[This post’s timestamp has been altered to allow for Thursday visibility.]
* The governor announced two new drive-through testing locations today…
As you know, more widespread testing is a key goal for combating COVID-19. It’s a vital feature of our long term path to building a new normal. Along that path we need to make testing more available and convenient to more people. So I’m pleased to announce two additional state run drive through testing sites, both of which are available to anyone who has COVID like symptoms and wants to test, even without a doctor’s order.
Today in Aurora, we opened a new drive thru at the Chicago Premium Outlets outdoor shopping mall, located at 1650 Premium outlet Boulevard in Aurora, that location can take up to 600 specimens per day.
And starting on Friday in Rockford, we will open a drive thru location at the University of Illinois College of Medicine Rockford, the address there is 1601 Parkview Avenue, and that location will be able to take 500 specimens, a day when fully ramped up between these two new sites, and our three existing sites in Markham, Bloomington, and in Harwood Heights, our five drive-throughs can run up to 2900 tests per day when the Rockford test site is fully up and running.
As always, please pardon all transcription errors.
* PPE…
We’ve now sent out more than 15 million items, including 7.7 million surgical masks, nearly 1.7 million N95 masks, over 30,000 gowns, over 6.4 million gloves and over 350,000 face shields to locations all across the state of Illinois.
We also have outstanding orders due to arrive in the coming days and weeks with an additional 25.5 million NK and N95 masks [I’m not quite sure of that bit because I wasn’t paying attention and was relying on the transcription], 25 million surgical and general medical masks, 8.4 million gowns and coveralls, 14 million gloves and 7.5 million face shields and goggles.
* Dr. Ezike…
At the end of yesterday, we had 4665 individuals in Illinois who were hospitalized with COVID-19, of those 1220 were in the ICU and 747 of those ICU patients were on ventilators.
* On to questions for the governor. Got a long list of questions from colleagues here but wanted to begin with one of my own. The argument has been made regarding the stay at home order that the intention or the goal was, was not to eliminate COVID-19 by April 30, that was never going to happen, but to buy time for the health care capacity to increase for the ICU beds to increase to get the ventilators and the PPE to get the alternate care facilities up and running, including McCormick Place and credit to the administration, a lot of that has been accomplished in a short amount of time. So the argument has been made that, because the healthcare capacity is in a much better place right now. and because of the curve and the peak may be coming later and lower than initially projected why not open things up after April 30 just in a slightly more robust way than you’d so far indicate now…
I appreciate that question and I think people need to understand actually the principal purpose of the stay at home order was to make sure that fewer people got sick and fewer people would die than would otherwise without a stay at home order. And as you’re suggesting in the last part of your comments, the curve gets pushed out when you do that push down, and that’s good because, as you’re trying to build capacity you’re trying to raise the line, you know that you don’t want to go above of how many beds, do you have how many ICU beds, do you have how many ventilators do you have. You want to raise the line so that you can fit all of the patients and the needs underneath that line of capacity, let’s say, and you want to continue to make sure that that wave of patients doesn’t go above the line. You don’t necessarily need to continue to build capacity right. If we can’t build out more McCormick places.
But what you want to do is make sure that the number of people who get sick is kept down. And so that’s really the purpose of a stay at home order, it was the purpose of the original, you know, canceling of, as you may recall canceling of the parades and St Patrick’s Day parade and then closing of restaurants and bars so that’s what I think people need to pay attention to.
Now, obviously, you know, the better we do with this, right, the better we do with this, the more likely it is that we can start to think about what are the safe ways to begin to reopen things, so that people can go back to work people could go back to school. Are there ways to do that that keep people safe.
Some of the things we’ve suggested already like everybody wearing a mask, are some of what’s one idea among a bunch, that will help us get to keeping under the capacity and making sure that few people as few people as possible get sick. I think most people understand the need for avoiding a resurgence of the virus.
* I mean, is there a scenario in which you can open up the economy without there being some increase in cases and fatalities or are you going to have to make a very difficult decision. In terms of balancing increase with in order to avoid creating dire harm…
Well I think I’ve foreshadowed for everybody and I think it’s widely understood that the things that you need in order to open the economy are things that we don’t quite yet have in place, nor does any state. Some states are reopening anyway, that’s their choice I think people might get sick, many people might get sick as a result of it.
But look, what have I said right, testing tracing treating and PPE. And while we’re working very hard on PPE and testing and spinning up a contact tracing effort that will be very large at the end. Those are three things that we have to work on we’re not there yet, you know we’ve talked a lot about testing. We’re just not there yet.
And so, having said that you can make tweaks and moves and you know as you move along here. And as we learn more. Remember the researchers are learning things as we go to. Nobody was saying, everybody has to wear a mask at the beginning, nobody was saying that. Now, that’s pretty common understanding among the epidemiologists and others that it makes sense if you’re going to be outside and, each of you wears them. And you don’t have to wear an N95 mask, you just need some face covering because it’s your droplets that you don’t want to convey to somebody else and you don’t want them conveying it to you.
So once again, all these things are going to be kind of the new normal going forward and allow us to do things to loosen things up and begin to as you’re saying reopen the economy.
* At what point though, does the human cost of keeping the economy closed, the health problems that arise from joblessness etc. outweigh or commensurate to the health costs…
Obviously these are things that I weigh every day and I think about all the time because I understand that it’s challenging for people, there’s a mental health cost in addition to financial costs for everybody, this is going on, it’s having an effect on everybody. And so, I like everybody I wanted to be back to normal as fast as possible. I think we’re all recognizing that normal is going to look a little bit different going forward until there’s a vaccine, until the we can literally rid our state and our country and our planet of this scourge of COVID-19. Things are going to be a little bit different I think, we’re all going to have to be a lot more careful. And while we’re being careful, it allows us to begin to open things up more.
He went on for a while longer, but you get the idea.
* Yesterday during the White House briefing Dr. Birx mentioned New York, New Orleans and specifically Chicago, were doing quote much better. Do you agree with that assessment and how closely is your team consulting with federal government on modeling and determination of the peak?…
We are indeed doing better and I want to make sure everybody understands and look at New York right i mean they’re they’ve, they’ve seemingly flattened their curve, but it’s flattened at a very at a reasonably high level, but flat is way better than you know than the direction that they were going. And the same thing is true in Louisiana and the same thing is true in Chicago. So, I absolutely agree with things are better. And so that that’s a very good sign of, you know how the direction that things are going.
* To the second part of the question…
They don’t have, they are not using seemingly that data from Illinois as far as I know. And they have not offered to help with our data, or with our estimation of our curve. They in fact worked for a long time using that public one that people, others were using the IHME curve, which is inaccurate as regards Illinois, for example. They show a much lower number of hospital beds on their site than we actually have. So it’s very hard to, you know, they don’t have the data that we have, for whatever reason, so, you know, I would say what we have and the experts we have here are what we need I think to get good modeling and there are a number of institutions that have modeled Chicago. county, state and we are looking at those.
* One of our unemployed viewers says that she’s tried getting through to IDES quote hundreds of times without success. She finally reached out to the governor’s office and the matter was in fact quickly resolved. Would you recommend that other frustrated unemployed workers contact your office as a last resort?…
I certainly want to make sure that everybody gets what they need from our IDES and I will say that there’s been a vast improvement, I watched the numbers, I get a report every day. And we are processing gosh, I think 17 times the number. The last report I saw 17 times the number in a single day that we did a single day last year. So just to give you a sense of the magnitude of the problem. […]
Remember, the biggest issue is we can’t look at their private information, the governor’s office, right, we can’t process for them. And so, we have limited ability to really do anything except to hand it off back to IDES. And maybe get some attention to it.
* Summer camp business owners and parents said they say that they are waiting on official word from you to make a decision about whether summer camps will proceed or not, when can they expect that decision?…
Well, I’m not making decisions about summer camps. The summer camps themselves and I know parents will make those decisions and I feel terrible not having a perfect answer for them because as we’ve seen, you have to really watch all these numbers and see which direction we’re going to know to even begin to start to project when could you. And then, of course, is it possible to do social distancing in the context of a summer camp if people are staying overnight, for example, or even in a day camp, aren’t they often gathering in large groups in a summer camp. So I think these are all things that we’ll have to watch the numbers and see how things are going.
* Missouri’s governor has said that he intends to reopen most of the state as soon as next week, Missouri. Actually, May 4, he made a correction. Given that so many people in Metro East live and work in that same region, have you had any luck working with Governor Parson to convince him why that may not be a good idea?…
No, although I think I’ve been very vocal, I think all the governors know where I stand on what kind of a set of principles ought to be operated upon in order to think about reopening. It’s why we created this Midwest pact of states and we reached out to Missouri. They were not interested in joining that pact and similarly with Iowa.
* When will you allow elective surgeries to resume? Governor Cuomo is allowing them starting next week…
Yeah, we’re looking at that as we are in lots of other areas. […]
I’ve gotten suggestions from all across both sides of the aisle of elected officials as well as all across the industry so we’re considering a lot of different things
* Mitch McConnell said today that he’d be open to letting states file for bankruptcy to deal with economic losses from coronavirus, is that something you’ve considered or would consider addressing with state lawmakers?…
No.
* Back on April 5 you said that you had not had a haircut recently and that you were starting to get a little shaggy Have you gotten your haircut since then and if so who cut your hair?…
Does it look any less shaggy now. No… I was joking that I’ll end up wearing a ponytail at some point. We’re all looking forward to that.
* Rockford Mayor McNamara wants small retailers hard hit by big box stores to reopen with social social distancing or for you to ban big box stores from selling non essential goods. During the stay at home order. Are you considering his proposal?…
I haven’t seen that proposal and Mayor McNamara is a very thoughtful mayor. I certainly would like to look at how they are configuring their suggestion. But I spoke with mayors all across the state, about what’s of concern in their communities and I’m trying to take all of that into consideration as we make changes, not just now, but as we move forward, obviously. Even in the President’s plan for reopening there’s this contemplation of phases. And so we’re going to be looking at each of these things with regard to those phases.
* What specific metric has the multi state group come up with to determine when to reopen? Is it a downward trend of the number of positive cases the number of deaths, the hospitalization rates, is that going to be regionalised?…
We certainly talk about that as a group, we have shared our best ideas and that’s really the purpose of this pact. So I will look at the common interests that we have and then look at those common things that are good for Illinois, that come out of that pact. But that’s one of the reasons for that, we have a pact like that as we have a lots of things in common as Midwestern states. So I know that we’ll be able to kind of, let’s say, keep people safe and healthy. While we’re reopening things, in part because we share borders and ideas with one another.
* Responding to another question, Dr. Ezike said 2500 healthcare workers have contracted the virus “and we think that we know of potentially eight deaths.”
* Rep. Batinick said today that he expects restaurants would be among the last businesses to reopen. Is that also your thinking and what would it take to reopen restaurants for dining in safely?
All I can say is that I’ve read a number of the reports people have put together, including one that was done by AEI the American Enterprise Institute and a few others. And the suggestion, kind of the collective suggestion is that industries like restaurants and hospitality are harder to open than some others which are much easier to have social distancing, for example in a large warehouse, than it is in a restaurant where there might be booths and tables next to one another.
