* Moody’s summary as prepared for COGFA…
Illinois is in decent shape for a state facing a slowdown in manufacturing, poor agricultural conditions, and numerous demographic and fiscal problems. The economy is doing better than it has in some time. Several private-sector industries are strengthening, and greater fiscal certainty and growth in tax revenues have allowed the public sector to recoup some jobs. After declining for most of the year, the unemployment rate dipped to an all-time low of 3.7% in December despite a stable labor force. The tight labor market coupled with a better jobs mix is helping to preserve big gains in average hourly earnings.
Most economic gauges point to a performance gap with the Midwest and the U.S. The comprehensive count of jobs from the Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages indicates nonfarm employment growth over the past year was weaker than suggested in the survey estimates. Income growth in key industries such as healthcare, professional/business services and manufacturing was slower than average in 2019. The U.S. trade war with China has taken a toll on the industrial and agricultural parts of the state.
Falling mortgage rates and relatively high affordability have barely offset the effects of adverse changes to the federal tax code and weak population trends. Multifamily housing has propelled almost all the growth in residential construction during the current business cycle. Single family house prices have climbed just 1.5% over the last year, the smallest gain in the Midwest and half the national increase. Home sales are decreasing, and construction remains sluggish.
An array of factors that juiced industrial production and factory job growth in 2018 have all but played out, including federal fiscal stimulus, customers’ rush to stock up before tariffs took effect, and increased demand for oil extraction equipment. Illinois can keep advancing without a positive contribution from manufacturing, but the rest of the economy will have to do its part. Illinois will be hard-pressed to match the U.S. pace of growth in any industry, but the state will lean increasingly on healthcare and professional/business services to power job and income gains. Transportation/warehousing, a vanguard of job growth during this expansion, will expand more slowly in coming years. Consumer industries such as retail and leisure/hospitality will pitch in a bit less as the shrinking population weighs on demand. Population loss and troubled state finances will limit Illinois’ long-term potential.
* Hannah Meisel…
The report warns lawmakers not to count on another “April surprise” — a $1.5 billion income tax windfall that allowed Pritzker to drop a plan to defer $800 million in pension payments and impose a bevy of new taxes last year. […]
Business leaders and conservatives frequently lament that the cost of doing business in Illinois is too high. But Moody’s said Illinois’ outlook is “tarnished primarily by its budget woes and weak population trends, not its high costs relative to nearby states.”
“Business costs in the state are lower than they are nationally and have trended downward for the past few decades,” according to the report. “Overall costs are similar to those in Ohio, lower than those in Michigan and Wisconsin, but higher than those in neighboring Indiana and Iowa.”
Moody’s analysis found that while businesses in Illinois tend to pay less in taxes and utilities, “labor is on the expensive side” in part because of the “still-high presence of unions.”
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Question of the day
Friday, Feb 21, 2020 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Tom Kacich at the Champaign News-Gazette answers reader letters every week…
“With Blago out of the slammer and (former Congressman) Aaron Schock somehow avoiding prison, what’s the updated number of Illinois politicians in prison? And is this the first time in awhile that at least one of our guvs hasn’t been incarcerated?”
Tom’s response…
This is the first time since Nov. 6, 2007, that a former Illinois governor wasn’t in federal prison.
As far as the number of Illinois politicians in prison, it appears to be just one: former Chicago Alderman Willie Cochran, who was sentenced to a year in prison last June and is due to be released June 29.
But three current or former state legislators are under indictment — Sen. Tom Cullerton of Villa Park, former Sen. Marty Sandoval of Chicago, and state Rep. Luis Arroyo of Chicago. All three are Democrats.
Sandoval pleaded guilty last month.
Also, Chicago Alderman Ed Burke was indicted last May, has remained in office and has professed innocence.
* The Question: Do you think we’ll make it to June 29th and actually live to see a time period when no Illinois politicians are currently behind bars? Explain.
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Today’s quotable
Friday, Feb 21, 2020 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Setup…
Illinois’ [red flag law] works like this: A family or household member can bring a complaint to a local court, alleging that a person has threatened to use his or her firearm illegally. If the court is convinced of a potential danger, it orders the person to appear in court and their weapons to be seized by the state, generally for six months up to a year, when the weapons then must be returned to the owner.
A person’s Firearm Owner’s Identification (FOID) card can also be revoked in Illinois, if they threaten or commit serious physical violence. In fact, there’s a mandatory-reporting requirement for law enforcement officials, school administrators, and physicians, who must make a report to authorities, within 24 hours of learning of any kind of threat.
Illinois’ law can also be used to keep firearms away from someone who does not yet possess them
* Mary Miller, Republican candidate in the 15th Congressional District…
I oppose red flag laws, or any laws that take away our God-given constitutional rights without due process. When my children were growing up, we read several biographies of people that lived in Nazi Germany or communist Russia. And they were controlled by fear. And one of the things the government did is they set up a system where the citizens could tattle on each other. And I’m highly opposed to anything that would promote that.
So, Crime Stoppers is bad?
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Team IL For Mike Is Growing
Friday, Feb 21, 2020 - Posted by Advertising Department
[The following is a paid advertisement.]
As Mike climbs in the polls our team in Illinois continues to grow. Today, we are proud to unveil a new slate of state, county, and local endorsements.
State Representative Andre Thapedi, Cook County Clerk Karen Yarbrough, Cook County Commissioner Scott Britton, Cook County Commissioner Donna Miller, 28th Ward Alderman Jason Ervin, and 24th Ward Alderman Scott Jr. endorsed Mike Bloomberg for president, pledging to support Mike’s national campaign to defeat Donald Trump.
Commissioner Miller and Clerk Yarbrough were also named Mike Bloomberg 2020 Illinois State Co-Chairs. The new endorsers were joined by Mike Bloomberg 2020 National Co-Chair Congressman Bobby Rush.
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Noted fantasist responds to Pritzker
Friday, Feb 21, 2020 - Posted by Rich Miller
* From the governor’s budget address…
One of Illinois’ most intractable problems is the underfunding of our pension systems.
We must keep our promises to the retirees who earned their pension benefits and forge a realistic path forward to meet those obligations.
The fantasy of a constitutional amendment to cut retirees’ benefits is just that – a fantasy. The idea that all of this can be fixed with a single silver bullet ignores the protracted legal battle that will ultimately run headlong into the Contracts Clause of the U.S. Constitution. You will spend years in that protracted legal battle, and when you’re done, you will have simply kicked the can down the road, made another broken promise to taxpayers, and left them with higher tax bills.
This is not a political football. This is a financial issue that is complex and requires consistency and persistence to manage, with the goal of paying the pensions that are owed.
* David Greising with the BGA responds…
The contracts clause argument has gotten some traction lately, but it’s not as black and white as Pritzker makes it sound. Respected constitutional scholars say a challenge based on the contracts clause could be defeated. There is U.S. Supreme Court precedent stating contract rights can be weighed against other factors, such as the duty of states to exercise police powers, or to protect the health of residents.
Um, David, first you’ll have to find 71 votes in the House and 36 in the Senate to get it on the ballot. Both of those chambers have pro-union Democratic super-majorities. Face it, man, you’re living in a fantasy world. And it’s not even guaranteed to pass at the ballot box even if it somehow makes it that far. The unions would spend every dime they have and then some and deploy tens of thousands of precinct workers to oppose it. You can’t just snap your fingers and make this all happen.
* More Greising…
A pension amendment need not necessarily go to the Supreme Court, either. A negotiated solution with labor unions could lead to needed changes that address Illinois’ pension problems that are fair to all parties. “These benefits are all gained through collective bargaining, so they should be able to be modified through collective bargaining,” said James Spiotto, managing director of Chapman Strategic Advisors, who has written extensively on pension reform.
