A Cook County judge on Friday again shot down a lawsuit that argues consumers should be able to recover costs associated with the ComEd bribery scandal that implicated former House Speaker Michael Madigan.
Circuit Judge Cecilia Horan ruled the court could not consider the class action claims for relief, citing the “separation of powers doctrine” that draws lines between the responsibilities of different branches of government.
Horan had dismissed the case previously, but attorneys got a chance to refine their arguments and come before the judge again.
Last weekend started with a bang, with Governor JB Pritzker putting a jaw-dropping $90 million of his own money into his reelection campaign account on Friday night. The news was followed by Aurora mayor Richard Irvin announcing his candidacy for the Republican nomination for governor. Irvin is backed by multibillionaire Ken Griffin, who has reportedly pledged up to $300 million to ensure Pritzker doesn’t get reelected.
But those weren’t the only big money stories this week. Quarterly campaign finance reports were due on Tuesday for the last three months of 2021. We took a look at some key races and committees as the primary season heats up.
It’s been almost a week since Richard Irvin entered the Illinois GOP primary for governor, but he still hasn’t made himself available for interviews. With the clock ticking, one has to assume Irvin is spending his time scrambling to learn what he and his backer Ken Griffin stand for and how to walk back his years of supporting Democratic leadership.
After his “anticlimactic” campaign announcement, Irvin was slammed by a DGA video and his Republican opponents for his past support of Gov. JB Pritzker.
Now that he’s running a Bruce Rauner reboot campaign with the likely backing of Ken Griffin, Irvin is dodging questions about where he really stands.
With opponents nipping at his heels, Irvin won’t be able to stay quiet for long. As the crowded GOP primary gets nastier and more divisive, Irvin will have to answer tough questions like why he’s running against — in his own words — a “great leader” in Gov. Pritzker.
“Richard Irvin is hiding in a back room studying Ken Griffin’s talking points so he doesn’t embarrass his big donor when he opens his mouth,” said DGA Senior Communications Advisor Christina Amestoy. “Irvin can dodge questions all he wants, but Illinois families won’t trade the progress under Gov. JB Pritzker for a repeat of the disastrous Bruce Rauner administration.”
* DPI…
Tomorrow, Jan. 22, marks the 49th anniversary of the decision in Roe v. Wade––the landmark Supreme Court case that affirmed abortion as a constitutional right for all. For nearly half a century, anti-choice extremists have chipped away at reproductive freedoms in an attempt to restrict access to necessary health care. Here in Illinois, Gov. Pritzker’s administration has enshrined Roe v. Wade into state law, but the fight for reproductive freedom is not over.
The anti-choice extremists running for governor are a danger to women across our state and, if elected, would waste no time undoing the tremendous progress we have made in Illinois. Jesse Sullivan said he supports a near total ban on abortion. Richard Irvin called Planned Parenthood “bad for Aurora” and compared it to a “strip club or asbestos company,” while his running mate Avery Bourne called legislation enshrining Roe v Wade protections into law “extremist.” Darren Bailey proudly trumpets his extreme view on choice and claims, “Abortion is not healthcare!”
We cannot allow anti-choice extremist Republicans to drag our state back decades, especially as states like Texas and Mississippi install draconian bans on reproductive freedom. As the anniversary of Roe v. Wade approaches, every statewide Republican candidate must come clean on their radical plans to roll back the clock on women’s healthcare.
* Press release…
In [yesterday’s] hearing of the Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis titled “A View from the States: Governors Respond to the Omicron Variant,” Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi questioned Nebraska Governor Pete Ricketts on his hyperbolic rhetoric against pandemic health measures including vaccine and mask mandates. During his question line, Congressman Krishnamoorthi confronted the Governor on the reckless hyperbole of his claim on Twitter that “President Biden has forgotten we live in America - he thinks we live in the Soviet Union,” as well as the hypocrisy of his opposition to employer vaccine and mask mandates even as the Chicago Cubs baseball team, of which he is a co-owner, has established an employee mask mandate and requires masks in all their facilities.
“As we discussed in today’s hearing, hyperbolic rhetoric and attacks on public health measures, such as those Governor Ricketts has used against commonsense policies like vaccine mandates and masking only detract from our ability to end the pandemic,” said Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi. “Comparing federal efforts to counter COVID-19 to the Soviet Union is the type of politicized rhetoric that leads to confusion and mistrust among the public. It has real, dangerous consequences as we enter our second year of this pandemic.”
U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth’s (D-IL) reelection campaign announced after a fourth quarter haul of more than $1.5 million that it raised almost $7.6 million last year, with more than 152,000 individual contributions averaging under $40 each. Of those contributions, 97% were $100 or less. The campaign, which ended the year with $6.4 million cash on hand, issued the following statement regarding this announcement:
“We’re energized by how many Illinoisans are eager to keep Senator Duckworth’s unique and powerful voice in the United States Senate and look forward to a successful campaign that enables Tammy to continue executing her mission of advocating for working families, new parents, small businesses, servicemembers and Veterans as our Senator for years to come. As we continue building out our robust campaign over the coming months, we’re thrilled that these numbers will help ensure we can reach Illinoisans in every corner of our state—and we are already hard at work making sure we do.”
Every Republican press release I’ve received since yesterday is already posted.
Planned Parenthood of the St. Louis Region and Southwest Missouri will soon cut the ribbon on a “regional logistics center” intended to aid out-of-state women seeking abortion services at the organization’s Metro East facility.
Planned Parenthood and Granite City-based Hope Clinic for Women will jointly operate the centralized call center at the Planned Parenthood facility in Fairview Heights. The center will arrange travel and lodging, and connect patients with existing resources, such as abortion funds. […]
Planned Parenthood has projected that an additional 14,000 women from Arkansas, Kentucky, Missouri, Oklahoma and Tennessee would likely travel to Southern Illinois for abortion care if Roe v. Wade is overturned. […]
The center, which currently employs six people, is funded in part by a $10 million investment Planned Parenthood and Hope Clinic made to increase capacity and infrastructure at their Southern Illinois facilities.
Illinois’ leadership in ensuring access to healthcare services has never been more vital than it is today, with reproductive rights under attack throughout the nation. We’ve already seen insidious restrictions in other states lead to more out-of-state patients seeking care in Illinois, with the rate more than doubling in recent years alone. I’m so grateful for partners including Planned Parenthood and the Hope Clinic for Women who have responded to these growing threats with an ever-increasing commitment to serve patients in need. Illinois is, and will continue to be, a beacon of hope in the heart of this nation when it comes to standing up for fundamental rights.
* The Question: Do you consider yourself generally pro-choice or pro-life? Explain. Also, please just let people speak their minds. Keep this about your own opinion and leave everyone else out of it. Thanks.
The seven-day rolling average decrease for ICU beds, a lagging indicator, is now 1.9 percent.
137 deaths were reported today, down from yesterday’s 198. Seven-day rolling average increase for deaths, the ultimate lagging indicator, is 107.
* IDPH…
The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) today reported 183,722 new confirmed and probable cases of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Illinois, including an increase of 746 deaths since January 14, 2022.
