* Republican Illinois US Reps. Mike Bost and Darin LaHood signed on to an amicus brief with about half the Republican members of Congress in support of the Texas attorney general’s attempt to overturn the presidential election results in four states. This afternoon, Attorney General Kwame Raoul signed on to a much different amicus brief, and here’s his press release…
Attorney General Kwame Raoul, as part of a coalition of 23 attorneys general, today urged the Supreme Court to reject Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s lawsuit asking that the court overturn the 2020 election results in four states.
In an amicus brief filed in Texas v. Pennsylvania, Raoul and the coalition argue that Texas’ unprecedented lawsuit depends on a misreading of the Constitution’s Electors Clause. Texas’ unsupported theory clashes with a century of precedent, denies states the authority to make their own decisions about election administration and oversight, and threatens to upend basic notions of federalism and states’ rights. Further, the lawsuit depends on specious claims of voter fraud, without offering any evidence of systemic fraud in the November election. Raoul and the coalition are asking the court to throw out Texas’ lawsuit.
“It is concerning and dangerous that the president and his allies have spent the weeks following the election seeking to undermine its results, as elections are at the very core of our democracy. Further, it is unconscionable that a state attorney general would use his authority to file a frivolous, unfounded lawsuit aimed at overturning an election,” Raoul said. “The people of the states in question have spoken decisively, and I stand with my colleagues to defend their right to be heard.”
According to the Department of Homeland Security, the 2020 election was “the most secure in American history.” President-elect Joe Biden was declared the winner in Georgia, Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin. Subsequent recounts in Wisconsin and Georgia confirmed the results, and election officials in all 50 states and the District of Columbia have now certified their results.
While the president’s campaign has continued to make allegations of electoral tampering, neither the campaign nor its supporters have produced any evidence of substantial voter fraud or other forms of wrongdoing. The president and his allies have filed 55 election-related suits since November 3, and federal and state judges have rejected their claims in all but one minor case.
Despite this, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, supported by 17 Republican attorneys general, filed a lawsuit against Georgia, Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin in the Supreme Court. The lawsuit alleges that the states unlawfully enacted changes to their election laws under the cover of the COVID-19 pandemic. The plaintiffs are asking the Supreme Court to take the unprecedented step of intervening and invalidating the will of the voters in those four states. Tellingly, the lawsuit makes no mention of other states – including Texas and several other states that supported Texas’s lawsuit – that made similar changes to election processes to guarantee residents could access ballots while staying safe during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Raoul and the coalition filed an amicus brief today in vigorous opposition to Texas’ undemocratic effort to overturn the results of the election. Specifically, the states urge the Supreme Court to deny Texas’ lawsuit on the grounds that:
• Texas’ interpretation of the Electors Clause is contrary to a century’s worth of precedent: The Electors Clause of the Constitution grants the states the power to set their own rules for presidential elections held within their own states. While the Constitution grants this authority to “state legislatures,” since the early 20th century, the Supreme Court has allowed legislatures to delegate authority to elections administrators or other state government entities.
• States have a constitutional right to determine the process for administering their own elections: Federalism is a core component of the Constitution, governing the division of power between the states and the federal government. The Constitution makes clear, and the Supreme Court has affirmed, that the framers granted states the right to administer and oversee presidential elections on their own. Yet Texas’ lawsuit – calling on the Supreme Court to intervene in the elections held by the four defendant states – would infringe on that right, and thus, states’ sovereignty. Further, it would set its own destructive precedent limiting states’ ability to make critical changes to the structure and oversight of elections.
• There is no evidence that the states’ commonsense measures to protect the voting rights and health of residents produced significant voter fraud: Since 2000, more than 250 million people in all 50 states have voted using mail-in ballots. In 2018 alone, more than 31 million Americans – or approximately 25.8 percent of voters – cast their ballots by mail. Moreover, five states – Colorado, Hawaii, Oregon, Utah, and Washington – had all-mail voting systems prior to the 2020 election, through which every registered voter receives a ballot in the mail. Despite the prevalence of voting by mail, officials at the state and federal levels have consistently found no evidence of widespread fraud. This remained true for the 2020 election. Despite the president’s claims that the results were tainted by voting fraud, his lawyers and other allies have consistently failed to produce any evidence to substantiate these assertions. Indeed, Republican and Democratic officials overseeing the elections in all four defendant states have repeatedly confirmed that processes were safe and secure.
Joining Raoul in filing the amicus brief are the attorneys general of California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Guam, Hawaii, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, U.S. Virgin Islands, and Washington.
* From Raoul’s spokesperson, when asked about Bost and LaHood…
It’s clear the president is asking both state attorneys general and congressmen to take this action, and it is unfortunate.
I’ll be more than happy to post any statement from Bost, LaHood, the Illinois Republican Party or the two GOP legislative leaders in response.
