Gov. JB Pritzker announced Monday that Illinois could enter the long-awaited bridge phase within five or six days, depending on whether current trends continue through the week. […]
“(The numbers) have been coming down gradually, which is terrific,” Pritzker said. “We have a period of time that we wait — I think it’s five or six more days of decline — which will allow us to move into the bridge phase and then onto Phase 5.”
Illinois has already vaccinated over 70% of people age 65 and older, along with more than half of the overall adult population. However, because hospitalizations were increasing as the state hit the vaccination benchmarks, the move into the bridge phase was delayed.
Illinois will lose one seat in the U.S. House of Representatives, the Census Bureau said Monday in its announcement of the redistribution of the 435 congressional seats based on population shifts in the 2020 Census.
For the past 50 years, Illinois, reflecting the results of each new census, has been allocated fewer members in Congress, as other states increased in population but Illinois either held steady or declined.
Illinois at present sends 18 members to Congress; under the new reapportionment, the delegation will drop to 17 members. Of Illinois’ current House members, 13 are Democrats and five are Republicans.
Reapportionment is the step that takes place before a remap — that is, drawing new congressional district lines based on the latest census data. Each state gets at least one seat; after that the remaining 385 seats are distributed according to population, with the aim to have about the same number of people in each district. This system has been in place since the first census in 1790.
…Adding… A commenter rightly notes that Pennsylvania has now surpassed Illinois’ population. Click here for the list.
…Adding… Gov. Pritzker’s office…
Under the leadership of Governor Pritzker, the Census Office coordinated a robust, statewide effort to reach millions of Illinois residents, particularly those in hard-to-count communities. This effort included a network of 400 organizations, coordinated by 31 Regional Intermediaries that received grants directly from the state. These boots on the ground conducted direct census outreach and education through an array of channels and in multiple languages. Through canvassing, community events, press and social media events, food and masks distribution, and phone calls the state was able to conduct one of the most significant census efforts in the nation and achieved the top self-response rate of the 10 most populous states.”
Leader McConchie…
“The 2020 Census numbers show that Americans continue to vote with their feet,” said Illinois Senate Republican Leader Dan McConchie (R-Hawthorn Woods). “People are leaving states where they can’t find economic opportunity and heading to states where they can. If we want to keep our talent and our tax base, our top priority should be passing pro-growth policies that will make Illinois more attractive to students, employers and families.”
A new study by the nonpartisan Illinois Policy Institute reveals that police contracts are hindering internal investigations, making it difficult for police chiefs to get rid of problem officers.
Illinois labor law contains a provision that elevates collective bargaining agreements above state law. Section 15, included in the Illinois Public Labor Relations Act, states union-negotiated contracts override all other state laws and regulations.
Analysis by IPI found the 10 largest municipalities in Illinois, outside Chicago, all have provisions in their police collective bargaining agreements that would supersede internal investigations and officer discipline. They include Joliet, Rockford, Springfield, Champaign, Naperville, Peoria, Aurora, Elgin, Waukegan and Cicero. […]
Two bills are making their way through Springfield addressing union contracts. House Bill 3891 would exclude police union contracts from the language in Section 15, meaning those contracts would no longer have more power than state laws. House Bill 3892 would limit negotiation by police unions to compensation only, preventing contracts from including disciplinary provisions.
Um, the bills are basically dead. They were both assigned to subcommittees and are now back in the Rules Committee where they will likely remain.
* Sticking with this topic for a bit, this is from the Capitol Fax subscriber edition on Sunday, January 10, 2021…
Most of the Senate Executive Committee testimony yesterday against the Black Caucus’ criminal justice reform bill was either way over the top or not exactly helpful to their cause.
“Do you want to stop law enforcement from finding murdered children?” asked one police chief, who pointed to phone call and police interview mandates in the bill which he claimed would’ve prevented officers from finding the dead body of AJ Freund “as quickly as they did.”
The Illinois Sheriffs’ Association has been claiming the bill would “de-fund the police,” and some Republican legislators have shared the claim on their social media accounts. The bill would, in reality, reduce a local government’s share of its state income tax proceeds if it didn’t comply with a police body cam mandate. The Illinois Association of Chiefs of Police didn’t go that far, but did claim at the hearing that the bill would “de-fund” municipalities.
The Illinois Municipal League testified against several aspects of the bill, including the “end prison gerrymandering” section. The group pointed out that counting prisoners at their last known addresses instead of at their prisons would reduce Local Government Distributive Fund dollars to (mainly Republican) prison host communities. But the flip side of that coin is the change would also increase LGDF funding for Democratic Chicago and Cook County.
Sean Smoot was one of the only opponents who seemed to know how to tailor his appeal to a Democratic super-majority. Smoot is the director of the Police Benevolent & Protective Association of Illinois, and he focused much of his testimony on the section that would eliminate discipline and discharge procedures from collective bargaining.
He said he wasn’t talking about protecting bad cops. “I’ve had the opportunity to represent officers who were being discriminated against because they were women,” Smoot said. “I’ve had the opportunity to represent officers who were being discriminated and disciplinarily discriminated [against] because of who they loved.” Smoot said he represented an officer in the Metro East area “who they attempted to terminate because he was Black.”
I don’t know if he succeeded or not, and threatening to scare the living daylights out of white voters has always been an effective tactic. But at least Smoot recognized who runs the Senate, didn’t try to bully anybody and seemed to be sensitive to the insanity this country and this state have just been through. We need more like him.
I shared that as a preface to this scintillating analysis from the Patch…
State lawmakers with Chicago Teachers Union cash jammed in their campaign war chests keep pushing bills in Springfield focused on providing union bosses more bargaining power and a lower threshold of member support required to go on strike.
Meanwhile, proposed legislation that would address police union contracts with provisions that remain roadblocks to criminal justice reform have been getting swept into the dark corners of the legislative session.
Yeah, it’s really tough to see why pro-union bills are being advanced in the Democratic super-majority GA while bills perceived as anti-union are not going anywhere this session. Also, the criminal justice reform law sets up a task force to make recommendations for future legislation. Here’s a statement from last week from Rep. Justin Slaughter, the House’s point-person on criminal justice reform…
When our General Assembly passed the historic police reform package in January, we made a commitment to form a task force that would continue these conversations deliberately and inclusively. The goal of the Task Force on Constitutional Rights and Remedies is to produce a report that clearly outlines how we better hold police accountable, and allow all stakeholders to operate from the same set of facts. We remain committed to moving these discussions forward, not only with the legislature but with communities across the state.
Three suburban Democratic lawmakers’ “present” votes temporarily halted legislation aimed at curbing gun violence in Illinois because of a disagreement over who could petition authorities for someone’s guns to be temporarily confiscated under a firearm restraining order.
House Bill 1092 is expected to come up for a vote again once the Democrats agree.
State Rep. Kathleen Willis of Addison, who worked for years on this issue, said she did not vote yes because the new bill altered the definition of a “family member” who could file such a petition to include “any former spouse (or) person with whom the respondent has or allegedly has a child in common.”
“We worked really hard” on the original wording, Willis said. “We had concerns that we did not want this to become a vindictive thing that someone could use in a divorce situation or just because you don’t like your neighbor or something like that.”
