* Rep. Spain replaces Rep. Tony McCombie, who challenged House GOP Leader Jim Durkin’s reelection. Press release…
Of the two positions in Illinois House Republican leadership elected by legislators, State Representative Ryan Spain won the Chairmanship of the campaign arm of the organization in a unanimous vote on Tuesday night for the 2022 cycle. Spain will guide campaign operations from candidate recruitment to fundraising. Last cycle, Spain served on the House Republican Organization’s Executive Board, which saw House Republicans gain ground under the tenure of Republican Leader Jim Durkin.
“I thank my colleagues for their vote of confidence as we look to build upon our successes from the last cycle,” stated State Representative Ryan Spain. “To be clear, I am taking on this role with the sole purpose of making Republicans the majority party in the Illinois House in the election following the remap.”
In the 2020 election cycle, House Republicans surpassed expectations, defeating four incumbent Democrats. While HRO was vastly outspent, Spain helped build hundreds of individual contributors to HRO for the first time in years. In the upcoming redistricting cycle, Republicans have fresh opportunities to win in areas voters rejected the progressive income tax amendment.
“I am excited to have Ryan Spain take the helm at the HRO,” said House Republican Leader Jim Durkin. “Ryan’s ascent within the caucus and General Assembly has been remarkable. Ryan is dedicated to our mission of gaining the majority, and he will serve the party well.”
Ryan Spain has served as State Representative of the 73rd District since January 2017, following State Representative David Leitch’s retirement. The 73rd District encompasses portions of Bureau, LaSalle, Marshall, Peoria, Stark, and Woodford counties.
A Cook County judge has dealt state Rep. Thaddeus Jones another setback in his quest to become mayor of Calumet City.
The judge’s ruling may apply to any Illinois town where citizens want to prevent elected officials from becoming “double dippers” by also serving as state lawmakers, said Burt Odelson, city attorney for Calumet City and an expert in Illinois election law.
“When the appellate court upholds this, you’re going to see other communities changing their form of government so they don’t have double dippers doing this,” Odelson said.
Cal City Mayor Michelle Qualkinbush has been battling with Rep. Jones for a very long time. Jones wants to be the city’s first African-American mayor. Qualkinbush and Odelson have been using every trick in the book to keep him off the ballot. For instance…
In 2016, the Calumet City City Council voted to place three referendum questions on ballots. The question seemed aimed at rendering Jones ineligible to run for mayor in 2017. Jones pursued a constitutional challenge in federal court, but judges rejected his arguments.
* Well, Odelson’s prediction was wrong because the appellate court sided with Rep. Jones today, ordering that Jones’ name must be placed on the mayoral ballot. Click here for the order.
* Meanwhile, during last month’s lame duck session, Rep. Jones complained bitterly during debate that a bill he passed in 2019 to install special cameras on expressways to combat shootings had not yet been implemented by IDOT. During his remarks, he called for Illinois Transportation Secretary Omer Osman to resign.
Press release…
The Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) announced today it will provide $12.5 million to the Illinois State Police (ISP) for the purchase and installation of automated license plate readers (ALPR) and software to aid in the investigation of Cook County expressway shootings. ALPR installations at 47 locations will include specialized cameras to read the license plate numbers of vehicles moving in traffic. The installations will also include a communication system to backhaul the video images to a central location where additional software is used to query and match license plates to existing license plate and vehicle databases. This will help agents investigating expressway shootings.
“No one should feel afraid for their life or safety on Illinois expressways, and I’ve directed my administration to work collaboratively and creatively to ensure we have assets in place to protect the public,” Governor JB Pritzker said. “Tamara Clayton’s tragic death must not be forgotten, and we must do everything we can to prevent more expressway shootings.”
“The ISP welcomes this important step toward expanding force-multiplying technology we have long needed to protect the public,” said Illinois State Police Director Brendan F. Kelly. “With funding secured, the next step is to execute the plan, and start collecting the evidence we need to detect and deter crime on our interstates.”
“Making sure Illinois highways are as safe as possible always is our No. 1 priority at IDOT,” said Acting Illinois Transportation Secretary Omer Osman. “This agreement, made possible through the efforts of the General Assembly and Gov. Pritzker, is another step in that direction. We look forward to continuing our partnership with ISP and law enforcement throughout the state in finding new ways to protect the public.”
The $12.5 million grant from IDOT will cover the costs of engineering, permitting, and labor associated with the purchase and installation of readers, controllers, servers/software, electrical power, and communications equipment required to install ALPR systems. The maintenance of the ALPR systems for up to two years is also included in this agreement.
The Tamara Clayton Expressway Camera Act (Expressway Camera Act) was signed into law on July 12, 2019 and became effective on Jan. 1, 2020. On Feb. 4, 2019, Ms. Clayton was on her way to work when she was tragically shot and killed while driving on Interstate 57 near Cicero Avenue. ISP investigators responded and the investigation into her death remains open and ongoing. The Expressway Camera Act requires the ISP, IDOT, and Illinois State Toll Highway Authority (ISTHA) to conduct a program to increase the number of cameras along expressways in Cook County. The images from these cameras will not be used for petty offenses, such as speeding.
“Today is a victory for Tamara Clayton and her family,” said Rep. Thaddeus Jones, who sponsored the bill. “By implementing this camera technology, we are not going to stop the number of shootings on the expressways; however, this technology will be used as a tool to catch those people who are using our expressways as their own personal shooting range. We have had enough these senseless shootings,” he concluded.
* This makes sense, but relying on existing vendor pools still lets state contractors off the hook. Contractors need to be pushed to help establish a much more diverse pool of subcontractors. That can’t be done overnight, but there’s no time like the present to get things started…
The Illinois Department of Central Management Services (CMS) Business Enterprise Program (BEP) today announced the roll out of its new formula to increase representation of diverse contractors throughout the state. The new methodology is the first change to the formula since its inception and will help ensure that diversity goals are attainable.
”CMS is committed to increasing access to opportunities for diverse businesses across the State to ensure they have the resources they need to grow and thrive,” said CMS Director Janel L. Forde. “Businesses have been hit especially hard over the last year and we are exploring new options like this methodology to build equity and representation in state contracting.”
