In a report released today, the Civic Federation offered its general support for Governor JB Pritzker’s proposed FY2022 budget. The reasonable one-year proposal holds most areas of agency spending flat at a time of uncertain revenues, makes the full statutorily required pension payment and appropriately shifts some capital funds to the operating budget for one year. The Federation’s full analysis is available at civicfed.org/FY22ILRecommendedBudget
Governor Pritzker unveiled his spending plan earlier this year, before billions of dollars in funding were made available to the State of Illinois and local governments as part of the federal American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA). To balance the budget at that time, the Governor urged the General Assembly to implement $932 million in corporate tax treatment changes.
“Fortunately for the State of Illinois, more than eight billion dollars in federal funding will soon be deposited in its coffers, which will give officials a little breathing room as budget negotiations continue in the coming weeks,” said Civic Federation President Laurence Msall. “Given the increased flexibility, the proposed business tax changes should be excluded from the enacted budget. Increasing taxes during a recession can easily exacerbate the negative impacts of the recession and hamper the economic recovery.”
Because Illinois has a long, bipartisan fiscal tradition of proposing gimmicky budgets during economically difficult times, the Federation was pleased that Governor Pritzker’s initial proposal largely broke with that tradition to hold most agency spending flat and not rely on dubious revenues. The federal stimulus should therefore be used responsibly rather than reversing the Administration’s efforts to balance the budget.
“Not to spoil the potential eight-billion-dollar spending party before it gets started, but these funds absolutely should not be used to create new multiyear programs or new areas of ongoing spending obligations,” said Msall.
Little information about how the bulk of Illinois’ ARPA funding would be spent has yet been made public. Governor Pritzker, Illinois Senate President Don Harmon and Illinois House Speaker Chris Welch previously expressed plans to prioritize paying off $2.0 billion borrowed from the Federal Reserve under the provisions of an earlier stimulus package. Following guidance issued this week by the U.S. Department of Treasury, it is now unclear if the State can pay any debt service with the proceeds. The Office of Illinois Comptroller Susana Mendoza has asked the Treasury for additional direction.
“The Civic Federation eagerly awaits additional detail on how the federal ARPA funds can and will be used by the State,” said Msall. “No matter the permitted uses, the State must seize this opportunity to work on its long-term plan so that it will not enter future economic crises in the worst shape of any state in the nation.”
In order to achieve fiscal stability, a comprehensive, long-term plan would aim to ensure annual budgets are balanced, eliminate the bill backlog, assist struggling local governments, set aside adequate reserves and address long-term, structural challenges such as unfunded pension liabilities and infrastructure needs.
A compromise could be on the way to reduce the fee on small trailers many Illinoisans have decided not to comply with over the past year.
The fee for small trailers in 2018 was $18. That increased to $118 as part of the governor’s capital construction bill enacted in 2019.
State Rep. Katie Stuart, D-Edwardsville, said her House Bill 36 is an effort to drop it back to $18. She said there was obvious sticker shock last year.
“According to the Secretary of State we had 150,000 fewer trailer license applicants last year compared to the previous year and I worry that we’re going to see that number continue to decrease as people don’t register their trailers,” Stuart said.
* The Question: What’s your outlook for the new state budget?
Amends the General Assembly Operations Act. Provides that the wearing of masks shall not be required for any member of the House of Representatives, or the staff thereof, while present on the floor of the House of Representatives. Provides that any such rule or provision of law mandating the wearing of masks on the floor of the House of Representatives is void. Effective immediately.
* HB4081, sponsored today by GOP Reps. Andrew S. Chesney, Joe Sosnowski, Blaine Wilhour, Adam Niemerg, Brad Halbrook, Chris Miller and Tony McCombie…
Creates the Vaccine Credential Act. Provides that a unit of local government or the State may not require a person to have a vaccine credential or show a vaccine credential before the person enters a public event or public venue. Limits home rule powers. Defines “vaccine credential” as any written or electronic record evidencing that a person has received a vaccine. Effective immediately.
Amends the School Code. Prohibits the State Board of Education, school districts, and elementary and secondary schools from requiring the teachers, other staff, or students of a school to wear a face mask due to the COVID-19 public health emergency disaster declared by the Governor pursuant to the Illinois Emergency Management Agency Act. Effective immediately.
Not that these bills would’ve gone anywhere anyway, but the Third Reading passage deadline for House bills was weeks ago. These are purely for right-wing social media pops, and maybe a big story on Center Square.
…Adding… Oops. Forgot this one sponsored today by Rep. David Friess…
Amends the Interscholastic Athletic Organization Act. Provides that any athletic team or sport that is under the jurisdiction of an association or entity that provides for interscholastic athletics or athletic competition among schools and student must be expressly designated as (i) a male athletic team or sport, (ii) a female athletic team or sport, or (iii) a coeducational athletic team or sport. Provides that an athletic team or sport designated as being female is available only to participants who are female, based on their biological sex. Requires a school district or nonpublic school to obtain a written statement signed by a student’s parent or guardian or the student verifying the student’s age, biological sex, and that the student has not taken performance enhancing drugs; provides for a penalty for false or misleading statements. Prohibits a governmental entity or an association or entity that provides for interscholastic athletics or athletic competition among schools and students from entertaining a complaint, opening an investigation, or taking any other adverse action against a school district or nonpublic school for maintaining athletic teams or sports in accordance with these provisions.
State Rep. Adam Niemerg said Wednesday he plans to introduce a bill that would do away with face masks in the Illinois House and in schools, which drew immediate criticism from some lawmakers even though it has yet to be assigned a bill number.
Hilarious.
…Adding… And now the ILGOP spox wants to get into the act…
I'm seeing a LOT of twitter replies to the new CDC guidelines saying they will continue to wear a mask because of X, Y, and Z…despite the science.
For many, wearing a mask, especially outdoors, has become a virtue signal. Letting go of their mark of "superiority" will be hard.
People who choose to wear a mask outside are hurting nobody, unlike those who refuse to wear masks indoors. So, maybe mind your own business and let them be, bub.
Dick Kay, a no-nonsense, incisive inquisitor who had one of the longest political reporting careers in Chicago, died early Thursday at 84, according to his son Steven Snodgrass.
Mr. Kay had a stentorian voice that sliced through the noise at crime scenes and news conferences like a bass baritone in an opera. It seemed to command answers from politicians and public relations people who might have preferred to slink away from a mic.
Mr. Kay, who lived in St. Charles and had taken ill earlier this week, worked 38 years for WMAQ-Channel 5, covering countless political conventions, indictments, court trials, aldermen, mayors, governors, senators and presidents. He was hired there as a writer in 1968. Within months, he was covering one of the most tumultuous political stories of the century.
“They sent me out on the street, a green kid. The Democratic Convention, in the middle of it! I was stunned,” he once said in an interview with the Chicago Sun-Times.
He began appearing on air two years later, rising to the post of political editor. He also hosted the show “City Desk” and wrote commentaries for the station. […]
He grew up in New Dellrose, Tennessee, a self-described “country boy” who was born in a log cabin. He was just 3 when his sharecropper-father died. His mother worked as a seamstress or cook all her life, he said in the Sun-Times interview. At 14, he dropped out of school so he could make money digging ditches, picking cotton and washing dishes.
Dick Kay was a giant of Chicago TV news back in the days when all the city’s stations strove for excellence.
He was a gruff, hard-hitting and unsparing reporter and won a coveted Peabody Award in 1984…
With extraordinary zeal and completeness, WMAQ-TV reporter Dick Kay and his associates set out to investigate reports of financial waste and corruption in the Illinois State Legislature. The result was Political Parasites, a series of reports on “dead-wood” committees and meaningless commissions that were costing the taxpayers of Illinois millions of dollars. Through effective interviews backed by documented evidence, WMAQ-TV was able to provide extensive proof of duplication, waste, and nepotism in these committees. The result was the swift passage of legislation eliminating the Political Parasites, along with substantial savings of public funds. For an exceptionally well-done investigative report, a Peabody Award to WMAQ-TV for Political Parasites.
* He could also be a sweet and kind man. I introduced myself to him many years ago by telling him I’d been watching his work since I was a little kid. That was the beginning of a friendship that lasted years. It was one of the highlights of my life knowing that he respected my work. He even commented on the blog.
I disagreed with his post-retirement decision to work temporarily for the Blagojevich administration, but he was excited to promote the governor’s health care proposals. And he really let his freak flag fly on his WCPT show.
But, as a reporter and an inquisitor, I’d be hard-pressed to name anybody better than Dick.
• You can resume activities that you did prior to the pandemic.
• You can resume activities without wearing a mask or staying 6 feet apart, except where required by federal, state, local, tribal, or territorial laws, rules, and regulations, including local business and workplace guidance.
• If you travel in the United States, you do not need to get tested before or after travel or self-quarantine after travel.
• You need to pay close attention to the situation at your international destination before traveling outside the United States.
o You do NOT need to get tested before leaving the United States unless your destination requires it.
o You still need to show a negative test result or documentation of recovery from COVID-19 before boarding an international flight to the United States.
o You should still get tested 3-5 days after international travel.
o You do NOT need to self-quarantine after arriving in the United States.
• If you’ve been around someone who has COVID-19, you do not need to stay away from others or get tested unless you have symptoms.
o However, if you live or work in a correctional or detention facility or a homeless shelter and are around someone who has COVID-19, you should still get tested, even if you don’t have symptoms.
[…] • You will still need to follow guidance at your workplace and local businesses.
