* As I told you the other day, Republican attorney general nominee Tom DeVore busted the contribution caps in the AG’s race with a $250,001 loan from himself. He filed the official Notification of Self-Funding paperwork today. DeVore hasn’t raised much money outside of the loan to himself.
* Darren Bailey’s running mate Stephanie Trussell held a press conference in Chicago yesterday. From WGN TV…
Trussell: JB Pritzker doesn’t care about Garfield Park. JB Pritzker doesn’t care about anyone suffering outside of his billionaire bubble.
Pritzker: That’s ludicrous. Since I came into office, in fact, I’ve been focused on lifting up those who’ve been left out and left behind. Let me be clear, it was Darren Bailey that voted against providing rent assistance or homeowners assistance during the worst parts of the pandemic. Darren Bailey, who voted against all of the assistance for small businesses during the pandemic.
When asked about abortion rights, Trussell said this…
People that are working hard every day to pay the increased gas prices, to pay the increased taxes. 114,000 people fled the great state of Illinois last year. That’s not an issue that most people are concerned about.
A political ad airing on TV and online that is critical of Democrats’ policies is finding different interpretations among Democrats.
Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot last week criticized a political ad from People Who Play By The Rules PAC airing concerns about the Democrats’ policies on crime and punishment.
Lightfoot said the ad purposely darkened her skin color. […]
State Rep. LaShawn Ford, D-Chicago, told WIND radio host Dan Proft, who is the president of People Who Play By The Rules PAC, that Lightfoot’s position was offensive to darker skinned people like himself.
“You don’t come out against the color of your skin when it could really make that color be offended,” Ford said. “The color that you had her in is just a little shade darker than me.” […]
Lightfoot doubled down on her comments Monday and said she didn’t understand where Ford was coming from.
“I don’t even know what to say in response to that,” Lightfoot said. “If you’re not offended by that, I don’t know what to say to you.”
So far in August, Vote Yes for Workers Rights, which supports the labor amendment in front of voters this November, received $3.2 million from various labor unions.
Joe Severino, the GOP nominee for Illinois’ 10th district House seat, has used social media in the past to falsely blame the Highland Park shooting on the town’s mayor.
After the massacre, Severino wrote a Facebook comment in a private group blaming Mayor Nancy Rotering (D) for the shooting at the town’s Fourth of July parade that killed seven people and injured dozens.
“Further, people are celebrating Mayor Rotering as a leader when she is indirectly responsible for the shooting,” Severino falsely claimed. “She was running against the shooters father and well aware of this family’s turmoil.”
There is no evidence that Rotering had any prior knowledge or tip that would have given her, or anyone else, prior knowledge of the shooter’s plan.
Severino is set to take on incumbent Rep. Brad Schneider (D) in the general election in November. Schneider’s campaign condemned the comments made in Severino’s Facebook post.
“Joe Severino’s misinformation around the Highland Park shooting is disgusting and has no place in our politics,” said Schneider’s campaign manager Matt Fried. “If he had a shred of decency, he would apologize to Mayor Rotering and the families of the victims whose memories he has sullied by lying about the tragedy and making common cause with conspiracy theorists.”
Pension expert Richard Ennis took a closer look at 24 such funds, including two big ones in Illinois. In a recent issue of the Journal of Portfolio Management, he wrote that they underperformed passive investing indexes by an average 1.4 percentage points, despite reporting a 0.3-point positive margin against benchmarks. Only one of the funds beat indexing over the 10-year period.
“This sharp disconnect raises questions about the usefulness of the funds’ performance reporting, as well as their heavy reliance on expensive active management,” he concluded. “Altogether, the results paint an unflattering portrait of the stewardship of public pension funds in the United States.”
Ennis, 78, is a retired chairman of industry consultant EnnisKnupp (acquired in 2010 by Hewitt Associates, now part of Aon) and a former editor of Financial Analysts Journal. He argues that funds set benchmarks too low and then overpay managers once performance is made to appear better than it is. He estimates that management fees average 1.3% of assets—roughly equaling the fund underperformance he measured.
Among the two dozen funds he surveyed, the $66 billion Teachers’ Retirement System of the State of Illinois was the fourth-worst performing, reporting an annualized return (8.3%) that was 3.23 percentage points lower than an indexed return. The gap was a negative 1.24 points, just above the median, for the $24 billion State Employees Retirement System of Illinois. For the State Universities Retirement System, which Ennis examined at Crain’s request, the shortfall was 1.9 points.
TRS in particular came out looking especially bad in Ennis’ analysis. Its active management record “is among the worst of the approximately 50 large funds in my dataset,” Ennis told Crain’s Steven R. Strahler. “The excess return of -3.23% for TRS means that it underperformed passive investment by that margin annually for 10 years.”
So what would Ennis do to hold public pensions more accountable and set them on a path toward healthy funding levels?
“I would bring about the type of reform initiated in the private sector in the wake of the Studebaker debacle,” Ennis said, referring to the epic implosion of Studebaker-Packard, which closed its South Bend, Ind., plant in 1963 and subsequently slashed pensions for roughly 4,000 workers. That collapse ultimately inspired the Employee Retirement Income Security Act, signed into law by President Gerald Ford a decade later. That law, among other things, established minimum funding requirements for corporate pension plans. It also required that liabilities be reported at their market value. “The reform played out over decades and in piecemeal fashion,” Ennis noted, “but these are the two pillars that set apart public and private plan funding: assured funding and liability valuation.”
Illinois’ public employee pension plans could certainly use a lot more of both.
* I asked TRS for a response to the original article. Here’s Dave Urbanek…
The conclusions drawn by Mr. Ennis are limited to the subjective conditions, benchmarks and timeframe he selected to develop his analysis.
Due to TRS’s under-funded status, the System’s primary objective is to protect member assets against large market drawdowns caused by market volatility, such as we have seen this year.
Market returns are asymmetric. As an extreme example, a 50% loss requires 100% gain to break even. With this in mind, TRS believes the most prudent portfolio is a diversified one that seeks to participate in the upside of the market but is also positioned to better protect assets in times of high market volatility.
The analysis Mr. Ennis performed is limited in scope. The 10-year period used within Mr. Ennis’ research ended in 2020 and is predominantly a period of very strong equity returns. More importantly, it includes a period where a select few U.S.-based high-growth technology companies, such as Apple and Google, dominated the returns in passive equity index funds. While TRS holds large positions in passive index funds and such companies, the System is mindful to diversify the volatility risk such exposures can have on the total portfolio.
Even during this high growth investment environment, the overall TRS portfolio maintained a performance ranking in the top 25th percentile among U.S. public pension systems during that 10-year horizon ending in June 2020. In that period, the System ranked in the 22nd percentile of 193 funds with more than $1 billion in assets, and in the 25th percentile of 33 funds with more than $25 billion.
Through June 30, 2022 and during the environment of market volatility, the TRS diversified strategy performed as intended. As significant market volatility, rising inflation, and interest rate increases hit in early calendar year 2022, the TRS portfolio performed very well and ranked in the top 10% of the broad peer universe for the first six months of 2022.
For the fiscal year ended June 20, 2022, TRS’s -1.2% return, net of fees, compares very favorably to the median public plan’s return of -7.1%. Further, the TRS portfolio also maintains its top quartile rankings for annualized 5, 10, and 20-year periods that ended on June 30, 2022.