* Asked again about Mitch McConnell…
I think that Majority Leader McConnell is certainly important to the process of getting things done in Washington DC, but he’s not the only person involved. And there are an awful lot of Senators on both sides of the aisle that disagree with him. So, I’m hopeful that as a result of work that they’re doing those senators that believe that states and local governments deserve and need additional support…
* Asked about House Republican request that state parks be reopened…
It’s something that we absolutely have considered. I’ve heard a lot about it from people who live in areas where the state parks have been closed.
Remember that one of the biggest reasons that we closed state parks originally was the state workers who work there who have to work in close proximity. Even though you might think of a state park as being quite large. The state workers, how they work right is often in a building together, and in trucks, in which there might be multiple people that are in the truck as they travel around the park. And so that that’s obviously not at the beginning of this, that was not something that was acceptable to close proximity, and even now, and so we’ve talked a lot about you know how we might make changes that would allow people to use state parks.
* In suing your administration today, heads of major business group said that recent COVID related extension for workers comp benefits were pretty much unilaterally imposed on them without consultation or debate. Is that true?…
That is not true. And I don’t really want to comment any further because I know it’s a subject of litigation.
* The Association of Illinois Chiefs of Police is contending that felons convicted of violent crimes are being released due to COVID-19, is that correct?…
As you know I review applications for commutations of sentences as governor. It’s what every governor does, you can look back through, you know, I have the records of each of the governors Republican and Democratic so and and I do commute sentences so the contention that I’m looking at and actually do commute sentences, that’s an accurate depiction. I’m not sure what implication they’re making there.
* As you consider extending the stay at home order, a majority of the cases are in Northern Illinois. What’s your message to residents in downstate and Metro East where there are just a fraction of the cases and deaths?…
Well, you know, he mentioned Metro East. Actually there’s a hotspot in Metro east.
And that should remind you that nowhere in Illinois are people immune from COVID-19.
There are fewer cases it’s true, in some counties, but you heard me say at the beginning when there was only one county that had cases that this was likely to spread. We now have 96 counties with cases. What I would say to people who live in central and southern Illinois is, I’m taking into account the fact that there are fewer cases and fewer deaths in those areas. But we’re also looking at hospital availability and other factors to determine how we might think about changes that will be good for people who live in areas that don’t have as virulent a spread of COVID-19
* Today is the highest number of positive test results reported in one day. How do you explain the surge?…
Well, the most important thing that happened today that led to a lot higher positive test count is we tested more people. I think the testing number for today was 9300, and that’s the largest number yet, so that’s why you see a larger positive testing result.
* Are the early models predicting a peak in mid April wrong, and do you believe the public has a right to see the models you’re using to make these life altering decisions?…
So I think I’ve made clear but I’ll repeat that I’ve relied upon a variety of experts, you can reach them yourselves they’re the experts at Northwestern they’re well known in Northwestern U of C you have UIC. These are, [garbled] you know examples of folks who, some of whom have developed models.
And so, I look at all of the those and listen to those experts because I think one of the things that maybe isn’t widely understood as these models are they change literally every day. And the reason is because you’re projecting on one day, right, but about a bunch of days forward. And then as you move forward, you have actual numbers now to plug into the model. And guess what, that will be different than whatever you projected by its very nature.
So there’s nothing exact about these models and it’s really important for people to understand that, you know, I’m estimating. We all are. Even the modelers are estimating and the purpose for the estimating isn’t so much that we know exactly what date, some data, which you might peak, that’s not the purpose of the models.
The purpose of the models from my perspective is to understand what the capacity needs will be for us in our hospitals among our healthcare workers to treat people who might get COVID-19 on those dates where we might have a very high infection rate and a need for more hospital beds. So that I hope that gives a bigger picture of what we’re looking at.
But I think you should look at all of the online models, they’re worth looking at. We’ll be talking more about modeling tomorrow, to give you a better understanding of how we look at things.
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Message to commenters
Wednesday, Apr 22, 2020 - Posted by Rich Miller
* We’ve picked up a bunch of new commenters lately. All are welcome if they abide by the rules and they keep in mind that this isn’t Facebook.
However, some of the newbies are neglecting to pick screen names. I don’t care how thoughtful or interesting their comments are, I’m deleting all anonymous comments as soon as I see them because most are drive-by one-offs which add zero value.
But that process can take a bit. I have other stuff to do besides monitoring comments, after all.
So, I’m asking all other commenters to not respond to the anonymous goofs. If something is getting out of hand, please email me (click the contact button at the top right of the page) or text me if you have my number and I’ll try to get right on it. But in the meantime just completely ignore them because their shelf-life is brief. Life is too short to spend time arguing with the walking dead.
Thanks.
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Get it together, IDOC
Wednesday, Apr 22, 2020 - Posted by Rich Miller
* The Center Square…
A county board chairman has raised concerns after he said the Illinois Department of Corrections failed to test 5 correctional officers who worked at Stateville Correctional Center, a state-run prison that has been among the hardest hit by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The prison has reported a growing number of coronavirus cases and the Illinois Department of Corrections had asked for officers from other prisons to fill in at Stateville. Fulton County Board Chairman Pat O’Brian said officers from Illinois River Correctional Center were told they would be tested after their rotation at Stateville and placed on 14-day paid quarantine. O’Brian said that is not happening.
“They were essentially releasing five individuals back into our communities that had been working at one of the largest COVID outbreaks in a prison in the state of Illinois,” O’Brian said. “We had to act on that.”
State Sen. Dave Koehler, D-Peoria, and State Rep. Mike Unes, R-East Peoria, have been in contact with the governor’s office regarding the issues.
Gov. J.B. Pritzker was asked about the issue on Tuesday at a news conference but declined to provide specifics.
I’ve read a few other articles about this. Here are a couple of them..
* Fulton County Board Chairman accuses Department of Corrections of breaking promise
* Fulton County chairman says Illinois DOC went back on its promise to employees
Not one of those reporters bothered to reach out to AFSCME Council 31 for its response. So I did.
* Here’s Anders Lindall…
Last month IDOC sought volunteers from other facilities to be temporarily detailed to Stateville in the wake of the COVID-19 outbreak there. It’s our understanding that, without talking to the union, some management personnel promised that — upon the completion of three to five weeks of working 12-hour shifts, five days a week at Stateville — staff who volunteered to participate would remain in paid status during a 14-day self-quarantine period before returning to work at their usual facility. This promise was subsequently withdrawn.
AFSCME’s top priority is safety and making sure that the employees involved could be immediately tested for COVID-19 before returning to work. That would not only prevent the potential spread of coronavirus infection between facilities but ensure that anyone found to have contracted it could get needed medical attention while taking the COVID leave available to all state employees. The union pushed hard and made it happen.
The union has also filed a grievance over management’s withdrawal of the promised 14 days’ leave. These unnecessary complications and confusion could have been avoided if the department had simply agreed upon a procedure with AFSCME in advance and prevented some supervisors from dealing directly with individual employees.
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2,049 new cases, 98 additional deaths
Wednesday, Apr 22, 2020 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Press release…
The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) today announced 2,049 new cases of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Illinois, including 98 additional deaths.
Cook County: 1 female 30s, 1 male 30s, 3 males 40s, 2 females 50s, 3 males 50s, 5 females 60s, 6 males 60s, 7 females 70s, 8 males 70s, 1 unknown 70s, 5 females 80s, 16 males 80s, 8 females 90s, 3 males 90s
DuPage County: 1 female 70s, 1 female 80s, 2 male 80s, 2 females 90s
Jefferson County: 1 male 60s
Kane County: 2 males 50s, 1 female 70s, 1 male 80s
Kankakee County: 1 female 90s
Kendall County: 1 female 60s
Lake County: 1 male 60s, 1 male 90s
Macon County: 1 female 60s
Madison County: 2 males 70s, 1 male 80s
McHenry County: 1 female 70s, 1 male 80s
Monroe County: 1 male 80s
Rock Island County: 1 male 70s
St. Clair County: 1 male 80s
Will County: 1 male 50s, 1 male 60s, 1 male 70s, 1 female 80s, 1 male 90s
Currently, IDPH is reporting a total of 35,108 cases, including 1,565 deaths, in 96 counties in Illinois. The age of cases ranges from younger than one to older than 100 years.
…Adding… Here’s your graph…
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COVID-19 roundup
Wednesday, Apr 22, 2020 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Headlines from the Tribune’s top-notch live blog…
More than 100 seniors at South Shore nursing home — 70% — test positive for COVID-19
Wheaton College apartments will be used to house DuPage County first responders amid coronavirus outbreak
Lightfoot’s opponents block COVID-19 measure giving her extraordinary spending powers for Chicago’s pandemic response
Illinois midwives face surge of interest in home birth during coronavirus pandemic
Muslims begin holy month of Ramadan during pandemic
Federal PPP loans won’t protect all paychecks: Many small-business recipients say they won’t rehire
Illinois National Guard setting up coronavirus testing site near Aurora outlet mall
Still waiting for your federal stimulus check? Here are four possible reasons.
Chicago aldermen offer COVID-19 related proposals — including mandated facial coverings
DePaul student Nate Odenkirk, son of TV star Bob Odenkirk, talks surviving coronavirus: ‘I was lucky’
First US coronavirus deaths came weeks earlier than thought in California, CDC confirms
* The Sun-Times’ live blog gets better by the day…
Illinois still short of COVID-19 testing goal
County jail staff sue over pay for added daily sanitizing work
Chicago Marathon officials say October race is still on
Air pollution plummets worldwide as more nations shelter in place
Where can you get tested for COVID-19?
Mole de Mayo goes digital for 2020
Would you volunteer to be infected with COVID-19 to help develop a vaccine?
Chicago police announced Tuesday 50 more confirmed cases of COVID-19, bringing the number of confirmed cases in the department to 365.
Another employee at the Cook County Circuit Court clerk’s office has tested positive for COVID-19, bringing the overall total to 20.
Two more inmates at Cook County Jail who tested positive for COVID-19 have died, the sheriff’s office announced Monday.
Here’s hoping my family and I won’t look like a depressed and hangry Brady Bunch this Ramadan
These Chicago hotel workers are now on the frontlines of the coronavirus pandemic
* National roundup…
* CDC director warns second wave of coronavirus is likely to be even more devastating
* The tricky math of lifting coronavirus lockdowns - Research groups are trying to calculate how much we can safely relax social distancing restrictions, but we’re still missing critical pieces of data.
* Five threats to US food supply chains
* German shoppers not rushing back as stores reopen
* Developing a National Strategy for Serology (Antibody Testing) in the United States
* Is the City Itself the Problem? - There’s a long history of blaming urban areas rather than economic factors for physical and moral ills. But density can be an asset for fighting coronavirus
* Who’s Behind the “Reopen” Domain Surge?
