* IGPA…
A new report from the University of Illinois System’s Institute of Government and Public Affairs (IGPA) found that Illinois’ state tax revenues have fared much better through the COVID-19 pandemic than originally projected last spring
The report, titled Data Indicate COVID-19 Impact on State Revenue Not as Severe as Feared, comes from IGPA’s Task Force on the Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic. Report lead author Kenneth Kriz, who is the University Distinguished Professor of Public Administration and the director of the Institute for Illinois Public Finance at the University of Illinois Springfield, analyzed state data on tax receipts through November 2020.
What Kriz found may be good news for the state’s budget. The net loss to the General Funds from major revenue sources during the pandemic was $868 million. That’s less than 2% of total receipts for the General Funds, the state’s main accounts for general spending on things like education, healthcare, operations and more.
Several early projections, including an earlier report from the task force, anticipated much larger revenue losses. Most forecasters were predicting a prolonged recession that would cause revenue losses of up to 20%.
“There was a General Funds revenue loss in fiscal year 2020, but much of that was caused by the delay of the federal tax filing deadline,” said Kriz, who is an IGPA affiliate and a faculty lead for the Economic and Fiscal Impact Group of the task force. “Well over half of that revenue loss has been recouped in fiscal year 2021, and General Funds revenues are actually running above what might have been expected for fiscal year 2021.”
The loss across all state funds was $1.44 billion, which is still less of a loss than even conservative estimates projected in the spring.
Kriz said that the economy recovered more quickly than expected, with help from federal stimulus and recovery programs. The report also considered credit card spending data, and what it showed aligned with the findings on revenue. “There was a steep fall in spending in most categories in April and May, then a recovery toward pre-COVID-19 levels. Spending has not recovered completely, but it is near what it likely would have been in the absence of COVID-19,” Kriz wrote.
Still, Kriz warns that as long as COVID-19 is a threat, tremendous uncertainties remain. “If the virus surges again and the economy must be locked down, there will be another round of revenue losses,” he said.
The report notes that the unequal impact of the pandemic on low-income households was also a potential factor in the lower-than-expected revenue losses. “The labor market effects of the virus and mitigation measures fell more heavily on low-income households. High-income households have maintained their income levels or even seen them rise,” Kriz wrote. “And stimulus programs have buffered low-income household finances. Therefore, aggregate incomes and consumption have continued to grow, leading to stable or increased state revenue.”
OK, but just remember that revenues are only part of this equation. Illinois has borrowed billions that have to be repaid. And there’s still the matter of the structural deficit that was supposed to be addressed by the graduated income tax.
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* New York Times…
Open schools. Close indoor dining.
When to keep schools open, and how to do so, has been an issue plaguing the response by the United States to the pandemic since its beginning. President Biden vowed to “teach our children in safe schools” in his inaugural address.
On Tuesday, federal health officials weighed in with a call for returning children to the nation’s classrooms as soon as possible, saying the “preponderance of available evidence” indicates that in-person instruction can be carried out safely as long as mask-wearing and social distancing are maintained.
But local officials also must be willing to impose limits on other settings — like indoor dining, bars or poorly ventilated gyms — in order to keep infection rates low in the community at large, researchers at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention wrote in the journal JAMA.
School administrators must limit risky activities such as indoor sports, they added. “It’s not going to be safe to have a pizza party with a group of students,” Margaret Honein, a member of the C.D.C.’s Covid-19 emergency response team and the first author of article, said in an interview. “But outdoor cross-country, where distance can be maintained, might be fine to continue.”
* From the JAMA piece…
Preventing transmission in school settings will require addressing and reducing levels of transmission in the surrounding communities through policies to interrupt transmission (eg, restrictions on indoor dining at restaurants). In addition, all recommended mitigation measures in schools must continue: requiring universal face mask use, increasing physical distance by dedensifying classrooms and common areas, using hybrid attendance models when needed to limit the total number of contacts and prevent crowding, increasing room air ventilation, and expanding screening testing to rapidly identify and isolate asymptomatic infected individuals. Staff and students should continue to have options for online education, particularly those at increased risk of severe illness or death if infected with SARS-CoV-2. […]
Nonetheless, some school-related activities have increased the risk of SARS-CoV-2 transmission among students and staff. Numerous media reports of COVID-19 outbreaks among US high school athletic teams suggest that contact during both practices and competition, and at social gatherings associated with team sports, increase risk. […]
Paradoxically, some schools have used a fully online model for educational delivery while continuing in-person athletic programs. Even though high school athletics are highly valued by many students and parents, indoor practice or competition and school-related social gatherings with limited adherence to physical distancing and other mitigation strategies could jeopardize the safe operation of in-person education. While there are likely many factors, the pressure to continue high school athletics during the pandemic might be driven at least in part by scholarship concerns; colleges and universities recruiting athletes for the 2021/2022 academic year should consider approaches that do not penalize students for interruptions to high school sports related to the pandemic to avoid incentivizing activities posing high risk for SARS-CoV-2 infection.
* Related…
* President Biden, asked about Chicago schools’ reopening plan, says buildings need to be ‘safe and secure for everyone’
* Joe Biden supports Chicago Teachers Union COVID safety concerns as AFT president Randi Weingarten briefs senior staff
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House delays return
Tuesday, Jan 26, 2021 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Subscribers know more, but here’s the Center Square…
The Illinois House may cancel all but one scheduled session day for February.
When lawmakers do return to Springfield for one day Feb. 10, it could be at the capitol building and could be to adopt House Rules for the new General Assembly.
In an email to members of the Democratic Caucus, House Speaker Chris Welch’s Chief of Staff Jessica Basham said feedback from members of the Democratic caucus “suggests the House should find a balance between remote and in-person work.” […]
“The public health recommendations on quarantine, both before and after a large gathering like session, makes the notion of weekly trips to Springfield impractical, especially for members and staff carrying for young and school-aged children and/or older family members,” Basham wrote in the email.
“Therefore, with the health and safety of members, staff, and the public being the priority, the Speaker plans to cancel the session dates set for February 2-4, 9, 11, and 16-18,” she wrote. “Members should plan to return to Springfield on Wednesday, February 10, 2021, for a 1-day session for one purpose: to adopt House Rules for the 102nd [General Assembly].” […]
Basham said when the House returns Feb. 10, it will be at the Illinois State Capitol building, rather than the Bank of Springfield Center where previous House sessions were conducted to allow for social distancing amid COVID-19 concerns. That cost taxpayers an additional $330,000 in space and equipment rental and catering. […]
The Senate canceled the days it had scheduled for this week. A spokesperson said the next scheduled session date for the Senate is Feb. 9.
It’s unclear how the chambers’ schedules will impact the governor’s combined State of the State/Budget Address set for Feb. 17. That is to be delivered in front of a joint session of the General Assembly.
Still waiting on word about that address.
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A look at the state’s elimination of cash bail
Tuesday, Jan 26, 2021 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Raymon Troncoso at Capitol News Illinois…
Illinois will transition away from the use of cash bail as a determinant of pretrial detention by 2023 after lawmakers passed a wide-ranging bill reforming several aspects of the criminal justice system in the state.
The legislation, which now awaits Gov. JB Pritzker’s signature before it can be finalized into law, would shift Illinois’ pretrial detention and release system to one that is non-monetary.
Starting on Jan. 1, 2023, “all persons charged with an offense shall be eligible for pretrial release before conviction,” and the “requirement of posting monetary bail” will be abolished.
Proponents of ending cash bail have argued the presumption of innocence for those charged with crimes should also result in the presumption of freedom, rather than detention, as the default standard, except in certain cases.