Currently, IDPH is reporting a total of 2,773,362 cases, including 29,845 deaths, in 102 counties in Illinois. The age of cases ranges from younger than one to older than 100 years. Since January 14, 2022, laboratories have reported 1,539,013 specimens for a total of 49,488,107. As of last night, 6,054 individuals in Illinois were reported to be in the hospital with COVID-19. Of those, 972 patients were in the ICU and 560 patients with COVID-19 were on ventilators.
The preliminary seven-day statewide positivity for cases as a percent of total test from January 14 – 20, 2022 is 11.9%. The preliminary seven-day statewide test positivity from January 14 – 20, 2022 is 15.3%.
A total of 20,207,132 vaccines have been administered in Illinois as of last midnight. The seven-day rolling average of vaccines administered daily is 44,420 doses. Since January 14, 2022, 310,939 doses were reported administered in Illinois. Of Illinois’ total population, more than 74% has received at least one COVID-19 vaccine dose, 65% of Illinois’ total population is fully vaccinated, and almost 49% boosted according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
All data are provisional and will change. Additional information and COVID-19 data can be found at https://dph.illinois.gov/covid19.html.
Vaccination is the key to ending this pandemic. To find a COVID-19 vaccination location near you, go to www.vaccines.gov.
An Aurora police sergeant has died from complications of COVID-19, the department’s second virus-related death in just more than a week. […]
Under city policy, Aurora police officers are required to either provide proof of vaccination or undergo weekly testing to protect against the spread of COVID-19, department spokesman Paris Lewbel said.
When asked if Thurman and Shields were fully vaccinated, Lewbel said the city does not release any information from employee medical files, for privacy reasons. […]
COVID-19 was the leading cause of deaths among U.S. law enforcement in 2021, killing at least 301 officers, according to a preliminary report from the National Law Enforcement Memorial and Museum.
* Apparently, this is becoming a thing in our age of unnecessary rapid test shortages. Please, don’t share your test swabs to pool your results…
Then there’s the ick factor. “From a public-health perspective, the idea of sticking swabs up each other’s noses doesn’t sound like a great thing to do,” Nuzzo said. If one person in a household gets COVID, the others aren’t doomed to infection just from living in the same space. In fact, the “secondary attack rate” within a home—which describes the chance of transmitting a virus from one household member to another—appears to be just 15 to 35 percent for SARS-CoV-2. But intranasal promiscuity is a surefire way to increase those numbers, Nuzzo warns, and spread untold other germs besides. […]
The problem isn’t that pooled rapid tests definitely don’t work; it’s that they don’t definitely work. The tests available to Americans are in “a total data-free zone” in this regard, Nuzzo said.
*** UPDATE *** Scary stuff in this press release…
Just over two weeks after confirming 13,000 COVID-19 deaths in Cook County, the Medical Examiner’s Office (MEO) marked another grim pandemic milestone today. The MEO confirmed the County’s 14,000th death due to COVID-19 infection this morning.
The Office noted that six weeks passed between the County’s 12,000th and 13,000th COVID-19 deaths and more than three and a half months passed between the County’s 11,000th and 12,000th COVID-19 death. The latest milestone comes during the third surge in COVID-19 cases across the County and the nation. The Office confirmed 425 COVID-19 deaths for the week of January 10. Those are the highest totals the MEO has seen since November of 2020, months before the COVID-19 vaccine was widely available to residents.
Since the beginning of the pandemic, 6,750 COVID-19 deaths have occurred in the City of Chicago, accounting for approximately 48% of deaths throughout Cook County. Males account for 57% of the County’s COVID-19 deaths.
The Illinois Department of Employment Security (IDES) announced today that the unemployment rate fell -0.4 percentage point to 5.3 percent, while nonfarm payrolls increased by +22,800 in December, based on preliminary data provided by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) and released by IDES. The preliminary report for November monthly payrolls was revised from +19,500 to +19,900 jobs. The November unemployment rate was unchanged from the preliminary report, remaining at 5.7 percent.
The December payroll jobs estimate and unemployment rate reflects activity for the week including the 12th. The BLS has published FAQs for the December payroll jobs and the unemployment rate.
In December, the three industry sectors with the largest over-the-month gains in employment were: Professional and Business Services (+9,400), Trade, Transportation and Utilities (+8,500), and Leisure and Hospitality (+2,200). The industry sectors that reported monthly payroll declines were: Financial Activities (-1,800), Educational and Health Services (-300), and Government (-100). […]
The state’s unemployment rate was +1.4 percentage points higher than the national unemployment rate reported for December, which was 3.9 percent, down -0.3 percentage point from the previous month. The Illinois unemployment rate was down -2.7 percentage points from a year ago when it was at 8.0 percent.
Compared to a year ago, nonfarm payroll employment increased by +262,600 jobs, with gains across nearly all major industries. The industry groups with the largest jobs increases were: Leisure and Hospitality (+126,000), Trade, Transportation and Utilities (+48,300), and Professional and Business Services (+28,600). Financial Activities (-5,000) was the only industry group that reported jobs losses. In December, total nonfarm payrolls were up +4.7 percent over-the-year in Illinois and up +4.5 percent in the nation.
The number of unemployed workers was down from the prior month, a -6.0 percent decrease to 333,100, and was down -32.1 percent over the same month for one year ago. The labor force was up +0.5 percent over-the-month and up +2.0 percent over-the-year. The unemployment rate identifies those individuals who are out of work and seeking employment. An individual who exhausts or is ineligible for benefits is still reflected in the unemployment rate if they actively seek work.
Leisure & Hospitality numbers for this month probably won’t be pretty, what with omicron and the complete lack of additional federal and state assistance for laid-off workers, parents of school kids and slammed businesses.
The growth rate for jobs in our state has more than doubled the national growth rate in the past quarter – and tripled it in the last month. Hard #’s & sources below.
• IL gained 23,200 jobs in December (+0.39%), and gained a total of 84,700 jobs during the fourth quarter of CY 2021 (+1.46%).
• This growth roughly doubled that experienced by the US as a whole (+0.13% for December and +0.74% for Q4).
• IL accounted for 7.7% of US job growth during the fourth quarter, compared to its 3.9% share of the population.
* I went over this with subscribers earlier and we may talk about it again next week, so here’s Greg Hinz…
A fight that’s beginning to have a major impact on the 2022 elections turned more contentious today as Springfield Republicans and Democrats traded new charges over who’s responsible for rising rates of violent crime in the Chicago area.
In dueling events, Republicans called for total repeal of the Democrats’ signature criminal-justice reform package enacted last year, asserting it so hamstrings police and frees criminals from penalty that it’s beyond salvaging.
Democrats accused Republicans of playing a racial card and trying to score political points with a crime-weary public, and urged GOP lawmakers to work with them on tweaks to the law, not wholesale changes.
Republicans began the exchange when, in a remote press conference, they called for repeal of the 2021 equity bill, known as the SAFE-T Act, which, among other things, phases out the use of cash bail, sets new standards for when police use force, requires officers to restrain any colleague who uses excessive or illegal force, and requires timely medical care for injured people held in custody.
