As budget discussions continue and the General Assembly nears adjournment, the chairs for the House Higher Education, Appropriations-Higher Education and Mental Health and Addiction Committees are encouraging their colleagues to support increased funding for college campus mental health services.
“The governor’s proposed budget outlines a 5% increase in higher education operational funding,” Higher Education Chair Katie Stuart, D-Edwardsville, said. “This is needed funding that universities should take advantage of to reinforce and boost their on-campus mental health offerings. These services help those who are suicidal, facing substance abuse issues, depression and other serious challenges that deserve support and awareness.”
“While there was always a need for stronger mental health services, this pandemic is putting increased strain on all of us,” Mental Health and Addiction Chair Deb Conroy, D-Villa Park, said. “This has been a tumultuous couple of years, with little sense of normalcy on campuses. Three years ago we passed legislation that would provide mental health services to support our students on college campuses. It is critical that we put the financial investment in our budget to fund this legislation to ensure every student can reach their full potential. Let’s make sure students have the resources they deserve to access the support they need.”
“In the past 20 years, the number of college students with clinical depression and suicidal tendencies has tripled, and approximately 1.6 million students sought counseling assistance last year,” Appropriations-Higher Education Chair La Shawn K. Ford, D-Chicago, said. “It is perhaps no wonder that acts of violence on campuses have increased. One-third of all college students have been diagnosed with a mental health condition, a 14% increase in the last decade. Only 25% of college students receive treatment. The pandemic has exacerbated this issue. In fall 2020, 89% of college students experienced stress or anxiety because of COVID-19. Graduation rates are lower for students with mental health conditions, especially Black, Latinx and low income students. Dropout rates are 2.5 times higher. There was a time when there was a stigma around seeking mental health support now students are testifying in Springfield pleading for more mental health support on college campus. We cannot leave Springfield this year without increasing funding for colleges to provide mental health support for Illinois’ students.”
“We want all of our students to succeed, and that starts by creating a healthy environment that includes accessible mental health support,” Higher Education Vice Chair Maurice West, D-Rockford, said. “We need to be mindful of the unique challenges students are currently facing, and our budget should reflect this critical aspect of the academic experience.”
“Campus mental health cannot be overlooked as we put together a budget this year,” Mental Health and Addiction Vice Chair Michelle Mussman, D-Schaumburg, said. “Together, our committees have held hearings that have provided valuable insight on how mental health is handled at our universities. By increasing our investment in higher education operations, we can give our institutions the resources they need to reach more students.”
“Investing in mental health services now will have a beneficial impact for years to come,” Appropriations-Higher Education Vice Chair Nicholas Smith, D-Chicago, said. “The more students we can help deal with their challenges in a professional, healthy way, the better their mental health will likely be down the road. Let’s make sure campus mental health is a priority in this budget.”
* Media advisory…
This Wednesday, starting at 3pm, Rep. Camille Lilly and other IL State Legislators will join restaurant owner and worker advocates gathering for a press conference at the Lincoln Steps to rally support for the One Fair Wage Act (HB 5139), which would end the subminimum wage in Illinois.
The legislation was introduced in response to a wage shortage crisis across Illinois. One Fair Wage has issued multiple reports demonstrating that raising wages for restaurant workers who work for subminimum wages is critical to helping the industry recover. One Fair Wage has also tracked over 200 restaurant owners in Illinois who have voluntarily raised wages for tipped workers in order to recruit staff during the state’s worst-ever staffing crisis; this bill would create a level playing field for these responsible restaurant owners and help them fully reopen by sending a signal to millions of workers that wage increases will be permanent.
WHERE: Lincoln Steps, IL State Capitol Building**
WHEN: Wednesday, March 30, 3:00pm CT
WHO: Restaurant Owners, Restaurant Workers, Representatives from the Illinois Full and Fair Wage Coalition Including Speakers from One Fair Wage, Women Employed & Shriver Center on Poverty Law
**In Event of Rain, Press Conference will take place across the street, at the Illinois State Library in the Atrium
“Tens of thousands of Illinois tipped workers have left the restaurant industry and are not willing to return until they can earn a full and fair wage—with tips on top. Illinois workers deserve to earn a wage that allows them to support themselves and their families,” said State Rep. Lilly.
“Looking at the data and speaking to workers, the crisis in Illinois’ restaurant industry is clear,” said Saru Jayaraman, President of One Fair Wage. “If the industry is to survive, the state must raise the wage and pay tipped workers a full livable wage with tips on top.”
“NOW is the time to end the subminimum wage in Illinois, by any means necessary. We must end this harmful practice and devaluation of human labor,” said Antoinette ‘Jewel’ Simmons, a longtime Illinois restaurant worker.
“The subminimum wage issue IS a women’s issue because women are overrepresented in the restaurant industry but are highly underpaid,” said Starr De Los Santos, Senior Coalition Manager at Women Employed. “As an organization, Women Employed is committed to closing the wealth gap at the intersection of race and gender, and to do this; we need to build the economic power of women in Illinois that are in low-paid jobs. This includes ensuring an end to the subminimum wage that creates gender pay inequity in the restaurant industry, perpetuating the gender pay gap and leading to disproportionately higher poverty rates for women.”
“Prior to the panedemic, food service workers nationwide reported experiencing the highest rate of sexual harassment of any industry,” said Wendy Pollack, Director of the Women’s Law and Policy Initiative at the Shriver Center on Poverty Law. “Tipped workers are more vulnerable to harassment and have less power to reject customer harassment because they are so reliant on tips for their economic well-being. Since the pandemic began, workers report a dramatic increase in sexual harassment. In the states that have eliminated the tipped subminimum wage, harassment has decreased by half. The time is now for Illinois to eliminate the tipped subminimum wage and pay workers the full minimum wage with tips on top.”
Mo Carter, owner of MJB Restaurant Group, stated the following in support of the bill, “Part of the matter of “The Great Resignation” is the right to earn not just a livable wage but a life-sustaining one. Consistent, strong staff are the support beams to ownership and they’re relying on their employers to recognize that worth.”
A new report out by One Fair Wage has found that as the restaurant industry — both owners and workers — continue to struggle throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, federal relief provided to restaurant owners in total exceeded $73 billion and, on average, was 30 times higher than the support provided to struggling workers.
* Press release…
State Senator Meg Loughran Cappel (D-Shorewood) passed a measure through the Senate Tuesday that would ensure customers get a discount when supermarkets put products on sale.
“When shoppers check out at the supermarket, they don’t always see the sale price of an item on the screen during the transaction,” Loughran Cappel said. “Customers are often left unsure if they received a discount because the screen only shows the final price of each item.”
While retailers provide notice of discounts through various methods such as receipts, in-store promotions, advertisements, and price tags, there is nothing written in law concerning how prices and discounts are displayed during checkout.
To ensure shoppers receive their discount, Loughran Cappel moved House Bill 2910 which would require supermarkets to show both the regular and sale prices of items as they are rung up so customers can immediately see if they are getting discounts.
“This legislation increases transparency regarding discounts offered on grocery store items,” Loughran Cappel. “Shoppers will now be reassured at the checkout when they see their savings listed on the screen.”
House Bill 2910 passed both chambers and now heads to the governor’s desk for final approval.
* Press release…
State Senator Adriane Johnson (D-Buffalo Grove) moved legislation out of the Senate Education Committee to prohibit public high schools from withholding a student’s grades, transcripts or diploma due to unpaid balances on a student’s account today.
“Students are so much more than a set of credits,” said State Senator Adriane Johnson. “They are scholars and future contributors to our society, and we should do all we can to further their academic careers and not contribute to unnecessary burdens.”
Current law does not address withholding of grades, transcripts of diplomas for students for financial reasons whatsoever. The law only speaks to academic performance, established local goals and objectives, age, and other social reasons.
Under House Bill 4243, the prohibition would last for 3 years and would require school districts to catalogue and report the total amount of unpaid accounts due to the prohibition of withholding grades, transcripts, or diplomas to the Illinois State Board of Education.
“This is an equity issue and this practice almost exclusively affects low-income students,” said Johnson. “Plus, there is no real evidence that withholding a student’s transcript encourages parents to pay the bill.”
House Bill 4243 passed the Senate Education Committee and will be heard before the full Senate for further consideration.
…Adding… Press release…
In response to the condominium collapse in Surfside, Florida in June 2021, State Senator Sara Feigenholtz (D-Chicago) spearheaded a measure that would increase transparency for Chicago residents who live in high rises that passed the Senate Tuesday.
“It is the unit owners that pay monthly assessments into the reserve funds; therefore, these funds should be transparent to unit owners,” said Feigenholtz. “People deserve the peace of mind that their condominium association can make necessary repairs.”
A reserve study identifies the current status of the reserve fund and a stable and equitable funding plan to offset ongoing deterioration, resulting in sufficient funds when those anticipated major common area expenditures actually occur. This study helps homeowners and condominium associations determine how much in reserve funds they should maintain.
House Bill 4158 would require a homeowner or condominium association who conducts a reserve study to keep it within its books and records, which by law the individual property owners have a right to inspect.
“Reserve funds are set aside for future financial obligations such as major repairs and maintenance,” said Feigenholtz. “In addition, being able to access information about the reserve studies keeps unit owners informed of the health and readiness of the association’s ability to address needed renovations and upgrades for their building.”
House Bill 4158 passed the Senate and heads to the House for concurrence.
The Illinois General Assembly is barreling toward the end of session, and among unfinished business is legislation to address a rise in crime during the COVID era. It’s a top-polling issue in the 2022 elections and one that both parties are looking to address.