TRS is managing the assets of our 432,000 members using a diversified approach so that we can pay retirement benefits as required by law. For more than 80 years, TRS has paid all benefits on time and in full.
In fiscal year 2022, TRS paid more than $7 billion in benefits to approximately 128,000 beneficiaries. TRS will continue to position its $63 billion investment portfolio to ensure it is able to fulfill its stated mission to its members and pay all benefits on time and in full.
“The term ‘blind trust’ is being used here as a thin shield to conceal the governor’s pursuit of personal profits,” said Bridget J. Crawford, a professor at Pace University’s law school who reviewed the BGA reporting. “This is not a blind trust in any meaningful sense of the phrase.”
* The Question: What should the governor or the legislature do, if anything, to increase the “blindness” of Pritzker’s blind trust? Some ideas from NCSL are here.
* We have a lot of veterans of government on this blog, so I’m curious what y’all think of this proposal…
Governor Pritzker today announced new measures as part of the ongoing efforts to address staffing shortages in the State of Illinois’ agencies that provide essential health and safety services to Illinois’ most vulnerable residents. The State is working to fill vacancies and hire thousands of frontline staff in the Departments of Human Services, Corrections, and Veteran’s Affairs. Interested individuals may visit work.illinois.gov to apply and search for jobs by agency, title, or county.
“Since COVID-19 upended our State—and world—we have experienced severe labor shortages that disproportionately impact our most vulnerable residents,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “That’s why we are launching a laser-focused recruitment and retention strategy to attract quality professionals in the social services and healthcare fields. No matter the challenges of today’s job market, our administration is mobilizing every available resource to make sure every resident has access to the critical services they need and deserve.”
Like many employers across the nation, including other governmental bodies, the State is facing an increasingly challenging job market. In the two years since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the government sector in the U.S. has lost over 600,000 workers, which is more than manufacturing, wholesale trade, and construction industries combined. Additionally, the healthcare industry has suffered significant labor shortage issues due to burnout from the pandemic. To address the staffing challenges faced by many of our service agencies, the following immediate actions will be taken:
• On an emergency basis, the Department of Central Management Services (CMS) will develop and implement a State-wide recruiting campaign focused on direct care staff serving in State mental health centers, homes for persons with developmental disabilities, and veterans’ homes, as well as staff supporting the State’s corrections facilities.
• On an emergency basis, CMS will assess, draft, and implement retention measures targeting employees at facilities that are open 24/7, which are unique and may require specialized resources. Given the financial and operational costs resulting from extensive employee turnover and unfilled positions in these vital functions, it is critical the State take as many steps as possible to address retention.
• CMS, working with the Departments of Human Services (DHS), Veterans’ Affairs (DVA), and Corrections (DOC), is directed to leverage all existing State resources and community partnerships available. This includes expanding their recruitment teams and partnering with the Illinois Department of Employment Security (IDES) to amplify available vacancies to those individuals who are experiencing unemployment. Additionally, IDES is directed to send targeted outreach to those receiving unemployment insurance benefits or participating in the State’s Reemployment Services and Eligibility Assessment program.
• CMS, the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO) and IDES are directed to leverage existing local workforce partners to encourage additional targeted outreach intended to bolster the applicant pool of qualified candidates for State jobs. These agencies are also directed to increase virtual job fairs across State platforms to recruit new workers.
Today’s announcement emphasizes Governor Pritzker’s commitment to increasing the State’s workforce and ensuring employees have sufficient resources to continue to provide the service that Illinois residents expect. Through these efforts, the State is looking to build and retain its workforce with concentration in the following positions: correctional officers, physicians, nurses, mental health technicians, support service workers, social workers, security therapy aids, security officers, and other critical positions that support the health and safety of the State’s residents.
These steps are the latest in a series of initiatives designed to prepare, attract, and retain the necessary talent pool for roles in State government. Continued efforts include:
Marketing and Recruitment for Critical Vacancies
Since taking office, Governor Pritzker’s Administration has worked to implement practices to attract talent to its workforce:
• Revamped Hiring Processes – The State has implemented a new electronic application and hiring processes for all State positions which allows job seekers to search for and apply to jobs online, including using mobile devices. Visit work.illinois.gov to learn more about job opportunities with the State of Illinois.
• Expanded Outreach – The Bureau of Diversity and Inclusion (D&I) within CMS administers the State’s workforce diversity programs and coordinates closely with the Governor’s Office of Equity and the African-American, Hispanic, Asian-American, and Native American Employment Plan Advisory Councils, made up of community activists from across the State. Over the last two years, CMS has created or participated in more than 69 outreach and recruitment events.
• Increased Recruitment – Since the beginning of 2021, State agencies, including CMS, DVA, DHS, and DOC have participated in 549 job fairs and hiring events. Recruiting teams also met with prospective employees at the 2022 Illinois State Fair in Springfield and the State Fair in DuQuoin. Applicants are encouraged to visit the Governor’s Tent at the Illinois State Fair in DuQuoin to learn more about State employment, set up job alerts, and apply for vacancies on the spot.
• Improved Career Counseling Services – CMS counseling staff work with internal and external candidates to evaluate their education and experience as well as employment interests/preferences, salary expectations, and geographical location to determine job titles that are the best fit for their future success. Career counselors also assist applicants with applying to State positions for which they may qualify.
Retention of Existing Staff
State employees make a difference every day in the lives of their fellow residents. Nowhere is that difference more tangible than in residential facilities, where State employees are entrusted with providing safe, healthy, and thriving environments. The benefits of State employment include more than just the satisfaction of purpose-driven work. In addition to generous healthcare benefits, robust paid time off, including paid parental leave, and pension benefits, the State has continued to implement and enhance employee benefits and retention measures:
• Career Mobility - Upward Mobility Program (UMP), the career mobility program administered jointly with the State’s largest labor partner, the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), is designed to give State employees an opportunity to advance to more challenging, higher paying positions through targeted career counseling and direct-paid educational and training opportunities.
• Ongoing Professional Development - CMS University, a web-based, continuing education and professional development site to assist all State employees. Through curated sessions and live events, employees can expand their knowledge or brush up on tools to support their work.
• Be Well Illinois, the State’s employee wellness program, launched in January 2021 by CMS to improve the overall health and wellness of the State’s workforce. Be Well Illinois uses a comprehensive approach to wellness and incorporates educational resources and activities designed to improve physical, financial and mental health and raise awareness about the benefits of healthy eating, exercise and cultural topics.
• MyBenefits Plus program, an expanded voluntary benefits program to attract prospective employees and support retirees and active employees of the State. This program includes legal services, pet, auto, home, hospital indemnity, critical illness and accident insurance offerings that complement State-sponsored programs.
• Purchasing Power program allows employees to make major purchases such as computers, appliances, electronics and more when paying with cash or credit is not an option. Participants receive their product up front and pay over 6 or 12 months directly from their paycheck.
• COVID-19 support programs for employees throughout the pandemic including a specialized mobile-enabled micro-website, with information about vaccinations, workplace updates, and resources guides for employees.
*** UPDATE *** From AFSCME Council 31…
Statement of AFSCME Council 31 Executive Director Roberta Lynch in response to Pritzker Administration’s hiring initiative
“We welcome Governor Pritzker’s initiative to address critical staffing shortages in state agencies where employees care for veterans, treat mental illness, support people with developmental disabilities and safely incarcerate and rehabilitate those convicted of crimes.