Exceptions from pretrial release under the new law include forcible felonies such as first-degree murder, sexual assault, arson and any other felony involving the use or threat of physical force; stalking and aggravated stalking where the defendant poses a threat to the victim if released; abuse or battery of a family member where their release poses a danger to that family member; gun crimes where the defendant poses a threat to a specific, identifiable person; and cases where the defendant has committed a felony that wouldn’t otherwise result in detention but they are considered a high risk of fleeing prosecution and missing their court date.
The law would place the burden on the state to prove an individual should be detained, rather than the individual proving that they should go free.
* NPR…
And there’s also been pushback. Bail reforms in Alaska and New York were rolled back or amended. In California, a ballot measure kept cash bail intact. In Illinois, there was strong opposition from the Illinois Law Enforcement Coalition, a group of police unions and organizations representing police officers and county sheriffs.
JIM KAITSCHUK: You seldom see people sitting in jail for low-level crimes just because they can’t make bail.
CORLEY: Jim Kaitschuk is the executive director of the Illinois Sheriffs’ Association.
KAITSCHUK: It’s amazing how people can find the money to get themselves out. The second thing is they have an opportunity where they may very well very quickly go back in front of the judge, like the next day in some cases, and the judge may say, OK, I’m going to go ahead and waive your bail, let’s release you on your own recognizance. That happens all the time.
SHARONE MITCHELL: That’s flat-out wrong.
CORLEY: That’s Sharone Mitchell, the head of the Illinois Justice Project and part of a coalition which helped draft the Illinois bill. He says pre-COVID-19, there were thousands still detained in the state because they couldn’t afford bail. But whether people languish in jail is not the Law Enforcement Coalition’s only argument. The group says communities will be less safe; that criminals released on bail will be running free, possibly committing new crimes; and that counties across the state don’t have the finances for electronic monitors, staff and other items that might be needed as people are released from jail before trial. Mitchell says he respects law enforcement, but their analysis is wrong.
* WTTW…
The Illinois State’s Attorneys Association criticized the legislation, as did law enforcement organizations like the Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 7 — which represents rank-and-file officers with the Chicago Police Department — and the Illinois Law Enforcement Coalition.
They said the legislation will make Illinois “less safe” as it “ties hands of police officers while pursuing suspects and making arrests, and allows criminals to run free while out on bail.”
State Rep. Justin Slaughter (D-Chicago) noted that opposition and said he and other legislators will continue collaborating with law enforcement and state’s attorneys in order to address their concerns and issues with the bill in the coming years.
“What we’ll be doing is engaging them,” he said, “continuing to engage them in discussion as we come up with an effective, efficient system moving forward.”
* And, as I told subscribers earlier today, this is one of the most succinct defenses of the idea I’ve yet seen…
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Question of the day
Tuesday, Jan 26, 2021 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Fox Atlanta…
Georgia’s Speaker of the House removed a state representative from the legislature Tuesday after officials say he failed to get a COVID-19 test.
Speaker David Ralston ordered Rep. David Clark removed from the House by law enforcement, saying that the representative refused to follow the twice-weekly testing requirements. […]
According to a statement from a spokesperson for Ralston, Clark “had been advised numerous times about the requirements and had refused to be tested at any point during this session.”
After Ralston asked Clark to leave until he was tested, officials say he refused and was escorted out.
In this session, all state lawmakers and their staff members are required to undergo testing twice a week.
As we discussed several days ago, a majority of Illinois legislators did not get tested during all but one lame duck session day. Neither chamber has so far required testing to access the floor.
* The Question: Should the Illinois House and Senate bar members from the floor if they do not submit to regular COVID-19 testing? Take the poll and then explain your answer in comments, please…
find bike trails
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* Bloomberg…
The end of 2020 brought the sharpest rise in the U.S. poverty rate since the 1960s, according to a study released Monday.
Economists Bruce Meyer, from the University of Chicago, and James Sullivan of the University of Notre Dame found that the poverty rate increased by 2.4 percentage points during the latter half of 2020 as the U.S. continued to suffer the economic impacts from Covid-19.
That percentage-point rise is nearly double the largest annual increase in poverty since the 1960s. This means an additional 8 million people nationwide are now considered poor. Moreover, the poverty rate for Black Americans is estimated to have jumped by 5.4 percentage points, or by 2.4 million individuals.
The scholars’ findings put the rate at 11.8% in December. While poverty is down from readings of more than 15% a decade earlier, the new estimates suggest that the annual Census Bureau tally due in September will be higher than the last official, pre-pandemic level of 10.5% in 2019.
* And to add insult to injury…
Doctors, nurses and other health care workers have taken on great risks in caring for patients sick with the coronavirus. But a new study from researchers at the University of California, San Francisco, suggests that workers in other essential fields are even more likely to die from COVID-19.
The researchers analyzed excess deaths among working-age Californians from March to October 2020, and compared the death rates by occupation to previous years. The data showed that workers in agriculture, food processing facilities, warehouses, call centers and other essential businesses all died at a higher rate than the average worker.
Among the job categories with the highest “risk ratios for mortality” were cooks, farmworkers, construction laborers and shipping clerks. Food workers, in particular, saw a sharp rise in excess death during California’s first stay-at-home phase last spring, while workers in nonessential fields did not.
In general, essential workers outside health care have faced a 20% greater chance of dying during the pandemic than previously, and a 40% greater chance during the first two months of California’s reopening last year, the authors found. They wrote that their analysis was among the first to show non-medical essential work as “a predictor of pandemic-related mortality.”
* Related…
* Governors’ shutdowns did not cause the pandemic jobs crisis - People started staying at home before the shutdowns were ordered, data shows
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* Michael Hawthorne at the Chicago Tribune…
Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s administration is facing a federal environmental justice investigation after approving a new scrap shredder in a low-income, predominantly Latino neighborhood on Chicago’s Southeast Side.
The probe announced Monday by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency comes amid a separate-but-related investigation of Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s administration.
Civil rights divisions at the EPA and the Department of Housing and Urban Development are digging into why the state and city cleared Reserve Management Group to build a shredder in the East Side neighborhood after the Ohio-based company agreed to close a similar operation in Lincoln Park, a wealthy, largely white neighborhood on the city’s North Side.
Lawyers for Southeast Side community groups petitioned for federal intervention, accusing city agencies and the Illinois EPA of colluding with developers to concentrate polluting industries in a corner of the city where residential yards already are contaminated by heavy metals and toxic chemicals.
* Also from Mike…
As President Joe Biden pushes the nation toward 100% carbon-free electricity to combat climate change, a coal-fired power plant in southern Illinois is one of the biggest roadblocks.
The Prairie State Generating Station is among the top 10 industrial sources of heat-trapping carbon dioxide in the United States, emitting as much as 2 million cars combined every year.
Less than a decade old, the massive electric generation plant is the brainchild of Peabody Energy, a St. Louis-based coal company that for years denied it contributes to global surges of extreme heat, wildfires, drought, flooding and rising seas.
Most of the other big U.S. coal plants still operating are at least 40 years old. They are either past or close to the end of their expected life spans. But Prairie State could keep churning out climate-changing pollution for another half-century — decades past Biden’s 2035 deadline to purge fossil fuels from the power sector, according to a new analysis published in the journal Science.
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* Press release…
The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) today reported 3,667 new confirmed and probable cases of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Illinois, including 87 additional deaths.