Republicans are pushing for bills that boost funding for police, set a minimum 10-year sentence for anyone convicted of selling a gun to a felon, and automatically transfer cases of aggravated carjacking or armed robbery that involve a minor to adult court. Democrats have teased bills to address carjacking, ghost guns, and organized retail theft. The governor’s budget, meanwhile, includes a $240 million allocation towards community-based violence prevention.
* Press release…
Piers and public access points to Lake Michigan will soon be safer thanks to a measure advanced by State Senator Robert Peters (D-Chicago) that will help install essential rescue equipment.
“Everyone deserves to feel safe when they head to the beach this summer,” Peters said. “I am glad that the General Assembly is taking an essential step to protect our families who visit beaches on Lake Michigan.”
House Bill 4165 requires owners of piers or drop-offs on Lake Michigan to install public rescue equipment . The measure also establishes tracking and reporting requirements for local governments that own a pier or drop-off on Lake Michigan.
Nationally, drowning is the leading cause of accidental death for children under the age of 5, the second leading cause for children under 15, and the third leading cause for people under 30. There are significant disparities between Black and white populations in drowning death rates, with African American males from ages 15 to 19 facing the highest per-capita rates of drowning.
The measure originated from a controversy between residents of the Rogers Park neighborhood and the Chicago Park District over a lack of life saving rings on lakefront piers.
“We have had too many tragic and, in many cases, preventable deaths on Lake Michigan,” Peters said. “This is a long overdue safety measure that will help make all of us safer when we enjoy the lake this summer.”
The measure passed the Senate on Tuesday. It now heads to the governor’s desk.
Rep. Mary Miller, R-Ill., an ardent supporter of President Donald Trump, signed a letter stating claims of voter fraud in the 2020 presidential election should be investigated. Now her bid for a second term is benefiting from spending by a PAC whose leader is suspected of voter fraud.
That letter, to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, was sent in December 2020, before Miller was sworn into her first term on Jan. 3, 2021. In a press release, issued before she took office, Miller, maintaining falsely Trump won the election said, “Even a glancing review would uncover the greatest heist of the 21st century.”
With Miller’s interest in pursuing voter fraud, it is worth noting that a Sun-Times examination of money bolstering Miller’s bid for a second term shows she is benefiting from a $74,054.74 independent expenditure by the Right Women political action committee, according to a report filed with the Federal Election Commission. […]
Last May, Miller’s campaign got a direct $5,000 donation from Freedom First, a political action committee created by Mark Meadows when he was a North Carolina Republican congressman.
Debra and Mark Meadows are suspected of voting from a mobile home in North Carolina where they never lived.
* And this one is from US Rep. Rodney Davis’ campaign…
Public records reveal that Mary and Chris Miller’s business, while physically in Illinois, is incorporated in the state of Delaware, a known domestic tax and regulatory shelter. Despite both being elected politicians in the State of Illinois, the Millers have chosen to send their tax dollars to Delaware instead. Why?
“Mary Miller has taken carpet-bagging to a new level. Not only does she live in another Congressional district, but her family business is incorporated in another state - Delaware. Miller likes to present herself as a common farmer, but she’s engaged in legal strategies used by corporations to dodge taxes and avoid scrutiny of their business. Like a true politician, Miller has mastered the art of saying one thing and doing another. She needs to come clean about why her business is incorporated in a state that’s over 750 miles from her farm. What is Mary Miller hiding?” - Davis campaign spokesperson Aaron DeGroot
While both are politicians, Mary Miller and her husband Chris are also corporate officers and co-owners of Miller Bros Farms. Corporate records filed with the Illinois Secretary of State’s office shows that the Millers incorporated their business in the State of Delaware, not Illinois.
Delaware is considered by many to be a domestic tax and regulatory shelter due to the benefits the State of Delaware provides to businesses that incorporate within their state. Businesses that incorporate in Delaware can keep certain corporate records private and are subject to a favorable legal system.
Mary Miller likes to present herself as a common farmer, but she’s engaged in legal strategies used by corporations to dodge taxes and avoid public scrutiny. Miller has not discussed publicly why her business is incorporated in another state that’s roughly 760 miles away from her farm. What is Mary Miller hiding?
Miller recently touted an endorsement from Club for Growth, a DC-based dark money group that’s opposed to the Farm Bill, while her family’s business has raked in over $1 million in government subsidies from Farm Bill programs over the years. Chris Miller, has received $942,419 in USDA subsidies. Miller Bros. Farms, Inc. and Miller Bros Inc, have received $104,742 and $34,871 in USDA subsidies, respectively.
State Rep. Kam Buckner (pictured) (D-Chicago) will serve a year on conditional discharge, because he pleaded guilty this month to driving under the influence.
In March 2019, police found him asleep at the wheel near the Capitol. He refused a Breathalyzer test and failed field sobriety tests.
If he successfully completes the year’s probation, Buckner will not have to serve a 28-day jail sentence.
Buckner, a former University of Illinois football player, must pay $1,915 in fines and costs, according to court records.
Climate change is taking a central role in a key House race in Illinois, where two Democratic incumbents are taking shots at each other’s records.
Rep. Sean Casten, a moderate who sits on the House Select Committee on the Climate Crisis and once led an energy efficiency company, argues that he holds the climate mantle in the race.
But Rep. Marie Newman, an outspoken progressive, in recent weeks has challenged Casten on climate, arguing he takes a narrow focus on the issue and is too close to corporate and fossil fuel interests.
— Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi has been endorsed by Secretary of State Jesse White in his bid for reelection in the 8th Congressional District.
— Anna Valencia has been endorsed by state Reps. Theresa Mah (2nd), Anne Stava-Murray (81st), and Terra Costa Howard (48th) in her bid for secretary of state.
— Delia Ramirez, who’s running in the newly drawn 3rd Congressional District, has been endorsed by the Illinois Nurses Association, Architectural and Ornamental Iron Workers’ Union Local 63, Transportation Communication Union/IAM, and Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employes Division.
* Hearing there are some very difficult internal issues with her consultant…
The formal kick off of Cassandra Tanner Miller’s (R, Elgin), also known as “CTM”, congressional primary campaign in the 11th District set for Thursday, March 24 in downtown Geneva was abruptly postponed early Thursday afternoon to a date to be announced.
The verbiage of the email sent included the following:
“Please note that we are needing to reschedule the Campaign Kickoff event that was planned for this evening at Copper Fox in Geneva.
“One thing I’m learning about political campaigns is you never know what to expect or what will come up on a daily basis.
“After talking with the venue, we are going to push our Campaign Kickoff back and we will be following up with everyone with new details for our official Kickoff event.“
* Reditus might eventually become an issue in the gubernatorial race, but Rep. Luft is involved in a high-profile local primary, so it could be a thing there, too…
During the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, Gov. JB Pritzker’s daily media briefings were appointment viewing for many.
There were fewer high-profile places to be than standing next to the governor as he updated Illinoisans on the state’s coronavirus response. On May 8, 2020, Reditus Labs CEO Aaron Rossi shared the stage with Pritzker. At the time, Reditus was emerging as one of the state’s leading companies for coronavirus testing.
“I’d like to congratulate the governor and state officials for reaching (testing) milestones that they have today,” Rossi declared during the news conference.
That wasn’t Rossi’s first interaction with an elected official, and it was far from his last. Rossi would transform a little-known company of fewer than 10 employees into a coronavirus testing behemoth, largely with taxpayer-funded state contracts.
Questions into how much government help Reditus and Aaron Rossi’s other companies received — and how Reditus got it — have come into focus now that Rossi faces federal charges that he lied about his income to the Internal Revenue Service and civil complaints from several business partners accusing him of extravagant personal spending and shady accounting involving Reditus and his other businesses.
One legislator who has been instrumental in assisting Reditus’ rise, Pekin mayor and state Rep. Mark Luft, has distanced himself from Rossi since those charged were filed.
As our Gerrymandering Threat Index predicted, the 2021 Redistricting Cycle is rife with partisan gerrymandering. RepresentUs partnered with the Princeton Gerrymandering Project (PGP) to grade and analyze redistricting maps this cycle.
Illinois received an “F” for its state Senate maps, but a “B” for its House maps, which are nested within the Senate districts. Odd. It also received an “F” for its congressional maps.
…Adding… Forgot to post this…
We cannot stand idly by as Republican governors wage incessant attacks on the LGBTQ+ community.
Everyone deserves a state where you can be your authentic self. As long as I'm governor, the state of Illinois will see you, support you, and welcome you with open arms. https://t.co/XvFpImoBMn
Today, U.S. Congressman Sean Casten (D-IL) announced he has been endorsed by the Associated Fire Fighters of Illinois and the Chicago Fire Department Fire Fighters Local 2. The endorsement of AFFI, a statewide union in Illinois, expands a growing list of Rep. Casten’s major endorsements.
“Rep. Sean Casten has been a tireless advocate for firefighters, unions, and working families,” said Chuck Sullivan, President of AFFI. “Sean understands the importance of standing up for workers and has delivered as a leader in labor. We’re proud to endorse him.”
“Illinois’ firefighters routinely put themselves at risk to save lives and protect property in our community,” said Rep. Sean Casten. “We owe it to them to fight for priorities like fair wages and improved workplace conditions. I’m honored to have them with me in this fight.”
Rep. Casten has previously been endorsed by nine other unions and also received the recommendation for re-election by the DuPage County Build and Construction Trades Council, which is composed of 30 unions throughout the Chicagoland area. Working people and labor unions across the 6th District are strongly backing Rep. Sean Casten and his record of fighting for working families.