BEP establishes diversity contracting goals for state agencies based on the Federal Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) model. The model uses a formulaic approach to diversity goal setting.
The new formula changes make contracting goals more representative of the overall vendor pool. In the previous methodology, goals were set using the Dun & Bradstreet Hoovers database which is comprised of more than 1M vendors who may not all be interested in doing business with the State. The new methodology replaces that formula input and narrows the data source to the approximately 20,000 vendors who have registered in the State’s BidBuy e-procurement system, demonstrating that these businesses are ready and willing to bid on State contracts.
The new formula divides the number of BEP certified vendors registered with the State, under the relevant scopes of work, by the overall number of vendors registered under the relevant scopes of work to determine the percentage of BEP vendor availability (BEP Vendors / All Vendors in BidBuy). This change will increase the diversity goal percentage by using a smaller pool of vendors and increasing the contract spend with BEP certified vendors.
For example,
Contract A for uniforms is worth $250,000. If the previous goal was 1%, the spend with BEP certified vendors would equal $2,510. Using the new formula, the goal could increase by 15%, resulting in a spend of $40,160 with BEP certified vendors.
The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) today reported 2,838 new confirmed and probable cases of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Illinois, including 102 additional deaths.
- Clay County: 1 female 80s
- Clinton County: 1 female 80s
- Coles County: 1 male 60s
- Cook County: 1 male 30s, 1 female 40s, 1 male 40s, 1 female 50s, 4 males 50s, 6 females 60s, 6 males 60s, 7 females 70s, 7 males 70s, 7 females 80s, 7 males 80s, 4 females 90s, 2 males 90s
- DeKalb County: 1 female 90s
- DuPage County: 1 female 40s, 3 males 70s, 1 female 80s, 1 male 90s
- Greene County: 1 female 50s
- Grundy County: 1 male 60s
- Jefferson County: 1 male 80s
- Kane County: 1 male 60s, 1 male 70s, 1 female 90s
- Knox County: 1 female 80s
- Lake County: 1 male 50s
- Lawrence County: 1 male 60s
- Livingston County: 1 male 80s
- Logan County: 1 female 90s
- Marion County: 1 male 70s
- McLean County: 1 male 60s
- Monroe County: 1 male 70s, 1 female 90s
- Moultrie County: 1 male 70s
- Randolph County: 1 male 70s
- Sangamon County: 1 female 70s
- St. Clair County: 1 female 50s, 1 female 90s
- Stephenson County: 1 male 80s
- Tazewell County: 1 female 40s, 1 female 50s, 1 male 70s, 1 female 90s
- Vermilion County: 1 male 70s
- Washington County: 1 female 90s
- Whiteside County: 1 male 60s, 1 male 90s
- Will County: 1 male 50s, 1 male 60s, 3 males 70s, 1 female 80s, 2 females 90s
- Winnebago County: 1 female 90s
Approximately 80 cases previously reported in McLean County have been removed from both the statewide and McLean County totals due to false positives. IDPH is currently reviewing this situation.
Currently, IDPH is reporting a total of 1,155,833 cases, including 19,841 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 96,525 specimens for a total of 16,918,910. As of last night, 1,954 individuals in Illinois were reported to be in the hospital with COVID-19. Of those, 448 patients were in the ICU and 227 patients with COVID-19 were on ventilators.
The preliminary seven-day statewide positivity for cases as a percent of total test from February 4–10, 2021 is 3.3%. The preliminary seven-day statewide test positivity from February 4–10, 2021 is 3.9%.
A total of 1,929,850 doses of vaccine have been delivered to providers in Illinois, including Chicago. In addition, approximately 456,100 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 2,385,950. A total of 1,549,108 vaccines have been administered in Illinois as of last midnight, including 226,974 for long-term care facilities. The 7-day rolling average of vaccines administered daily is 56,094 doses. Yesterday, 69,029 doses were administered.
*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. For health questions about COVID-19, call the hotline at 1-800-889-3931 or email dph.sick@illinois.gov.
DuPage County Sheriff James Mendrick worried about one component of a sweeping criminal justice reform bill that is set to make Illinois the first state to drop the cash bail system. […]
Mendrick is convinced this law will have “unintended consequences” that could hurt more than it helps, namely those inmates who, while awaiting court dates, take part in intensive rehabilitation and reformation programs to address the issues – mostly drugs and alcohol – that landed them in the system in the first place.
“People are not going to get off drugs on their own,” Mendrick said. “We have a captive audience here. We take advantage of that.”
Since taking office three years ago, Mendrick has formed an especially close partnership with JUST of DuPage, a nonprofit organization that tackles issues of alcoholism, mental illness, anger and lack of opportunity through a robust rehabilitation and reaffirmation program inside the jail.
Those with addiction issues make up 80% of his inmates, the sheriff said, and for many of them jail becomes their “one best chance” at dealing with the problems that landed them behind bars.
The American Civil Liberties Union, the ACLU of Illinois, Legal Action Center, and the Roderick and Solange MacArthur Justice Center today filed a motion for a preliminary injunction in a lawsuit against the DuPage County Sheriff on behalf of Christine Finnigan to ensure she’s provided with her prescribed medication for addiction treatment (also known as MAT) while she is serving time on a February 2016 DUI.
DuPage County is alleged to have an unwritten policy that forces detainees to go through withdrawal, specifically refusing to confirm a plan for people facing imminent incarceration to be medically treated with methadone or another MAT medication known as buprenorphine. Other corrections facilities – including the nearby Cook County jail – provide these medications.
“I am horrified and afraid of going through detox while in jail,” said Ms. Finnigan. “I have gone through detox before without medication and know the pain and trauma. I nearly died. I just want to take the medication that has been prescribed for me.”
Ms. Finnigan was diagnosed with OUD in August 2019 and prescribed a daily methadone maintenance dose. This medical treatment is critical to her remaining alive. In 2016 she was charged with driving under the influence. She expects to serve 30 days in jail, starting February 25th.