- Adams County: 2 males 70s
- Alexander County: 1 female 60s
- Bond County: 1 female 80s
- Brown County: 1 male 70s
- Calhoun County: 1 female 80s
- Champaign County: 1 male 70s
- Clay County: 1 male 70s
- Cook County: 2 males 40s, 1 female 50s, 1 male 60s, 1 female 70s, 1 male 70s, 1 female 80s, 2 males 80s, 1 female 90s, 1 male 90s
- Crawford County: 1 male 70s
- DeWitt County: 1 male 70s
- DuPage County: 2 males 70s, 3 males 80s, 1 female 90s
- Edgar County: 1 female 60s
- Effingham County: 1 male 50s, 1 male 70s
- Franklin County: 1 male 60s
- Hancock County: 1 female 90s
- Hardin County: 1 male 70s
- Jefferson County: 1 female 60s
- Jersey County: 1 female 70s
- Kane County: 1 female 50s, 1 female 70s, 1 female 80s
- Kankakee County: 1 female 60s
- Kendall County: 1 male 50s, 1 male 80s
- Lake County: 3 males 70s, 2 females 80s, 1 male 80s, 1 male 90s
- Lawrence County: 1 female 70s
- Livingston County: 1 female 80s
- Logan County: 1 female 70s
- Macon County: 1 female 90s
- Madison County: 1 female 60s, 1 male 60s, 1 male 80s, 1 female 90s
- McLean County: 1 male 90s
- Mercer County: 1 female 60s
- Montgomery County: 1 female 50s, 1 female 70s, 1 male 80s
- Ogle County: 1 male 80s
- Peoria County: 1 female 40s, 1 male 50s, 1 female 70s, 1 female 90s
- Perry County: 1 female 90s
- Putnam County: 1 female 70s
- Randolph County: 1 male 70s, 1 male 80s, 1 female 90s
- Rock Island County: 1 female 70s
- Saline County: 1 female 90s
- St. Clair County: 1 female 70s, 1 male 70s, 1 female 90s, 1 male 90s
- Tazewell County: 1 male 60s
- Vermilion County: 1 male 80s
- Warren County: 1 male 70s
- Will County: 1 male 60s, 1 female 80s, 1 male 80s
- Winnebago County: 1 female 60s, 1 male 70s, 1 female 80s, 1 male 80s
Currently, IDPH is reporting a total of 1,108,430 cases, including 18,883 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 69,285 specimens for a total 15,553,319. As of last night, 3,001 in Illinois were reported to be in the hospital with COVID-19. Of those, 608 patients were in the ICU and 320 patients with COVID-19 were on ventilators.
The preliminary seven-day statewide positivity for cases as a percent of total test from January 19–25, 2021 is 4.6%. The preliminary seven-day statewide test positivity from January 19–25, 2021 is 5.7%.
A total of 1,227,625 doses of vaccine have been delivered to providers in Illinois, including Chicago. In addition, approximately 537,050 doses total have been allocated to the federal government’s Pharmacy Partnership Program for long-term care facilities. This brings the total Illinois doses to 1,764,675. IDPH is currently reporting a total of 719,995 vaccines administered, including 110,403 for long-term care facilities. Yesterday, a total of 27,232 doses were administered. The 7-day rolling average of vaccines administered daily is 30,180 doses.
*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 deaths 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.
* Meanwhile…
The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) today announced Region 8 (DuPage and Kane) and Region 9 (Lake and McHenry) are moving to Tier 1 effective today. Information about which tier and phase regions are in can be found at the top of the IDPH website homepage.
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* WBEZ…
Four weeks into COVID-19 vaccinations at Illinois nursing homes, nearly 80% of the doses for the campaign are waiting for use, but the pharmacy chains performing the work say everything is going according to plan.
CVS Health and Walgreens have administered only 110,403 of the 550,050 doses that Illinois has received for residents and staff members of long-term care facilities, according to state public-health data posted Monday. […]
“The distribution of the vaccines to long-term care settings, where the most vulnerable population resides, is not fast enough and it must, must improve,” said Karen Messer, head of LeadingAge Illinois, which lobbies for 380 congregate-care sites, mostly nonprofits. […]
“You have a captive population in these facilities,” said [Dr. Ronald Hershow, who directs epidemiology and biostatistics in the University of Illinois at Chicago’s School of Public Health], who serves on a team advising IDPH on its COVID-19 responses. “It doesn’t seem like it should be as logistically difficult as [vaccinating] the general population.” […]
“Our effort to administer COVID-19 vaccine to the long-term care community in Illinois is going according to plan and in close coordination with the state,” the CVS statement said.
The feds set up this public-private partnership program without apparently making sure that Walgreens and CVS had the capability to actually fulfill their duties (typical DC during this entire farce). The state mandated that the pharmacy companies vaccinate residents/staff of skilled nursing home residents first because that’s where the greatest fatality rates are. The effort started a month ago. The pharmacy chains finally finished the first round in those skilled nursing home facilities only yesterday, according to the governor’s office. And there’s a whole lot more to go, as is evidenced by the fact that only a fifth of available doses have been administered. For them to say that things are going as planned is simply ludicrous. Nobody planned on this unconscionable delay.
The pharmacies have been so slow, in fact, that the state decided to vaccinate residents of state veterans’ homes and some DHS facilities itself rather than wait on Walgreens and CVS.
If you can’t handle the task, ask for help, for crying out loud. And stop pointing fingers and obfuscating the issue. The problem lies with y’all. Get on it.
The feds either need to immediately step in and revisit these contracts or make sure the companies get the help they need.
Ridiculous.
…Adding… Florida…
After nearly three weeks of vaccinating residents and staff at Florida long-term care facilities, CVS and Walgreens will no longer be part of those inoculations, according to an update from the state Agency for Health Care Administration.
There are more than 321,000 residents and staff at those facilities across Florida, according to the AHCA. In late December, CVS and Walgreens pharmacies were selected by the federal government to help vaccinate these vulnerable populations. However, beginning Jan. 23 vaccinations at LTCs were taken over by a state-run program.
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* AAA…
AURORA, Ill., (January 26, 2021) – As we close out January, have a few New Year’s Resolutions already gone to the wayside? If you are looking for an easy-to-stick-to resolution that will make a difference, look no further than changing the way you talk about car crashes. Namely? Stop calling them “accidents.”
Here’s why: The language we use to think about and describe things affects the value judgments we make about acceptable behavior, and as a result, the way that we behave. When we call a crash, collision, or wreck an “accident,” we imply that these tragedies are inevitable, and that they’re beyond human influence or control. After all, “accidents” happen, don’t they?
When it comes to car crashes, nothing could be further from the truth. In fact, according to comprehensive research from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), 94 percent of all crashes are the result of driver error. That means that 36,000 of the 38,800 people who lost their lives on American roadways in 2019 could still be here today if drivers made different choices. Consider also the outcomes for the 4.4 million people injured seriously enough to require hospitalization – or the billions of dollars spent on auto insurance claims, incurred losses, medical bills, and litigation each year. All told, nearly 95 percent of it could have been avoided completely.
Crashes aren’t accidents, and they don’t have to be an inevitable, acceptable fact of life. For example, nobody “accidentally” texts and drives. They choose to look at their phone while behind the wheel. The crashes may not have happened intentionally, but the causal behavior did.
In 2020 the Illinois State Police reported:
• 13,029 crashes were due to improper lane usage. This is when a driver has failed to properly stay within their lane or is weaving within their lane in an unsafe manner.
• 7,538 crashes were due to speeding. Speeding can be deadly and increases crash severity, as crash energy increases with speed. People often drive faster than the speed and our AAA Foundation’s Traffic Safety Culture Index finds that a large proportion of drivers confess to exceeding posted speed limits.