• If you travel, you should still take steps to protect yourself and others. You will still be required to wear a mask on planes, buses, trains, and other forms of public transportation traveling into, within, or out of the United States, and in U.S. transportation hubs such as airports and stations. Fully vaccinated international travelers arriving in the United States are still required to get tested within 3 days of their flight (or show documentation of recovery from COVID-19 in the past 3 months) and should still get tested 3-5 days after their trip.
• You should still watch out for symptoms of COVID-19, especially if you’ve been around someone who is sick. If you have symptoms of COVID-19, you should get tested and stay home and away from others.
• People who have a condition or are taking medications that weaken the immune system, should talk to their healthcare provider to discuss their activities. They may need to keep taking all precautions to prevent COVID-19.
“Fully vaccinated” is defined as two weeks after the second dose in a 2-dose series, such as the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines, or two weeks after a single-dose vaccine, such as Johnson & Johnson’s Janssen vaccine.
* From the governor’s office…
The Governor believes firmly in following the science and intends to revise his executive orders in line with the upcoming CDC guidelines lifting additional mitigations for vaccinated people. The scientists’ message is clear: if you are vaccinated, you can safely do much more.
The Cubs and White Sox will both increase capacity limits at Wrigley and Guaranteed Rate fields to 60% later this month as Chicago continues to further lift COVID restrictions, the teams announced Thursday. […]
The White Sox will designate Sections 108-109 as vaccinated-only without physical distancing for four games this weekend, starting with Game 1 of the doubleheader against Kansas City on May 14. Fans who purchase these tickets must show proof of vaccination and a photo ID upon entering the ballpark, the team said.
The Sox also announced that beginning May 24, the team will offer two vaccination sites for fans at Guaranteed Rate Field, offering those who get vaccinated before the game a $25 gift card for use inside the ballpark.
At Wrigley, the vaccinated section will be the upper section of the center field Budweiser Bleachers, sold at full capacity and not physically distanced, only available for the Cubs’ four-game series against the Washington Nationals from May 17 to May 20. Tickets will be $20 plus taxes and fees, and all who purchase tickets must show proof of vaccination and a photo ID, the team said.
As Illinois lawmakers continue to push for the passage of an energy overhaul this spring, the Illinois House Energy and Environment Committee discussed the latest proposal to enter the discussion – Gov. JB Pritzker’s Consumers and Climate First Act.
House Bill 4074, sponsored by Rep. Kam Buckner, D-Chicago, was brought before committee for discussion only. Pritzker’s 900-page proposal was released at the end of April with the goal of transitioning Illinois to 100 percent carbon-free energy – including nuclear power – by 2050. […]
Deputy Gov. Christian Mitchell, who also presented the bill in committee, said many of the ideas in Pritzker’s proposal align with the goals of other energy bills, especially the Clean Energy Jobs Act. Sponsored by Rep. Ann Williams, D-Chicago, CEJA was initially introduced to the General Assembly in spring 2019 and has been one of the most publicized bills amid ongoing energy negotiations. […]
No action has been taken on Pritzker’s proposal yet, but as the General Assembly reaches their final stretch of session, negotiations on a compromise measure continue. Mitchell said Pritzker’s administration is willing to continue to work on a final product.
Senate Bill 1965 lead by Rep. La Shawn Ford, D-Chicago, and Sen. Kimberly Lightford, D-Maywood, would make June 19 an annual state holiday to commemorate the end of slavery in the United States after Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863. The holiday is celebrated on June 19 as the day when slaves in Texas found out they were free in 1865, over two years since they had legally been granted freedom.
This version of the bill would take effect immediately upon the governor’s signature. If passed by the House and signed by Gov. JB Pritzker by June 19, this year’s Juneteenth would be an official state holiday. Because the holiday falls on a Saturday this year, Monday would be the day off for state workers. The bill already passed unanimously in the Senate.
Ford and Lightford are leading another version of the bill that is currently in the Senate. House Bill 3922 already passed the House unanimously. However, if this version was sent to the governor, Juneteenth would not be a state holiday until 2022. It also would not give state workers the following Monday off should the holiday fall on a weekend, which makes it less costly than the Senate bill.
NPR Illinois: Your office has one initiative, House Bill 571, which would call for municipalities…to report more details about tax increment financing districts. Could you just first tell me a little bit about what that bill would accomplish? And also because such a big portion of education dollars are wrapped up in property taxes, do you believe that school districts should have a say on whether a TIF is created in their district or whether or not their dollars should be allocated to go towards a TIF, especially since not all TIFs, you know, lead to a return on investment?
Mendoza: Well, look, I feel that transparency has been the hallmark of my administration, and I think that it’s also the road to restoring trust in government. When people believe that all of the decisions related to their school district or in any environment, right, are done behind closed doors without input by the people that are actually toiling away at this endeavor, it creates distrust and animosity towards the process…What happens is that all of these dollars are being generated and districts are missing out on money because it’s going to investments on potential job creation or economic development. But we’ve also seen that a lot of, they’re supposed to be going to blighted areas, and a lot of these TIF dollars are not in what we would consider by any stretch of the imagination blighted areas.
The other issue with the TIFs is that, interestingly enough, the developers are the ones who choose the consultants who determine whether or not this TIF is meeting its expected goals or deliverables in a return on investment for those tax dollars. Which is an inherent conflict of interest…So, we decided to at the very least, as part of our big reform here, is that the city would be responsible for choosing their consultant because they want somebody who will advocate for the city’s position here, not the developer’s position in this deal. Of course, the consultant’s always going to say, “This is going to pay off great in 10 years,” and it usually never does, right? So moving forward, these TIFs will have a lot more transparency and they’re going to have to report to my office whether or not they’ve met their deliverables and what their expectations are for meeting them, their timeline, and most importantly the city will now have a vested interest in choosing a consultant that will make sure that these deliverables are legitimate. And then that gives the constituency a much greater voice.
* Press release…
House Bill 12 passed out of committee and is now poised for passage in the Senate. The legislation was drafted by the Illinois Education Association (IEA) and would expand coverage of the Family and Medical Leave Act to thousands of education support professionals across the state.
“This bill would help those who need it the most. HB12 will lift up our education support staff, knowing they have access FMLA without the risk of losing their job and health insurance,” IEA President Kathi Griffin said. “Supporting working families is important. FMLA is not just for pregnant mothers. It can also be used if an employee needs time to recuperate from a serious health condition, care for a family member with a serious health condition or care for a family member who has sustained injuries while on active service duty for the military.”
Currently, to be eligible for FMLA an employee must have worked 1,250 hours during the previous year. Unfortunately, this disqualifies many of our educational support staff from meeting the requirements of FMLA due to the limited number of days they are able to work during a school year. HB 12 reduces the minimum threshold to 1,000 hours, so that more education support professionals would qualify for FMLA. Education support professionals are support staff in schools like secretaries, teachers’ aides, paraeducators, maintenance workers, school bus drivers and cafeteria workers.
“We currently have a shortage of education support professionals in our schools. COVID helped to exacerbate the problem. These support staff are so important to our children’s education. They support our students every day, some working with our most vulnerable students,” Griffin said. “We should be doing everything in our power to attract new hires to the profession and to keep the talented professionals we already have on staff.”
The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) today reported 1,918 new confirmed and probable cases of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Illinois, including 35 additional deaths.
- Coles County: 1 male 60s
- Cook County: 1 male 20s, 1 female 60s, 2 males 60s, 2 females 70s, 4 males 70s, 2 females 80s
- DuPage County: 1 female 60s, 1 male 90s
- Henry County: 1 female 80s
- Kane County: 1 female 70s
- Knox County: 2 females 80s, 1 female 90s
- Lake County: 1 male 70s
- Macon County: 1 male 40s
- McLean County: 1 male 90s
- Peoria County: 1 female 60s, 1 male 60s, 1 female 70s, 1 male 70s
- Rock Island County: 1 male 80s
- Tazewell County: 1 male 50s, 1 male 70s, 1 female 80s, 1 male 80s
- Wayne County: 1 male 60s
- Will County: 1 female 70s
- Winnebago County: 1 male 70s
Currently, IDPH is reporting a total of 1,361,666 cases, including 22,320 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 88,682 specimens for a total of 23,594,096. As of last night, 1,765 individuals in Illinois were reported to be in the hospital with COVID-19. Of those, 465 patients were in the ICU and 236 patients with COVID-19 were on ventilators.
The preliminary seven-day statewide positivity for cases as a percent of total test from May 6-12, 2021 is 2.7%. The preliminary seven-day statewide test positivity from May 6-12, 2021 is 3.2%.
A total of 10,179,004 vaccines have been administered in Illinois as of last midnight. According to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data tracking, 62% of adults in Illinois have received at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine. The seven-day rolling average of vaccines administered daily is 76,082 doses. Yesterday, 68,035 doses were reported administered in Illinois. Due to a reporting issue, doses from CVS are not included in today’s count, but will be reflected in the numbers in the next couple days.
*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 U.S. Department of Labor estimates 17,931 new unemployment claims were filed during the week of May 3 in Illinois, according to the DOL’s weekly claims report released Thursday. […]
There were 15,134 new unemployment claims were filed during the week of April 26 in Illinois.
There were 17,141 new unemployment claims filed during the week of April 19 in Illinois.
There were 15,248 new unemployment claims were filed during the week of April 12 in Illinois.
There were 18,986 new unemployment claims were filed during the week of April 5 in Illinois.
Applications for U.S. state unemployment insurance fell to a fresh pandemic low last week as business confidence strengthens and employers seek to fill more positions left open by restrictions.
Initial claims in regular state programs declined by 34,000 to 473,000 in the week ended May 8, Labor Department data showed Thursday. The median estimate in a Bloomberg survey of economists called for 490,000 claims. The prior week’s figure was revised up to 507,000.
That’s still “More than twice a typical non-recession week.”