I dunno. Seems like there’s more to this than that.
The Illinois House passed a bill Friday which would make COVID-19-related expansions to telehealth services permanent through state statute.
House Bill 3498, introduced by Rep. Deb Conroy, D-Villa Park, aims to reduce barriers in access to virtual and telehealth services and would bring standards for virtual care in line with physical health services.
Conroy said that access to telehealth, which became a necessity for many Illinoisans during the outset of the COVID-19 pandemic last year, would bring lasting benefits in managing chronic health conditions.
“Over the last year, we’ve seen firsthand evidence that telehealth preserves quality and safety, meets individual patient needs, decreases health care disparities, and protects public health,” Conroy said Friday.
Conroy’s telehealth bill failed to pass during last May’s truncated special session, but she’s worked it hard ever since.
Just how good has Springfield been to local utilities since Commonwealth Edison first won the right in 2011 to set its delivery rates each year via a formula? It’s a good question as state lawmakers embark on their third crack at comprehensive energy legislation in the last decade.
Since the beginning of the “formula-rate era,” yearly earnings growth at ComEd, suburban natural gas utility Nicor and Chicago’s Peoples Gas have topped all but a handful of Chicago’s 20 largest publicly traded companies, according to a Crain’s analysis. […]
ComEd has watched its earnings grow to $638 million in 2020—adding back the $200 million fine for the company’s admissions of bribery in a federal probe of former House Speaker Michael Madigan—from $379 million in 2012, the year it first was allowed to set its delivery rates annually via a formula. ComEd’s profits grew 6.7 percent on average annually over those nine years. […]
As he seeks legislation to put Illinois on a path to a 100 percent carbon-free power industry, Gov. J.B. Pritzker has called for an end to formula rates, the annual rate-setting process that took away most of the ICC’s authority to push back on ComEd’s requests. But that hasn’t stopped utilities—and particularly their union allies whose members benefit from the unprecedented levels of capital spending—from continuing to propose provisions that would continue elements of the formula-rate era such as guaranteed returns for utilities.
* The virus trend is improving, the vaccination trend is not. Press release…
The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) today reported 2,137 new confirmed and probable cases of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Illinois, including 10 additional deaths.
- Cook County: 1 female 30s, 2 males 70s, 1 male 80s, 1 female 90s, 1 male 90s
- Peoria County: 1male 80s
- Pope County: 1 male 70s
- Will County: 1 male 40s
- Winnebago County: 1 female 70s
Currently, IDPH is reporting a total of 1,323,170 cases, including 21,836 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 49,236 specimens for a total of 22,318,791. As of last night, 2,083 individuals in Illinois were reported to be in the hospital with COVID-19. Of those, 506 patients were in the ICU and 251 patients with COVID-19 were on ventilators.
The preliminary seven-day statewide positivity for cases as a percent of total test from April 19-25, 2021 is 3.5%. The preliminary seven-day statewide test positivity from April 19-25, 2021 is 4.1%.
The total number of COVID-19 vaccine doses for Illinois is 10,913,325. A total of 8,860,975 vaccines have been administered in Illinois as of last midnight. The seven-day rolling average of vaccines administered daily is 105,873 doses. Yesterday, 50,512 doses were reported administered in Illinois.
*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.
* The Sun-Times takes a look at the opposition to a legislative push to finally provide natural gas service to Pembroke Township, one of the poorest areas of the state…
“People here love the earth,” says Dr. Jifunza Wright-Carter, who farms 45 acres with her husband in Pembroke and promotes sustainable agriculture. “This natural gas pipeline has nothing to do with the wellbeing of our community. We don’t have to have it for our livelihood or economic development.”
Wright and her husband Fred Carter moved to Pembroke from Chicago about a dozen years ago, drawn by the history of what once was hailed as the largest Black farming community in the Northern United States. Through their nonprofit Black Oaks Center, they want to restore at least 1,000 acres there for sustainable family farming.
And the idea of a nearby pipeline carrying gas, especially at a time the world is moving away from fossil fuels, doesn’t mesh with their plans.
As many Illinois politicians talk about moving toward a clean energy future, [Hopkins Park Mayor Mark Hodge] has found support from U.S. Rep. Robin Kelly, D-Illinois, a number of state lawmakers and the Rev. Jesse Jackson to put more than 30 miles of natural gas pipeline in a poor, Black community in the name of economic development. It’s a debate that also has taken place elsewhere around the country.
To opponents who say it makes more sense to invest in renewable energy, Hodge says that’s too expensive. He points to one past estimate that it would cost $25 million to upgrade electrical distribution to allow for renewable sources.
Some are arguing that the area needs better sewer and water systems and broadband internet service, too. That definitely ought to be addressed in the state’s capital plan. It’s all a no-brainer.
The Black Oaks Center can still do its sustainable farming program if area residents can access natural gas. This is not an either-or proposition. But this is from the founders of the center…
In 2009, we moved out of our near 3000 square foot deluxe Beverly Chicago Bungalow into an off grid, 580 square foot Mennonite storage unit we re-purposed to be our home on the eco campus complete with outdoor compost toilets and a wood stove.
The motivation? To fall down the rabbit hole into an alternate reality of a low carbon life so we could help others do the same when the impact of a destabilized environment would tailor more and more of our lives.
Um, OK. And, again, there was a recent township supervisor election and the incumbent who sided with Black Oaks lost.
Politicians in this state have been promising to bring progress to Pembroke for as long as I’ve been alive. They’ve never successfully followed through. Enough, already. The opposition has no realistic or even concrete alternate plan. The status quo should not continue.
The city of Chicago has sued a Gary, Indiana gun store alleged to have sold hundreds of illegal guns trafficked into Chicago. Filed by Everytown Law, the litigation arm of Everytown for Gun Safety Support Fund, along with the City of Chicago Department of Law and the law firm Mayer Brown LLP, the lawsuit alleges that the store repeatedly broke federal gun laws and ignored clear signs of straw purchases and gun trafficking, contributing to a public nuisance in Chicago, including in connection with dozens of sales in 2020 and 2021 that resulted in federal criminal charges against the straw purchasers. The complaint cites years of previously-unseen audit reports by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, showing repeat violations, warnings, and two recommendations for revocation of Westforth Sports Inc.’s license to sell guns. It also points to court records showing that, between 2014 and 2021, over 40 federal criminal prosecutions for illegal gun purchases in the Northern District of Indiana, where Westforth is located, involved guns sold by Westforth.
The first civil lawsuit filed by Chicago against a major source of crime guns in more than two decades, the City is seeking a court order requiring Westforth Sports, Inc. to stop practices believed to be contributing to gun trafficking and gun violence in the City, as well as damages for the harm caused by Westforth’s actions.
“The City of Chicago is serious about reducing and eliminating violence of all kinds, which is why we’re fighting the tide of illegal guns flowing into our neighborhoods,” said Chicago Mayor Lori E. Lightfoot. “As Mayor, I’ve worked tirelessly to reduce violence to keep our streets safe. Time and time again, however, it has become even more clear that holding accountable all those who contribute to gun violence here, regardless of where they are located, is key to our ability to create a safer Chicago. This lawsuit is about addressing a major source of illegal guns recovered in our city, and it should send an unmistakable signal about our commitment to reducing gun violence and stopping gun trafficking.”