*** UPDATE 1 *** I have yet to hear back from the ILGOP or the two legislative leaders (surprise!), but Congressman LaHood gave a brief statement to Crain’s…
In a statement, LaHood said, “The cornerstone of our democracy is our electoral system and any irregularities presented should be investigated. I support President Trump’s right to make his case and I believe that the Supreme Court is the final venue to examine any election irregularities in full.” He said he believes Illinois’ election results were “accurate and fair.”
* BND…
“President Trump is using the legal means available to him to ensure that every legal vote is counted,” Bost said in a statement Tuesday, prior signing on to the amicus brief. “At a time of great uncertainty for our country, it is vitally important that the American people have faith in our elections and trust the results.”
Bost followed up after signing the brief with a statement Friday saying the lawsuit represents an effort “to ensure that the American people can have faith in our elections and trust the results.” The Supreme Court, he added, is the “final arbiter in cases of election irregularities.”
* Illinois Democratic County Chairs Association President Kristina Zahorik…
“Darin LaHood and Mike Bost apparently do not believe that the votes and the will of the people matter this election. By signing their name to a legal argument that ignores the rights of a state to determine how to manage their own elections, they are not only showing their hypocrisy when it comes to states’ rights, they are also attempting to undermine votes legally cast by citizens of this country.”
“The IDCCA salutes Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul for standing up for the rights of Americans to vote safely and securely. Shame on Bost and LaHood for tarnishing Illinois’ reputation and for this baseless attack on our democracy.”
*** UPDATE 2 *** The governor was asked about this today…
There are I think more than 100 Congressional Republicans who signed on to that. I am surprised. In the Land of Lincoln, I think of Republicans, Democrats as being a lot more reasonable than the people who have followed Donald Trump down every rabbit hole.
And so I just would say it’s irresponsible.
And it’s a ridiculous lawsuit. I don’t know why they would sign on except for apparently undying commitment and loyalty to a failed president.
*** UPDATE 3 *** Press release…
Rep. Brad Halbrook sends letter to Attorney General Kwame Raoul urging him to join Texas election lawsuit
Reps. Chris Miller; Blaine Wilhour; Darren Bailey; Andrew Chesney; John Cabello and State Reps. Elect Adam Niemberg and Paul Jacobs join Rep. Halbrook in calling for Illinois to join Texas lawsuit
State Rep. Brad Halbrook (R-Shelbyville) has sent Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul urging him to join Texas and 18 other states that have filed a lawsuit against four states that have failed to follow the US Constitution with changes in election law that were implemented without legislative approval.
“The Constitution makes it clear that it is the sole responsibility of state legislatures to make the rules for presidential elections, but yet in Michigan, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania and Georgia there were changes in the rules that occurred without legislative action that affected the outcome of the election,” Halbrook said. “The failure of these states to follow the Constitution diluted the votes of millions of people living in states that did follow the Constitution. It is important to make sure that we can trust the outcome of this and future elections. We cannot and should not tolerate an unequal application of our laws. It is imperative that we have free and fair elections. This is why it is important for Illinois to join this lawsuit.”
The letter asks Attorney General Kwame Raoul to join Texas and 18 other states in the STATE OF TEXAS, Plaintiff, v. COMMONWEALTH OF PENNSYLVANIA, STATE OF GEORGIA, STATE OF MICHIGAN, AND STATE OF WISCONSIN lawsuit. Joining Rep. Halbrook in signing the letter were: State Reps. Chris Miller (R-Oakland); Blaine Wilhour (R-Beecher City); John Cabello (R-Machesney Park) and Andrew Chesney (R-Freeport) State Rep. Elect Adam Niemerg (R-Dieterich) and State Rep. Elect Paul Jacobs (R-Pomona).
“We are hearing everyday from constituents who are upset with what is going on in the swing states of Georgia, Wisconsin, Michigan and Pennsylvania,” Miller said. “They have no confidence in the results of this election. What is happening goes well beyond the President. This is about the integrity of future elections. We need to make sure the American people can trust the outcome of our elections. The future of our Republic depends on it.”
* Also…
Mary Miller, Congresswoman-elect (IL-15), joins the Texas Attorney General and 18 other State Attorney Generals, several elected officials in the states under question, and numerous elected leaders supporting the Texas lawsuit. She released the following statement.
“I support this lawsuit and President Trump’s efforts to ensure the integrity of our election process. The American people deserve an honest and fair election process where all legal ballots are counted, and illegal votes are removed. This is the only way we can all move forward together in confidence,” stated Conservative Mary Miller.
“Sunshine patriots and fair-weather fighters won’t win this fight or stop the radical left’s attempts to push their socialist agenda. President Trump endorsed my campaign because he needed more actual allies in Washington. I will continue to fight the establishment in both parties that wants to defeat President Trump,” Miller added.
Miller continued: “I was elected to promote Illinois agriculture and economic opportunities, to uphold the rule of law, to defend our values of faith, family, and freedom, and to support President Trump.”