Thursday, May 13, 2021 - Posted by Advertising Department
[The following is a paid advertisement.]
With just weeks remaining in the legislative session, time is running out to pass a comprehensive clean energy bill like the Clean Energy Jobs Act (CEJA) that will hold utilities accountable.
Despite federal prosecutors fining ComEd a record $200 million in a bribery scandal, ComEd continues to profit off their wrongdoing and avoid refunding customers for their corruption.
Meanwhile, Ameren didn’t even show up to an April 27th House Energy and Environment Committee hearing on utility accountability. Instead, they’ve spent more than $80,000 in the last two months on misleading digital ads - outspending every other political advertiser in the state.
In the midst of all of this, both ComEd and Ameren are requesting millions in rate hikes from the state, hurting working families who pay more for their insider deals.
Legislation like CEJA will hold these utility companies accountable, placing an independent monitor in the headquarters of ComEd and Ameren and providing restitution for ComEd customers.
Illinois lawmakers must pass a comprehensive energy bill that will address the climate crisis, create equitable jobs, and advance the strongest utility ethics measures in state history. But we have less than 20 days left to get it done. CEJA can’t wait.
Governor Pritzker and the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) confirmed today the entire state will move into the Bridge Phase of the Restore Illinois reopening plan tomorrow, Friday, May 14th. The Bridge Phase is the final step before the full reopening of Phase 5.
Under Bridge Phase, there are expanded capacity limits for businesses, dining, offices, events, conferences and gatherings. Barring any significant reversals in key COVID-19 statewide indicators, including increasing hospitalizations, Illinois could enter Phase 5 as soon as Friday, June 11th.
The state will continue to follow Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidance on mask-wearing in Phase 5.
“Illinoisans have worked so hard over the past year and a half to keep their families and neighbors safe, and reaching Bridge Phase means that we’re closer than ever to a return to normalcy,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “To keep up this progress, I urge every eligible Illinoisan – now including 12 to 15-year-olds – to get vaccinated as soon as possible.”
More than 10.3 million vaccine doses have been administered to Illinoisans at mass vaccination sites, local health departments, pharmacies, federally qualified health centers, mobile clinics, and other locations across the state. Doctors’ offices are starting to administer vaccine to their patients. Beginning today, the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine is available to youth ages 12 through 17 years after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Wednesday accepted the recommendation from the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices to expand the use of the vaccine. The Moderna and Johnson & Johnson vaccines are authorized for those 18 years of age and older.
“The more people who are vaccinated, now including our youth as young as 12-years-old, the quicker we can end this pandemic,” said IDPH Director Dr. Ngozi Ezike. “While more than 62% of adults in Illinois have received at least one dose of the vaccine, we still need more people to get vaccinated. Please talk with your doctor or health care provider if you have questions about the vaccine and know the facts so that you can make the most informed decision.”
IDPH will continue to monitor the number of ICU hospital beds that are available, the number of patients who are hospitalized with COVID-19, and the number of people being newly admitted to the hospital because of COVID-19-like-illness. Should the state see a significant increase in deaths, hospitalizations, and the number of people being admitted to the hospital because of COVID-19, the state will remain in the Bridge Phase instead of moving to Phase 5.
A bill moving through the Illinois House and Senate in Springfield has private schools worried. It establishes state-mandated “metrics” that schools must meet before they can offer in-person learning. The concern: The legislation could make it harder for schools to reopen this fall.
In-person instruction at schools. The Department shall establish metrics for school districts and public institutions of higher education to use during the public health emergency in determining if the district or institution may safely conduct in-person instruction or if the district or institution must implement remote learning or blended remote learning to keep students and staff safe. .
The Department shall establish requirements by rule for providing in-person instruction at nonpublic schools and public schools that include, but are not limited to, personal protective equipment, cleaning and hygiene, social distancing, occupancy limits, symptom screening, and on-site isolation protocols and shall disseminate information about those requirements to nonpublic schools and public schools with the assistance of the Illinois State Board of Education. The authority to enforce the rules adopted pursuant to this Section lies with the Department and local departments of public health. Upon receipt of a complaint that a school cannot or is not complying with the Department’s rules under this Section, the Department or local public health department shall investigate the complaint within 45 days after receiving the complaint. If upon investigation, a school is found to be in violation of the rules adopted under this Section, the Department has the authority to take the appropriate action necessary to promote the health or protect the safety of students, staff, and the public, including, but not limited to, closure of a classroom, gym, library, lunch room, or any other school space until such time that the Department determines that the violation or violations have been remedied. Nothing in this Section limits the authority or requirements of the Department or local public health departments. All complaints and related documents shall be maintained and are subject to applicable disclosure requirements under the Freedom of Information Act. […]
In order to provide in-person instruction, nonpublic schools and public schools must follow the requirements adopted by rule by the Department of Public Health under Section 2310-705 of the Department of Public Health Powers and Duties Law of the Civil Administrative Code.
In other words, the proposal went from proactive to reactive and basically just codifies what has been happening in Illinois for close to a year. Also, notice that, despite the editorial, local public health departments are involved.
Many private schools, including most in the Archdiocese of Chicago and other faith-based schools across the state, worked with local health officials last summer and fall to figure out how to safely offer in-person learning when many public school buildings remained closed due to COVID-19. […]
But it also removes local control from all school districts which have shown, particularly during the pandemic, that a one-size-fits-all approach would be the wrong one. Each district, each community, had the ability to shape how and when their students returned to school. This would change that.
While each district and private school has been allowed to set their own specific rules, they all had to follow basic guidelines set forth by the state. There was even a lawsuit over this…
Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker and the Illinois Department of Public Health have won an injunction against three school districts who said they did not need to mandate face masks for in-person learning this year.
The Archdiocese of Chicago’s rules were primarily based on state rules with additional guidance from the city’s public health department.
The editorial board needs to get off Facebook.
*** UPDATE *** The governor was asked about the bill today and he said work is still being done on the legislation. Again, you’d think the largest newspaper in the state would pick up a phone before getting so far over its skis on something like this.
The voice vote to bump Rep. LIz Cheney from leadership happened moments after Republicans said “amen” in a morning prayer. The action was so quick that numerous members, including Illinois Republican Reps. Rodney Davis and Darin LaHood missed the vote.
“I actually wasn’t there,” Davis told POLITICO’s Congress reporter Olivia Beavers. “I had a meeting that went long.” Davis remembered the last time Cheney ran for the leadership spot. “I whipped for her,” he said, recalling that the discussion went on for “four hours.”
Pressed on how he would have voted this time, Davis said, “I am a big supporter of Liz. I am a big fan. … there was no vote but I would’ve been there as a supporter of Liz.”
LaHood, who was seen arriving late to the vote, wouldn’t answer how he would have voted. He issued a statement saying, “I am grateful for Congresswoman Cheney’s leadership as Conference chair.”
The vote to oust Rep. Liz Cheney from her leadership position took only 16 minutes.
Before the House Republican Conference met Wednesday morning to oust the Wyoming congresswoman from her position as the third-ranking Republican member in Congress, sources told CNN they expected it to be quick.
But it happened so quickly that some members arrived just in time for the vote.
Thursday, May 13, 2021 - Posted by Advertising Department
[The following is a paid advertisement.]
Employers in Illinois provide prescription drug coverage for nearly 6.7 million Illinoisans. In order to help keep care more affordable, employers work with pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs), who deploy a variety of tools to reduce prescription drug costs and help improve health outcomes. In addition to helping employers, PBMs also work with the Illinois Medicaid program in the same way to help control costs. Over the last five years, PBMs have saved the state and taxpayers nearly $340 million.
Today, Illinois faces a multibillion budget shortfall as more Illinoisans are relying on Medicaid to help meet their health care coverage needs. As legislators work to address these challenges, one way to help ensure continued cost savings is by strengthening the PBM tools that the State and employers use, which are poised to save employers, consumers and the State $39 billion over the next 10 years. These are meaningful savings that will help continue to contain costs, ensure consumer access to medicines and drive savings in public health programs.
Amid a pandemic and economic challenges, now is the time to strengthen, not limit, the tools that employers, consumers and the State rely on to manage costs and ensure consumers can access the medicines they need.
The state of Illinois will open up vaccinations to 12-15 year olds Thursday, following approval from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to distribute the Pfizer vaccine to that age group.
Vaccination sites across Illinois can begin providing the vaccine to the adolescents with sign up commencing Wednesday afternoon. Memorial Health System and CVS also announced Wednesday that they would begin distribution at their sites Thursday, with appointments and walk-ins accepted.
According to a new U.S. census estimate, some 30 million American adults who are open to getting a coronavirus vaccine have not managed to actually do so. Their ranks are larger than the hesitant — more than the 28 million who said they would probably or definitely not get vaccinated, and than the 16 million who said they were unsure. And this month, as the Biden administration set a goal of 70 percent of adults getting at least one dose by July 4, they became an official new focus of the nation’s mass vaccination campaign.
In addition to “the doubters,” President Biden said at a news briefing last week, the mission is to get the vaccine to those who are “just not sure how to get to where they want to go.”
If the attention has centered on the vaccine hesitant, these are the vaccine amenable. In interviews, their stated reasons for not getting vaccines are disparate, complex and sometimes shifting.
They are, for the most part, America’s working class, contending with jobs and family obligations that make for scarce discretionary time. About half of them live in households with incomes of less than $50,000 a year; another 30 percent have annual household incomes between $50,000 and $100,000, according to an analysis of the census data by Justin Feldman, a social epidemiologist at Harvard. Eighty-one percent do not have a college degree. Some have health issues or disabilities or face language barriers that can make getting inoculated against Covid-19 seem daunting. Others do not have a regular doctor, and some are socially isolated.