Tweaks to the bill, including a measure passed last year diluting some of the use-of-force language in the original bill, aren’t good enough, the Republicans said on Thursday, and the SAFE-T Act should be repealed entirely.
Mazzochi said it would only take a few Democrats to cross over to get it done. “Repeal is a realistic solution. The original, underlying legislation passed with a bare minimum of 60 votes,” Mazzochi said. “ … It almost didn’t pass the first time.” […]
Durkin and Windhorst, both former prosecutors, said the bill made the state more dangerous. Durkin said Democrats would have to answer to their constituents for the bill’s passage and Republicans would use public safety as an issue in upcoming elections. […]
Spain said the Safe-T Act will leave half of the county sheriffs in Illinois leaving their posts and has left city and county police departments scrambling to recruit and retain officers after a wave of resignations in the wake of the bill’s passage.
— The Network: Advocating Against Domestic Violence (@CMBWNTheNetwork) January 20, 2022
The end of sexual harm includes the end of oppressive practices in the criminal legal system. As survivors and allies who advocate for victims' rights, CAASE wholeheartedly supports the PFA and will fight for its implementation. #EndMoneyBail#DefendPFAhttps://t.co/U2wMXbJAtM
— Chicago Alliance Against Sexual Exploitation (@TheCAASE) January 20, 2022
Re-upping this critical piece from our ED & @TheCAASE — The Pretrial Fairness Act increases safety for survivors- e#requiring detention instead of release in DV cases and limiting access to survivors in bond court. https://t.co/3eMsQLREYd
— The Network: Advocating Against Domestic Violence (@CMBWNTheNetwork) January 20, 2022
Repealing the PFA is 👏LETHARGIC👏LEGISLATING👏
If folks are genuinely interested in the rights of survivors, they need to listen to orgs that, ahem, advocate full-time for victims' rights. CAASE supports the #PFA and the coalition behind #EndCashBail — not public manipulation. https://t.co/k9oEjHNwyT
— Chicago Alliance Against Sexual Exploitation (@TheCAASE) January 20, 2022
There’s no such thing as perfect policy, but we are doing the work to perfect it; it’s what our State deserves & frankly it’s what our constituents voted for. Not REACTIVE RECALCITRANCE. Just calling something “Anti Police” doesn’t make it so. Do the work.
* The Illinois Legislative Black Caucus also issued a statement…
State Rep. Sonya Harper, Joint Chair of The Illinois Black Caucus (ILBC), state Rep. Kam Buckner, House Chair of the ILBC, and state Senator Robert Peters, Senate Chair of the ILBC, released the following statement after today’s Republicans press conference on the SAFE-T Act:
“As usual with the Republican Party, any effort to make the justice system fairer for Black people is called ‘dangerous.’ With this law, we have worked directly with community organizations, legal rights advocates and law enforcement to make our justice system more effective and more just at the same time. That’s why the Illinois State Police and other law enforcement groups continue to work with us on this bill. ”
“Many provisions of the SAFE-T Act have not even gone into effect yet, proving the Republican gambit is all for show. In fact, when fully implemented, experts say the SAFE-T Act will help improve public safety by supporting a more holistic approach for first-responders. Instead of coming up with solutions to address crime, Republicans are just trying the same racial scare tactics we see across the country. Today’s press conference is another instance of the Illinois GOP chasing relevancy after years of budget impasses and budget cuts. We trust the public won’t fall for this. We are improving public safety, supporting law enforcement and ending systemic injustice at the same time. We are not going backwards.”
Governor J.B. Pritzker is also defending the bill and firing back at republicans.
“These are the same people that voted against budgets that provide funding for violence interruption programs, those are the people that held that press conference. They don’t really mean what they said. They’re just trying to bring up some sort of campaign issue and frankly, it’s all pretty false,” Pritzker said.
“Illinois has become the wild wild Midwest,” Durkin said.
Rates of violent crime have increased in the past few years, said Dr. Magic Wade, assistant professor of political studies at the University of Illinois Springfield.
But that increase cannot be attributed to the SAFE-T Act, she said, because most of the act has yet to go into effect, and crime rates in some parts of the state have been rising since 2015.
“Violent crime was going up before the pandemic,” Wade said. “So the pandemic sort of put into overdrive a trend that was already happening.”
Wade, who studies the criminal justice system, said the increase in crime observed in Illinois is part of a nationwide trend. Criminologists do not agree on why crime rates rise and fall, which leaves room for people to interpret data in more partisan ways.
Yet, many of the frequent talking points about the skyrocketing crime center around eliminating cash bail. The “Pretrial Fairness Act” doesn’t take effect until 2023. House Lead Sponsor Justin Slaughter (D-Chicago) said Republicans need to stop the divisive rhetoric about the law.
“A lot, if not all, of the SAFE-T Act is steeped in strong research and is evidence-based,” Slaughter said in an interview Thursday. “That’s what we relied on, and that’s what we leaned on.”
Slaughter also said it’s important not to turn back the clock on criminal justice reform. He feels the Republican’s approach to “lock ‘em up and toss away the key” hurts communities of color. He nicknamed the GOP effort the “Dangerous Act.”
While some Democrats were hesitant to support the SAFE-T Act, it’s doubtful enough Democrats would join Republicans to repeal this law.
“It’s not going to be repealed,” Slaughter said. “As long as I’m chairing the House Judiciary-Criminal Committee, the Dangerous Act will not see the light of day. I will tell you that.”
Criminal justice legislation that passed a year ago is an anti-cop, anti-safety albatross that some Democrats already want to repeal, according to Illinois House Republicans.
That lede is emblematic of why the Democrats have so much work to do this year, both here and in DC.
The noise problems for the Weglarz brothers began in 2014 after a near-accident at the nearby Belt Railway switching yard — the largest in North America — prompted officials to add a second set of brakes to the rails.
After that work was completed, patrons at the Weglarz brothers’ three hotels in Bedford Park complained about sleepless nights due to screeching train brakes, which peaked at 92 decibels, far exceeding the 65 decibel maximum allowed by village ordinance.
For years, the Weglarzes passed along to authorities the complaints of hotel guests including flight crews laying over from Midway. They got local tax dollars to help pay for sound insulation at the hotels. They hired noise consultants, as did suburban officials. They complained to the state’s pollution control board.
They also enlisted the help of Bedford Park Village President Dave Brady, who says he decided to ask Madigan for the money “on a whim.”
“I was stunned when we got the call,” Brady says of the earmark, the largest Rebuild Illinois allocation with direct ties to Madigan.
A spokesman for the Belt Railway yard says the company didn’t request the $98 million grant, under which the Illinois Department of Transportation has begun assessing the noise issues and whether the company’s noise-reduction measures have helped.
Madigan & Getzendanner, the former speaker’s law firm, has represented the Weglarz brothers’ Bedford Park hotels for years, saving them $3 million in property taxes over three years, according to Cook County records.
The hotels are an important source of revenue for Bedford Park and other government bodies, paying $4.1 million in state and local taxes a year, according to a brief the Weglarz brothers filed when they made their since-dropped noise complaint to the pollution control board.
