Question of the day
Wednesday, Aug 28, 2019 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Oops. Got busy and forgot to post one. I’m declaring a late-afternoon open thread. As always, keep it Illinois-centric and be nice.
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* These facilities don’t get nearly the same coverage as Sterigenics…
* More…
The lawsuits were filed on behalf of named plaintiffs Chandra Sefton; Dawn Rex and her three-year-old son; Kathleen Koch; and Patty Bennett. All of the plaintiffs lived within a 3.5 mile radius of the Vantage and Medline plants, and all of them have been diagnosed with forms of cancer, including leukemia and breast cancer, according to the complaints.
The complaints lay the blame for the cancer on alleged emissions of ethylene oxide from the Medline and Vantage plants.
The use of ethylene oxide (EtO) is widespread in industry. Sterilization plants, like that operated by Medline, use EtO gas to sterilize large quantities of medical devices, such as surgical implants, stents, catheters and surgical kits and other health care tools.
The chemical is also regarded in industry as a key “building block” ingredient, used to make a wide variety of other products used extensively on a daily basis in the U.S. and around the world. These include antifreeze; brake fluid; carpeting; upholstery; recyclable plastic packaging; and products made from fiberglass, including bathtubs and bowling balls, among other uses. Derivatives of EtO are also used to make shampoo, cosmetics, ointments and pharmaceuticals.
* Meanwhile…
Ouch.
* Related…
* Air testing for ethylene oxide in Waukegan, Gurnee shows highest results in residential area near Medline
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* Tribune…
Illinois State Police said more than 200 people who lost their gun licenses were brought into compliance with state law this summer, months after a gunman who had lost his license but kept his weapon opened fire in an Aurora warehouse and killed five employees.
Between May and July, state police working with local law enforcement agencies brought into compliance 256 people whose gun licenses had been revoked, requiring them to surrender their permits and complete paperwork accounting for their weapons, the agency said in a news release Wednesday. It highlighted a series of steps it has taken to boost enforcement of revoked Firearm Owner’s Identification cards, including designating officers to prioritize people who should be subject to further enforcement. […]
In a May investigation, the Chicago Tribune and The Beacon-News found nearly 27,000 Illinois residents over the past four years had failed to inform authorities what they did with their weapons after state police revoked their gun licenses.
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* Press release…
Today, Congressman Bill Foster (D-IL) issued the following statement in support of the U.S. House of Representatives opening an impeachment inquiry of President Donald Trump:
“I take no pleasure in announcing my support for the House to begin an impeachment inquiry into the President of the United States.
“I have wrestled with this decision over the past several months as I’ve listened to my constituents and reviewed the evidence presented by Special Counsel Robert Mueller, including his direct testimony to Congress.
“On the Financial Services Committee, on which I serve, I have seen President Trump attempt to block legitimate Congressional investigations into the role of foreign money in transactions by the Trump Organization, Deutsche Bank, and others.
“I have watched with horror as President Trump has perpetrated an assault on American values. In word and deed, President Trump has demonstrated an utter disregard for the rule of law and the fundamental principles that make up the foundation of our democracy.
“The Mueller report details several occasions – at least ten – where President Trump took actions to obstruct the Special Counsel’s investigation into Russian interference in our 2016 elections.
“Our Constitution vests Congress with the unique obligation to perform oversight of the federal government, including of the President and his administration. Under our system of checks and balances, no person – not even the President – should be above the law or immune from facing the consequences of their actions.”
* Sun-Times…
Foster is the 11th member of the Illinois congressional delegation to announce explicit support for an impeachment inquiry; the state sends 13 Democrats and five Republicans to the House.
The two other Illinois Democrats in the House, Reps. Cheri Bustos and Dan Lipinski, are following more closely the lead of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and have more cautious positions, with a bottom line for both that they back the Trump-related investigations being conducted by five committees, including the House Judiciary panel.
House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler, D-N.Y., is pursuing an investigation “into obstruction, corruption and abuse of power by Trump and his associates” in order to “determine whether to recommend articles of impeachment against the President.”
* Greg Hinz…
That leaves Lipinski, who in a separate statement said he’s standing with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. “We don’t need and should not have an official ‘impeachment inquiry’ vote in the House at this time, I have been and continue to be in support of the investigative work that is being done in the House committees.”
Added Lipinski, “Right now, I think the best way to remove President Trump from office is voting him out in the 2020 election. This may change as the work of House committees continue, but if the House impeached the president now, it could backfire because the president would be able to say that he was persecuted by the Democratic House but exonerated by the Senate.”
I’ve asked the Marie Newman campaign for comment.
*** UPDATE *** Marie Newman…
I believe there is ample justification for an impeachment inquiry and I think that voters in my district are looking for a leader who will, at all costs, defend and uphold the Constitution. It’s unfortunate to see Dan Lipinski standing apart from other Democrats while President Trump continues to abuse power and exhibit blatant disregard for the Constitution. An official impeachment inquiry will bolster ongoing investigations in the House and make it clear to President Trump and his administration that no one is above the law.
Also, here’s another Dem candidate, Abe Matthew…
Congress must open an impeachment inquiry based on the actions of President Trump, as set forth in the Mueller Report. It is precisely the role of Congress to act as fact-finder in determining what role the President Trump played in Russia’s 2016 interference in our elections and to what extent the President obstructed justice in the ensuing investigation.
Our democracy can multi-task. Congress can conduct hearings related to an impeachment inquiry while we the people work to put a Democrat back in the White House. The people elected their members of Congress on the assumption that those members would be able to handle the wide array of issues facing our nation. Regardless of an impeachment inquiry’s ultimate result, it is imperative that Congress fulfills it’s obligation to investigate and give the American people some finality to this dark chapter in our nation’s history.
Rush Darwish…
“It’s no surprise that Dan Lipinski stands apart from 11 Democratic colleagues from Illinois and refuses to support opening impeachment proceedings against Donald Trump. Dan Lipinski has stood firmly in support of components of Donald Trump’s racist and backward agenda when it comes to healthcare, women’s rights, and immigration. Leadership is about taking a stand with courage, doing the right thing - not playing it politically safe with an upcoming election. This silence from Lipinski is just another example of why we need to elect more bold, independent Democrats like who will fight Trump and not bow to party leadership on either side.”
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* Las Vegas Advisor last month…
JP Morgan‘s Daniel Politzer expects Churchill Downs to be a winner thrice over in Illinois: first, a lower tax rate on table games, starting in 2020; second, a potential 800 additional gaming positions at Rivers Casino Des Plaines (which will probably require physical expansion: it’s pretty packed in there); third, slots at Arlington Park, though Politzer thinks Churchill Downs may sell the latter now its real estate is more valuable, among several other options: “we could envision a scenario whereby CHDN would opt to sell its 336 acres of land at Arlington Park, utilize a 1031 exchange to limit tax leakage, and pursue an additional casino license in Illinois (potentially with Rush Street Gaming/Neil Bluhm; the Waukegan license seems most logical, in our view …).”