• 1,720 crashes were due to failing to yield. The purpose of right-of-way laws is to prevent conflicts resulting from one driver failing to yield and give right of way to another. All drivers are required to exercise due care to avoid a collision, and whoever has the last clear chance to avoid a collision has an obligation to do so.
This may seem pedantic, until you look at the data. According to research published in the December 2019 issue of Transportation Research Interdisciplinary Perspectives, use of the word “accident” tends to shift blame to the victims of car crashes, and prevents people from thinking about these deaths and injuries in the context of a preventable public health challenge. Importantly, the study concludes, ridding our lexicon of the word “accident” has “the potential to save human lives and prevent injury on a large scale.” That’s significant, given that road traffic crashes are a leading cause of death for people aged between 1 and 54, per the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
That potential is why NHTSA hasn’t used the word “accident” in its official communications since 1997, why Nevada lawmakers changed all statutory references from accident to crash in 2016, why the City of New York stopped using the “a-word” in 2014, and why the Associated Press Stylebook urges journalists to “avoid accident, which can be read by some as a term exonerating the person responsible.”
As we kick off the new year, Illinoisans hoping to take this important first step in preventing traffic violence can sign the pledge at CrashNotAccident.com.
“When a plane crashes, we don’t call it an ‘accident’ – in large part because we demand answers, and that it doesn’t happen again,” said Molly Hart, spokesperson for AAA – The Auto Club Group. “In 2021, let’s change our language to reflect the fact that car crashes aren’t something that just happen. They’re something we control. They’re a problem we can solve. Accidents happen, but most crashes don’t have to.”
Thoughts?
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The splintering GOP
Tuesday, Jan 26, 2021 - Posted by Rich Miller
* “Andrew Eastmond is a member of the American Enterprise Institute Leadership Network, active in Illinois Republican Party politics in Lake County where he lives, and is an airport consultant assisting large municipalities with air service development efforts at their airports.” From his Daily Herald op-ed…
The Republican Party has arrived at an inflection point where many of our policy solutions have never been more relevant to helping improve citizens’ lives but our messaging style is defined by what we are against rather than what we are for.
As we approach the critical 2022 election cycle, how do we become more relevant in the Chicago suburbs and suburbs nationwide, particularly in Democrat-leaning states, where our influence has steadily ebbed over the past half decade? What are some “first principles” that can guide us?
We need messengers who can open hearts and minds, particularly those of young people, to principles such as support of the free enterprise system, the protection of First Amendment rights, property rights and the rule of law (never more important than after the appalling events at the U.S. Capitol earlier this month by individuals who do not understand, or even care, about the norms and institutions that support our fragile democracy), benefits from free trade and globalization, the judicious use of the American military as a force for global stability, and the recognition that all individuals throughout the world are created with equal dignity in the image of God.
We also need messengers who employ fact-based reasoning and ask, “What policies will best secure all my constituents’ freedom and allow them to pursue happiness and fulfill their potential in the years to come?”
Go read the rest.
* Meanwhile, today’s email from AM 560…
You’ve probably seen the stories that some big box retailers are caving under pressure from progressives to take MyPillow products off their shelves. They want to see MyPillow and its CEO Mike Lindell canceled because of Mike’s support for President Trump, just like they are trying to cancel other conservative voices.
You can show your support for this great American company by ordering from MyPillow today. Don’t let cancel culture win!
“Conservative”…
: tending or disposed to maintain existing views, conditions, or institutions
b : marked by moderation or caution
c : marked by or relating to traditional norms of taste, elegance, style, or manners
* AP…
Lindell has continued to push bogus claims of election fraud since Trump’s loss to President-elect Joe Biden in the presidential race. MyPillow’s logo was also prominently featured on TrumpMarch.com, a website that promoted the Jan. 6 events in Washington, in which rioters stormed the Capitol.
New York Times…
In photographs captured by Jabin Botsford, a photographer for The Washington Post, Mr. Lindell held notes in his hand as he stood outside the doorway to the West Wing lobby mid-afternoon on Friday. The notes included a mention of Sidney Powell, the lawyer and conspiracy theorist whom Mr. Trump at one point wanted to offer a job in the White House.
They were only partially visible, but there was also a suggestion about invoking the Insurrection Act, by which a president can deploy active military troops into the streets, and “martial law if necessary.” One line appeared to suggest moving Kash Patel, currently the Department of Defense chief of staff and a Trump loyalist, as “C.I.A. Acting,” which seemed to indicate the top job. […]
Reached by phone, Mr. Lindell said that he was carrying notes supplied to him by a lawyer he was working with to try to prove that Mr. Trump was the true winner of the 2020 election. He would not identify the lawyer.
“The attorney said, can you bring these to him,” Mr. Lindell said. ”It was stuff to help the American people.”
Maybe we need a different word.
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* SW News Herald…
Arguably the most powerful state politician in Illinois history, State Rep. Michael J. Madigan (D-22nd) left his constituents speculating about his future last week, in the wake of news that he failed to muster enough votes to be re-elected as speaker of the state House of Representatives.
A Greater Southwest News-Herald request for comment went unanswered last week, but voters outside the Walgreens at 71st and Pulaski—just blocks from Madigan’s longtime political headquarters—were filled with what they said were answers.
“He’s slick, he’s smooth and he’s not going anywhere,” Jose Salgado said. “He’s going from being the man on the throne to the man behind the throne. I think [new House Speaker] Chris Welch was Madigan’s Plan B. Madigan saw he didn’t have the votes [to be re-elected speaker], so he put forth one of his lieutenants as a proxy. Madigan still has plenty of power. Don’t let anyone kid you with these ‘end of an era’ pronouncements.
“Madigan knows what his next move is, but he hasn’t said what it is because he’s holding his cards close to his vest,” Salgado added. “No one plays political poker as well as he does.” […]
“The Hammer’s still pounding,” [Francisco Salgado] said, using Madigan’s longtime nickname, the Velvet Hammer (referring to Madigan’s reputation for pounding his political opponents quietly and with finesse). “If anything, he’s going to pound his enemies even more quietly, now that he can do it through Welch. I think [Governor JB Pritzker] and everyone who tried to force Madigan out are in for a pounding.” […]
“What does every politician do after their career in a legislature is over?” [Keith McGuane] asked rhetorically. “He registers as a lobbyist; and then oh boy, that’s when they really cash in. Aldermen do it. Congressmen do it. I’ll bet Madigan does it, too. This is a man with options. And if he can get past this ComEd investigation, his next address is Easy Street.”
I think he already lives on that street.
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ComEd-related defendants: Nevermind
Tuesday, Jan 26, 2021 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Jon Seidel…
Members of former House Speaker Michael Madigan’s inner circle have mostly withdrawn their request for information about the grand jury that handed up a 50-page indictment against them last November.
Madigan confidant Michael McClain, former ComEd CEO Anne Pramaggiore, onetime ComEd vice president John Hooker and ex-City Club President Jay Doherty have all pleaded not guilty in response to that indictment, which accused them of a long-term bribery scheme designed to curry favor with the once powerful legislative leader. Madigan has not been charged and has denied wrongdoing.
Last month, defense attorneys for the group questioned whether the grand jurors who handed up the indictment “were representative of the community” and noted that the COVID-19 pandemic “has had a disparate impact on different groups.” They asked for details about the race, religion, sex, gender, ethnicity, year of birth, ZIP code, income and occupation of all grand jury members.
Earlier this month, though, Assistant U.S. Attorney Amarjeet Bhachu wrote in a court filing that the grand jury was impaneled more than a year before the pandemic took hold, and “no additional jurors have been selected to serve on this grand jury since the time it was impaneled.”
More here.