*facepalm*
Um, public pension benefits cannot be gained or lost as part of the collective bargaining process, David. They must be passed by the Illinois General Assembly and signed into law by a governor. And the Illinois Supreme Court has unanimously ruled that public pension benefits are an individual right, not a collective right. Unions cannot legally negotiate away their members’ pension benefits in this state.
Sheesh. This is just basic 101 stuff, dude.
And how much of a fantasist do you have to be to conjure some alternate version of Illinois where AFSCME Council 31, the IFT, the CTU, the IEA, AFFI, the FOP and SEIU all agree to put a constitutional amendment like this on the ballot and pledge not to sue if it passes? I mean, have you ever met Roberta Lynch or Jesse Sharkey? They ain’t no Arizona-style union leaders. And, in any case, it only takes one person to sue.
This is all a complete, utter fantasy unless the citizenry drastically changes the membership of the General Assembly and elects a governor willing to take up the cause and public union members elect completely different leaders. Or perhaps if a global financial meltdown of a magnitude far greater than 2008-09 (which Illinois survived) totally - and I do mean totally - tanks the budget.
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* Daily Herald…
Casey Urlacher, the mayor of North suburban Mettawa and brother of Chicago Bears icon Brian Urlacher, is charged along with nine others in connection with an illegal offshore sports gambling ring, federal prosecutors announced Thursday.
In an indictment alleging one count of participating in the gambling conspiracy and one count of conducting an illegal gambling business, prosecutors say Casey Urlacher worked as an agent for the “illegal gambling business” and recruited gamblers and other sub-agents to the operation.
Prosecutors allege those involved placed bets through a Costa Rican-based gambling platform identified only as “Company A.” The operation began sometime in 2016, according to prosecutors.
Prosecutors said Urlacher was in contact with the group’s ringleader, 54-year-old Vincent Delgiudice of Orland Park, also known as “Uncle Mick,” in December 2018 about setting up an account for a new gambler with a maximum bet of $500 and maximum weekly limit of $3,000.
The indictment is here.
* Sun-Times…
Casey Urlacher denied any knowledge of the gambling investigation when reached Thursday by the Chicago Sun-Times, and he said he didn’t know any bookie named DelGiudice. “I don’t know nothing about it,” Urlacher said. “I don’t know who you’re talking about.”
But the indictment alleges otherwise. It says Urlacher asked Vincent DelGiudice to create a log-in and password for a new gambler on the website on Dec. 16, 2018. DelGiudice allegedly did so, setting a $500 maximum bet, a $3,000 maximum wager for the week and a $1,000 settle-up figure.
On Dec. 21, 2018, Urlacher allegedly gave an envelope filled with gambling debts owed to DelGiudice to Prassas. That same day, Prassas allegedly passed an envelope filled with Urlacher’s gambling debts on to DelGiudice with the remark, “This is Casey’s.”
Urlacher also allegedly asked DelGiudice by phone on Dec. 26, 2018, to shut down a gambler’s account until the gambler paid a debt. That same day, after the gambler wired $3,000 to Urlacher, Urlacher allegedly texted DelGiudice and told him to turn the gambler’s account back on.
Urlacher lost a Republican primary for the Illinois Senate to Dan McConchie in 2016. I’m guessing this upcoming fundraiser will be at least slightly altered…
McLaughlin is running unopposed for retiring GOP Rep. Dave McSweeney’s seat.
…Adding… Urlacher was appointed to the Illinois Civil Service Commission by Gov. Pat Quinn and is still an active member. Oops.
*** UPDATE *** The governor’s office says Urlacher resigned from the commission this morning.
[ *** End Of Update *** ]
* In other news…
When an FBI raid targeted his company’s county commissioner last year, southwest suburban factory owner Zach Mottl was “ecstatic.”
“I felt like the house fell on the wicked witch,” Mottl said. “That’s what I felt like. And we were free. The munchkins were free.”
Mottl said he felt a target of the raid — Democratic Cook County Commissioner and village of McCook Mayor Jeff Tobolski — had pressured him into making a campaign contribution at the same time his company was seeking Tobolski’s backing for a critical property tax break.
And Mottl provided the Better Government Association and WBEZ with an exchange of emails that detail his story.
* And…
A son-in-law of former Cook County Assessor Joseph Berrios is being sued by the Chicago Public Schools, which says he failed to pay “no less than” $366,000 under deals that allowed his company to park cars at 10 elementary schools, mostly for baseball fans going to Cubs games last year.
According to the lawsuit filed in Cook County circuit court, James T. Weiss and his parking business stopped paying CPS last April for the right to park cars at three schools closest to Wrigley Field — but kept charging customers to park there anyway. […]
On Nov. 19, Weiss told CPS his company would no longer be parking cars on school property. That was in a phone call shortly after the Chicago Tribune reported his offices were raided as part of the federal investigation of now-former state Rep Luis Arroyo. Arroyo has since been charged in a federal bribery case involving unregulated video gambling machines.
Weiss — who also owns Collage LLC, which operates unregulated video terminals known as sweepstakes machines — has been lobbying state and city officials to legalize the machines.
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Vaccinate your kids!
Friday, Feb 21, 2020 - Posted by Rich Miller
* I told subscribers about this bill the other day and the huge number of hysterical opposition phonecalls Sen. Steans’ offices are receiving…
Under newly introduced state legislation, parents in Illinois would no longer be able to claim religion as a reason to refuse vaccinations for their children — a move backed by public health officials as a way to stave off outbreaks of diseases once thought to be eradicated, and shunned by groups vocal about their objections to vaccines.
The bill introduced last week would also limit the reasons allowed for a medical exemption for the immunizations required to enter all Illinois schools, and would allow students as young as 14 to obtain a vaccine without the consent of their parents. If passed, Illinois would become the sixth state to remove religious exemptions, effectively making only certain medical conditions or reactions a way for students in Illinois schools to avoid vaccination. […]
In 2016, the state tightened the rules surrounding religious exemptions, requiring that health care providers sign off and verify that they had provided vaccine education. Despite that, religious exemptions have increased for several vaccines, according to state records. Exemptions based solely on personal or philosophical beliefs are not allowed in Illinois.
Medical experts say high vaccination rates — usually 95% or more, depending on the disease — are necessary to protect those who cannot be vaccinated due to autoimmune disorders or other medical reasons. But distrust in vaccines has caused some Americans to refuse vaccines for their children despite wide availability. This, in part, is blamed for the reemergence of some diseases like measles, according to the World Health Organization, which considers vaccine hesitancy a global health threat.
The bill is here.
* CBS News…
The legislation has the backing of the Illinois Department of Public Health, according to spokeswoman Melaney Arnold, the Chicago Tribune reports. The department hopes the bill will increase vaccination rates in the Prairie State “and reduce the risk of severe illness among our most vulnerable populations,” according to the outlet.
Opponents of the bill vehemently disagree with the proposed changes. The Illinois Vaccine Awareness Coalition, a group which regularly advocates against the use of vaccines, posted a call to oppose the bill on its website.
“Please WITHDRAW SB3668 – this bill is unnecessary and discriminatory,” the group wrote as an example of what to say to the bill’s sponsor. “Vaccine exemptions are not the problem, schools failing to collect and submit vaccine record paperwork is the problem…Please focus on the serious record keeping issue and don’t remove religious and parental rights based on misrepresented immunization levels.”
Most of the replies to Sen. Steans’ Facebook post are just way over the top. They’re a clear demonstration of why this policy is needed. People are endangering others’ lives.
