* Greg Hinz…

Springfield progressives and a member of the Cook County Board are pushing a plan to raise up to $1.2 billion a year to help the disabled, including undocumented immigrants, by doubling the Illinois’ estate tax. […]

The payments would go to each of the roughly 270,000 Illinois residents who get federal Supplemental Security Income, commonly known as SSI, plus an estimated over 84,000 undocumented immigrants that sponsors say are disabled and deserve benefits, too. Sponsors say the money would get current SSI recipients just to the poverty level, since SSI itself does not provide that much of a benefit.

Money for the new spending would come from raising the state’s tax on estates worth $4 million or more from 4.95 percent now to 9.95 percent.

* Another react to the DuPage County Sheriff’s recent harangue against HB3913…

Hello,

I wanted to take the opportunity to respond to this post and Sheriff Mendrick’s comments about it. I am the Director of the Housing Team at the Shriver Center on Poverty Law, part of the coalition pushing this bill. I agree with Sheriff Mendrick that sexual assault prevention is our main priority and of the utmost importance.

The reason I chose to support this bill is that residency restrictions have been exhaustively researched and do not prevent sexual abuse or assault. Not only do they fail to prevent sexual violence, but they increase the social breakdowns that lead to crime, including sexual assault; the Sex Offenses and Sex Offender Registration Task Force, formed by the General Assembly, concluded in a 2018 report that residency restrictions “can prevent people convicted of sex offending from engaging in pro-social activities, such as work, that guard against reoffending.” I decided that I care more about protecting the public than hurting people with past convictions for sex offenses.

As was noted, the bill’s changes in weekly requirements are a matter of common sense. Currently, homeless registrants (on several registries) have to re-register 51 times more often than people with fixed addresses. All other registration requirements remain the same. This bill stops targeting people simply because they are homeless but still requires people to register annually or quarterly, and anytime any other information changes.

Remember that most people in this category are homeless because of these laws. In fact, most had safe and stable housing but were forced into homelessness as the restriction zones constantly shift. This bill would open up some housing and reduce homelessness.

Having to register every week prevents people from maintaining stable employment and taking care of their families. Several men pay rent and take care of their kids but have to sleep on trains at night because of these laws. There are men who have to take their kids with them to register. This is simply not sustainable for already indigent persons.

One of our main partners on this bill is CAASE, a victim advocates group, along with many other groups who have seen the damage caused by these laws. The question here is not ‘do you care about victims of sexual violence?’ but rather ‘do you care about hurting people with past sex offense convictions more than preventing sexual assault’?

Best,

Eric Sirota

Director of Housing Justice

Shriver Center on Poverty Law

* Capitol News Illinois…

Advocates and lawmakers have reintroduced legislation that would end a special gas utility surcharge that allows companies to raise customer bills in order to pay for infrastructure development with limited regulatory oversight.

The gas utility surcharge, known as the Qualified Infrastructure Plant, became law in 2013 after similar formula rate legislation that benefited utility giant Commonwealth Edison was passed.

House Bill 3941, sponsored by Rep. Joyce Mason, D-Gurnee, and accompanying Senate Bill 570, sponsored by Sen. Ram Villivalam, D-Chicago, would phase out the surcharge by the end of 2021. It is otherwise not set to expire in 2023.

By ending the program, the legislation would restore traditional oversight of rate hikes. Advocates say the existing QIP charge allows for gas utility companies such as Ameren Illinois, Nicor Gas and Peoples Gas to bring in revenue at a faster pace than it would with traditional regulations.

* Related…

* Oak Brook’s efforts to have red-light cameras removed fuel State Rep. Deanne Mazzochi’s bill to remove all cameras in Illinois

* Lawmakers Push To Waive Standardized Testing In 2021, Despite Feds’ Insistence

* Proposed Bill Would Target Certain Student Groups For Suicide Prevention In Schools