“When this many crime guns are traced back to a single dealer, it raises serious questions about how that dealer does business, and in this case you don’t have to look far for the answer,” said Alla Lefkowitz, director of affirmative litigation for Everytown Law. “The ATF has cited Westforth over and over again for violating federal gun regulations, including for selling to straw purchasers. ATF inspectors twice recommended that Westforth’s gun dealer license be revoked. This lawsuit should be a wake-up call to ATF to take long-overdue action against Westforth to protect the public.”
The suit alleges that in the face of unmistakable indicators of illegal gun sales—including high volume, repetitive, and multiple-sale transactions involving duplicate or near-duplicate firearms—Westforth chose time and time again to look the other way and to falsify transaction forms, becoming a trusted source of firearms for traffickers and straw purchasers. For example, as detailed on pages 18-24 of the complaint:
• Over the course of seven months in 2020, one buyer is alleged to have purchased 19 handguns from Westforth, including ten guns bought in multiple-sale transactions, and nine others bought at intervals designed to avoid federal reporting requirements. With the exception of one gun that the buyer kept for himself, each of these guns were transferred to persons in Chicago. The buyer has since been charged criminally with making false statements in connection with his gun purchases at Westforth.
• Another buyer is alleged to have bought six handguns from Westforth in the spring of 2020, including three identical Taurus handguns and a pair of identical Smith & Wesson handguns. The complaint alleges that these duplicative multiple-sale transactions were unmistakable warning signs of straw purchasing, which Westforth ignored. One of the guns that Westforth sold to this buyer was recovered by the Chicago Police just over a month later, and the rest are believed to remain on the streets. In December 2020, this buyer pled guilty to a federal crime in connection with her purchases at Westforth.
• Another buyer visited Westforth in May 2018 and is alleged to have bought five Glock handguns—including two duplicate and near-duplicate pairs—in a single purchase. The complaint alleges that this suspicious bulk purchase of handguns was highly indicative of trafficking, and the buyer was indeed a trafficker. Just a day after Westforth sold these guns, two of them were recovered by law enforcement in Chicago during an altercation. One had been outfitted with a laser sight. This buyer has since been charged criminally with making false statements in connection with his gun purchases at Westforth.
* When the Illinois Policy Institute believes double taxation is bad…
All Illinois drivers also pay sales taxes on top of their gas taxes, which is essentially double taxation.
* When the Illinois Policy Institute believes double taxation is good…
NYT ed board comes out swinging against @GovPritzker, Cuomo and others on the SALT deduction. "A tax cut with such a skewed distribution of benefits ought to be unacceptable to any politician genuinely concerned about the rise of economic inequality." https://t.co/QC8b1ObT2D
After Friday’s deadline to send bills to the opposite chamber, here’s how the numbers play out. House Democrats saw 333 of their bills pass, while 74 from House Republicans passed. Senate Democrats saw 305 bills pass, and Senate Republicans, 47.
* If those numbers are correct, then the Democrats in both chambers passed about 2.8 times as many bills per member as their Republican counterparts…
House Democrats: 4.6 bills per member
House Republicans: 1.6 bills per member
Senate Democrats: 7.4 bills per member
Senate Republicans: 2.6 bills per member
* The percentage of people who have vaccine side effects is relatively small and is always short-lived, but most of the online notice is going to the people who complain the loudest on social media…
Tired with a slight headache both times, but the overwhelming joy and relief I had let me push through just fine.
* Also, if you do have side effects, try not to be too melodramatic on your social media account because you’re only enabling goofs like this…
As soon as the United States authorized the use of the first COVID-19 vaccine in mid-December, a small but vocal group of skeptics and conspiracy theorists, baselessly convinced that the jabs were lethal, started hunting for dead people. At first their efforts were relatively small-bore and haphazard—although far from innocuous. But as the scale and sophistication of America’s vaccine rollout have exponentially ramped up over the last three months, so have efforts to hunt down alleged vaccine fatalities.
Starting in mid-January, several social media channels and websites emerged as hubs for stories, generated by admins and users pulling together snippets from across the internet and crafting them into cohesive narratives and brief posts, linking reported deaths to COVID vaccinations. Several of these platforms have grown notably, and become more formalized, in recent weeks. Unsurprisingly, given the robust safety profile of the vaccines in use in the United States, they rarely detail how a vaccination supposedly caused a given death.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has not found a causal connection between COVID vaccines and virtually any post-vaccination deaths—although the agency recently announced it is investigating three deaths linked to a rare blood-clotting disorder a few individuals developed after receiving the Johnson & Johnson vaccine. Medical authorities shelved that vaccine temporarily because sensitive monitoring systems picked up on this issue quickly. However, anti-vaxxers often take this less as a sign that safety systems are working and more as a sign that they were right all along and many more dangers must remain hidden.
But even if the narratives these hubs string together are weak and not supported by extant research on vaccine risks, some evidence suggests seeing these sorts of stories repeated ad nauseam may turn otherwise open people away from vaccines. This is a problem, as experts warn that skeptics, especially in far-right strongholds, are holding us back from herd immunity.
And death-hunting hubs are overflowing with dubious stories about vaccine death.
Of the many strategies Brewer and his colleagues explored in a 2017 study on the psychology of vaccine uptake, one of the most effective was simply requiring it.
For some people, being allowed to travel to see the grandkids, to take a cruise or to return to the office or school is enough of an incentive to persuade them to get vaccinated. According to a Kaiser Family Foundation poll conducted in late March, 7 percent of respondents said that they would get a vaccine “only if required.”
However, that step cannot occur before people believe vaccinations are safe.
“If there’s not some community-wide level of confidence in the vaccine,” Brewer said, “policymakers cannot implement all of these super-effective approaches without receiving a great deal of blowback from the general public.”
(T)he Illinois Community College Board and the Illinois Board of Higher Education won’t mandate vaccines for students.
“That’s going to be a local college decision,” said Matt Berry, Illinois Community College Board spokesman.
Melissa Hahn, spokeswoman for the Illinois Board of Higher Education, said the board is not issuing guidance mandating vaccines “but encourages continued use of face coverings, frequent hand-washing, and maintaining social distance.”
Community colleges in Cook, DuPage, Kane, Lake and McHenry counties are not requiring students to be vaccinated but will continue COVID screening and other safety measures. In Chicago, DePaul University and Columbia College are mandating students be vaccinated for fall, bucking the trend.
The fiscal news in Illinois of late has been a whole lot better than just about anyone expected. March’s base general funds revenue grew by $422 million versus a year ago, mainly because of stronger than expected receipts of personal and corporate income taxes and sales taxes. That follows a growth of $330 million in February’s receipts.
The revenue surge has been so rosy that some have openly wondered whether Gov. J.B. Pritzker was telling the truth last year when he warned voters that failing to approve a graduated income tax, which would’ve eventually produced more than $3 billion a year in new revenues, would result in budget cuts or higher taxes.
But a little noticed budget forecast published during spring break by the Legislature’s Commission on Government Forecasting and Accountability threw cold water on all the excitement.