* More…
According to the synopsis of the bill, the proposed legislation would remove all language from state law that would let children attend school without being vaccinated because of religious reasons.
According to state immunization data, about 3% of all Illinois students are not vaccinated against major diseases from measles and mumps to polio and chicken pox.
It amounts to about 64,000 students statewide. Of those, about 18,000 are listed as noncompliant due to religious exemptions. About 2,300 are not vaccinated because of medical reasons. Less than 5,000 students are on approved alternate schedules.
As we’ve discussed before, some schools have huge non-compliance rates.
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* From the Center for Tax and Budget Accountability…
Governor Pritzker’s approach to the state budget stands in stark contrast to that of Governor Rauner. While both emphasized the need for fiscal responsibility, Governor Pritzker is actually supporting his rhetoric about fiscal responsibility with actions. For instance, Illinois has had a “structural deficit” in its General Fund for decades. That just means revenue growth under current tax policy is insufficient on a year-to-year basis to continue funding the same level of public services, adjusting solely for inflation and assuming no changes in law. This structural deficit, coupled with the fact that Illinois has traditionally underfunded core services like education, healthcare, public safety, and social services, are some of the key fiscal realities that motivated Governor Pritzker to support raising an estimated $3.6 billion in new revenue through implementation of a graduated-rate income tax - a policy initiative that has the corollary benefit of creating more fairness in Illinois taxation - by having income tax rates comport with ability to pay.
However, as Governor Pritzker recognized in his budget address, that new revenue will only be realized if this coming November, voters ratify the amendment to the state’s constitution needed to permit a graduated rate income tax. And even if voters ratify this amendment, the state won’t implement the new, fair, graduated-rate structure until halfway through upcoming FY 2021 - meaning it will only generate $1.4 billion in new revenue during FY 2021, growing to $3.6 billion annually thereafter.
Which is why Governor Pritzker took the fiscally prudent step of proposing two separate General Fund budgets for FY 2021, forcing the state to live within its fiscal means, whether or not the amendment passes. The Governor’s “recommended” budget identifies appropriations for core services that would be made, if the amendment to the constitution permitting a graduated rate income tax is ratified. During his budget address, Governor Pritzker emphasized he will devote a portion of the new revenue a graduated rate income tax will generate to shoring up Illinois’ questionable fiscal condition, rather than to enhanced spending on services. He does this by devoting $100 million to deficit reduction, investing $50 million to build-back the state’s rainy-day fund, and contributing $100 million more to the state’s five public employee pension systems than is required under current law.
The Governor also proposed a far more stringent “base budget,” built upon the assumption the Fair Tax amendment does not pass, and hence the state has $1.4 billion less in revenue to spend in FY 2021. Because of that, and in the name of being fiscally responsible, Governor Pritzker makes numerous “hard choices” (his words) to invest less than what the Governor believes is needed to fund core services like education, healthcare and public safety. He accomplishes this by “reserving” a portion of the target appropriations made in his recommended budget proposal, that ultimately would not be made if the amendment permitting a graduated-rate income tax does not become law.
CTBA agrees with Governor Pritzker’s focus on being fiscally responsible, and applauds his efforts to reduce the accumulated deficit, build the rainy-day fund and pre-pay some of the significant debt owed to the pension systems. Indeed, any effort to prepay what’s owed to the pension systems to flatten the unaffordably back-loaded repayment schedule his administration inherited that covers the existing pension debt is sound fiscal policy. We at CTBA think he should go much further and have a full reamortization plan (click here for more info) to deal with this problem once and for all, but laud the fact that he is focusing on the issue in a rational way.
However, CTBA disagrees with his proposal to reserve up to $150 million of the $300-$350 million in Evidence-Based Funding appropriated for FY 2021. Effectively, that means K-12 funding under the base budget proposed by the Governor for FY 2021 would [grow] by only $200 million over FY 2020 levels. If that happens it would be the first time K-12 funding did not grow by the minimum amount of $300 million targeted in statute, since the Evidence Based Funding Formula was enacted in FY 2018. It also means that Evidence Based Funding for FY 2021 would barely keep pace with inflation, effectively providing little true new money for school districts to invest in providing those evidence-based practices shown to enhance student achievement over time. That’s problematic, given that according to the Illinois State Board of Education, as it stands today, overall K-12 funding is some $7 billion less than what the evidence indicates is needed for all students to receive an adequately funded education. Barely keeping pace with inflation does nothing to close that material shortfall. And by failing to reduce that funding gap in any meaningful way, the $200 million appropriation for Evidence Based Funding in the “base” budget proposal increases the pressure on local property taxes to fund schools. Considering that Illinois is already the state that is most reliant on property taxes to fund K-12 education in America, it would be far better fiscal - and education funding policy - for the state to continue down the path of boosting the state investment in K-12, thereby taking pressure off of property taxes. An alternative to a reduction in K-12 funding that still allows the state of Illinois to live within its means would be withholding a portion of the $500 million appropriated for research facility investments for the University of Illinois, as proposed by Representative Will Davis. This would allow Illinois to continue making the necessary investment in K-12 education vital for students to succeed at the college level.
I generally concur with much of the above.
The governor essentially presented a maintenance budget, dressed up with some extra funding promises if the voters approve a constitutional amendment on taxation this November. I have no real problem with that.
But a governor’s budget is essentially his list of priorities. He told reporters yesterday that education was his top priority. His official budget proposal plainly does not reflect that claim.
* And the Republicans are eagerly putting the wood to him…
Rep. Avery Bourne, R-Morrisonville, said school districts are required by law to submit their budgets to the state by September. However, under Pritzker’s budget plan, they won’t know how much state assistance they can expect until months after that deadline.
“It will force their budgeting process to make difficult decisions without the certainty of knowing what the state will be sending to them at the end of the year,” Bourne said. “It means local school districts will be making decisions on hiring, on resources for their classrooms before we know the outcome of the governor’s political agenda.”
But they can only go so far before their logic falls apart. Governor’s office response…
“Governor Pritzker is a tireless and staunch advocate for education funding, which is why he fought to find a way to actually pay for substantial increases for our schools and why he strongly supports the fair tax,” Bittner said. “It is the height of hypocrisy for Republicans to demand increased spending and refuse to pay for it. The governor’s door is always open to hear ideas from both sides of the aisle on addressing our challenges.”
* Related…
* Gov. Pritzker’s budget address concerns some Illinois school administrators: Pritzker’s contingency on the graduated income tax is not ideal for Vienna Superintendent Joshua Stafford. “We can’t have political contingencies tied to education of our children of Illinois. It’s impossible for a school district to plan for next school year and have contingencies tied to our funding,” he said.
* Budget bully? GOP accuses Pritzker of holding ‘funding to our schools hostage’ to income tax plan
* House Republicans disagree with Gov. Pritzker’s school funding proposal: “When I was listening to the Governor’s speech and he mentioned this, I couldn’t help but think of the old line - it’s a nice funding formula you got here. It would be a shame if something happened to it,” Rep. Steven Reick (R-Woodstock) said.
* Pritzker stumps for higher education budget at UIC
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* Press release…
In a win for the First Amendment right to circulate petitions, a federal judge has struck down the City of Chicago’s restrictive rules that did not allow First Amendment activities in Millennium Park, including circulating referendum petitions and outdoor evangelizing. The case stemmed in part from petition passers being harassed by security while collecting signatures for a referendum to term limit the Mayor of Chicago between 2016 and 2018.
Judge John Robert Blakey of the Northern District of Illinois found that Millennium Park’s rules unconstitutionally limit the free-speech rights of petition passers and those wishing to evangelize and distribute religious literature. The Court further found that the rules were unconstitutionally vague and were being enforced arbitrarily and “in a discriminatory manner,” including based on the identity of the speaker.