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Google is your friend
Tuesday, Jan 26, 2021 - Posted by Rich Miller
* WMBD TV…
MATT SHEEHAN: Before being the speaker of the house, you represented Illinois’ 7th District in Chicago in Cook County. For those in Central Illinois who haven’t seen you very much these last couple of years, what should they know about you and how are you going to work for them as well?
SPEAKER WELCH: I’m not from Chicago, I’m not from downstate, I like to say I’m the guy in the middle. I’m the bridge to both to make us one Illinois. If you look at me, and my leadership team I’ve rolled out, that leadership team is reflective of our state. I live by a motto a high school teacher told me years ago, “People may doubt what you say, but they believe what you do.” I don’t want you to listen to anything I’m saying to you, I want you to watch my actions. We’re going to bring this state together and work collaboratively to move us forward, work together to improve Illinois.
Welch’s district does not contain a single Chicago precinct.
…Adding… Again, Google is your friend. Welch has introduced his own Fair Maps bill. It’s not just a GOP/Pritzker thing…
MATT SHEEHAN: Illinois GOP lawmakers pushed for this fair maps proposal in 2018, according to the northwest herald. Gov. Pritzker was quoted saying he does support the end of gerrymandering district to promote more competitive elections. Do you agree with the governor on this, and is there any chance we see this fair maps proposal becoming a reality?
SPEAKER WELCH: I believe in fair maps, but my definition of fair maps might be different than what Gov. Pritzker’s definition is, what the Illinois GOP’s definition is. We have to get everyone around the table and at least have an open and transparent process. I think a fair map has to be reflective of the diverse population of this state. The population has to drive what happens here, and diversity is our strength, and our diversity should show up in our map. If that’s not reflective in our map, that’s not a fair map in my opinion, but again, others may differ. We have to be willing to listen to all views and have an open and transparent process and I’m willing to do that.
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Open thread
Tuesday, Jan 26, 2021 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Keep the convo strictly Illinois-centric and do your best to be nice to each other. Thanks.
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* Greg Hinz…
Armed with a somewhat revised pitch and what appears to be a growing need for state financing, the developer of the proposed One Central mega-development on air rights west of Soldier Field is offering a more detailed version of his plan at a virtual community meeting sponsored by Ald. Pat Dowell, 3rd, this evening.
The $20 billion proposal surely is far reaching, even as the COVID-19 pandemic raises questions about the desirability of living and working in the central city. Little had been heard about the proposal for the last year and a half. […]
Neither Pritzker, whose administration backed legislation authorizing Build Illinois infrastructure lending for such a program, nor Lightfoot, who would have to approve zoning and other matters, had any immediate comment on the current version of the proposal. […]
Included is a request to build up to 22.3 million square feet of apartments, shopping and a transit center on 31 acres decked over Lake Shore Drive and Metra Electric tracks, all funded in part by $6.5 billion in state financing.
* I reached out for a response from the governor’s office…
With the pandemic’s economic turmoil upending state budgets around the country, it would be a challenge for any state to provide the significant amount this developer is seeking. The state faces tremendous challenges and our efforts will focus on rebuilding in the aftermath of the pandemic, supporting residents hardest hit by the disease and helping small businesses get back on their feet.
Background…
The state previously took action that would only permit the developer to seek federal funding; had the state not taken action in the FY20 budget, the developer would have been locked out of significant federal grant dollars. However, the state did not commit any funding to the project.
The developer has not shared a transit study with the state that would demonstrate the need for a transit hub.
City approvals would be required before the state could move forward.
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Careful what you wish for
Monday, Jan 25, 2021 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Daily Herald…
Rep. Terra Costa-Howard said her understanding is that a group of Democrats will put forward suggested rules.
“In terms of (power) coming back to members I think that is going to be a discussion,” said the Democrat from Glen Ellyn.
A major change backed by suburban lawmakers from both sides of the aisle would ensure that certain bills make it to the House floor, especially if those bills carry bipartisan support.
“If a bill has a certain number of sponsors, that bill should get a vote. We could set some threshold,” said Rep. Thomas Morrison, a Republican from Palatine. “Maybe 10 sponsors or a certain number of bipartisan sponsors and those should be at least given a chance to get a committee hearing.”
Ten sponsors and they get a committee hearing? Yeah, that won’t clog things up at all.
…Adding… Walker in comments…
With unlimited bills allowed to be filed (there are 5000+ now), and as few as 10 sponsors required to move a bill to committee vote and the floor, a small minority could bring the legislature to an effective halt for a year with minor bills and amendments.
We need a very controlled release of pressure, with a system with well-designed valves.
He knows whereof he speaks.
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Question of the day
Monday, Jan 25, 2021 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Chicago’s vaccination Phase 1b…
People 65 years of age and older: People 65 years of age and older; where possible, prioritizing Chicagoans 75 years and older and Chicagoans age 65-74 with underlying medical conditions
Non-healthcare residential settings: Homeless shelters, women’s shelters, adult day care programs, correctional settings (jail officers, juvenile facility staff, workers providing in-person support, detainees), and other non-healthcare residential settings that have experienced outbreaks (e.g. convents)
First Responders: Fire, law enforcement, 911 workers, security personnel, school officers
Grocery Store Workers: Baggers, cashiers, stockers, pick-up, customer service, those working in feeding or at food pantries
Education: Teachers, principals, student support, and student aides at pre-K-12 schools, day care staff
Public Transit Workers: Bus drivers, train conductors, flight crews, taxi drivers and ride sharing services (workers that have worked an average of at least 20 hours per week for the last three months), and all persons working for local transit agencies unable to work from home
Manufacturing: Industrial production of goods for distribution to retail, wholesale or other manufacturers
Food and Agriculture: Processing plants, veterinary health, livestock services, animal care, greenhouses and indoor locations where food is grown en masse
Government: U.S. Postal Service Workers; City government leaders and City elected officials critical to maintain continuity of governmental operations and services
* Tribune…
Chicago Public Schools unveiled its coronavirus vaccination plan for teachers Friday, saying the district will start providing doses to staff members in mid-February.
* Press release…
Mayor Lori E. Lightfoot and the Chicago Department of Public Health (CDPH), alongside elected officials and community partners, announced new initiatives today to address racial equity in the COVID-19 response and vaccine distribution, with early data estimates demonstrating low vaccination rates among Black and Latinx Chicagoans. As Chicago moves into Phase 1b of the vaccination effort, City leaders outlined further efforts to bolster the equity plan to ensure that vaccine reaches the individuals and communities most impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.
* Teachers and others will have to wait, but on the very first day of eligibility, Mayor Lightfoot (age 58) got her shot…
* The Question: In your opinion, is it appropriate for the mayor to have received her vaccination on the first day of eligibility? Take the poll and then explain your answer in comments, please…
bike trail guide
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Durkin’s new leadership team
Monday, Jan 25, 2021 - Posted by Rich Miller
* From the House GOP Leader…
* Press release…
State Rep. David Allen Welter, R-Morris, has been appointed House Republican Conference Chairperson for the 102nd General Assembly. At age 29, Welter joins Rep. Avery Bourne R-Morrisonville, as the youngest members of the House leadership team. Welter has represented Illinois’ 75th District since July 2016 serving portions of Grundy, Kendall, LaSalle and Will Counties.
Rep. Welter issued the following statement upon his appointment:
“I am honored to have been selected to join the House Republican Leadership Team. I believe Leader Durkin has shown he is committed to not just the future of our party but also our state with his announcement today. I look forward to using my influence to advocate for a broad energy package which will make Illinois a leader in competitive and reliable energy for generations to come. If we choose to lead together, both Democrats and Republicans, there is no challenge we cannot face, no obstacle we cannot overcome if we are united for the common good. I have shown to be effective working across the aisle, and I will continue to do that when I believe it benefits our area and our state.”
