppose
o Collar Counties: 60% support vs. 37%oppose
o Downstate: 54% support vs. 40% oppose
• Our findings are consistent with the recent independent Simon poll. Statewide, 66% of respondents favored or strongly favored legalization, while 32% opposed it, the Simon Institute poll found.
Interesting that support is stronger in the Cook County suburbs than in the city.
I take some issue with the question because the proposal on the table doesn’t regulate cannabis like alcohol. There is no three-tiered system (brewer, distributor, retailer), for example, and home grow is now imperiled.
Also, remember that it’s almost always unwise to directly compare one pollster’s results to another’s. The best practice is to average the results.
Global Strategy Group conducted a statewide telephone survey between April 29, 2019 and May 1 among 802 Illinois registered voters. The survey had a margin of error of +/-3.5%. Care has been taken to ensure the geographic and demographic divisions of the population of registered voters are properly represented.
A package to address how ethics complaints against state lawmakers are handled at the Illinois statehouse is coming together, but it likely won’t include full independence for the legislative watchdog. […]
State Rep. Kathleen Willis, D-Addison, said she’s been working with various lawmakers and staff attorneys on an omnibus bill that will include rights for those alleging ethical violations.
“We just want to make sure that we’re not making a problem where there isn’t a problem and that we have a clear solution on how to go forward,” Willis said. […]
As to the ethics complainants’ rights provision, “we’re doing our best to do that,” Willis said.Willis said removing the requirement the Legislative Inspector General get permission to investigate certain allegations against lawmakers won’t be included in the package of ethics reforms.
“We’ve already cleared it for anything with sexual harassment, they do not need to [get permission], but other issues we understand the life of a legislator better than somebody else does,” Willis said.
State Rep. Anne Stava-Murray, D-Naperville, said she’s pleased complainants’ rights will be addressed in the package, but said that the Legislative Inspector General should be made fully independent.
“I think that an inspector general, it’s their job to know the lives of legislators, and so if they’re going to investigate it they probably have enough of an idea whether or not something should be investigated,” Stava-Murray said.
Rep. Cheri Bustos (IL-17) offered the following statement:
“My heart aches for the Sweeny family, the staff at the Register Star and the city of Rockford – what a loss. Chuck was a pillar of the Rockford community and truly served the public through journalism. With his columns, Chuck never held back and always called it how he saw it – he was candid, colorful and fair. Gerry and I send our deepest condolences.”
* And…
Saddened by the news of Chuck Sweeny’s passing. My condolences are with his family, his @RRStar team, & the field of journalism for this loss. Chuck was a dedicated professional, talented and tough, a true staple in our community. He will be sorely missed. #IL16
State Senator Steve Stadelman issued the following statement regarding the passing today of veteran Rockford Register Star political columnist Chuck Sweeny:
“Having worked with Chuck for many years as a fellow journalist and more recently as an elected official, I saw from more than one perspective that his reporting and commentary was insightful, fair and incredibly well sourced. As a reader, I always appreciated his ability to inject humor into the often tense public discourse. Like any good newsman, Chuck would not use the word ‘institution’ lightly. But through decades of helping the public understand government, local history and the civic issues of our times, he was just that — a Rockford institution.”
Sweeny was also a musician and had played electric piano in several bands that performed around the region. Ron Holm, who played in an Americana rock ‘n’ roll band with Sweeny in the 1970s and 1980s, said if Sweeny heard a tune on the radio, he would “just play it. He was utterly remarkable; he performed by ear.”
Cherene Sweeny, Sweeny’s wife, said she’ll miss conversations with her husband — “all the political and national issues. He liked to read about everything. And Rockford was really important to him.”
Sweeney’s younger sister, Mary Douglas of Carol Stream, said her brother “just remembered everything.” And she remembered his fondness for trains. “He had a model train in the basement” when they were kids growing up in Rockford, she said.
Scott Christiansen, former Winnebago County Board chairman, said Sweeny was fair in his editorial coverage. “Let’s just say we would argue some, but I never felt he was totally unfair. If he disagreed, he would still tell the other side.”
* Gov. Pritzker…
“Today we mourn the loss of a beloved figure in Illinois’ journalism community. I am deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Chuck Sweeny, who dedicated his life to his hometown paper for over three decades.
“Chuck tackled issues at every level of politics: no issue was too small to matter or too large for dissent. He was courageous in his advocacy and steadfast in his passion for Illinois. My heart goes out to the city of Rockford and the Register Star family as they grieve one of their finest.”
* Comptroller Mendoza…
The Rockford area needs strong advocates and Chuck Sweeny rose to the occasion. You did not need to agree with all his columns to respect the passion he brought to his job. He asked good questions when I visited the Register-Star’s editorial board. I send my most heartfelt condolences to his family, his friends and his fans.