In his opinion, Judge Blakey stated that if the City of Chicago’s arguments in favor of the rules were to stand, “any park with a statue could lose its First Amendment protections.” The judge wrote, “The law precludes this absurd result.”
Attorneys Pat Quinn, former Governor of Illinois, and Ed Mullen represented petition passers Elizabeth Norden, Tyler Brumfield, Doris Davenport, and William Morgan in the case of Swart et al v. City of Chicago. They joined students from Wheaton College, represented by the firm Mauck & Baker, who were told they could not evangelize and hand out religious literature in Millennium Park.
Norden, Brumfield, Davenport, and Morgan testified that they were harassed and intimidated by Millennium Park personnel on the Great Lawn of the park, asked to leave the park, and threatened with arrest while circulating petitions for a term limit referendum on Chicago’s mayor.
The ruling is here…
This Court’s analysis of the other preliminary injunction factors requires little discussion. In First Amendment cases, the likelihood of success is dispositive because the loss of First Amendment freedoms—even for minimal periods of time— constitutes an irreparable injury, and protecting First Amendment freedoms always serves the public interest.
A status hearing has been set for March 4th.
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* Kim Bellware at the Washington Post…
As a newly minted member of the Illinois General Assembly in 2007, Rep. La Shawn Ford of Chicago remembers his first bill: a proposal to eliminate from state job applications the question asking if someone had ever been convicted of a nonviolent crime. Then-Gov. Rod R. Blagojevich (D) vetoed it.
The veto was one of the many choices Blagojevich’s critics now cite as part of his dismal track record on criminal-justice reform while governor, an office from which he was later impeached and removed and ultimately convicted of leveraging for financial gain in a 2009 political corruption trial that led to his 14-year prison sentence. Blagojevich’s history on criminal justice is especially striking now that he’s received the mercy he rarely showed others as the state’s top executive — a commutation Tuesday from President Trump. […]
According to the Illinois Prisoner Review Board, Blagojevich took action on fewer than 25 percent of clemency petitions filed while he was governor, NBC Chicago reported in 2016 — 13 years after the backlog began. A group of Illinoisans with felony records went as far as suing Blagojevich over his inaction on clemency requests. […]
“There were ‘actual innocence’ petitions that some of our clients needed to get compensation for all the years they wrongfully spent in prison, and even those were stalled,” Drizin said. It got so bad that state lawmakers, still during Blagojevich’s tenure, created a workaround process for granting the ultimate forms of expungement because the governor’s office was so ineffective.
* Jennifer Soble, the executive director of the Illinois Prison Project…
Illinois has done away with many of the mechanisms that other states rely on to make sure that people who can be safely returned to the community do not languish in prison.
Our state abolished parole in 1978. Eleven years later, Illinois made it extraordinarily difficult, and often impossible, for people in prison to get their sentences reduced through good behavior.
Illinois has no mechanism for releasing the terminally ill or the medically incapacitated. Our state has rendered rehabilitation, personal growth and mercy irrelevant.
In this landscape of despair, executive commutation of a sentence has remained a glimmering hope for thousands upon thousands of people who simply should not be in prison.
We are talking about people like Basil Powell, a 69-year-old man who has served more than 36 years of a natural life sentence for his role as the getaway driver in gas station robberies in which no one was hurt. He was sentenced to die in prison even though he was unarmed during the robberies, even though his armed codefendant went home after six years, and even though he has a wife, a daughter and four grandchildren at home.
Blagojevich, who yesterday was the beneficiary of executive grace, ignored the petition of Basil Powell, just as he ignored thousands upon thousands of other equally reasonable and compelling requests for relief.
* Meanwhile, he has to find a job…
Trump’s order specifically noted the president was not commuting the two-year period of supervised release imposed by U.S. Judge James Zagel. Under the conditions, Blagojevich has to meet with probation regularly, cannot leave the jurisdiction without permission and must seek employment.
If he has trouble finding a job, Blagojevich must do at least 20 hours a week of community service until he finds one, with a maximum 200 hours served.
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* WBEZ FOIA’d emails between Mike McClain and the House Speaker’s office, including former Madigan chief of staff Tim Mapes, and eventually received 1,200 pages of documents. Excerpt from the station’s team coverage…
Madigan aides not only discussed ComEd jobs for loyalists. The emails show the speaker and his top staffers were taking good care of the electric company in Springfield.
In the spring of 2014, Madigan took the lead on a resolution on behalf of Exelon that warned of “dire consequences” if the company’s money-losing nuclear power plants were to shut down.
Emails between Madigan’s top advisers and McClain show how they worked in tandem to silence dissent on the pro-bailout resolution by hand-picking the lawmakers who would get to vote on it in a legislative committee.
Ahead of the vote, Exelon had identified at least six Democratic members of the committee who were likely to vote against the company’s interests. In response, Will Cousineau, a high-ranking member of the speaker’s staff, suggested a plan to remove opponents from the committee for this one vote.
The next day the opponents Exelon had identified were substituted from the committee – and the resolution passed 16 to 0. Cousineau’s tactic delighted McClain so much, he wrote him, “I love you.”
Two years after that resolution was unanimously approved by the House Environment Committee, Exelon won legislative approval for a multi-billion-dollar ratepayer bailout.
Cousineau later left Madigan’s staff and became a lobbyist. His clients included ComEd.
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* WBEZ…
A clout-heavy southwest suburb has received a subpoena from federal investigators seeking documents about powerful Illinois House Speaker and state Democratic Party boss Michael Madigan, according to records obtained by WBEZ.
The village of Bridgeview – whose mayor, Steve Landek, is a Democratic state senator and longtime Madigan ally – was served with the grand jury subpoena on Friday, the records show.
The feds are asking for all of Bridgeview’s correspondences, including internal emails, that involve Madigan and four men who have close ties to the speaker […]
The feds also are demanding that Bridgeview officials turn over “all records related to” Raymond Nice, another veteran campaign worker in Madigan’s Southwest Side ward organization.
Documents obtained by WBEZ show Bridgeview paid Nice’s company $1,000 a month for “business and consulting services.”
Nice also had a $1,000-a-month deal as a “special consultant” for another southwest suburb, Merrionette Park – which received a virtually identical federal subpoena to the one Bridgeview got, on the same day Bridgeview officials were served. The Chicago Sun-Times first reported the subpoena of Merrionette Park on Wednesday.
* Tribune…
Odelson, the Merrionette Park village lawyer, said the federal government inquiry has “zero” to do with the two mayors, and is focused on Nice and his business.
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Open thread
Friday, Feb 21, 2020 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Please keep it Illinois-centric and be nice to each other. Thanks.
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[The following is a paid advertisement.]
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IKCA is proud to have The Chronic Disease Coalition (CDC) as a founding member of our coalition. CDC is a nonprofit dedicated to protecting the rights of chronic disease patients against discrimination. Founded in 2015, CDC is comprised of patients, family members, health care providers, advocacy groups, medical professionals and others who care about the millions of Americans who suffer from chronic diseases. It works to advocate for people living with chronic conditions like diabetes, kidney disease, multiple sclerosis, psoriasis, cancer and other diseases.
In Illinois, more than 30,000 people suffer from kidney failure. IKCA’s goal is to protect this vulnerable population, including those on life-sustaining dialysis and those waiting for a kidney transplant. For more information, please visit our website.
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* Paul Simon Public Policy Institute…
For Governor Pritzker, who is not on the ballot this year, 51 percent approve of the job he is doing, and 38 percent disapprove. The governor, in his second year in office, has a net positive approval rating of 13 percentage points.