The Illinois Republican Party calls on JB Pritzker to answer questions about his role in authorizing taxpayer money be spent on secret infrastructure projects at Mike Madigan’s request.
Specifically, Governor Pritzker should start by:
1. Releasing all communications between the Office of the Speaker of the House and the Governor’s office, the Governor’s Office of Management and Budget, and/or the Illinois Department of Transportation;
2. Releasing all communications between the Governor’s Office and both the Governor’s Office of Management and Budget and the Department of Transportation regarding Rebuild Illinois projects; and
3. Release the full list of projects that fall under the category “Leadership Additions.”
Kinda wonder if the ILGOP realizes it’s throwing their own leaders under the bus here. They got “additions” as well. Also, all the projects are line items.
Please be advised that in-person session next week (January 25-27) is canceled. All committee work will continue to be conducted virtually.
For planning purposes and with the cautious optimism from public health experts that we have reached the peak, the House plans to return to in-person session the week of February 1 - provided that COVID cases continue on a sustained downward trend.
Stay healthy and warm!
Thank you,
Jaclyn
The Senate was never scheduled to be in session next week anyway, but, as with the House, I’m told the Senate hopes to return to in-person session on Feb. 1. Wednesday, February 2 is the governor’s scheduled State of the State/Budget Address.
State legislators are taking the “first step” toward building an offshore wind farm on the Southeast Side by proposing the state invest in programs that would enable more workers from underrepresented communities to work on the project.
State Rep. Marcus Evans (D-33rd) introduced a bill Thursday to create a “Rust Belt to Green Belt” fund to support workforce diversity programs. It’s in service of a pilot project that would create at least 150 megawatts of wind power.
The 185-page bill would set rules for future offshore wind projects, such as requiring contractors to submit plans for hiring from underrepresented populations.
It would also require the Illinois Power Agency to begin seeking offshore wind project proposals from contractors within 360 days of the bill’s passage. […]
“Right now, the [Illinois International] Port would be the place where we would ideally want to see [the wind farm] at,” Peters said. “The idea is to have it be perpendicular off the port, if we were able to do it on the lake.”
* Press release…
On Thursday, legislation to authorize additional funding and extend the successful “Batinick Buyout” program for state pensions passed out of the House Personnel & Pensions Committee. House Bill 4292, of which Rep. Mark Batinick (R-Plainfield) is a chief co-sponsor, was passed by the committee with unanimous support.
“I’m happy an idea I had years ago to save the state significant money has been successful and will continue under this legislation,” said Rep. Batinick. “I look forward to seeing this legislation move through the General Assembly and re-execute this successful buyout option.”
HB 4292 would amend the General Obligation Bond Act and authorize an additional $1 billion to State Pension Obligation Acceleration Bonds. These bonds make accelerated pension benefit payments and would be increased from $1 billion to $2 billion in this legislation. Participants can receive this accelerated pension benefit payment instead of any pension benefit or for a reduction in the increases to their annual retirement annuity and survivor’s annuity. This extension would move from June 30th, 2024 to June 30th, 2026.
Rep. Batinick originally introduced this pension reform language in 2018, which closely resembled a plan he introduced in 2016 and 2017. At the time, he was the first person in the United States to propose such a concept in bill form. It offers retirees more flexibility with their pensions and helps the state save taxpayer money.
Rep. Batinick is the House Republican Spokesperson for the Personnel & Pensions Committee.
Aiming to increase diversity in wind and solar jobs, a proposed measure in the Illinois General Assembly would require more transparent reporting on the level of participation of minority-owned businesses in clean energy jobs.
Rep. William Davis, D-Hazel Crest, advanced House Bill 4217 through the House Energy and Environment Committee on Tuesday. The measure aims to increase “diverse participation in projects that could include African-Americans, Latinx, and women-owned firms.”
In the bill, energy suppliers who generate more than 500 kilowatt hours of electricity with at least 100,000 customers and companies that develop, install, or maintain a renewable energy project with annual revenues over $15 million would be required to submit annual reports on procurement goals and spending on contracts with female-owned, minority-owned, veteran-owned companies and small businesses.
Annual reports would need to outline a buying plan for specific goods and services the company plans to procure in the next six to 18 months, include any procurement codes used by the company. It’s an effort to assist entrepreneurs and diverse companies in understanding upcoming opportunities with the company submitting the buying plan, according to the bill.
UPDATE: Wednesday morning’s hearing on HB 4244 was postponed, as the House Human Services Committee did not have the needed quorum. Since Monday, the number of bill opponents more than doubled - from over 5000 to now over 12,000, with more being added hourly.
SPRINGFIELD - Illinois lawmakers will once again be contemplating another political “hot potato” when they return to the State Capitol this week. As of Monday morning, 5526 (Update now: 5579) opponents have signed onto the Illinois General Assembly website to submit witness slips against HB 4244, a bill introduced and sponsored by only one Democrat lawmaker - Lake County resident Bob Morgan.
HB 4244 would require all doctors, pharmacies, hospitals and medical centers to register their patients’ personal immunizations with a state-run database. Currently, the state immunization registry already in place is optional.
* Co-sign except for spending hours in the car together…
This is some BS. I invite any reporter who would casually smear the people of Central & Southern Illinois like this to drive around the rural country roads with me. I’ve lived here five years and have never once seen a Confederate flag in a front yard. Far from “common.” pic.twitter.com/ygm45ikjvL
“I do think that he would make a viable candidate — if he can get past the primary — in the fall,” Edgar said. “The fact that he seems somewhat moderate; he’s well funded; he’s African American, so perhaps he can pull over some African American votes, which are really the key to the Democrats in Illinois.”
“But the Republicans, I think, have to realize that they’ve got to win a lot of independents and moderate Republicans back — and maybe what I call ‘thoughtful Democrats.’ And you can’t go too far to the right to do that,” Edgar continued. “That’s why Irvin would have a good shot because I think he will undoubtedly be perceived more in the middle than he will be to the far right.”
But even if Irvin emerges from the GOP primary, it will be an uphill climb in the general election, Edgar said.
“Well, I think an incumbent governor has the advantage going into an election — should have the advantage — unless they’ve been a terrible governor,” Edgar said. “And I don’t think Pritzker has been a terrible governor. I mean, he’s had some tough things to deal with, particularly the virus.”
That’s the thing about Irvin. He’s not afraid to try, likely well aware that even if he goes down in flames, this high-dollar, high-profile campaign can do nothing but add to his brand, whether that contributes to another run for higher office or, worst case scenario, more name recognition for his law firm.
Think about it. It took Irvin three attempts before finally becoming Aurora’s mayor and even then he beat his opponent by only 170 votes. Five years later, he’s aiming to be the state’s top general.
So even if you’re not a fan, credit Irvin with a healthy ego and/or boatload of confidence. Both are critical when taking on the Democratic governor of Illinois.
Along with a boatload of money, of course.
*** UPDATE *** Press release…
Today, the Lake County Building & Construction Trades Council, the McHenry County Building & Construction Trades Council, and their affiliates announced their endorsements of Judge Elizabeth Rochford in her campaign for the Illinois Supreme Court’s new Second District. The Lake County Building & Construction Trades Council is made up of 18 local affiliate trade unions, and the McHenry County Building & Construction Trades Council is made up of 26 local affiliate trade unions.