Illinois House Republican leadership will brief their members Monday on a balanced budget proposal that they say the governor’s office won’t listen to, according to an internal caucus memo obtained by Capitol News Illinois on Friday.
“While Governor Pritzker has been occupied hosting cocktail parties, the House Republican Caucus budget team has been working diligently to ensure we are on sound footing offering a budget plan that doesn’t rely on additional tax increases on Illinois families and small businesses,” Deputy Republican Leader Tom Demmer, of Dixon, said in the memo. […]
A one-page summary of the House Republican budget also includes a one-time fund sweep of $375 million from an income tax refund fund, as well as $175 million from a Pritzker-backed plan to incentivize the payment of delinquent taxes. The proposal also includes $212 million in revenue from a state sports gambling expansion.
Steve Brown, a spokesman for House Speaker Mike Madigan, D-Chicago, called the recent news conferences “mumbo jumbo” and pointed to the working groups as ongoing bipartisan budget negotiations.
“Republican leadership probably needs to be checking with their colleagues because as far as I know Republicans have been in all of the budget working groups that have been meeting both on the budget and on capital. I don’t know why they’d feel like they’ve been excluded,” Brown said. “I know the governor is talking with Republicans, so I’m not really clear what they’re being left out of. I don’t really think there is anything but we’re always happy to have their ideas and, hopefully, their support for the budget that gets put together.”
They’re proposing to use a one-time $375 million sweep to fund permanent spending, which is done a lot, but is never a good idea. You gotta replace that money the following year.
RTA Chair Kirk Dillard, a former GOP state senator from Hinsdale, told The Daily Line Friday that mass transit should get approximately one-third of all transportation dollars, and suggested unions who are weighing in on the process would be smart to advocate for more money for mass transit.
“The building trades — electricians, ironworkers, carpenters — ought to take note if they want full employment, 85 percent of new construction within the last decade took place within half a mile of mass transit,” Dillard said. “The best possible investment for organized labor is mass transit.” […]
[Local 150 spokesman Ed Maher] said he wouldn’t be surprised to see mass transit’s funding figure increase as the capital bill moves through the legislative process. […]
But one of the larger tax increases is on alcohol. Under Friday’s framework from the governor’s office, the state would raise $120 million per year by increasing the liquor gallonage tax on beer and cider from the current 23.1 cents to 27.7 cents, from the current $1.39 on wine to $2.05 and from the current $8.55 on distilled liquor to $12.60.
Pat Doerr, the managing director of the Hospitality Business Association of Chicago, told The Daily Line Friday that the proposed tax hike would take Chicago’s already highest-in-the-midwest tax on booze to even new heights roughly after a trifecta of tax increases at the state, county and city levels within the last 12 years.
Republican Sen. Dan McConchie of Hawthorn Woods said he was “shocked” at the administration’s capital proposal, which he said doesn’t reflect what he’s heard in hearings and closed-door meetings.
“I’m not sure of anybody in my party that could support a package of this size with those taxes that are laid out there like that,” he said.
Pritzker’s outline includes doubling the state gas tax to 38 cents per gallon from 19 cents; tiered increases in vehicle registration fees based on the vehicle’s age; a $250 annual registration fee for electric vehicles; a $1-per-ride tax on ride sharing; and a 7% state tax on cable, satellite and streaming service.
Other taxes being discussed include a new 6% tax on daily and hourly garage parking, a 9% tax on monthly and annual garage parking, and an increase in taxes on manufacturers and importing distributors of beer, wine and spirits.
* Related…
* Pritzker Proposes Massive Building Plan, And The Tax Increases To Pay For It: Reaction from interest groups was generally positive on the spending side, but with reservations about taxes. “One particular concern in the governor’s plan is the reliance on a new media streaming tax for non-transportation construction,” Illinois Chamber of Commerce President Todd Maisch said in a statement. “The Chamber believes this will be an unreliable foundation for funding because it will be complex, unpopular and possibly unconstitutional.”
* “Rebuild Illinois”: Gov. Pritzker’s $41.5 billion capital spending plan in the making: Senator Dave Koehler (D-Peoria) says the new plan is exciting, but he hoped it could have come sooner to allow more work to be done on roads and bridges. “We’ve kind of missed the construction season this year. We should have done this in February if we were going to actually be relevant to this year,” said Koehler. “But it’s important we do it right, we do it thoroughly.”
* Health leaders ask for safety net hospital funding in the capital bill: “Our safety net hospitals and our community health centers across the state do not have the resources to make capital improvements to transform our delivery systems to address the breadth of health care needs that exist today.” Larry McCulley, Chair of IPHCA’s Board of Directors.