Since Arlington and Rivers are only 15 minutes apart, Churchill Downs might look askance at the obvious cannibalization. Arlington’s capacity will also be capped at 1,200 gaming positions, unlike Waukegan. Rivers can also absorb a nearby competitor, as its per-position numbers are out of sight, the most impressive I’ve ever seen in gaming: $800/win/slot/day and $7,300/win/table/day. Politzer estimates that the tax cut will translate into $45 million extra a year in cash flow, too. Churchill Downs bought 61% of Rivers at a well-above-average 11.25X cash flow, but one easily see why it was worth it. With the tax cut, that multiple goes down to 8.3X, closer to industry average. That number could go yet lower still if Rivers maxes out its gaming positions.
As for competition from the 4,000-position mega-casino in Chicago, “We acknowledge concern that a Chicago casino could be a negative for Rivers/Waukegan, but see potential for the political stars to once again align and the casino (if even feasible at the proposed 67% tax rate) being located on Chicago’s south side.”
* Crain’s last month…
With the looming super-saturation of the Chicago-area casino business, one theory is that Churchill Downs will opt to focus on its Rivers Casino stake, a pure-play gambling option, and one that comes with Rivers co-founder and Chicago real estate magnate Neil Bluhm, whom Carstanjen, 51, has said he values for his local political savvy.
“Local political savvy.”
Just the other day, Churchill Downs and Neil Bluhm’s Rush Street Gaming, put in a bid to jointly operate Waukegan’s casino.
* Today in Crain’s…
The owner of Arlington International Racecourse is threatening to close the storied horse track despite winning long-sought authority to add gambling options there.
Louisville-based Churchill Downs blames prohibitive tax rates that would penalize it relative to competing Chicago-area casinos, it said.
* The proximity to Bluhm’s Rivers Casino is clearly an issue, however. From the company’s press release…
All options will be considered, including moving the racing license to another community in the Chicagoland area or elsewhere in the state.
* Churchill Downs’ CEO did complain about taxes in the press release, but that was about the new state-mandated payments to horsemen…
Arlington would enter this market with an effective tax rate that would be approximately 17.5% - 20% higher than the existing Chicagoland casinos due to contributions to the Thoroughbred purse account.
* The Illinois Thoroughbred Horsemen’s Association was not amused…
We are stunned and profoundly disappointed by Churchill Downs’ decision not to pursue supplemental gaming at Arlington Park in order to do its part to grow jobs and economic opportunity for thousands of Illinois men and women both at the track and throughout the state’s agribusiness community.
For more than a decade, Arlington has lobbied Illinois governors and legislators for permission to offer casino-style games as a means to boost revenue at the track and generate funds to significantly improve the quality of horsemen’s purses. Indeed, Arlington in recent years elevated its lobbying push by insisting that the track be granted the authority to offer table games – in addition to slots – to ensure its racino would be economically feasible.
Yet now that it is finally poised to operate both slots and table games, as a direct result of the gaming law recently approved, Arlington’s parent Churchill Downs has, astoundingly, declined to apply for the license necessary to operate a racino. The company evidently plans to instead abandon its commitment to racing in Illinois and focus solely on its stake in the Rivers Casino and potentially other Illinois casinos not yet developed. Churchill has snubbed not only the working men and women of thoroughbred horse racing whose collective livelihood depends on live racing, but also all of the elected officials it has so intensely lobbied over the last decade.
As a consequence of its abrupt change in course to the detriment of this state and its taxpayers, Churchill immediately should be denied the enormous financial advantages it enjoys by virtue of its now-annulled commitment to Illinois racing. Those include Arlington’s considerable property tax break ($2.47 million this year), the track’s recapture subsidy ($4.47 million in 2019 alone, straight from horsemen’s purses), and the chance to apply for a sports betting license linked to Arlington (a form of gaming that will do nothing to benefit purses).
In clear contrast, Hawthorne Race Course has applied for its racino license and has, moreover, made clear its plan to maximize the benefit of that license for thoroughbred racing.
* More…
CDI’s decision not to move ahead at Arlington triggers another portion of the new law relating to the number of “gaming positions” allowed at each racino.
The law states: “Each applicant for an organization gaming license shall specify in its application for licensure the number of gaming positions it will operate, up to the applicable limitation … Any unreserved gaming positions that are not specified shall be forfeited and retained by the [Illinois Gaming Board].”
The board then is required to “allocate expeditiously the unreserved gaming positions to requesting organization gaming licensees in a manner that maximizes revenue to the State.”
Churchill Downs wants to protect Rivers, but slots at Arlington would threaten Rivers. So, it complains about taxation, blames the horsemen and hints that it will move the track elsewhere. And Rivers could wind up with even more gaming positions in the process.
…Adding… The Mayor is correct…
Arlington Heights Mayor Tom Hayes said he interprets the announcement as a corporate decision about Churchill Downs’ unwillingness to compete with its gambling operations at River Casino in Des Plaines.
That company should probably be broken up.
*** UPDATE *** Emily Bittner in the governor’s office…
This represents a significant reversal from the years and years of race track owners seeking additional ways to generate revenue to keep their operations working. In fact, the gaming legislation provides several opportunities for significant additional revenues, including table games and slots. Just as importantly, the legislation allows the racing industry to flourish instead of facing more years of decline. Just to be clear: actions taken around gaming will be done to benefit the people of Illinois, not solely for the bottom line of individual operators.
My question was: Should the Illinois Gaming Board break up the Churchill Downs/Rivers partnership? Not exactly an answer.
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*** UPDATED x1 *** Let’s get it together, please
Wednesday, Aug 28, 2019 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Molly Parker…
The law allows current medical cannabis dispensary operators to seek a license to sell recreational marijuana, so long as they continue to provide products for medical use. The idea in allowing the medical marijuana dispensaries the ability to also sell recreational marijuana was to ensure the state has at least a minimum number of facilities open and operating on Jan. 1.
But some medical dispensaries may need to change locations. That could mean moving down the block where parking is better, or to another city entirely, if the one where the operator is presently located decides to prohibit recreational sales.
The law allows municipalities the ability to opt out, as well as implement zoning requirements, much like with liquor stores. Yet the state’s regulatory agency recently informed medical dispensary operators that if they move locations, they forgo their ability to receive a license for adult use recreational sales.
This narrow interpretation of the law runs counter to lawmakers’ intent, according to a letter from two of the bill’s sponsors sent to Pritzker late last week. It also represents an about-face by the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation, which issues the licenses.
What the what?
* There are other worries…
Advocates are concerned that the state has not yet set up a funding program meant to make it easier for those with marijuana-related arrests on their records to start businesses in the industry. The application process for 75 new dispensaries opens Oct. 1, and time is running out, they say.
The applications will be the first path into the industry for entrepreneurs who don’t already operate a marijuana facility, and those applicants could face stumbling blocks if there isn’t clarity on the promised financial aid.
“People are … working on their plans, they’re working on their locations, they’re working on what they can work on, but they don’t know how much money they have to spend,” said Edie Moore, executive director of Chicago NORML, a marijuana reform nonprofit that has been working with people preparing to apply for licenses.
The state’s Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity is charged with establishing the grant and loan program. Spokeswoman Charity Greene said it will issue details on the program, including loan and grant sizes, by the time the state begins accepting applications.
*** UPDATE *** From the governor’s office…
August 27, 2019
Senator Steans and Representative Cassidy:
Thank you for sharing your concerns about the Department of Financial and Professional Regulation’s implementation of certain provisions of the Cannabis Regulation and Tax Act. Your dedication to this issue and leadership during the legislative session led to the most equity-centric law in the nation to legalize adult-use cannabis. Now through implementation, I am confident that we can build a safe, successful and equitable adult-use cannabis market.