“The 2017 income tax increase closed some of the structural gap in the budget but the state still has more work to do to truly be able to operate under a sustainable model moving forward,” COGFA reported.
That structural budget gap also came up in a recent report by the University of Illinois’ Institute of Government and Public Affairs, which noted that Illinois’ expenditures exceeded revenue by roughly 10% each year between 2010 and 2020.
But back to COGFA’s report, which claimed that, “as demonstrated in this report, based on forecast models, the state needs to raise more revenue and/or reduce expenditures.”
The commission produced several scenarios, including one that used the projected spending for this fiscal year and next fiscal year and applied the 2.7% annual spending growth averaged here over the past five years. In that scenario, the Fiscal Year 2022 deficit would be $1.2 billion, FY23’s deficit would be $1.7 billion and the FY24 budget would have a $1.9 billion hole and a $9.9 billion backlog on paying bills. That backlog is currently $5.4 billion.
Basing projections on the same two fiscal years with an average 3.2% spending growth seen in Illinois over the past ten years, the projected Fiscal Year 2024 deficit grows to $2.3 billion and the bill backlog would be $10.6 billion.
But basing calculations on only this fiscal year’s spending would produce even higher deficits and backlogs: A $5 billion deficit and a $19.1 billion backlog by FY2024 assuming a 2.7% annual spending growth; and a whopping $5.7 billion deficit and a $20.5 billion bill backlog assuming a 3.2% spending growth.
To bring the bill backlog down to zero dollars, COGFA calculated that the state would need annual spending cuts of 5.3% and 4.7%, depending on which fiscal year spending base was used in the projection.
Zero-growth budgets would produce a $413 million surplus and a $6.5 billion backlog by 2024 in one scenario and a $1.4 billion deficit and a $12 billion backlog in the other.
But even achieving flat spending is hugely difficult because of ever-increasing pension obligations, medical inflation and education spending pressures, not to mention all the other programs that legislators and governors devise.
One of COGFA’s suggestions is to reduce statutory interest rates on past-due bills of between 9 and 12% annually, which it claimed could reduce spending by $15 million to $45 million per year. While it looks good on paper, the hard fact remains that vendors have been stiffed for two decades by this state and it’s already difficult to find people who will do business with Illinois. Cutting that interest rate would make it even tougher.
COGFA also suggested expanding the sales tax base, which is something the governor has rejected.
But the commission did have one piece of sound advice: Use the $7.5 billion from the federal government’s new American Rescue Plan to pay off the money borrowed from the feds, pay down the state’s bill backlog, use some of the cash to generate as much federal matching funds as possible and patch any COVID-caused budgetary holes.
That definitely would help keep down the projected bill backlogs, but it wouldn’t do much to correct the structural budget problems Illinois has had for many years. That opportunity was lost last November when Pritzker’s “Fair Tax” plan went down in flames at the polls.
While the governor’s $1 billion “corporate loopholes” proposal would make a dent in those projected holes, a new and comprehensive plan is necessary. But it’ll be pretty tough with an election year right around the corner. Petitions can be circulated in about five months.
A phased repeal of the corporate franchise tax, an addition to what properties qualify for the state’s machinery and equipment sales tax exemption, and a tax deduction for creating new construction jobs in the state were added to the budget proposal put forth by Pritzker in 2019 to secure Republican support.
All three provisions would be delayed or removed in the governor’s plan in order to generate approximately $102 million in savings for FY 22
That third provision, branded as the Blue Collar Jobs Act, was meant to go into effect Jan. 2021. At the time of its passage, the bill was touted by both Pritzker and Republicans as a tax credit that would bring more jobs and businesses to Illinois.
However, the construction worker tax credit had its implementation delayed by Pritzker, who cited losses in tax revenue due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Sen. Chapin Rose, R-Mahomet, questioned Sturm, the governor’s budget director, on why a program passed with bipartisan support needed to be cut if the state expected a surplus.
A former Illinois state representative and longtime supervisor of Worth Township was charged Friday in a plot to pay bribes to a relative of an Oak Lawn trustee in 2017 to get lucrative red-light cameras installed there.
John O’Sullivan, 53, of Oak Lawn, was charged in a criminal information filed in U.S. District Court with one count of bribery conspiracy.
Defendants charged via an information, rather than by grand jury indictment, typically intend to plead guilty. O’Sullivan’s attorney was not immediately available for comment.
O’Sullivan was accused of conspiring with longtime political operative Patrick Doherty and an executive representing red-light camera company SafeSpeed LCC to pay $4,000 in bribes in exchange for the official support of an Oak Lawn trustee to add red-light cameras at additional intersections.
* Ben Szalinski at the State Journal-Register has a good roundup piece that hits many of the high points of today’s House action, so click here when you get a chance. Topics include…
The Senate mostly dealt with lesser or bipartisan bills. Click here.
* It feels so good to be back in session, meeting new people, seeing people I haven’t seen in over a year, having a bit of fun after hours all while trying to do my job the way it ought to be done. But, man…
Josina Morita was the first commissioner on Chicago’s Metropolitan Water Reclamation District to have a baby while in office and was told, at one point, to use an empty tech support office when she needed to pump breastmilk.
State Rep. Margaret Croke had a 2-month-old son during the 12th House District primary race and brought her son to work every day because Illinois, unlike several other states, doesn’t consider child care an allowable campaign expense. […]
The four women have joined forces, along with 18 other bipartisan elected officials — aldermen, county commissioners, state representatives — to form an Illinois Mamas Caucus. Their goal is to turn Illinois into the most mom-friendly state in the nation, through policies that support working families, protect female and maternal health, provide high-quality public education and make it easier for women to run for elected office.
“Women, especially mothers, are the ones who don’t crack under pressure,” Conyears-Ervin said. “We know how to have the baby on one hip and stand up to the microphone on the House floor, Senate floor, talk about our legislation, nurse our babies on Zoom calls, you name it. That’s why we’re doing this. Is it difficult? Yes. Do we have time for it? No. But it is so very important.”
The founding members of the Mamas Caucus are hosting a virtual town hall, where they’re inviting the public to share their stories of living and working and parenting through a pandemic.
* The Question: Your parenting/career stories? And since the above story is about the Mamas Caucus, let’s keep the responses to stories about moms and their careers. Thanks.
And I’m sorry this was posted so late on a Friday.
* Rep. Robyn Gabel (D-Evanston) rose on the floor this afternoon to explain House Bill 347. The bill, she said, does two things. First, it creates a database of all immunizations to help the Illinois Department of Public Health track immunizations across the state and said people can opt out if they don’t want to be in the registry. Second, the bill would increase vaccine reimbursement to pediatricians for vaccinating children from the current $6.40 to $16.
Intense opposition to the bill was whipped up by at least one so-called “vaccine awareness” group and thousands of electronic witness slips were filed against it.
* Norine Hammond (R-Macomb) rose to say (inaccurately) that 15,000 witness slips had been filed in opposition to the bill and that she had received several emails about this as well.
“People are very concerned about having this information based in a data registry,” Hammond said, and asked the sponsor “Who is going to hold those records and how they will be disseminated?”