* Illinois…
* Illinois Republican lawmakers urge Pritzker to open state parks and some businesses: Rep. Mark Batinick, a Plainfield Republican, recommended that senior citizens, one of the groups most vulnerable to COVID-19, continue to stay isolated, and that employees be required to wear face coverings inside stores and restaurants. Batinick said he has largely been satisfied with the Pritzker administration’s communication with lawmakers during the public health crisis, but that he wants to see new epidemiology charts over the next couple days.
* Mundelein to impose mask policy; Gurnee, Buffalo Grove considering similar plans
* Tribune Publishing furloughs employees in second round of cuts this month
* Rodney Davis consultant gets into PPE business
* At some Chicago homeless shelters, half of staff and residents tested positive for COVID-19. Advocates say better housing is crucial.
* Decatur mayor on whether people will behave when restrictions are lifted: That’s what we’re risking. If we open up somewhat, having people take so much advantage of it that they overdo it, they overcorrect, and we have to go back to Ground Zero because as you said, we haven’t hit the peak here yet. We’re still nearly a month away from where we thought we’d be right now. I hope along with the governor that we’ve overprepared. That is my goal is that we are so over the top and overprepared and it doesn’t happen here in the way that it could. I think the governor does not want New York happening in Chicago. By doing everything and being in place, if it does come, we’ll be ready, and we can pray every day that it doesn’t.
* Peoria council leans toward deferring capital projects to patch COVID-19 deficit
* Why Experts Say It’s a Good Thing Illinois’ Peak in Coronavirus Cases Will Be Later Than Anticipated: “So the reason why we’re not quite at peak is actually really good news. And I know that’s hard to hear that, you know, we may need to stay in longer, we’re not going to be able to just go right back to normal, but moving that peak later is the sign. It’s the reason why if you or someone in your family needs to go to the hospital or gets sick with COVID and needs a ventilator, it’s available. And we want to make sure it continues to be available.”
* COVID-19 delivering latest twist in fight over controversial Joliet shipping hub - Project recently approved by Joliet raising issues not only of economics but also of open democracy for governments making decisions as they adhere to social distancing and stay-at-home orders amid pandemic.
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*** UPDATED x1 - Pritzker responds *** Calm down
Wednesday, Apr 22, 2020 - Posted by Rich Miller
* You’ve probably seen this headline today…
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said Wednesday he favors allowing states struggling with high public employee pension costs amid the burdens of the pandemic response to declare bankruptcy rather than giving them a federal bailout.
“I would certainly be in favor of allowing states to use the bankruptcy route,” he said Wednesday in a response to a question on the syndicated Hugh Hewitt radio show. “It’s saved some cities, and there’s no good reason for it not to be available.”
Getting that through the Senate would be quite difficult, to say the least. Financial institutions which hold untold billions in public debt have a lot of clout in DC, and I can’t see them jumping up and down with glee at the possibility of those portfolios collapsing.
But getting that radical idea through the House would be next to impossible. McConnell is very good at public negotiating ploys. The media eats it up every time. But everyone needs to take a breath, even if President Trump chimes in.
* Again, the media loves to highlight conflict…
His statements set up a conflict with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who said on Bloomberg Television Wednesday a “major package” of aid for state and local government will be in the next stimulus legislation considered by Congress.
McConnell may also find himself in conflict with President Donald Trump. The president said Tuesday after meeting with New York Governor Andrew Cuomo that states will need assistance. “And I think most Republicans agree too, and Democrats,” Trump said. “And that’s part of phase four.”
* But while McConnell did throw a lot of cold water on a state bailout package, saying he wanted to hit the pause button, he didn’t completely rule out all state aid today. Let’s go back to McConnell’s remarks…
“You raised yourself the important issue of what states have done, many of them have done it to themselves with their pension programs. There’s not going to be any desire on the Republican side to bail out state pensions by borrowing money from future generations,” McConnell said, after Hewitt floated Illinois, California and Connecticut as examples of states that have overly generous benefits for public employees.
“We’ll certainly insist that anything we’d borrow to send down to the states is not spent on solving problems that they created for themselves over the years with their pension program,” McConnell added.
To my eyes, that last bit looks like the real McConnell demand: No federal money for state pension funds. The Harmon letter did not help.
*** UPDATE *** From the governor’s office…
The Governor is working with our delegation and partners in Washington D.C. to ensure the state has the resources it needs to continue this fight against COVID-19. As the nation grapples with the impacts of this virus, every state is facing budget shortfalls and we need partners in Congress who will work with us on real solutions, instead of using this crisis to propose an ideological hail mary. The State of Illinois prioritizes its debt payments and is working to ensure we remain on firm fiscal footing through this crisis and we are working with partners who believe a federal response is needed to address unique challenges of this time.
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* From a TRS email to participants…
Each year, Teachers’ Retirement System distributes approximately $7 billion in benefits to retired members and beneficiaries. Those benefits must be – and always have been – paid each month, no matter what the economic conditions may be.
TRS will continue to have sufficient funds to meet all benefit payments on time and in full for the foreseeable future despite the worldwide economic downturn created by the spread of the coronavirus.
The System’s defensive investment strategy enabled TRS to protect the bulk of member assets during recent market upheavals. On December 31, 2019, TRS assets stood at $54.24 billion. As of April 20, 2020, the investment portfolio was valued at $50.18 billion.
“The impact of the economy’s hard stop is being felt in every household, every business, every school and every government in the United States. TRS is not immune,” said TRS Executive Director Dick Ingram. “TRS was able to limit the economic damage from the coronavirus because our investment strategy emphasizes keeping risk at a minimum.”
A key element of the TRS investment program is to maintain a focus on steady, long-term investment returns. Short-term corrections in the investment markets get the headlines, but TRS recognizes that the majority of its members maintain relationships with the System that last for several decades.
For instance, the 40-year return for TRS at the end of 2019 was 9.1 percent. During the same period, the annualized return for the S&P 500 index was 8.4 percent.
In its 81-year history, TRS has survived numerous economy-shattering events, including World War II and the resulting reconstruction of Europe and Asia, wars in Korea and Vietnam, oil supply crises in 1973 and 1979; runaway inflation in the 1970s and 1980s; numerous stock market “corrections;” the Iranian invasion of Kuwait, the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 and five global health epidemics – SARS, Ebola, the Avian Flu, the Zika virus and the Swine Flu.
“Our long-term perspective and strategy serve our members well,” Ingram added.
To put this into some perspective, the Fiscal Year 2020 budget appropriated $4.8 billion to TRS. And $4 billion has vanished for now.
Also, Iraq invaded Kuwait, not Iran.
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Who Should Control The Remap Process?
Wednesday, Apr 22, 2020 - Posted by Advertising Department
[The following is a paid advertisement.]
In Illinois, the five people who have the ultimate say in shaping our state legislative districts include House Speaker Michael Madigan, Senate President Don Harmon, House Minority Leader Jim Durkin, Senate Minority Leader Bill Brady, and Governor J.B. Pritzker. If state lawmakers don’t follow the lead of other states and pass the Fair Maps Amendment, our representation will be determined by career politicians and attorneys.
Or, we could follow a path that would lead to a more diverse group representing the people of Illinois. If we follow California’s lead and establish an independent commission, we could have our next remap led by people who have spent their lives educating high schoolers, running small businesses and doing community foundation work and urban planning. That was the result of California’s first independent, citizen-led commission. Which group would you trust to represent your community’s interests?
State lawmakers must take votes on HJRCA41/SJRCA18, the Fair Maps Amendment, by May 3rd or we will be left with the status quo.
Learn more about the effort to end gerrymandering in Illinois by visiting: https://www.changeil.org/policy-priorities/redistricting-reform/
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Everyone has their own priorities
Wednesday, Apr 22, 2020 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Even if the governor had the power to do this (and I don’t think he does and neither does his legal counsel), a governor should not use this emergency to fulfill a policy goal that has been rejected for decades by the Illinois General Assembly just because elements of his base want him to do it. Here’s Ariel Cheung at the Tribune…
The state’s eviction moratorium has not been enough to protect Illinois renters, housing advocates say. Chicago’s 2,000 one-time housing grants — which 83,000 people have applied for — did not quiet the calls for relief.
Lawmakers are rushing to pass legislation that would suspend rent and mortgage payments during the coronavirus pandemic, while also keeping landlords and lenders afloat. But next month’s rent is due in just over a week, leaving little time to help those who need it. […]
Advocates and a growing number of politicians have urged Gov. J.B. Pritzker to use his emergency powers through his ongoing disaster proclamation to repeal the state’s preemptive ban on rent regulation — action Pritzker has repeatedly said he cannot legally take. They are also pushing for the governor to put a moratorium on rent and mortgage payments for the duration of his stay-at-home order and three months after it is lifted.
They come armed with a legal opinion arguing that such action is within the governor’s powers during a declared disaster, either by issuing a statewide order or leaving it up to municipalities to decide.
…Adding… Set aside for a moment the highly questionable legality of the governor issuing an executive order to nullify a state law that prohibits rent control, and consider their other demand that he place a “moratorium on rent and mortgage payments” for the duration.
Leases and mortgages are legally binding contracts. So, the progressives pushing this idea need to stop and think what they’re doing. If they say he has the ability to nullify contracts, then what’s to stop him from temporarily nullifying or altering public and private employee union contracts? The CTU has been backing this ill-advised campaign. Careful what you wish for. Also, y’all might want to check the US Constitution’s contract clause.
Heck, taking it to an extreme, if the governor supposedly has this much power during an emergency, what’s to stop him from nullifying the legally binding contract portion of the state Constitution’s pension clause?
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* From a letter to the Illinois Association of Health Care Facilities from 78 Illinois state legislators…
The COVID-19 public health crisis has our Country living through unprecedented times. Our State is under a stay- at-home order resulting in school closures, drastically altered restaurant operations, and banned gatherings of ten people or more. In the midst of this stay-at-home order, some services cannot stop and some workers must still report to the frontlines.
Nursing home workers are among those our state is depending on to show up and care for our loved ones. As elected officials – as Illinoisans – we owe them and their families a great deal of gratitude and deep appreciation. We are concerned to hear that there is not enough PPE being provided to workers in ALL job classifications in nursing homes. If we are going to flatten the curve of COVID-19, we have to provide the appropriate PPE, for workers and consumers to feel safe. Workers should be informed and trained on how to deal with COVID-19 in all facilities for their safety as well as the residents. Our collective goal is to save as many lives as possible and that can only be done when employers protect their employees.
In addition, these workers are among the lowest paid in the state. Last year the Illinois General Assembly took action to increase the reimbursement rates for nursing homes by $240 million. We supported this measure, in part because it was assured by the nursing home industry that a significant portion of this money would be spent on direct care staff – the very staff on the frontlines fighting back against COVID-19.
Unfortunately, we’ve learned that this hasn’t been the case as workers from over 100 nursing facilities are bargaining to finalize a contract before their current agreement expires at the end of this month. As some of the lawmakers who authorized this funding, we remain hopeful that the nursing home industry intends to offer their workers a contract that truly reflects the large increase in dollars that the industry was given. This also comes in light of news that the nursing home industry is asking for millions more in immediate state funding for purposes which are unclear. We are alarmed to learn of this request when the money previously authorized hasn’t yet been used for its intended purpose.