“Growing up in a union household, the values of organized labor have forever been a part of my foundation,” said Judge Elizabeth Rochford. “That’s why I am so honored to receive the endorsements of the Lake County Building & Construction Trades Council, the McHenry Council Building & Construction Trades Council, and their affiliates. My first job as an attorney was helping injured people who needed someone to fight for them, and I’ve carried that experience with me throughout my career. As a Supreme Court Justice, I will always work to make our judicial system one where everyone is treated with fairness.”
* I told subscribers about Chaplin’s impending withdrawal several days ago. Here’s the Daily Herald…
Almost a decade ago, Democrats first made significant gains in Republican-dominated DuPage County with the election of two women.
State Rep. Deb Conroy and county board member Liz Chaplin won their seats in 2012.
Conroy is now running for the highest office in DuPage, and Chaplin has dropped out of the race. The state lawmaker from Villa Park has picked up Chaplin’s endorsement in her bid to become the first county board chairwoman in DuPage history. […]
Chaplin’s departure leaves Conroy in a Democratic primary contest against county board member Lynn LaPlante of Glen Ellyn. […]
LaPlante is serving her first term on the board. During a blue wave in the 2018 election, LaPlante came within 7,314 votes of unseating longtime Republican incumbent Dan Cronin from the chairmanship. The violist with the Chicago Jazz Philharmonic had no primary opponent that year.
LaPlante most likely has some significant residual name ID from that super-close race. We’ve seen it before. But she only reported having $5,311.50 in her campaign committee’s bank on December 31, most of it from herself.
* We all know that Dick Uihlein has a long history of throwing millions of dollars at losers here in Illinois and elsewhere. His rigid ideology dictates his checkbook…
For instance, between January and May 2020, Uihlein contributed $1.25 million to the Conservative Partnership Institute, a right-wing think tank founded by former Sen. Jim DeMint (R-SC) where Trump campaign attorney Cleta Mitchell was serving as senior legal fellow.
Mitchell, a veteran GOP operative, helped construct the campaign’s post-election legal strategy mostly behind the scenes. But she drew national attention in early January 2021 after she featured heavily in a taped phone call between then-President Donald Trump, his Chief of Staff Mark Meadows, and Georgia’s top election officials. Trump pressured the election officials in that now infamous call to “find” enough votes for him to win Georgia. (Meadows joined Mitchell at CPI after he left the White House in January.) […]
Another right-wing outlet, Sons of Liberty—the media outfit, not to be confused with a militia group of the same name—pocketed $300,000 from the supply chain magnate. The radio broadcast, which promoted claims of fraud after the election, is run by anti-LGBTQ activist-pastor Bradlee Dean, who has suggested that “homosexuals” are to blame for most child molestations in the country. Most recently, Sons of Liberty has been on an anti-vax kick, pushing outrageous claims, like that the COVID-19 vaccine is causing AIDS.
Uihlein also threw a $25,000 bone to conservative watchdog Judicial Watch, run by conspiracy theorist Tom Fitton. That organization also challenged the election results.
* I told subscribers about this curious Jesse Sullivan D-2 entry the other day…
His campaign filing also appeared to incorrectly list that he had another $10 million in an investment account for his campaign, but that figure was not backed by reports of the funds that he raised since launching his campaign last September.
Campaign reports show Giannoulias raised more than $658,000 while spending only $82,244 during the last quarter. Giannoulias, attempting a political comeback after losing a 2010 bid for U.S. Senate, has seen his campaign fund boosted by nearly $2.3 million in family loans.
Chicago City Clerk Anna Valencia, also seeking the Democratic secretary of state nomination, reported nearly $900,000 in cash available for her campaign on Jan. 1, raising more than $331,000 while spending more than $156,000.
A third announced candidate in the race, Chicago Ald. David Moore, 17th, listed $81,539 in cash on hand after raising more than $44,500 and spending more than $61,400, reports showed.
* Press release…
Jesse Reising, a sixth-generation son of Decatur, Illinois, former federal prosecutor, and founder of a successful veterans service organization announced his campaign for Congress in Illinois’ 13th Congressional District today.
“I’m running to represent the people of Central and Southern Illinois because political insiders in Illinois and Washington are failing us, and we need new leadership,” said Jesse Reising, Republican candidate for Congress. “The America we know and love as the Land of Opportunity won’t exist just a few years from now if we don’t change course. Americans are seven percent poorer today due to inflation, seeds of division are being sown in our children, and we’re facing skyrocketing crime rates – all while China and other foreign adversaries exploit our current administration’s weakness to gain economic and military advantage over us.”
Reising is a lifelong public servant who knows how to get results against the odds. After a serious neck injury in college football prevented Reising from realizing his dream of serving his country as a Marine, he found new ways to serve and get results, at home and abroad. Reising went to Afghanistan as a contractor and launched a veterans’ service organization called the Warrior-Scholar Project that has empowered thousands of veterans to succeed in college. He went on to prosecute criminals as a federal prosecutor.
He’s already scrubbed his Twitter account to remove the word “Chicago.” Before and after…
Heh.
* Press release…
The Illinois State Board of Elections this week named longtime staff member Bernadette Matthews the agency’s executive director.
Matthews had served as assistant executive director since 2017 and had been acting executive director since April 2021. Matthews’ appointment was approved by a unanimous, 8-0 vote from the board at its Jan. 19 meeting.
A graduate of The Catholic University of America and Seton Hall University School of Law, Matthews joined the Board of Elections as legal counsel in 2009.
* More…
* Column: Gorman takes on Morrison in GOP primary; third Democrat seeks Sims’ county board seat
* The Chicago Tribune editorial board has gone from being deviously smart to… well…
An editorial on the state’s new criminal justice legislation that ran on Page 7 on Jan. 18 misspelled the name of former House Speaker Mike Madigan. The Tribune regrets the error.
New House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch, now finishing his first year in the chair occupied by former Speaker Mike Madison
Hilarious.
* Also, this Tribune editorial was changed online without any sort of acknowledgement like the Madigan error was, so now their central claim about Bryan Traubert and his spouse doesn’t have near as much snap, although going after somebody’s spouse seems questionable to begin with here. The Tribunists claimed Traubert was the board chair, but that is no longer true. He sits on the 22-member board. But you do what you do, Tribbies…
But the bigger challenge, we think, will be reporting honestly on the powerful foundations with budgets in the billions that are part of this merger and that deserve the same scrutiny as government entities or corporations.
That’s compounded here both by the presence on the new Sun-Times board of directors of Kristen Mack, the managing director for communications for the MacArthur Foundation, and the identity of the recent chair of the WBEZ board, Bryan Traubert, husband of former U.S. Commerce Secretary Penny Pritzker, the sister of Gov. J.B. Pritzker. The Pritzker Traubert Foundation is a supporter of this deal.