Rep. Gabel replied that the records are “only for the Department of Health” and are not disseminated with identifying data. “They’re used in the aggregate to be able to check immunization rates across the state to identify areas that have low immunizations and to target services for those areas.”
Gabel also stressed that there is an opt-out process “in current law.” Rep. Hammond said the opt-out was a concern of many who had contacted her. Even so, Hammond said she wouldn’t be voting for the bill.
* Rep. Andrew Chesney (R-Freeport) then asked to be recognized to speak. “I recommend my colleagues vote ‘No,’” Chesney said. “My body, my choice.” Some of you may recognize that saying as an anti-vaxxer slogan used to troll liberals.
“This bill does not mandate anybody get a vaccine for anything,” an exasperated Gabel retorted.
Their Facebook page is one long paean to Donald Trump, complete with an invite to take the bus to Washington, D.C., and participate in a “March to Save America” at the Capitol. Not to mention the “Trump’s back” speech at the March CPAC conference.
Their No. 2 official has tweeted in recent days about the “stupid diapers” “Tony Fraudci & Co.” want you wear on your face, how “over one third of Americans” are “rejecting” Coca-Cola because the company “interfered in Georgia politics and voter integrity,” and how people can contribute to the Florida congressman who is under investigation for allegedly paying a 17-year-old for sex trips. Not to mention the pic a few weeks back of her schmoozing with a National Rifle Association board hopeful.
Then there’s the double-endorsed candidate who threw a fundraiser with the group’s help without disclosing that a good chunk of the proceeds were going to her consulting company.
Conservative, far-southern Illinois? Or maybe the southwest suburbs? Nope, this group is from an unexpected locale. Its name: the New Trier Township Republican Organization.
Yes, New Trier. As in the tony North Shore, between Evanston and Highland Park, long the unofficial headquarters of business wing of the Illinois GOP, the place where such leaders as onetime White House Chief of Staff Donald Rumsfeld, U.S. Sens. Chuck Percy and Mark Kirk, U.S. Reps. Bob Dold and John Porter, and even Gov. Bruce Rauner grew up or were based.
Gold Rush Amusements, Inc., the third largest video gaming terminal operator in Illinois, announced today a settlement with the Illinois Gaming Board (IGB), including dismissal of a 2019 disciplinary complaint without any finding of wrongdoing. The IGB unanimously approved the agreement at its meeting this morning in Chicago. The agreement provides for renewal of Gold Rush’s license retroactive to February of this year, continuing Gold Rush’s consistent good standing.
“After 18 months of denying false accusations from adversaries and fighting to protect my business, my family, and my reputation, I’m grateful that the IGB closely reviewed and considered the facts and evidence demonstrating that I did not offer an illegal inducement as the disciplinary complaint alleged,” said Rick Heidner, Gold Rush’s founder.
According to the settlement agreement, Gold Rush and Mr. Heidner fully cooperated during the IGB’s investigation. In addition to dismissing the disciplinary complaint, the agreement calls for Gold Rush and Mr. Heidner to dismiss two lawsuits they filed last year against the IGB. Gold Rush will pay the IGB $45,000 to cover its administrative and investigative costs associated with the disciplinary complaint. The company will also pay a $30,000 fine for disparaging text messages unrelated to the disciplinary complaint that Mr. Heidner sent in July 2019 to an adversary in litigation.
Gold Rush denied the allegations made in the disciplinary complaint and contested the request to revoke Gold Rush’s terminal operator license. The complaint alleged that Mr. Heidner violated state law and IGB rules by offering to help arrange a purchase of certain video gaming establishments for $5 million more than a recent purchaser had paid for them in a November 2018 transaction.
That transaction, or series of transactions, on Nov. 16, 2018, among three other Illinois video gaming licensees – Laredo Hospitality Ventures, LLC, Illinois Café and Service Company, LLC (ICSC), and Midwest SRO, LLC – resulted in ICSC’s purported purchase of Laredo and its more than 60 Stella’s and Shelby’s gaming establishments. At the time, Gold Rush had contracts to serve as the terminal operator for 44 of the owned establishments and was being forced out. Mr. Heidner, who was suspicious but unaware of the transaction details at the time, contends that he was merely attempting to elicit the financial details of the deal when he engaged in conversation later that same month with Dan Fischer, principal of ICSC, which owns and operates the Dotty’s chain of video gaming cafes.
“The settlement vindicates Gold Rush and Mr. Heidner on the allegations that were charged in the disciplinary complaint,” said Patrick M. Collins, of King & Spalding, an attorney for Gold Rush and Mr. Heidner. “We believe the disciplinary complaint was issued in reaction to misleading media reports, but we are grateful that the IGB ultimately was persuaded by the facts to dismiss the complaint and approve a fair and reasonable settlement.”
Meanwhile, the IGB continues to investigate ICSC’s purported purchase of Laredo. In pending litigation relating to the November 2018 transaction, it was revealed that a Gold Rush competitor, Midwest SRO, had paid more than $44.5 million to the owners of the Laredo establishments before being awarded contracts with them to replace Gold Rush. At the same time, ICSC paid only $2 million, and possibly much less, to purportedly purchase Laredo and its more than 60 high-end cafes.
Gold Rush contends that the transaction was a “sham” designed to circumvent gaming laws prohibiting inducements and integrated ownership of terminal operators and establishments. In December 2020, a Cook County Circuit Court judge opined that he viewed the transaction as “highly suspect.” Internal IGB documents produced in the litigation likewise disclosed that the agency’s professional staff had grave concerns about the deal before it was completed, but believed they lacked authority to stop the transaction. In June 2020, the IGB advised the Court that it was investigating the transaction, and it recently signaled that the investigation is continuing when it told a judge last month in a different case that: “The Laredo Transaction calls into question whether certain applicants are qualified to be granted a video gaming license.”
“We appreciate the significant time spent by the IGB in resolving this matter in a fair and equitable manner, especially during a period when the IGB is extremely busy and has many demands for its attention, yet is understaffed. Nevertheless, we encourage the IGB to continue to invest the resources necessary to conclude its ongoing investigation and provide the industry with direction on issues that will influence future transactions and relationships,” said Paul T. Jenson, of Taft Stettinius & Hollister LLP, an attorney for Gold Rush and Mr. Heidner.
The IGB today also approved a separate agreement providing that the agency will rescind an order directing Gold Rush and its Director of Operations, Ronald Bolger, to economically disassociate. That order was announced by the Board at the same time as the 2019 disciplinary complaint. Mr. Bolger, a widely respected 40-year veteran of the coin-operated amusement and video gaming industries in Illinois, remains Gold Rush’s operations director.
That agency’s administrator, Marcus Fruchter, moved to revoke Heidner’s gambling license in December 2019, claiming Heidner had offered up a $5 million “illegal inducement” to the owner of a gambling parlor chain that planned to remove Heidner’s slots. State gambling law prohibits “giving anything of value to an establishment as an incentive” to use a company’s machines.
But more than a year into the case, new evidence “added clarity and context to the events underlying the disciplinary complaint,” Fruchter said before Gaming Board members unanimously approved the settlement.