Despite JB Pritzker shamelessly appearing at the Illinois State Police centennial anniversary event [today], it will be lost on no one that it’s Pritzker who signed the most anti-law enforcement bill in Illinois history - the same bill that is defunding local police departments and letting criminals back into our communities as crime continues skyrocketing across the state.
Will Pritzker even bother to mention to today’s crowd that it is his very own Prisoner Review Board who supported paroling James Taylor in August 2020, who was convicted of killing State Trooper Layton Davis in 1976?
JB Pritzker’s anti-law enforcement policies are devastating police departments across Illinois, as officers resign in numbers while citing Pritzker’s mandated changes that have made it harder for police to do their jobs. In some cases, the resignations have taken out full departments leaving communities without any police officers at all.
In addition to a central Illinois Police Department being permanently disbanded due to JB Pritzker’s anti-police bill, a suburban department is also reporting significant challenges. Fifteen police officers have left the Oak Park Police Department since 2020, with Police Chief LaDon Reynold noting “the industry of policing…going through a transformation,” and a city trustee faulting, “the lack of support for our police department from elected officials and from the community at large.”
Piatt County Sheriff David Hunt, Christian County Sheriff Bruce Kettlekamp, and Chris Southwood, president of the Illinois Fraternal Order of Police, also decried the effects of Pritzker’s policies in Springfield last month, emphasizing the increasing number of law enforcement officers leaving the profession due to the lack of support from elected officials.
Richard Irvin, Mayor of Aurora and gubernatorial candidate, has denounced Pritzker’s defund the police movement and has a proven record of standing with law enforcement to reduce crime.
“JB Pritzker can attend as many ceremonies as he wants, but it won’t erase the fact that he signed one of the most egregious anti-police laws that is defunding local police departments, putting criminals into our communities and placing lives in danger,” said Irvin for Illinois spokesperson Eleni Demertzis. “Illinois families need a governor who will prioritize their safety over criminals.”
* Today, a reporter noted to Gov. Pritzker that he said he stood by his appointments to the Prisoner Review Board who were rejected or forced out of office by the Senate. But, Pritzker was asked, does he stand by those same board members’ decisions to release convicted cop killers?…
Pritzker: Look, let me start by saying that we appoint highly qualified candidates to serve on the Prisoner Review Board. This is a very, very difficult job. Let me just outline for all of you that every case that comes before them is a difficult one. Someone that comes before them has committed some awful crime in the past. And they’re charged with looking at all the facts and circumstances from the beginning when the crime took place, to their term in prison, and how they were rehabilitated or not, whether they caused problems when they were in prison or not, whether they would be a danger to the public if they were released, all those things are taking into consideration. By the way, a majority of the people that come before the Prisoner Review Board are rejected. So it’s actually many fewer cases than anybody would like to admit that where they’re actually recommending that someone be released. And I will just say it’s an incredibly thankless job. Very, very difficult. We have Republicans on that board, we have Democrats on that board. They work together across the aisle, they don’t even think, I think, of their their party affiliation when they’re doing the job.
Now to have Republicans attack them and their character and their biographies, to have Republicans essentially trying to tear apart this agency of government. I mean, this is what the GQP has been all about, tearing government apart. I think we ought to stand up for the integrity of the people that get appointed, and the very tough decisions that they have to make. But obviously, we’re going to move forward and keep the PRB operating as best we can.
Q: Do you stand by their decisions?
Pritzker: Listen, I don’t see all of the details of each decision that they make. It’s easy to do what the Republicans do. They take the original crime that took place, often decades and decades ago. And they just talk about the headline of that crime and don’t talk about everything else that’s occurred, including what the victim’s statements have been, including the victims’ families statements, including other information that may have come forward in the subsequent decades, in order to make their decisions. So it’s hard to second guess the work that they do. It’s very easy just to say, this person committed an awful crime some many years ago, and to say we’re gonna throw away the key, leave them all in prison. That’s what you’re gonna end up with, if that’s what people want, well let’s hear that. But I don’t think that’s what people wanted when we created the Prisoner Review Board.
Please pardon all transcription errors, but “GQP” is not a typo. Pritzker slowed down to say each letter very clearly…
Blend of GOP + QAnon. The GOP stands for “Grand Old Party”, the Republican Party of the United States of America, a conservative political party. The usage of “Q” refers to Republican politicians either supporting the QAnon conspiracy theories or becoming closer to extremism and fascism.
* Also, the PRB has allegedly not always been careful about notifying victims. From last year…
The man who killed Illinois State Police Trooper Layton Davis in 1976 was released from prison Thursday under a new law that allows parole for medical reasons. […]
Hyche is the first prisoner released under the new law, according to Kahalah Clay, chief legal counsel for the Illinois Prisoner Review Board. […]
The trooper’s family is upset they didn’t get to voice opinions about Hyche to the Illinois Prisoner Review Board.
“We were notified that there was going to be a parole hearing in March and that we had until Feb. 9 to get objection letters in,” said the trooper’s grandson. “Then we found out yesterday – on the 9th – that they had already convened the medical board and that they had already submitted their recommendation to the parole board and that the parole board on the 8th of February had already made a decision to release him.
* And the governor had no qualms about criticizing Kim Foxx for trying to release violent convicts the other day. Here’s a recent report from Mary Ann Ahern…
MAA: At a campaign stop on the West Side, Governor Pritzker distanced himself from Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx. Republican opponents blame Foxx and Pritzker for the huge crime bill signed one year ago. Foxx’s office is asking for early release for prisoners quote, if the original sentence no longer advances the interests of justice. Pritzker’s opponents like Republican state Senator Darren Bailey say that may lead to the early release of dangerous criminals.
Bailey: “People in Chicago, they don’t feel safe because they’re not safe. And unfortunately, that has spread across the entire state.”
Pritzker: “I think that Kim Foxx, you know, obviously she’s the prosecutor, the Cook County State’s Attorney. She has the right to make these decisions on her own. I’m just saying these are decisions I would have said to her: ‘Let’s start with nonviolent criminals.’
…Adding… Richard Irvin campaign…
In a heated moment today when the governor was called out for his hypocrisy in attending a police memorial as the Senate continues to reject his Prisoner Review Board appointees by wide bipartisan votes, JB Pritzker had the audacity to suggest that victims and their families are asking for these criminals to be released or paroled early.
Pritzker’s Prisoner Review Board granted parole to the following cop killers despite all of the victims’ families showing up to the parole hearings or writing letters to OPPOSE parole for these murderers:
Joseph Hurst: Convicted of killing Chicago police officer Herman Stallworth and wounding Stallworth’s partner with a bullet to the face. In February 2021, the PRB voted 8-4 to parole Hurst.
Johnny Veal: Convicted of killing Chicago police officers James Severin and Anthony Rizzato. In February 2021, the PRB voted 8-4 to grant parole to Veal.
James Taylor: Convicted of killing State Trooper Layton Davis during a traffic stop, and attempting to kill a motorist who witnessed the murder. In August 2020, the PRB voted 8-5 to grant parole to Taylor.
“It is clear that JB Pritzker is scrambling to hide from the fact that public safety has deteriorated throughout all of Illinois because of his dangerous anti-law enforcement policies,” said Irvin for Illinois campaign spokesperson Eleni Demertzis. “We have a governor who puts violent criminals ahead of victims, law enforcement, and entire communities. It’s time to take back our state.”
From Sen. Plummer in regard to the Governor calling Senate Republicans the GQP:
“In the spirit of Margaret Thatcher, when one’s opponents resort to low grade personal attacks, it shows that they have no legitimate political arguments left.
“I am embarrassed for the Governor. While I understand he is frustrated, this entire mess falls on his lap and these comments are beneath the dignity of the Office he holds.
“The Governor has never been accustomed to being told “no” and now that he has been told “no” by senators of both parties, I think he should take a deep breath and reevaluate the direction his Administration is taking when it comes to public safety.”
* I can’t speak for Rep. Kelly, but I, like many others, have been behaving the past week like I did in the old days and maybe I should start being more careful…
As part of the surveillance testing in the Capitol, I tested positive for Covid today. Thankful for my booster, so far just some mild symptoms. I’ve got the remote legislative session command center set up in the Springfield apartment & ready to power through this week. #Twillpic.twitter.com/NdJGIz7rNg
COVID-19 is generally less severe in vaccinated patients but that does not mean breakthrough infections will be benign, a large study shows. Researchers analyzed data collected by the U.S. Veterans Affairs Administration from 16,035 survivors of breakthrough infections, 48,536 unvaccinated COVID-19 survivors and nearly 3.6 million uninfected people. At six months after infection, after taking their risk factors into account, people with breakthrough infections had lower rates of death and long-term lingering health problems than COVID-19 patients who had not been vaccinated.
But compared to people who never had COVID-19, those who had breakthrough infections had a 53% higher risk of death and a 59% higher risk of having at least one new medical condition, particularly problems affecting the lungs and other organs. Even when breakthrough infections did not require hospitalization, the increased risks of death and lasting effects were “not trivial,” the research team reported on Monday on Research Square ahead of peer review.
“The overall burden of death and disease following breakthrough COVID-19 will likely be substantial,” the researchers conclude.
According to his campaign website, GOP gubernatorial candidate Richard Irvin has vowed to “fight tooth and nail to bring honest and good government back to Illinois.” But his own record as Aurora mayor raises questions about how political donations flowed from companies that were awarded municipal contracts and benefits.
A review of state campaign filings and Aurora public records shows that a company that donated more than $135,000 to political funds connected to Irvin also received millions in city contracts. That same company was also the beneficiary of legislation pushed by Irvin that could prove lucrative. It follows a pattern of Aurora businesses donating to Irvin and receiving tens of millions in public aid and tax incentives, as first outlined in a 2018 story from the Aurora Beacon-News.