Mary concluded: “We have too many politicians who talk the talk to get elected, but when it comes time to uphold it and fight, they’re nowhere to be found. I’m going to Congress to fight for the things I campaigned on and, more importantly, the people in my district. The fight has begun.”
*** UPDATE 4 *** Over…
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* CNBC…
The surprise jump in new jobless claims filings to the highest level since mid-September signals a weakening in the labor market that could drag down the economy into the first quarter.
Initial claims for state unemployment benefits jumped to 853,000, rising 137,000 during the week ended Dec. 5 from the prior week, the largest weekly increase since the height of economic shutdowns in March. Economists had expected 730,000 claims, according to Dow Jones. They note the Thanksgiving holiday period could have added distortions in both weeks, but the trend is clearly negative.
State continuing claims rose by 230,000 to 5.76 million, the first increase since August.
* CBS 2…
The Illinois Department of Employment Security reported 107,616 new unemployment claims were filed across the state last week, the week of Nov. 29, the most jobless claims the state has had in nearly eight months.
Illinois’ estimated claims last week were among 853,000 total filed across the country.
The most recent claims represent a 45% increase from the prior week, when 74,131 unemployment claims were filed statewide, and a 627% increase over the 14,798 new claims filed in the same week of 2019.
Illinois numbers have not been this high since mid-April, when there were over 141,000 claims filed the week of April 6.
If these high numbers are due to fraud, as the governor has said, then Illinois is having truly gigantic fraud problems. We have 3.9 percent of the US population and 12.6 percent of the benefit applications?
*** UPDATE *** Text from a reporter buddy…
On unemployment, IL’s situation isn’t quite that bad. (Altho it’s still bad.) Seasonally adjusted national unemployment apps were 853,000. Actual were over 947,000. So IL accounted for 11.3%
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Guzzardi’s Fair Tax autopsy
Thursday, Dec 10, 2020 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Rep. Will Guzzardi (D-Chicago) on why the Fair Tax did so poorly…
“I think we didn’t communicate effectively with voters,” Guzzardi said. “We didn’t tell a clear story about why we needed the money and what we were going to spend it on to help people’s lives. I think we didn’t tell people where to find it on the ballot.
“We didn’t do a good job of pointing people in the right direction,” he added. “And we didn’t really start communicating with voters at all in a serious way. We let a year go by without campaigning at all on the question” after the General Assembly approved the progressive income tax in the spring of last year and passed the ballot initiative on to voters.
Most disturbing, however, was the way the anti-tax TV campaign bankrolled by billionaire Kenneth Griffin gained traction with voters on the issue of “trust” in government.
“I also think we have a credibility problem, a trust problem,” Guzzardi granted. “Illinois voters really responded to the ‘no’ messaging about this campaign. ‘You can’t trust Illinois Democrats with your money.’ And that’s a real problem for us. And it’s going to hinder our ability to solve the state’s challenges going forward. So that’s something we really have to take a hard look at.”
Yep. They had no real-world policy angle, they didn’t adequately inform voters about how to find it on the ballot, they didn’t start communicating at a time when the other side didn’t have any money and there is a serious trust problem which wasn’t adequately addressed with a forceful enough and early enough counter-response to turn voter anger in a different direction.
I’d also add that, like many policy solutions this governor has offered (cannabis legalization, for example), the plan itself was complicated, which allowed the other side to pick it apart.
* Back to Guzzardi…
The “trust” issue resonated after that, even as the General Assembly has seen abundant turnover just in the last few elections. “Next year will be the beginning of my fourth term, and I’m going to be in the top third in seniority,” Guzzardi said, “so a ton of turnover.” Yet voters still bought the argument that they couldn’t trust Springfield, even as this General Assembly little resembles the legislature of 20 or 25 years ago.
Guzzardi explained, “Voters still see the same leadership at the top, and it looks to a lot of voters like Madigan’s been the speaker since time immemorial, so what’s really changed?”
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* Hannah Meisel asked Gov. Pritzker on Tuesday if the National Guard was being sent to the LaSalle Veterans’ Home. He gave her the brush-off, saying “I don’t know where you get your rumors from.” That was a needless and disrespectful jab even if it wasn’t true. Turns out, Hannah’s sourcing was right. Here’s her scoop…
Members of the Illinois National Guard staff have been sent to the LaSalle and Quincy Veterans’ homes to assist with COVID-19 testing and screening at the facilities, Gov. JB Pritzker’s office confirmed Thursday.
It’s not a deployment and those going into the facilities are National Guard staff members and not reserve members. But Pritzker spokeswoman Jordan Abudayyeh said the homes are in need of help with daily COVID-19 testing.
In a statement Thursday, La Salle County Veterans Assistance Commission Superintendent Steven Kreitzer said the staff are “medical units that will be utilized to maintain records of temperature checks and COVID-19 testing as well as make sure PPE is being worn at all times properly.” […]
The extra help comes after a massive deadly outbreak of the virus is mostly under control at the LaSalle facility, and a smaller outbreak at the Quincy home is ongoing. A 33rd resident at LaSalle died this week after testing positive for COVID-19, meaning more than a quarter of the residents in the home since the outbreak was first reported on Nov. 1 have died. There have been two COVID deaths at Quincy.