We urge the Illinois Association of Health Care Facilities to thoroughly consider their actions in this extremely trying time. Workers deserve respect and dignity. This starts with adequate personal protective equipment, a level of paid sick time that you would expect for yourself, and wages that don’t keep employees living in poverty.
If the COVID-19 public health pandemic has accomplished one thing it has uncovered the very real problem that frontline healthcare workers haven’t received the support, respect, and compensation they deserve to support themselves and their families. Please consider contributing to the solution. Now is the time to save lives – not pennies.
* Meanwhile, SEIU Healthcare has two new radio ads. First up, “She’s My Mom”…
Script…
My daughter cries every day when I go to work at a nursing home, not knowing if I’ll be safe.
I hear the cries of patients — crying because they’re getting sick, care workers are getting sick, and because nursing home owners refuse to help. Nursing-home workers — Black, brown, and white women — deserve a safe workplace and hazard pay for our work on the frontlines — we deserve to be able to protect our families and communities from getting sick. Because I’m not just a nursing-home worker —
[Daughter’s voice:] She’s my mom, too.
* “Profits Above Safety”…
Script…
I’m a Nursing home worker on the frontlines of this crisis. Other Black women, like me, are risking our lives everyday, working in unsafe workplaces, and not receiving hazard pay for our essential work. Across Illinois, residents in nursing homes are dying…. workers like me are dying.
We need nursing home owners to put our safety and our patients’ safety above their profits.
We are urging our lawmakers to get involved on behalf of our patients’ lives — and ours too.
Thoughts?
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Do better
Wednesday, Apr 22, 2020 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Gov. JB Pritzker said during a Monday afternoon appearance on CNBC that he is hoping the coronavirus peak will come “in the middle of May.” On Tuesday, the governor said this to a Washington Post reporter…
Gov. J.B. Pritzker on Tuesday said models are now predicting the new coronavirus won’t peak in Illinois until mid-May, weeks later than previously projected. […]
“So it’s been pushed out now, according to the models, to maybe mid-May, but at a lower level, and so we’re moving, inching toward that date,” Pritzker said.
* The first question from Illinois reporters yesterday was about that changed forecast. Pritzker’s response…
We’ll be talking more about our models in the coming couple of days. But suffice to say that we’re working hard to try to make changes to the stay at home order. But, you know, we are in the stay at home order now, so I think I’ve given enough information to people so they understand that the peak is still yet to come. We need to be careful.
But I wanted to give our staff and myself enough time to have conversations with the epidemiologists and the experts and people in different industries to try to understand what we could do, not just in the very near term about changing the stay at home order in some ways, tweaking at the edges and trying to make it easier on people, but also what we will do going forward, if in fact the peak comes in mid-May or whenever that may come. We need to have 14 days after that, as you know, according to many of the experts, where the numbers are going down, so we’re looking at all of those things we’re working on it now.
I have a very real problem with the governor going on a national cable news program mere minutes after briefing Illinois reporters Monday and telling that audience about a very substantial change in his forecast, and then repeating that information to a national newspaper the following day, but then dismissing questions about this quite substantial revision from reporters who actually live in and cover his own state.
I get why the modeling changed. The curve was slowed. Illinoisans leveled off a sharp upward spike and that pushed things out by several weeks.
But he should’ve explained this yesterday. And he probably should’ve said who was doing this new modeling that he’s looking at. At least give us a thumbnail sketch and then provide lots more details at a later briefing devoted entirely to the topic.
We’re the ones he governs. We’re the ones whose very lives and livelihoods depend on the governor’s every decision. If he’s not willing to answer questions at home, then he shoudn’t go on national media and answer theirs.
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Your moment of Zen
Wednesday, Apr 22, 2020 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Oscar taking a much-deserved nap after vigilantly protecting his dad 24/7 from the hazards of life during these trying times…
And, yes, I know he really needs a haircut. So do I.
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* Press release…
– A coalition of business groups today filed a lawsuit challenging changes recently adopted by the Illinois Workers’ Compensation Commission that will require employers to pay workers’ compensation benefits if an employee is diagnosed with COVID-19 without proof the illness was contracted at the workplace.
The plaintiffs in the case are the Illinois Manufacturers’ Association and the Illinois Retail Merchants Association, which filed the suit on behalf of the state’s diverse employer community. Together, IMA and IRMA’s membership employ the largest number of workers in Illinois and contribute the highest share of the state’s Gross Domestic Product. The legal challenge was filed in Sangamon County Circuit Court by attorneys Scott Cruz, Thad Felton and Kevin Hormuth with the law firm Greensfelder, Hemker & Gale, P.C.
“To be clear, this case is not about the wisdom of the substantive new law expressed by the Commission. This case is about the Commission far exceeding its rulemaking authority. The substantive law of Illinois, and the wisdom of implementing it, is for the legislature, after proper discourse, and not the whim of the Commission,” said attorney Scott Cruz. “Essential businesses across Illinois are doing all they can to protect workers while also meeting unprecedented demand for food, medical supplies, protective equipment and other important services needed during this pandemic. At a time when many are waiting for relief from the federal and state government in an effort to make payroll and retain workers, they will now be forced to pay for additional medical and salary costs regardless of whether an employees’ illness was contracted outside of the workplace.”
For clarity’s sake, the new rules shift the onus of proof onto businesses. They can still rebut the claims.
Working on getting a copy of the lawsuit, but the biz groups say they believe they’ll get a hearing this week.
…Adding… The complaint is here.
*** UPDATE *** Illinois AFL-CIO…
It shouldn’t shock anyone that the corporate community opposes a policy decision that helps workers. It’s what happens in Springfield and Washington D.C.
Only thing is, for the last several weeks, we as a community, state, nation and world have been fighting a scourge that has ground the economy nearly to a halt and likely forever changed our society and its people.
From the beginnings of the pandemic, our institutions have had one common thread holding communities together – our front line workers. Whether it is the health care workers and first responders trying to stay even or one step ahead of a lightning-fast disease, or the grocery store clerks, public employees and other essential support people, they have not blinked in trying to keep us safe and ready to begin a recovery.
We commend Gov. JB Pritzker and the Illinois Workers’ Compensation Commission for their foresight, compassion and good judgement in making sure those essential workers who contract COVID-19 are covered under Workers’ Compensation protections.
This is why we have Workers’ Compensation. Let’s defend the workers standing between us and chaos. We hope the business community interests that filed a lawsuit challenging the ability of sick workers to have speedy access to Workers’ Compensation rethink their position.
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* On Monday, the governor issued a warning to some nursing home owners and managers…
I briefly want to address concerns about long term care facilities not adhering to proper COVID-19 response protocols. Thus far facilities seemed to have been responsive to IDPH guidance and compliance with IDPH teams on the ground. Just like our other health care workers staff at these facilities, our frontline workers dedicating their days and nights to caring for seniors and doing all that they can to ensure a safe and healthy home for their residents. We as a state are deeply grateful for their service.
That said, we will not hesitate to hold any bad actors at the management level accountable. These private facilities are home to some of our most vulnerable Illinoisans, and we expect owners and managers responsible for their care to take every action at their disposal to keep them safe.
The governor’s remarks clearly struck a nerve.
* A reporter asked the governor this question yesterday…
How do you respond to concerns from nursing home groups that their facilities were not prioritized soon enough by the administration, including testing and PPE? They argue that this has led to even worse shortages of PPE and more positive cases and facilities as many cases went undiagnosed for limited access to testing
Part of the governor’s response…
Who is it that made the, not the question, but made the statement about PPE not being real? I think it’s an association. […]
I don’t think it would be fair to say that we have not provided PPE to nursing homes or to the counties to provide to their nursing homes. But we certainly want to know when there are nursing homes where you believe there is not PPE being made available every day to the people in those nursing homes where there are COVID positive patients, you should let our IDPH know. Dr. Ezike and her staff are all over this and they want to make sure that every one of our seniors is protected.
* A little background. I received this email after Monday’s media briefing from Matt Hartman, the executive director of the Illinois Health Care Association…
Rich, there was a good deal of misinformation in the Governor’s presser today in regards to nursing homes and how the state has handled the impact of the COVID-19 crisis in regards to the sector. The statements regarding expansive testing in facilities, prioritization of the sector for PPE, and prior statements about additional funding for nursing homes flowing all mischaracterized the reality. The timelines they describe are inaccurate, as are the responses to the requests of the sector and how they have involved us.
Testing in broad strokes in nursing homes didn’t begin until this week, prior to that centers had to request tests on a case by case basis, and in spite of the increased threat the virus poses to our residents, they were frequently denied. Nursing homes were not included on the initial priority list for PPE, rather they were told to individually request of their local health departments to be included, by which point the initial supplies were depleted. No funding has gone to facilities for the wildly increased costs of PPE and staffing during the crisis, though increases have been discussed by HFS.
* So, I asked the administration for a response. It came in not long before yesterday’s daily press conference and I didn’t have enough time to put something together. From deputy comms director Jason Rubin…
Hey Rich,
If the Illinois Health Care Association has concerns about the Governor’s statements we recommend they reach out to us directly so we can clarify. We have provided Matt and his team with a multitude of channels through which we can share information, guidance, and concerns during this pandemic. In fact, Deputy Governor Sol Flores and her team have a call with Matt and his team later this afternoon, one of the many calls that now take place every week, and I know they’re looking forward to another productive conversation.
On the substance, I would strongly encourage the association give the Governor’s remarks another listen before claiming the Governor is mischaracterizing reality. On testing, the Governor clearly laid out the fact that we have been able to secure more testing supplies, like VTM and swabs, and are therefore now able to more aggressively deploy testing at our long term care facilities. In facilities with known cases, we will continue to operate under the assumption that residents showing symptoms have COVID-19 and should be isolated and treated accordingly, but we will more aggressively test staff to understand who can safely continue working and who should isolate. In facilities without cases, we will test both residents and staff to isolate cases before widespread transmission. The Governor made clear in his remarks that we tested our first two homes over the weekend and an additional ten facilities yesterday. I’m not sure what was unclear about that timeline for Matt, but I’m sure the Deputy Governor and her team can help clear up any confusion this afternoon.
On PPE, everyone has to request PPE from their local health departments and county emergency management agencies. Those requests are all filled at the local level and when local stockpiles are depleted, county emergency management agencies make requests for additional PPE from IEMA. The state has made clear to local health departments that long term care facilities should be made a priority along with health care workers and first responders, who engage in this same process. If the association is suggesting long term care facilities be provided with a separate process than hospital workers and first responders, they are welcome to raise that on the call this afternoon.
On funding, as Matt Knows, Nursing Homes received initial funding from the CARES Act and will likely receive additional funding as soon as the federal government issues guidance. In the meantime, the state has provided a rate increase for nursing homes providing COVID-19 positive only care and we have streamlined the process for eligibility and admissions approvals to bring additional funding into all nursing homes at this time. This is in addition to the $240 million increase in funding the industry received less than a year ago, which represented a 10% rate increase.