* Illinois road plan would mean tax spike booze, streaming media services: Associated Beer Distributors of Illinois President Bob Myers said he was surprised by the proposed increase, which the organization opposes. “Everybody just looks at the state tax, but if you take into consideration the city of Chicago tax, and the Cook County tax, those folks in that area are paying 61 cents per gallon for their beer, so you add another 4.6 cents per gallon and obviously everybody is paying more,” Myers said.
* By far the most troubling aspect of watching the cannabis legalization bill this year is the willingness of the opposition to just make stuff up. The majority of their arguments against the bill are little more than bogus fear-mongering.
* The rampant misinformation is contributing to the trend of pundits declaring the proposal to be on life support. Finke…
It’s a lot to digest, especially in the context of everything else that’s going on. At this point, recreational cannabis may be the Pritzker agenda item most likely to be postponed until later.
At this point, Illinois appears to be the best bet for getting a full legalization bill across the finish line, but it’s still iffy with two weeks left until adjournment.
* The latest from the Chicago Tribune’s editorial board is a good example of fear-mongering…
But we’ve said the right approach for lawmakers was to take their time, thoroughly examine the experience of other states that have completely legalized cannabis and consider how to minimize unwanted consequences. Nothing we have seen in this legislative session in Springfield has diminished the attractions of the slow road.
And yet, they do not critique a single line from the proposed Illinois legislation. Instead, they pull out stuff like this…
One argument for legalization is that it would kill off the black market — channeling sales through regulated suppliers and yielding tax revenue to the state. But things haven’t gone as planned in California, which opened up legal commerce at the beginning of 2018. Experts say that the black market still accounts for up to 80 percent of sales.
OK, but how will Illinois’ proposal turn us into California? The Tribsters don’t say. They just try to scare people.
* But if they can drag out California, I can drag out Colorado. A report released last August by the Colorado Department of Revenue’s Marijuana Enforcement Division stated this…
Colorado’s preexisting illicit marijuana market for residents and visitors has been fully absorbed into the regulated market
People have been growing and/or selling weed in tourist-heavy Colorado for at least half a century, long before the 2011 legalization. So, eliminating the domestic illicit market in six years is quite an accomplishment. The criminal networks remain, the study found, but those networks focus on exporting to states that have not yet legalized the product. You know, states like, well, ours.
The only way we’re going to stamp out these vast and entrenched criminal networks is through thoughtful, effective legalization. If the Tribune has some ideas to add to or subtract from the bill, then it should speak up. The bill’s drafters have based their language on what has worked and what hasn’t worked in states like California and Colorado (among others). I disagree with some of their ideas, like allowing prohibitionist municipalities to opt out, which, as California discovered, helps existing criminal networks operate without competition. I highly doubt the Trib and its followers would support an opt-out ban to stamp out illegal sales, and you gotta pass a bill to make a law so opt-out remains.
* Former Colorado Department of Revenue Executive Director Barbara Brohl sent a memo to some Illinois legislators recently after being contacted by a reporter who wondered why law enforcement in Boulder had told him there was still a black market in that state. Here’s an excerpt from what she says she told him…
1. There are opponents and proponents to legalization and that it is important not to rely on anecdotal information, but to rely on actual studies, like the ones that the [Colorado Department of Revenue’s Marijuana Enforcement Division] has commissioned.
2. While the Colorado demand is satisfied by the regulated industry, there is still a black market in Colorado that is growing unlawfully and shipping out of state. I explained that in the last couple of years there have been a number of busts by law enforcement because there has been more focus on them and that the state legislature had officially capped the number of plants that could be grown in any one residence to 12 (thus a bright line test for law enforcement), and had appropriated funds from the marijuana tax fund to local law enforcement to increase resources to go after these unlawful grows (thus increasing the number of busts).
3. That taxation has not been a deterrent to consumers purchasing in the regulated environment. Consumers appear to be more interested in:
* Purchasing legally (remember purchasing from your neighbor is still illegal).
* Purchasing in a place that is safe - well-lit, security, etc.
* Purchasing product that is safe - tested for potency, homogeneity, mold, microbials, contaminants, pesticides, etc.
* Purchasing product that is clearly dosed and marked.
Those last four dot-points are crucial.
Think about beer. American beer consumers take it for granted that the brew they drink today tastes the same as it did the last time they drank it. They naturally expect breweries are regulated enough so consumers are always drinking quality, uncontaminated products. And they have long been able to see how potent a beer is by casually glancing at the label.
Right now, under the black market, none of that is possible.