Hannah also asked Pritzker this week if the LaSalle Veterans’ Home director had been terminated based on new information or information from the initial probe. And if the firing was based on old info, she asked, what took him so long to do it? Pritzker sidestepped the question.
Every time he does something like that, I wonder what else he’s not telling us. And I’m sure I’m not alone.
*** UPDATE *** The governor today…
We also have the Illinois National Guard on the ground, assisting efforts at LaSalle, with their arrival at Quincy and Manteno set for Monday, providing staff support for screening and handling testing data tracking so that medical staff can focus on direct patient support.
Two days ago, I was asked here about the National Guard being deployed to our homes, and I dismissed it as a rumor. In retrospect, I had directed every member of my administration to move quickly to respond with every available resource to assist IDVA, and the National Guard was asked to be of assistance before I was made aware.
That’s a good thing. I want my administration to be nimble and responsive, but I want to apologize for being dismissive when I was asked about it.
I will say this is just one example of how we are directing every available resource to our veterans’ community through the period of exceptional risk here in Illinois. We will leave no stone unturned in our efforts to safeguard our most vulnerable, especially those who lived to serve.
That was well-done.
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* The 2020 Golden Horseshoe Award for Best Senate Democratic Legislative Assistant/District Office Manager goes to Jan’et Scott, Leader Kim Lightford’s former LA…
Jan’et consistently went above and beyond while maintaining her compassionate and professional demeanor. In a year that the Majority Leader ran for Senate President, lost and tried to step down from the ILBC only to be pulled back in, all while responding to the many COVID-19 crises. Jan’et’s commitment to serving the Leader and her constituents is unparalleled.
Runner-up goes to Rich Jacobs, Sen. Castro’s Chief of Staff, for a very strong nomination.
* The 2020 Golden Horseshoe Award for Best Senate Republican Legislative Assistant/District Office Manager goes to Shannon Hogan, Sen. Sue Rezin’s Chief of Staff…
Shannon has worked tirelessly on all constituent issues from unemployment to long-term care facilities and the LaSalle Home in their embattled district that has struggled with high covid numbers throughout most of the pandemic.
Runner-up goes to the late Jeanne Greenfield, Sen. Dave Syverson’s former Chief of Staff. Rest in peace.
* On to today’s categories…
Best House Democratic Campaign Staffer
Best Senate Democratic Campaign Staffer
As always, do your best to nominate in both categories and make sure to explain your answer. Also, if you can’t make a nomination today, please donate to Lutheran Social Services of Illinois if you haven’t yet done so. We’ve surpassed last year’s total, but we’ve kinda stalled out. Click here. Any amount is greatly appreciated and goes to a very good cause. Thanks!
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* Press release…
The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) today reported 11,101 new confirmed and probable cases of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Illinois, including 196 additional deaths.
- Adams County: 1 male 70s, 1 male 80s, 1 female 90s
- Alexander County: 1 male 80s
- Boone County: 1 female 40s, 1 female 80s
- Bureau County: 1 female 80s
- Champaign County: 1 male 90s
- Clay County: 1 female 80s
- Coles County: 1 female 90s
- Cook County: 1 male 30s, 2 females 40s, 1 male 40s, 1 female 50s, 6 males 50s, 2 females 60s, 5 males 60s, 8 females 70s, 13 males 70s, 5 females 80s, 8 males 80s, 2 females 90s, 4 males 90s; 1 female 100+
- DeKalb County: 1 male 70s, 1 male 90s
- Douglas County: 1 male 90s
- DuPage County: 1 male 60s, 3 males 70s, 2 females 80s, 2 females 90s
- Edgar County: 1 female 80s, 1 male 80s, 1 female 90s
- Fulton County: 1 male 50s, 1 male 70s
- Grundy County: 1 male 60s
- Hamilton County: 1 female 70s
- Hardin County: 1 male 70s
- Henry County: 1 female 80s, 2 females 90s
- Jackson County: 1 female 90s, 1 male 90s
- Jo Daviess County: 1 male 30s, 1 female 60s
- Johnson County: 1 female 60s
- Kane County: 1 male 50s, 1 female 60s, 1 male 70s, 4 males 80s, 1 male 90s
- Kankakee County: 1 female 60s, 2 females 80s, 1 male 80s
- Kendall County: 2 males 70s, 2 males 90s
- Knox County: 1 male 80s, 1 female 90s
- Lake County: 1 female 50s, 1 male 60s, 1 female 80s, 1 female 90s, 1 female 100+, 1 male 100+
- LaSalle County: 1 male 60s, 1 male 70s
- Lawrence County: 1 male 60s, 1 female 90s
- Lee County: 1 female 100+
- Livingston County: 1 female 70s, 1 male 80s
- Logan County: 1 female 80s, 1 male 90s
- Macon County: 1 female 70s, 1 female 80s, 1 male 90s