The early access to market for existing medical dispensaries was intended to ensure that the State has a minimum number of facilities open and operating on January 1, 2020, and to allow the State to use funding from those early facilities to build a fund for social equity programs. Keeping equity in mind, however, the Act was also designed to balance this early growth for existing medical dispensaries with our commitment to bringing in new applicants through the social equity program.
With an understanding of the existing medical dispensaries’ current capacities, we struck that balance by providing the opportunity for existing medical dispensaries to open two adult use dispensaries before any new businesses can enter the market: one at their current medical dispensary and one at a different location. The language of the bill distinguishes between these two dispensaries. The statute specifically provides that the first is to be opened at “any medical cannabis dispensing location in operation on the effective date,” Section 15-15(a), and the second may be opened at “a secondary site…within any BLS region that shares territory with the dispensing organization district to which the medical cannabis dispensing organization is assigned,” Section 15-20(b).
This language allows for early expansion by the existing medical dispensaries but, importantly, seeks to ensure that they do not completely dominate the new market before new dispensaries can enter the market in July 2020. Any implementation of the early approval program by the Department of Financial and Professional Regulation must maintain this balance between early growth and social equity that was written into the law.
I appreciate the concerns that you and the medical cannabis industry have raised regarding medical dispensaries in operation on the effective date located in municipalities that ultimately opt out of adult-use cannabis or that impose zoning restrictions that prevent adult-use sales at the current medical dispensary sites. Medical dispensaries in such a situation are still permitted early access to the new adult-use market by opening a secondary site under the Act while continuing to operate their existing medical dispensary. At this time, the Department does not know how many medical dispensaries will not have the opportunity to operate at their current sites as many municipalities are still considering how to proceed. The Department will continue to monitor the situation to assess and my office is more than willing to discuss potential solutions with you when we have a better understanding of the scope of the problem.
We value your input as we work through implementation of this historic legislation and we look forward to continuing this conversation about how to ensure success for all aspects of this new industry.
Sincerely,
JB Pritzker
* And there’s this…
Hope Smith said her 19-year-old daughter uses medical cannabis to alleviate a qualifying medical condition. She said her daughter was able to get more precise doses of the medicine by vaping or smoking it as opposed to other cannabis products.
After the governor signed the medical cannabis expansion measure making the pilot program permanent and adding conditions, Smith said she was told by her dispensary that the updated law no longer allows the sale of smokable products to adults younger than 21.
Smith said that needs to change for her daughter’s sake.
“The medical marijuana and dispensaries, and the diseases, for people that are able to buy it and are able to get the right medicine, I don’t want my child to turn to buying flower or vape on the street, I don’t want her to use an opioid,” Smith said. “Because those are unsafe.”
State Rep. Bob Morgan, D-Deerfield, sponsored the medical cannabis expansion measure the governor signed.
“There was a good intention behind [the change aligning with Tobacco 21] … but as with anything, there are unintended consequences with new legislation and I think this is a great example of the potential harm that can happen to individuals when you start to conflate different topics,” Morgan said.
* But check this out…
Former Chicago Ald. Ameya Pawar wants to get into the cannabis business with a restaurant entrepreneur, a doctor and a political consultant. They’re angling for one of the 75 new licenses to operate a retail dispensary in Chicago once recreational use of marijuana becomes legal next year.
Pawar and his partners, including political consultant and fundraiser Hanah Jubeh, have come up with an over-the-top plan that combines elements of dining, spa and medicine with marijuana sales.
“We’re focused on total wellness,” says Pawar, a former 47th Ward alderman who briefly ran for governor in 2017 and then lost the city treasurer race in April. “It’s going to be a place where you could get a massage or take a yoga class, get a bite to eat and stop at the dispensary on your way out.”
* More…
Additional partners to join Pawar and Weiner include:
* Dr. George Chiampas, an emergency room doctor and medical director of the Chicago Marathon
* Nikki Hayes, president of Laborers International Union of North America, Local 1001
* Hanah Jubeh, a political consultant and fundraiser. […]
Pawar told Crain’s he plans to apply for social equity applicant status and aims to hire more than 50 percent of his staffers from areas affected by the war on drugs.
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New laws
Wednesday, Aug 28, 2019 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Almost exactly four years ago…
It’s a time-honored tradition for Illinois governors to invite lawmakers, journalists and members of the public to ceremonial bill signings, an easy way for the chief executive to take credit for accomplishments and create a sense that he’s getting things done. Rauner has signed more than 400 bills into law since he took office in January. He has held zero public signing ceremonies.
Asked why that’s the case, Rauner spokesman Lance Trover did not directly answer the question but did say the “work of the General Assembly is not done.”
The governor’s allies in the General Assembly put a finer point on it: The stalemate has set up a situation where Rauner has tried to keep the focus on his agenda and the pressure on Democrats to pass it. Highlighting the achievements of others would detract from that effort.
“Bill signings are ceremonial, and they’re meant to be almost like victory laps,” said House Republican leader Jim Durkin of Western Springs. “I don’t see any reason why anybody would be celebrating what has happened in Springfield until we get a budget done.”
And that refusal to celebrate any victory - small or large - continued almost unabated for years. He refused to take a win on just about anything until he had to declare defeat last November.
* Capitol News Illinois today…
Democratic Gov. J.B. Pritzker on Tuesday signed the final three bills of the 599 sent to him by the Illinois General Assembly during the spring legislative session.
Per the final tally, Pritzker signed 591 of the bills into law, while vetoing seven and sending one back to the General Assembly with an amendatory veto. The General Assembly will return in late October and early November to discuss new legislation and consider overriding any of the vetoes.
Among the final measures signed by the governor this week was the Home Energy Affordability and Transparency Act, which aims to provide greater regulation on alternative energy providers, many of whom go door to door locking customers into high energy rates.
Unlike Rauner, Pritzker has held numerous bill signing events. There have been exceptions, however. He didn’t have any sort of event when he signed Leader Durkin’s Sterigenics-related bill into law, for instance.
…Adding… Pritzker deputy press secretary…
* Related…
* CUB Statement On Gov. Pritzker Signing HEAT Act
* Public companies in Illinois will soon have to disclose racial, gender makeup of corporate boards
* IL bars and restaurants can now fill growlers and crowlers: A growler is a 64 ounce resealable jug, a crowler is a 32 ounce can that breweries use to serve to-go beer .
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Lightfoot marks 100 days in office
Wednesday, Aug 28, 2019 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Mayor Lightfoot’s press office…
* Creation of a multifaceted comprehensive crime-fighting strategy centered on unprecedented citywide coordination that has resulted in nearly 7,000 guns recovered year-to-date, a three-year low in murders, shooting incidents at their lowest count since 2015 and 20-year lows in robberies, burglaries and motor vehicle thefts.
* Directing a significant expansion of school staffing and resources, including an unprecedented equity-focused budget, commitment to increasing social worker, nurse and special education case manager positions, and one of the largest capital budgets in recent history with investments to upgrade classrooms and facilities at over 300 schools across the city in 2020.