Scientel Solutions is an Aurora-based telecommunications company that bills itself as a “technology integrator,” and has contracted with municipal governments to specialize “in networking, drone defense, security and smart city solutions.”
One of those municipal governments is the city of Aurora itself, which has awarded more than $3.2 million in tech and security contracts to Scientel during Irvin’s tenure, according to Aurora public records. One of the contracts was for “Network Infrastructure Managed Services of city-wide network infrastructure,” at a cost of $1.8 million. The other was a three-year, $1.3 million contract to maintain city security cameras.
An examination of state campaign filings shows that Irvin’s mayoral political committee has received at least $67,000 in combined contributions from Scientel, the company’s CEO Nelson Santos, his wife, and from company employees. […]
Scientel’s communications tower has drawn intrigue in the financial world because of its reported use in the lucrative and murky world of high frequency trading. That’s where big trading companies rely on computer algorithms to conduct a large volume of transactions in fractions of a second, and benefit from technology that allows them to do it faster than other traders. […]
“All of Scientel’s contracts went through a competitive bid process managed by a third party in which third party made the recommendations to City Staff who then selected Scientel as the prime. These decisions are generally made on the basis of the applicant’s experience and pricing,” the statement reads. […]
When asked to confirm or deny the company’s use of Scientel’s tower, a Citadel spokesperson declined comment to WTTW News. After this story’s publication, a Citadel spokesperson amended their initial response and said, “We don’t use the Scientel tower.”
Three months after receiving the OK to come to Aurora, the company, Scientel, donated $10,000 to Irvin’s campaign fund, records show. The April donation was one of the three largest single donations the fund had ever received from anyone other than Irvin himself and followed a smaller $500 donation in January 2017 [before the project was approved].
Campaign donors have other ties to the city as well. In 2017 — Irvin’s first year in office, and the most recent year for which the city’s treasurer’s report listing vendors is available — more than $12 million of the city’s over $80 million in payments to vendors went to companies that had donated, would soon donate or were affiliated with donors to Irvin’s campaign fund, city and election records show. Most of those companies had also done business with Aurora the year before Irvin became mayor, according to records. […]
Irvin stressed that donations he receives are legal and controlled by the state board of elections, and that no project is approved without a city council vote. […]
“If they’re legal, they’re legal,” Ald. Judd Lofchie, 10th Ward, said [of the campaign contributions]. “But I do think we need to be careful of the…perception that donations can create.”
Ald. Lofchie voted for the Scientel project, went on to run a losing campaign for mayor against Irvin and was quoted bashing Irvin in the WTTW story.
* Meanwhile, Dan Proft’s new Super PAC is supporting Darren Bailey for governor, but that hasn’t kept him from commenting on the other candidates, including Irvin…
Well, the same goes for one mayor of Aurora, recently minted Republican, Richard Irvin, who is the Republican part of the Combine’s choice for the Republican candidate for governor. You know, because they want to keep the situation we’ve had, as long as I’ve been on the planet, which is, as Bill Cellini said, memorialized in a John Kass column, ‘When we’re in we’re in and when they’re in we’re in, we’re always in.’
‘Richard Irvin is going to fight tooth and nail to bring honest and good government back to Illinois.’ You’ve probably seen his commercials, you’ve heard him on our airwaves. But according to this WTTW report … [Reads aloud part of WTTW story.]
Is that a problem? Or is it only a problem when Democrats do it? Which has basically been the Illinois Republican Party’s position also since as long as I’ve been on the planet. Which is why the Illinois Republican Party is generally a legal fiction. And which is why I so enjoy, I so, so enjoy being lectured by Combine Republicans about what it takes to win elections. ‘Proft doesn’t know how to win elections.’ Do you know how to win elections? You do? And how are we in the super-super minority in the Illinois House and Senate and have been for the better part of a decade? How did the crime boss there, Mike Madigan, from the Southwest Side, rule the roost for the last four decades? We know how to win elections and to what ends in the rare occasion you do with a Rauner? How did that advance the flag for Illinois’ future those four years? Not to mention going back to … George Ryan, Edgar and Thompson. Anything to avoid conservative reform, that should be the Illinois Republican Party’s motto. They’re fraudsters. They have been, they continue to be and Richard Irvin is their latest frontman.
I’m Richard Irvin. When I ran for mayor, Mike Madigan campaigned against me. I beat him. Now Governor Pritzker is afraid that I’ll beat him, too.
There’s nothing the left fears more than Republicans who look like me and think like us; that all lives matter; that cops should be defended, not defunded; that handouts keep people down. But maybe that’s what liberal politicians want.
* The spot begins with county sheriffs complaining about “anti-police rhetoric,” career politicians, etc. and then talking up Jesse Sullivan, who says, “I’m an outsider and a man of faith called to protect and serve. They’ve got our backs. They deserve a leader who has theirs. Let’s go save Illinois”…
…Adding… Welp, they removed the ad. I’ll look around to see if it’s elsewhere. Sorry.
…Adding… Check out the front license plate on the car on the far left. That sure looks like an official police plate to me. This pro-law enforcement ad might not be so, um, pro-legal…
…Adding… The final version of the TV spot is here. I’ve asked the campaign about the use of law enforcement vehicles in the campaign ad.
A slight correction - copied/pasted "voting no" in the part of the key indicating five members of the Black Caucus, but actually they didn't vote. Same effect, of course, but a different action with moderately different intent. Updated graphic: https://t.co/VvIm1DC05kpic.twitter.com/G0WzdYM2S4
One Prisoner Review Board member resigned on Monday, while another was rejected by the Senate in an evening vote.
Oreal James resigned by way of a letter to Gov. JB Pritzker before going to the Senate for a vote. Hours later, Eleanor Kaye Wilson failed to get the 30 votes needed to confirm her appointment. Wilson received 15 votes to confirm her appointment and 31 votes against while 13 members did not vote.
Monday’s developments represented the latest shakeup on the governor-appointed board that has seen heavy Republican scrutiny in the past year as the Senate repeatedly delayed hearing several of Pritzker’s appointees to the board that determines whether offenders should be released from Illinois Department of Corrections custody and what the terms of their release should be.
The board also makes recommendations on clemency, arbitrates the calculation of good time credit, and reviews cases of those who violate the terms of their parole to decide whether they should be returned to prison. The job pays roughly $90,000 per year.
The board has become a proxy for the larger political battle in Illinois over how to address crime heading into this year’s elections. Republicans have been critical of the board’s makeup under Pritzker, saying there has been a lack of transparency and an overly lenient attitude toward convicted criminals.
But even Senate Democrats have privately expressed reservations about Pritzker’s appointees to the board, according to a source familiar with the nomination process who asked not to be named because of the sensitivity of the matter.
Records provided by the Senate GOP show that James and Wilson voted to release prisoners on parole in about 45% of all cases that came before them. On the Senate floor Monday night, Sen. Terri Bryant, a Republican from Murphysboro, cited Wilson’s votes in favor of the release of various convicted cop killers as a reason to reject her appointment.
Several senators have raised concerns about the board’s decision last year to approve parole for Joseph Hurst and Johnny Veal, two men accused of killing Chicago police officers more than 50 years ago.
It’s the latest and most damning hiccup for a board that faced GOP-led accusations about the transparency of the governor’s appointments and the decisions of his nominees. The board’s duties include deciding which prisoners are eligible for parole and reviewing recommendations for executive clemency. It is under a microscope during a campaign year in which Republicans are accusing Pritzker of being soft on crime. […]
Senate Democrats did not take a position as a caucus on Wilson’s nomination. And in addition to the 14 voting against her appointment, another 12 Democratic senators opted not to vote at all.
“The murder of a police officer is more than an attack on an individual, it is an attack on the rule of law itself,” state Sen. Bill Cunningham, D-Chicago, told the Sun-Times after voting against Wilson’s appointment.
“No individual who commits such a heinous crime should be eligible for parole. The Prisoner Review Board should ensure that the most severe crimes are met with the most severe sanction under the law.”
* ILGOP…
It’s been reported that Governor JB Pritzker will be at the Lincoln Statue at the State Capitol this morning to commemorate the Illinois State Police’s centennial anniversary with a press conference to follow.
As a reminder, a man who was previously denied parole and had served roughly 15% of his sentence for the murder of a state trooper was recently released by Pritzker’s Prisoner Review Board (PRB), utilizing new measures signed into law by the Governor to gain his freedom. The slain trooper’s family was not given the opportunity to object to the killer’s early release.
As reported by the Effingham Daily News…
“The man who killed Illinois State Police Trooper Layton Davis in 1976 was released from prison Thursday under a new law that allows parole for medical reasons.”
“Aaron Hyche, 71, who fired the shot that killed Davis, had been denied parole after a hearing in August. A relative of the trooper said the family was initially told the medical hearing would not be until March, and was surprised when Hyche was released before they could object.”
…
“The trooper’s family is upset they didn’t get to voice opinions about Hyche to the Illinois Prisoner Review Board.”
It’s hard to square Pritzker’s honoring of state law enforcement today when he continues to stand by his handpicked PRB that voted to release Hyche.
PRB member Eleanor Wilson, who voted to release the cop killer’s accomplice, James Taylor, resigned this week rather than face further scrutiny for her decisions to release violent criminals from prison early. Pritzker praised Wilson, saying, “The Governor is disappointed that a highly qualified nominee will no longer be able to serve on the Prisoner Review Board and he thanks Eleanor Wilson for her service and dedication to justice.”