“Nearly 7,000 positions in state government were vacant at the start of 2022. Especially hard-hit are 24/7 facilities such as veterans’ homes, prisons, psychiatric hospitals, and centers for people with developmental disabilities. Also of great concern is understaffing in the Department of Children and Family Services, which is charged with protecting children from abuse and neglect. As a result, in all of these settings, employees are burning out, safety is at risk, and overtime costs are rising.
“AFSCME members on the front lines struggle daily to provide essential services despite the challenges of working short-staffed. Earlier this month, Governor Pritzker met with a group of our local union leaders who work in these settings and could describe firsthand the difficulties they and their coworkers face.
“With today’s announcement, the Pritzker Administration is moving forward to reduce the bureaucratic delays in the state hiring process that have been so frustrating to so many, and to redouble its efforts to recruit needed new hires. In the days ahead our union will do everything possible to advance these efforts.
“AFSCME members in state government are helpers, problem solvers, people who are dedicated to serving their community. They earn a family-supporting wage, affordable health care and a pension that provides for dignity in retirement. We urge anyone looking for a good job doing good work in their community to apply.”
Our schools have been hijacked with woke policies and it has to end. Just this week, a few days ago, I announced that we’ve got, we’ve got some major changes with our college systems and especially the U of I. Everywhere I go, I talk to students and parents who are frustrated because they can’t get their children enrolled at the U of I.
And, and just last night by press that, I was asked, well, what’s the answer? Because if we don’t allow all these foreign students to come, you know the U of I might start hurting financially.
We have got to start thinking of government just exactly like we think of it with our businesses. If we can’t afford it, we don’t do it. If it’s not working, we cut it or we change it. And unfortunately, the answer with the University of Illinois as I was asked by press last night, it’s not adding more taxes. It’s making the school more efficient. Money is being wasted, priorities are being wasted.
Our own students because of our own tax money that supports this school aren’t able to go to this school. It’s time for a change. There’s absolutely no reason that the president of the college should be making a million dollars. That is a public service, there is no reason, there is no excuse for that.
The U of I has got to be challenged to become the great school that it’s intended to be. And unfortunately, we’re struggling with, that they should be front and center with many of these advances and with our economy.
Why isn’t the U of I being utilized more by by state government to challenge the system, to come up with a pension solution? There you go, U of I, come up with a pension solution. Let’s hear it. Nobody wants to talk about it instead. Well, anyway, I’ll stop there. But friends, we’ve got work to do.
U of I’s Associate Chancellor Robin Kaler said in a statement their goal is to attract a strong, high quality applicant pool with a diverse blend of students from in-state, across the country and the world. Kaler said the “biggest challenge” when it comes to enrolling in-state students is many say they can’t afford tuition. She said the school has addressed their financial concerns by offering programs like the Illinois Commitment, which offers free tuition for students whose families earn $67,100 a year or less.
The school admitted a record-breaking number of freshmen last fall – just over 8,300. 5,835 of those were from Illinois, and 2,468 were not.
Gov. J.B. Pritzker on Tuesday vowed that “anti-choice” politicians will lose in November, as he stood surrounded by Planned Parenthood leaders who are still awaiting legislative fixes — and funds — to help handle an influx of patients coming to Illinois to seek abortion care services. […]
But the event also highlighted that the pledge Pritzker made on June 24 to call the Illinois General Assembly back into session in Springfield to “further enshrine” reproductive rights remains unfulfilled. Similarly, Pritzker voiced support for an assault weapons ban after the Highland Park massacre. But is likely to find it difficult to drum up enough support in an election year. […]
Those discussions involve legislation to protect medical providers from legal, criminal and civil liability, expand the capacity of providers who can provide abortions and measures to protect and grow clinics, Pritzker said. […]
[Yamelsie Rodriguez, president and CEO of Planned Parenthood of the St. Louis region and Southwest Missouri] said wait times went from three to four days to two and a half weeks. She said Illinois has seen a 76% increase in abortions after 14 weeks of gestation. […]
“Is this going to be sustainable over time, when we’re thinking $900 to $1,500 just to provide practical support for transportation and accommodation? No,” Rodriguez said. “And we made that very clear to Gov. Pritzker why this is an imperative, and we will continue to work with him to ensure that we have a sustainable platform here.”
* Pritzker acknowledged that in order for any measures to take immediate effect, he’ll need support from the legislature’s Democratic supermajorities. After Jan. 1, only a simple majority would be required…
Transcript…
Legislators are hard at work, now, I think you know, in working groups, in fact working with Planned Parenthood and many other pro-choice organizations to make sure that they can craft the legislation that we need. You heard about the need to protect from legal liability, criminal and civil liability that other states want to bring against people in Illinois, against their own people who come to Illinois. Those are parts of what needs to be addressed by the legislature. Then there’s the expansion of capacity, allowing nurse practitioners to perform procedures to make sure that we’re protecting and growing the existing capacity of the clinics that are here and then attracting other clinics to come to Illinois. Those are all things that are being considered by the working groups in the legislature. […]
Well, I think you know that there are two things that you have to consider one is there is a legislature, the legislature has to do its work and he is hard at work. Second, that as you know when Special Session when things need to be passed with a supermajority. That’s harder than doing it with a simple majority. So there’s some things that can be done could be done with a supermajority, some things that take a simple majority. So again, the legislature is working through all those things.
Pritzker said his executive authority only goes so far.
“There are things that you can’t do as an executive order. There are things that the legislature really does need to do, we need it enshrined into law,” Pritzker said. “So, again, those things are all being worked out. We’re talking with the legislature, working with the attorney general’s office.”
Illinois Senate Minority Leader Dan McConchie, R-Hawthorn Woods, said the hold up may be that Democrats are gauging public sentiment.
“I think it’s because the Democrats understand that what they want to do is go even farther on abortion, even more extreme than any other state in the country,” McConchie told The Center Square earlier this month. “I think they recognize we already have some of the most extreme abortion laws in the country. Going further might actually alienate voters this fall.”
Welch has tapped nine House Democrats to work with advocates on legislative proposals, but those negotiations are taking place behind closed doors. State Rep. Kelly Cassidy of Chicago, an outspoken proponent of abortion rights who was assigned to lead the group, did not respond Tuesday to a request for comment on its progress.
Senate Democrats have not announced a formal negotiating team, but Harmon spokesman John Patterson said, “There are ongoing internal discussions.”
Pritzker spoke to reporters Tuesday after meeting privately with the heads of the Illinois and St. Louis regional chapters of Planned Parenthood, along with Alexis McGill Johnson, president and CEO of the Planned Parenthood Federation of America.
The Planned Parenthood leaders all praised Pritzker for his support of abortion access and argued for the importance of the Nov. 8 election in determining the future of reproductive health care in Illinois and across the country.
The state of Illinois, the city of Chicago, and 10 members of the U.S. House delegation have all joined friend-of-the-court briefs in one of the biggest U.S. Supreme Court cases of the coming term. They are backing the state of Colorado in the defense of its public-accommodations law against a challenge by a wedding website designer who cites a religious objection for refusing to do work for same-sex nuptials.
The case is 303 Creative LLC v. Elenis, which will be argued sometime in the term that begins Oct. 3, with a decision expected by late June 2023. Website designer Lorie Smith went to court seeking a ruling that Colorado could not enforce its anti-bias law against her graphic design firm because of her religious opposition to same-sex marriage.