Long term care facilities care for some of our most vulnerable residents. As the governor said, we are deeply grateful to the staff at these facilities who are on the frontlines, dedicating their days and nights to keeping our seniors safe. We look forward to continued dialogue with the Illinois Health Care Association as to how best we can all support that critical work.
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* From a Moody’s press release yesterday…
We revised Illinois’ outlook to negative because it aligns with Moody’s view of the probable effects of the coronavirus pandemic, which will reduce tax collections and likely cause current-year pension investment losses, both of which would weigh more heavily on Illinois, given its existing weaknesses relative to other states. Federal government support will mitigate some of the direct budgetary burden, but the state will face liquidity pressure that may lead it to near-term actions such as adding to its balance of unpaid bills. The state is also increasingly likely to take actions that worsen its long-term liabilities, in view of revenue shortfalls and growing health and social burdens.
* Greg Hinz looked at the new report…
How Illinois’ fares now will depend on not only the track of the epidemic but how much financial relief it gets from the federal government, something that certainly was on the mind of Illinois Senate President Don Harmon with that controversial letter a few days ago, in which he pleaded for a bailout.
Another is whether voters in November approve Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s proposal to authorize a graduated income tax.
“Voter approval, which is far from assured, would add some revenue volatility but would greatly improve flexibility to respond to pension contribution and other spending needs as well as shifting economic conditions,” the agency wrote in a comment Pritzker surely noticed. “Rejection of the amendment probably will force the state to consider other alternatives, such as aggressive spending reductions, an increase in the existing flat income tax rate or application of the state sales taxes to services.”
Overall, it concludes, the state generally should fare about as well as other large-economy states in the recession that’s now underway. And liquidity is good—at the moment.
* I read the initial press release and asked a Moody’s spokesperson if the firm had any evidence that Illinois would skip bond payments. The emailed reply…
The short answer is “no.”
* So, I said, if there’s no evidence of that happening, why put Illinois a hair above junk status? The reply…
Well, that goes back to our rating scale. I can talk you through it at some point if you want but there’s 21 total ratings with about half considered “investment grade” (Aaa to Baa3) and the rest below (Ba1 and lower). We call the latter “speculative grade” but everyone else calls it “junk.”
At the end of the day, the ratings translate to bondholders how risky a bond is and what the chances are they’ll be fully repaid with interest. The higher the rating, the greater the likelihood and vice versa. Since there’s multiple levels of speculative grade ratings, the lower the rating the higher the chance of default (and the higher the risk to bondholders).
We rate about 8500 municipal issuers across the country and I’d be surprised if we had 400 ratings below investment grade. Municipal issuers are extremely resilient and defaults and bankruptcies are very rare. But if a rating is downgraded below investment grade that does not automatically translate to default. It means we think the chances are higher than before.
Remember Chicago is rated Ba1, the highest “junk” bond level and one below the state. But Chicago has been at that position for a few years now and has not defaulted. CPS is rated three notches lower than the city at B1 because we consider them a much higher risk than the city. But at its nadir a couple of years ago CPS was rated two notches lower at B3 and may have defaulted if the state had not assisted.
This might be too wonky already, but in speculative grade the ratings also translate into likely recovery rates for bondholders if there is a default. The lower the rating the lower the recovery expected. Puerto Rico’s debt is rated either Ca (35-65% recovery expected) or C (35% or less) and Puerto Rico has defaulted on almost all its debt.
One last item to note: Our records go back to 1970 and we’ve never had a state rated below investment grade. The median state rating is Aa1, our second highest and eight notches higher than Illinois.
Thanks for reading and hope that clears things up,
It didn’t.
* Meanwhile…
The onetime head of Fitch Ratings’ Public Finance Group is blasting the firm’s decision [last week] to immediately downgrade Illinois debt, calling it “premature,” instead of giving officials a chance to resolve financial woes amid a fast-moving COVID-19 pandemic.
Mike Belsky said the pandemic still has too many uncertainties to make a judgement on its fiscal impact here. Belsky is now executive director of the Center for Municipal Finance at the University of Chicago’s Harris School of Public Policy. […]
Belsky said Fitch apparently did not follow its normal course of sitting down with management—in this case, state financial officials—to discuss what sort of response they might make to souring finances. “Management now is stretched, drinking from a fire hose” and properly focused on medical issues, he said. “There’s no doubt that Illinois is going to be challenged.”
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* Press release…
U.S. District Court Judge Rebecca Pallmeyer, a Clinton appointee, [yesterday] discussed the substantial relief she intends to order for minor party and independent candidates for the Illinois 2020 election. The Libertarian and Green Presidential Candidates will be on the ballot in Illinois, as will all “minor” party candidates who were on the ballot in 2016 or 2018. Unfortunately there were no Libertarians on the ballot in 2016 or 2018 for legislative seats in Illinois. The Libertarian candidate for Senate will also be on the ballot.
Judge Pallmeyer also offered relief to the Libertarians who are running for congress in 2020. They will only need 10% of their original signature requirement, and the petition deadline is extended from June 12th to August 7th. Signatures can be obtained via a computer and an electronic signature, though a paper version of the signature must be printed and brought to election officials.
The judge’s order is currently being drafted.
“This legal victory is the first of many for the Libertarian Party as we fight for fair access to the ballot in an era when traditional petitioning is impossible and a threat to public health. We think Judge Pallmeyer’s precedent will be a beacon for other justices as they hear the other Libertarian Party cases,” said Libertarian Party Executive Director Daniel Fishman
* Rebecca Anzel at Capitol News Illinois…
The judge also dictated candidates may collect signatures remotely. Voters would be able to print out a petition from the candidate’s website, sign it and either send a hard copy to the candidate through the mail or electronically in an emailed attachment or as a photograph.
Alternatively, voters would be able to electronically sign petition forms from their smartphone or laptop’s trackpad. […]
The parties asked Illinois’ signature collection mandates be waived or suspended this general election cycle so their candidates could appear on the November ballot. In a remote court hearing Friday, Pallmeyer said that “is beyond the power of the court.”
“In other words, no test that I adopt is going to be, if you file a lawsuit, you get on the ballot. That’s not appropriate,” she said, according to a court transcription.
* However, some signature-gathering requirements were waived. From yesterday’s transcript…
As I understand the order, it will be that if, for example, the Green Party qualified to have a candidate on the ballot in the Fifth Congressional district in one of the last two elections, so they would be — they would meet this qualification to nominate a candidate in the Green Party candidate without any signatures, but the fact that they nominated any Congressional candidate doesn’t mean that they can do that in every district where they didn’t have candidates.
Judge Pallmeyer said that interpretation was correct.
And it also means the two parties can nominate US Senate candidates and put them on the ballot without circulating petitions.
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* The governor had a couple of announcements today…
As of today, nearly 140,000 more student loan borrowers in Illinois will now get relief. IDFPR has worked tirelessly to secure loan relief options with 20 student loan servicers, allowing borrowers to request a 90 day forbearance, waived late fees, no negative credit reporting, the pause of debt collection lawsuits for 90 days and enrollment in other borrower assistance programs.
* And…
I’m so proud today to share another critical update from another of our agencies and that’s the Department of Human Services. Illinois requested an expansion of benefits to help put additional food on the table for all Illinois SNAP households with school aged children, more than 300,000 in all, and that expansion has now been approved, delivering an additional $112 million in food assistance to children across the state. … This increased assistance will be automatically added to family link cards.
As always, please pardon transcription errors.
* Dr. Ezike…
As of last night, 4776 individuals in Illinois were hospitalized with COVID-19. Of those, 1226 patients are in the ICU and 781 patients were on ventilators. 30% of hospital ICU beds across the state are open and available. Should anyone need intensive care of the ICU beds that are currently in use, 55% of all of them are being used by patients with COVID-19.
It’s also important to note that 60% of all the ventilators in the state are available for use, just over half of the ventilators that are currently being used are being used by patients with COVID-19. […]
As we continue to survey individuals with COVID-19, we have found that 54% of the cases reported to public health less than two weeks ago,report no longer having symptoms and being recovered. For those who reported a positive test four weeks ago, 77% of those reported being recovered.
This is encouraging news and I hope it will strengthen our resolve to continue the very tough sacrifices that we continue to make.
* On to questions for the governor. He was asked about the new modeling showing that the peak may occur in mid-May. He said he will be explaining that in more details in the next couple of days. “So say we don’t hit that peak until mid May… Do we have to be in a, in your belief, do we have to be in a stay at home order until we hit that peak? [Because he’d lift it earlier than the peak? I don’t get it.]…
Well, again, we will be making some changes to the stay at home order as it is. But it is true that it is working. And so to pull it off, he stay at home order, it seems to me you know to remove it, as I see some other governors may want to do, to remove it entirely is to simply open everything back up to infection. We heard Dr. Ezike saying in the last couple of days that the R0, the number of people that are getting infected by a single person who is infected has gone down significantly since we put the stay at home order in place. That will go right back up again if you remove all the restrictions.
* He was asked about the cost of keeping up the McCormick Place facility and said much would be handled by the federal government…
The consequence of being underprepared would be the loss of life and the consequence of being over prepared would be that we built out more than we may have needed and nobody can know exactly where we’ll end up until much after we’ve hit the peak and moved off of it.
* The New York Times has a front page story today reporting could take years before New York City completely recovers from the pandemic, in particular theater, restaurants, tourism related industry. Are we going to see that in Chicago as well?…
Well I don’t know and I don’t think anybody really knows, but I certainly have said to you that I think if we can get a treatment and a vaccine, ultimately that the damage that is suggested by an article like that wouldn’t be visited as dangerously or as difficult on the economies of our state. So I can’t really answer it and we can see what’s happened to the economy already. In this short period of time I’m hoping that we’ll be able to recover, much more quickly.
* We have a number of concerts that were set to take place in the month of May. Is it safe to say that they’re canceled?…
I think I just did read actually that a number of them were canceled in Chicago. So I think that probably answers the question.
* Even as you begin to reopen businesses on May 1, are there enough hand sanitizers, cleansers for a lot of these businesses especially small mom and pop places? You know, large companies can get their hands on enough hand sanitizers and cleanser. Is there enough of that type of material to be able to help businesses reopen?…
Yeah, so I want to caution that there isn’t, I don’t think there’s going to be some mass opening of lots and lots and lots of businesses on May 1.
But to the point, do we have enough hand sanitizer or dispensers? I don’t think anybody has been fully prepared for this and even each industry, and I’ve asked industry CEOs to look at how would you reopen, how would it work.
There’s no doubt that hand sanitizer and the use of PPE is going to be an important part of that. Will businesses provide PPE? That’s a question, will hand sanitizer be available to everybody that walks in the door, you know, should it be required. I agree that right now I don’t think anybody would say that there’s enough of that going on. We’re also going to have to develop some norms that people just understand that as you’re walking into a place you know getting hand sanitizer and making sure that you’ve used it, or making sure your mask is on as you enter someplace. I think those are all things that people are going to have to get used to and businesses are going to have to adjust to to make sure that their customers are protected.