“The opioid epidemic is ravaging our communities throughout the country, and jails and prisons are exacerbating the crisis by not allowing basic medication to treat opioid use disorder,” said Joey Longley, Equal Justice Works fellow at the ACLU’s National Prison Project. “Making sure that incarcerated people have access to Medication for Addiction Treatment (MAT) saves lives, with one study showing that it decreases mortality rates by as much as 74 percent. The tide is turning on this issue, and we look forward to the day that access to MAT is not up for debate.”
OUD is a chronic brain disease that involves structural changes in the brain, particularly to the parts of the brain responsible for assessing and responding appropriately to risk and reward. It is characterized by compulsive use of opioids despite negative consequences. OUD and overdose deaths are a national health crisis. In Illinois, thousands of people die each year from opioid overdose, with more than 2,000 dying in 2019. […]
The risks of relapse, overdose, and death are even higher for people who are released from incarceration after disruption of their treatment with MAT.
Regarding the second step, here it cannot be said that Plaintiff will undergo any hardship absent a Court order. Defendants do not owe any duty to Plaintiff to provide her any treatment (or assurances thereof) prior to her incarceration. Even after she is incarcerated, we cannot know-in- advance the result of Plaintiff’s physical, or the attendant opinions of her medical providers for the care and treatment of her prospective OUD. There is not yet any “immediate and/or real” indication that Plaintiff would be harmed should the Court elect to set the matter of her potential course of treatment aside. … Thus, Plaintiffs’ constitutional argument does not pose an issue that is fit for judicial decision at the present time.
The position of Press Secretary within the Office of the Speaker is a senior level staff position, full-time and salaried. Ideal candidates will have experience in media relations, communications strategy, and developing a clear message around an issue. The successful candidate will demonstrate the ability to (i) collaborate with caucus leadership and other senior staff on the public face of the Speaker and the Office, (ii) develop an overall strategy for the relationship between the media and the Office, and (iii) thrive in a professional, fast-paced work environment.
Responsibilities:
• Develop external communications in partnership with the internal Speaker’s Staff leadership team, the
• Speaker, any designated advisers for members of the media and the general public
• Meet regularly with Speaker and senior staff to gain insight on the day-to-day operations of the House,
• develop an understanding of the pertinent issues and assist with planning on communicating that to
• media and the public
• Respond to media inquiries received by the Speaker and the staff
• Assist with the preparation of external communications material for the Speaker and other designees
• concerning information the Speaker wishes to highlight, on behalf of both himself and the Office of the
• Speaker and the Illinois House
• Develop and manage a communications plan and calendar in partnership with policy experts and other
• team members to highlight programming, services, and announcements
• Develop and execute best practices for consistent, optimized regional/local communications
• Prepare the Speaker for media interviews and speaking engagements
Qualifications:
• At least 5 years of experience in communications and media relations
• Strong written skills, including drafting press releases, statements, and digital content
• Excellent verbal communication skills, with the ability to think and communicate clearly, formulate a clear
• point of view on complicated issues, and create a concise and well-written narrative
• Strong understanding of Illinois media, the legislative process, and the political landscape
• Proven ability to work well within a team and elevate potential press opportunities or challenges to
• leadership
• Ability to thrive in a fast-paced work environment, work well under tight deadlines, and readily adapt to
• changing priorities
• Demonstrated organizational skills and ability to manage multiple tasks/projects at once
• On the record experience and experience working with news media
Salary Range:
• Minimum of $70,000; Full-time position; compensation based on experience and education
• Health, dental, vision, prescription, behavioral health, and life insurance, for details visit:
• https://www2.illinois.gov/cms/benefits/StateEmployee/Pages/StateInsuranceProgram.aspx)
• Participation in State Employees’ Retirement System
• Optional participation in health savings account and deferred compensation programs
• Competitive vacation, sick, and personal time
* Steve Brown became Speaker Madigan’s press secretary after Brown’s tenure with Mayor Jane Byrne ended. His current contract runs through the end of June.
Brown told me he had suggested to Welch that he should find someone to help him establish his own presence and identity and Brown offered to help.
I imagine we’ll be seeing a whole lot of stories about Brown’s tenure in the coming months, but I just wanted to mark this moment today. I’ll have more another time. Meanwhile, here’s a classic pic…
We’ve had our differences over the years (whew, boy), but I do appreciate his service and his friendship.
Also, $70K? I sure hope they’re not gonna go with the lowest bidder.
In a new Illinois House speaker, scandal-tainted Commonwealth Edison may have a powerful new friend in its pursuit of locking in a controversial and profitable method of setting electricity rates that has cost consumers billions of dollars in the past decade.
As recently as 2019, Democratic House Speaker Emanuel Chris Welch favored a long-term extension of ComEd’s soon-to-expire and highly lucrative ratemaking template. Federal prosecutors connected passage of the 2011 bill that originally authorized those rates to the company’s long-running Springfield bribery scheme.
ComEd’s so-called formula ratemaking expires in 2022 and figures to be part of talks surrounding a big utility omnibus that could surface this spring in Springfield, with Welch potentially playing a prominent role in its development.
The rate-making system put in place a decade ago weakened state regulators’ oversight of utility rates and essentially guaranteed ComEd would always turn a profit. […]
In 2019, allies of the company introduced two similar bills in the House and Senate that initially would have extended formula ratemaking into perpetuity, but later amended that extension to 10 years. Both Welch and newly installed Senate Minority Leader Dan McConchie, R-Hawthorne Woods, were co-sponsors of the measure.
ComEd’s past behavior is not defensible. Going forward, however, the company is bound by a deferred prosecution agreement with federal prosecutors. That means the G is monitoring the company pretty closely. ComEd’s entire fate depends on it successfully emerging from that DPA. Everyone around the Statehouse ought to know that. So, Speaker Welch and Leader McConchie would have to be outstandingly stupid to engage in any hanky panky.
Understandably, the consumer groups are raising a stink, partly because it helps them kill any attempt to pass that costly formula rate extension. It’s the smart move. But the reality is that the legislature could finally be in a position where ComEd’s Statehouse operation is at least somewhat more about the merits of an issue than the company’s political clout.