It’s among the most hot-button cases in a term that follows the one in which the justices overruled a half-century of abortion rights and made it more difficult for states and cities to regulate guns. […]
The friend-of-the-court briefs supporting Colorado, filed late last week, are among 70 filed on both sides of the case. A separate brief by other members of Congress filed in June supports the website designer, though no members of the Illinois delegation signed that one.
* Attorney General Kwame Raoul signed a brief with 21 states to argue that commercial enterprises should not have religious-based exemptions to anti-discrimination laws that protect individuals based on sexual orientation and gender identity. Chicago Corporation Counsel Celia Meza signed a brief with 54 local governments to argue that city, town, and county anti-discrimination protections “reflect a democratically determined commitment to equality and inclusion in the public sphere.” And 10 US House Democrats, Reps. Sean Casten, Danny K. Davis, Jesús “Chuy” Garcia, Raja Krishnamoorthi, Marie Newman, Mike Quigley, Bobby Rush, Jan Schakowsky, Lauren Underwood, and Brad Schneider signed a brief with 137 fellow US Representatives supporting Colorado.
* Also, former state employee Mark Janus filed a brief arguing Colorado’s anti-discrimination laws require a form of impermissible government-compelled speech. Janus won a 2018 Supreme Court case which ruled that government employees could not be forced to join a union and could not be required to pay union dues or fees. Crain’s reported that Janus’ brief was written by the Chicago-based Liberty Justice Center, the same organization that took up the challenge to union fees.
* I’m told that Secretary of State Jesse White tested negative for COVID-19 and is back to working in the office today. His office announced last week that he’d tested positive and was experiencing mild symptoms.
* Victory Geek, 512 voters called 8/25-28, automated (90%) and live calls (just 10%), MoE is ±4.3 percent…
…Adding…48 percent of the respondents for this poll were in Downstate and just 19 percent were in Cook County. In the last election, 36 percent of the votes cast for governor were from Downstate and 39 percent were cast in Cook County. So, that huge difference would tend to skew the poll even more Republican. Not good. At all.
Not really sure about this pollster, but 18-23 point leads across the board and every Dem above 50 is pretty wild.
* Um, is Steve even a Republican these days?…
Republicans know that Darren Bailey is too extreme for Illinois — take it from former GOP Floor Leader Steve Andersson.
Illinoisans rejected Donald Trump at the ballot box twice. They won't hesitate to do the same to his mini-me in #ILGov, Darren Bailey. pic.twitter.com/YDvKsK2Fiz
Former Illinois State Treasurer Alexi Giannoulias just can’t seem to shake his past as he attempts his reboot. It’s been twelve years since Giannoulias left the public eye. As he continues his rehabilitation tour hoping voters will forget about his scandal-laden past, let’s recap his greatest hits.
First, there was his mismanagement of Illinois’ college loans savings programs, causing families to lose millions. According to NBC Chicago from January 6, 2010:
“Bright Start was supposed to be Alexi Giannoulias’ shining achievement. Instead, the beleaguered fund, which lost more than $150 million through risky Oppenheimer investments, is radiating trouble for the Illinois State Treasurer and his Senate campaign.”
Then, there were the loans to mobsters when he was a Senior Loan Officer of Broadway Bank. According to the Chicago Tribune from April 1, 2010:
“The family bank of Democratic Senate candidate Alexi Giannoulias loaned a pair of Chicago crime figures about $20 million during a 14-month period when Giannoulias was a senior loan officer, according to a Tribune examination that provides new details about the bank’s relationship with the convicted felons. Broadway Bank had already lent millions to Michael Giorango when he and a new business partner, Demitri Stavropoulos, came to the bank in mid-2004. Although both men were preparing to serve federal prison terms, the bank embarked on a series of loans to them.”
As if that wasn’t bad enough, Broadway Bank was later seized by the feds. According to Reuters from April 23, 2010:
“Regulators on Friday seized a Chicago bank owned by the family of the Democratic nominee running for the Senate seat once held by President Barack Obama. Broadway Bank was among seven Illinois banks whose failure was announced on Friday. U.S. regulators have seized 15 banks in the past two weeks, as the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp ratchets up efforts to clean up the banking industry.”
“Trouble seems to follow Alexi Giannoulias wherever he goes, and it never seems to be his fault if you ask him,” said Illinois Republican Party Chairman Don Tracy. “The Giannoulias family bank loaned money to mobsters when he was a Senior Loan Officer there, and Giannoulias as Treasurer lost millions in college savings loans. Putting Alexi Giannoulias in charge of the Illinois Secretary of State’s Office, where he’d be in charge of 4,000 state jobs, would be like putting an arsonist in charge of the fire department.”
* Press release…
This morning, Nikki Budzinski, candidate for Congress in Illinois’ 13th Congressional District, released her plans for middle class tax relief and to fight inflation. From ideas expanding the child tax credit to investing in union apprenticeship programs, Budzinskiis focused on attainable solutions that will bring down costs for working families.
Budzinski made the following statement: “There are some short-term solutions to inflation that Congress needs to act on today to provide immediate relief to working people. But ultimately, this is not a problem that occurred overnight.”
“Decades of Democrats and Republicans have contributed by allowing our jobs to be shipped overseas, exporting manufacturing from America to China, and allowing China to become the global economic leader that America used to be. In addition to short term measures, I will fight for long term, bipartisan solutions that will increase American manufacturing so we can start to make things at home again.”
• Repeal the Trump tax cuts that benefit the super-rich over working people
• Extend the child tax cut for working families
• Cap the cost of life-saving drugs for everyone like insulin at $35
• Invest in union apprenticeship programs to promote alternatives to a 4-year college degree and a path to a debt-free, high-paying trades career
• Lower the price at the pump by implementing a year-round E-15 blend to provide sustained relief at the pump and support Illinois farmers
• Enact a windfall profit tax on oil and gas companies to make sure oil companies aren’t profiting at our expense
* Same district…
Farmer trustees representing county Farm Bureaus in the 13th Congressional District will be endorsing Regan Deering for Congress with a three-stop tour in Champaign, Sangamon and Madison counties. Local leaders meeting as trustees for Illinois Farm Bureau ACTIVATOR® – the organization’s political action committee –endorsed Deering after interviewing both candidates in the race.
What: Three Stop Media Tour to announce Farm Bureau Endorsement of Regan Deering
Who: Candidate for the 13th Congressional District Regan Deering and farmer trustees
When: Tuesday, August 30, 2022
The Republican candidate running for Illinois U.S. House District 17 received a major endorsement on Monday, Aug. 29, ahead of a tour through rural parts of the state.
Esther Joy King, who is running against Democrat Eric Sorensen in the 2022 midterm elections, was endorsed by the Illinois Farm Bureau’s political committee ACTIVATOR.
The organization has a long history of supporting Republican candidates, and, this year, has also endorsed IL District 16 rep. candidate Darin LaHood and many other conservative bids for the Illinois state legislature.
“It’s truly an honor to be endorsed by the Farm Bureau activator,” said King. “I sat in a room being grilled by a lot of farmers, and for them to put their trust in me, it’s pretty extraordinary. It’s my goal and my ambition to be a champion for agriculture in Washington, D.C.”