When controlling for party, there are stark differences. Among Democrats, the governor enjoys a 77 percent approval to 14 percent disapproval rating. Seventy-three percent of Republicans disapprove and 20 percent approve of Pritzker’s job performance. Independents are in the middle, with 44 percent approval to 43 percent disapproval.
As for the geographical breakdowns, 68 percent of Chicago voters approve and 22 percent disapprove. In the Chicago suburbs, his approval rating is 53 percent, while disapproval is at 36 percent. Downstate 38 percent of the voters approve of the job the governor is doing and 52 percent disapprove.
Governor Pritzker had been in office only two months when the 2019 Simon Poll was done. In that poll, 40 percent approved or strongly approved of the job he was doing while 38 percent disapproved or strongly disapproved. At that time we noted that Pritzker had not enjoyed much of a honeymoon in his new office. This means that his approval rating is up by 11 percent, while his disapprove rate remained the same over the ensuing year.
“In last year’s poll, we speculated that the governor’s relatively low approval rating meant that voters had given him a short ‘honeymoon period,’” said Charlie Leonard, one of the co-directors of the Simon Poll. “However, given these results a year later, it seems more likely that last year’s large ‘undecided’ group of voters have come around to a positive appraisal of Governor Pritzker’s performance, given that his disapproval rating is virtually identical.”
Sen. Dick Durbin’s job approval was 52 percent, with a disapproval of 36 percent. President Trump’s approval is at 39 percent, while 58 percent disapproved.
* Some of these numbers are ten days old. The poll was conducted February 10-17…
On the Democratic side, 22 percent said they would support Senator Sanders; 17 percent said they would vote for former Mayor Bloomberg; and 14 percent planned to vote for former Vice President Joe Biden. The top three were followed by former South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg at 13 percent and Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar at 8 percent. Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren received 6 percent while the remaining candidates were at one percent. […]
In Chicago, 22 percent of likely Democratic primary voters supported Sanders; 22 percent supported Bloomberg, while Biden came in third at 14 percent. In the Chicago suburbs (Cook County outside the city plus the collar counties of DuPage, Will, Kane, McHenry, and Lake) 21 percent supported Sanders, 16 percent planned to vote for Bloomberg, and 15 percent supported Biden. Downstate 23 percent supported Sanders, Buttigieg came in second at 17 percent, followed by Bloomberg at 15 percent and Biden in fourth place at 10 percent.
* Methodology…
The poll of 1,000 registered voters was conducted between February 10 and 17. It has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.1 percentage points. Registered voters were asked about their likelihood of voting, with a subgroup of them identified as “likely voters.” This group (N = 821) included 58 percent saying they would vote in the Democratic Primary and 28 percent saying they would vote in the Republican Primary. These subsamples of likely voters have margins of error of 4.5 and 6.4 percentage points, respectively.
More at the link.
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Question of the day
Thursday, Feb 20, 2020 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Senate Republican Leader Bill Brady on Jak Tichenor’s program yesterday…
We think the governor was wise a while ago to ask for his agencies to look at six and a half percent adjustments in their budgets, efficiencies, that would provide hundreds of millions of dollars without touching healthcare or education or pension payments. […]
We’d like to see what his agencies came up with. […]
If you take the other agencies and if you take six and a half percent efficiencies, as he ordered, there could be over $800 million. Couple that with [$650 million] in natural revenue growth, that gives you a billion and a half dollars to reinvest in education, DCFS, make the pension payment.
He later said the $800 million figure excluded education, healthcare and pension cuts.
* Gov. Pritzker was asked last week about his order to state agencies to game out 6.5 percent cuts…
Part of the purpose of that memo, Hannah, was to make sure that we were surfacing the opportunities to make government more efficient. So we really forced the agency heads to think hard about what would you do in the event that we needed to make significant cuts.
There were many things that were recommended from each of the agencies. We chose from those things, the things that we thought were would not deteriorate the services that people get for our state, but that would make sure that we’re operating more efficiently. So that was really the purpose of that exercise. […]
Reporter: Will there have to be deeper cuts in other areas to balance the budget in 21 and increase spending in other areas… ?
Pritzker: Well, let’s start with the situation that I walked into when I became governor. The agencies of state government had been significantly hollowed out. And if you would talk to our state agency directors, they would tell you that they walked into situations where sometimes the basic functions of government required by law weren’t being performed, because of the hollowing out that has occurred. So, we’re in the process here of making government more efficient and effective with the dollars that we have, and making sure that we’re restoring services that people deserve.
* The Question: Should the governor’s office release the document containing the 6.5 percent agency spending reductions exercise? Make sure to explain your answer, please. Thanks.
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* From a House Republican press release…
The Governor also allocated funds to account for the rise in the minimum wage for state employees, but Bourne claimed the number used in the budget address was unrealistic and much lower than the true cost.
“Last year the Pritzker administration said compliance with the minimum wage increase would cost $270 million in FY21 alone, meanwhile groups representing human service providers across the state have estimated the compliance cost to be closer to $400 million,” said Bourne. “Despite those published numbers last year, the Governor’s office contends that the minimum wage hike would cost only $68 million in general revenue funds in FY21. It’s an unrealistic figure that suggests the Pritzker administration is hiding the minimum wage hike’s true cost. We need clear and transparent numbers that accurately reflect real budget expenditures, particularly in relation to costs associated with the minimum wage. Making intentionally low cost estimates only perpetuates unbalanced budgets and a dishonest budgeting process.”
The Pritzker administration did, indeed, estimate FY21 costs at $270 million.
But this criticism directly contradicts some of the other points the GOP has been making about how there’s plenty of money to balance a budget. In that very press release above, for example…
“Additionally, regardless of what voters say about the Governor’s graduated income tax, Illinois is already bringing in the most revenue in State history. We should be able to construct a balanced, responsible budget on the current revenue levels.”
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* A.D. Quig at Crain’s…
Alaina Hampton, a former political staffer and campaign manager for House Speaker Mike Madigan and the Madigan-controlled Democratic Party of Illinois, says the PAC, People for Women’s Empowerment, is being run by people with more allegiance to Madigan than to empowering women.
State and city lobbyist Tiffany Elking, who has ties to Madigan, filed paperwork to launch the PAC in January. While she says the group was not created to benefit the speaker, she would not elaborate on what candidates or causes the group might support. The PAC has yet to disclose raising or spending any money.
“Women in Illinois politics, my colleagues, have long discussed the idea of a PAC to support women candidates. But the People for Women’s Empowerment PAC is my brain child, with invaluable input from the six other founding board members,” Elking said in an email. “That’s it. Meanwhile, we are currently developing our action plan. Stay tuned.” […]
Hampton pointed out that Elking, a former assistant counsel to Madigan, was among a group of women to publicly support then-House Majority Leader Lou Lang when he was accused of sexual harassment before an investigation into his behavior began. The Skokie Democrat resigned from the Legislature in January 2019 to become a lobbyist.
That show of support for Lang had a chilling effect on those who might have experienced harassment, Hampton said.
That Lang press conference still upsets some folks to this day. But there are some fine people on that group’s board, and even Hampton says she hopes they end up doing some good. Becky Carroll’s comment…
“While there are some great organizations in Illinois working to prepare women to run for re-election, like IWIL (Illinois Women in Leadership), virtually nothing exists that focuses exclusively and effectively on giving women the resources they need to run a successful campaign,” she said. “This new entity might be able to help fill that gap. Let’s see how they raise their money and who they invest those dollars in.”
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It’s just a bill
Thursday, Feb 20, 2020 - Posted by Rich Miller
* I had my garage wired to charge my gas/electric car several years ago and it didn’t cost much. But some folks ain’t gonna be happy about this bill…
Illinois lawmakers moved forward Tuesday with legislation that would require high-voltage outlets to be installed in most new construction, renovations, and a significant portion of all parking garages to allow for electric car charging.