At least, I hope so. As we’ve seen time and time again, people can be truly dumb. But if this DPA doesn’t stop them, I’m not sure what could, short of putting all the execs in prison and breaking up the company.
* Speaking of which, here’s another press release from our two US Senators…
Following an announcement by the Biden Justice Department that Senate-confirmed U.S. Attorneys appointed under the previous Administration were to submit their resignations by February 28, U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) renewed their request that John Lausch, the U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, be permitted to remain in his position until the confirmation of his successor. In a letter to President Joe Biden, Durbin and Duckworth noted that there is precedent for U.S. Attorneys in the Northern District of Illinois to remain in office across administrations in order to conclude sensitive investigations. Durbin and Duckworth first voiced their desire to retain Mr. Lausch until his successor is confirmed back in November 2020.
“We have made our position clear on Mr. Lausch’s retention both publicly and privately, including in direct conversations with the White House Counsel as recently as last week,” the Senators wrote. “We reiterate today that John Lausch should be permitted to remain in place until the confirmation of his successor.”
In August 2017, the non-partisan screening committee set up by Durbin and Duckworth to assist them in evaluating candidates for vacant U.S. Attorney, U.S. Marshal, and federal judgeship positions in Illinois recommended Mr. Lausch to serve as the next United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois. He was unanimously confirmed by voice vote in the Senate on November 9, 2017.
Thursday, Feb 11, 2021 - Posted by Advertising Department
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From the Chicago Sun Times
It would be nice if society could order up frank, respectful and loving discussions in every home by fiat.
But often, that’s just not how life works.
That’s the flaw in Illinois’ Parental Notice of Abortion Act, which requires that doctors who intend to perform an abortion for a minor give at least 48 hours of notice to an adult family member. In too many homes, such a notification could be disastrous.
It’s time to repeal this law. An effort to do so got no further than approval by a state Senate committee two years ago, but a new effort is expected to be introduced in the Legislature this week. And this time around, this editorial page — along with many of the most respected medical groups in the country — hopes to see a bill land on the governor’s desk.
* Joint statement from Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot and Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle…
Our goal is to get as many people vaccinated as quickly and efficiently as possible. That said, our greatest challenge in doing so is the very limited supply of vaccine we are receiving. While we are making progress every day with vaccinating people in 1a and 1b, at this time we are not being supplied with enough doses that would allow us to expand eligibility in these phases.
Doing so in Chicago and Cook County would add well over one million additional people to 1b, and the result would be that those currently eligible, including seniors, frontline essential workers and those in our most heavily COVID-burdened communities, would have an even harder time getting a vaccine.
These phases were established after careful study and consideration, and are based on guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. We recognize the Governor must make tough choices and consider needs across this diverse state, but given the limited supply of vaccine, we must also make the tough choices as the leaders of the most populous city and county in the state. We look forward to expanding eligibility as vaccine supply improves.
Chicago Department of Public Health Commissioner Dr. Allison Arwady said Wednesday the city is only getting enough vaccine for 5% to 10% of Chicagoans who are already eligible.
The expansion of eligibility may make sense in other parts of Illinois, where there is ample supply, Arwady said.
Under the city’s vaccine rollout plan, all essential workers as well as Chicagoans age 16 and older with underlying health issues will be eligible to get vaccinated as of March 29, if there is enough supply.
More than 900,000 Chicagoans would be eligible in the next phase of the effort, Arwady said. But the city does not have “anywhere near” enough vaccine to meet that demand, she added.
I don’t think there’s ample supply anywhere, but dosage shipments are about to increase and the governor’s folks say they’re they’re finally getting reliable shipment estimates out of the White House.
The governor is speaking at 10 o’clock in Elgin, so we should know more soon. I’ll update this post.
Ahead of Valentine’s Day, Mayor Lori Lightfoot said Wednesday she will allow Chicago bars and restaurants to expand the number of people they serve indoors.
But the city will continue to keep tighter restrictions on restaurants than the looser rules allowed elsewhere by the state.
…Adding… Pritzker press release…
The number of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccination locations across Illinois continues to increase. Since yesterday, more than 340 new retail pharmacy locations have been added to the list of COVID-19 vaccination sites open to the public. There are now more than 850 vaccination locations in Illinois open to the public. The new sites include 339 Walgreens stores throughout Illinois, which will be receiving vaccine out of a federal allocation and not from the state’s allotment. Additionally, four CVS locations are being added.
The Governor strongly believes the most medically vulnerable in our state should qualify for vaccination as soon as possible, and that it would be unfair for the medically vulnerable like cancer patients to be denied vaccine in Illinois. Even though vaccine supply remains limited throughout the nation, the pipeline has started to increase and nearly 100 million more doses are on the horizon. Federal guidance already includes this vulnerable group, and the Governor is particularly invested in expanding access because this group includes a disproportionately large share of vulnerable people of color.
The part about federal guidance is key there.
Background…
The Johnson and Johnson vaccine is up for approval in just a few weeks, and 100 million doses of the vaccine are expected to be distributed nationally.
The federal government has already increased the supply of vaccine sent to states over the past week and started delivering more doses to pharmacies across the state.
With these promising developments, other states have begun to expand phase 1B in line with federal guidance, and some local health departments across the state have already expressed their readiness to move to the next prioritization group in the coming weeks.
The state of Illinois is working with local health departments to ensure they have the resources they need to administer doses to those who need them most as quickly as possible.
This critical step gives local health departments the ability to make plans to open up appointments to this group of vulnerable residents.
Senator Darren Bailey, who was kicked off the House floor for refusing to wear a mask, told me Monday he hasn't seen conclusive evidence that masks work to slow the spread of the Coronavirus. Today, GOP Leader Dan McConchie assigned Bailey to the Senate Health Committee.
*** UPDATE *** Sen. Sara Feigenholtz is a member of the Health Committee…
“Having had a front row seat to Darren Bailey’s anti-masker and science-denying tirade during the pandemic, I certainly hope that after nearly 20,000 Illinoisans have died from the pandemic, his seat on the Senate Health Committee doesn’t result in another slap in the face to science and health care facts.”