Rep. Welter’s ’s appointment was announced on Monday by House Minority Leader Jim Durkin, R-Western Springs: “As the former Grundy County Chairman at the age of 23, David has proven to be a longstanding advocate for the principles of the House Republican caucus and the values of his district. David recently was involved in the House investigations on the deadly outbreak at the LaSalle Veterans Home. His thorough questioning of the Illinois Department of Veterans Affairs has pushed the investigation into the right direction. We look forward to David bringing that dedication and energy to the House Republican Leadership team.”
Prior to his appointment to the Illinois General Assembly in 2016, Welter served as Chairman of the Grundy County Board, to which he was first elected in 2010. His private sector experience includes work as the Human Resources Manager for Illinois Truck & Equipment. Welter is also currently a licensed real estate agent practicing in Morris.
Rep. Welter resides in Morris with his wife, Ashley, and their three children.
Keep an eye on that young man.
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* Press release…
The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) today reported 2,944 new confirmed and probable cases of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Illinois, including 49 additional deaths.
- Boone County: 1 male 60s
- Coles County: 1 male 70s
- Cook County: 1 male 40s, 2 males 50s, 3 females 60s, 2 males 60s, 2 females 70s, 2 females 80s, 2 males 80s, 1 female 90s, 3 males 90s
- DeKalb County: 1 female 80s
- DuPage County: 1 male 60s, 2 females 70s, 1 male 70s, 1 male 90s
- Fulton County: 1 male 80s
- Henry County: 1 male 90s
- Kane County: 1 female 50s, 1 male 50s, 1 male 70s, 1 female 80s, 1 male 80s
- Lake County: 2 males 50s, 1 female 60s
- Macoupin County: 1 female 80s
- Madison County: 1 female 60s, 1 female 90s
- McHenry County: 1 female 60s, 1 male 70s
- McLean County: 1 female 70s
- Peoria County: 1 male 60s
- Randolph County: 1 male 70s
- Sangamon County: 1 male 60s
- St. Clair County: 1 female 80s
- Tazewell County: 1 female 90s
- Will County: 1 male 80s
- Winnebago County: 1 male 90s
Currently, IDPH is reporting a total of 1,104,763 cases, including 18,798 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 74,202 specimens for a total 15,484,034. As of last night, 2,962 in Illinois were reported to be in the hospital with COVID-19. Of those, 601 patients were in the ICU and 302 patients with COVID-19 were on ventilators.
The preliminary seven-day statewide positivity for cases as a percent of total test from January 18–24, 2021 is 4.7%. The preliminary seven-day statewide test positivity from January 18–24, 2021 is 5.8%.
A total of 1,112,725 doses of vaccine have been delivered to providers in Illinois, including Chicago. In addition, approximately 550,050 doses total have been allocated to the federal government’s Pharmacy Partnership Program for long-term care facilities. This brings the total Illinois doses to 1,662,775. IDPH is currently reporting a total of 692,763 vaccines administered, including 110,403 for long-term care facilities. Yesterday, a total of 11,290 doses were administered. The 7-day rolling average of vaccines administered daily is 28,171 doses.
If all the mitigation metrics continue to improve, regions 8 and 9 will move into Tier 1 on Tuesday, January 26, 2021.
*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.
* Press release…
The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) today announced Region 1 (Boone, Carroll, DeKalb, Jo Daviess, Lee, Ogle, Stephenson, Whiteside, Winnebago) and Region 2 (Bureau, Fulton, Grundy, Henderson, Henry, Kendall, Knox, La Salle, Livingston, Marshall, McDonough, McLean, Mercer, Peoria, Putnam, Rock Island, Stark, Tazewell, Warren, Woodford) are moving to Phase 4 of the Restore Illinois Plan effective today. Information about which tier and phase regions are in can be found at the top of the IDPH website homepage.
*** UPDATE *** Press release…
Building on the state’s progress as it moves into the early stages of Phase 1B of the COVID-19 Vaccination Administration Plan, Governor JB Pritzker announced a new portal on coronavirus.illinois.gov to provide residents with easily accessible information about the COVID-19 vaccine. Coronavirus.illinois.gov will provide eligible residents with nearby vaccination sites, information on how to make an appointment to receive the vaccine, updates on the state’s plan and eligibility, and answers to frequently asked questions about the COVID-19 vaccine.
“Today, as we launch the newest phase of our Vaccine Administration Plan for frontline essential workers and those 65 and over, I’m proud to announce our statewide vaccination site locator, searchable by zip code and city, at coronavirus.illinois.gov,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “This site will serve as a hub of all vaccine-related information, directing residents to the appointment booking homepages of our 97 local health departments and our pharmacy partners, which will total hundreds of locations statewide. That also includes information on our first Illinois National Guard mass vaccination site, opening tomorrow at Tinley Park Convention Center, and will be updated as more state-run sites and hundreds of additional local options come online. As federal supply is currently limited and every state in the nation is facing a shortage, I urge all eligible Illinoisans to check back regularly for available appointments – and in the meantime, mask up, keep our distance, wash our hands, and remember we’ll stay healthy and safe if we look out for each other.”
Beginning today, Walgreens is providing vaccines at 92 sites across the state, eligible residents can schedule an appointment here. Jewel-Osco will begin vaccinating eligible residents tomorrow and the link to schedule an appointment is now live and can be found here.
Over the next few days, additional pharmacy partners will be coming online and opening registration for appointments. Taken together, these pharmacy partners will provide hundreds of sites in every region of the state.
Over 3.2 million Illinoisans are eligible for Phase 1B. Eligible residents will be able to receive a vaccine at one of the Illinois National Guard (ILNG) assisted sites, at a site operated by a local health department, or at a partner pharmacy.
At this time, these sites will be available by appointment only. As the federal supply of vaccines increases and Illinois receives more vaccine, the state will launch walk-in locations and expand sites to additional providers like doctor’s offices and urgent care clinics. More information about those locations will be released in the coming weeks.
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Good advice, so pass it along
Monday, Jan 25, 2021 - Posted by Rich Miller
* And Arnold Schwarzenegger’s advice goes way beyond COVID-19 and vaccines…
I always say you should know your strengths and listen to the experts. If you want to learn about building biceps, listen to me, because I’ve spent my life studying how to get the perfect peak and I have been called the greatest bodybuilder of all time. We all have different specialties.
Dr. Fauci and all of the virologists and epidemiologists and doctors have studied diseases and vaccines for their entire lives, so I listen to them and I urge you to do the same. None of us are going to learn more than them by watching a few hours of videos. It’s simple: if your house in on fire, you don’t go on YouTube, you call the damn fire department. If you have a heart attack, you don’t check your Facebook group, you call an ambulance. If 9 doctors tell you you have cancer and need to treat it or you will die, and 1 doctor says the cancer will disappear, you should always side with the 9. In this case, virtually all of the real experts around the world are telling us the vaccine is safe and some people on Facebook are saying it isn’t.
In general, I think if the circle of people you trust gets smaller and smaller and you find yourself more and more isolated, it should be a warning sign that you’re going down a rabbit hole of misinformation. Some people say it is weak to listen to experts. That’s bogus. It takes strength to admit you don’t know everything. Weakness is thinking you don’t need expert advice and only listening to sources that confirm what you want to believe.
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* Vox…
The Supreme Court announced on Monday that it will not hear a bloc of several cases that threatened to impose dire financial penalties on public sector unions. The cases all involved unions that charged fees to non-members that were legal at the time the unions collected those fees, but were later declared illegal by the Supreme Court in Janus v. AFSCME (2018) (we’ll call that case “Janus I”).