…Adding… Press release…
The International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers(IAM) Districts and Locals in Illinois have raised $100,000 to support an Illinois constitutional guarantee of workers’ rights to organize and bargain collectively. The Illinois Workers’ Rights Amendment would be one of four such guarantees enshrined in state constitutions, but Illinois Amendment 1 goes a step further than other states by also banning anti-union “right-to-work” laws.
The IAM is joining the Illinois AFL-CIO and legislative allies to promote the passage of the pro-worker ballot initiative, which will be on the ballot for Illinois voters on Nov. 8, 2022. To amend the state constitution, 60% of voters will need to vote “yes.”
The proposed amendment would add a new section to the Illinois Bill of Rights, guaranteeing workers the fundamental rights to organize and bargain collectively and to negotiate wages, hours and working conditions. It would also prohibit any law from being passed that interferes with, negates, or diminishes the right of employees to organize and bargain collectively over their wages, hours, and other terms and conditions of employment and workplace safety.The pro-worker efforts under Illinois Democratic Gov. JB Pritzker are in stark contrast to former Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner, who failed in his effort to pass a statewide anti-union “right-to-work” law to weaken unions in 2015. At that time, Rauner declared that Illinois cities, counties, towns and villages could enact “right-to-work” laws. State courts threw that measure out.
“IAM members in Illinois, along with our allies in labor and state government, are leading the charge to make the state more worker-friendly,” said IAM Midwest Territory General Vice President Steve Galloway. “It’s our hope that other states will also make efforts to put workers’ rights at the forefront of their state constitutions.”
…Adding… Press release…
Illinois State Treasurer Candidate and State Representative Tom Demmer will join other Illinois legislators and candidates to discuss the harmful impact a retirement tax would have on Illinois families and why he is running against its champion Treasurer Mike Frerichs.
WHO:
Illinois State Treasurer Candidate and State Representative Tom Demmer (R-Dixon)
Illinois State Representative Amy Elik (R-Fosterburg)
Candidate for the Illinois Senate 56th District Erica Harriss
WHAT: Press conference and media availability to discuss Demmer’s prevention of the harmful effects of a retirement tax suggested by Illinois Treasurer Mike Frerichs.
WHEN: Wednesday, August 31, 2022, 2:30 pm
WHERE: Madison County Courthouse
157 N. Main Street
Edwardsville, IL 62025
* More…
* Pritzker calls Bailey a ‘liar’ without addressing farmers’ Grain Belt Express concerns: “If J.B. is comfortable walking into a room and lying to the faces of working people about this, how can he be trusted to tell the truth about anything? I’m focused on honest leadership that identifies problems, brings people to the table, and finds solutions to make Illinois safer and more affordable for everyone,” Bailey said.
* Who is this guy? Treasurer candidate hits the hustings: Demmer said that he’s been disappointed by Frerichs’ failure to be a more energetic financial watchdog. If elected, Demmer said he’ll embrace a “more active role in advocating for sound financial policy.” “I think (Frerichs) has taken a keep-your-head-down, don’t-ruffle-any-feathers approach,” Demmer said.
Today Governor JB Pritzker announced opportunities for organizations to apply for an additional $100 million in grants to fund gun violence prevention programs in municipalities across Illinois. This funding, part of the Reimagine Public Safety Act (RPSA), will support nonprofit community-based organizations and local governments in 16 municipal areas outside of the City of Chicago as they work to prevent and interrupt gun violence in their communities. This $100 million builds on $113 million in funding made available in May as well as $10 million in funding surged to Chicago and other areas of the state in advance of the summer.
“This administration is delivering historic levels of violence prevention funding to interrupt violence and keep our communities safe,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “I am grateful for the thoughtful work of our Local Advisory Councils in recommending community-specific solutions that can get at the root-causes of firearm violence. This funding will support on-the-ground work from people with the community knowledge and passion necessary to make substantive change.”
IDHS continues to accept applications for the $113 million in funding made available in May for violence prevention services in Chicago and youth development services statewide. Across funding sources, nearly $240 million in funding has already been committed to youth development and violence prevention efforts statewide for fiscal years FY22, FY23, and FY24. In addition to RPSA/ARPA funding, committed efforts also include ongoing funding to youth development and youth employment providers, an expansion in summer youth development services, and a unique youth engagement pilot program through Chicago Public Schools.
This new investment in Greater Illinois comes after the Office of Firearm Violence Prevention (OFVP) at the Illinois Department of Human Services (IDHS) convened Local Advisory Councils (LACs) in each of the 16 RPSA eligible municipalities to make recommendations to the OFVP on how to allocate violence prevention resources in their communities. From these recommendations, OFVP designed a comprehensive Greater Illinois Funding Strategy to meet the violence prevention needs of each municipal area, taking into account local recommendations, service provider capacity, and area need.
The grants announced today will be awarded by the OFVP and will go to programs in Illinois municipalities with less than 1,000,000 residents that are disproportionately impacted by violence, based on a data-focused approach to prioritizing the highest need areas of the State. RPSA programs are specifically designed to address populations that are high risk of perpetrating or becoming victim to firearm violence.
The OFVP is releasing the $100 million in three new direct service Notice of Funding Opportunities (NOFOs), available in RPSA eligible municipalities in Greater Illinois.
Violence Prevention: For programs that include street intervention, victim services, case management, and other engagement and wrap around support services for those at highest risk of harming or being harmed by gun related violence.
Trauma Informed Behavioral Health Services: For programs that include mental and behavioral health interventions that address trauma recovery and other mental health improvements, specifically to mediate the high correlation between family adversity, trauma and violence, and subsequent involvement in gun related activity.
Youth Intervention Services: For programs that include mentoring, employment skills development, life skills development, assistance with accessing education/vocational programming and employment, as well as other activities that promote positive engagement for high-risk youth ages 11-24.
* Press release…
State Rep. Terra Costa Howard has filed a new bill, HB 5796, that would require teen FOID card holders to reapply for the card when they turn 21.
“In the wake of the tragic Highland Park mass shooting on July 4, it was painfully clear that the young man who has been charged with this terrible crime was in turmoil and should never have been legally allowed to buy deadly assault weapons,” Costa Howard said. “By requiring young people to re-apply for their FOID (Firearm Owner’s Identification) cards when they turn 21, law enforcement will have a chance to review any reports of violence or other “red flag” events and respond appropriately.”
Earlier this month, Costa Howard convened a Gun Safety Town Hall in Glen Ellyn to share factual information about Illinois’ gun laws and to hear from residents about their concerns and ideas for commonsense gun legislation.
“Again and again, we see these heartbreaking crimes committed by young adults with a documented history of threatened and actual violence, including self-harm,” Costa Howard said. “Simply requiring young adults to re-apply for FOID cards after they turn 21 will create an opportunity to spot red flags and intervene to prevent tragedies.”
Costa Howard added: “I have voted for every bill that could help to reduce gun violence and save lives in Illinois – even when my support for reasonable gun laws has made me a target for extremist gun owners across the country. I believe that reasonable and responsible gun safety laws can save lives, and I will keep on standing up for every person’s right to go to a concert, play in parks, walk down the sidewalk, shop at the grocery store, send our kids to school, or cheer at a parade without fear of gun violence. It’s time to make our voices heard.”
* Press release yesterday…
Attorney General Kwame Raoul today announced three convictions resulting from the office’s efforts to keep guns out of the hands of prohibited purchasers. Raoul alleges that all three defendants falsified information on FOID card applications they submitted to the Illinois State Police (ISP).