Heidner had maintained the allegations were part of an “orchestrated smear campaign” by Dan Fischer, a competitor who remains in a heated legal battle with Heidner. Court records stemming from that ongoing lawsuit show Gaming Board investigators are now considering discipline against Fischer, who’s also the lead investor in a group that has received preliminary approval to break ground on a new casino in Rockford. […]
Heidner was put under the microscope in October 2019 when his name surfaced in a federal search warrant connected to a sweeping public corruption probe that has ensnared several top state lawmakers. That summer, federal agents went looking for items related to Heidner and Gold Rush, among other entities, when they raided the offices of then-state Sen. Martin Sandoval and McCook Mayor Jeff Tobolski. […]
But last summer, Chicago’s top federal prosecutor, U.S. Attorney John Lausch, took the rare step of signing a letter confirming Heidner was “not a target of this investigation.”
* Again, more than half the deaths are people in their 60s or younger. Press release…
The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) today reported 3,369 new confirmed and probable cases of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Illinois, including 22 additional deaths.
- Bureau County: 1 male 70s
- Champaign County: 1 male 40s
- Cook County: 1 female 40s, 1 male 40s, 2 females 50s, 2 males 50s, 1 male 60s, 2 males 80s
- DuPage County: 1 female 80s
- Kane County: 1 female 50s
- Peoria County: 1 male 60s
- Sangamon County: 1 female 30s
- Tazewell County: 1 female 50s, 1 male 80s
- Vermilion County: 2 females 80s
- Will County: 1 male 70s, 1 female 90s
- Woodford County: 1 female 70s
Currently, IDPH is reporting a total of 1,316,091 cases, including 21,777 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 104,795 specimens for a total of 22,113,490. As of last night, 2,112 individuals in Illinois were reported to be in the hospital with COVID-19. Of those, 506 patients were in the ICU and 230 patients with COVID-19 were on ventilators.
The preliminary seven-day statewide positivity for cases as a percent of total test from April 16-22, 2021 is 3.6%. The preliminary seven-day statewide test positivity from April 16-22, 2021 is 4.3%.
The total number of COVID-19 vaccine doses for Illinois is 10,802,075. A total of 8,610,478 vaccines have been administered in Illinois as of last midnight. The seven-day rolling average of vaccines administered daily is 118,741 doses. Yesterday, 136,525 doses were reported administered in Illinois.
*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.
A measure advancing at the statehouse would require Illinoisans to submit fingerprints to get a Firearm Owner Identification Card and increase the costs, among other changes.
House Floor Amendment 1 to House Bill 1091 would bring about many changes, including what proponents say are efforts to modernize the state’s FOID and Concealed Carry License system.
Currently, there are tens of thousands of backlogs of individuals who have paid for their application to be processed, but are waiting months longer than the law allows. The system faces multiple lawsuits in state and federal courts.
Illinois State Rifle Association’s Ed Sullivan said while they support better firearm disposition policies to get guns from prohibited persons whose FOID cards are revoked, they don’t support the proposal of mandating fingerprints for people to exercise constitutional rights.
The proposals backed by GPAC also include mandatory universal background checks for private gun sales or transfers unless it’s between immediate family members. Willis described those private sales as a “loophole,” and said her legislation would make it mandatory to go to a federal firearms licensed dealer who can perform a universal background check in order to make a private sale.
But Todd Vandermyde of the Federal Firearms Licensees of Illinois pointed out there are no such gun dealers in the city of Chicago due to local ordinances, and compared that situation with disenfranchising of Black voters.
“What would it be like if we said we’re going to have early voting in the state but there was not a single polling place inside the city limits of Chicago, and all those voters had to go outside to Cook County or elsewhere to vote?” Vandermyde asked. “We wouldn’t accept it. This is a Jim Crow law.”
House Judiciary - Criminal committee chair State Rep. Justin Slaughter (D-Chicago), who is Black, chided Vandermyde for his comparison.
“What we’re not going to do is associate this with Jim Crow laws,” Slaughter said.
I’m opposed to Illinois House Bill 1356, which would require anyone who runs for the Board of Review to be a lawyer.
Our property tax system needs ongoing reform. But this bill would discourage reformers and real estate professionals from running for public office.
Right now, all three Cook County Board of Review commissioners are lawyers. We don’t need a law to make this possible. This bill would not apply to any other counties in Illinois. We should ask ourselves why this bill needs to be passed and who will benefit from it.
No other office in Cook County’s property tax system has a law like this.
Appeals from the Board of Review go to the Property Tax Appeals Board. There is no requirement to have a law degree to serve on the Property Tax Appeals Board.
This bill is also not the standard elsewhere in the country. In other large jurisdictions around the country, including New York City, Dallas, Seattle, Miami, D.C. and Los Angeles, there is no requirement that board members must be attorneys.
In many other property tax jurisdictions, real estate professionals outnumber lawyers on the boards that hear assessment appeals.
Finally, in the suburbs of Cook County, Township Assessors serve as ex-officio deputies of our office. This bill would prevent many of them from putting their knowledge to work at the Board of Review in service of taxpayers.
Township Assessors are some of the most knowledgeable people in the county when it comes to property assessments and appeals thanks to decades of skills and training. It’s a mistake to block them from running for this office if they aren’t a lawyer.
It’s a step backward if we don’t continue to allow real estate professionals and others from the private sector to serve in this capacity merely because they are not lawyers.
HB 1356 won’t serve the goal of a more fair and accurate property tax system. I urge @HouseDemsIL and @ilhousegop legislators to vote no.
I talked with some Cook County Democratic House members yesterday who were up in arms about the bill. Stay tuned.
…Adding… Press release…
The following is a statement from Commissioners of the Cook County Board of Review, Larry Rogers, Jr. and Michael Cabonargi on why they are championing HB1356, a good government bill in Springfield that would require Commissioners of the Cook County Board of Review to be licensed attorneys:
“This is a good government bill that will further professionalize the Board of Review. As a quasi-judicial body that sits as an appellate tribunal, the courts have established that filing a complaint with the Board is the practice of law. It is only appropriate that the Commissioners who lead the Board and all its work be licensed attorneys.
“As licensed attorneys, Commissioners are held to a higher ethical standard and subject to discipline by the Illinois Attorney Registration & Disciplinary Commission, another safeguard that voters clearly value since they’ve now elected three licensed attorneys as Commissioners of the Board.
“While others have contended that this bill will close the door to real estate professionals becoming Commissioners, it’s fundamental that the Board is an independent legal review of the Assessor’s work, as explicitly defined in the Illinois Property Tax Code and relevant case law.
“Finally, the notion that licensed attorneys can’t be reformers is patently ridiculous. Please see the ACLU.”
Late on Friday, we heard there’s talk now of rewriting the bill, which did not meet a deadline for third readings but is far from dead. It can be revived. The rewrite would allow at least some non-lawyers with good assessment credentials to run for the board, which would beat the current bad proposal.
But better yet, there should be no such restrictions.
Not unless somebody can come up with better arguments than we’ve heard so far.
On the same day a Minnesota jury found Derek Chauvin guilty of murdering George Floyd, a push to end qualified immunity stalled in the Illinois House.