It’s easy to overread the significance of the Court’s decision not to hear a particular case. When the Court denies review of a lower court’s decision, that does not necessarily mean that a majority of the Court agreed with that decision.
Nevertheless, the anti-union cases that the Court decided not to hear on Monday were only the most recent in a train of cases targeting the finances of public sector unions. The Court’s decision to turn these latest cases aside suggests that, even with a 6-3 Republican majority, a majority of the justices believe they have done enough to prevent unions from collecting fees that the Court’s right flank finds objectionable.
The arguments presented by the plaintiffs in these cases, one of which was a continuation of the Janus case itself (we’ll call that one “Janus II”), were quite radical. As a federal appeals court explained in one of these cases, “the Rule of Law requires that parties abide by, and be able to rely on, what the law is,” not what the law may become in the future.
And yet the plaintiffs in these cases sought to impose potentially debilitating financial consequences on unions that complied with the law — only to have the Supreme Court change the law after the unions complied with it.
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Carjacking as a means to “social media fame”?
Monday, Jan 25, 2021 - Posted by Rich Miller
* I’ve been wondering about this because the jacked cars aren’t normally being used for anything else. They’re taken and then dumped, sometimes at the scene of another carjacking. According to the ISP, some of this activity is a bizarre form of online entertainment…
In the first 21 days of 2021, there have been 166 carjackings, Deenihan told members of the City Council’s Public Safety Committee on Friday, which held a hearing that lasted more than five hours. Arrests have been made in connection with 65% of those incidents — and most of those facing charges are between 15 and 20 years old.
“Overall, the biggest spike we see right now is people taking cars, driving around for eight or 10 hours, then dumping the car,” Deenihan said.
Some of those thefts are motivated by a desire for social media fame, where videos of teens and young adults speeding in stolen cars while being pursued by police cruisers draw thousands of views, Illinois State Police Col. David Byrd said.
The online videos would appear to explain the high arrest rate.
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* CBS 2…
Delores Garner says a team of Chicago police officers burst into her home, executing a search warrant in August of 2019. But, they raided the wrong home she says and left a trail of destruction behind.
“They broke through this door,” she said while showing it no longer locks.
Garner says officers also damaged property inside her home, including a television, mattress, bathroom vanity and her granddaughter’s iPad. It cost her thousands of dollars.
“I have not gotten a dime,” said Garner about the city not compensating her. She said she even tried to file an insurance claim, which was denied because the damage was from a police raid.
This raid at Garner’s home was unlike any of the other botched raids CBS 2 Investigators have exposed since 2018.
Garner’s home is not in Chicago. She lives in suburban Calumet City.
The complaint for search warrant shows how a bad tip from a confidential informant led to Chicago officers getting a warrant approved by the Cook County State’s Attorney’s office and a Cook County Circuit Court judge too. The warrant gave officers the authority to cross into another city looking for a marijuana dealer. […]
CPD does not track these raids to determine if any are wrong raids resulting from officers’ failing to verify they have the correct address before getting a warrant. One of many systemic problems, exposed by CBS 2 Investigators, which led to a consent decree enforcement action demanding CPD make significant search warrant related reforms.
City officials failed to respond to the enforcement action, said lawyers for the consent decree. They filed a motion earlier this month, asking a federal judge to intervene.
1) The police routinely use tips from “confidential informants” to obtain search warrants, yet the police union staunchly opposes allowing the public to submit confidential complaints about police officers.
2) Why is the Cook County State’s Attorney signing off on these warrants?
* Meanwhile, here’s the Rockford Register-Star…
A portion of a more than 760-page criminal justice reform bill approved by the General Assembly would expand the powers of the state to decertify police officers for misconduct.
Until now, a police officer had to be convicted of a felony or certain misdemeanors, such as offering a bribe, prostitution or criminal sex abuse, to lose certification needed to practice law enforcement in Illinois.
If the bill is signed into law by Gov. JB Pritzker, that would change starting in 2022 by providing the Illinois Law Enforcement Training and Standards Board with expanded powers to weed out bad cops if a review panel finds there was misconduct without requiring a conviction. […]
An officer could be decertified if it is determined they committed a felony or a disqualifying misdemeanor, even if they were never convicted or charged, under the bill. Other actions that could result in an officer being decertified include using excessive force; failing to intervene when another officer uses excessive force; tampering with dashboard cameras, body cameras or evidence; and committing perjury or engaging in “unprofessional conduct” such as deceiving or harming the public.
The state board could receive complaints from police agencies, state’s attorneys or the public about police misconduct. The board would conduct a hearing before a newly created Certification Review Panel to determine if decertification is warranted if an investigation finds the complaints are valid.
* News-Gazette…
Supporters also dismissed the notion that the bill was a last-minute surprise. They contended they held multiple virtual meetings in recent months to hear from interested parties, their point being that everyone was up to speed on the bill if they wanted to be.
But Champaign County State’s Attorney Julia Rietz, who testified at one virtual meeting, challenged that claim.
“There is a big difference between saying, ‘We will let you talk’ and ‘We will let you participate in the decision-making,’” she said.
If you want in on the final decision-making powers of the Illinois General Assembly, then run for the House or the Senate. Only the governor has a veto.
*** UPDATE *** Lee Gaines at Illinois Public Media…
Between 2016 and 2019, UIPD arrested more than 3,700 people, according to data obtained via a Freedom of Information request. These arrests include everything from traffic tickets, ordering them to appear in court but releasing them on the scene to physically taking them to jail. Broken down by race, Black people account for about 29% of total arrests, while white people make up 42% of arrests; Asian individuals make up 22% of arrests and Hispanic people account for only about 6% of total arrests.
But during the same time period, more than half (54%) of the 576 people physically taken to jail by UIPD were Black — while only about a third (34%) were white. Black students, however, make up only about 7% of the student body on the campus, and Black people account for about 12% of the metro population, according to Census estimates.
Of those issued traffic tickets or ordered to appear in court, about 24% were Black; while white people accounted for about 43%.
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Ask an expert
Monday, Jan 25, 2021 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Sun-Times…
Navigating the “pros and the cons of the Madigan legacy” could be the greatest challenge, said Chris Mooney, a professor of state politics at the University of Illinois-Chicago.
Mooney views Welch’s Madigan-related challenges in two ways.
On the one hand, “people will hold Madigan up as the standard in terms of electoral success,” Mooney said.
Welch will be judged on how well he can emulate that political prowess — but escape “the negative side of Madigan, the toxic work environment of the Statehouse.
“I mean it’s been toxic for as long as I’ve been around and certainly long before that, and a lot of that is fueled by hyper partisanship,” the UIC professor said. “And a lot of it flowed from Mike Madigan’s personality — very close to the vest, very uptight, very, you know, very paranoid, you know, not friendly, he’s on everybody’s case.”
If he had created a toxic work environment for most of his members and was unfriendly to them and always on their case, he wouldn’t have been Speaker for a kabillion years. Just sayin…
The cartoon version of Mike Madigan will long outlive Mike Madigan.
* Meanwhile…
Edgar said former Gov. Bruce Rauner, a fellow Republican whose stubbornness to compromise led to a two-year budget standoff with Madigan and other Democrats in the General Assembly, should shoulder more of the blame for the state’s latest budget problems. Those problems include a $3.9 billion shortfall in the current fiscal year.
And regarding Madigan’s role in the pension debt, Edgar said: “The pensions were screwed up before Mike Madigan and I came to Springfield. I don’t think he led the charge to make the pensions bad. … I don’t think you can blame him for it any more than anyone else in Springfield.”