* Passing the most comprehensive worker scheduling law in the nation that will finally give lower-wage workers and their families predictability in scheduling and fairer working conditions.
* Begun reforming an historically regressive fines and fees system in order to help people move into payment plans and compliance, instead of into bankruptcy.
* Overhauling the workers’ compensation program to improve benefits to workers and reduce liability and claims costs to the city.
* Achieving passage of a series of ethics and good governance reforms to ensure the City operates more efficiently, transparently and in a way that is accountable to all residents and taxpayers.
* Doubling down on protections for immigrant and refugee families by issuing an executive order to terminate ICE access to citywide databases and city facilities, increasing legal aid funding by $250,000, and uniting with community and business leaders to address fears in the wake of threats.
* Working with partners to secure authorization on a Chicago casino, and taking additional steps toward creating a long-term sustainable financial plan for the City.
* Creating the City’s first-ever Office of Racial Justice and Equity to oversee the development of policies and practices to advance racial and social equity for the City.
* Creating the City’s first Chief Risk Officer position, which will focus on launching an enterprise risk management system to reduce the cost of legal settlements to the City.
* Beginning steps toward a comprehensive redevelopment strategy to tackle years of disinvestment on the City’s South and West sides, including creating a coalition of over 40 business leaders to participate in a corridor reinvestment strategy.
* Launching a new and improved Qualified Allocation Plan (QAP) which for the first time makes explicit collaboration with the Continuum of Care, resulting in a coordinated application process for addressing homelessness.
I’m not sure claiming credit for the guns confiscated since the beginning of the calendar year is accurate, but your thoughts otherwise?
* Related…
* Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot holds panel discussion to mark 100 days in office
* Quig: Lightfoot grades herself
* Tribune: Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot 100 days in — reform at City Hall still a work in progress: ‘We haven’t declared victory, but I think we’ve taken some very positive steps’
* Greg Hinz: 100 days and counting: A hard look at how Lightfoot is doing
* Fran Spielman: Lori Lightfoot’s action-packed first 100 days
* CBS 2: Mayor Lightfoot Reflects On 100 Days In Office
* Critics give Lightfoot D grade as she nears 100 days in office
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* Tuesday afternoon press release…
Governor JB Pritzker today announced a major step toward the sale of the James R. Thompson Center (JRTC). The Illinois Department of Central Management Services (CMS) will issue a Request for Proposals (RFP) this week for an array of technical and project management expertise for the disposition of the JRTC at the best value to the State of Illinois.
“The Thompson Center is an inefficient work environment for the current demands of State business,” Governor Pritzker said. “Today we are moving forward with the process of selling the facility and using the proceeds to help stabilize the pension system.”
Opened in 1985, the JRTC is a 17-story marble, granite, glass, and steel structure, encompassing approximately 1.2 million sq. ft. of enclosed area. The building’s steel frame is topped by a cylindrical skylight, 75 ft. above the roof level. The sky-lit rotunda is 160 ft. in diameter and is surrounded by 16 floors of open office space. The main building enclosure system is glazed with single-pane, non-thermally broken aluminum frames. The system is energy inefficient and does not meet current standards for performance or thermal comfort.
Because of prolonged deferred maintenance and delayed capital projects, the construction cost in 2016 was estimated to be over $300 million to bring the building into a good state of repair. The facility is also larger than necessary and costly to operate with annual operating expenses exceeding $17 million. By divesting of the oversized, outdated and expensive facility, the State can relocate its core services to appropriate replacement spaces. This strategic relocation effort will reduce operating costs and increase productivity.
“Issuing this RFP moves the State a step closer to selling the property,” CMS Acting Director Janel Forde said. “The property is inefficient and expensive to operate. The State can achieve significant cost savings by relocating to more optimized space.”
The RFP for Technical and Project Management Expertise will be issued this week; responses are due at 1:00 P.M. Central Time on October 4, 2019. A copy of the RFP will be available on the General Services Illinois Procurement Bulletin, also referred to as the Bulletin or BidBuy (https://www.bidbuy.illinois.gov/bso/). The Offeror’s conference meeting and networking event will be held at the JRTC in Chicago and at the Stratton Office Building in Springfield at 1:00 P.M. Central Time on September 13, 2019.
In April, the Governor signed Senate Bill 886 into law that dictates the process for the sale of the property.
The move is the latest by the Pritzker administration to ensure the State’s pensions are sustainably funded. In February, the Governor established the Pension Asset Value and Transfer Task Force and the Pension Consolidation Task Force. Both task forces will provide recommendations and help finalize a long-term pension reform plan. In April, Illinois received significantly stronger than expected revenues that allowed the State to meet the current funding commitment to the pension systems without extending the ramp.
* CBS 2…
Former Gov. Bruce Rauner announced in 2015 that he planned to ask state lawmakers to ask him to unload the Thompson Center. At the time, Rauner said the building needed $100 million in maintenance in the few years to come, and said selling the building and moving state workers elsewhere could save the state between $6 million and $12 million annually.
Then-Mayor Rahm Emanuel blocked efforts to go ahead with the sale, insisting that the city must not be held financially responsible for rebuilding the Chicago Transit Authority Clark/Lake Blue Line subway station inside the building as part of any major redevelopment of the site.
In 2017, Rauner offered to dedicate all future property tax revenue from a Thompson Center sale to help fund the Chicago Public Schools – a proposal that Emanuel dismissed as a political stunt. Afterward, Emanuel said he would help rezone the Thompson Center property in exchange for a city pension deal. Rauner refused the offer.
* Tribune…
If the building is sold, state employees will be moved across LaSalle Street to the Michael A. Bilandic Building and to other state-owned or -rented offices, according to the governor’s office. […]
Pritzker spokeswoman Emily Bittner said the governor’s office has “had a number of productive conversations with the city about the transaction, including zoning.”
Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s office confirmed in a statement that the governor’s office had been in touch.
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Gonzales plans to appeal
Tuesday, Aug 27, 2019 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Sun-Times…
Attorneys for Jason Gonzales say they plan to fight a federal judge’s ruling to dismiss a lawsuit that accused Illinois House Speaker Mike Madigan of putting “sham” candidates on the 2016 ballot. […]
But Gonzales’ attorney Tony Peraica on Monday said he plans to file a motion to reconsider the dismissal — while also vowing to file a motion with the U.S. Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals should that move fail.
“We are very disappointed by the court ruling. Illinois voters were defrauded by Madigan and his crew who got away with violating federal laws,” Peraica said in an email to the Sun-Times. “We will move to reconsider court ruling. If our motion is denied, we shall appeal.”
* I reached out to Peraica and asked which federal laws had allegedly been violated. His response…
The Civil Rights Act, Equal Protection Clause of the US Constitution, and the Voting Rights Act. Specifically, 42 U.S.C. 1983 and 42 U.S.C. 1985.
42 U.S.C. 1983 is the Civil action for deprivation of rights. 42 U.S.C. 1985 deals with Conspiracy to interfere with civil rights.
* Courthouse News…
“The price of political dirty tricks must be collected at the ballot box, rather than the courthouse,” the Seventh Circuit ruled last year in Jones v. Markiewicz-Qualkinbush.