Democrats narrowly reached a deal on police reform during a “lame duck” session in January. The original provision would have ended qualified immunity, the legal shield that often protects police officers from liability in civil courts; however, that controversial proposal was removed in order to calm the nerves of some legislators who were uncomfortable with the idea.
“I was someone who, internally and publicly, was very adamant that qualified immunity should stay in the criminal justice pillars,” Rep. Curtis Tarver said Thursday. “I think that to not have it in there is somewhat of a disservice to the overall purpose of the pillar.”
“Individuals who either don’t come in contact with law enforcement in the same way that a lot of Black and Brown individuals do, or don’t know anyone who’s had those same type of interactions, I think it could be difficult for them,” Tarver said.
For police trying to crack a tough case, one tool in the arsenal is deception — letting suspects think there’s strong evidence against them, even when there’s none, in hopes of getting a confession.
But an effort in Springfield this month aims to ban that kind of trickery when it comes to juveniles.
Senate Bill 2122, which has been working its way through the upper house of the General Assembly this week, would prohibit police from lying to a juvenile suspect about evidence in a case, or making unauthorized statements about any leniency that might come with an admission of guilt.
A growing number of state senators are advocating for a ranked choice voting system where voters could rank their candidates in order of preference. Advocates say it would result in electing politicians who appeal to a broader portion of the electorate.
Public polling data from Gallup and Pew Research have shown an increasing drift towards polarization and away from a moderate consensus in recent years. Several legislative districts in Illinois are very non-competitive, and often see candidates who wind up running unopposed in the general election. But in a crowded primary field, the most polarizing or controversial candidate can sometimes win the most attention, and coast through to an easy seat in the legislature without facing a challenge from across the aisle, or without winning wide support from the voters in their district.
“The problem that we see is that the primary becomes the entire election,” state Senator Scott Bennett (D-Champaign) said.
Reforming elections to include a ranked choice format would require county clerks to tabulate votes for each race and determine if any candidate had reached a 50% threshold. If no one reached a simple majority, the candidate with the least votes would be eliminated from contention, and the clerk would count up all of the second preferences of that candidate’s voters, adding those second alternative choices to the total vote counts for candidates still remaining in the field. The process would continue until one candidate had won at least half of the total votes.
A bill that would add some interesting new strings to tax-increment financing projects has picked up a surprisingly big head of steam in Springfield and is nearing final approval by the General Assembly.
Under the measure, sponsored by Rep. Jonathan Carroll, D-Northbrook at the request of Illinois Comptroller Susana Mendoza, TIF developers would have to begin reporting annually to Mendoza how well their projects are doing in terms of creating jobs and new property tax revenue, or increment. That way, voters would know whether a project in line for TIF subsidies is as productive as developers promised.
Today marks 100 days since House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch was sworn in to serve as Illinois’ first Black Speaker of the House. In just under four months, Speaker Welch has worked tirelessly to ensure his promises to address our state’s toughest issues are being kept.
“In my inaugural address, I vowed that I would work with all members of the Illinois House to make this state better,” said Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch. “While I understand we are one of the most diverse states in the country, we are all here to represent the people of Illinois and make their lives better.”
In an effort to restore the public’s trust in government, Speaker Welch ushered in a new set of House rules that included a 10-year term limit for leadership positions in the General Assembly. He then supported further codifying these limits by the working to pass House Bill 642, which was unanimously passed in the House on Thursday. The Speaker also continues to work on an ethics reform package, something he’s vowed since he earned the speakership.
“We know we need to strengthen the trust Illinoisans have in their elected officials. We will do that through reform, with a renewed focus on transparency, prohibitions on conflicts of interest and a renewed commitment to work in the best interest of the people of Illinois,” said Speaker Welch.
To ensure we’re producing tangible solutions that will have a positive effect on families and children, here is a sample of legislation we’ve passed:
· HB 25, led by Representative Gong-Gershowitz, which paves the way for legal representation for people facing immigration proceedings;
· HB 374, led by Representative Smith, which enables the creation of affordable housing on community college campuses;
· HB 3418, led Representative Carroll, which prohibits employers from requiring nondisclosure agreements in sexual harassment cases;
· HB 576, led by Representative LaPointe, which allow kids to take sick days to aid their mental health; and
· HB 376, also led by Representative Gong- Gershowitz, which incorporates Asian American history into our schools’ curricula.
When it comes to a critical kitchen table issue, Leader Delia Ramirez championed legislation that helps to remove barriers to housing for families that have been devastated by COVID-19. In addition to pausing foreclosures, it helps expand access to assistance for renters and provides relief for homeowners.
To build on the racial equity platform pushed by the Black Caucus, Rep. Camille Lilly put Illinois on the path toward health equity by passing House Bill 158.. This legislation creates an Anti-Racism Commission to eliminate systemic racism prevalent in health care and requires implicit bias training for all medical professionals.
Prior to joining the General Assembly, Speaker Welch served 12 years on the Proviso Township High School Board of Education. He has always placed an importance on education and better serving our state’s youth. That was also highlighted with the passage of legislation that would create an elected school board in Chicago, which will divide Chicago into 20 electoral districts as determined by the General Assembly for seats on the Chicago Board of Education. The 21st seat is a city-wide election for the board’s president.
“This is another excellent bill by Leader Ramirez and I’m so proud of the entire caucus for getting it through the chamber,” said Speaker Welch. “We have been working for years to help create a more equitable Board of Education in Chicago and this is one step closer.”
Speaker Welch has placed an importance on a new style of leadership, one that is more inclusive and represents the diversity throughout the state. This starts with his leadership team, which is the most diverse in the state’s history. He hired the first Black Communications Director and the first female Press Spokesperson, in addition to appointing some of the most diverse committee chairs and vice chairs.
“Members of the General Assembly have noticed a more open, decentralized leadership style that allows everyone to advocate for their communities and work their bills as peers,” said Speaker Pro Tempore Jehan Gordon-Booth. “Between the substance of legislation and the availability of grief counselors after the death of Adam Toledo, we see the positive effects of having a more inclusive leadership team and staff.”
As today marks the deadline for 3rd reading, a number of other critical bills are expected to pass the House and head to the Illinois Senate. Concurrently, the House will consider Senate-passed bills as Democratic leaders in both chambers work in the interests of women, working-class families and communities of color up and down the state.
Your thoughts on the new House Speaker’s first 100 days?
* Background is here if you need it. I’ve talked to a Black legislator this week who said he isn’t using his legislative plates in Springfield because of this case. I can’t say I blame him…
A New Berlin man pleaded not guilty yesterday to criminal charges that allege he pointed a loaded handgun at a state senator to threaten the Chicago-based lawmaker as the two were driving cars March 15 in Springfield.
Michael L. Hoyle, 54, who is free after posting $15,000 bail the day after the alleged incident, entered the plea in front of Sangamon County Circuit Judge Ryan Cadagin. A trial was scheduled for July.
Hoyle, the president and owner of Kwik-Wall Co. of Springfield, was arrested the night of the incident involving Sen. Elgie Sims Jr., D-Chicago. […]
In March, Sims told The State Journal-Register that he feared for his life when he was threatened by Hoyle, someone he didn’t know, as Sims drove alone from the Capitol Complex to his home on Springfield’s west side, where he lives during legislative sessions.