House Bill 4284 is similar to a mandate in California. It requires any new residential construction to have a dedicated circuit that runs to the garage or all parking spaces to make it “electric vehicle ready.”
The measure “provides that a new or renovated residential building is required to have a certain percentage, based on the number of units in the residential building, of its total parking spaces either electric vehicle ready or electric vehicle capable,” according to the text of the bill.
Any new residential property with six or fewer parking spaces would have to have a dedicated outlet for each spot under the terms of the bill.
The bill is here.
* Email…
Good morning Rich!
Sandy Bury here, Mayor of the fine Village of Oak Lawn. Oak Lawn is the poster child for a community that is thriving while struggling to manage staggering pension debt and unfunded mandates by Springfield. We have done this by lowering property taxes, paying down debt and growing our economy organically.
We are always looking for innovative ways to make ends meet and our “Push Tax” of a penny a push on video gaming is a way to maintain services without raising property taxes. It charges players of video games a penny a push on gaming machines. Using our Home Rule authority this amusement tax became law on January 1st in Oak Lawn.
We immediately were subjected to threats of litigation, mafioso-style threats to retaliate against our local businesses (by removing all machines but one) and a misinformation campaign by insiders in the gaming industry.
While the new tax is clearly unpopular with those with ties to gaming, every resident I have spoken with supports this. No one wants to see property taxes increase for our seniors and hard working families who are just hanging on. Several municipalities have asked for a copy of our ordinance and are eager to implement their own version. The “push tax” is showing signs of spreading like a virus throughout our struggling communities.
Last month, the amount wagered on video gaming in Oak Lawn exceeded our entire yearly municipal tax levy at more that $16 million - yes, in one month. The “push tax” will be used in Oak Lawn to help fund pensions, pave roads, repair streets and educate the public regarding gambling addiction. The Village estimates it will bring in a little more than $1 million yearly.
To date, no one has said this tax is illegal. But Bob Rita would like to make it so. He has introduced HB5065 to shut this tax down and protect the interests of his powerful friends. I am writing to ask your help in getting the word out about this. It’s simply outrageous that our legislators are working against the municipalities they represent in support of powerful interests.
Sincerely,
Sandra Bury
Mayor of Oak Lawn
The bill is here.
* Alex Nitkin at the Daily Line…
Former Ald. Danny Solis (25) did not violate state election law when he spent $220,000 in campaign funds on his personal legal defense amid a sprawling federal criminal investigation, state election officials ruled on Wednesday.
The Illinois Board of Elections rejected a challenge filed by Ald. Byron Sigcho-Lopez (25), Solis’ successor and longtime political rival, who alleged in a November legal filing that politicians’ common practice of using campaign funds for legal fees is “illegal and disgraceful.”
Sigcho-Lopez argued that if election law prohibits politicians from using campaign funds for personal expenses like clothes, haircuts and club memberships, they should not be allowed to use it for “legal expenses not related to their campaigns for political office.” […]
Sigcho-Lopez has one week to decide whether to he wants to appeal the board’s decision in Illinois Appellate Court. Regardless, the alderman said he planned to take his argument to Springfield by advocating for a new law prohibiting campaign funds from being used to pay legal fees, he said.
I’m thinking that, since campaign committees spent $5.3 million on legal fees last year alone, this idea probably isn’t going anywhere. We’ll see.
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* Carol Marin caught up with Rob Blagojevich, the brother of the former governor…
Shame on JB Pritzker for not being a friend and for not being an honorable person. He wanted something from my brother and when he didn’t get it now he’s moved on and he’s now bitter against my brother.
That doesn’t make much sense. Pritzker wasn’t appointed state treasurer and now he’s governor and he’s bitter?
* NBC 5’s Mary Ann Ahern confronted the governor about this today…
[Rod Blagojevich’s] brother told us yesterday you were his friend and you wanted the Senate seat and now you’re not his friend and what’s your reaction to that?
It’s not a big deal, but Pritzker didn’t want the Senate seat, he wanted to be appointed treasurer if Alexi Giannoulias, as rumored at the time, followed Obama to the White House.
Pritzker’s response…
Well that’s not accurate. [Cross-talk] This was more than 10 years ago, what you’re talking about. I spend every day focused on trying to root out the corrupt politicians in the state, to make sure that we’re passing ethics legislation, real reforms in our state so that politicians don’t go after, trying to enrich themselves and instead are focused on the business of the people of our state.
That’s… not a very good response. At all.
* Back to the questions…
Ahern: But can you see where the public says, I know it was years ago, but you were on the tapes, too. You were on the tapes as well. And so how did they say you’re different?
Pritzker: There were hundreds of people who were recorded, to be clear. And let’s also make sure we also understand, what happened more than ten years ago has nothing to do with where we are today in this state. So many challenges, and I outlined many of them yesterday. I think we ought to be focusing on the challenges of today and those include challenges around the budget and challenges around addressing corruption that exists still in this state. More than a decade after he went to prison we still have politicians in this state who are on the take. We’ve got to get rid of them, we’ve got to make sure we find them out, we’ve got to make sure they get prosecuted.
Obviously, being on a surveillance tape is not evidence or even an indication that somebody committed a crime. But he needs a much better answer than this because Rod ain’t going away.
* Meanwhile, this is a surprisingly popular view online…
It’s one of the most ridiculously stupid conspiracy theories out there. So, Rod’s gonna wait until after he served years in prison to dish the dirt? People were saying much the same thing before his book came out and it was a bunch of self-serving nothing.
Not to mention, Blagojevich has been out of the loop since he was arrested in December of 2008. Madigan wouldn’t even talk to the guy for two years before that. So, we’re looking at something like 14 years ago, but Madigan never, ever trusted the coiffed one going back to his time in the House.
That being said, I would expect Blagojevich to publicly go off on Madigan and probably Gov. Pritzker at some point. The man can’t help himself. He also has a reputation for not having a close relationship with the truth, but lots of reporters eat up everything he says.
* This, though, is my all-time favorite, which was handled nicely by a civilian…
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Mike’s Just Getting Started
Thursday, Feb 20, 2020 - Posted by Advertising Department
[The following is a paid advertisement.]
In 2016, Hillary Clinton beat Donald Trump in three debates.
In 2012, Mitt Romney famously beat President Obama handily in their first debate.
What do those moments have in common? Debate performances did nothing to change the outcome of the election.
In 2020, you know you’re a winner when you draw attacks from every single candidate on the stage. You know you’re a winner when instead of counting you out, members of Congress from New York, California, and New Jersey throw their support behind your campaign.
Last night, Mike stepped onto the debate stage for the first time in 10 years. He was the center of attention, fielded attacks from every candidate, all the while being the only person on stage to fearlessly and consistently share his message that he is the best candidate to beat Donald Trump and unify the American people in November.
Everyone came to destroy Mike last night and get under his skin - and it didn’t happen. Instead, Mike delivered the line of the night to Senator Sanders: “What a wonderful country we have. The best known socialist in the country happens to be a millionaire with three houses.”
As Mike rises in the polls and his presence across the country grows, other candidates are getting viscous - but the divisive energy we see on social media and on stage won’t propel Democrats into the White House.
Last night was a warm up. Mike has the vision, comprehensive platform, and national investment to take the fight to Donald Trump.
That’s how Mike wins. That’s how Democrats win.
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[The following is a paid advertisement.]