We have just one question for the Governor. On a day meant to remember the history and sacrifices of our state troopers, will Pritzker apologize to the family of Trooper Layton Davis?
…Adding… Gov. Pritzker’s office…
The Governor is disappointed that a highly qualified nominee will no longer be able to serve on the Prisoner Review Board and he thanks Eleanor Wilson for her service and dedication to justice. The Pritzker administration remains committed to ensuring that highly qualified nominees fill these critical roles on the Prisoner Review Board, especially because we must fulfill our constitutional and statutory obligations for clemency and parole as well as key public safety functions of the board.
As smash-and-grab burglaries and supply chain thefts across the state have increased, State Senator Suzy Glowiak Hilton (D-Western Springs) is working alongside the Illinois Retail Merchants Association and Attorney General Kwame Raoul’s office to crack down on organized retail crime.
Senator Glowiak Hilton will outline their plan to address organized retail theft and illicit trade at a press conference Tuesday.
WHO: Senators Suzy Glowiak Hilton and Doris Turner, alongside President & CEO of the Illinois Retail Merchants Association Rob Karr, Owner of Wild Rose Boutique Monica Zanetti, Executive Director of the Illinois Sheriffs’ Association Jim Kaitschuk, and Chief of Legislative Affairs from the Illinois Office of the Attorney General Ashley Wright
WHAT: Press conference on plan to combat organized retail crime
WHEN: Tuesday, March 29 at 11:30 a.m.
WHERE: Blue Room, Illinois State Capitol and live on BlueRoomStream.com
The Illinois Retail Merchants Association (IRMA) and Illinois Office of Attorney General (OAG) have collaborated to create a comprehensive legislative package to address organized retail crime (ORC). Highlights include:
Focuses on Organized Retail Crime The proposal creates and specifically defines a violation of organized retail crime (ORC). ORC is usually committed by an individual or individuals who work together to steal merchandise and resell the item(s) for profit to fund other illegal activities such as gun, drug, and human trafficking.
Deters Smash-and-Grab Thefts Smash-and-grab thefts occur when a group of individuals rush into a retailer and destroy retail property or threaten retail team members while stealing a great amount of inventory in a short period of time. This sometimes involves the use of vehicles and other tools to gain entry into the retailer or to the merchandise.
Deters Supply Chain Thefts Individuals are increasingly involved in stealing merchandise while it is in transit between the manufacture and distributor and the retailer. This involves raiding delivery trucks and cargo containers on trains.
Reduces Criminals’ Ability to Avoid Prosecution
• The proposal provides jurisdiction to any state’s attorney where any element of ORC takes place to prosecute the whole crime. For instance, if the conspiracy, theft, and selling all occurred in different jurisdictions, each jurisdiction would have the ability to prosecute the whole crime. It also provides the Attorney General the use of the statewide grand jury to prosecute ORC.
• If cell phones or the internet are utilized to plan and carry-out ORC, any state’s attorney may have jurisdiction to bring action.
• The proposal allows the Illinois Attorney General the flexibility to also pursue RICO charges against Illinois and multi-state criminals.
Provides Dedicated Enforcement Resources The proposal seeks to provide annual funds to the Office of the Attorney General for additional investigators and attorneys to focus exclusively on ORC. It also provides grant money to states attorneys across Illinois whose communities tend to be the focus of ORC. This grant money will be used to add additional states attorneys dedicated exclusively to ORC.
Addresses Online Fencing ORC rings increasingly use technology and the anonymity of online third-party marketplaces to sell their stolen goods. The proposal requires online third-party marketplaces to verify the seller and the goods offered for sale and the seller to provide contact information. This action will help police outlets used to monetize stolen merchandise, which often funds other illicit activities including gun, drug and human trafficking. The proposal mirrors an agreement that was reached on the federal level by stakeholders and currently sponsored by U.S. Senator Dick Durbin and Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky.
Enhances Public and Private Coordination The proposal calls for a formal collaboration of all stakeholders involved in addressing ORC. The collaboration is designed to provide real-time information and intelligence-sharing and collaboration between asset protection investigators and federal, state, and local law enforcement partners involved in combating ORC related issues at the local, regional, and national levels
Requires Timely and Proper Notice The proposal requires timely and accurate notice of court proceeding to retailers that are victims of ORC, ensuring they can participate in the legal process.
A state senator says the same “all hands on deck” approach that Illinois’ governor took to expunge cannabis convictions should be used to clear the backlog of Concealed Carry License applications. […]
Illinois law requires a resident to have a state-issued Firearm Owner’s Identification Card (FOID) to purchase or own guns or ammo. There is no open-carry allowed. Concealed carry must be permitted through a Concealed Carry License (CCL) issued by Illinois State Police.
Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, Illinoisans applying for state-issued FOID and CCLs were waiting in excess of a year or more in some cases.
During a Senate committee last week, state Sen. Terri Bryant, R-Murphysborow, told Illinois State Police Director Brendan Kelly that problems persist despite a clearing of FOID card backlogs.
“You’ve increased the ability to get those done, but to date I still have some folks that are waiting 18 months on CCL,” Bryant said.
Kelly said they’re working on it.
“That is the last category that we have to address,” Kelly said. “We are steadily heading in the right direction and my hope is by the time we get to the summer, we’ll be well within the statutory timeframe there.”
Data compiled by ISP shows that in February, the average time frame for processing new CCL applications was 115 days. That’s within the 120 days allowed by state law. It’s taking an average of 110 days if fingerprints are provided when it’s supposed to take no more than 90 days. The agency does not publish the average time it’s taking to issue CCL renewals.
Thank you for the opportunity to serve the State of Illinois while on the Prisoner Review Board. I took seriously the responsibility to apply the law as it is written in our constitution. These laws direct the board to be fair to all without bias or prejudice. This too, is all you have ever asked of me. It is my hope I have fulfilled this request completely.
It has been an honor to be a member of the Illinois Prisoner Review Board, please accept this letter as my resignation as of today 3/28/22.
Respectfully,
Oreal James
The Republicans and some Democrats are still not comfortable with PRB member Eleanor Wilson, who is the godmother of Barack Obama’s daughters.
By the way, the governor has withdrawn the appointment.
Ahead of today’s Senate Executive Appointments Committee hearing to review JB Pritzker’s appointments to the Prisoner Review Board (PRB), the Irvin for Illinois campaign is calling for lawmakers to stand with police and reject Pritzker’s extreme appointees who have repeatedly voted to release cop-killers.
Last week, the Senate rejected another Pritzker appointee to the board - Jeffrey Mears - in a bipartisan vote. This week, the Senate will vote on two more Pritzker PRB appointees - Oreal James and Eleanor Wilson - who voted to grant parole to the following offenders:
• Joseph Hurst: Convicted of killing Chicago police officer Herman Stallworth and wounding Stallworth’s partner with a bullet to the face. On February 25, 2021, the PRB voted 8-4 to pardon Hurst, with Oreal James and Eleanor Wilson voting in favor of parole.
• Johnny Veal: Convicted of killing Chicago police officers James Severin and Anthony Rizzato. On February 25, 2021, the PRB voted 8-4 to grant parole to Veal with Oreal James and Eleanor Wilson voting in favor of parole.
• James Taylor: Convicted of killing State Trooper Layton Davis during a traffic stop, and attempting to kill a motorist who witnessed the murder. In August 2020, the PRB voted 8-5 to grant parole to Taylor, with Oreal James and Eleanor Wilson voting in favor of parole.
Even radical Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx strongly opposed parole for Johnny Veal, saying his killing of officers Severin and Rizzato had been a “cold-blooded execution”. But Pritzker’s extreme PRB still voted to put him back on the street.
“JB Pritzker continues his attack on police officers through these latest appointments,” said Irvin for Illinois spokesperson Eleni Demertzis. “On top of his anti-police bill, today Pritzker has again turned his back on the police by continuing to support the confirmation of these candidates. Pritzker should withdraw their appointments permanently, and if he refuses, the Illinois Senate should vote to reject them.”
Illinois faced revenue shortages during the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. As revenues plummeted by more than $1.1 billion, Illinois did not have reserves to help fund emergency supplies, such as Personal Protective Equipment for the state’s public health response.
Illinois had to borrow from the Federal Reserve so medical bills could be paid to Illinois health-care providers fighting on the front lines of the pandemic. Borrowing was a last resort, given that Illinois didn’t have other options like a Rainy Day Fund to draw from.
With only about $60,000 in the state’s Rainy Day Fund at the time — which would cover less than 30 seconds worth of state operations — Illinois’ reserves were grossly inadequate in terms of providing the resources needed to properly address the public health crisis caused by the pandemic.
State Senator Darren Bailey launched a nearly $400,000 TV ad campaign touting proven conservative of standing up and fighting with parents and students and against the failed establishment in Springfield. In addition, Bailey’s campaign released the following statement.
“Republicans deserve a nominee who is actually a Republican. Working families and taxpayers deserve a Governor who will stand up to the failed establishment in both parties and fight for them. Darren Bailey is the conservative choice and the only one in this race with a proven record of standing up and fighting against Pritzker’s mandates and failed and extreme national agenda. Darren has fought against every tax increase in Springfield. In addition, he has fought for law enforcement, safer communities, and bringing more opportunities to Illinois. We have led in every poll in this primary, and this ad buy will only build on the momentum our grassroots movement continues to build.”
Announcer: A 3rd Generation farmer, Darren Bailey learned the values of hard work, honesty and faith.
Darren took those values to Springfield. Stood up to the Madigan machine – fighting every single tax increase. Sued Governor Pritzker AND WON to keep Illinois open.