“These convictions are a critical part of my office’s continued work to prevent gun violence by making sure firearms do not get into the hands of those who should not legally have them,” Raoul said. “Individuals who lie on their firearm owner’s identification card applications to obtain weapons they are not legally able to possess must be held accountable.”
Joe Burks, 66, of Chicago, Illinois, pleaded guilty to a Class 2 felony offense of unlawful violation of the Firearm Owner’s Identification Card Act and was sentenced to two years of probation and four days in county jail.
Attorney General Raoul alleged Burks knowingly entered false information on a FOID card application. In addition to responding to one of the application’s questions with false information, Raoul alleged Burks forged and submitted a document certifying his honorable discharge from active military duty. However, according to U.S. Army records, Burks was dishonorably discharged and sentenced to 10 years of confinement in 1987. Illinois law prohibits individuals who have been convicted of a felony or dishonorably discharged from the Armed Forces from being eligible for FOID cards. Assistant Attorneys General Steven Knight and Peter Ravoori prosecuted the case for Raoul’s Statewide Grand Jury Bureau.
Tyler E. Crown, 27, of Pecatonica, Illinois, pleaded guilty to a Class A misdemeanor offense of aggravated unlawful use of a weapon and was sentenced to two years of probation and 15 days in county jail.
Raoul alleged Crown knowingly entered false information on a FOID card application. When filling out his FOID card application, Crown indicated he had not been adjudicated a delinquent minor for an offense, which had he been prosecuted as an adult, would have been a felony. However, according to Raoul, Crown had been adjudicated a delinquent minor for such an offense. Illinois law prohibits individuals who have been previously adjudicated a delinquent minor for a crime that if committed as an adult would have been a felony from being eligible for a FOID card. Assistant Attorneys General Steven Knight and Peter Ravoori prosecuted the case for Raoul’s Statewide Grand Jury Bureau.
Patrick S. Nichols, 60, of Taylorville, Illinois, pleaded guilty to a class 2 felony offense of unlawful violation of the Firearm Owner’s Identification Card Act and was sentenced to two years of probation and eight days in county jail.
Raoul alleged Nichols knowingly entered false information on a FOID card application by failing to disclose a prior felony conviction. Nichols was previously convicted of a crime against nature out of the state of North Carolina. Assistant Attorneys General Steven Knight and Heidi Epperson prosecuted the case for Raoul’s Statewide Grand Jury Bureau.
An electrical fire Aug. 24 at a BP facility in Whiting, Indiana has led officials in Illinois, Indiana, Michigan and Wisconsin to request and receive an emergency waiver of federal fuel regulations from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
The Whiting BP facility produces 430,000 barrels per day. No deaths or injuries were reported in the fire, which was successfully extinguished. But damage to the facility led to the partial shutdown.
The temporary waiver, granted through Sept. 15, allows high volatility gasoline to be sold during the summer months, reducing fuel disruptions following the fire. Illinois officials said the waiver also means that Illinois corn farmers will provide needed fuel through their production of ethanol, a lower emission alternative to gasoline produced without ethanol.
“Because locally grown and produced biofuels can displace a large percentage of petroleum fuel, motorists can feel confident that they are not only purchasing an available, safe, high-quality fuel, but also that they are saving money at the pump and cleaning the air when they drive,” said Marty Marr, President of the Illinois Corn Growers Association.
Governor Pritzker announced today that his administration has taken steps to proactively address a shutdown at a BP facility in Whiting, Indiana caused by an electrical fire. Illinois, along with Indiana, Michigan, and Wisconsin, requested and were granted an emergency waiver of federal fuel regulations from the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
“After learning of the electrical fire at the BP facility in Whiting, our administration has taken proactive steps to increase gas supply and reduce barriers so all Illinoisans have access to the fuel they need,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “This coordinated effort with our neighboring states will reduce the chance of disruptions and keep the people and businesses of Illinois moving.”
The temporary waiver, which was granted through September 15, 2022, allows for high volatility gasoline to be sold during the summer months, reducing fuel disruptions following the fire which broke out on August 24. The waiver also means that Illinois corn farmers will provide the needed fuel through their ethanol production, which is a lower emission alternative to gasoline produced without ethanol. […]
“Illinois EPA has worked closely with our federal and state partners to minimize impacts from the temporary shutdown of the bp Whiting refinery,” said Illinois EPA Director John J. Kim. “U.S. EPA’s approval of Governor Pritzker’s request for an emergency fuel waiver will help prevent major disruption to regional fuel supplies while still protecting the health and safety of Illinois residents.”
“BP is keeping us informed on their restart process as they safely protect their crews, responders, and the public,” said Illinois Emergency Management Agency (IEMA) Director Alicia Tate-Nadeau. “We will continue to work with our local and state agencies to monitor the impacts.”
The U.S. Department of Transportation has declared a regional emergency for Illinois, Indiana, Michigan and Wisconsin after a fire shut down the BP oil refinery in Whiting, Ind., the largest in the Midwest, though there hasn’t been an impact on gas prices so far.
The federal order temporarily lifts restrictions on the maximum working hours for truck drivers in the four states.
It’s not clear when the Whiting refinery, which is the sixth largest in the U.S., will get back online. […]
The months-long trend in sharply declining gas prices should not be affected by the Whiting shutdown, according to GasBuddy analyst Patrick De Haan, and he cautioned against consumers “panic” buying gas, which could cause a strain.
State Rep. Rita Mayfield, D-Waukegan, Chairperson of the Illinois House Appropriations-Public Safety Committee, is seeking answers from the Illinois Department of Corrections (IDOC) following a report which details how people incarcerated in at least one IDOC facility say their applications for legally-earned ‘good time’ sentence reduction credits are being improperly ignored, delayed and denied by IDOC officials, including allegedly for political reasons.
“This is a nation of laws, and we need to be assured that personnel at correctional facilities are doing their jobs. And following the law is a big part of that,” Mayfield said. “Correctional officers have a tough job that certainly has to be done, and it’s important for them to know they have support. But that cannot and should not mean that we look the other way if and when standards are not being met.”
One senior IDOC official at a correctional facility in Galesburg allegedly stated while being interviewed that criminal justice reforms were responsible for rising crime rates, while also allegedly citing his personal opinion as justification for arbitrarily refusing to consider applications for sentence credits by people incarcerated there, who he allegedly referred to as “criminals”. That official denied these allegations.
The ‘good time’ credits, which are officially known as Earned Program Sentence Credits or Earned Discretionary Sentence Credits, are the result of an expansion in possible sentence credits for certain incarcerated people as part of the SAFE-T Act, which Mayfield helped pass in 2021.
“Incarcerated people are still people. Their rights are important, including their right not to remain imprisoned after the law says that they are eligible for release,” Mayfield said. “If people are not being released from incarceration when they should be, then we need to get to the bottom of why, make the necessary adjustments and ensure that there is accountability. I am continuing to monitor this issue and I will keep asking questions until we get satisfactory answers.”