Technically, they have access to the vaccine. Practically, it is not that simple.
Northwestern University is another local college to require students to be vaccinated before returning to campus this fall.
“As confidence increases in the effectiveness and safety of the vaccine and the supply has met the demand in Illinois, Northwestern will require students to be vaccinated against COVID-19 for the 2021-22 academic year,” the school said. “COVID-19 vaccines are the most important tool to help end the pandemic, and requiring students to be vaccinated will best support the health of our community and position us for in-person classroom and co-curricular activities for the fall term.” […]
NU is not currently requiring vaccination for faculty and staff. “We have not yet made a decision on whether to require faculty and staff to be vaccinated. We are continuing to evaluate the situation,” a spokesman said in an email.
An I-Team analysis of IDPH data since vaccine demand peaked statewide in mid- April reveals in the southern region of Illinois, the seven-day average of vaccines administered is down 60%. For the Northwest regions, demand has dipped 54%. In the suburban regions, including Cook County, there’s a decrease of 46%. Chicago has seen a 48% drop over the same period.
Officials across the United States are looking for unique solutions to overcome coronavirus vaccine hesitancy, and Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine upped the ante in a big way.
In a series of social media posts Wednesday, DeWine announced that the state of Ohio will randomly select five residents who have received at least one dose of the coronavirus vaccine, and those residents will receive a prize of $1 million.
The drawings will begin on May 26, and will occur on each successive Wednesday for five consecutive weeks, DeWine says:
*** UPDATE *** Press release…
Following yesterday’s expansion of vaccine eligibility to 12- to 15-year-olds, Governor JB Pritzker announced that Six Flags Great America – the Thrill Capital of the Midwest – will offer 50,000 free tickets to their parks in Gurnee and Rockford to newly vaccinated Illinois residents.
The value of the donated tickets is $4 million.
“Throughout the pandemic, Six Flags has been All In for Illinois, putting the health of workers and visitors first,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “I know it’s been a difficult year – but that just makes it all the more exciting to be back at the park. Thanks to the life-saving power of vaccinations, it feels once again like summer’s in the air.”
“Six Flags Great America is proud to support the state of Illinois vaccination efforts, especially in underrepresented communities,” said Six Flags Great America Park President Hank Salemi. “We’re getting back to the thrills and want to do our part to encourage residents to get vaccinated.”
Health experts agree that getting vaccinated is how we’ll all get back to the things we’ve missed during the pandemic, including thrilling rollercoasters, waterparks and live entertainment.
To make sure the tickets have broad reach, the state is sending Illinois National Guard mobile vaccination teams to their Gurnee location starting the first weekend in June: Saturday the 5th and Sunday the 6th. If turnout is high, vaccination teams will return to continue offering this lifesaving protection to residents. Six Flags Great America will announce additional details in the coming weeks.
In addition, a significant portion of the tickets will be distributed through local health departments to use in the way that will best work in their community. Specific initiatives will be rolled out by the departments of public health in the city of Chicago, Cook County and the Collar Counties — including equity mobile missions in neighborhoods with lower vaccination rates, school-based clinics, full-family vaccination initiatives and mass vaccination clinics. More information will become available on a county-by-county basis.
Finally, to focus on underserved youth and their families, the Vaccine Corps Partnership incubated at Michael Reese Health Trust will deploy the tickets as a part of their hyper-local vaccine education campaign. The organization works with community-led organizations to build trust in the vaccine, primarily in the city of Chicago and Cook County. Learn more about the partnership on their website.
The latest vaccine incentive announcement comes on the heels of the federal authorization of the Pfizer vaccine for 12- to 15-year-olds, which young people can get on its own or along with other routine vaccinations. Residents are encouraged to use the CDC’s vaccine finder tool at www.vaccines.gov to see which locations have vaccine available and to filter by manufacturer.
Illinois Comptroller Susana Mendoza is asking the nation’s three major credit rating agencies to reconsider the state’s credit rating with an eye toward a possible upgrade.
In an April 28 letter to executives at Moody’s Investors Service, S&P Global Ratings and Fitch Ratings, Mendoza argued that Illinois has virtually eliminated its backlog of past-due bills while keeping current on its bond payments and pension obligations, all in the midst of a global pandemic. […]
Both Mendoza and Gov. JB Pritzker had said in earlier interviews that they wanted to use a portion of the roughly $8 billion in federal relief funds that Illinois expects to receive through the recently-passed American Rescue Plan to pay off the Federal Reserve loans. But new guidelines from the U.S. Treasury Department that were released on Tuesday specifically prohibit using those funds for “payment of interest or principal on outstanding debt instruments, including, for example, short-term revenue or tax anticipation notes, or other debt service costs.”
State Rep. Michael Zalewski, D-Riverside, who chairs the House Revenue Committee, said in an interview Wednesday that he does not believe the relief funds can be used to repay the Federal Reserve and that any repayment plan will have to be “part of a broader budget conversation.”
But Mendoza said in a statement Wednesday that she believes there may be room to negotiate with Treasury on the use of those funds.
Unemployed Illinoisans will keep receiving an extra $300 in pandemic-enhanced weekly benefits, Gov. JB Pritzker said Wednesday, even as Republican-led states around the nation move to end those benefits early, claiming they’re disincentivizing working-age people from getting jobs.
“Our job here is to make sure we’re creating jobs and helping people to rebuild the lives they had before the pandemic, and so we’re not going to pull the rug out from under people,” Pritzker told reporters at an unrelated event Wednesday.
The governor’s comments came a few hours before one of the state’s leading business groups representing employers sent Pritzker a letter asking for an early end to the boosted unemployment benefits, which are set to expire Sept. 6.
In his letter, Illinois Manufacturers’ Association President and CEO Mark Denzler cited data from the state’s Department of Employment Security showing approximately 358,800 fewer Illinoisans in the state’s workforce in March versus March 2020, when the pandemic began. Denzler attributes this labor shortage to the extra $300 in weekly COVID unemployment benefits, which means an individual with no dependents in Illinois can receive the equivalent of more than $19 an hour.
Another loss for the Ice Cream Man. US House rejects Jim Oberweis GOP challenge of election of Democratic US Rep Lauren Underwood to a second term from Illinois 14th CD.
Today the U.S. House of Representatives voted to officially dismiss Jim Oberweis’ 2020 election contest, filed in early January after Congresswoman Lauren Underwood was sworn into the 117th Congress. Underwood campaign spokesperson, Jordan Troy, issued the following statement in response:
“Earlier this afternoon, the House of Representatives voted to dismiss Jim Oberweis’ official election contest against Congresswoman Lauren Underwood. For the past six months, he has taken the attention away from the issues affecting our communities by wasting taxpayer resources with his political theater. And while this chapter may finally be over, many members of the Republican Party still continue to question the merits of our democratic process by undermining our free and fair elections.
“With this election contest behind us, Lauren will continue to prioritize the residents of IL-14 by bringing home the resources our hardworking families and businesses need to fully recover from the COVID-19 pandemic.”
The committee’s Republican minority issued its own recommendation to dismiss Oberweis’ challenge, saying he failed to serve “proper and timely” notice of the challenge to Underwood, calling it “a fatal procedural error.”
The GOP recommendation was issued by the committee’s top minority member, Rep. Rodney Davis, a Republican from downstate Taylorville.
(R)eceipts for both March and April have been booked, and despite final payment deadlines for personal income tax being slightly delayed, revenues have been interpreted to continue to significantly outpace expectations. As a result, as discussed in the following revenue update, the Commission is making a revision for FY 2021, as revenues are expected to total $45.616 billion, or $2.025 billion above the March projection.
It is important to note that the majority of those upward revisions will be contained within the FY 2021 estimate and should not be assumed to repeat or be considered “baseable” for FY 2022 due to timing and historical receipt pattern disruptions brought about by the pandemic’s impact. That said, there is a measure of base growth that can be expected to be carried forward from the FY 2021 adjustment, particularly as it relates to continuation of underlying improvement of economic conditions as we distance ourselves from the worst of the pandemics impact. Therefore, the Commission’s revised revenue forecast for FY 2022 improves to $41.188 billion. The updated outlook reflects $792 million in total upward adjustments.
Some, like the Illinois Manufacturers Association, say that means the governor should drop his push to close or limit tax incentive programs to the tune of nearly $1 billion.
“In light of record revenue growth and billions of dollars in federal stimulus, there is no need to raise taxes on Illinois job creators that will only serve to constrain job growth and limit economic investment in the state,” said IMA’s Mark Denzler. “As we emerge from the pandemic, the Governor should be looking at ways to help the business community rather than harm them.”
Jack Lavin, with the Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce, is advocating the extension of the film tax credit that Pritzker is also advocating for. But, Lavin said if the governor cuts or limits other tax incentive programs on the chopping block, that will hurt the economy, especially during a pandemic.
“There’s only so much money that’s gonna come out of Washington D.C. to help us, what happens when that dries up?” Lavin told WMAY. “We have to have these kinds of tax credits that are helping invest in jobs, create jobs, jobs you can raise a family on.”
Josh Sharp, with the Illinois Fuel and Retail Association, said with the better-than-expected revenues reported, Pritzker should find revenue elsewhere.
Except that FY22 projected revenue increase does not appear to be enough to close the projected state deficit. Also, because of these rosier forecasts, Gov. Pritzker last week called for spending $350 million more on K-12 education.
*** UPDATE *** Slightly different, but still upward projections from GOMB…
The Governor’s Office of Management and Budget revised upward its General Funds revenue estimates by $1.469 billion for fiscal year 2021 and by $842 million for fiscal year 2022, compared to the estimates published with the Governor’s introduced budget in February 2021.
