* Rep. Curtis Tarver (D-Chicago) has been doing a good job of getting the word out about his bill, which is still stuck in Rules Committee. WICS…

Rep. Tarver filed House Bill 5046, which would bar someone from holding a state or municipal office if they committed a felony while they are serving in office.

“But if you did something bad while you were in office, you would be banned from running for office ever again. That’s what it would do, uniformly across the entire state,” Rep. Tarver said.

Tarver’s bill would apply to both state and municipal offices. He believes this would make things more equitable.

“We’re the only state in America that bars you based on the type of office and not the type of crime. It just makes no sense,” Rep. Tarver said.

* NASW Illinois…

The National Association of Social Workers, Illinois Chapter asks if we could just not mace abused and neglected children?

In the long line of well-intended yet misguided attempts to address caseworker/social worker safety in the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS), the latest to be fast-tracked is SB1486 which flew out of the Illinois Senate with minimal opportunity for advocates to weigh in. The “hand caseworkers mace and hope they make good decisions” bill is now teed up for the Human Services Committee with an ever-growing list of cosponsors.

The National Association of Social Workers-Illinois Chapter is calling for members of the Illinois House to address questions of child safety, reporting, and use of force in the bill if the plan is to send this to Governor Pritzker.

Questions like: When can caseworkers use mace/pepper spray on families? Can they use it against a six-year-old neglected child that has a traumatic breakdown? What about a 16-year-old youth-in-care who gets upset that DCFS is transferring for the 13th time in 10 years? What about pregnant women or children who are known to have asthma? Both of which have known cases where mace was fatal. Can caseworkers use it as a threat to families or kids? If the caseworker uses mace on a family, do they have to call 911, or can they leave children they were sent to protect, gasping for air in an enclosed home? Do they have to report this use of force publicly so that we know how many times kids and families are being maced? Will we know the racial breakdown of who is being maced, or are we to trust children and families of color aren’t being targeted? Is there a standard for what kind of mace and potency they can carry, or will caseworkers be able to buy their own? If they can purchase their own, will they be able to carry pepper spray guns that shoot projectiles at people? (You can buy pepper spray guns on Amazon that come in both handgun and assault rifle forms). Will there be any accountability for caseworkers who violate these rules if these questions are answered?

The department does not need SB1486 to implement caseworkers carrying mace, yet they have never implemented this. There is a reason for that, and it has everything to do with the genuine liability and safety concerns not addressed in this bill.

None of this will create fundamental safety within DCFS. Real safety reforms require enhanced in-person training and improved risk assessments. Real safety reform requires the state to increase pay and benefits for this population to recruit fully qualified human service staff to levels in which the department can send caseworkers in teams. However, if the Illinois General Assembly intends to pass this bill with incredible liability and safety risks, can we address some of these outstanding questions, like can we at least not mace abused and neglected children.

* Media advisory…

I wanted to alert you to a legislative discussion Thursday morning about a critical economic issue coming out of the pandemic.

State Rep. Mike Halpin, D-Rock Island, will join the Illinois Manufacturers’ Association tomorrow (Thursday), March 17, at 9 a.m. for a virtual hearing in the Illinois House Revenue and Finance Committee for a subject matter hearing on Senate Bill 3917, creating tax incentives for companies that produce microchips.

Senate Bill 3917 already has cleared the Illinois Senate: https://ilga.gov/legislation/BillStatus.asp?DocNum=3917&GAID=16&DocTypeID=SB&LegId=139010&SessionID=110&GA=102.

The Manufacturing Illinois Chips for Real Opportunity (MICRO) program would provide financial incentives to manufacturers of semiconductors and microchips, in very short supply during the pandemic and today produced largely in China and Taiwan. Companies who locate here to build the new tech would have to meet certain qualifications and benchmarks to receive and keep the tax credits, much like for manufacturing of electric vehicles that lawmakers acted on last year.

Rep. Halpin is not calling the bill for a vote tomorrow but does expect it could be included with other incentive proposals in a package as the end of the legislative session comes in early April.