U.S. District Judge Matthew Kennelly relied heavily on Jones in his Friday ruling clearing Madigan of liability for questionable tactics used in his 2016 re-election race. […]
“Under Jones, the Court may not appropriately second-guess the voters’ choice ‘without displacing the people’s right to govern their own affairs and making the judiciary just another political tool for one faction to wield against its rivals,’” Kennelly concluded.
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Question of the day
Tuesday, Aug 27, 2019 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Confederate Railroad’s Facebook page…
CONFEDERATE RAILROAD DECLINES COMPENSATION FROM DU QUOIN FAIR
The Band Rejects Payment Due to Its “Guiding Principles”
Nashville, Tennessee (August 27, 2019) — ACM Award-winning and CMA Award-nominated country band Confederate Railroad continues its trek across the United States in support of its “Lucky To Be Alive” Tour that will conclude this December.
Drawing national attention, this tour has not been the smoothest for the band. As Associated Press reported on August 6, 2019 — Confederate Railroad was dropped from the performing talent lineup at the Du Quoin, Illinois Fair 2 months after being secured for the show. Read here: https://loom.ly/T4LRhLU
Concerning the band’s decision to decline compensation from the Fair, the three decade-old band has released the following statement via its founding member and lead singer Danny Shirley:
“On June 24th, 2019, the Du Quoin State Fair agreed to pay us in full. We contemplated the proper use of this money. The band agreed we should give it to a charitable organization that directly benefits the people of Southern Illinois. Those “tax dollars” (https://loom.ly/qHl7vLY) belong to the people of southern Illinois, and to see some good come from it seemed like the best solution. On July 19, 2019, we received a multi-page conditional legal release in order to obtain that payment.
After months of being referred to as promoters of hate and racism, without one individual stepping forward to cite any such personal occurrence - ever- and 30 years of performing to the contrary: I simply cannot and will not accept this money that requires their conditional Settlement Agreement and Release. Hopefully, they will be guided to put that money back into the region, as we intended to do.
We’ve fulfilled the conditions twice previously with performances at this fair. The offer was submitted from the fair on April 17, 2019, and a contract was sent shortly thereafter. Then, on June 4th, the fair requested a proposed announce date of June 17th and proceeded to advertise.
I’m forever grateful and humbled by the people of southern Illinois and your words of encouragement are deeply felt. A decision was made for you—one intended to mute your voices and cause you to question your morals. Never apologize for thinking for yourself or let anyone shame you out of your own common sense.
Our track now leads to Black Diamond Harley in Marion—see you in 10 days.”
The state was supposed to pay the band $7,500.
* The Question: What should the state do with this $7,500 refund?
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SLAPP ‘em down
Tuesday, Aug 27, 2019 - Posted by Rich Miller
* From the subscribers-only Capitol Fax on May 21st…
Back in February, a LaSalle County judge dismissed a defamation lawsuit filed by former Rep. Jerry Long (R-Streator) against his 2018 general election opponent Lance Yednock (D-Ottawa). Rep. Yednock won the race, but Long claimed a Yednock ad defamed him for claiming he was being investigated for sexual harassment.
The problem with Long’s suit, Judge Eugene Daugherity pointed out back then, was that Long told reporters last fall that the House Republicans were looking into a sexual harassment claim. The House Republicans, you will recall, walked away from Long’s Tier One campaign after a staffer lodged a private complaint against him.
Rep. Yednock claimed throughout the lawsuit that Long was illegally using the legal process to retaliate against him for participating in the democratic process. Illinois has a Strategic Lawsuit Against Public Participation Statute (SLAPP) on the books, although courts have watered it down over the years.
After the case was dismissed, Yednock pursued Long for his attorney’s fees. Last week, Judge Daugherity cited the SLAPP statute in awarding Yednock nearly $17,000 in attorney’s fees to Yednock.
Hopefully, this ruling will chill some of these campaign-related lawsuits that are becoming all too common.
* More goofy lawsuits bit the dust last week…
On Wednesday, a Kane County judge threw out a lawsuit brought by two failed McHenry County Board candidates, Ersel Schuster and Orville Brettman, who had filed a defamation suit over campaign literature opposing them in 2018. The flyer was financed by a “dark money” group called the Illinois Integrity Fund, which has ties to County Board Chairman Jack Franks.
But the judge ruled that the facts on which the flyer’s claims were based – that an online threat against Franks had been traced to a computer at Schuster’s home, and that Brettman had been a party to violent acts in the 1970s with a group called the Legion of Justice – probably were true.
The allegations against Schuster and Brettman had been recorded in public records and reported in the Northwest Herald, among other news outlets. They were public knowledge.
On Friday, two additional County Board candidates who had filed lawsuits – Chuck Wheeler and Michael Rein – withdrew their suits against the same group and agreed to pay the Illinois Integrity Fund’s lawyer fees.
* The judge ruled the lawsuit was in violation of Illinois’ Anti-SLAPP laws…
In a joint lawsuit filed Feb. 19, Schuster and Brettman alleged the flyers wrongfully accused them of having histories of “criminality and hate.” The flyers referenced news articles reporting Brettman’s alleged ties to a paramilitary group called the “Legion of Justice,” and a police investigation tied to an online death threat that was traced back to Schuster’s home. […]
Last year, an apparent online threat against Franks’ life led police to Schuster’s home, where officials say the IP addresses associated with the comment originated. […]
According to the transcript from Brettman’s 1975 testimony before a Cook County grand jury, the former Carpentersville village president and police officer was involved in a right-wing extremist group that was responsible for several raids and the bombing of an Elgin church.
If you don’t want somebody sending out mailers about your sordid past, don’t run for office. And, for crying out loud, don’t sue when you’re busted. It’ll cost you.
* Meanwhile, this motion was filed in February…
Respondent in Discovery, BETH QUINN, (”Respondent”) request that this Court dismiss Plaintiff David Krupa’s Complaint under 2-619(a)(9) of the Code of Civil Procedure and the Illinois Citizens Participation Act (735 ILCS 110/15). In support, Respondent states as follows:
Plaintiff is an aldermanic candidate running against Respondent’s husband Alderman Marty Quinn. On February 1, 2019, Defendants the Chicago Teachers Union (“CTU”) and Jeanine Muir (“Muir”) published a letter describing harassing conduct committed by Plaintiff (the “Letter”). The Letter stated that Plaintiff “demonstrates complete disregard for women and a pattern of judgment that disqualifies him from holding public office. I respectfully request that you do not vote for Mr. Krupa in the upcoming municipal election.”
In this lawsuit, Plaintiff is suing CTU and Ms. Muir for alleged defamation over statements in the Letter. Even though the Letter contains no indication that Respondent had any involvement whatsoever in its publication, Plaintiff also named Respondent as a respondent in discovery, purely speculating that Respondent must have been somehow involved, yet failing to allege any specific facts to support such speculation. Plaintiff’s Complaint also does not claim that this Respondent, or any of the other named respondents in discovery, made any other allegedly defamatory statements.
Plaintiff’s lawsuit is nothing more than an abuse of the judicial process to: (1) attempt to stifle Respondent’s’ First Amendment rights in the weeks leading up to the Chicago municipal election; (2) retaliate against Defendants Chicago Teachers Union and Ms. Muir for opposing his candidacy: and (3) to baselessly name Respondent in a blatant attempt at harassment, since she is the wife of Alderman Quinn, his election opponent, in order to attract media attention to himself. This lawsuit is clearly nothing more than a Strategic Lawsuit Against Public Participation (“SLAPP”) that must be dismissed under the Citizen Participation Act (“the Act”).