* Last question from me. A lot of people have been asking about this and other states are starting to open, obviously other states are in different, you know, phases when it comes to this. Golf courses. People are so anxious just to get out on the green to be outside. Golf courses. Maybe you could do it in a socially distant kind of way. Is there, is there any talk about opening up those type of sectors when we go into that, does that all kind of come into your decision making?…
Yeah, we’re looking at lots of things. We understand summer is different than what we’ve had up to now, which has been colder weather. So we want to consider all of those things. That’s just one of the many, many things that we’ve tried to take into consideration.
But I do want to remind everybody that once again, we have bent the curve, because we have had a stay at home order. And so the fact of a stay at home order in general, being a very positive thing before we ever have enough testing, because there isn’t enough testing and there won’t be for some time to really open everything up. And the fact [is] that we’re going to need a whole lot more.
* We see Senate President Harmon has asked for financial aid from Congress, to what extent are you asking for financial help lobbying Congress members talking on the phone, how many people are assigned to these tasks?…
I don’t think there’s anything that can be more effective than a governor calling… talking to them about reaching out to their delegations. A Governor does have the ear of members of their delegation. And so I’ve made many many calls like that, on behalf of our common interests in all the 50 states to get the federal government to help us with support for our states and for the industries in our states and so on. I do that quite often and a number of members of my staff have also been on the phone with staff members of those various representatives and senators across the nation.
* How much has the state spent on former vibra Hospital in Springfield?…
I can’t do that for you right here at the podium I don’t have it in front of me. But at this moment there’s been no work done on Bibra so at least that part of any expenditure has not been undertaken.
* For Dr. Ezike: How worried are you for a second wave of COVID-19 this fall?…
I think we should be concerned. Obviously, we’re following information and data that’s coming from all around the world. We know that the Fall is already traditionally an established time for flu outbreaks. So, the flu is is our epidemic that we see on a scheduled basis. so if there was supposed to be any resurgence, we could see why that would be at that time and so if you had COVID, as well as flu. It’s very concerning that there could be a significant second wave or a second surge and so that’s why without treatment without a vaccine for COVID, those two overlaid could be very, very problematic.
* If masks are required in cities like Chicago, how will your administration ensure everyone particularly low income people have access to face coverings and can go into public?…
It was pointed out to me yesterday by one of the elected officials I was talking to that I really should stop using the word mask and I should start using the word face covering.
Because the truth is that you don’t need to have an official mask. That’s not what everybody is suggesting, what doctors are saying. You do need to cover your nose and mouth with a, can be a T shirt. I saw a video of how you can prepare a T shirt for yourself as a mask and there are lots of different things fabric masks that you can create for yourself there. […]
And for people who cannot afford them I agree with you that I would like very much to make face coverings more available. I think that would probably be more in the disposable types. And so we’re looking at that and how we would do that, again industry by industry, and then for people who just want to go outside. I’d like to make it more available so we’ll be thinking and talking about that.
* We were told by the Fulton County Board Chair the five correctional officers from the Illinois River Correctional Center in Canton, were promised a 14 day paid quarantine plus a COVID-19 test after volunteering to work at state Correctional Center. Can the governor confirm this and tell us what conversations he’s had with DOC about this matter?…
That is a subject of labor negotiation so that’s, that’s an ongoing conversation.
* Rock River Times: What would you say to people who feel the shutdown is a punishment, driven largely by the COVID situation in Chicago, one that has no chance of affecting them when they are many many miles from the city?…
Punishment. That is awkward to use.
We are in a global pandemic. When this broke out, nobody, nobody knew how fast this would travel. Nobody knew who was most susceptible to it. Nobody knew how to counter its effects. And much of that information, although we’ve discovered, some is still unknown to experts. And so, in, you know, all due caution to protect all of the people of the state of Illinois we put orders in place that would keep people healthy and safe and, and hopefully prevent people from getting COVID-19 who otherwise might.
So, you know, in terms of the different effects in different parts of the state, you’re, you know it’s correct to, to say that in more rural areas there have been fewer cases. The interesting thing to look at and I there are places you can go online to look at this to the, you know what, number of days. the doubling time is for different counties, you can find that online, and you’ll find different areas of the state, even though they have smaller populations have a higher doubling time than some very urban areas of the state.
So there’s no punishment involved. The goal here is to do the right thing for everybody. And it’s true that in some areas of the state there’s been a lower infection rate, and a lower doubling time. And so, that needs to be taken into consideration as we make changes.
* How do you respond to concerns from nursing home groups that their facilities were not prioritized soon enough by the administration including testing and PPE? They argue that this has led to even worse shortages of PPE and more positive cases and facilities as many cases went undiagnosed for limited access to testing…
Who is it that made the, not the question, but made the statement about PPE not being real? I think it’s an association. So I would just say this, that we have been from very early on and I spoke about this yesterday I hope you’ll go back and look at it because I’m not sure I can repeat it all for you right now but we’re from very early on I mean we started talking about and dealing with the problem in nursing homes in early March. This is before we ever had a disaster proclamation in the state, and long before we ever had a stay at home order. We shut down visitation at nursing homes and begin to do wellness checks of the personnel there. And then, as you know, more was known about how outbreaks in nursing homes occur. We made sure that everybody understood not just that there’s PPE available and by the way your local county Department of Public Health is provided with all of the PPE that they asked for from the state. That’s why we’ve been out acquiring PPE, they provide it to the local nursing home, and then we’ve been training nursing home personnel about how to put on that PPE, where that PPE properly and making sure that you know all precautions are taken to separate out people who are COVID positive from those who are not, and doing testing, and we’re doing even more testing now so there’s quite a lot being done. I don’t think it would be fair to say that we have not provided PPE to nursing homes or to the counties to provide to their nursing homes. But we certainly want to know when there are nursing homes where you believe there is not PPE being made available every day to the people in those nursing homes where there are COVID positive patients, you should let our IDPH know. Dr. Ezike and her staff are all over this and they want to make sure that every one of our seniors is protected.
We’ll have more on this soon.
* Have antibody test been made available to medical practitioners? What are healthcare workers advise to do if they test positive for COVID-19, or if the COVID-19 antibodies is it safe for them to continue practicing medicine?…
So a couple things I want to make sure you understand. The antibody tests are as yet a bit unproven, or at least some are and some are more effective, some are less. It is not widely used by states, or really anywhere, there is a body of researchers who are using antibody tests right now to determine whether people who have the antibodies in fact are immune. So it’s that is not even a proven fact yet. So that’s why we’re not providing antibody tests widely, we don’t provide that right now.
What we want to know is, where are there outbreaks? Where are people getting COVID-19? And then we want to make sure to contact trace all the people that are associated with all those who are tested positive, so that we can keep this from spreading and get that number of people who get infected by a single infected person down.
* Governors in Georgia, Tennessee South Carolina will let most businesses reopen May 1, even as COVID case loads and deaths rise. Have you ruled that out here and would you consider limiting travel to Illinois from the States?…
I have ruled out what they’re doing in Georgia and I’m not sure about all the other states but if they’re all doing the same thing which is essentially opening everything up. Yes, I have ruled that out for the time being. Because, as I have said time and time again, in order for us to truly open things up we need tracing, we need testing we need a treatment available and we need a widespread availability of PPE. And we don’t have those things available to us today. And the treatment of course is something that’s not in our control.
We are working on all the other three of those things to make sure that we are ready. But remember, Illinois is not even close to its peak, I mean we’re weeks away now. And you won’t really know you hit your peak until you’re on the other side of it, and are going down.
* Can you comment on how Illinois is going to close this projected budget deficits, what tools are you considering such as bonds for pension payments, do you expect service cuts or layoffs to state employees…
Well some of that I hope will get answered by the federal government. The Congress is considering a package, as I understand, that would provide more aid to the states and local governments and that will have a big impact on our decision making with regard to our budget.
But of course everything is on the table for consideration in the sense that I’m discussing with members of the House and the Senate how they want to proceed and what ideas we have and they have. This is an all hands on deck challenge, the state of our budget for the state of Illinois and so we’re looking at everything.
* Center Square: How long do you feel comfortable governing by executive order without checks on your authority from the legislature, or any potential legal action in the judicial branch?…
I don’t feel comfortable at all. … We’re in a worldwide pandemic we’re in an emergency situation we’re under disaster proclamation because people are dying and people are getting sick. And so as soon as we can get on the other side of this challenge.
Listen, I want regular order. There’s so many things that you’ve heard me talk about, the things that I want to accomplish for the people of the state of Illinois and those can’t be accomplished in the context of a pandemic.
* Why release convicted killers?…
I think some of you may know and understand that, because I’ve said it many times from this podium, that I want to keep the risk to people across the state of Illinois as low as possible. The risk of catching COVID-19, and the risk that might occur from somebody who has done something wrong in their past.
And so every time I consider a situation of somebody who’s asking for a pardon or commutation of their sentence, I’m taking into account how to make sure that we’re keeping the risk extraordinarily low.
For example, I have granted commutations to people who have been diagnosed with stage four cancer and are likely to die in three months. Hence, and they’re there. They’re confined to a bed. They can’t move around very much. And in the last three months of their life. It seemed to me that it would not be inappropriate for me to let them be with their family.
Again, you know they’re they’re suffering. And it’s also an alleviation of burden upon our prison system. So, you know, I think this is, it’s the right and the constitutional privilege granted to a governor to consider pardons and commutations. And in the context of a pandemic, in the context of what we’re going through now with COVID-19, trying to make sure that we keep our prison officials our officers who are working in the prisons and the people who are in prison who, some of them, are non violent criminals who were going to be led out in the next year anyway. To make sure that we’re making space in those prisons and keeping everybody safe as possible. Those are all some considerations that I give to pardons and commutations in this moment.
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Everyone has their own priorities
Tuesday, Apr 21, 2020 - Posted by Rich Miller
* April 14 on CBS 2…
Hundreds of thousands of Illinoisans have filed record-setting claims for unemployment benefits during the COVID-19 pandemic.
One of them is a struggling single mom who told us Tuesday night that she is out of cash – but the state is putting her money on hold for months.
As CBS 2 Political Investigator Dana Kozlov reported, Marissa Strickland said she has to wait almost five months to see any money at all – a wait that could leave her out of a home – all because of an issue she had two years ago and thought she had rectified.
It turns out the pandemic is not going to change that.
The governor was asked about this last week during a press conference and he said they’d check into it.
* April 20 on CBS 2…
CBS 2 Political Investigator Dana Kozlov had new information Monday about the penalty weeks that have been issued because of previous unemployment claims, which are costing some people their benefits – big time.
“Trying to do little odd jobs to take care of my family – best as I can,” said Anthony Gordon.
Gordon’s anxiety is running high as his money runs low. Almost a month after being laid off from his Ford job at the plant near 126th Street and Torrence Avenue, he is being told he cannot get any unemployment benefits until his penalty weeks are over. The weeks were slapped onto his account after he got $1,700 more than he should have.