* Plexiglass was placed around the Senate press box before the lame duck session…
* The House has followed suit…
Traded the Bank of Springfield Center for a plexiglass chamber in the Illinois House of Representatives. Luckily it’s much nicer than glass at a hockey rink. pic.twitter.com/uvLS8XQrAo
The difference is the Senate allows three reporters in each of the two press boxes. The Illinois Legislative Correspondents Association accepted just two per box in the House.
* Whatever, I got on the list and am heading over to the House now for the rules vote. This will be the first time I’ve been on the House floor in almost a year. Same for Hannah…
A bit weird to be in a plexiglass three-sided box but God it makes me so much happier just to be here doing something semi-normal. pic.twitter.com/0H84mNa0Z3
Overall, “Functionally, there’s not much different,” House Deputy Minority Leader Tom Demmer, R-Dixon, said in a statement. Demmer was the lead GOP negotiator on the rules changes.
For instance, he said, bills are not guaranteed a hearing even if they go to a substantive committee, and there was no change to make it easier to offer amendments from the floor. Beyond that, he said, ruling Democrats still will be able to offer huge amendments that no one has seen to pending bills, and then call a vote after only an hour or two of notice.
“We need transparency,” he said. “It ought to be at least a day of notice.”
Demmer has a point. But even with a day of notice to stir up opposition to a controversial plan, Democrats still have such a large House majority that they generally can push through whatever bill they want.
Majority Leader Greg Harris said during the Rules Committee debate this morning that the Republicans asked for more time to come up with some other proposals, so working groups will continue to meet. Leader Harris said those talks would include “notice for consideration of bills, amendments and other legislative measures.” Other items up for debate will include the selection of committee chairs and minority spokespersons, debate times, the disciplinary process, etc.
* Anyway, blogging could be somewhat light this afternoon.
The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) today reported 2,825 new confirmed and probable cases of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Illinois, including 53 additional deaths.
- Adams County: 1 female 70s, 1 male 70s
- Bond County: 1 female 90s
- Carroll County: 1 female 70s
- Champaign County: 1 female 70s
- Cook County: 1 male 40s, 2 females 60s, 2 females 70s, 4 males 70s, 3 females 80s, 4 males 80s
- DeKalb County: 1 male 80s
- DuPage County: 1 female 70s. 2 males 70s
- Franklin County: 1 female 70s
- Grundy County: 1 male 80s
- Hamilton County: 1 female 80s
- Jefferson County: 1 male 70s
- Kane County: 1 male 60s, 1 male 70s
- LaSalle County: 1 female 80s, 1 male 80s
- Lee County: 1 male 70s
- Macon County: 1 male 50s
- Massac County: 1 female 80s
- McHenry County: 1 female 90s
- McLean County: 1 female 60s, 1 female 80s
- Ogle County: 1 female 70s, 1 male 70s
- Peoria County: 1 male 70s, 1 male 80s
- St Clair County: 1 male 70s, 1 female 80s, 1 female 90s
- Stephenson County: 1 male 80s
- Vermilion County: 1 male 80s
- Will County: 1 female 60s
- Winnebago County: 1 female 40s, 1 female 50s, 1 male 70s, 1 female 90s
Currently, IDPH is reporting a total of 1,152,995 cases, including 19,739 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 82,885 specimens for a total of 16,822,385. As of last night, 2,082 individuals in Illinois were reported to be in the hospital with COVID-19. Of those, 464 patients were in the ICU and 232 patients with COVID-19 were on ventilators.
The preliminary seven-day statewide positivity for cases as a percent of total test from February 3–9, 2021 is 3.3%. The preliminary seven-day statewide test positivity from February 3–9, 2021 is 4.0%.
A total of 1,724,325 doses of vaccine have been delivered to providers in Illinois, including Chicago. In addition, approximately 428,100 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 2,152,425. A total of 1,480,079 vaccines have been administered in Illinois as of last midnight, including 223,790 for long-term care facilities. The 7-day rolling average of vaccines administered daily is 55,135 doses. Yesterday, 62,923 doses were administered. Illinois is on-track to have administered more than 1.5 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine by Thursday, February 11, 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 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.
* Ghirlandi Guidetti, staff attorney with the ACLU of Illinois…
Today’s Auditor General’s report reveals a sad but unsurprising truth: DCFS is not meeting the needs of LGBTQ youth in care as required by its own policy. We regularly hear from youth about the lack of basic respect for their identity as well as the challenges they face accessing affirming medical care.
Instead, there is a well-worn pattern for these youth: when we learn of problems an individual youth is facing, DCFS typically cobbles together a one-off ‘solution,’ but leaves unaddressed the wide-ranging systemic issues that continue to expose LGBTQ youth to harm.
All children deserve the dignity of being respected for their authentic selves and feeling safe. When the State takes children away from their families of origin and into custody, we all are responsible for ensuring safety and dignity are accorded to them. Until safe and affirming care is the norm at DCFS, will continue our ongoing work advocating for these children.
Senate Resolution Number 403, adopted May 31, 2019, directed the Auditor General to conduct a performance audit of the Department of Children and Family Services’ (Department) compliance with its obligations to protect and affirm children and youth who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, questioning or queer.
Overall the audit found that there is a lack of reliable and consistent information regarding LGBTQ youth in the care of the Department. Further, although the Department has established policies and procedures to ensure the well-being of LGBTQ youth in care, the Department did not implement all of these procedures or the procedures were not implemented in a timely manner. We also found that there is a lack of monitoring and oversight of private agency compliance with these procedures.
In this audit, we also reported that:
• The Department does not have a formal process in place to identify youth in care that may identify as LGBTQ.
• The Department utilizes outdated, inadequate, or non-existent computer systems to track youth in care and particularly LGBTQ youth in care.
• The Department is not ensuring that caseworkers review the Foster Children’s Bill of Rights with youth in care as is required.
• The Department did not implement training requirements in a timely manner.