We’ve no reason to believe any of these high-achieving Chicagoans will impede editorial independence, but wise heads will look for certitude. Penny Pritzker, who has many talents, could run again for office or occupy a key government position in a future J.B. Pritzker administration. What happens then?
An Illinois state lawmaker is calling out a Springfield Lowe’s after an alleged racist encounter this week between two customers.
On Monday, Jan 17, Xuna Hu, a Chinese immigrant and Springfield resident, said she was shopping at the Lowe’s store on Wabash Avenue when a woman told her to go back to her country.
Hu says she was trying to buy two fire pits. She says she was waiting for family to help lift the heavy products when another store customer began to verbally attack her with racist remarks after Hu wouldn’t give her one of the fire pits.
“I was like alright, I’ll just give you one then. She went, ‘This is how it works here.’ So, I was like, ‘Okay ma’am, if I give you one it’s because I’m trying to be nice, it’s not how it works here,’” Hu said. “And then she was like ‘Go back to your country.’ Loud. In the store.”
An online video from Hu reportedly shows what happened right after the alleged incident.
* Rep. Theresa Mah (D-Chicago) has posted a petition online calling on Lowe’s to apologize…
On Martin Luther King Day, January 17, 2022, Xuna Hu, a Springfield resident, was shopping at the Lowe’s at 3101 Wabash Avenue in Springfield, Illinois, when she was racially harassed by a customer whose daughter Jennifer works at the store. She was told, “GO BACK TO YOUR COUNTRY” after the woman hostilely took one of the two firepits from her that she was planning to purchase, and when Xuna followed her to the checkout station with her cellphone camera on to demand an apology, another employee, David, blocked access to Jennifer and her mother, dismissed her request, and repeatedly demanded that she stop recording and erase her video. David kept demanding that Xuna erase the video because he claimed that she “was making [the incident] something bigger than it was.”
However, Lowe’s should know that for an Asian American to be told to “Go back to your country,” is to experience an unfortunately too common example of anti-Asian hate and racism. Asian Americans have been in the US for more than 175 years and those of us who live here have every right to call it home. The United States is our country too, so for someone who sees an Asian face and says “GO BACK TO YOUR COUNTRY,” they are assuming foreignness and expressing their belief that we do not belong in this country as much as a white person does, and that is just plain wrong. That’s blatantly racist and wrong.
“We were appalled to hear about this experience. At Lowe’s, discrimination of any kind is unacceptable. We spoke to Ms. Hu and apologized, letting her know we are taking swift action to address the matter. Our intent is to always ensure customers feel valued, respected and welcome. We are committed to creating a safe and open environment for all customers.”
* CAIR-Chicago…
The Chicago chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-Chicago) today condemned an anti-Asian racist incident at a basketball game between Northwestern University and the University of Wisconsin-Madison. CAIR-Chicago also supported a state lawmaker’s call for action after another anti-Asian racist incident in Springfield, Ill.
A viral Tik Tok video shows a University of Wisconsin-Madison fan making racist gestures toward a group of Northwestern fans at a basketball game between the two universities on Tuesday. The video shows the fan being escorted out of the stadium by a Northwestern official and a police officer. The Wisconsin Badgers condemned the incident on Twitter, calling it “abhorrent & disgusting.”
Illinois State Representative Teresa Mah (D-Chicago) is calling on Lowes to take action and provide racial sensitivity training to employees after an alleged anti-Asian incident at a Springfield Lowe’s. A Chinese immigrant was reportedly told to “go back to your country” by another customer. When she reported the incident to Lowe’s staff, they told her to stop recording video and threatened to kick her out of the store. In her online petition, Rep. Mah said this was not the first anti-Asian incident she heard of happening at a Lowe’s.
“As racist incidents targeting Asian-Americans and other members of minority communities continue to rise both in Illinois and nationwide, it is important that lawmakers, leaders and community members speak out and take action against hate,” said CAIR-Chicago Executive Director Ahmed Rehab.
He said the American Muslim community and CAIR stand in solidarity with all those challenging anti-Black racism, xenophobia, Islamophobia, anti-Semitism, white supremacy, and all other forms of bigotry.
CAIR-Chicago is the Chicago Chapter of America’s largest Muslim civil liberties and advocacy organization. Our mission is to defend civil rights, fight bigotry, and promote tolerance.
A Special Board Meeting has been tentatively scheduled for Thursday, Jan. 20, at 7 p.m. This meeting may or may not be held, pending the outcome of a court ruling we are anticipating will be made the afternoon of Jan. 20. […]
The court case in question was filed by attorney Tom DeVore against 145 school districts across the state, including District 181. The suit is seeking to prevent those school districts from requiring students to wear masks and from excluding students from school for COVID-related reasons unless school districts follow certain procedures under the Illinois Department of Public Health Act.
From the onset of the case, it was the opinion of our attorneys that the ruling would not be in favor of DeVore, and masks and COVID-related exclusions would continue to be required in schools under the Governor’s executive order.
Late last week, our attorneys advised us that due to the recent nature of the judge’s comments, she may rule in favor of DeVore and that her ruling would be effective immediately (Friday, Jan. 21).
The purpose of the special meeting is for the Board to consider the following resolution authorizing the administration to take necessary actions in the event that the outcome of the DeVore ligation results in an invalidation of the Governor’s disaster declarations and emergency orders which authorize masking, exclusion and other safety measures. The resolution would allow the administration to continue current COVID-19 risk mitigation measures notwithstanding the Court’s ruling.
Representing the governor in Sangamon County Court Wednesday, Attorney Thomas Verticchio said the issue is really about the testing requirements, not whether there’s a COVID-19 vaccine mandate or law.
“None of that is relevant,” Verticchio said. “There is no vaccine requirement.”
Plaintiff’s attorney Thomas DeVore said even forcing testing requires due process by law, allowing individuals to challenge such requirements in court. […]
The judge took the school staff’s request for a temporary restraining order against the mandate under advisement with a ruling expected soon. The judge will also consider a motion for class certification, allowing others to join the lawsuit .
If the judge rules that covid tests require some sort of due process, the legislature is going to have to step in fast.
* Other districts are voting to join the DeVore lawsuit if a class is certified. For instance…
The Clinton Board of Education Tuesday night approved joining a lawsuit against the Illinois State Board of Education to sue over its mandates on schools.
*** UPDATE *** Not today…
Sangamon County Judge Raylene Grischow took under advisement the case more than 700 parents have against 145 schools over masks and exclusion policies. She said not to expect a ruling before next Friday. pic.twitter.com/udgYuQrWrn
* IDPH reports 6,258 hospitalizations as of midnight last night, down from 6,507 reported yesterday. That now gives us a 7-day rolling average decrease of 2.07 percent. Yesterday’s 7-day rolling average decrease was 1.04 percent.
Illinois appears to be past the peak of its largest COVID-19 surge so far as cases and hospitalizations driven by the omicron variant are starting to decline, but officials urged continued caution as the state’s health care system remains under unprecedented strain.
Gov. J.B. Pritzker on Wednesday called the latest trend “a welcome change after precipitous increases over the prior seven weeks.” […]
“I want to be clear: I am cautiously optimistic about this decline,” Pritzker said during a news conference at the Thompson Center in the Loop. “But there are an awful lot of people still battling for their lives in hospitals across Illinois.”