Sims, 50, has said he thinks the legislative license plates on his car may have played a role in sparking the apparent incident of road rage. But Springfield Police Deputy Chief Joshua Stuenkel said police haven’t found evidence to support that theory and were unaware of a motive behind Hoyle’s alleged behavior.
*** UPDATE *** Hoyle attempted to change his bond conditions during a hearing today. He wanted to be able to travel freely in the continental United States. Instead, he got limited travel privileges, a psych evaluation, was ordered to turn over his guns to the sheriff and can have no contact with Sen. Sims…
Cause comes on for hearing on Defendant’s Motion to Modify Conditions of Bond and the People’s Motion to Modify Conditions of Bond and the Court having reviewed the pleading and considered the arguments of counsel, ORDERS as follows:
A. Defendant is ordered to comply with all standard Conditions of Bond Release set forth on Exhibit A;
B. Defendant shall surrender all firearms and ammunition to the Sangamon County Sheriff’s Office on or before April 26, 2021;
C. Defendant shall not possess firearms or ammunition; Defendant shall complete a psychiatric evaluation by a provider designated by Pretrial Services and comply with any treatment recommendations made by Pretrial Services;
D. Defendant shall have no contact with Elgie Sims or any of the following addresses [redacted by me]
E. Defendant is not permitted to leave the State of Illinois absent further order of the Court, with the following exceptions:
a. Defendant shall be permitted to travel to his residence in the State of Florida; and
b. Defendant is permitted to attend a military graduation ceremony for his son in the State of Kentucky and return to Springfield.
Several of Sen. Sims’ colleagues joined Sims at the hearing, including Senate President Harmon and Sens. Murphy, Gillespie, Villivalam, Feigenholtz, Villenuava, Peters, Aquino, Hunter, Johnson, Morrison, Bush, Fine, Belt and Simmons, among others. It was a nice touch.
* Tanking for labor when you’re about to run statewide is a good idea. But positioning yourself as the sponsor of a more generous than perhaps needed Exelon/ComEd bailout? I suppose we’re gonna find out…
State lawmakers sponsoring a union-backed proposal that could raise ComEd customers’ bills sought to poke holes Thursday in a study commissioned by Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s office that argues for smaller subsidies for two nuclear plants owned by the utility’s parent company.
During a Senate committee hearing Thursday, Democratic Sen. Michael Hastings of Frankfort and Republican Sen. Sue Rezin of Morris, both sponsors of the labor-backed energy bill, questioned the assumptions in the governor’s audit and the credibility of the outside experts hired to prepare it. […]
Deputy Gov. Christian Mitchell, who is leading energy talks for the governor’s office, told lawmakers that Pritzker fully supports releasing the full report and has asked Exelon for permission to do so. Pritzker also supports taking steps to keep nuclear plants in operation, Mitchell said. […]
But Mitchell said customers should “pay no more than is necessary to keep the fleet viable.” The audit recommends only providing subsidies in years Exelon demonstrates the financial need.
“For those who would want to pay more than that, I would simply ask, ‘Why?’ ” he said.
Good question, although knocking heads with a pretty powerful Democratic Senator also has distinct disadvantages in the short term.
Hastings wants to run for secretary of state. His top Democratic opponent so far is Alexi Giannoulias, who has raised $1.5 million since the beginning of the year, including a $100K A-1 filed just this week. At this rate, he’ll have more than enough money to dirty Hastings up. Hastings has raised $264K so far this year, but had $604K in the bank.
Rezin has nuke plants in her district, so her position is strictly local.
…Adding… IL Chamber…
Following [yesterday’s] Senate Energy and Public Utilities subject matter hearing on the Exelon audit prepared by Synapse Energy Economics at the direction of the Pritzker Administration, Illinois Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Todd Maisch provides the following statement:
Today’s hearing provided a very important opportunity to shed light on some of the questions legislators must consider as Exelon comes back to the General Assembly with hat in hand asking for a second massive bailout in only five years. As Illinois’ citizens and businesses only begin to recover from the harsh economic realities brought on by the Covid19 pandemic, the last thing ratepayers need is to fund a bailout totalling hundreds of millions of dollars for a profitable company through higher electricity prices. The Illinois Chamber encourages a release of the redacted audit, and urges legislators to continue asking the important questions, which the Exelon audit and today’s hearing only began to address. Those questions include:
· Will Exelon acquiesce to legislators’ concerns about transparency and release Illinois EPA and the report’s authors from the non-disclosure agreement, allowing the General Assembly and taxpayers access to the full report?
· Before the State agrees to a second massive subsidy, shouldn’t it request and obtain a financial audit of Exelon’s currently subsidized plants that already cost ratepayers $235 million a year? Shouldn’t we first determine whether or not that first subsidy is greater than what is necessary to maintain their economic viability?
· Are legislators committed to the notion that there should be no subsidy if there is no financial need? And would they support an “annual true-up” of costs with refund provisions to protect Illinois ratepayers?
· Why would legislators support any energy proposal that contains an Exelon subsidy that has not been subjected to an independent third-party audit to determine the true impact to ratepayers?
* Considering all the extended secrecy from the Illinois State Board of Elections, you could be forgiven for thinking that this little scandal was a whole lot worse than it actually turned out to be…
Illinois’ top elections official told board members he became the victim of an internet extortion scheme after he exchanged “flirtatious” messages and sent a picture to a person he met online.
Steven Sandvoss, who is on administrative leave until his resignation takes effect at the end of June, detailed his encounters in a letter to the State Board of Elections in which he said a threat was made to “ruin” him if he didn’t pay $3,000.
Sandvoss said he did not make any payments and the online threats stopped, according to the letter, which the Tribune obtained. […]
Sandvoss told board members that “at no time did I indicate (to the person online) that I worked” for the elections board.
A Republican lawmaker from Springfield pounded his fist, screamed and threw a paper calendar across the Illinois House chamber Thursday night, saying he was frustrated Democrats won’t call a House vote on his bill to allow a referendum on a Capital Township merger with Sangamon County government.
“I’ve got a bill that is important to my community that the leadership will not call,” state Rep. Tim Butler said, referring to House Bill 2994.
In a three-minute speech shortly before 9 p.m., Butler accused Democrats who control the House of “putting your thumb” on the bill “for political reasons.”
Butler and House Minority Leader Jim Durkin, R-Western Springs, said House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch, D-Hillside, who was elected to lead the House in January, isn’t fulfilling his promise to bring a “new day” to the chamber. Butler said Welch promised to allow more Republican-sponsored bills to be debated than his predecessor, Michael Madigan, D-Chicago, and ease the strict control over House business that Madigan exercised for 38 years.
Welch’s promise “is a bunch of BS right now,” Butler said, looking to the Democratic side of the aisle. “… listen. Listen to your own words,” he said. “Listen to the speaker’s words.”
Rep. Butler’s bill zoomed out of committee with unanimous support and he has more than enough votes to pass it on the floor. But the Democrats have put a brick on it without explanation and he’s right to be upset.
Friday, Apr 23, 2021 - Posted by Advertising Department
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