- Macoupin County: 1 male 60s, 1 male 80s, 1 male 90s
- Madison County: 1 male 60s, 1 male 70s, 1 male 80s, 1 female 90s
- Marion County: 1 female 80s, 1 male 80s, 2 females 90s, 2 males 90s
- McLean County: 1 male 70s
- Mercer County: 1 female 60s, 1 female 90s
- Monroe County: 1 male 70s, 1 female 80s, 2 males 80s
- Morgan County: 1 female 90s
- Ogle County: 1 female 70s
- Peoria County: 1 female 70s
- Perry County: 1 female 80s
- Pike County: 1 male 80s
- Rock Island County: 1 female 70s, 1 male 70s, 1 female 80s
- Sangamon County: 1 female 60s, 1 male 60s, 1 male 80s, 1 female 90s
- St. Clair County: 1 male 50s, 1 female 70s, 3 males 70s, 1 male 80s
- Tazewell County: 1 female 60s, 1 male 70s, 1 male 100+
- Vermilion County: 1 male 70s
- Wayne County: 1 female 70s
- White County: 1 male 60s
- Whiteside County: 1 male 80s
- Will County: 2 males 50s, 1 male 60s, 1 female 70s, 2 males 70s, 2 females 80s, 2 males 80s, 1 female 90s, 1 male 90s
- Williamson County: 1 female 70s, 1 female 80s
- Winnebago County: 2 males 60s, 1 female 70s, 1 male 80s, 1 female 90s
Currently, IDPH is reporting a total of 823,531 cases, including 13,861 deaths, in 102 counties in Illinois. The age of cases ranges from younger than one to older than 100 years. Within the past 24 hours, laboratories have reported 114,503 specimens for a total 11,481,848. As of last night, 5,138 in Illinois were reported to be in the hospital with COVID-19. Of those, 1,081 patients were in the ICU and 606 patients with COVID-19 were on ventilators.
The preliminary seven-day statewide positivity for cases as a percent of total test from December 3 – December 9, 2020 is 9.5%. The preliminary seven-day statewide test positivity from December 3 – December 9, 2020 is 11.4%.
*All data are provisional and will change. In order to rapidly report COVID-19 information to the public, data are being reported in real-time. Information is constantly being entered into an electronic system and the number of cases and deaths can change as additional information is gathered. Information for a death previously reported has changed, therefore, today’s numbers have been adjusted. For health questions about COVID-19, call the hotline at 1-800-889-3931 or email dph.sick@illinois.gov.
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COVID-19 roundup
Thursday, Dec 10, 2020 - Posted by Rich Miller
* WBEZ…
Big hospitals in Chicago with highly trained specialists have treated the most patients during the COVID-19 pandemic, newly released federal data shows.
But the data also shows that when small hospitals that mainly treat low-income people of color were full, these larger hospitals at times had plenty of beds to spare.
During the week of Thanksgiving, this reality was stark. St. Bernard Hospital in Englewood on the South Side had no more intensive care beds for the sickest patients. Neither did Mount Sinai on the Southwest Side in Lawndale, about 10 miles away, a WBEZ analysis of the data show.
Sinai’s sister hospital, Holy Cross in Marquette Park had seven beds left. Roseland Community on the Far South Side had six.
Meanwhile, big teaching hospitals Northwestern Memorial in downtown, Rush University Medical Center on the Near West Side and University of Chicago Medical Center in Hyde Park on the South Side had nearly 200 empty ICU beds combined that Thanksgiving week.
* The story glosses over it, but college campuses and hospitals are exempt for the same reason…
Restaurants and bars across the state are banned from serving customers indoors, but there are two places in Chicago where you can still legally drink inside a bar: the city’s airports.
Despite an emergency travel order requiring travelers from 46 states to quarantine upon landing in Chicago, people are still allowed eat and drink alcohol inside bars at Midway and O’Hare. That’s because the airports are exempt from Gov. JB Pritzker’s Tier 3 mitigation measures.
Allowing indoor drinking at high-traffic airports is dangerous, one doctor said, calling the move “ludicrous.”
The rules, which went into effect Nov. 20, say restaurants and cafeterias within airports, hospitals and college dining halls can remain open as other bars and restaurants in affected state regions must close. These places are exempt to ensure people “can eat a meal with no alternatives provided in these venues for eating,” the measure states, and patrons must wear masks when waitstaff approach them when they are not eating or drinking at a table.
The liquor service thing is a serious sore spot, though. This needs a rethink.
* I’m not sure I’d want to be the lawyer who loses this particular client’s case, if you catch my drift…
Despite a statewide ban on indoor dining and drinking, a River West tavern is continuing to serve patrons inside and has put the city on notice: a letter on its door warns staff “will not comply” should city officials attempt to shut them down.