“But I already had paid that money back already, so I’m trying to figure out what was going on, and all I’m getting is they’re saying I have a penalty, so I don’t know what to do,” Gordon said.
* I asked the governor’s office about these stories and they sent me what IDES sent the station…
Individuals who commit unemployment fraud and defraud the unemployment system are required by law to repay the benefits they received, pay a penalty fee, and serve penalty weeks. This is a statutory requirement that IDES is mandated by Illinois state and federal law to implement.
Claimants who have stolen someone else’s identity to receive benefits will receive a determination that they have committed unemployment fraud. Claimants who have been working while certifying that they have not been working in order to continue receiving unemployment benefits will also receive a determination that they have committed unemployment fraud. To be clear, claimants certify every two weeks, legally telling the department that for the two weeks prior they have not been working or receiving wages. A claimant who has developed a pattern of legally certifying that they have not been working or receiving wages when, in fact, they have been, will receive a determination of unemployment fraud. If the claimant appeals the determination, they will participate in a hearing with an Administrative Law Judge. If, at this hearing, the determination of unemployment fraud is upheld, the claimant will receive the total number of penalty weeks they must serve, in addition to paying back the benefits they received and paying a penalty fee.
If a claimant wishes to appeal the Administrative Law Judge determination, there is an internal review process, and the final decision can be appealed in the circuit court.
The General Assembly would have to make a statutory change to defer serving penalty weeks during this crisis. At this time, IDES is unaware of any legislative proposal from the General Assembly to defer penalty weeks for those who have committed fraud. We would recommend reaching out to the General Assembly.
The statute is here.
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1,551 new cases, 119 additional deaths
Tuesday, Apr 21, 2020 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Press release…
The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) today announced 1,551 new cases of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Illinois, including 119 additional deaths.
Boone County: 1 male 20s, 1 female 60s, 1 female 70s
Carroll County: 1 female 80s
Cook County: 1 female 30s, 1 female 40s, 2 males 40s, 2 females 50s, 9 males 50s, 4 females 60s, 10 males 60s, 1 unknown 60s, 9 females 70s, 14 males 70s, 5 females 80s, 17 males 80s, 8 females 90s, 5 males 90s
DuPage County: 1 female 40s, 1 male 60s, 1 female 70s, 1 male 70s, 1 female 80s, 3 males 90s
Jackson County: 1 male 80s
Kankakee County: 1 female 90s
Lake County: 1 female 60s, 1 male 70s, 1 male 80s, 1 female 90s, 1 male 90s
Madison County: 1male 70s, 1 male 80s
McHenry County: 1 male 70s, 2 females 90s, 1 male 90s
Rock Island County: 1 female 70s
Will County: 1 female 50s, 1 male 80s, 1 female 90s
Winnebago County: 1 male 60s
Woodford County: 1 female 70s
Hardin County is now reporting a case. Currently, IDPH is reporting a total of 33,059 cases, including 1,468 deaths, in 96 counties in Illinois. The age of cases ranges from younger than one to older than 100 years.
…Adding… Here’s your graph…
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COVID-19 roundup
Tuesday, Apr 21, 2020 - Posted by Rich Miller
* The governor also said this yesterday while appearing on CNBC and I told subscribers about it this morning. Here’s the Tribune…
Gov. J.B. Pritzker on Tuesday said models are now predicting the new coronavirus won’t peak in Illinois until mid-May, weeks later than previously projected. […]
“So it’s been pushed out now, according to the models, to maybe mid-May, but at a lower level, and so we’re moving, inching toward that date,” Pritzker said. “People are doing what they need to do in the state of Illinois, staying indoors or staying at home, wearing masks outside as I’ve urged everybody to do, making sure they’re washing their hands and all the other things that we’ve asked people to do.”
He also said this yesterday during his media briefing…
In the same interview, Pritzker again said he he is looking at regional differences across Illinois’ 102 counties as he weights adjustments to the state’s stay-at-home order.
“We put in stay-at-home orders that were really across -the-board very effective, and now we’ve looked at what the infection rate has been—different in Cook County than it is in our collar counties, and different in our Cook and collar counties that it is in other counties across the state,” Pritzker said. “And now I think we can make some adjustments based upon hospitalization rates, based upon ICU bed availability, based upon infection rates.”
* Expected, but the IHSA probably spent too much energy keeping peoples’ hopes up…
The Illinois High School Association’s board of directors has announced the cancellation of the spring sports season. […]
“We support the decision by Governor Pritzker and the Illinois State Board of Education, and given the logistics, we simply felt we could not conduct state tournaments that meet the expectations of our member schools this spring, ” IHSA Executive Director Craig Anderson said. “As disappointing as it may be for students, it is the right decision for their health and safety, as well as for the health and safety of the general public, as we cope with this unprecedented pandemic.”
* Hannah Meisel at the Daily Line explains a complicated subject…
Illinois’ R0, or R naught, value is decreasing, but hasn’t yet fallen enough yet to let up on the state’s stay-at-home order, Ezike said. The R0 value is the reproductive ratio of a virus.
If the average R0 value in a population is greater than 1, the infection will spread exponentially. If the R0 is less than 1, the infection will spread more slowly and eventually die out. The higher the R0 value in a given population, the faster a virus will spread.
R0 is affected by a population’s size and proportion of people susceptible to the virus in a given population, the infectiousness of a virus and the rate of disappearance of cases — either by recovery or death. The length of time an infected person is contagious also plays a role in a population’s R0 value.
At the beginning of Covid-19’s spread in Illinois, which Ezike characterized Sunday as the “exponential growth phase,” Illinois’ R0 value might have been 3.5,” she said. But the figure is now closer to 1, she said.
“If one person can infect three [people], and then each of those people infect three additional [people], and then those people all go on to [infect more people], within 10 rounds you get to 60,000 people,” Ezike said. “And so, obviously we brought that way down — we think our R naught is low in the ones — and so the transmission has slowed tremendously, but of course, it’s not enough to have completely made sure that it died out.”
Pritzker added that epidemiologists are looking for a R0 value below 1.
* OK, on to the Tribune’s live blog…
Lightfoot says she’s expecting Illinois’ stay-at-home order to extend into June
Lightfoot awards $7.5 million in funding to Chicago community groups as they fight two battles: COVID-19 and uptick in violence
About half of Cook County juvenile detention center’s detainees will be tested for COVID-19
Reputed gang member released from federal jail in part due to COVID-19 spread, as inmate on R Kelly’s floor tests positive
City of Chicago starts cloth mask drive
Open two weeks — or two days — and then coronavirus: new business owners left in lurch by pandemic
U. of I. will use emergency coronavirus fund to provide relief to students ‘as much as we can’
As Chicagoans eat at home because of COVID-19, rats used to dining out on restaurant scraps follow the food supply
Correctional officer at Cook County Jail dies from COVID-19, death of second officer under investigation, as inmate deaths rise to 6
Mayor Lori Lightfoot ripped Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis for reopening beaches and said Willie Wilson wanted millions in cash from the city to buy masks.
Officials said Chicago had 500 COVID-19 deaths as of Monday. Nearly 60% of those deaths were black residents.
A new Waukegan facility can sterilize up to 80,000 N95 masks a day
* Sun-Times live blog…
FDA approves first at-home COVID-19 test
Doctors ask death penalty states to share execution drugs for use in COVID-19 treatment
National Spelling Bee canceled for first time since 1945
Mental health therapists seek help from Blue Cross
Efforts outlined to bridge Chicago’s racial divide in coronavirus-related deaths
Another employee at the Cook County Circuit Court clerk’s office has tested positive for COVID-19, bringing the overall total to 20.
Muslims prepare for a Ramadan like no other
* Roundup…
* Coronavirus is largely spread by people without symptoms. Here’s what that could mean for reopening the economy.
* Coronavirus Kills More Americans in One Month Than the Flu Kills in One Year
* Coronavirus has mutated into at least 30 different strains new study finds
‘The risk is simply too high’: Germany’s Oktoberfest canceled due to coronavirus pandemic
* Peoria leaders navigate ‘uncharted waters’: There’s nothing left to cut, says the head of Peoria’s Police Benevolent Association.
* 14 residents, 9 employees test positive for COVID-19 at GreenTree at Mt. Vernon
* Winnebago County to begin testing all nursing home staff for COVID-19
* Lawmakers look to help prison workers who volunteered to go to coronavirus outbreak: At issue is a Facebook post made by Fulton County Board Chairman Patrick O’Brian who blasted the state’s prison system for not quarantining and testing the officers as they had allegedly been promised.
* US colleges brace for a devastating summer and fall
* Illinois Senate Republicans, including Schimpf, question Pritzker on prison sentence commutations: The Illinois Constitution states, “The Governor may grant reprieves, commutations and pardons, after conviction, for all offenses on such terms as he thinks proper. The manner of applying therefore may be regulated by law.” Pritzker pointed out Saturday that all cases also go through the Prisoner Review Board process.
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The unmitigated gall of Congressman Mike Bost
Tuesday, Apr 21, 2020 - Posted by Rich Miller
* May 3, 2013 Tribune editorial…
For more than six years, we’ve called for reform of Illinois’ public pension system. Some days we begged legislators, some days we harangued them.
Today we’re pleased to list the names of House lawmakers who took responsible action Thursday and voted “yes” on Speaker Michael Madigan’s pension overhaul.
Madigan acknowledged during debate that his bill is not salvation: It won’t solve the state’s financial problems — the unpaid bills, the (surely understated) pension system liabilities, the imminent budget pressures — but it hurtles the ball forward. That is worth celebrating.
Sixty-two House members voted for reform. By pushing the green button, they acknowledged that the status quo is harming our state, hurting taxpayers, discouraging potential employers and denying services to the truly vulnerable.
That bill was Senate Bill 1. One of the “No” votes was state Rep. Mike Bost. Rep. Bost voted “No” again on the conference committee report that was adopted in December by both chambers.
* From the synopsis of House Bill 1154 that same year…
For the General Assembly, State Employees, State Universities, and Downstate Teacher retirement systems, limits the salary of a Tier I member for benefit and contribution purposes to the greater of (i) the annual contribution and benefit base established for the applicable year by the Commissioner of Social Security under the federal Social Security Act or (ii) the annual salary of the member during the 365 days immediately preceding that effective date
The bill passed 101-15. One of the handful of “No” votes was Rep. Mike Bost.
* From the synopsis of House Bill 1165 from that same spring session…
For the General Assembly, State Employees, State Universities, and Downstate Teacher retirement systems, provides that, for a Tier I retiree, (i) the amount of each automatic annual increase in retirement annuity occurring on or after the effective date of this amendatory Act shall be the lesser of $750 ($600 if the annuity is based primarily upon service as a covered employee) or 3% of the total annuity payable at the time of the increase, including previous increases granted, and (ii) the monthly retirement annuity shall first be subject to annual increases on the January 1 occurring on or next after the attainment of age 67 or the January 1 occurring on or next after the fifth anniversary of the annuity start date, whichever occurs earlier.