* We don’t talk much about case numbers here for good reason. Dr. Ezike addressed this topic yesterday during the press conference when responding to questions about falling case numbers and hospitalizations…
So obviously, we are already seeing some of the things that we’d like to see in terms of downward trends in hospitalizations. Again, I am absolutely moving away from the cases because we know that that’s not even the full story, given all the home test and all the positives that are happening at home that are not recorded in any of our Department of Public Health databases. But the hospitalizations, you can’t hide a hospitalization. And so as we look at those hospitalizations and understand where those numbers are going, that is definitely a clear signal of the direction we’re moving in. And we can be moving downward now, but as you know, people have appropriately asked, ‘But what about the next one?’
With that being said, my brother Devin sent me this fascinating graph created by Eastern Illinois University’s Ryan Burge. It covers case trends in Illinois counties from December 15 to yesterday. While far from a perfect tracker, some counties still look like they are in big trouble. Click the pic for a larger image…
Burge said counties in blue are those where the total number of cases yesterday was at least 20 percent lower than that county’s worst day of the omicron surge. “That’s my attempt at trying to delineate which counties are over the peak now.”
* Advocate Aurora Health employees have posted pleas to get vaccinated on YouTube. Here’s one…
“The number one rule of virus economics,” economist Austan Goolsbee says: “If you want to help the economics, you’ve got to get control of the virus.”
The first half of 2021, when COVID seemed to abate, economic signs were good. But “delta and omicron stalled that progress, and indicators are pointing downwards as the impact of omicron continues. When the data come out for January, it’s going to show a slowdown,” Goolsbee, a professor of economics at the University of Chicago’s Booth School of Business and a former economic advisor to President Barack Obama, says on the latest episode of the A.D. Q&A podcast.
“Consumer spending, which had been pretty strong, dropped almost 2% for the month. That’s a pretty dramatic shift on a one-month basis. That’s before omicron kind of reached its peak. I’d think we’re going to get a slowdown from the next data.”
Jacking up interest rates right now would be like using a hammer to paint a house.
State Sen. Jason Barickman (R-Bloomington) says he and his wife, along with their daughter, tested positive for the virus last week. […]
“Started with a soar throat, led to a cough that developed into a deep, rough cough. I had fever spikes throughout the day for several days and an achy body and headache,” said Barickman.”
Barickman says he and his wife are vaccinated but have not received the booster shot.
* How do you make art during a pandemic? Carefully: Chicago’s theaters, concert halls, and other venues navigate mask-wearing for performers and patrons, testing for COVID and sometimes canceling shows amid the omicron surge.
I just want to add one comment, though, you asked about candidates. One thing I will say to you is, if you want to have the job of being governor, you should have to take questions from members of the media just like I do. And so I would hope that any candidate that is running and announced that they’re going to run is going to take questions, and not wait weeks after announcing to do so.
It’s true that the Republican candidates for all of the statewide offices have not yet or (for those who jumped into the race last year) rarely if ever publicly submit themselves to questions from reporters.
* DPI today…
Statewide GOP Candidates’ Silence on Trump, Biden Speaks Volumes
Today, on the one-year anniversary of President Biden’s inauguration, every Illinois Republican statewide candidate is choosing to remain silent about where they stand on the Big Lie that continues to undermine our democracy. Illinois voters deserve to know if these candidates want to take the Big Lie to Springfield or if they accept the results of free and fair elections.
All of the statewide Republican candidates, including Richard Irvin, Darren Bailey, Jesse Sullivan, Paul Schimpf, Gary Rabine, Avery Bourne, Stephanie Trussell, Carolyn Schofield, Aaron Del Mar, John Milhiser, Dan Brady, Tom Demmer, Shannon Teresi, and Steve Kim, must go on the record and answer basic questions about the 2020 presidential election. It should not be difficult for these candidates to tell voters who they voted for in the 2020 presidential election, if they accept Joe Biden as the legitimate winner, and if they will accept the electoral results in 2022.
Their continued silence speaks volumes about their priorities and willingness to undermine the democratic process. It is clear that with the modern Republican Party, our democracy takes a backseat to their political agenda.
Thoughts?
…Adding… He’s taken questions on most of these topics over the years, and he just held a long press conference yesterday and nobody asked the other questions on this list…
The Illinois Republican Party released the following statement in response to Governor JB Pritzker’s call for Republicans to answer questions:
“Republicans will not be lectured on answering questions by a Madigan-allied governor who refuses to answer basic questions about his own corruption and scandals. When JB Pritzker starts answering about indictments, patronage, tax fraud, dead veterans and state-sponsored child abuse, he’ll have just a tad more credibility.”
Every time JB Pritzker uses the phrase “answer questions,” we’ll send around another set of questions that JB Pritzker refuses to answer. Here are two questions for today:
When did JB Pritzker first learn that his DCFS was abusing children, and why hasn’t he fired the DCFS director?
Elected officials in the crosshairs of federal investigators shouldn’t be able to dip into their campaign funds to pay defense attorneys, a freshman alderman says — but a lawyer for his maligned predecessor’s ward organization says there’d have to be a change in state law to cut off politicians’ legal piggy banks.
Illinois’ highest court is now deliberating that contentious issue — or most of the court, that is. Two jurists have recused themselves from the case, including [Justice Mary Jane Theis and] Chief Justice Anne Burke, whose indicted husband Ald. Ed Burke (14th) has shelled out about $2 million in campaign cash to lawyers involved in his public corruption case.
The five remaining state Supreme Court justices heard arguments Wednesday hinging on whether the high-priced criminal defenses that so many Illinois officials have had to pony up for amount to “personal” expenses prohibited by campaign finance law.
The case was brought to the court by Chicago Alderman Byron Sigcho-Lopez in an effort to stop elected officials from using campaign funds to pay lawyers for personal matters. He’s seeking to overturn an earlier State Board of Elections decision to reject the Sigcho-Lopez case.
Sigcho-Lopez is represented by Adolfo Mondragon. Mondragon told the justices the case is to stop elected officials from using donor money to pay for their legal problems.
“The purpose of the Campaign Disclosure Act of the Illinois Election Code is to deter and mitigate public corruption,” Mondragon said.
The case comes after Sigcho-Lopez filed a complaint against former 25th Ward Alderman Danny Solis and his decision to use $220,000 of campaign funds to pay his lawyers to defend himself from accusations of wrongdoing.
Mondragon argued that what Solis did is exactly what they are trying to prevent from happening again.
“Let’s be clear here, the $220,000 Danny Solis owed the law firm of Foley and Lardner is what is normally considered a personal debt,” Mondragon said. “It was not a campaign debt because he was not running for office.”
“What a slap in the face” it is to allow politicians accused of political corruption to use funds contributed by supporters of their campaigns to defend themselves from accusations of wrongdoing while in office, Mondragon told the justices. […]
Michael Dorf, the attorney for the 25th Ward Regular Democratic Organization, urged the court to defer to the Illinois State Board of Elections, which voted 8-0 to reject Sigcho-Lopez’s complaint. Allowing politicians to use campaign funds to pay legal fees associated with corruption probes has been “policy for a very long time” and should not be changed.