The Illinois Credit Union League is the primary trade association for Illinois credit unions. Credit unions are not-for-profit cooperatives that focus on their members and the communities they serve. Credit unions function like other financial institutions in many ways: they offer checking accounts, savings accounts, and credit cards, as well as personal, home, and auto loans, free ATMs, and more. However, credit unions exist as member-owned cooperative institutions. This means that when you join a credit union, you are more than just a member - you’re an owner, and your voice matters. Interested in finding the credit union that’s right for you? Visit ASmarterChoice.org to discover all the advantages that membership holds.
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* From the SoS…
Dear Mr. Miller:
The attached list has been compiled in response to your recent FOIA request for a list of people who are currently banned from entering the Illinois Statehouse and/or Statehouse complex. Please note that the individuals on this list were not banned from the capitol complex. However, they would only be allowed access to the complex if they were escorted by or under surveillance of law enforcement officers. Access to the capitol complex may be restricted for a number of reasons, including: threatening comments or behavior directed at state officials or employees; inappropriate communications with a state official; inappropriate or suspicious behavior on the capitol complex; as required by an order of protection; conduct related to discharge from State employment; found in a restricted area of the capitol complex; threats of damage to property located on the complex; release from a secure State psychiatric hospital to which the individual had be committed pursuant to a finding of not guilty by reason of insanity for a crime of violence on the capitol complex.
Nathan Maddox
Senior Legal Adviser
Office of the Secretary of State
Click here for the full list. Former Rep. Jack Franks is on the list as is a person named William J. Kelly.
…Adding… You may have noticed the name “Captain Cautious America (formerly Anderson, Mark A.)” on the list. Here’s some background…
Of course, he can’t become president until he turns 35. But he has other ideas to work on until then.
A nursing student, he says he has been studying several sexually transmitted diseases. He believes he has conjured a cure for several of them.
“It was just simple mathematics and an understanding of antibiotics,” he says.
He hasn’t shared his secret with any public-health officials — “just people in my own circle,” he says — but he would gladly relay his calculations and formulas to the U.S. government. Then government-backed researchers and scientists could mass produce the cure, which not only could help Americans but be sold overseas.
…Adding… As some commenters have noted, Derek Potts is also on the list…
A 39-year-old man found not guilty by reason of insanity in the 2004 fatal shooting of a Capitol security guard soon will be released from a locked state psychiatric hospital and transferred for at least five years to an outpatient, residential treatment center in Chicago, a Sangamon County judge ruled Tuesday.
The decision from Associate Judge Jack Davis II came after a 3½-hour hearing and over the objection of State’s Attorney Dan Wright, who said he wasn’t convinced of Derek Potts’ remorse and remained concerned Potts could hurt others again.
Davis acknowledged what he called the tragic loss of William “Bill” Wozniak to the rural Petersburg man’s widow, several other relatives and Capitol-based police, all seated in the courtroom audience. Davis said Wozniak was a “five-star family man” and a “dedicated public servant.”
…Adding… William Kelly just sent me an e-mail…
That’s news to me
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* From the beginning of Gov. Pritzker’s budget address…
My friends, not long ago I shared with you news of our state’s progress over the last year and my genuine confidence that our future is bright and that Illinois is growing stronger each day.
I know I have a reputation for being a bit of an irrepressible optimist – something somewhat unusual among those who have held this job recently – but I believe that the cynics had their years in power and that the people of Illinois suffered because of them.
Being a cynic is easy.
Cynicism, after all, demands only that you believe in the worst and do nothing to stop it from happening.
It’s optimism that’s hard. Because optimism demands hope, and patience, and faith…and most importantly, action.
* From the middle of his address…
I want to give you one stark example of why a change in approach was so desperately needed. Bruce Rauner went to war with labor unions, and one consequence of that was millions of dollars in costs for the state due to litigation and back pay. In contrast, when I came into office I negotiated substantial health care savings and finalized fair contracts with state workers. As a result, the upcoming fiscal year’s budget will spend $175 million less, and we will save $650 million over 4 years.
Lowering the wages of workers, trying to bankrupt the state and seeking to destroy government … didn’t work.
Also, trying to separate Chicago from the rest of Illinois, whether rhetorically or literally, will not solve the economic challenges of downstate Illinois. Quite the opposite. Some of you need to stop pretending that one part of Illinois can exist without all the others. We are … one Illinois.
There are realities about running a state and caring for our people that we have to face with more clear-eyed resolve, with a focus on unity and far less partisanship. Our future genuinely does depend on it.
That “one Illinois” bit provoked a standing ovation.
* A bit later…
There is an old saying that the best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. And the second best time to plant a tree is today.
* The end…
It’s become something of a political sport in this state over the last several years to present our fiscal issues as insurmountable. I’m here to tell you, they are not.
Our budget challenges are hard, no doubt about it – but it’s a myth to think they were ever easy. Our state has grown and changed so much over the years and the complexities of running our government have evolved with it. Our future will not be built on the shaky rhetorical foundation of those who keep rooting for us to fail.
Every decision we make about how we spend the money our citizens trust to our keeping is, at its root, a deeply moral undertaking.
These lines on a budget spreadsheet – they give peace to sleepless nights worrying about medical bills, they are delivery on a deferred dream, they stand between poverty and prosperity. A road that is properly repaired and maintained is a car accident than never happens. A strong education system is the slingshot to success allowing a child to thrive. Fully funding public safety means a life saved, a crime solved and a justice system that is more equitable and fair.
Every worry that we erase, every dream that we fund, every obstacle we remove is a small bit of happiness that we give back to our citizens. Sometimes we forget that in 2020.
We can add happiness back into people’s lives. The pursuit of happiness is the real rhetorical and moral foundation of our government. The founders were optimists too, it turns out.
With that singular focus at the heart of all that we do, with an eye to our future and with prudence and responsibility as our guiding lights, I submit this budget proposal, and I urge the General Assembly to work with me in the pursuit of happiness for all Illinoisans.
I do not know of another American politician today who projects such optimism.
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Budget coverage roundup
Thursday, Feb 20, 2020 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Sun-Times…
For nearly two years during his campaign for governor, J.B. Pritzker pointed the finger at then Gov. Bruce Rauner for holding the state’s budget hostage for the Republican’s “Turnaround Agenda.”
Now, the Democratic governor is doing a turnaround of his own — and Republicans are accusing him of taking a my-way-or-the-highway approach.
Pritzker’s second-year budget includes putting nearly $1.4 billion in reserves, including funding for education — unless his preferred graduated income tax amendment passes this November.
In a sense, there are two budgets — one Republicans and Democrats alike would call balanced. But there’s another — included in the 2021 budget book and discussed in lawmaker briefings — that includes the uncertain world of a graduated income tax.
Rauner wouldn’t sign a budget until he got what he wanted and his veto had to be overridden after a devastating two-year stalemate. Pritzker is proposing a budget that appears to at least come close to balancing on paper, but will expand spending if his tax changes are approved.
Kinda different.
* More…
Republican leaders in the General Assembly argued that the choice between the two budgets is a false one, and Pritzker’s address was nothing more than a sales tactic for the graduated tax.
“The reserves he’s calling for are a marketing plan to sell his (graduated tax) increase,” Senate Minority Leader Bill Brady, R-Bloomington, said. “If those resources weren’t there, I don’t think this is the way he would have approached the spending plan and it’s not a way we would approach it.”
OK, but a state law is already in place to raise tax rates on the top 3 percent if the voters approve the constitutional amendment. He, therefore, has a right to do what he did, regardless of the criticism.