On the front door of Richard’s Bar, 491 N. Milwaukee Ave., a posted note tells patrons the bar is open and asks people to wear a mask when entering. Below, the letter tells government agencies the bar’s owners won’t comply with any department’s shutdown requests and will send citations to their lawyer.
“If you are asking us to shut down our business, we will not comply as that request is unlawful according to the law identified below,” the note reads. “We have legal counsel … representing us and we’re happy to provide any notices or citations to him if that’s necessary.”
The note also threatens legal action if a health department tries to close down the bar or pull its licenses. […]
Thomas DeVore, an attorney for Richard’s Bar, declined to comment before speaking with his client.
* Sticking with the Chicago angle…
* Could you get a jab at the dentist office? Maybe…
Illinois officials don’t want to have ample stores of vaccines with limited numbers of people to administer doses, Ezike said.
“Absolutely all conversations are on the table,” she said. “I think dentists maybe do have the ability to take part in this process.”
Illinois State Dental Society Government Relations Director Dave Marsh said the society is preparing staff to be able to help off-site, like at a public health clinic.
“And then as the vaccines change, obviously they might be able to do them in their office,” Marsh said. “The storage issue is the biggest hurdle for any provider to do the vaccines.”
* Kids will have to wait, though…
Doses of the COVID-19 vaccine are already in short supply, but that’s not the main reason it will be months before children are able to be inoculated.
“The vaccines have not been tested on children,” explained Dr. Sara Goza, president of the American Academy of Pediatrics, headquartered in Itasca. “But now is the time to start enrolling children in the vaccine trials because we should not really expect them to suffer the consequences of COVID-19 without getting the vaccine as well.”
* Tribune live coverage blog headlines…
COVID-19 pandemic relief set to expire in Illinois as Congress negotiates aid package. Here’s what to know.
Six Flags Great America adds drive-thru to Holiday in the Park
Second stimulus check updates: Trump’s chief COVID-19 relief negotiator sees ‘a lot of progress’ on $900 billion-plus plan
‘Incredible landmark’: Advocate Aurora doctors excited as COVID-19 vaccine approval is closer to reality
Illinois colleges and universities suffer enrollment losses after pandemic disruptions
FDA meeting on vaccines today is ‘important day for America,’ commissioner says
The year that was in Chicago music was one that, because of a pandemic, was like no other
Tenants’ advocates, real estate industry gear up for clash over proposed Cook County residential tenant, landlord ordinance
* Sun-Times live blog headlines…
COVID doesn’t care if you follow all the rules
Mayor ‘deeply disappointed’ in Tunney for violating indoor dining ban
Bears shut down Halas Hall after another positive coronavirus test
Seniors’ COVID-19 vaccine consumer guide: What to expect once the shots are available
Illinois’ infection rate drops again, but hospitalizations jump
‘Sweet gentle soul’ holes up in his room with flu-like symptoms — dies on the way to the hospita
Coronavirus Christmas? State’s top doc says keep gatherings virtual: ‘Let’s give the gift of health’
* NBC Chicago live blog headlines…
Even With Vaccine Nearing, Illinois Will Continue Ramping Up COVID-19 Testing, Pritzker Says
Chicago Health Officials Say ‘Bothersome Side Effects’ Possible With COVID Vaccine
Who in Chicago Will Be First in Line for the COVID Vaccine and Why
If COVID Vaccine is Approved, First Doses Could Be Given Out in Chicago Next Week
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*** UPDATED x1 *** It’s just a bill
Thursday, Dec 10, 2020 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Press release…
In response to decreased use of health care services through Medicaid managed care organizations throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, state Senate Assistant Majority Leader Dave Koehler, D-Peoria, and state House Assistant Majority Leader Fred Crespo, D-Hoffman Estates, filed legislation today to require companies to return excess profits and reallocate funding to critical health care services.
“While insurance companies and managed care organizations see record-setting profits at the height of a global pandemic, rural communities across the state are experiencing unsustainable strain in their health care systems due to lack of resources,” Koehler said. “The money recouped through this legislation would provide immediate relief for Downstate hospitals that have been devastated by COVID-19.”
Hospitals across the state are facing an unprecedented decline in outpatient procedures and elective surgeries as a result of the pandemic, contributing to severe financial strain on health care facilities that serve Illinois’ most vulnerable populations. Conversely, MCOs in Illinois have benefitted from these declines, as enrollment-based payments have continued despite decreased use of non-emergency health care services.
In response, Koehler and Crespo introduced Senate Bill 4207 and House Bill 5867, respectively, which seeks to reallocate a portion of enrollment-based payments made to Medicaid MCOs throughout the pandemic. From an estimated monthly payment of $1.7 billion, a 20% return would yield $340 million per month that can provide needed relief to hospitals and other health care facilities that have been hit hardest by the COVID-19 crisis. In addition, recouping these funds can provide relief to health care service providers that may be impacted by state budget deficits.