Now Darren is running for governor with a plan to cut taxes…
…Increase police funding.
…and prevent voter fraud.
Darren Bailey, the only true conservative Republican for Governor.
* In this case, it’s an approp bill. Press release…
Law enforcement in Illinois needs an estimated $759 million in state funding to pay for all the new mandated training, combat the surge in violence and address a growing shortage of officers at the state and local level, according to an analysis from the Illinois Association of Chiefs of Police released March 28, 2022.
“As we have said many times in recent years, we welcome more training, we welcome new technologies such as body cameras and license plate readers, and we want to be held accountable in an increasingly transparent world,” said ILACP Executive Director Ed Wojcicki.
“But it costs money to do all of this, and legislators and others have been asking how much. Now we know: It is at least $759 million as an initial investment in public safety in Illinois.”
The Illinois Chiefs’ detailed analysis has five major categories and encourages the General Assembly to fund these items before adjourning next month:
Technology and Equipment $206.5 million
ILETSB and Training $96.5 million
Community Policing and Community Engagement $100.0 million
Recruitment and Retention $276.4 million
Officer Wellness Programs $80.0 million
“We also now know that about 60% of Illinois law enforcement agencies are not fully staffed; they have shortages and are having a more difficult time recruiting and retaining officers,” Wojcicki added.
“Some officers are retiring. Some are going into other lines of work, and some are going to other states that they consider to be more police friendly, such as Indiana and Missouri.”
Legislators are considering a bill aiming to bring more accountability and transparency to tax increment financing, a funding tool used by many municipalities to pay for economic development projects in areas considered blighted and run down.
Some suburban communities are among the groups opposing the legislation they argue will limit their ability to spur economic development. But many school districts, park districts and similar taxing bodies support it, because they believe it will limit the amount of tax money that TIFs draw away from them. […]
The proposal introduced by Gillespie and co-sponsored by state Sen. Melinda Bush, a Grayslake Democrat, limits the life span of a TIF to 10 years instead of 23 years. And the joint review board, which is made up of one representative from each taxing body and one member of the public, has the power to approve or disapprove the extension of a TIF to 15 years. Currently, the legislature must approve a TIF extension for up to 35 years.
* Press release…
State Senator Bill Cunningham advanced a measure in the Illinois Senate that makes it easier for callers to reach 9-1-1 from hotels and businesses during an emergency on Thursday.
“This initiative will help ensure a quick response during times of an emergency,” said Cunningham, a Democrat who represents portions of Chicago and the Southwest Suburbs. “We are removing barriers that hinder people from calling 9-1-1 and making it easier for first responders to locate the caller.”
Under current law, multi-line telephone systems require dialing “9″ or another number to reach an outside line. Places like businesses, hotels and government buildings use these systems to handle two or more calls coming in at the same time. Under the new law, MLTS vendors and manufacturers must configure new systems to support direct dialing 9-1-1.
The goal of this legislation is protect people and specifically children. In 2013, a women was killed in a hotel room by her estranged husband. Her daughter attempted to call 9-1-1 four times, but the calls never went through because the hotel’s multi-line telephone system required her to dial “9” before making an outbound call. Illinois will follow suit with other states who have already passed this legislation.
House Bill 5502 will also update regulation on multi-line systems to provide accurate information about the caller’s location within a building or complex. Far too often, large hotels or complexes use multi-line systems and it is difficult for emergency response to get an exact location on the caller. This ensures people who need help during an emergency are able to be located by first responders.
“This legislation will save lives and could save your child’s life,” Cunningham said. “I want to thank the Illinois State Police for bringing this issue to our attention.”
House Bill 5502 passed the Energy & Public Utility Committee on Thursday and awaits further consideration before the full Senate.
We’re in the midst of “petition challenge” season, when candidates and their allies try to knock their opponents out of races by challenging signatures they’ve gathered to get on the ballot.
The process of gathering petition signatures in Illinois is burdensome and outdated. And those expensive and time-consuming challenges can keep good people out of office, especially those who lack the wealth or party connections they need to play the game.
Luckily, there’s a solution. Reform for Illinois worked with state Rep. Kelly Cassidy to introduce HB 4966, which would allow election authorities to adopt digital signature programs. These programs dramatically reduce invalid signatures and help avoid challenges.
The legislature has a chance to make life easier for candidates and improve representation for Illinoisans. We urge lawmakers to bring our state into the 21st century and adopt this common sense reform.
If you think the ever-present attorney advertisements that you see in Illinois are an eyesore, get ready to see more of them if a bill passes the Illinois General Assembly and is signed by Gov. J.B. Pritzker.
As someone who watches the cost of insurance and is concerned about the factors that drive costs up, I’m worried that a piece of legislation zooming through the House and Senate is not being vetted appropriately and has the potential to increase insurance costs for everyone.
Senate Bill 1099 is being pushed by influential trial lawyers who benefit from big-ticket lawsuit settlements. The bill would allow third-party investors to “loan” money to people who have been hurt while they wait for their court cases to move through the legal system. The “lenders” would be allowed to charge interest rates to the injured of 18% every six months for nearly four years.
That’s predatory. It should not be allowed to become law. The end result would be more abuse of personal injury litigation, which would drive up the costs of insurance for all of us.
- James Coston, CEO, Corridor Rail Development Corp.
* Press release…
Today, the Gun Violence Prevention PAC (G-PAC) and State Representative Kam Buckner (D-Chicago) announced the introduction of House Bill 5731, new legislation to protect communities from dangerous ghost guns.
“Ghost guns pose a great threat to our communities. Unregulated by the federal government, these homemade firearms are flooding our streets and taking too many innocent lives,” said State Rep. Kam Buckner (D-Chicago). “To be blunt, these are weapons that are used so one can’t get caught. I am proud to introduce life-saving legislation that will stop ghost guns from harming our state.”
“These untraceable, homemade ghost guns are a clear and present danger to our communities,” said Kathleen Sances, President and CEO of G-PAC. “Their easy availability is a constant threat to children, families and first responders and provides deadly firepower for people, especially white supremacist and terrorist groups, who want to commit acts of violence without being detected.”
This piece of legislation cracks down on these unregulated firearms that anyone - including minors and prohibited purchasers - can buy and build without a background check. Parts and kits to build these unserialized and untraceable weapons can be bought online and assembled at home in just 15 minutes. They are also intentionally marketed as unregulated and untraceable to appeal to those who want to avoid background checks and gun traffickers.
House Bill 5731 will ensure that:
• The transfer, purchase, manufacture, importation, and possession of ghost guns is illegal
• Printing ghost guns with 3-D printers is prohibited
• Guns that are currently unserialized can become serialized and trackable
Nationwide, law enforcement discovered 10,000 ghost guns in 2019, but countless others are on the streets. However, there are no federal restrictions on who can buy gun kits or parts or on how many someone can buy. The absence of national leadership has led ten states to implement laws regulating ghost guns to keep their children, families and communities safe from gun violence.
Ghost guns make up a growing percentage of gun violence across the country, which has claimed more than nine thousand lives so far this year. Chicago police confiscated 455 ghost guns in 2021 (more than twice as many as in New York City), andmore than 40% of guns recovered by California ATF officers in 2020 were ghost guns.
Alongside Rep. Buckner and G-PAC’s Kathleen Sances, advocates from Brady United and Moms Demand Action Illinois joined the press conference and spoke in support of the new bill.
“We cannot continue to allow gun traffickers to control our communities with fear and bloodshed,” said Annliese Dickman, City Program Manager for Brady United. “Ghost guns pose a major threat to every single person in our state, and we need to pass an essential policy that limits the possession of these dangerous weapons.”
“Ghost guns are dangerous, impossible to trace, and too easy to obtain without a background check – and they don’t belong in our communities,” said Maria Pike, a survivor of gun violence and volunteer with Moms Demand Action Illinois. “Protecting our communities from ghost guns cannot wait, especially as gun violence continues to devastate our state and ghost guns are turning up with alarming frequency at crime scenes in Illinois. We’re grateful to stand here today and join the call for lawmakers to prioritize this critical bill.”
“As gun violence has skyrocketed in communities across Chicago, Illinois, and the country, more and more of the guns fueling it have been ghost guns,” said David Pucino, deputy chief counsel at Giffords Law Center. “These untraceable weapons are sold by cynical companies evading our gun laws to flood the streets with unregulated weapons. We need legislation to stop this, legislation that says if your company is selling the ability to make a gun you must be regulated as a gun seller. This bill will do that and we are proud to support it.”
* Press release…
As a result of the Illinois Legislative Black Caucus four-pillar agenda, specifically the Education and Workforce Equity Act, State Senator Kimberly A. Lightford (D-Maywood) announced a $17 million grant to create the first-ever state-funded Freedom Schools network.
“Freedom Schools have a proud history and major significance for African Americans,” Lightford said. “These schools represent a long tradition of engaged citizenship, personal empowerment and academic excellence. I know this experience will have a positive impact on students, their families, and the whole community.”
Because of the monumental education package to rid Illinois of systemic racism, the Phillip Jackson Freedom School Grant was created to ensure Black students receive quality education across the state.
The Phillip Jackson Freedom Schools will offer students a wide range of academic and social learning opportunities, provide quality teaching experiences, a progressive school climate and an equitable curriculum. The first Freedom School was created in the 1960s to allow marginalized communities to get the same educational opportunities as their white counterparts.
Also, the Philip Jackson Freedom School will guarantee teachers feel empowered by the community to ensure students are getting the representation and leadership they need.
“Better representation is important for students of color as they statically do better and stay longer in school,” Lightford said. “The Philip Jackson Schools is warranted to liberate not only our Black students but also our Black teachers.”