* Even so, some of his ideas aren’t being met with open arms…
Pritzker’s $42 billion budget proposal would deliver a $350 million increase for K-12 schools for 2020-21 only if voters pass the amendment. If not, he proposes boosting the school budget by $200 million — a sum that, once divided among the state’s 2 million children, would amount to $100 extra spending per child. Proposed increases for public universities and community colleges would similarly be held back. […]
Robin Steans, executive director of Advance Illinois, a group that helped lobby for a revamp of the state’s school formula in 2017, called the proposal “devastating.”
“This two-tiered budget — with some dollars immediately available and authorized, and some dollars held in reserve pending passage of a constitutional amendment enabling a progressive income tax — is a significant blow to our children and the adults who are committed to shaping their futures,” she said.
Mark Klaisner, president of the Illinois Association of Regional Superintendents, said that, because the formula prioritizes districts that struggle most with local property revenues, schools that need it most would still see an increase. The tricky part is the timing.
“Some people will say, How do we handle staffing? Or, will we have to let people go in November,” Klaisner said. “It’s a matter of planning.”
* More react…
Democratic Rep. Will Davis of Homewood, the House sponsor of the evidence-based funding formula legislation that then-Gov. Bruce Rauner signed into law, said he has concerns about Pritzker tying the state’s increase to its share of funding education to the passage of the graduated income tax.
“We worked hard to get the education funding formula in place, and I don’t want to see it take any steps backwards,” Davis said. “We’re going to have some serious and some tough conversations about shifting those dollars around and putting things where we think they should be. … As much as we think that’s the great equalizer, then we’ve got to make sure it’s the real priority here in the state.”
Senate President Don Harmon of Oak Park said in an interview with public radio and TV that his Democratic caucus will likely try to preserve the $350 million education funding increase whether voters approve the graduated income tax or not.
* Many, but not all, of Pritzker’s proposed “cuts” are actually cuts to proposed increases if his tax plan goes down…
* Proposed increases for universities and community colleges wouldn’t materialize.
* A hiring freeze for state agencies would be implemented around Dec. 1.
* Local governments would see cuts of 5 percent each in sales tax and income tax revenue that is shared by the state.
* A rate increase scheduled for the Department on Aging’s community care program would be postponed.
* Money for state employee group health insurance would be cut by $400 million, possibly leading to longer payment cycles.
* More from Hannah…
Another big-ticket item Pritzker’s proposed budget would hold in reserves is $400 million to pay group health insurance costs for state employees.
Republicans objected to this strategy. State Rep. Tom Demmer (R-Dixon) said that logic could lead Illinois back down the path of fiscal instability the state is still recovering from after two years without a budget under former Gov. Bruce Rauner.
“We’re still going to accrue those liabilities,” Demmer told reporters. “State employees are still going to go to the doctor in fiscal year 2021. The difference is the governor saying that if the tax increase doesn’t pass, he’s not going to pay them. But that’s exactly the kind of problem that led us to have the ballooning unpaid bill backlog, and he’s proposing to go right back into this playbook.”
Subscribers know more about what this would do to the bill payment backlog.
* The Sun-Times attacks the pension cutters…
No sooner did Pritzker present these two clashing budgets on Wednesday than his critics dismissed his entire argument. The real solution to the state’s financial problems is not a graduated income tax, they said, but a reduction in pensions for current state employees and retirees.
Can we please dismiss this canard for once and for all?
This editorial page has argued for reducing pension benefits as well, but the courts have made clear that iron-clad language in the Illinois Constitution prohibits this. And even a change in the state Constitution for this purpose likely would be impossible, violating provisions of the U.S. Constitution.
The Illinois Policy Institute claims it just wants “benefit reforms,” not cuts. But its favored plan, which was also backed by Gov. Bruce Rauner, would allow state and local governments to cut pension and retiree health insurance benefits going forward for current employees.
* Related…
* State’s cut of pot jackpot will hit $127 million, Pritzker’s new budget predicts: Nearly $100 million of that cash is expected to come from retail sales between July 1 and June 30, 2021. Of that, $36 million will go toward the state’s General Revenue Fund and another $10 million will be put toward the state’s massive bill backlog. Roughly $25 million more will fund the Restore, Reinvest and Renew Program, which was established to finance initiatives focused on unemployment and preventing violence and recidivism. The remaining money will be used to fund mental health and substance abuse services, public education and awareness campaigns and a police grant program. The other $27 million in projected tax dollars will come from wholesale sales and be used to fund the regulation of the program.
* Black caucus supports Pritzker’s budget plan, calls for added minority community investment
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* Robert Herguth and Mark Brown at the Sun-Times…
Illinois House Speaker Michael J. Madigan and several of his closest political allies are named in a new federal subpoena seeking records on a former ComEd lobbyist and his consulting work for a tiny southwestern suburb, the Chicago Sun-Times has learned.
A significant focus of the subpoena is Raymond T. Nice – a longtime campaign worker for Madigan’s Southwest Side Democratic organization who became an “independent contractor” for the village of Merrionette Park in 2015, according to records and interviews.
Delivered by an IRS agent and dated Friday, the subpoena asks Merrionette Park officials for copies of contracts with Nice, as well as invoices “and payment records, including but not limited to records that explain the purpose(s) and work product for which payment was made, records of wire transfers, copies of checks (front and back) and/or records of cash payments.”
The subpoena also asks that, by March 4, village officials turn over all “correspondence with, or other communications (such as internal email messages) documenting communications with, Michael Madigan, Michael McClain, Timothy Mapes, Kevin Quinn and/or Marty Quinn.”
The Tim Mapes angle is new.
* Some background on Nice from a WBEZ report last December…
After retiring from Cook County, Raymond Nice supplemented his public pension checks with a job representing Commonwealth Edison’s interests in county government.
For Nice – a longtime campaign operative for Illinois House Speaker and state Democratic Party Chairman Michael Madigan – the job paid as much as $60,000 a year on top of his annual pension of more than $70,000, records show.
Nice answered to ComEd lobbyist and City Club of Chicago President Jay Doherty. Earlier this year, Nice disclosed that his work involved talking to county officials about ComEd’s business operations “when requested by Jay Doherty.”
But records show Nice’s job ended on July 1 – weeks after FBI agents raided the nonprofit City Club’s offices in the Wrigley Building in mid-May as part of a broad public corruption investigation into ComEd.
Authorities sought documents about Madigan and ComEd as they probed allegations the giant power company had hired multiple politically connected consultants – including some with ties to Madigan – under deals that demanded little or no work, WBEZ has reported. A source involved in the investigation has told WBEZ the feds are looking into suspicions that Doherty served as a “pass through” for ComEd’s deals with clout hires.
* From 2014…
The succession of Madigan supporters in the same job is not an isolated phenomenon, and extends to positions on appointed boards.
Consider the Cook County Employee Appeals Board, a once-a-month post that until very recently paid about $35,000 per year. The board, long known as a haven for the politically connected, passes judgment on appeals filed by disciplined county workers.
One seat on the board has been occupied by members of Madigan’s army since 2006, when former Cook County Board President Todd Stroger appointed Mary Morrissey to the seat. Morrissey is a longtime paid soldier and donor to Madigan who for years served as the political director in the various campaigns of his daughter Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan.
In 2011, Morrissey resigned her post on the board and took a job as deputy chief of staff to the younger Madigan. Taking her place on the board was the retiring deputy recorder of deeds for Cook County, Raymond Nice, who was appointed by County Board President Toni Preckwinkle.
Nice, 58, made about $118,000 per year as deputy recorder of deeds. He is a longtime precinct captain, paid political worker and donor to Madigan. Nice resigned his board appointment after four months because of a prohibition on collecting his county pension while collecting the county paycheck.
As I told you late last year, Speaker Madigan only requested a tiny handful of appointments from newly elected Gov. Bruce Rauner in 2015, and Nice was one of them.
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