“While safety net and critical care providers are struggling to remain open and serve their communities, MCO’s are continuing to receive over a billion dollars in state and federal funding each month,” said Crespo. “Residents across Illinois are making significant sacrifices in order to protect themselves and their communities, and we’ve even seen the auto insurance and cable television industries return unused money to consumers. It is unacceptable that MCO’s are profiting off of taxpayer dollars that aren’t being used. Clawing back some of the funding that MCO’s have received throughout the pandemic and reallocating those dollars to health care providers in low-income and rural communities could help hospitals remain open amid ongoing financial instability that has been exacerbated by the pandemic.”
* This is how Rep. Crespo explained the bill to WTTW…
“We know that hospitals have not been doing services they normally do, elective surgery,” Crespo said. “So costs have gone down. So the plan here is to say, we should take back 20% of (the managed care organizations’) profits and redirect it to other Medicaid expenses the state has.”
Except he’s not talking about clawing back profits, necessarily. But, yeah, if they’re profiting off of a shift in the types of care provided, they should definitely lose that money.
*** UPDATE *** From Samantha Olds Frey, CEO, Illinois Association of Medicaid Health Plans…
The State of Illinois already has an existing mechanism to protect taxpayers and state from overpaying for underutilization and for 2020 requires that approximately 90% of the capitation received is spent on direct medical care.
While we have seen a shift in utilization we have not seen a 20% decrease in total medical costs for the Medicaid program.
It is important to note that MCOs don’t just pay for hospitals but a comprehensive healthcare benefit; such as: pharmaceuticals, long term care, and behavioral health. The proposed legislation would reduce the necessary resources to the Medicaid program and negatively impact providers and actually harm our most vulnerable residents. IAMHP is opposed to cutting a healthcare program for over 2 million people by 20% especially in the middle of a pandemic.
* Press release…
Illinois legislators and renewable energy businesses are calling for urgent action to save the state’s solar and wind energy jobs, and a new economic analysis shows that the proposed Path to 100 Act would not only save current jobs but would create more than 50,000 new jobs and $8.7 billion in increased economic output by 2033.
On December 4th, the Illinois Power Agency announced the close of state renewable energy incentives for residents in central and southern Illinois. With funding expected to disappear in northern Illinois in coming days, Illinois’ renewable energy program will abruptly end before the end of this year. The end of incentives will immediately impact the ability of homeowners and businesses to go solar and will force thousands of layoffs at solar businesses across the state in the coming months.
Senator Bill Cunningham and Representative Will Davis introduced the Path to 100 Act in early 2019 to address Illinois’ looming renewable energy crisis. The Path to 100 Act would improve and expand Illinois’ existing renewable energy program to allow the state to reach 40% renewable energy by 2030.
A new economic impact analysis of the Path to 100 Act found that, by 2033, the legislation would result in:
• 53,298 jobs created or supported during construction
• 3,215 jobs created or supported annually during operations
• $8.27 billion in increased economic output during construction
• $571 million per year in increased economic output during operations
The analysis was conducted by Dr. David Loomis. Loomis is the co-founder of the Center for Renewable Energy at Illinois State University and the President of Strategic Economic Research and has over 20 years of experience in energy and economic development analysis.
“Fixing Illinois renewable energy program is low-hanging fruit for the General Assembly and should be a top priority – we have a proven way to create jobs, benefit consumers and reduce pollution as well as a backlog of projects that could provide a rapid economic stimulus across the state,” said Representative Will Davis, House Sponsor of the Path to 100 Act. “There is no reason to delay fixing this.”
The report is here.
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Again, does nobody use the Google anymore?
Thursday, Dec 10, 2020 - Posted by Rich Miller
* This newspaper story is so chock full of misinformation that I had to post it…
Like other COVID restrictions, it all came in the form of executive order, meaning without approval from the General Assembly. […]
“The problem is the executive branch, the governor’s branch, does not make laws,” said John Wagner, administrator of the Monroe County Health Department in the Metro East. “It’s much easier to enforce if the legislators get involved.”
Because the measures aren’t backed by state statute, some law enforcement and prosecutors are leery about bringing cases.
What?
The executive orders derive authority directly from state laws, which, in order to become state laws, had to be approved by the General Assembly. And those laws have been on the books for a lot of years. It’s the main reason why judges have upheld the EOs time and time again. The GA also passed several bills this past May which an appeals court cited in its recent opinion…
Our reading of the Act is bolstered by recent legislation that explicitly refers to the Governor’s authority to issue successive disaster proclamations.
* There was also the obligatory DeVore quote…
Tom DeVore, a Bond County attorney who represents restaurants that want to remain open, said punitive action, including tickets from Illinois State Police, have “no merit.” DeVore also has worked on the case of Bloomington’s Cadillac Jacks for COVID rule violations.