The SAFE-T Act was signed into law in January 2021, enacting sweeping criminal legal reforms such as eliminating cash bail and establishing a new process to decertify cops. While the legislation was mainly focused on pre-trial reforms, a small part of the bill gave incarcerated people a new pathway to release. The day the law went into effect, on July 1, 2021, at Hill Correctional Center (Hill CC), dozens immediately filed for the Earned Program Sentence Credits (EPSC) and Earned Discretionary Sentence Credits (EDSC) to which they were newly entitled. […]
Incarcerated paralegal Doiakah Gray told Prism that in November 2021, he had a conversation with Hill CC’s Clinical Services Supervisor Chad A. Schuldt—who’s responsible for approving good time credits—in which he said Schuldt expressed a belief that criminal legal reform was increasing crime, and “refused to release criminals into the street.”
In a written response to Gray that has been reviewed by Prism, Schuldt said the comments were inaccurate and that his “personal opinion has no bearing on the eligibility of whether someone meets the criteria for award or not.” He also concluded that Gray’s submission did not meet the criteria for awarding credits, and no further review was warranted.
Gray subsequently filed a grievance against Schuldt for retaliation and an “inordinate delay” in processing his credit request in the same month. In December 2021, Schuldt responded to Gray, “It does appear you are eligible for HB 0094 credits,” followed by a form response again delaying the review of Gray’s HB 3653 credits.
• Up to 180 days of EDSC can be awarded for individuals serving a sentence of less than five years
• Up to 365 days of EDSC can be awarded for individuals serving a sentence of five or more years
• This can be approved for individuals in custody before July 1 as well. Therefore, those who are serving a sentence of 5 years more can be awarded 365 days when these changes go in effect July 1. Those who already received time can be reviewed for additional time if they meet criteria.
• NOTE: Lists are generated for the facility as to who needs to be reviewed. There is no application process for EDSC. An individual does not need to ask to be reviewed.
Earned Programs Sentence Credit
• Adds Participation/compliance in work release/ATC programs/activities to eligible EPSC categories
• Changes EPSC to day- for- day credit for Substance Use Treatment, Illinois Correctional Industries, Education, Behavior Modification, Life Skills, Reentry Planning, and Work release/ATC programming and compliance
• EPSC for individuals who participate in IDOC approved self-improvement groups, volunteer work, or work assignments – shall receive 0.5 days credit for every day engaged in activities.
• Self-improvement groups and volunteer work will need to be vetted by the statewide programs committee before being eligible for award of credit
• 120 days EPSC will be awarded for obtainment of an associate degree (retroactive timing as well for past degrees). They cannot have earned the degree prior to the current incarceration though.
Darren Bailey, the Republican nominee for governor, received his biggest contribution so far in the general election campaign from his most generous benefactor — conservative megadonor Richard Uihlein.
The $1 million contribution was the first from Uihlein to Bailey since the state senator from downstate Xenia won the primary election in late June to take on first-term incumbent Democratic Gov. J.B. Pritzker in November.
While the $1 million is far from the $9 million Uihlein contributed to Bailey during the primary, the contribution from the CEO of the packing and shipping firm Uline at least temporarily ends suspense about whether he was going to financially support Bailey during the general election campaign. Uihlein’s previous contribution to Bailey was in late May.
The $1 million contribution on Monday was sorely needed by Bailey, who reported having just under $364,000 in his campaign fund at the end of June. Pritzker, the billionaire businessman and an heir to the Hyatt Hotels fortune, reported having $60.8 million in his campaign fund at the end of June.
JESSE WHITE: I’ve committed myself to Alexi to be at his side every day, to make sure that you become the next Secretary of State for the state of Illinois.
ALEXI GIANNOULIAS: What holds us together as our unified belief in the rule of law, in democracy, in character integrity, and in fair and honest elections. We have seen what the political cult on the right has done to our neighbors where lawmakers are passing laws as we speak to make it tougher to vote harder, to make a living and more difficult to seek abortion care. And now more than ever we need a Secretary of State on the front lines to protect our democracy. The stakes in this election could not be higher. Our right to vote, the rights of working families and the reproductive rights of women are all on the ballot this November. My job as the first new Secretary of State in a generation will be to build on his legacy of public service.
Billionaire J.B. Pritzker on Thursday promised to shift some of his immense wealth into a blind trust to avoid conflicts of interest, but it’s unclear whether he will be able to fully wall off his fortune from his official duties as Illinois governor.
Pritzker said he has appointed Chicago-based Northern Trust Co. to act as an independent trustee and make all investment decisions about his personal assets. Those same rules won’t apply to the extended Pritzker family fortune that’s held in secretive onshore and offshore trusts. Pritzker said the terms governing the family trusts do not allow for the assets to be moved into the blind trust.
In addition, Pritzker is divesting “his personally-held direct interests in companies that have contracts” with the state, his campaign said. […]
What Pritzker promises to set up is not a true blind trust, however, since he will not be totally “blind.” He will need to know the names of the companies and funds he’s invested in to do his taxes and to comply with the state’s ethics laws.
In 2019, Pritzker’s first year as governor, Centene faced federal antitrust scrutiny amid concerns it would control more than half the Medicaid market in Illinois and other states. To clinch the merger, Centene needed the Pritzker administration’s approval to swap thousands of patient accounts with other state Medicaid contractors.
“I can’t thank you enough for your help in setting up the meeting between Governor Pritzker, yourself and Michael Neidorff, CEO of Centene Corporation,” said Centene lobbyist Julie A. Curry in a March 29, 2019 email to Illinois Deputy Gov. Sol Flores.
Curry followed up with a July 30, 2019 email to Anne Caprara, Pritzker’s chief of staff.
“Anne, any help that you can give in getting the Governor’s Office to complete their internal review of the Centene/Wellcare MOU with HFS would be greatly appreciated,” Curry wrote. “Please let me know if you any questions or concerns. Thank you for your consideration and help!!”
In May 2019, Pritzker also accepted an invitation from then-CEO Neidorff to speak at a ribbon cutting for a new Centene facility in Carbondale.
Then in September 2019, Pritzker’s calendar listed an hour-long call “on Centene Merger” with seven top aides, including Ann Spillane, his general counsel, and her deputy general counsel. One of the attendees, Emily Bittner, the governor’s deputy communications director, downplayed the importance of the meeting as “general background on the issues relating to the Centene merger.”
“The GC and deputy GC were not asking the governor to make any decisions, only giving him background,” Bittner said in an email to the BGA.
In a written statement to the BGA, Spillane said it was her job — and not the governor’s — to “make final decisions” on the memorandum of understanding between Centene and the state Department of Healthcare and Family Services.
“I provided the Governor and senior staff with a detailed background briefing to address questions and to assure the Governor that all potential legal issues had been considered,” Spillane told the BGA. “I then advised HFS that the agency could sign the MOU.”
Bittner portrayed Pritzker’s meetings with company executives as insignificant.
“Governor Pritzker meets regularly with CEOs who do business in the state of Illinois, and he regularly attends events to celebrate the creation of new jobs throughout the state,” she wrote. “Our records indicate that the April meeting with the CEO of Centene was a brief introductory meeting and that the company was informed in advance that the meeting would not involve any discussion of the Wellcare transaction. The Governor was not involved in the transaction.”
In December 2019, with the approval of the Pritzker administration, Centene announced it was selling thousands of patients to another insurer, easing federal antitrust concerns.
In January 2020, Centene closed its deal to purchase Wellcare. That year, Pritzker’s trust bought his Centene stock, his ethics filings show. Also that year, the state oversaw a bulk patient transfer agreement that gave Centene a toehold in the Cook County Medicaid market, and Illinois activated Centene’s separate contract for the medical care of 36,000 juvenile state wards.