And imagine if every time you wanted a beer you had to find a lawbreaker who was willing to sell it to you. Maybe you get cheated or robbed or arrested, or at least forced to hang out with shady mopes. And if you do succeed, you could very well be funding an often violent national criminal network. And then you have to worry about getting busted while carrying it around. Is it any wonder why people don’t mind paying taxes to purchase and possess a legalized product?
* Sen. Linda Holmes: Facts vs. fear in legalization debate: After four years of inaction, Springfield is finally having serious conversations about fixing our financial problems, reforming the criminal justice system, and improving safety for people of all ages. Legalizing cannabis makes inroads in all three areas.
* Moylan: Don’t boost another addiction-for-profit industry
* David L. Nathan, Doctors for Cannabis Regulation: Cassidy is right: Teen cannabis use is down since pot legalization: As physicians, we follow the best scientific evidence, not cherry-picked data. The people of Illinois deserve to know the facts. It’s time for Illinois to join with the growing number of states that recognize that the legalization, regulation and taxation of adult-use recreational cannabis promotes public safety, while its prohibition hinders it.
* Ammons Wants Stronger Reforms In Cannabis Bill: “If I have a marijuana charge, and I may have robbed a bank and they found a little marijuana on me, and they charged me with that up-charge. Take away the marijuana charge. I’ll still deal with the bank robbery,” she said.
If you want to see how times have changed this legislative session, take a quick look at Senate Bill 1591.
The Illinois and Chicagoland chambers have been pushing legislation all session to offer state incentives to data centers. A data center basically stores massive amounts of electronic information. Illinois has been a national leader for data center locations because the Chicago region is a national Internet hub, connecting the country’s east and west, and has a reliable and plentiful electricity supply. Only two states, Virginia and Texas, have more data centers.
While companies have continued building lots of new data centers in and around Chicago at an aggressive pace, they started having trouble filling them last year because other states have been so aggressively recruiting the facilities. Apple, one of the richest corporations in the world, snagged a $208 million tax break to build a $1.3 billion facility in Iowa.
So, the chambers and others decided to propose incentives to protect what Illinois already has and spur some new growth. SB1591 provides exemptions from and credits for a host of state and local sales and use taxes to lower costs for building and running large data centers (including the massive amounts of electricity they use) with at least $250 million in capital investment and 20 full-time employees.
The measure was not gaining a lot of traction and then proponents asked the construction unions to chat. The unions listened and suggested some changes to make the bill more labor friendly.
The unions recommended an amendment containing “responsible bidder” requirements, which assure that the contractors meet certain levels of qualifications (and that usually means unionized workers). The provision was added, as were Project Labor Agreements, which require building contractors to enter into labor agreements before commencing work. An income tax credit was also added for projects in areas hit hard by poverty and unemployment.
All of a sudden, the bill took off. Senate Republican Leader Bill Brady, who has been looking for union support ever since anti-union Gov. Bruce Rauner was defeated, even signed on as a co-sponsor. The bill sailed out of the Senate on a unanimous roll call.
This development would have been unheard of during the past four years. It’s not that Rauner was totally averse to subsidies, but he staunchly opposed things like responsible bidder requirements and PLAs. And Brady wouldn’t have dared crossed Rauner by signing onto a bill like that because Rauner never would’ve forgotten it.
One of the best ways to get a bill rolling this year is to invite organized labor into the mix. Not only can it help pass a bill because both Democratic legislative leaders are trying to do whatever they can for unions after four years of Rauner’s attempts to destroy them. The support can also help convince Gov. J.B. Pritzker to sign it into law. This data center bill is just one example of many. At last check, people pushing a bill to regulate coal ash were trying to figure a way to bring the unions in to counter the industry’s pushback.
This is a big reason why securing labor’s endorsement of the cannabis legalization bill is deemed so crucial by some, even if some proponents were initially resistant.
If you look at Rep. Marty Moylan’s, D-Des Plaines, House resolution urging the General Assembly to slow down the legalization process, you’ll see a bunch of pro-union Democrats are co-sponsors, including Reps. Natalie Manley, Monica Bristow, Bob Rita, Katie Stuart and Fran Hurley, to name just a few. Not to mention that Rep. Moylan himself has been consistently endorsed by labor over the years.
Make this bill a union priority and you attract votes, or at least you make it more difficult for pro-union legislators to oppose it.
There is one big downside. African American and Latinx legislators have been battling with the predominantly white trade unions for years to integrate their memberships. There’s a reason why that income tax credit for impoverished areas had to be added to the data center bill when labor signed on. And the unions’ entry into the cannabis legalization movement was not exactly met with joy.
However, some very wealthy companies are descending upon Illinois to get a piece of the legalization pie and a good argument can be made that this state needs to make extra sure it doesn’t hand out licenses to print money to employers who pay their workers a pittance and only offer folks part-time jobs without benefits.