That pension reform bill passed 66-50, with Rep. Mike Bost voting “No.”
* From the synopsis of House Bill HB1166 from that same spring session…
Amends the General Assembly, State Employee, State Universities, and Downstate Teacher Articles of the Illinois Pension Code. Increases the retirement age by various amounts for certain Tier I members and participants, based on the person’s age on the effective date.
That bill passed 76-41, with Rep. Mike Bost voting “No.”
* On March 24, 2010, the Illinois House passed Senate Bill 1946, which created the Tier 2 system. The bill passed 92-17. Rep. Mike Bost was one of 7 “Present” votes.
* In December of 2015, Congressman Mike Bost began receiving his state legislative pension of $73,017.60, which increases at a compounded 3 percent rate every year.
* And yet, Congressman Mike Bost signed this letter yesterday to Senate President Don Harmon…
Illinois must reform its pension system to reduce long-term liabilities and make the system more equitable to the people of Illinois before federal money is used to support the pension system.
[Hat tip: Glen Brown.]
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Question of the day
Tuesday, Apr 21, 2020 - Posted by Rich Miller
* You had to figure this was going to happen…
After weeks of speculation over the fate of some of Chicago’s biggest summer festivals, the official word arrived Tuesday morning.
Out of an abundance of caution and adhering to state-mandated stay-at-home guidelines and social distancing guidelines from the CDC, the following events have been canceled according to the Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events (DCASE):
• 4th annual Chicago House Music Conference & Festival, May 21–24, various venues
• Chicago’s Memorial Day Parade and Wreath Laying Ceremony, May 23
• 35th Chicago Gospel Music Festival, May 27–30 in Millennium Park and the Chicago Cultural Center
• 37th annual Chicago Blues Festival, June 5-7 in Millennium Park
…The cancellations reflect only specific DCASE-run festivals through early June, and according to the official announcement, “is not official City guidance for other event producers; they should continue to follow the public health guidance of the CDC, City and State officials.”
* And even if late-summer events happen, large crowds may not show up. From one of those polls we discussed earlier…
Two-thirds of Americans (67 percent), including 66 percent of independents and 64 percent of Republicans, say they will continue to practice social distancing even after official restrictions are lifted; just 13 percent of Americans say they will not.
* The governor was asked yesterday how much testing needs to be done to reopen the economy. This was part of his answer…
Look, there’s not an exact number, but I would tell you this, that you need a lot more testing than we have today.
And the reason I say it that way, I’m saying not an exact number because you can debate this question. I would argue that as we start to think about it, remember you need a lot of other preconditions even according to the White House model of how to move into phase one of what they’re calling reopening. You have to get past the peak, you know, you have to have 14 days of numbers going down, right, all those conditions.
But on the testing front, I would ask you this question: What would make you feel comfortable going back into your place of work, how much testing [of] other people work with you, near you? How much, what would you need to feel comfortable as you go to work every day knowing that everybody in your workplace goes home, and they go to, the grocery store and they go to wherever it is they go visit their grandmother and so on and then they come back to work the next day?
* The Question: What’s your answer to the governor’s question?
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The debate over testing capacity
Tuesday, Apr 21, 2020 - Posted by Rich Miller
* President Trump yesterday…
Earlier today, Vice President Pence spoke with governors from all 50 states about our unified effort to defeat the virus. He had a great call. It was a great call, very positive in I’d say every way. Prior to the call, we provided each governor with a list of the names, addresses and phone numbers of the labs where they can find additional testing capacity within their states. Many, many labs. We’re providing you with the list. We’ll show it to you now if you need it. We’ll give you the details, but hundreds and hundreds of labs are ready, willing, and able. Some of the governors, like as an example, the governor from Maryland didn’t really understand the list. He didn’t understand too much about what was going on. So now I think he’ll be able to do that. It’s pretty simple, but they have tremendous capacity and we hope to be able to help him out. We’ll work with them and work with all of the governors.
Similar to the situation with ventilators, states need to assess their complete inventory of available capacity. Some states have far more capacity than they actually understand, and it is a complex subject, but some of the governors didn’t understand it. The governor, as an example Pritzker from Illinois, did not understand his capacity, not simply ask the federal government to provide unlimited support. I mean you have to take the support where you have it, but we are there to stand with the governors and to help the governors, and that’s what we’re doing and they have a tremendous capacity that we’ve already built up and you’ll be seeing that. We’re going to be introducing a couple of the folks in a little while to talk about it.
* I asked the governor’s office about this and was referred to Pritzker’s remarks yesterday at his own media briefing…
The main focus of that call was about testing. The White House is reiterating … the Coronavirus Task Force is reiterating that states have testing capacity. And I’ve said this before, but you know testing capacity is a function of how many machines do you have and if you ran them 24/7, what output could you get.
The problem is there’s a big difference between testing capacity and getting testing result and what’s the big difference in all those things in between that you need, like swabs, and viral transport medium and RNA extractor reagent. And then you’ve got to run those machines with lab techs, and if you’re going to run them 24/7, that’s three shifts.
So, what they really have said is ‘Hey, you’ve got plenty of machines out there, go to it.” And what all … the other governors who spoke, Republican and Democrats, really said the same thing which is, we all need swabs, we all need VTM. We all need RNA extractor and reagent.
And so, it was an interesting call because I think you can see what, how they’re thinking about what their responsibility is. But the fact of the matter is that when they say ‘There’s lots of testing available,’ it’s a far cry from testing capacity to actually getting testing results.
…Adding… Bloomberg last week…
A lack of reagents, swabs, personal protective gear and specialized equipment has severely hampered testing capacity, according to an April 13 letter to Birx from AAMC Chief Executive Officer David Skorton. The association represents the academic medicine community that owns many of the 175 Abbott machines across the country.
“The inability to secure adequate quantities of any of these components will result in lower testing capacity,” Skorton said. “The absence of certain components could result in testing machines sitting unused.”
In some cases, labs trying to purchase parts, reagents and test cartridges to determine if patients have Covid-19 have been unable to do so, as they have been told that the federal government or other laboratories have a higher priority, the letter said.
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A look at the numbers
Tuesday, Apr 21, 2020 - Posted by Rich Miller
* HuffPost/YouGov poll of 1,000 people conducted April 17-19…
Just 15% said there are too many coronavirus-related restrictions in place where they live, with 53% saying restrictions are at the right level, and 23% that there are not enough restrictions.
A 78% majority said state governments that have told residents to stay at home unless they have an essential reason for going out are making the right decision by issuing such orders, with just 9% saying those states are making the wrong decision. Americans said, 60% to 24%, that they’re more concerned that states will lift the restrictions too quickly than that they will not lift the restrictions quickly enough.
* Yahoo News/YouGov poll conducted April 17-19 of 1,597 adults…
The survey, conducted April 17 to April 19, found that a full 60 percent of the public opposes the largely pro-Trump protesters whose calls for governors to “liberate” their states by lifting lockdown measures have attracted intense media attention in recent days — and whose message the president amplified Friday in a series of all-caps “LIBERATE” tweets about three swing states: Minnesota, Michigan and Virginia.
Only 22 percent of Americans say they support the protesters. Despite Trump’s messaging, even Republicans oppose the protests 47 percent to 36 percent. Asked whether they agree or disagree with Trump’s “LIBERATE” tweets, only a quarter of Americans say they agree. […]
Seventy-one percent of Americans — and 56 percent of Republicans — say they are more concerned about lifting the coronavirus restrictions too quickly than lifting them too slowly. Only 29 percent of Americans say the opposite. The same number (71 percent) say they want public health officials “to be fully able to test and trace new cases and outbreaks” before reopening; only 29 percent say they want the country to reopen “as soon as possible to prevent further economic damage.” And more than twice as many Americans say the U.S. is not conducting enough coronavirus testing to track future outbreaks of the virus (52 percent) than say it is (22 percent). […]
Two-thirds of Americans (67 percent), including 66 percent of independents and 64 percent of Republicans, say they will continue to practice social distancing even after official restrictions are lifted; just 13 percent of Americans say they will not.
* Detroit Regional Chamber poll conducted April 15-16 of 600 Michigan residents…
Michigan residents prefer how Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D) has handled the coronavirus outbreak over President Trump’s response to the pandemic, according to a statewide poll released Monday.
The Detroit Regional Chamber’s survey found that 57 percent of residents approved of Whitmer’s handling of the pandemic, while 44 percent said the same about Trump. Disapproval of the governor’s response stood at 37 percent, compared with 50 percent for the president’s.
Approval for both political leaders was split along party lines. For Whitmer, 89 percent of Democrats backed her handling of the virus, compared with 22 percent of Republicans supporting her. Among independent voters, 56 percent approved of the governor’s efforts during the crisis.
* Washington Post-University of Maryland poll conducted April 14-19 of 1,013 adults…
How would you rate your state governor’s overall response to the coronavirus outbreak?
How would you rate President Trump’s overall response to the coronavirus outbreak?
* Hart Research Associates/Public Opinion Strategies conducted April 13-15 of 900 registered voters…
When do you think the coronavirus will be contained in the United States, to the point that the economy can return to normal and businesses can re-open and people can go back to work?
It has already 3
In the next few weeks 15
In the next few months 45
In the next year 26
Longer than the next year 6
Never 1
Not sure 4
Which worries you more about responding to the coronavirus and restrictions that require most Americans to shelter in place and only leave their homes for essential needs?
U.S. will move too quickly in loosening restrictions 58
U.S. will take too long in loosening restrictions 32
A bit of both (VOL) 3
Not sure 7
* Pew Research Center, conducted April 7 to 12 of 4,917 adults…
Democrats are largely united in their concerns over state governments easing bans on public activity; 81% of Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents say their greater concern is that governments will lift these restrictions too quickly. Yet Republicans and Republican leaners are evenly divided. About half (51%) say their bigger concern is that state governments will act too quickly while slightly fewer (46%) worry more that restrictions on public movement will not be lifted quickly enough.
* Politico/Morning Consult poll taken April 10-12 of 1,990 registered voters…
More than eight in 10 voters, 81 percent, say Americans “should continue to social distance for as long as is needed to curb the spread of coronavirus, even if it means continued damage to the economy.” Only 10 percent say Americans “should stop social distancing to stimulate the economy, even if it means increasing the spread of coronavirus.” Nine percent of voters have no opinion.
While Democrats (89 percent) are more likely than Republicans (72 percent) to say Americans should continue the “social distancing” measures, large majorities in all demographic groups say it’s more important to stop the spread of the virus than to resume economic activity that could undermine those mitigation efforts. […]
By a ratio of more than 2 to 1, voters say they are more concerned about “the public health impact of coronavirus, including the spread of the disease which would cause more deaths,” than they are about “the economic impact of coronavirus including the effect on the stock market and increased unemployment.” Overall, voters break toward the public-health impact, 64 percent to 29 percent — though it’s more narrow among Republicans, 51 percent to 43 percent.
Three in four, 75 percent, say it’s more important for the government to address the spread of the virus, while 17 percent say it’s more important for the government to manage the economy.
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