• The Department failed to monitor the requirements of Appendix K including whether POS agencies have adopted policies that are at least as extensive as Appendix K.
• The Department does not require licensed foster parents to commit to provide care and homes that are affirming of all children and youth, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity as part of the licensing process.
• LGBTQ status was taken into consideration for some placements. However, the Department is not utilizing its Child/Caregiver Matching Tool in most cases.
• The Department has taken some steps to recruit LGBTQ affirming foster parents by holding events specifically to recruit LGBTQ affirming parents. However, there was no evidence that these efforts have led to more LGBTQ affirming foster homes.
• The number of emergency shelter beds in Illinois decreased dramatically between FY15 and FY19, leaving some areas of the State with no beds for youth in crisis.
• The Department is not providing accurate and complete information to the General Assembly in the required Youth in Care Waiting for Placement annual reports.
The audit report contains a total of 16 recommendations to the Department.
*** UPDATE *** DCFS…
Statement
The Department of Children and Family Services, under its current leadership, has taken aggressive measures to improve the services and care provided to LGBTQI+ youth since the time period covered by this audit. The progress is outlined in our audit responses, and DCFS continues to work diligently to provide resources and guidance to its staff and external partners to ensure that we meet the needs of this vulnerable population.
Background
This audit was conducted in 2019 using data primarily from 2017 and 2018.
Recent efforts include maintaining and expanding a list of providers, agencies, and organizations across the state that are available to meet the needs of LGBTQI+ youth. These providers include affirming therapists, LGBTQI+ organizations and agencies, and health care professionals that provide gender-affirming hormone therapy.
In June 2020, the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) Clinical Division and Office of Affirmative Action (OAA) began a coordinated effort to expand programmatic support for LGBTQI+ youth in care.
The Clinical Division completes staffing and consultations, while providing clinical recommendations regarding interventions, resources, and resource linkages for the youth in care.
The OAA LGBTQI+ Services team is addressing competency training needs and recruitment of affirming caregivers, continuing to build resources, and investigating all claims of discrimination as it relates to our LGBTQI+ youth and their families.
The Clinical Division and OAA are working closely together to ensure that DCFS is following best practices for LGBTQI+ youth and their families.
As part of our commitment to providing services across the state, DCFS has created a new hiring plan and is working to fill every vacancy as quickly as possible. The newly created position of Chief for LGBTQI+ Services will bring additional leadership to DCFS and advocacy on behalf of our LGBTQI+ youth in care. This vital position is being filled as quickly as possible and will provide additional support for our current LGBTQI+ specialist and LGBTQI+ team under OAA.
Raja Krishnamoorthi sits on the House Oversight Committee that has jurisdiction over the portions of the COVID relief bill pertaining to aid to state/local governments.
We wanted to provide you with the bill text and a committee one pager, as well as the associated allocation estimates (attached). Please note that the allocation estimates are approximations, not guarantees. The nonentitlement municipality estimates are particularly subject to change due to data reporting variances.
The House Oversight Committee press team is preparing graphics with state-by-state relief fund totals that we will forward to you after we receive them.
The associated allocation estimates are here. The State of Illinois would get $7.549 billion under this plan. Local governments would receive $5.684 billion. Total: $13.232 billion.
State, Local, Tribal, and Territorial Support: $350 billion
The bill would create new State and Local Coronavirus Relief Funds to keep first responders, frontline health workers, and other providers of vital services safely on the job as states, local governments, Tribes, and territories roll out vaccines and fight to rebuild Main Street economies. Sixty percent of the funds would go to States and 40% to localities. Local governments of every size would receive dedicated allotments. Funds are available until expended, awarded directly from Treasury within 60 days of enactment, and subject to eligible uses including to replace revenue lost, delayed, or decreased as a result of the pandemic.
• States and the District of Columbia: $195.3 billion
o $25.5 billion equally divided — every state receives at least $500 million
o $169 billion based on the state share of total unemployed workers
o The District of Columbia would be made whole after being treated as a territory in previous coronavirus funding Acts
• Local governments: $130.2 billion divided evenly between cities and counties.
o $65.1 billion to cities using a modified Community Development Block Grant formula
o $45.57 billion for municipalities with populations of at least 50,000 o $19.53 billion for municipalities with populations of less than 50,000
o $65.1 billion to counties based on population • Territories: $4.5 billion
o $2.25 billion divided equally and $2.25 billion based on population
• Tribes: $20 billion to federally recognized Tribal governments.
o $1 billion divided equally
o $19 billion divided as determined by the Secretary of the Treasury
Emergency Leave for Federal and Postal Workers: $570 million
The bill would provide emergency paid leave for civilian federal employees and postal workers. Employees would be eligible for up to 600 hours of leave when forced to quarantine or ill with COVID, when caring for a child whose school or place of care has been closed or is conducting virtual learning, or when caring for a family member incapable of self-care whose care provider is unavailable due to COVID. Leave would be available until September 30, 2021 and employees would be required to first use any other paid sick leave when applicable.
Oversight of Funds: $117 million
The bill would provide additional funds to oversight entities to promote transparency and accountability of all federal coronavirus relief funds.
• Government Accountability Office: $77 million
• Pandemic Response and Accountability Committee: $40 million
In light of a steadily increasing federal vaccine supply, Illinois is making plans to expand Phase 1B eligibility on February 25 to people who have comorbidities and underlying conditions as defined by the CDC. In addition, Illinois will also prioritize individuals with disabilities.
Since taking office, the Biden administration has increased the vaccine supply by nearly 30 percent, including a 5 percent increase this week. Among the other major efforts to increase supply:
* The White House is launching a new Community Health Center vaccination program to direct additional vaccine to locations around the country that serve the hardest-hit populations, and that will ramp up over the coming weeks.
* The FDA is scheduled to meet to review the Johnson and Johnson COVID-19 vaccine candidate, a one-dose vaccine that does not require extreme cold storage and provided 100 percent protection against hospitalization and death in its clinical trial, for February 26, and the company has said it’s on track to deliver 100 million doses to the United States by the end of June.