When asked whether Madigan was corrupt, Edgar responded that he will be amazed if Madigan is indicted in the ComEd scandal.
“It depends on your definition of corruption,” Edgar said. “Did he do anything Illegal? … Madigan was always very careful.”
Keep in mind that Edgar has been out of power for 22 years.
Your thoughts?
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Musical chairs
Monday, Jan 25, 2021 - Posted by Rich Miller
* WGLT…
A former Logan County clerk has been chosen to fill out the rest of state Sen. Bill Brady’s term.
Sally Turner of Beason was chosen over the weekend from a field of nine applicants, said McLean County Republican Party chair Connie Beard. The decision by county GOP chairs was unanimous, she said.
Turner served six terms as Logan County clerk and now works in government consulting.
Beard said Turner is a “solid conservative Republican” with “great interest in veterans affairs, election security and law, state budgets and spending controls.”
Brady was appointed to the Senate in 2002 when John Maitland retired.
Sen. Turner’s spouse is former Rep. John Turner, who was appointed to the Illinois Appellate Court in 2001 to fill the Rita Garman vacancy. Jonathan Wright was appointed to fill out the rest of Turner’s House term and then used that as a springboard to successfully run for Logan County State’s Attorney in 2002. He ran for US Senate two years later and finished fifth in the GOP primary.
* Sun-Times…
Committeepeople in a North Side state senator’s district say they’re committed to an open and “transparent process” for picking a replacement, but some in that district say the plan for picking a successor leaves out voters.
Leni Manaa-Hoppenworth, a co-coordinator of the Indivisible chapter, Indivisble IL-9, that encompasses Andersonville and Edgewater — part of Indivisible Illinois, which was founded in 2016 to push back on former President Donald Trump’s agenda — said the process of picking who will serve out the remaining two years in Sen. Heather Steans’ term shuts independent voices out.
“The process leaves behind the voters,” Manaa-Hoppenworth said. “It shuts out … people and independent voices. And who, instead, has the power to give that elected office to a person is a very select few people; they’re political insiders.” […]
Harry Osterman, who represents the 48th Ward as its alderman and committeeperson, said Sunday, while he respects the opinions of Indivisible 9, “The responsibility of the committee is to fill the Senate seat.”
“Given that the state has the challenges it does, I think it’s important that we find the right person who can take [Steans’] place,” Osterman said. “This is a year where redistricting is going to take place. I think having a strong voice representing our communities is going to be critical, and the reality also is that, in probably 10 months, there’ll be petitions on the street where candidates can run for the senate seat … I think residents who live in our communities are going to decide, now and in the future, that we get it right.”
Ald. Osterman was appointed to the House when then-Rep. Carol Ronen was appointed to the Senate.
* Politico…
More candidates are staking claims for seats opening — or potentially opening up — in the General Assembly. State Sen. Heather Steans is stepping down from her 7th District seat, prompting Democratic Party leaders to seek applications. The due date is Jan. 31. Mike Simmons, a Black business owner in Uptown, is putting his name in the hat, joining Rep. Kelly Cassidy, who’s already signaled her interest. Simmons owns Blue Sky Strategies, a firm that develops anti-racist public policy, and he works full time at the Obama Foundation as deputy director of the youth program, My Brother’s Keeper.
… Should Cassidy win Steans’ seat, the 14th District House seat opens up. It’s already prompted a number of up and coming Democrats to prepare to apply. Also interested: Tom Elliott, who owns his own political consulting firm and previously served as comms director for Democrat Daniel Biss’ bid for governor. Elliott also has worked with state Senate Democrats in past political races. Like Simmons, Elliott also is part of the LGBTQ community, which is a large part of Steans’ and Cassidy’s districts… And Angela Inzano is talking to community members and Democratic committee people about the 14th District seat too. Inzano is director of Advocacy & Engagement at the Chicago Bar Foundation and was part of the Illinois Women’s Institute for Leadership Training Academy in 2018.
Rep. Cassidy was appointed to the House when Harry Osterman was elected to the Chicago City Council.
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* My weekly syndicated newspaper column…
House Speaker Michael Madigan avoided calling the General Assembly back into session during the pandemic for several reasons, many of them having to do with himself.
But new Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch told me earlier this month that “The legislature is back in business. We’re going to work in 2021.”
“We’re going to probably use the BOS Center for a little while,” Welch said of the Springfield convention center that the House has been meeting in. “But that’s a pretty costly place. So we’re also trying to explore how to safely transition back into the Capitol. There will probably be a hybrid version of remote committees and limited things at the Capitol, but we’re about to go back to work.”
The remote legislating bill failed to pass both chambers during the recent lame duck session, but Welch said there are some new things they can do, “And we can do it pretty quickly if we’re actually working.”
Here are some more highlights from my interview:
* Chief of Staff: The new Speaker said he’s asked Madigan’s chief of staff Jessica Basham to stay on through the end of the remap process and she has agreed. Basham has been diligently studying the remap process for the past two years, but she is also Madigan’s former appropriations director, which is crucial knowledge and experience to have during what looks to be a possibly horrific budget-making process.
“I’m looking forward to working with Jessica,” Welch said. “I think she’s been a great chief of staff. She knows this process and I’m going to lean on her as well. And I think everyone would understand the need to have a transition period. You don’t come in a door and immediately start making changes, especially when three days ago you didn’t even expect to be in the position.”
* Speaking of the Remap: Welch told reporters after he was elected Speaker that he supports “Fair Maps.” I asked how committed he actually is to the concept of redistricting reform.
“I’ve believed in fair maps since I’ve been in the legislature,” Welch said. “And so we’re going to begin that process. We’re going to work with Democrats and Republicans, we’re gonna work with the Senate, we’re gonna work with the governor. Because my definition of fair maps may be different from what everyone else’s is. So, we have to do this in partnership. Remember that if we’re not doing this in partnership, we already have a difficult task ahead of us, it’s only going to get more difficult if we don’t do this with all the voices around the table.”
* New Rules?: Speaker Welch said he wants to talk with his members before making any decisions on new House rules, “because I heard a lot about that in my conversations,” with House Democrats during his election.
“After I talk to the members, I’ll reach out to [Jim] Durkin,” he said of the House Republican leader. Welch said he will “take a quick, hard look” at the rules “and make changes where we deem appropriate.”
* Campaign Structure: The House Republicans years ago separated their government staff from their campaign staff. Madigan never followed suit. The House Democrats’ Issues Staff does double-duty on campaigns. Does he plan to change that?
“We’re talking through with a number of folks getting guidance, and we’ll see how things go,” Welch said.
“I want to say this,” Welch continued, “because there’s 73 Democrats in the House. Two years ago, we had 74. That’s a super-majority. So Madigan was doing something right. And his structure was doing something right. And so we’re not gonna throw the baby out with the bathwater.
“What we’re gonna do is take a good system and add a little polish to it, and fine-tune it and add some modern touches to it, give it a little bit more transparency. But we’re gonna do some things that are already being done because they’re proven things that elect Democrats.”
Welch said he hasn’t yet talked with Madigan about control of the caucus’ Democratic Majority PAC, “but that’s on the agenda.”
* Madigan: Asked if Madigan had left him a letter of advice like many governors do for their successors, Welch said he hadn’t.
“But you know, he is available to me, we’ve sat and talked twice,” Welch said. “And both of those conversations have been very helpful to me already.
“He has told me to call him for advice on anything I need. And trust me, with his type of knowledge, I’m gonna do that. I’m gonna lean on that institution.”
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