Strong year-to-date receipts in the state’s main revenue sources (individual and corporate income tax and sales tax) have led GOMB to revise its estimates. Through April, fiscal year 2021 General Funds revenues were outperforming revenue estimates from the February estimates by about 5 percent.
“While the increase in revenues is good news, and a sign our economy is coming out of the pandemic, much of these funds are one-time in nature and should not be expected to recur in FY2022,” said Deputy Governor Dan Hynes. “The administration was pleased to propose last week that we increase the state’s education budget for the coming year, using these funds and our proposal to end $1 billion in corporate welfare. However, the pandemic is still with us, and we have a lot of work ahead of us to ensure the state remains on sound fiscal footing, including repaying the federal government for loans used to cover current coronavirus expenses.”
Total General Funds state revenues for fiscal year 2021 are now estimated at $36.703 billion, compared to $35.311 billion in February, with total revenues, including federal sources, estimated at $44.949 billion. Total General Funds state revenues for fiscal year 2022 are now estimated at $35.283 billion, compared to $34.589 billion in February, with total revenues, including federal sources and the governor’s proposed closure of corporate tax loopholes, estimated at $42.552 billion.
The one-time sources of revenue include the double final income tax payments receipted in fiscal year 2021, and the tax receipt benefits from economic activity following individual stimulus payments and a full year of enhanced unemployment benefits throughout fiscal year 2021. Expanded unemployment benefits are currently only extended through September 2021, early in fiscal year 2022.
The resilience of the state’s economy and the continued impacts to the state from stimulus payments to taxpayers by the federal government and extended enhanced unemployment benefits led to the changed forecasts.
The revisions were published in GOMB’s April 2021 Report to the Legislative Budget Oversight Commission (LBOC) issued today. The full report is available here.
A Sangamon County judge has taken arguments under advisement in a legal challenge over Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s COVID-19 orders impacting high school sports.
Attorney Laura Grochocki represents the mother of Trevor Till, an 18-year-old who committed suicide in October, among other clients. She filed a lawsuit against the governor over his COVID-19 prohibitions that kept competition for certain high school sports from happening for most of last year.
The case is an equal rights challenge claiming the governor overstepped his authority when he blocked high school sports while allowing college and professional sports to continue. […]
Arguing for summary judgement, Grochocki told the court Wednesday afternoon during a Zoom conference call that the governor is violating equal protection laws by imposing state regulations on high school sports while not leveling any on college or professional sports.
“The issue is the discrimination of different classes of athletes based on age and the wealth of the organization that is sponsoring them. Wealthy athletes, powerful college and pro sports leagues that are worth a lot of money and probably have a lot of political clout, were given the opportunity to determine for themselves what was safe and what was not,” Grochocki said. “This is a fundamental violation of equal protection that is unreasonable, irrational, arbitrary and imposed without a legitimate state interest.” […]
While the initial lawsuit was filed in December when high school sports like football and basketball were not allowed to compete per the governor’s orders, those sports have resumed, but Grochocki said the student athletes still have to wear masks while college and professional teams don’t. […]
The governor’s attorney said college and pro sports have the resources to compete safely and Grochoski hasn’t proven the equal protection violation.
“It is not an equal protection violation if the government adopts a reasonable regulation that applies to some people within a category, but not all people within a category,” said attorney Darren Kinkead, who was representing Pritzker in the virtual courtroom. “It’s not an equal protection violation if the government chooses to address some of the problem, but not all of the problem.”
Just days after announcing his candidacy for the Democratic nomination for secretary of state, South Side Ald. David Moore was admonished by the city Board of Ethics for using the official government 17th Ward Facebook account to campaign for the statewide office.
In a letter written Monday, two days after his formal campaign announcement, the ethics board warned Moore he faced potential fines for mixing posts about his secretary of state candidacy with posts regarding city services and events in his ward. […]
Moore, in a statement, said he makes it a point to “abide by the rules” and had taken corrective action. But he also indicated he felt singled out by a policy others on the council ignore.
“We were even told in those (ethics) sessions that we couldn’t use our official title. Over the last year, I saw this being ignored many times,” he said.
hi if your bills not doing good or bad bills are doing good and thats making you sad i am here to help you feel a little better because its a nice day pic.twitter.com/AjBBD5YUDI
* That Stand for Children Illinois TV ad is here. And ignore the politics in the tweet if you want, but here’s that new mailer…
Corporate Ed Reform Millionaires & Billionaires dropping full color mailers to intimidate legislators & squash the voices of working class @ChiPubSchools families. Don’t buy it @RepAnnWilliams@SenatorSara6 Stand with your constituents who OVERWHELMINGLY support a FULL #ERSBpic.twitter.com/Uv3UkTSE5C
Congressional Republicans voted to remove Rep. Liz Cheney from leadership Wednesday morning over her criticisms of former President Donald Trump, though only one member of Congress from southern Illinois has shared how she voted.
A tweet from U.S. Rep. Mary Miller, R-Oakland, said Cheney “is seriously out of step with Republicans and is no longer capable of effectively leading the party.” […]
Republican U.S. Rep. Rodney Davis of Taylorville echoed Bost’s statement that Republicans need to come together on more pressing issues.
“Liz is a good friend, and I thought she did a good job as conference chair. I’d like to thank her for her leadership. Our country has real problems that are going unaddressed,” Davis said in an emailed statement, “a crisis at the southern border, cyber attack on a major pipeline, gas shortages, inflation and rising food and gas prices, lackluster jobs report, an economy hampered by government, kids still not in school, Israel under attack by Hamas terrorists, the list goes on. Democrats are in total control of Washington, yet they refuse to work on real solutions to these problems we face. I’m 100% focused on policy solutions that will improve the lives of the families and taxpayers I represent, and that’s exactly what Congress should be focused on.”
Miller: All eyes today are on Rep Liz Cheney. Will US House Republicans dump her as their number three leader? What’s your prediction?
Davis: You know I don’t know if there’s even going to be a vote to be honest with you, I was one who… And Liz is a friend of mine and I think, Lis is doing a good job in a very tough situation. Helped Liz during the last attempt when she was able to get 70% of the vote. And from my perspective, I don’t know how she’s gonna fight, she hasn’t talked to me since this new, this new possibility a vote has come up. So we’ll see what happens in about an hour.
Miller: During a speech yesterday on the House floor she said ‘I am a conservative Republican, and the most conservative of conservative principles is reverence for the rule of law, the election is over. That is the rule of law, that is our constitutional process. Those who refuse to accept the rulings of our courts are at war with the Constitution.’ What’s your opinion on where she stands?
Speaking with WJBC’s Scott Miller, Congressman Rodney Davis (R-Taylorville) said he’s received his vaccine and encourages others to do the same.
“Ca’mon, get the vaccine. If you’ve gone through the first one, go get your second vaccine. All three vaccines (Pfizer, Moderna, and Johnson & Johnson) are 100 percent effective against hospitalizations. And that to me shows, that gives us a .0047 percent chance if you get a vaccine to get reinfected and to have that reinfection hospitalize you. You have a better chance of getting struck by lightning.
“If you want our economy and our facilities to reopen again as we used to know them prior to March 2020, stop giving politicians excuses to keep our communities locked down. Go get the vaccine; I did it. I can tell you I don’t have a computer chip in me.”
Folks… I think he’s running.
…Adding… From Rodney Davis’ campaign committee at 4:01 this afternoon…
Friend,
Governor Pritzker has been a disgrace to Illinois.
He’s committed to protecting corrupt Democrats over serving the people of our great state — and it’s time for him to GO.
Chip in just $10 in the next few hours and receive your own FIRE PRITZKER sticker today!
FIRE PRITZKER
Thank you,
Team Davis
Paid for by Rodney for Congress
…Adding… From Democratic Party of Illinois Executive Director Abby Witt (on her first day on the job) in response to the Rodney Davis fundraising email…
“Congressman Rodney Davis has consistently chosen party politics over the people of Illinois by endorsing Donald Trump’s re-election and voting against the American Rescue Plan, denying Illinoisans critical support when they needed it most. Today in Washington, he cemented his place in history as a Trump-loving extremist, while in Illinois he sent a fundraising email attacking Gov. Pritzker and his successful efforts to protect our state in one of its darkest and most unpredictable times. Congressman Davis hasn’t been there for Illinoisans, and they won’t be there for him.”
Plaintiff has not filed responses to the motions, and the time for doing so has passed.
Collectively, Defendants argue that Plaintiffs’ Amended Complaint should be dismissed for lack of subject matter jurisdiction as it fails to allege sufficient facts to establish standing by demonstrating an injury caused by the defendants. The State Defendants also argue that Plaintiff’s Amended Complaint fails to state a claim because (1) the Governor’s Executive Orders pass constitutional scrutiny in a public health crisis and are valid time, place, and manner restrictions; (2) Plaintiff fails to allege sufficient personal involvement by the State Defendants and rest upon a right that does not extend to the Plaintiff’s social associations; (3) Plaintiff fails to sufficiently allege discrimination against a secular entity in favor of a religious one; (4) Plaintiff’s state law claims are barred by the Eleventh Amendment; and (5) the Illinois Emergency Management Agency Act does not limit the State Defendants’ authority to enforce the Governor’s executive orders. […]
The Court may, in its discretion, construe a party’s failure to file a timely response as an admission of the merits of the motion. … Here, having fully considered Defendants’ arguments, the Court deems Plaintiff’s failure to respond as an admission of the merits of the motions. Accordingly, Defendants’ motions to dismiss are GRANTED; Plaintiff’s First Amended Complaint is DISMISSED without prejudice.