“As quickly as we receive enough vaccine supply, we need to waste no time in protecting a broader section of our most vulnerable population,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “Those who are under 65 and live with comorbidities, such as cancer survivors or those living with heart disease, have an elevated risk of serious complications or death if they contract COVID-19. Illinois is moving forward in accordance with guidance from the CDC to expand our eligible population as supply allows, getting us closer to the point when the vaccine is widely available to all who want it. In the meantime, I encourage all Illinoisans to wear our masks and follow the mitigations so that more of our neighbors are healthy and alive when it’s their turn in the vaccination line.”
The Pritzker administration will begin working with local health departments and other providers across the state to include these additional higher-risk individuals into their community vaccination plans in the weeks ahead. Those health departments that have substantially completed their existing Phase 1B population prior to the February 25 statewide expansion date will be able to move forward earlier at the determination of local public health officials and IDPH.
This expansion applies to individuals 16 and older who aren’t otherwise covered in previous eligibility categories.
In accordance with the CDC guidelines, Illinois is using the below guiding framework for what qualifies as a high-risk medical condition once Phase 1B expands on February 25.
This list is subject to change as guidance evolves and does not reflect an order of priority:
Cancer
Chronic Kidney Disease
COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease)
Diabetes
Heart Condition
Immunocompromised State from a Solid Organ Transplant
Obesity
Pregnancy
Pulmonary Disease
Sickle Cell Disease
To date, the State of Illinois has used more than 78 percent of its vaccine on hand (not including the federal government’s Long-Term Care Vaccination program and the separate supply of the City of Chicago). All three vaccination efforts have together delivered approximately 1.5 million shots, including 1.15 million first doses, to date.
Illinois’ current statewide seven-day rolling case positivity rate is 3.3 percent as of February 10 – the lowest rate since July 2020.
Have you been moved up?
* SGOP Leader Dan McConchie…
“I am pleased to hear that the sickest amongst us and at most risk of death from COVID-19, regardless of age, will soon have access to the vaccine,” said Illinois Senate Republican Leader Dan McConchie (R-Hawthorn Woods). “While the state should have provided some method from the very beginning for those whose doctors have been insisting that their patient’s life or health depends on being vaccinated, as has been the case in other states, there is now a light at the end of a very long tunnel for those in greatest need.
“I hope Gov. Pritzker will create a more open dialogue with the legislature to build upon this improvement, to increase effectiveness of vaccine distribution, and to ensure the state is fair and equitable to all in need.”
We all knew absentee voting would spike last year because of the pandemic, but now @baseballot has gathered the data to show just *how much* the way people voted changed in 2020.
As of tomorrow, both chambers will have remote legislating rules. So you gotta figure something like this is bound to happen eventually 🤣🤣🤣 https://t.co/Rc1lAZ9OoY
The state spent $559,845 to hire 250 National Guard troops and another $75,370 to rent armored trucks and military equipment to patrol the Capitol Complex and surrounding historic landmarks during the days leading up to President Joe Biden’s inauguration, according to records filed by the Illinois Department of Military Affairs.
Governor J.B. Pritzker gave the order to activate the guard to secure the perimeter around the statehouse after the January 6th riots at the U.S. Capitol. The deployment ended without incident.
The FBI issued a bulletin warning about the potential for armed protests at all 50 state capital cities. However, a spokesperson for the Illinois State Police said they never received any evidence of a specific threat in Springfield.
“The Illinois National Guard is only used in emergencies after civilian first responder resources are exhausted,” Lieutenant Colonel Brad Leighton said. “We are proud to work with our law enforcement and emergency response partners in ensuring our State Capital is secure against domestic terrorism.”
Unlike the National Guard troops who were deployed to protect the U.S. Capitol grounds during the inauguration, the deployment to Springfield was considered state active duty and will not be reimbursed by the federal government. The bulk of the expenses went toward salaries for the soldiers who had to leave their regular jobs to activate for the mission.
The FBI warned about the potential for heavily armed protests at all 50 state capitols, but some critics say the deployment was nothing more than a PR stunt.
“We’ve never had a Trump protest or gathering in Springfield. It’s done anything, but be peaceful and pick up after itself,” said Rep. Dan Caulkins. “I don’t believe that it represents anything going on in Illinois other than a political agenda.”
Yes, because the FBI was all-in on a political stunt. Right. If the deployments hadn’t been ordered and something bad did happen on par with what went down at the US Capitol, there woulda been heck to pay, not just money.
I learned when covering Kosovo and then Iraq that threat assessments are made by people with a whole lot more information than I have. The assessment this time was off, perhaps because potential insurgents saw the reaction to their insurrection in DC. Rep. Caulkins might want to consider what his public denialism is doing to his country.
Pritzker faces high stakes as he prepares to present his third state spending plan to lawmakers.
His proposed change to the state constitution to allow for a graduated income tax was the cornerstone of his plan for addressing the state’s long-running fiscal problems, and it crumbled when voters resoundingly rejected the idea in November.
Pritzker proposal to exempt state income taxes from a federal tax law change that would result in a loss of more than $500 million in corporate tax revenue also fell short when lawmakers rejected it in the waning days of the previous General Assembly in January.
The governor has taken other long-discussed options, including a tax on retirement income, off the table, leaving few options for providing long-term stability. […]
David Merriman, an expert on state finances at the University of Illinois at Chicago, said the plan Pritzker’s office has outlined would do nothing to address the major structural problem facing the state: a lack of adequate revenue to meet its financial obligations and support the programs and services taxpayers expect.
* But the headlines show that the governor’s main message got through…
* I do not think that we’ll be covering Adam Kinzinger the same way going forward because, as I told you yesterday, he really did seem to take himself out of the 2022 statewide race. From his press conference yesterday…
I will tell you January 6 changed a lot. My focus went from wanting to fight hard and figure out the best platform in place to do it, to literally see in front of me, to… to use the US military term, what’s the nearest target objective.
And I think it’s saving the saving the country and saving the dialogue of our politics. And importantly, saving what I think is a great party that’s very much lost its way. So I don’t have any plans for anything higher in Illinois. And, as always, I’ll put the caveat that I’m not going to rule anything out, because January 5th and January 7th were two very different days in this world. You never know what can happen. But it’s not my intention to run for anything statewide.