Lightford is honored that the Freedom Schools network is named after the life of Philip Jackson, a longtime advocate of educating youth in Chicago public schools and metropolitan areas.
The Phillip Jackson Freedom School Grant application is now open to public schools and universities, community colleges, and not-for-profits, community-based organizations.
* The Tribune spent a decade writing stories about annual population estimates, and the paper’s editorial board published dozens of “exodus” screeds in response. Let’s be clear here. There’s zero doubt that people are leaving Illinois for other states (and the same thing is happening elsewhere, too), but the woman featured in this Tribune story says at the very end that she’s planning to come back to Chicago. And there’s nothing in the story about how the intense hype of the past decade concluded with only a tiny net population decline…
Dayna Lynn Nuckolls spent most of her life in Chicago and the south suburbs but was already planning to leave when COVID-19 struck.
She was fed up with the winters and conflicts in Chicago Public Schools, and when the pandemic boosted her business — she’s an astrologer and spiritualist — she made the leap, taking her young child with her to New Orleans.
“I think the energy of migration has been very high,” said Nuckolls, 38. “It’s been a much more supportive environment to make big moves like that. The timing just worked out for me.”
When Nuckolls left the Chicago area in July 2020, she was on the cusp of a trend: More than 100,000 people in Chicagoland followed suit over the next year, migrating to other domestic destinations during the COVID-19 pandemic.
In all, accounting for other population changes due to birth, death and international migration, metro Chicago lost more than 91,000 people between July 2020 and July 2021, aligning with other large metro areas that saw people flee cities as the pandemic continued to upend life in 2021, according to new population estimates released by the U.S. Census Bureau.
…Adding… Oops. Forgot to include this. From the US Census Bureau…
Coverage estimates from the [Post-Enumeration Survey] varied by race and Hispanic origin. DA coverage estimates for these characteristics are not yet available. As further explained in the Using Demographic Benchmarks to Help Evaluate 2020 Census Results blog, DA will first need to reconcile differences in how vital records categorize race with census results not yet released.
The PES data show that:
• The Black or African American alone or in combination population had a statistically significant undercount of 3.30%. This is not statistically different from the 2.06% undercount in 2010.
• The Hispanic or Latino population had a statistically significant undercount rate of 4.99%. This is statistically different from a 1.54% undercount in 2010.
• American Indian or Alaska Native alone or in combination populations living on reservations show a statistically significant undercount rate of 5.64%. This was not statistically different from a 4.88% undercount in 2010. The American Indian or Alaska Native population alone or in combination living in American Indian areas, but not living on reservations, was not statistically different from zero in 2020 or 2010.
• The non-Hispanic White alone population had a statistically significant overcount rate of 1.64%. This is statistically different from an overcount of 0.83% in 2010.
• The Asian alone or in combination population had an overcount rate of 2.62%. This is statistically different from 0.00% in 2010.
• The Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander alone or in combination population had an estimated overcount rate of 1.28%. This rate is not different from an estimated 1.02% overcount rate in 2010. Both are not statistically different from zero.
Illinois Department of Children and Family Services Director Marc Smith has now been slapped with an eighth contempt of court order for failing to place a teen in the department’s care appropriately.
The order was issued by Juvenile Court Judge and former County Public Guardian Patrick Murphy.
In this case, a 14-year-old girl was taken into temporary DCFS custody last September. Since then, she has been moved 21 times. She was stuck in a psychiatric hospital and was then moved around to different shelters, hospital emergency rooms, DCFS offices, and emergency foster placements.
In February, the judge ordered DCFS to place the teen in a residential facility. That order was not carried out, and the teen ran away.
Building more emergency shelters and funding more foster homes seems on the surface to be a logical way to start improving a troubled child welfare system in Illinois.
The Illinois Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) has been beset by images of children sleeping in department offices because they have nowhere else to go, reports of children spending too much time in restrictive psychiatric facilities, and a lack of sufficient foster parents to accommodate children who have been removed from their families.
The department has issued three calls for proposals asking providers to submit plans for building emergency shelter capacity, emergency foster homes and programming for youth with Autism Spectrum Disorder. The proposals address the apparent shortage of housing and services for many of the state’s most vulnerable youth.
But a group that has been at odds with DCFS for decades about how the department cares for those caught up in the child welfare system has blasted the proposals as the wrong thing at the wrong time.
“This is precisely the sort of ill-considered, misdirected, counterproductive, fiscally irresponsible, and panic-driven activity that Plaintiffs have been working to prevent” during ongoing litigation, reads a recent post on the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) website.
“It is troubling that the department is actively encouraging providers to develop more shelter beds and emergency foster homes to serve the ‘one percent of youth’ DCFS acknowledges it currently struggles to place – those who are stuck in psychiatric hospitals beyond medical necessity, those stranded in emergency rooms due to lack of psychiatric hospital capacity and those who have lost their placement due to extreme behaviors.”
“Every expert has told the department that these youth do not belong in shelters, and DCFS knows from its own failed experience that these youth are not accepted by emergency foster homes because they lack the supports to address these youths’ severe, immediate needs,” the post concludes.
So if more emergency services aren’t the answer, how do you fix the Illinois child welfare system?
After a judge last week issued a contempt of court order for the eighth time against Department of Children and Family Services Director Marc Smith, Aurora Mayor and gubernatorial candidate Richard Irvin is calling on JB Pritzker to remove him from his post noting children in the state’s care are continuously put in unsafe conditions.
Cook County Public Guardian Charles Golbert called the agency “a colossal waste of taxpayer money,” and noted that the current dysfunction happening at DCFS is something he has never witnessed prior to the Pritzker Administration:
“In the more than 30 years that I’ve been practicing in Juvenile Court, I cannot recall a single prior instance where a judge held the DCFS director in contempt. And now it’s happened eight times in eleven weeks. That’s how dysfunctional DCFS has become.”
This is just another chapter in the string of failures at Pritzker’s state agencies.
“It’s a disgrace that JB Pritzker has allowed this critical agency to falter to the point that multiple court interventions have been required to protect vulnerable children in the state’s care,” said Irvin. “Decisive action must be taken in order to improve DCFS and ensure that no other children are wrongfully put in dangerous situations and abandoned by the state. Pritzker needs to take ownership of this failure and find a new responsible director who will right the wrongs of this agency.”
* Response from the Pritzker campaign…
Instead of using vulnerable children as political pawns, Richard Irvin should finally own up to the fact that he explicitly advertised his legal services to abusive parents and promised to defend them against their rights being terminated for abuse or neglect.
The team running and bankrolling Irvin’s campaign are the very same people who orchestrated some of the most devastating cuts to DCFS the state has ever seen and the impact of Rauner’s budget slashes are still being felt today. Governor Pritzker remains committed to righting those wrongs by investing in help for children in our state’s care.
…Adding… From an NBC 5 story, here’s Sen. Darren Bailey’s response…
I’m sick and tired of hearing this blame on Rauner or on Trump, or whatever it is they want to blame it on. Take responsibility and make changes. Director Smith has been in charge of DCFS since day one.
* John Amdor and I were talking last week about the legislative efforts to pass a crime bill this session and during the course of the evening he mentioned a couple of bills that he thought were important. I asked him to submit something for possible publication. Amdor is a lobbyist with the firm Nekritz, Amdor and Andersson, which represents the John Howard Association, the Illinois Justice Project and the Juvenile Justice Initiative…
Over the past ten years, I’ve been fortunate to learn from law enforcement leaders about the challenges women and men in their field face and what they believe ought to change. When I discuss gun violence and prevention with my neighbors on the South Side of Chicago, it strikes me that their vision and desire for what policing and public safety should be isn’t so dissimilar from what law enforcement officers want.
The unifying thread between rank-and-file law enforcement and those they serve is the desire for mutual respect and trust founded on a common set of facts about community needs. They want a system where people know that their fundamental rights are honored. They also want a system where their person and property are secure.
Gun violence has risen across the country and it’s clear that communities in every part of Illinois don’t feel protected. Last year, the state continued a recent trend of increasing money for law enforcement and funded violence prevention programs at a level that finally began matching the scale of the problem. But that funding has not hit the streets and there isn’t a way for the public and policymakers to understand what is being done and how it’s working.
The system we have doesn’t allow information about public safety and security to flow between police, policymakers, and the public. Political choices determine how the government collects and distributes policing data. That means neither cops nor citizens have confidence that resources and manpower are distributed efficiently, effectively, or fairly.
The good news is that we have an opportunity to make new choices. There are proposals before the General Assembly right now that can help strip the politics from law enforcement and meaningfully contribute to stronger relationships between police and communities.
Leader Jaime Andrade has introduced HB5212. The bill would end the practice of recording shooting incidents as criminal damage to property. There aren’t many people who think that a bullet coming through a window is in the same realm as vandalism. But that’s what happens too often and it’s not fair to residents who feel scared in their own homes and can’t receive the resources they deserve when the data doesn’t support them.
Senator Elgie Sims’ SB3937 requires the Chicago Police Department to report their investigations’ “clearance rates.” The bill ensures the public can hold their leaders accountable and helps administrators more effectively allocate police resources throughout the city.
These are two examples of legislation that the General Assembly could pass to help continue expanding data-driven policing and evidence-based public safety. Alongside these, the state should better coordinate and measure the effectiveness of the billions spent each year on policing, probation, prison, and community-based violence prevention.
People understand gun violence, carjackings, and property crimes can’t be eliminated overnight. But they do expect they’re told the truth about the scope of the problems and the nature of the solutions. There’s an opportunity in the next two weeks to pass some bills that do just that. Let’s get it done.