The judge has not yet ruled on the SLAPP motion, but on August 12th he dismissed the complaint against Mrs. Quinn. The plaintiffs are, however, expected to refile.
…Adding… I was looking for something else and found Beth Quinn’s statement at the time the motion was filed…
I was shocked and disturbed by the allegations Tony Peraica leveled at me. I am not involved in politics but was inappropriately dragged in through a ploy to attack my husband. I don’t want to be involved in this fight, but I also will not stand by while my reputation is attacked. I am hopeful the judge sees this situation for what it is - Tony Peraica enabling David Krupa, a known aggressor and bully of women, and not a legitimate complaint against me.”
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* Press release…
Cook County State’s Attorney Kimberly M. Foxx and Code for America today announced a cutting-edge partnership to use Clear My Record technology to automatically seal tens of thousands of eligible cannabis convictions in Cook County under a newly passed Illinois law.
Signed into law in June, the Cannabis Regulation and Tax Act will provide relief to tens of thousands of Illinois residents. Cook County is the first county outside of California to take part in Code for America’s Clear My Record program to help government automatically clear convictions eligible for relief under the law. By providing proactive and automatic record clearance services, Illinois has an opportunity to address the wrongs caused by the failed war on drugs, felt most acutely in communities of color, and fulfill the promise of the reforms aimed at remedying the legacy of mass incarceration in Illinois.
“The technology and innovation made possible through our partnership with Code for America will help us provide broad and equitable conviction relief for tens of thousands of people while ensuring that more of our time and resources can be used to combat violent crime,” said Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx. “This partnership is one of many steps Cook County is taking to leverage technology in order to better serve our community and bring our criminal justice system into the 21st century.”
“Code for America’s partnership with Cook County expands our Clear My Record program to a second state and further proves that justice can happen at the scale and speed we know is possible in the digital age,” said Jennifer Pahlka, Founder and Executive Director, Code for America. “Thanks to the leadership of State’s Attorney Foxx, we’ll provide conviction relief expeditiously, at reduced cost, and in bulk in Illinois, and help tens of thousands of individuals get a fresh start. And we’ll continue to show that government can work as it should for all people, when we bring government into the 21st century.”
The Cannabis Regulation and Tax Act
Illinois recently legalized the sale and use of recreational marijuana and created an opt-in process for the Illinois Attorney General and State’s Attorneys to clear convictions in their jurisdictions. Now, State’s Attorneys can receive a list of eligible convictions from the Illinois State Police to review and grant relief by submitting those eligible convictions to the courts for final approval.
Record Clearance for the Digital Age
With the aid of Code for America’s Clear My Record technology, an office can automatically and securely evaluate eligibility for record clearance by reading and interpreting conviction data in just a few minutes. This requires no action on the part of the individual and greatly reduces staff time and resources — two obstacles to record clearance. Streamlining conviction data processing also will make it easier for courts to update records, ensuring that individuals can obtain relief as soon as possible.
By rethinking the clearance process from top to bottom and using digital tools to examine criminal record data, this partnership will create a statewide technology and policy blueprint in Illinois.
This partnership demonstrates a growing momentum for automatic record clearance across the nation. It builds on recent announcements that Code for America’s Clear My Record technology is helping counties in California dismiss and seal more than approximately 75,000 cannabis convictions. Once this pilot is completed, Cook County will share its findings with the state and other Illinois counties.
Code for America has been making it easier for people to remove eligible convictions from their records through their Clear My Record technology since 2016. Code for America has set a goal of clearing 250,000 eligible convictions nationwide by the end of 2019.
* Sun-Times…
So far, the software has been used to identify at least 67,000 convictions in four California counties, including San Francisco and Los Angeles, according to Code for America. After a final county is brought into the pilot program, Code for America will release an open source toolkit that will help California’s 53 other counties expunge their own convictions.
“We hope it’s part of a larger agenda that gets people to challenge the conventional thinking about how our government can work,” Pahlka said.
Foxx said Code for America was offering its services at no cost to the county, but taxpayers will have to foot the bill for mailing the notifications and other administrative costs.
* CBS 2…
Foxx said in a news conference Tuesday that the process would begin with newer convictions and move back to older convictions.
The process will not require any intervention by the person affected, Foxx confirmed.
Foxx was a crucial part of the effort to pass legalization. She was able to assure black and Latinx legislators that the expungement provisions were real.
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New laws
Tuesday, Aug 27, 2019 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Press release…
Governor JB Pritzker signed legislation today that works to increase diverse voices on corporate boards across the state.
“As a result of this legislation, in the coming years, both the legislature and the public can review the gender, racial and ethnic makeup of the governance of large businesses that call Illinois home,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “Better diversity among leadership leads to reduced turnover, increased growth and improved market share. That’s good business, and it advances my vision of an Illinois where both businesses and working families thrive.”
The new law directs publicly-traded companies headquartered in Illinois to submit an annual report to the Secretary of State’s Office on the representation of female and minority board members in the company and their practices for identifying and appointing diverse leadership to their board.
The University of Illinois systems will then study the demographic makeup of boards across the state and establish a rating system for those businesses in an effort to increase diversity in corporate leadership.
Beginning in 2021, reports from corporations will report to the Secretary of State’s Office by January 1 each year, and the U of I will publish its analysis by March 1 of each year.
House Bill 3394 takes effect immediately.
“I introduced this bill and feel so passionately about this issue because there’s not a day that goes by that I don’t think about creating a brighter future for my children,” said Rep. Chris Welch (D-Hillside). “I am committed to fostering a business environment that offers the same opportunities for my son, daughter, and all women and people of color that are afforded to their peers.”
“With this new law, we will be able to pinpoint the corporations who aren’t diversifying,” said Sen. Christopher Belt (D-Centreville). “Illinois is a very diverse state, and boards should reflect the diversity of its employees, consumers and community.”
* Public Radio…
Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker signed a law Monday that expands insurance coverage of mammograms.
Previously, insurance companies only had to cover the initial “screening” mammograms that check for cancerous tissue. Under the new law, insurance must now cover any follow-up mammograms that scrutinize the body in more detail. Pritzker says this extra coverage is essential.
* Chalkbeat…
Illinois abolished its charter commission on Friday, the body reviled by school districts but valued by charter promoters for offering a recourse to local disapproval of school proposals.
As widely expected, Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed Senate Bill 1226 into law, close to the deadline for him taking action. The bill will dismantle the commission by July 1 and will hand off oversight of 11 schools, which the commission previously approved, to the state Board of Education next summer.
The state board will take over the responsibility of hearing appeals on charter school openings, closings and extensions. The state also will dole out funds it had collected to oversee the schools that the commission had approved. Once the state board takes over the commission’s role, the board will be able to levy a 3% fee on any state-approved charter school to help cover the cost of oversight. […]
Until Pritzker signed the bill, [Shenita Johnson, director of the commission] had held out hope that the governor would veto it. She said she was used to uncertainty, because the commission has long been a lightning rod for criticism from charter critics and districts that don’t want their decisions overruled — both of whom have sought to eliminate the body.