State law allows campaign funds to be used to pay for expenses incurred by elected officials that are “customary and reasonable” — but not for purely personal expenses, such as clothes, haircuts and club memberships.
Justice Michael Burke asked Dorf how it is not the “antithesis” of laws designed to prevent corruption and encourage good government policy to allow campaign funds to cover legal fees associated with legal probes.
In response, Dorf acknowledged that Solis had been contacted by federal prosecutors, and had cooperated with their probe.
The State Board of Elections said if the General Assembly wanted to enact a specific prohibition on the use of campaign funds for legal fees, they could write that into the law.
Justice Michael Burke referred to a similar case that came before the Supreme Court in New Jersey.
The court in New Jersey “looked at this exact issue,” Burke said. “It said this: ‘We have yet to reach the point where it can be said that defending against federal or state criminal indictment alleging corrupt practices is an ordinary expense of holding public office.’”
Burke asked, “Are we at that point in Illinois where we’re going to say that that’s an ordinary expense of holding public office?”
“The legislature knows how to deal with that,” election attorney Michael Dorf replied. “That’s a legislative solution, and Illinois knows how to do that if they wanted to do it. And the Illinois legislature hasn’t.”
The appellant lives in a world where everybody is guilty. And everybody is not guilty. People are investigated and they are not charged. People are charged and they are not convicted. It’s not just the individual who may be under suspicion who is at risk here. People who are public officials who have no connection with a person may be under investigation, may have had an email from that person. And suddenly they are the subject of a subpoena for thousands of records or perhaps hours of deposition testimony. And the legal fees in those situations are oppressive and unfair for someone who just happened to be the the recipient of an email, email or a phone call. […]
Would this expenditure have occurred irrespective of the person’s status as a candidate or a public office holder? And it is absolutely clear that the FBI would not have come to Ald. Soliz and said, ‘We want you to cooperate and wear a wire on members of the city council and members of state legislatures’ if this person had not been a public official able to be in those those types of dealings. So the irrespective test sets a good standard for that. And the courts have acknowledged this. It’s an interesting logic, but how can you be accused of, or involved in public corruption if you’re not a public official somehow?
* Meanwhile, former House Speaker Michael Madigan’s latest D-2 filing shows he paid the Baltimore law firm of Arnold & Porter Kaye Scholer LLP just $18K for legal work during the fourth quarter. He paid the firm, which bills itself as having “World-class regulatory, litigation and transactional solutions for your most complex challenges,” $12K in the third quarter, along with $50K to DC law firm O’Melveny & Myers, which does white collar defense and corporate investigations. His 13th Ward organization had no legal fees in the fourth quarter.
January 19, 2021
State Representative Camille Lilly
cc: Governor J.B. Pritzker, Speaker Chris Welch
Chairperson Lilly,
Since the original letter I sent you more than a week ago requesting an immediate hearing into the ongoing failures at the Department of Children and Family Services, further damning incidents have come to light.
We have learned that DCFS Director Marc Smith has been held in contempt of a court yet again – his third time in less than a week. This time it was because the agency held a 17-year-old boy in a psychiatric facility for four months after he was ready to be placed in a more appropriate setting.
We found out that DCFS may have failed Damari Perry, the 6-year-old North Chicago boy who was murdered, allegedly by his mother. Before his death, DCFS opened two investigations into the family, including looking into threatening messages his mother wrote about harming the boy. Somehow, those investigations were closed and marked as “unfounded.”
It has also become clear that House Democratic Caucus refuses to act on this matter despite the fact that every day these issues at DCFS go unchecked is another day that the Pritzker Administration is failing kids in the care of the state of Illinois. Additionally, there has still been no Appropriations Human Services Committee scheduled to publicly investigate the shortcomings at DCFS.
The children of Illinois need a functioning DCFS to ensure their safety. As committee chair, it is your duty and obligation to schedule a hearing so the General Assembly can get to the bottom of the critical question of what is happening at DCFS. The Republican members are prepared to meet immediately. Please do not follow the path of silence the Governor is taking on this important issue.
Sincerely,
Jim Durkin
House Republican Leader
*** UPDATE *** The House just posted an Appropriations-Human Services Committee hearing for January 28th…
Amid the recently reported shortcomings of the Department of Children and Family Services, Chairwoman Lilly will be calling a public hearing on Friday, Jan. 28, to inquire about the department’s ongoing financial and operational issues.
“The current concerns with the DCFS have made it necessary to call a hearing so we can better understand the needs of the children and form holistic, long-term solutions. These problems have been going on for years and our focus is on the children and workers, so I request everyone in the hearing to conduct themselves in a serious, bipartisan fashion without losing focus,” said Lilly.
* Media advisory…
WHO: House Republican Leader Jim Durkin (R-Western Springs), Assistant House Republican Leader Ryan Spain (R-Peoria), Assistant House Republican Leader Deanne Mazzochi (R-Westmont), and State Representative Patrick Windhorst (R-Metropolis)
WHAT: House Republicans will discuss legislation filed to repeal the SAFE-T Act.
WHEN: 11:00 A.M. on Thursday, January 20th, 2022
WHERE: Zoom and Live on BlueRoomStream
* ILGOP…
Pritzker’s state-sponsored child abuse
Behind the violent crimes ravaging our state are the faces and names of victims. Instead of standing up for those victims – and working to prevent more people from becoming victims – Pritzker has signed legislation putting criminals first and victims last.
It’s no surprise Pritzker doesn’t care about the victims of crime. This is the same governor that let 36 veterans die of COVID at the LaSalle Veterans’ Home in 2020.
Now we learn that Pritzker’s administration has engaged in state-sponsored child abuse at the Department of Children and Family Services. JB Pritzker should be held accountable for what his administration has done.
When did Pritzker find out his agency director was abusing kids and why has he not fired his director?
Mayor Lori Lightfoot said GOP candidates for governor, making crime — especially in Chicago — central campaign themes should think twice about damaging the city’s reputation.
“Vilifying the economic engine of your state just strikes me as a really foolhardy strategy,” she told the Chicago Sun-Times on Wednesday. […]
Irvin said, if governor, he would be “removing liberal prosecutors who look to decriminalize acts of violence.” That seems aimed at Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx.
A governor can’t get rid of an elected official — no matter their politics. What he means is a ripe question for Irvin, who has yet to do interviews with reporters.
Lightfoot said there are “definitely productive ways in which a governor can be helpful. But anybody who thinks that they’re going to solve crime by sitting in Springfield and lobbing bombs obviously doesn’t understand the first thing about public safety.”
Well, I appreciate. I have not heard that. That’s very kind of her. And, and yeah, I mean, I think, you know, the, what I can say is, there’s nobody running, as far as I know, for mayor. And I think, you know, the mayor has worked well with me, especially as we have addressed the pandemic, broadly. And so, you know, we have a good relationship. And, you know, I, I know we’ll keep working together to make sure we’re keeping people safe and healthy.