* Media advisory…

[Springfield, Illinois]— Workers Center for Racial Justice gathers supporters and community members to urge lawmakers to pass HB 3215, The SAFER Communities Act. This bill seeks to invest in high quality jobs for formerly incarcerated workers. The SAFER Communities Act would establish a living wage job creation program for up to 20,000 formerly incarcerated workers. This five year pilot program would offer local businesses wage subsidies of up to $15,000 annually for employing workers with conviction records into newly created, high-quality jobs.

What: Lobby Day 2022 Press Conference & Rally

Who: Workers Center for Racial Justice, Fully Free Campaign, Illinois Alliance for Reentry and Justice, State Rep. Carol Ammons, State Rep. Kam Buckner, State Rep. Justin Slaughter

When: Wednesday March 16th, 2022. 11:00 AM

Where: Illinois State Capitol Building, 401 S 2nd St: Abraham Lincoln Statue

Media Content: Lawmakers and supporters speaking. Community members chanting slogans and demands. Banners and signs will be displayed.

* Not a bill, but a rule…

Following extensive conversations with stakeholders, the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR) is filing rules to simplify the cannabis dispensary license application process, remove barriers for social equity applicants, and expand opportunities targeted to the communities most impacted by the failed war on drugs. IDFPR is required by the Cannabis Regulation and Tax Act (CRTA) to issue at least 50 new adult use cannabis dispensary licenses by the end of 2022.

“From day one, Illinois has been dedicated to leading the nation in an equity-centric approach to legalizing cannabis, and these proposed changes to the application process will make it much easier for social equity applicants to pursue licenses.” said Gov. JB Pritzker. “I appreciate all the feedback we have received from stakeholders since the start of the cannabis program, whose work informed this proposal and is continuing to make Illinois’ growing cannabis industry the most equitable in the nation.”

“We are committed to an inclusive and equitable cannabis program that continues to build on its successes while also recognizing and taking steps to improve it further,” said Mario Treto, Jr., Acting Secretary of the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation. “We look forward to introducing even more participants to Illinois’ adult use cannabis program and encourage all feedback to help ensure we continue to grow the program together.”

The Pritzker Administration is committed to ensuring the new legal cannabis industry reflects the diversity of the state. 100% of craft grow, infuser, and transporter licensee applicants managed by the Illinois Department of Agriculture qualified as social equity applicants. 67% of said applicants live in areas disproportionately impacted by the failed war on drugs, 15% have been personally involved with the justice system and 5% have a family member involved with the justice system.

Under the new proposed rules, applicants will be able to apply online with certain basic information (such as the name of the organization, list of principal officers, contact information, and a $250 fee). IDFPR plans to issue 55 conditional licenses to be distributed across the existing 17 BLS Regions detailed in the CRTA. During the license lottery process, principal officers cannot be included on more than one lottery entry and applicants cannot have more than one lottery entry across all 17 regions. If deemed eligible for a conditional license, applicants will need to meet certain social equity criteria before the conditional license is issued.

IDFPR anticipates opening the conditional license application window during the late summer or early fall of 2022, depending on when the rules become permanent. All applicants who submit an approved application will participate in a lottery conducted by IDFPR with the Illinois Lottery. IDFPR will post a list of applicants participating in the lottery. The date of the lottery will be announced by IDFPR in the coming months. IDFPR will publish the certified results after the lottery has concluded. If an applicant does not meet eligibility criteria, IDFPR will offer the opportunity for the conditional license to the next applicant on a list of applicants drawn chronologically after the 55 applicants selected during the lottery.

Each applicant drawn for an opportunity for a conditional license will have 45 calendar days to prove certain social equity, eligibility criteria. This includes meeting the social equity applicant ownership criteria outlined in the CRTA:

• The applicant has at least 51% ownership and control by one or more individuals who have resided for at least five of the preceding ten years in a Disproportionately Impacted Area, or
• The applicant has at least 51% ownership and control by one or more individuals who:
o have been arrested for, convicted of, or adjudicated delinquent for any offense that is eligible for expungement under the CRTA, or
o is a member of an impacted family.

OR by meeting alternate criteria which will be described in the upcoming release of the new adult use lottery rules.

IDFPR will have 60 calendar days after the lottery to ensure the 55 applicants selected in the lottery meet the criteria detailed above. Applicants selected in the lottery will be provided an opportunity to provide supplemental information to satisfy these criteria.