* Other new laws…
* New Illinois laws take aim at high maternal death rates, racial disparities: Illinois is taking steps to combat troubling maternal and infant mortality statistics after one lawmaker was moved to action by a series of reports which showcased the state’s and country’s maternal health shortcomings, particularly among African-American women.
* New law allows craft distilleries to skip distributors, sell limited amount of product to bars: Under the measure signed into law Friday by Gov. J.B. Pritzker and effective immediately, distilleries producing up to 50,000 gallons of spirits annually can bypass liquor distributors and sell and deliver a maximum of 5,000 gallons. The law also allows “still pubs” to sell the booze made in-house and other alcoholic beverages, similar to how breweries can sell wine.
* Worker protection unit formed in attorney general’s office: The law gives the attorney general’s office express authority to investigate and file suit against employers who violate the Prevailing Wage Act, the Employee Classification Act, the Minimum Wage Law, the Day and Temporary Labor Services Act and the Wage Payment and Collection Act.
* Illinois Municipal League pushes pension consolidation talks as budget pressures mount: Cole said he wants lawmakers to address the issue during the six days they are in Springfield for the fall legislative session in October and November. The Illinois Municipal League has proposed a consolidation of public safety pensions funds to resemble the Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund, “which is the second-largest and best-funded pension system in the state,” according to a fact sheet the league produced.
* Pension Loophole Closed: The loophole allowed several Lake County Board members to draw their Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund pension while still serving on the county board. The new law requires any county board member or elected local governmental official to forfeit their salary at the beginning of their next term if they are receiving pension benefits for service as a county board member or elected officer.
* New law allows craft distilleries to skip distributors, sell limited amount of product to bars: Similar to small breweries and winemakers, Illinois’ craft distilleries are now allowed to sell a limited amount of products directly to bars, restaurants and retailers under a law that was sparked by a suburban state senator. Under the measure signed into law Friday by Gov. J.B. Pritzker and effective immediately, distilleries producing up to 50,000 gallons of spirits annually can bypass liquor distributors and sell and deliver a maximum of 5,000 gallons. The law also allows “still pubs” to sell the booze made in-house and other alcoholic beverages, similar to how breweries can sell wine.
* New law extends insurance coverage for those with Lyme disease: The bill, sponsored by 74th Dist. Republican State Rep. Daniel Swanson, will require private-pay insurance to cover the medical costs associated with Lyme disease. “Lyme patients once they are coded as being a Lyme patient once treated with those 21 days of antibiotics their insurance will stop paying for their Lyme coverage. So we thought ‘we have to do something’,” Swanson said.
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Separatist roundup
Tuesday, Aug 27, 2019 - Posted by Rich Miller
* WSIL TV…
The idea of southern Illinois separating from the city has been around for decades but in March, Jefferson County residents will be asked about it in the next election.
Randy Edwards, vice chairman of the Jefferson County Board, doesn’t like how Chicago guides the political agenda in Illinois.
“I feel like the people of southern Illinois aren’t being properly represented due to us being so outnumbered by Cook County. Their values are different than ours. We look at things differently than they do,” Edwards said. “I can’t see where Cook County values are what we need down here.”
The ballot question is only an advisory referendum, meaning a yes or no vote wouldn’t actually change anything.
* Meanwhile, let’s go back a few weeks…
The resolution, which could be dismissed as simple political maneuvering — plays big at home, but has scant chance of seeing daylight in the legislature — is also backed by several grassroots groups agitating for separation. Illinois Separation, founded by Collin Cliburn, of Athens, has 24,000 followers on Facebook, and growing. Cliburn is also holding events at venues around the state through August and September to capitalize on the cause’s momentum. […]
Across the state on the same Saturday in July, Illinois Separation’s Cliburn is meeting with another group of like-minded individuals. He is planning a run for state Senate based on the separation platform, and is meeting with other people interested in getting separation-minded candidates to run for office.
* Bernie followed up…
I reached out to Cliburn, and it turns out his eye is on the 44th Senate District, now represented by Senate GOP Leader BILL BRADY of Bloomington. However, Brady is in the middle of a four-year term, so he won’t be up for re-election until 2022. By then, the 2020 Census will be done and new legislative maps will be drawn. So it can’t be said with certainty that Brady and Cliburn would even be in the same district for that race.
Hilarious.
That Tribune story was truly full of ridiculousness.
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Sponsor thanks governor for vetoing his bill
Tuesday, Aug 27, 2019 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Monday press release…
State Senator Don Harmon (D-Oak Park), issued the following statement after Gov. JB Pritzker vetoed his legislation changing rules for court reporters:
“Today, at my request, Governor Pritzker vetoed my Senate Bill 2128, a bill intended to improve the practice of court reporting in Illinois.
“After the bill passed the General Assembly, I became aware of consequences unintended at the time that would be very disruptive to pending litigation and the practice of trial law if the bill became law.
“I’ve invited all of the affected stakeholders to join in a conversation about the legislative effort, and I look forward to working with them all to produce an even better bill.
“I’m grateful to the governor for his action today, which both avoids those unintended consequences and puts all of the stakeholders on an even playing field as we restart negotiations.”
That’s a pretty unusual press release, so I asked Harmon about his bill’s unintended consequences.
Sen. Harmon said there are three types of court reporters. The old fashioned stenographers and newer reporters who are called verbatum or voice writers who repeat everything into a recording device.
The third category is even newer, and Harmon wasn’t aware of those folks. They make a recording, then send it off to be transcribed. The bill was an agreement between first two types of reporters, but, Harmon said, the final product “worked to the detriment” of the third category. Lots of lawyers had transcripts that couldn’t be used if the bill had been signed.
So, it’s back to the drawing board.
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* Mayor Lori Lightfoot speaking today at the IBEW Local 134 Membership Development Conference…
In this state, we do have significant challenges with our pensions. Unfortunately, decisions that were made by people who stood in my office for years, people at the state level, they didn’t make sure that your pensions were secure.
But pensions are a promise. And I know that again from my upbringing. When you work hard and you struggle, in particular when you’re doing work as a government employee, you have a right to expect that the work that you have done is going to be rewarded at the end of your working life with a pension that pays you not just a living wage, but a comfortable retirement that you can build on.
That’s under siege, unfortunately, in our city and our state. But the one thing that I will make sure that I do as mayor of this city is I will make sure that we live up to the promise that we have made to working men and women. Because pensions are absolutely a promise and I’m not going to do anything to ever allow those pensions to be endangered.
But that means we have some tough decisions to make and we’ve got to do that in partnership together. I will be calling upon Don and other members of organized labor to partner with us to finally make the structural changes that are necessary to make sure that our pensions are secure and that no one has to worry that they’re not going to have their pension at the time of their retirement.
Thoughts?
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* Monday press release…
The Chicago office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-Chicago) today filed a complaint in federal court against the Illinois Secretary of State’s (SOS) office and Secretary Jesse White to address language in an official form stating that when an individual has his or her picture taken at a SOS facility while wearing a kufi (religious skullcap) or hijab (religious head covering), they may not remove their religious headwear in public or else they risk having their driver’s license or ID cancelled.