And I’ll tell you, I think there’s probably less of that chatter. But at the beginning, I heard people speculate that I was taking the positions I was taking to set myself up to run statewide. And I’ll tell you, the people that speculate that don’t know me. And I would even argue that they probably don’t know something about politics if you think I can get through a [statewide] primary pretty easily. So none of my decision was based on anything that have to do with my political future was just based 100% on conscience.
* More…
Like I said, I’m not doing this to run statewide, I won’t rule it out just because if whatever reason something happens and I do, then, you know, I want to have that integrity. But a lot changed on the 6th.
And then he went on to talk about his new PAC.
* He was also asked about Kendall County Republican Party Chairman James Marter, who said he would challenge Kinzinger in the ‘22 primary…
I guess we don’t even know what the new district looks like. He didn’t live in the district last time, so I guess that doesn’t necessarily preclude him. He’s got a great history of losing races, and I certainly would welcome him to the race. Because if last time was any indication will be a pretty easy [district] primary for me.
* On the current climate within the party…
I feel very, very convinced that in the future, when we look back in the perfect eyes of history, this is going to be seen as that moment where the future of the country is at stake based on what choice we make. And so I’m not going to compel people by fear. There’s times to use fear naturally, right? If there’s something to truly be afraid of. I’m afraid of COVID, I’m afraid of Chinese aggression, for instance, I’m afraid of division in this country, and we can talk about that fear.
But I’m not afraid that the Democrats, if they take power, are going to turn this into a communist country and kill my family. I don’t like their policies and I’ll fight them. But that’s the difference. And so I’m hoping that this works. But there’s no other alternative.
When you think about Democrats, do you tend to think of them as
Asked of those who identify as Republicans:
Political opposition - that is, if they win, you just won’t get the policies you want - 43%
Enemies - that is, if they win, your life or your entire way of life may be threatened - 57%
When you think about Republicans, do you tend to think of them as
Asked of those who identify as Democrats
Political opposition - that is, if they win, you just won’t get the policies you want - 59%
Enemies - that is, if they win, your life or your entire way of life may be threatened - 41%
2,508 US adults, MoE ±2.3 percent.
To be clear, 41 percent of Democrats classifying Republicans as enemies is almost as alarming. But at least they’re not in the majority. And 57-43 is definitely a clear majority.
* Related…
* Opinion: My fellow Republicans, convicting Trump is necessary to save America
* Republican US Rep. Kinzinger, an outspoken Trump opponent, says he doesn’t intend to seek statewide office in 2022
Chicago Teachers Union members have voted two-to-one in favor of a reopening deal with Chicago Public Schools, signaling that in-person classes can resume Thursday as planned.
The union’s 25,000 members had through 11:59 p.m. Tuesday to vote on the proposed framework after its 600-member House of Delegates on Monday decided to put the decision in members’ hands. Now ratified, it is a binding agreement between CTU and CPS.
The union swiftly certified the results, with more than 20,000 members voting. More than two-thirds voted yes, while nearly a third voted no, and only a simple majority was needed to pass. The number of yes votes accounts for close to 55% of total membership.
In a letter to members, CTU President Jesse Sharkey said the plan represents where the parties should have started months ago.
The union’s rank-and-file teachers and support staff approved the agreement in a one-day vote held Tuesday, with 68% of voting members — 13,681 of 20,275 — favoring the deal, surpassing the simple majority needed, the CTU announced after voting ended at midnight. But the tally was even closer than it appeared, with more than 5,000 members not voting, a sign of the split views on reopening schools during the pandemic.
Union President Jesse Sharkey didn’t mince words in a letter to members early Wednesday. He rebuked Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s handling of negotiations and even the final agreement, though he acknowledged it was an improvement over the district’s original plan.
“Let me be clear. This plan is not what any of us deserve. Not us. Not our students. Not their families. The fact that CPS could not delay reopening a few short weeks to ramp up vaccinations and preparations in schools is a disgrace,” Sharkey wrote. “This agreement represents where we should have started months ago, not where this has landed. That is a stain on the record of their administration.
“This agreement also puts us in a vastly better position than we were in November, when even after months of struggle, CPS’ ‘planning’ and ‘preparation’ would have been laughable were it not also so dangerous.”
Mayor Lori Lightfoot and CPS CEO Janice Jackson issued a statement saying, “The vast majority of CPS families have been separated from their schools for nearly a year, and the ratification of our agreement ensures families have options to choose in-person learning and make a plan that is best for them. We look forward to welcoming students as they return to their classrooms in the days ahead. This vote reaffirms the strength and fairness of our plan, which provides families and employees certainty about returning to schools and guarantees the best possible health and safety protocols. Our schools are fully prepared to safely welcome back students beginning tomorrow, and we are eager to provide additional support for the families who need more than remote learning can provide.”
CPS said about 20% of students have opted for a return to in-person learning, with 80% continuing with remote learning for the time being. The district said Sunday that families who chose to continue remote learning will have another opportunity to return to schools before the start of the fourth quarter that begins in April.
“This is the most comprehensive agreement for reopening schools that we have seen around the country,” said Brad Marianno, a professor of education policy and leadership at the University of Las Vegas, who has been tracking district reopening agreements since spring with a team of researchers. “It’s really setting a new standard for other districts.”
Chicago ceded significant ground to the union on a number of issues, perhaps most notably by delaying the reopening for most elementary students by a month or longer to allow more teachers and staff to get vaccinated. It also committed to weekly vaccine dose shipments, beefed up its school testing plan and gave schools more flexibility to accommodate employees who are not ready to return to school buildings.
The union made some concessions as well, backing off from a stance that all school staff are fully vaccinated before campuses reopen — a hard line some unions in California and elsewhere have continued to embrace. […]
But as a slew of urban districts and their teachers unions, including in Philadelphia and Baltimore, try to come to a consensus about school reopening, here’s how Chicago resolved a few key disagreements — and what that could mean for unions elsewhere.