The Chicago Police Department started a secretive drone program using off-budget cash to pay for the new technology, the Sun-Times has learned.
Details of the police department’s drone program were included in an email sent last summer by Karen Conway, director of police research and development. In the email, Conway told other high-ranking police officials that the department’s counter-terrorism bureau “utilized 1505 funds for a pilot Drone program that operates within the parameters of current laws.” […]
The department’s “1505” fund is made up of forfeiture proceeds — money and other assets seized in connection to criminal investigations. The money isn’t included in the department’s official budget and has reportedly been used in the past to purchase other controversial technology, like Stingrays, which mimic cell towers and send out signals to trick phones into transmitting their locations and other information.
A state law that went into effect in July 2018 requires law enforcement agencies to report seizure and forfeiture information to the Illinois State Police.
* The Question: Should local police departments be required to transfer proceeds from the sale of seized assets to their municipalities’ general funds? Take the poll and then explain your answer in comments, please…
• A study by former Illinois Power Agency (IPA) director employing the Aurora XMP grid and load modeling program shows that consumers save more than $1.2 billion over ten years by fully funding Illinois’ renewable energy program to 40% by 2031
• A study led by an Illinois State University Professor using the Jobs and Economic Development Impacts (JEDI) Model developed by NREL found that Path to 100 would create 53,000 new construction jobs
The state inspector general who headed an investigation into the November COVID-19 outbreak that killed 36 residents at the LaSalle Veterans’ Home told lawmakers Tuesday that communication issues pinpointed as a root cause of the crisis predated the pandemic.
“There are folks at LaSalle home who were expressing frustrations about communication prior to COVID, prior to 2020…multiple people expressing these concerns,” Department of Human Services Inspector General Peter Neumer said.
Neumer appeared in front of the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee Tuesday, answering questions about the process behind his investigation. The committee’s hearing on the LaSalle home outbreak will continue Thursday, when the panel will grill representatives from the Department of Veterans’ Affairs, Department of Public Health and Gov. JB Pritzker’s office.
The Acting Inspector General for the Department of Human Services spoke with Illinois Representatives Tuesday about his recent report regarding the deadly COVID-19 outbreak at the LaSalle Veterans’ Home.
Peter Neumer explained Gov. Pritzker called for the investigation to figure out what led to the deaths of 36 veterans. Rep. David Welter (R-Morris) asked if the Governor’s Office put any pressure on the Inspector General’s Office during the investigation.
However, Neumer stressed the Pritzker administration didn’t have any direct influence on the investigation.
“Again, I know you are hired or technically hired by the Governor,” said Welter. “I’m sure he didn’t want any negative light on his actual administration. But, quite frankly, I think it’s unacceptable that they weren’t looked at as well.”
Neumer explained his team interviewed employees from the LaSalle facility as well as administration within the Department of Veterans’ Affairs and the Department of Public Health.
* Rep. Welter…
Governor Pritzker gave false hope to the families who lost loved ones when he promised a thorough and independent investigation into what went wrong at the LaSalle Veterans’ Home. It’s not a comprehensive investigation when you exempt key participants in the state’s response as Governor Pritzker did. He owes these families an explanation on why the decisions made by the Illinois Department of Public Health and the Governor’s Office were not worth looking into. This investigation – called by the governor – was not about finding answers; it was about hiding the truth.
Partisan accusations aside, it would be helpful if folks in the governor’s office with responsibity over IDVA testified in a legislative committee about their own involvement.
*** UPDATE *** Deputy Gov. Sol Flores and IDPH Director Dr. Ezike are both testifying tomorrow.
* To claim the administration is lying about security concerns is basically to believe in a conspiracy theory that Pritzker doesn’t want unemployed people to obtain benefits. Tribune editorial…
So why, at a time when thousands of Illinoisans have struggled to receive the unemployment benefits to which they’re entitled, have Illinois Department of Employment Security offices remained closed? Doors locked to the public? […]
Pritzker this week cited security concerns and threats as the reason for the still-closed offices. He said the agency is working with state police to figure out a safe reopening plan.
But that doesn’t quite add up. The agency’s website says: “In order to protect everyone through social distancing, IDES offices are closed to the public until further notice.” And plenty of other state offices with public-facing services — and probably a frustrated public — have managed to open their doors.
Doesn’t add up? Riots last year, spiking violent crime, rampant unemployment, general anger. Yeah, what could possibly go wrong?
The National Federation of Independent Business says a record 44% of all small-business owners have job openings they cannot fill. And according to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, in some states workers can collect unemployment for up to 46 weeks.
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce wants to end those extra government payouts because they’re enticing people to stay home.
Representatives of the hotel, restaurant and retail industry told aldermen on Tuesday businesses they represent are facing roadblocks to filling jobs as the city reopens. At the same time, a lack of childcare options is keeping some Chicagoans from returning to work, they said.
Amid rising attacks against a line of academic debate called “critical race theory,” I was surprised to see a Black state lawmaker from Chicago’s West Side, La Shawn Ford, introduce a bill calling for its inclusion in police officer training.
As a practical matter, I’d rather see, for example, more violence de-escalation training to help officers avoid shooting unarmed suspects. Just a thought.
“Critical race theory,” or CRT, has become a trigger term for politicians, activists and media voices, particularly on the right wing where it’s competing with “cancel culture” on the hit parade of things we are all supposed to be angry about or afraid of — or both.
But the political allure of the term is understandable, considering how often it has been appearing in the fevered narratives of conservative media and Red State politicians. Texas, Tennessee, Oklahoma, Idaho, Arkansas and Arizona have either passed or are working on bills that would drop CRT or anything that looks like it from public schools curricula.
That’s a lot of agitation over an esoteric school of thought found mostly in graduate schools and law schools.
The bill was introduced a few days before the House’s Third Reading deadline and hasn’t moved an inch.
State Sen. Mike Simmons knows what it’s like to be “humiliated” in front of other kids because of a lack of understanding or acceptance of his hairstyle.
The North Side Democrat made history as the first Black person to represent his North Side area in the state Senate. Decades earlier, his family was one of the first Black families to move into the Lincoln Square neighborhood.
Now the rookie state senator has introduced a bill to address “hair discrimination,” racism related to a person’s hair.
“I understand what this feels like personally, to be made to be humiliated in front of your classmates. To have authority figures belittle you and humiliate you in front of other people because of something that is God-given is entirely unacceptable,” Simmons said.
The bill’s deadline was extended until May 21 - a month after the original deadline.
Dozens of homeowners living near O’Hare International Airport tell us they’re living in limbo, not wanting to spend money to fix up their homes.
The reason? They fear a bill moving through Springfield is a scheme to allow Elk Grove Village to take their property. […]
The 36-acre community may be independent of any municipality, but residents fear they’ll lose their freedom if Elk Grove Village annexes their land. […]
“Senate Bill 658 does not relax the guidelines local governments currently have to adhere to when annexing properties. Recent court rulings have thrown existing statutory requirements into confusion, making it harder not only for municipalities to follow these requirements, but also for residents to know whether their government’s annexation decision is legal. Senate Bill 658 would clarify the laws already in place, providing straightforward language for governments seeking annexation and for residents keeping a check on their local governments,” said [Sen. Laura Murphy] in an emailed statement to CBS 2.
Looks like a story based on a Facebook post. The bill unanimously passed the Senate.
The Senate Education Committee advanced several bills Tuesday, including measures addressing special education, hairstyle discrimination and teaching Asian American history in public schools.
Those were among more than a dozen bills to pass the committee, the majority of which passed unanimously without debate or discussion.
Springfield Democrat Sen. Doris Turner’s House Bill 41 would add a new responsibility for the state when placing children in special education facilities. Under the proposal, before a child could be placed in an out-of-state residential facility, the entity behind that decision – whether it is a school district, Illinois agency or court – must refer the child’s guardians to a comparable in-state facility to consider.
The provision would also require the entity behind an out-of-state placement of a special education student to review that placement annually, and each year refer an in-state facility to the child’s guardians.
House Bill 40, sponsored by Sen. Bill Cunningham, D-Chicago, would change how students using special education services age out of the program. Under current Illinois law, special needs students lose their eligibility and are removed from school the day before they turn 22.
Free menstrual products might become available to college students in Illinois under a plan moving through the Senate.
The proposal that passed out of the House last month would require public universities and community colleges to provide the products in bathrooms of buildings they own and lease.
Sen. Karina Villa says period poverty is real. The West Chicago Democrat says her legislation could truly help students in need. […]
The proposal passed out of the Senate Higher Education Committee on a partisan 9-4 vote. It now heads to the Senate floor for consideration. The plan would head to Gov. JB Pritzker’s desk if approved by the Senate.
State Rep. Anne Stava-Murray (D-Naperville) began her first campaign in 2018 as a mother of two small children, got pregnant with her third, and then took on three more kids because of her campaign manager’s illness. The result, she said, was a debt that was only paid off this past year.
She’s now sponsoring a bill which would make child care a legitimate campaign expense.
“We shouldn’t be limiting people’s opportunities to be government representatives because we’re not allowing for simple expenses that are incurred because of running for office,” Stava-Murray told a committee. “Prior to that, I had been a stay-at-home parent, so these child care expenses. 100 percent due to me running for office for my election.”
* Hospitalizations continue to drop. Vaccinations are looking better. Press release…
The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) today reported 1,795 new confirmed and probable cases of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Illinois, including 26 additional deaths.