Nearly four years ago, legislation that aimed to help low-income electricity customers was making its way to the floor of an Illinois House chamber tightly controlled by its longtime speaker, Michael Madigan.
The bill’s main advocate: Madigan’s daughter, then-Attorney General Lisa Madigan. One of its primary opponents: Commonwealth Edison, the state’s largest electric utility.
By the time the Illinois General Assembly’s spring session was over, ComEd won — because, according to federal prosecutors, Michael Madigan paved the way.
In what may be one of the most intriguing chapters of the federal indictment filed earlier this month against ex-Speaker Madigan, prosecutors alleged he greenlighted efforts to kill his own daughter’s legislation as he pressed ComEd to give jobs to two political allies, including a coveted position on the utility’s board of directors.
“His own daughter’s legislation” is a bit much. They were occasionally at odds, even when she was in the Senate. It was nothing personal with him, just business. And maybe crooked business, if the feds are proved right.
Even today, ComEd said it opposed the plan “because it would have hurt customers.” The utility estimated it would have cost customers $20 million upfront to cover expenses, such as customer system modifications and training, as well as an additional $146 million annually, ComEd’s Shannon Breymaier said.
“It would have put significant restrictions on ComEd’s ability to collect utility service charges from customers who could afford to pay their bills and required costly changes to ComEd’s billing and collection systems,” Breymaier said in an email. “Those costs ultimately would have been paid by our customers, not ComEd.”
Following a review by state bureaucracies, Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s office has lifted a freeze on funding for projects earmarked by Illinois’ now-indicted former House Speaker Michael Madigan.
The temporary freeze came after a group of nine Democratic state representatives requested it in the wake of Madigan’s 22-count indictment on corruption charges on March 2. […]
But two days after their initial letter to Pritzker the same group of lawmakers, led by State Rep. Ann Williams, D-Chicago, backtracked and asked Pritzker to unfreeze the funding after getting pushback from other lawmakers in the state’s Latino caucus. […]
In an email to the BGA on Wednesday, the governor’s top spokeswoman said the review has been completed and the governor ordered the funds released in a March 11 letter. The governor’s office also provided the memos from state agencies detailing the results of the review.
There is no indication in the documents provided to suggest the Pritzker-ordered reviews touched on the lawmakers’ initial requests to examine whether the projects were “appropriate” or whether any conflicts of interest existed.
A few chapters are set pieces, capturing the vicissitudes of Illinois politics. There is the drama of June 30, 1988, as Republican Governor Jim Thompson joins Madigan to try to fund a new ballpark for the White Sox when the team is all but on a plane to Florida. The deed had to be done before midnight, when a change in the legislature’s makeup would doom the effort. But Madigan “made time stand still”—literally. He stopped the clock at midnight so that he and Thompson could twist arms while opponents sang that “Na na na na / Na na na na / Hey, hey-ey, goodbye” song that Sox fans use to jeer opposing pitchers off the field.
The episode is so much fun, with that near-biblical stopping of the sun, that it’s possible to overlook—puff away the obfuscating fog of fandom—that government officials were bending the law to put public money into the pockets of a private business.
There’s a chapter on “Operation Cobra,” Madigan’s stealth plan to temporarily raise the state’s income tax in 1989. It passed the House in less than a day with only Democratic votes.
Long said that the legislative attack “caught Thompson totally surprised,” writing that it was “the biggest raw power play I ever saw Speaker Madigan pull off.”
By contrast, when lawmakers voted in 2017 to approve a Madigan-backed plan to end the state’s two-year budget impasse, Long said that Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner “knew it was coming and he couldn’t do anything about it because Madigan outmaneuvered him politically.”
The old-timers’ Operation Cobra stories often kept me awake at night wondering if I’d talked to enough people that day to ensure I didn’t get surprised like Thompson was.
hTe specter of former House Speaker Michael Madigan is entering the campaign on how the City Council’s ward maps will be redrawn.
In a new poll commissioned by the Latino Caucus and its supporters, respondents were informed that the Chicago United map supported by the City Council’s Rules Committee and the Black Caucus “was drafted by Michael Madigan’s lawyer.”
According to a polling memo obtained by Playbook, more than two-thirds, 69 percent, of respondents indicated “that is a convincing reason to vote against the Chicago United map.”
The memo states: “Perceptions of Madigan aren’t just negative, they are intensely negative — nearly two-thirds (64 percent) give him a strongly unfavorable rating. Negative perceptions of Madigan extend across all regions of the city and important voter subgroups like Democrats (84 percent unfavorable), Independents (85 percent unfavorable), and white voters (91 percent unfavorable).”
And just in case we didn’t get it, the memo continues, “Madigan is nearly universally disliked in Chicago.”
OK, except the Latino Caucus has a Madigan person of their own working on the remap. So, if they go there, the other side may as well and any advantage goes up in smoke.
Chicago City Clerk Anna Valencia, who is running as a Democrat for Illinois Secretary of State, has amended her statements of financial interests after questions raised by NBC 5.
Valencia’s husband Reyahd Kazmi is a lobbyist, and as required, Valencia must list any companies that do business with the city that her spouse/or partner received compensation for of more than $5,000 a year.
Valencia initially amended her 2021 forms on March 15 after NBC 5 first revealed Valencia did not list Monterrey Security, a company with clout-heavy city contracts. Besides Monterrey Security, Valencia also amended her 2021 form to include two other businesses that were not listed initially: Chicago Commons and Black Dog Corporation.
On Friday, the Chicago Board of Ethics has posted on its website that Valencia has amended her 2020 ethics statements.
Valencia’s campaign spokesman, insisting the amendment was done the same day on March 15, forwarded to NBC 5 a form her campaign says was emailed to the Board of Ethics, but the form had no one’s name on it and was not dated or signed. The word “amendment” was misspelled. […]
If Valencia should become the Secretary of State she would be in charge of the registration of lobbyists.
After the Illinois House and Senate voted to pass legislation to partially pay down the state’s unemployment insurance trust fund debt, top Democratic leaders gathered for a Statehouse press conference to boast about their accomplishment.
Yes, they admitted, it was only a partial pay down. The debt is $4.5 billion, and they patched it with $2.7 billion in federal money from the American Rescue Plan Act. But the Democrats pointed out Illinois is using a higher percentage of its federal ARPA aid on its debt than surrounding states, including Indiana.
Most states had to borrow money from the federal government when the 2020 COVID shutdowns created an unprecedented flood of unemployment benefit applications, and states simply didn’t have enough money on hand to meet the enormous demand. But the Democratic spin avoided the fact that surrounding states didn’t have the same level of crushing debt as Illinois.
While Indiana and Illinois both underfunded their trust funds before the pandemic, Indiana’s resulting problem wasn’t as great as Illinois’ partly because that state was more aggressive than Illinois about reopening businesses earlier in the pandemic. But that Hoosier decision came with a different and much more devastating cost, because Indiana’s COVID death rate is significantly higher than in Illinois rate, and it’s even higher when you look at the figures after vaccines were widely available.
Perhaps more to the point, Indiana and other states, unlike Illinois, used a significant chunk of their Trump-era CARES Act allotment to pay down their trust fund debts, so their resulting need for ARPA money to shore up their funds just wasn’t as critical as ours. Illinois’ budget situation at the height of the pandemic was, of course, worse than surrounding states because of decades of fiscal mismanagement here, so the CARES Act money was desperately needed elsewhere.
Business groups were generally upbeat after the bill’s passage. A joint business statement called the legislation a “positive step” toward “addressing” the “massive” shortfall in the trust fund.
“We’re hopeful that negotiations will continue to resolve the remaining balance of this unprecedented deficit,” said the statement from the Illinois Retail Merchants Association, Illinois Manufacturers’ Association, Illinois Chamber of Commerce, Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce, National Federation of Independent Businesses of Illinois and the Associated General Contractors of Illinois.
The appreciation from business groups was definitely not matched by the Republicans’ tone. They fretted that since all the debt wasn’t eliminated, the rest would have to come from employer tax hikes and worker benefit cuts. Senate Republican Leader Dan McConchie issued a statement predicting the bill will have a “devastating” impact on businesses — the same businesses whose industry representatives called the bill a “positive step.”
The Republican crocodile tears over potential benefit cuts for unemployed workers is super rich for a party that almost uniformly demanded those very same unemployment benefits be slashed last year so the resulting poverty would force people back to their lousy jobs. I mean, I was born at night, but not last night.
Democrats were also quick to point out that not a single congressional Republican voted for ARPA in the first place. So, Illinois Republicans are angry about not getting their way on how the ARPA money was spent when their party didn’t want the ARPA money to begin with.
The Democrats showed some political acumen by including other debt elimination in the bill, including paying off all the remaining debt in the College Illinois program and spending $300 million more on pension debt than required by law.
The package also included paying off close to a billion dollars in past-due debt for public employee and retiree group health insurance. The provision is a godsend for Springfield-area health providers, which have dealt forever with a state that has shown little to no interest in their fiscal well-being.
Yet every Republican in that region voted against the bill, including appointed Rep. Sandy Hamilton (R-Springfield). Hamilton is challenging Sen. Doris Turner (D-Springfield), and her “No” vote will likely be used against her this fall.
But, hey, the state’s wealthiest resident, Ken Griffin, is basically calling the shots for the GOP this election year because he has an abundance of what Republicans so desperately need right now: cash.
And you could bet your house (and the Senate) that Griffin would be very angry if the Republicans signed on to any sort of measure that could possibly involve future tax hikes on businesses.
Griffin was also no fan of the federal ARPA program, by the way.