Specifically, the form states:
“In observation of my religious convictions, I only remove my head dressing in public when removal is necessary (such as for a medical examination or a visit to a hair dresser or barber). I do not remove the head dressing in public as a matter of courtesy or protocol (such as when entering a professional office or attending a worship service). I acknowledge that if the Director of the Driver Services Department is provided with evidence showing I do not wear a religious head dressing at all times while in public, unless circumstances require the removal of the head dressing, my driver’s license or identification card may be canceled.”
CAIR-Chicago’s lawsuit seeks to prohibit the continued use of the form by the Secretary of State since such matters are to be reserved for the religious beliefs of each individual applicant. The form violates the Illinois Human Rights Act, the Illinois Religious Freedom Restoration Act, and the First Amendment (through Section 1983), which prohibits religious discrimination by governmental agencies. CAIR-Chicago’s client, who wears a hijab, was forced to sign the form, or she would have been denied a license.
“The State should not be in the position of forcing people to choose between acquiring a necessary form of ID or a needed driver’s license and the free practice of their religion,” said Phil Robertson, Litigation Director for CAIR-Chicago. “There are a host of instances in which religious headwear may need to be removed while in public, and people should not be concerned that doing so will jeopardize their future ability to drive. With the upcoming Labor Day Weekend, the least our clients should have to worry about is their licenses being voided.”
The complaint is here.
* Sun-Times…
Part of the issue is that a person might temporarily remove their religious head covering in public for a reason the Illinois rule does not consider an exception. Those instances include medical duress, excessive heat or simple discomfort, the lawsuit states. […]
Secretary of State Jesse White’s office did not reply Monday evening to requests for comment.
The rule in question is Illinois Administrative Code Title 92, which states driver’s photographed with head coverings must sign an “acknowledgement that, if the Director of the Driver Services Department obtains evidence showing the driver does not wear religious head dressings at all times while in public, unless circumstances require the removal of the head dressing, the driver’s license may be cancelled.”
The rule does allow a driver to remove a “head dressing in public when removal is necessary (such as for a medical examination or a visit to a hair dresser or barber).”
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An overlooked aspect of gaming expansion
Tuesday, Aug 27, 2019 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Sun-Times…
Just six pages of the state’s hefty new 816-page gambling law are devoted to the nascent lottery sports pilot. It’s limited to parlay wagers, meaning bettors pick the outcomes of multiple games as part of the same bet, and have to get each one right to win. […]
In the Illinois version, gamblers will place their bets at electronic kiosks placed in up to 2,500 retailers that are authorized in the first year of the pilot. An additional 2,500 retailers will be eligible to join the action in the second year. If they all take part, that comes out to about two-thirds of the nearly 7,400 lottery retailers currently spread across the state.
Before any of that, the lottery will put a whopping $20 million master license out for competitive bids, for a company to install, operate and maintain the betting kiosks through a central network system.
Like the state’s traditional sports-betting industry — for which regulations are still being hammered out by the Illinois Gaming Board — lottery officials say they don’t have a timeline for when the pilot could launch. They still have to draft rules governing the sports that can be bet on, wager amounts and parlay sizes, among other things.
* Related…
* Will Sun-Times Sports legend Bill Gleason be proven right about parlay cards — 43 years later?
* What Is Parlay Betting?
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Today’s must-reads
Tuesday, Aug 27, 2019 - Posted by Rich Miller
* ProPublica Illinois and NPR Illinois…
Since last year, allegations of harassment and sexual misconduct have surfaced against three professors and an administrator at the University of Illinois’ flagship campus in Urbana-Champaign. In each instance, the public wasn’t told by the university until news organizations or others brought the allegations to light.
A review of public records by NPR Illinois and ProPublica revealed three additional, previously unreported cases in which professors facing similar allegations were allowed to quietly resign or remain on the payroll in lieu of being fired.
Some of the employees accumulated multiple complaints over a period of years. Here’s a breakdown of the cases reviewed:
Go read the rest.
* “At the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Preserving the Reputations of Sexual Harassers”…
By the time officials at the University of Illinois’ flagship campus in Urbana-Champaign found that an assistant professor in the College of Veterinary Medicine had engaged in sexual harassment, three women had come forward to raise concerns about his behavior.
All three said he had showed up at their homes uninvited.
Though the professor, Valarmathi Thiruvanamalai, denied doing anything wrong, the university office that investigates harassment and discrimination claims ruled against him. “When three different complainants, who have no prior relationship and no significant commonalities other than the lab in which they work, all assert the same type of interaction, one must question Respondent’s credibility and honesty in responding to the allegations,” a specialist in the Office of Diversity, Equity and Access wrote in February 2015 following an investigation. She recommended that Thiruvanamalai face discipline and possibly termination.
Instead, the university took a series of steps that helped keep Thiruvanamalai’s reputation intact.
Go read the rest.
* Related…
* Experienced Sexual Misconduct at an Illinois University or College? We Want to Hear From You
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* Tribune editorial…
A Sangamon County circuit court judge is expected to decide soon whether to allow an unconventional lawsuit that challenges Illinois’ borrowing habits to proceed.
We’ll cut to the chase: We hope Judge Jack Davis Jr. allows the case to move forward. Why? About 244 billion reasons. That’s how many dollars the financial watchdog group Truth in Accounting estimates Illinois taxpayers eventually will owe due to unfunded pension liabilities, health care obligations and unpaid state bills. The debts have piled up over decades but accelerated since the early 2000s, dragging the state’s credit rating to near junk status.
So yes, taxpayers deserve a shot at having someone contest Illinois’ tradition of overborrowing. The case is considered a Hail Mary attempt, even though it raises legitimate concerns about the manner in which Illinois politicians have borrowed money in the bond market to balance budgets and pay for operations.
At this phase, the judge is merely deciding whether the case is frivolous or malicious, the threshold for tossing taxpayer cases before they can be formally filed in Illinois. This lawsuit is neither.
Pension debt has helped drag the state’s credit rating to near junk status, but let’s all cheer on a lawsuit that will certainly push Illinois into junk bond status because reasons.
Brilliant!
Keep in mind that this is the same editorial board which railed against the 2011 income tax hike even though the state was hemorrhaging money at the time. It then stood firmly with Gov. Rauner’s 2+ year impasse, even though the state was piling up billions in debt. Part of this lawsuit is about invalidating the bonds sold to pay off the state’s debt owed to vendors because of the Rauner/Tribune impasse. The only conclusion one can reasonably draw is that the Tribune wants to force the state into default. With that perspective, the editorial makes perfect sense.
* Bloomberg…
The municipal-bond market is putting long odds on a think-tank chief’s bid to have $14 billion of Illinois debt tossed out in court.
While the yields on some of the challenged state bonds jumped by more than a third of a percentage point in the weeks after the suit was filed on July 1, they’ve since reversed course amid the market’s broader rally, indicating little risk that their legal status will be cast into doubt. Taxable Illinois debt due in 2033 is now yielding 4.46%, only about 0.3 percentage point more than bonds the state issued in April that aren’t being questioned by the suit. […]
Even if the Illinois judge allows the case to move forward, Nuveen’s Miller said he “can’t imagine that an outside plaintiff could prevent” Illinois from making its debt payments. The required three-fifths of the state’s legislators approved the debt and its purpose to pay accruing bills, Miller said.
“I would be shocked if that’s not a legitimate purpose,” Miller said.
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