- Cook County: 1 female 30s, 1 female 40s, 1 female 50s, 1 male 50s, 1 female 60s, 1 male 60s, 1 female 70s, 1 male 70s, 1 female 80s
- Henry County: 1 female 70s, 1 male 80s
- Kane County: 1 male 70s
- Kankakee County: 1 male 90s
- Lake County: 1 male 80s
- Logan County: 1 male 70s
- Macoupin County: 1 male 90s
- Madison County: 1 female 60s
- Montgomery County: 1 male 80s
- Peoria County: 1 female 80s
- Rock Island County: 1 female 60s, 1 male 70s, 1 female 80s
- Schuyler County: 1 male 60s
- St. Clair County: 1 male 60s
- Tazewell County: 1 female 70s
- Winnebago County: 1 male 70s
Currently, IDPH is reporting a total of 1,359,748 cases, including 22,285 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 70,216 specimens for a total of 23,505,414. As of last night, 1,899 individuals in Illinois were reported to be in the hospital with COVID-19. Of those, 466 patients were in the ICU and 246 patients with COVID-19 were on ventilators.
The preliminary seven-day statewide positivity for cases as a percent of total test from May 5-11, 2021 is 2.7%. The preliminary seven-day statewide test positivity from May 5-11, 2021 is 3.3%.
A total of 10,110,969 vaccines have been administered in Illinois as of last midnight. The seven-day rolling average of vaccines administered daily is 80,591 doses. Yesterday, 73,345 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. Information for deaths previously reported has changed, therefore, today’s numbers have been updated. For health questions about COVID-19, call the hotline at 1-800-889-3931 or email dph.sick@illinois.gov.
*** UPDATE *** Press release excerpt…
In an effort to ensure in-person learning can fully resume as quickly and safely as possible, the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) today announced a $235 million investment to expand access to covidSHIELD testing to middle and high schools across the state at low or no cost. The covidSHIELD test, which was developed by the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC), is a saliva-based test that quickly detects the virus that causes COVID-19, including in people who aren’t exhibiting symptoms. […]
Testing will help quickly identify individuals who are positive for COVID-19 so that people who are close contacts of that individual can be quarantined to prevent further spread. This could include exposure in school, sports, or other extra-curricular activities. The more quickly a case can be identified, the number of potential exposures to other people can be reduced, as well as the number of people needing to quarantine.
Governor JB Pritzker today joined the Illinois Office of Tourism and industry leaders to kick off “Time for Me to Drive,” a new campaign to promote the return of travel across the state. In its first new campaign for tourism since the onset of COVID-19 last year, the State of Illinois is encouraging residents and visitors to get out and enjoy Illinois’ diverse communities and scenic landscapes safely.
To view and download media assets for “Time for Me to Drive” click here.
A multi-state ad campaign set to launch later this week will encourage travel to a broad range of destinations throughout Illinois, while positioning the state to seize on pent up demand. As consumer trends reveal an increased desire to travel by car, the new campaign is timed to highlight Illinois as a top choice for travel ahead of the summer season.
“The Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum is one of our state’s greatest attractions having welcomed millions of people from around the world. That’s why I chose it as the place to announce Illinois’ new tourism campaign – one designed especially to meet this moment in our history,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “After an incredibly difficult year in which the pandemic kept us all close to home and staying apart, lifesaving vaccines are bringing us back to life and heading toward a summer of fun and venturing out. Today I’m proud to launch the Time for Me to Drive Campaign – inviting people to see all of Illinois, showing off adventures of all kinds: Historic sites and winery tours, state parks and rock climbing, hiking, and zip-lining, hundreds of craft breweries and thousands of excellent restaurants across the state.”
“Time for Me to Drive” highlights the state’s seven national scenic byways and highways as more travelers seek to pack their cars and hit the road, a trend seen increasingly across the country. Featured trips span the state’s iconic museums, world-class architecture, and natural wonders, including Matthiessen State Park in Oglesby, Mississippi Palisades State Park in Savanna, the Shawnee National Forest, and the Garden of the Gods in Herod. Road trip itineraries also promote the discovery of destinations in and around Chicago, including award-winning restaurants, small businesses offering Illinois-made products and unforgettable locations like Chicago’s Navy Pier, the Riverwalk and of course the city’s diverse neighborhoods.
Overall, the Illinois Tourism Office, housed within the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO), has created over 60 original itineraries to help visitors navigate Illinois’ unique communities and natural resources.
The campaign will run on television, radio, digital and print media, and highway billboards spanning 18 markets, and with ads also available in Spanish. “Time for Me to Drive” represents the first phase of the State’s strategy to revitalize tourism in Illinois focusing on summer trips and regional overnight stays. Future tourism promotion efforts will be launched as indoor tourism activities, large festivals and mainstay attractions resume as public health guidelines allow. This gradual approach to tourism promotion will play an important role in supporting a safe return of the industry and its workers, while also boosting tourism revenues.
* US Attorney’s office in Nashville, TN yesterday…
Three Fort Campbell soldiers were charged today with conspiracy and offenses relating to the illegal purchase and transfer of dozens of firearms to the streets of Chicago, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Mary Jane Stewart for the Middle District of Tennessee.
Demarcus Adams, 21; Jarius Brunson, 22; and Brandon Miller, 22, all enlisted members of the U.S. Army and stationed at the Fort Campbell military installation in Clarksville, Tennessee, were arrested this morning by ATF agents and agents of the U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Division. A criminal complaint obtained late yesterday charged each defendant with transferring a firearm to an out-of-state resident; making false statements during the purchase of a firearm; engaging in the business without a firearms license; wire fraud; money laundering; and conspiracy to commit Title 18 offenses.
According to the criminal complaint, this investigation began on March 26, 2021, when Chicago police responded to a mass shooting incident. During this incident, multiple people were shot and one person was pronounced dead at the scene. During the resulting investigation, multiple firearms were recovered from the shooting scene and five of the firearms were found to have been recently purchased from Federal Firearms Licensed (FFL) dealers in the Clarksville, Tennessee area. Further investigation identified Adams, Brunson and Miller as the majority purchasers of these firearms.
A broader investigation into firearms transaction records from FFLs in the Clarksville region determined that since September 2019, the trio had purchased 91 firearms from multiple FFLs in Clarksville; Oak Grove, Kentucky; Hopkinsville, Kentucky; Fort Campbell, Kentucky; and Paducah, Kentucky. The majority of the firearms were purchased during the last five months. The criminal complaint also alleges that after the firearms were purchased, Miller would provide them to individuals he was associated with in Chicago.
On April 28, 2021, a federal search warrant was executed at the home of Miller and Adams in Clarksville, where 49 empty firearms cases were recovered. Many of these empty cases were matched to firearms recovered by the Chicago Police Department at the scene of recent shootings and homicides.
Wednesday, May 12, 2021 - Posted by Advertising Department
[The following is a paid advertisement.]
With just weeks remaining in the legislative session, time is running out to pass a comprehensive clean energy bill like the Clean Energy Jobs Act (CEJA) that will hold utilities accountable.
Despite federal prosecutors fining ComEd a record $200 million in a bribery scandal, ComEd continues to profit off their wrongdoing and avoid refunding customers for their corruption.
Meanwhile, Ameren didn’t even show up to an April 27th House Energy and Environment Committee hearing on utility accountability. Instead, they’ve spent more than $80,000 in the last two months on misleading digital ads - outspending every other political advertiser in the state.
In the midst of all of this, both ComEd and Ameren are requesting millions in rate hikes from the state, hurting working families who pay more for their insider deals.
Legislation like CEJA will hold these utility companies accountable, placing an independent monitor in the headquarters of ComEd and Ameren and providing restitution for ComEd customers.
Illinois lawmakers must pass a comprehensive energy bill that will address the climate crisis, create equitable jobs, and advance the strongest utility ethics measures in state history. But we have less than 20 days left to get it done. CEJA can’t wait.
Wednesday, May 12, 2021 - Posted by Advertising Department
[The following is a paid advertisement.]
We can’t have fair maps if those maps aren’t drawn using the full set of detailed Census data. But, due to census delays, Illinois politicians are planning to use outdated, estimated numbers to draw election maps that will last for a decade.
We know those estimates missed tens of thousands of us. We need the next set of election district maps to fully reflect our communities, and the only way that can happen is if those maps are drawn with current, complete Census data to give all our communities accurate and fair representation.
Call Governor Pritzker’s office today to ask that he push lawmakers to seek court permission to delay the process so that the next set of election maps are drawn with COMPLETE Census data, NOT old estimates.
COVID-19 vaccine providers throughout Illinois are again averaging more than 80,000 shots a day after spending all of last week below that threshold.
Illinois Department of Public Health figures show providers averaged 81,265 shots a day over the past week. Four days ago, the state was averaging fewer than 66,000 shots a day as part of a two-week decline in shots administered. At its peak just under a month ago, the state was averaging more than 132,000 shots a day.
Declines in average daily new cases and hospitalizations keep Illinois on track to reach the Bridge Phase on Friday, with loosened capacities for businesses and social gatherings, state health officials say.
Sayer Ji is a 48-year-old proponent of what he calls natural medicine.
“My parents didn’t know about natural medicine, so it really wasn’t until I was 17 that I learned some basic principles of nutrition and self care,” he told attendees at a recent virtual conference. “I was liberated from needing pharmaceutical medicines.”
Ji was also there promoting his website, full of natural remedies and reams of anti-vaccine misinformation. He sells subscriptions for anywhere from $75 to $850 a year.
He is one of many anti-vaccine advocates with a business on the side. They promote false claims about the dangers vaccines pose, while selling treatments, supplementals or other services. Their potential market is the roughly 20% of Americans say they do not want to get vaccinated against the coronavirus, according to recent polling.