No context at all in the story about how DeVore has lost every case except for when he was in front of a decidedly odd judge in Clay County. Nobody would seriously interview Jim Oberweis about the best way to be elected to statewide or congressional office. Same applies here.
Also, Cadillac Jacks paid $1500 to avoid losing its liquore license.
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*** UPDATED x1 *** We have a new Speaker!
Thursday, Dec 10, 2020 - Posted by Rich Miller
* My headlines are automatically posted on Twitter, so this one was specifically designed to freak out those folks. The real story here is that Illinois Retail Merchants Association President and CEO Rob Karr has been elected the new Speaker of the Third House, an organization for lobbyists.
The group held its annual holiday party today via Zoom. Outgoing Speaker Julie Sullivan joked that she had the honor of hosting the lamest Third House party ever. But it did have the smallest bar tab.
Anyway, congrats to Rob, who does a fine job with IRMA. I looked around and couldn’t find a suitable photo to use for a caption contest, so we’ll just have to settle for this story from The Onion that’s going around this week…
GAITHERSBURG, MD—Plotting out a career path that would enable him to one day land his dream job, aspiring lobbyist Christopher Talley told reporters Wednesday that he’d been able to get his foot in the door as a state senator. “Obviously I can’t jump right into my dream gig, but being a state senator and nominally representing the people of this district for a few years will help me work my way up the ladder to something actually worthwhile,” said Talley, who won a state senate seat in November as the first part of his personal 15-year plan to someday pursue the financial interests of agribusiness conglomerates in Washington. “Being in a state senate seat is kind of like having some control over how the government works for business, so this will help me get my feet wet and prove to potential lobbying firm employers that I have what it takes to network with people in the government biz. The money’s not great right now on a public servant salary, but this is just the first step to getting into the House of Representatives, maybe a mid-city mayorship, and finally make it to the lobbyist level. I can’t wait.” Talley also admitted that it did make him nervous to see how many of his state senate colleagues were also competing to be lobbyists someday.
*** UPDATE *** OK, now we got us a caption contest. Here’s Rob Karr at the 1990 holiday party…
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* I checked and this is indeed a thing. Politico…
Richard Goldberg is being recruited by some members of the Illinois GOP to become party chairman, according to a source close to the selection process. The position opened up over the weekend when Chairman Tim Schneider announced he was stepping down after six years. Goldberg most recently served as a director with the White House National Security Council and before that was chief of staff for former Gov. Bruce Rauner and deputy chief of staff to former Sen. Mark Kirk.
… Goldberg, who’s also an intelligence officer in the Naval Reserve with the rank of lieutenant commander, is seen as someone who can work across all areas of the Illinois GOP and stand up to Democrats. Goldberg would bring the star power that comes from working for Trump. He also could help rebuild the Republican presence in Lake County, where Kirk resides. The area has moved left with each election cycle in recent years.
Don Harmon will be so pleased, but give Richard credit for writing a heck of a press release. /s
The Lake County stuff is a jab at the county’s party chairman Mark Shaw, who chairs the Republican County Chairman’s Association and co-chairs the ILGOP in a deal worked out by the Rauner folks a couple of years ago to keep Tim Schneider in power. The same folks who tried to block Shaw back then are still at it. This was sent by one of them…
* Republicans lost majority control of the Lake County Board in 2018 and lost three more seats in 2020
* The Republican Sheriff was defeated in 2018
* The Republican State’s Attorney was defeated in 2020
* The Republican Coroner was defeated in 2020
* State House of Representatives District 61 was lost in 2018 and never regained
* Republicans lost Lake County in the race for Governor in 2018 and for President in both 2016 and 2020
* Republicans lost the majority on the Lake County Forest Preserve Board
* In 2020, Shaw led the Lake County Republican Central Committee Executive Committee in endorsing Jim Oberweis for Congress in the 14th District—someone who already lost a record six races for Congress, US Senate, and Governor. With all of his negative baggage, Oberweis went on to lose the 2020 election by one percent of the vote, while also losing Lake County.
Also…
Lake County Precinct Committee Members filing for election:
2016 Primary Election:
103 Democrat
224 Republican
2020 Primary Election:
198 Democrat
158 Republican
Precinct committeeman recruiting aside, a lot of this cannot be blamed on the party chairman. Lake County has been trending Democratic for years for the same reasons DuPage has changed: Demographics and the GOP’s presidential candidates.
But the Oberweis thing still sticks in a lot of craws of the folks who believe Sen. Sue Rezin would’ve had a much better shot at winning in November. Rezin will be the deputy leader of the Senate Republican Caucus come January.
There was also the 2018 Helene Miller Walsh debacle and Shaw’s weird Facebook posts.
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Open thread
Thursday, Dec 10, 2020 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Local topics, polite discussion. What could be better? Well, perhaps a donation to Lutheran Social Services of Illinois to help buy some kids Christmas presents and coats and boots. Click here. Thanks.
19 Comments
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