While the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved use of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine Monday for anyone 12 and older, a U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention immunization panel still has to authorize its use for 12- to 15-year-olds. That move is expected Wednesday. […]
“We are now seeing the highest rates of COVID-19 infections in younger people,” said Dr. Gregory Huhn, infectious disease physician and Cook County Health’s COVID-19 vaccine coordinator. “If we want kids to return to school, sports and friends as safely as possible, they should be vaccinated. It is our best chance at giving them some sense of normalcy back.”
Health experts acknowledge many parents are hesitant or opposed to vaccinating their children.
Some parents cite the fact the vaccine has been authorized only for “emergency use” by the FDA. Pfizer is in the process of seeking licensed authorization from the FDA for full use of the vaccine to assuage such concerns.
Cook County data shows more than 55% of north suburban residents having so far received at least their initial dose compared with 46% of those living in the west suburbs, 43% of southwest suburban residents and 36% of south suburban residents.
County health officials in late March rolled out an initiative to boost vaccination rates in 32 suburbs including several south suburban communities, such as Blue Island, Chicago Heights, Dixmoor, Harvey, Riverdale and Robbins.
Medicare will now require nursing homes to report COVID-19 vaccination rates for residents and staff.
That’s as government officials hope to nudge the long-term care facilities to keep giving shots as the worst ravages of the coronavirus pandemic ease but the danger of a rebound still lurks.
A man who was found guilty for acting as the lookout in a double homicide nearly three decades ago is asking the Illinois Supreme Court to find his mandatory life sentence without parole unconstitutional.
A lawyer for Antonio House argued before Supreme Court Tuesday that his life sentence for a crime committed when he was 19 violates the so-called proportionate penalties clause of the Illinois Constitution.
This clause in the constitution states: “All penalties shall be determined both according to the seriousness of the offense and with the objective of restoring the offender to useful citizenship.”
Lauren Bauser, an assistant appellate defender who represents House, said the court should allow House to be resentenced because “the record in this case demonstrates that Antonio’s mandatory life sentence without the possibility of parole for a crime he committed as a teenager, as a teenage lookout, who wasn’t present at the time of the killing, shocks the conscience.”
Although five Democrats are already jockeying to replace Secretary of State Jesse White, Ald. Walter Burnett (27th Ward) told WTTW News that he will not run to replace his political godfather.
Burnett, elected to the City Council in 1995, said he decided that he could not continue to serve as alderman for the West Loop — where the COVID-19 pandemic has only slightly cooled the red-hot pace of development — while running for a statewide office amid the pandemic. […]
Burnett said he would have accepted an appointment from Gov. J.B. Pritzker to replace the 86-year-old White, who was first elected secretary of state in 1998. White won his last term in office with 68% of the vote in 2018, smashing his Republican challenger.
But Burnett said he could never get a commitment from the governor that he would get the nod to replace White as part of a maneuver perfected by Chicago’s Democratic machine during the past several decades to hang onto power by giving the party’s favorite a head start in office via an appointment.
Emily Bittner, a spokesperson for Pritzker, told WTTW News “the governor doesn’t contemplate filling hypothetical vacancies.”
…Adding… Back to hating on RRB…
"Emily Bittner, a spokesperson for Pritzker, told WTTW News 'the governor doesn’t contemplate filling hypothetical vacancies.'"
“The debts that we racked up during the COVID year of 2020, we had to do some federal borrowing in order to cover our bills,” Pritzker said. “We also racked up a bunch of bills, a bill backlog, that needs to be paid back. We need to act responsibly with these dollars.”
Among other things, Illinois owes the Federal Reserve about $3.6 billion from last year. The expectation was that the state could use what now looks like $8 billion to pay that off.
* From the US Treasury Department’s “interim final rule” on the state and local use of American Rescue Plan funds…
Question 17: In the Interim Final Rule, paying interest or principal on government debt is not considered provision of a government service. Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of this approach, including circumstances in which paying interest or principal on government debt could be considered provision of a government service. […]
Sections 602(c)(1)(C) and 603(c)(1)(C) of the Act provide recipients with broad latitude to use the Fiscal Recovery Funds for the provision of government services. Government services can include, but are not limited to, maintenance or pay-go funded building of infrastructure, including roads; modernization of cybersecurity, including hardware, software, and protection of critical infrastructure; health services; environmental remediation; school or educational services; and the provision of police, fire, and other public safety services.
However, expenses associated with obligations under instruments evidencing financial indebtedness for borrowed money would not be considered the provision of government services, as these financing expenses do not directly provide services or aid to citizens. Specifically, government services would not include interest or principal on any outstanding debt instrument, including, for example, short-term revenue or tax anticipation notes, or fees or issuance costs associated with the issuance of new debt.
The Illinois Comptroller’s office said they continue to review the interim guidance for what’s allowed and plan to provide comment.
“[Governor’s Office of Management and Budget] and our office will be seeking to clarify with the Treasury that guidance against using these funds to pay debts unrelated to COVID-19 does not prevent their use for paying debts accrued for spending related to COVID expenses,” a spokesperson for Comptroller Susana Mendoza said in a statement.
That’s basically our only hope.
* As House Revenue Committee Chair Mike Zalewski implied, unless the General Assembly decides to push budget passage beyond the scheduled May 31 adjournment (or Mendoza somehow succeeds), this won’t really help the state…
So some caution in folks jumping to conclusion that Treasury guidance barring use of ARP funds to pay off bonds is done deal….this is an "interim final rule" and so chicago and illinois have 60 days to make their case.
— yvette.shields@arizent.com (@Yvette_BB) May 11, 2021
*** UPDATE 1 *** Gov. Pritzker was asked about this today…
The Senate president, the speaker and I have committed that we’re going to be paying back the borrowing that we took out over the last year to cover our Coronavirus expenses.
You know that the rules are still being worked on in Washington and we are in daily communication with the offices of the Treasury Department that are deciding about those rules. They put out a preliminary rule, and they know as we do, and this happened, by the way under the last administration when they had rules around the Cares Act, that there would be adjustments that would need to be made. And so we’re following that trail to make sure that we get everything done that we need to, so we can use those. Look the federal government’s sending US dollars and then telling us that we can’t then send those dollars back to the federal government to pay for the borrowing that we took out last year, clearly doesn’t make a lot of sense. And so we’ve talked to the Treasury Department about that.
Abudayyeh said the borrowed money wasn’t for old debts but to make the state whole for COVID-related spending, and therefore ought to be a justified use.
“Right now, I don’t think this is a particularly huge issue,” she said. “These are interim rules. This isn’t a panic moment.”
Msall said the state clearly “needs to get clarification.” But even if Treasury holds to its position, the state may be able to use the ARP infusion to pay for things such as aid to public grade and high schools, normal pension costs, and some capital expenditures that would easily exceed what the Fed is owed. That would free up cash to repay the Federal Reserve debt. The question is “how much fungibility” is allowed.
Illinois House Revenue Committee Chairman Mike Zalewski, who earlier had described the Treasury guidance as a “bombshell,” today was milder in his comments.
Switching money around as Msall suggested wouldn’t be easy, he said, but overall the situation is “problematic, but not insurmountable.”
*** UPDATE 3 *** Comptroller Mendoza…
Honorable Janet Yellen
Secretary of the Treasury
1500 Pennsylvania Ave. NW
Washington, DC 20220
Re: Interim Final Rule – Question 17 Response
Dear Secretary Yellen:
Thank you for your recent release of the Interim Final Rule providing guidance on the authorized uses of the Fiscal Recovery Funds provided under the American Rescue Plan Act. As offered in the Interim Final Rule, comments are welcomed in response to specific questions presented in the Rule. As the Chief Fiscal Officer for the State of Illinois, this letter is my response to Question 17.
It is my understanding the Interim Final Rule, as worded, would not allow the State of Illinois to use its federal funds for debt payments directly related to some $3.8 billion in short-term borrowing necessary for medical payments to the Illinois healthcare industry at crucial points during the 2020 pandemic.
This short-term borrowing by the State of Illinois in 2020 includes:
April 2020 - $200 million from other state funds allowing the state to purchase urgently needed PPE supplies and equipment;
June 2020 - $1.2 billion in Municipal Liquidity Facility (MLF) funds from the Federal Reserve allowing payment to Illinois Medicaid providers since the state was experiencing a $3.1 billion revenue shortfall in the two months prior;
November 2020 - $400 million from other state funds for Illinois Medicaid providers as a cash-flow bridge to the larger loan in December; and
December 2020 - $2 billion in MLF funds from the Federal Reserve for Medicaid and other medical providers.
This borrowing was essential for the continued performance of government services during the most fiscally challenging times for the state’s cash flow during the pandemic, all directly related to the COVID-19 crisis. It was critical to get state payments out during these periods, as our Illinois healthcare industry was fighting back the adverse impact of COVID-19.
Illinois could not wait for additional federal relief funds to help mitigate the state’s response, and without this short-term borrowing, the state’s recovery would have been imperiled.
Illinois is the only state that utilized short-term borrowing in order to provide essential government services during the pandemic, allowed under prior federal Covid-19 relief programs. These debts would not have been incurred except as a response to the Covid-19 pandemic. We want to promptly repay federal taxpayers for the crucial help they provided us during the pandemic. This is entirely consistent with the spirit of the American Rescue Plan passed by Congress and signed by President Biden. My specific request is for the Department of the Treasury to clarify this Rule to accommodate this unique circumstance; allowing Fiscal Recovery Funds to be used to directly repay Covid-19-necessitated short-term borrowing.
The Covid-19 pandemic continues while the Governor and the legislature work to balance Illinois’ budget for fiscal year 2022 and beyond. The Department of the Treasury’s timely approval of this request is critical for Illinois’ path toward fiscal recovery.
Thank you for considering this important clarification.