With these new lines of business secured, Centene subsidiary Meridian reported profits of $181.5 million on premiums from Illinois Medicaid contracts worth $5.2 billion in 2021. Those profits did not include more than $1 billion in management fees Meridian paid to its affiliates under intercompany arrangements, state insurance filings show.
Pritzker’s ethics filings show he made a capital gain from selling Centene stock last year, but the amount of the gain is not specified.
Pritzker was notified of his holdings in Centene in 2021 when it was listed among the 300-plus entities on his annual economic disclosure filings, a report required of all elected officials. Those disclosures require public officials to list all holdings worth more than $5,000. The specific value of the holdings does not have to be disclosed, nor would Pritzker provide it.
The BGA first reported his trust’s Centene investment in February. At that time, the Pritzker administration said he was not involved with Centene.
“The governor is not involved in the contracting process related to Centene,” Jordan Abudayyeh, Pritzker’s communications director, told the BGA. “There is nothing he would have to recuse himself from.”
Questioned by Chicago media days later, Pritzker made a striking admission: The governor said he only learned of his investment in Centene when the BGA contacted him about it.
The people who run that blind trust are doing the governor no favors.
*** UPDATE *** Natalie Edelstein at the Pritzker campaign…
Any Illinoisan who has ever worked with a financial advisor would agree that if they had no idea what their financial advisor was doing with their money, they would feel blind. Under the blind trust rules the Governor has in place, Illinois voters know as much about the Governor’s investments as he does. The BGA continues to have trouble understanding the basic facts. The Governor did divest his personal holdings in companies with state contracts before he even created his blind trust and entered office. Anything the trustees have done since then, he has had no say in. The Governor has a legal obligation to file a complete and correct tax return and a complete and correct Statement of Economic Interests. If BGA and its so-called experts had their way, Governor Pritzker wouldn’t even have the information he needs to meet these legal requirements. Imagine the story BGA would write then.
…Adding… ILGOP…
“Governor Pritzker’s repeated lack of transparency is disturbing. The Governor needs to answer why he has failed to avoid financial conflicts by not telling his trust managers to refrain from investing in state contractors. The Governor, or his trusts, should release all correspondence and documents pertaining to any companies in his ‘blind’ trust that have done business with the state since he became Governor. To do otherwise would be a disservice to the voters of Illinois and to honest and transparent government,” said Illinois Republican Party Chairman Don Tracy.
Pritzker most definitely should have told the blind trust managers to never invest in state contractors, etc. But if he does it now, it ain’t actually blind.
Just days after new reporting revealed video footage of two Bailey campaign surrogates participating in the January 6th insurrection, Bailey marched in Du Quoin with campaign supporter David Paul Blumenshine, organizer of a “Stop the Steal” bus tour to Washington, D.C. on January 6th and current “regional director” on Bailey’s campaign handling “election integrity.” Bailey has yet to explain his associations with the two pastors or Blumenshine, and has refused to acknowledge their work for his campaign.
These new ties are just the latest in Bailey’s long string of connections to disgraced former President Trump and the violent attack on the Capitol.
Lawrence Ligas, a “good friend” of the Baileys, was seen campaigning alongside a paid Bailey staffer as recently as May after being charged with three criminal counts for his involvement in the insurrection.
On his support for Bailey, Ligas said: “I believe in Darren Bailey so strongly that I’m out here trying to wake up the people that don’t get it.”
Ligas and Blumenshine weren’t the only Bailey supporters involved in the January 6th attack. One couple, identified by the article as Bailey supporters, is seen in a video yelling: “Do your (expletive) job or swing!,” presumably in reference to the MAGA refrain to “Hang Mike Pence.”
That’s after Bailey himself perpetuated uber-MAGA voter fraud conspiracy theories in the aftermath of the 2020 election and happily accepted millions from billionaire Dick Uihlein, the same man who threw millions at the ultra-conservative ‘Patriots’ group that helped organize the rally leading to the violent insurrection.
“From surrounding himself with extremist insurrection participants to spreading the same lies that sparked the violent attack, Darren Bailey has made his stance crystal clear: his allegiance is to his party, not his country,” said DGA Illinois Press Secretary Yael Sheinfeld. “Illinoisans won’t let an uber-MAGA insurrectionist apologist anywhere near the state’s highest office.”
You know, one thing I can’t figure out, and I really can’t, I have not discovered the answer to this: Why the liberal media and press wants to try to destroy any conservative conversation or idea to get this state under control? And why instead they go ahead and prop up people like Joe Biden and and JB Pritzker with their destructive policies? I, I really, truly don’t understand that because the freedom of speech is what makes this country so great. So you could do and say what you want, but they’re the ones that are able to, you know, report what they want and, and the I see, you know, people on the other side of the aisle looking to eventually take that away. I mean, we’re seeing that in our college campuses and in our schools. It’s not like we’re making something up. There’s a problem here. And we have got to stand up and change out our governments this year and in 2014. We have an amazing opportunity to do that. So keep spreading the word
* From a 7th Circuit of the US Court of Appeals ruling on a lawsuit designed to halt vaccination and COVID testing mandates…
Plaintiffs in each case have failed to provide facts sufficient to show that the challenged mandates abridge a fundamental right. Nor do they provide a textual or historical argument for their constitutional interpretation. Plaintiffs do not cite any controlling case law or other legal authority in support of their position, instead relying on decisions that are either factually distinguishable or that have been overruled. Neither this court nor the district judges deny that requiring the administration of an unwanted vaccine involves important privacy interests. But the record developed and presented here does not demonstrate that these interests qualify as a fundamental right under substantive due process.
Ensuring our students have access to a great education shouldn’t be controversial; putting Illinois students first is common sense. #twillhttps://t.co/0gwLqGybHo
— Darren Bailey for Governor (@DarrenBaileyIL) August 29, 2022
* Dot points…
Guarantee Illinoisans 90% of undergraduate seats to the University of Illinois
The first priority of the University of Illinois should be to educate Illinois residents in order to improve the lives of citizens in Illinois.
Illinois students commonly make up 75% of freshman enrollees to the University of Illinois.1 The remaining quarter of the undergraduate student body comes from other states and countries. As the state’s flagship university, the University of Illinois should guarantee more spots in each class for graduates of Illinois high schools.
Senator Darren Bailey proposes to increase the proportion of freshman enrollees who come from the State of Illinois over each of the 4 years in his first term as governor. The goal of this policy is to increase the proportion of Illinoisans from approximately 75% to 90% of total enrollment at the University of Illinois. Senator Bailey proposes a new state law to guarantee the following proportion of first-year student seats at the University of Illinois to Illinoisans:
• 2023-2024: 79% of the first-year class
• 2024-2025: 82.5% of the first-year class
• 2025-2026: 86.5% of the first-year class
• 2026-2027: 90% of the first-year class
Every subsequent class will be required to have at least 90% Illinoisans.
State precedents
Guaranteeing seats to in-state students is a policy that other states have pursued.
For example, The University of Texas at Austin caps out-of-state enrollment at 10% of total enrollment, thus guaranteeing 90% of undergraduate seats to Texans.2
The University of North Carolina Board of Governors adopted policy 700.1.3 in 1986, creating the 82/18 rule. This rule put a cap on out of state student enrollment at 18% of enrolled freshman, guaranteeing 82% of positions in each freshman class to North Carolinians.3
Fulfilling the University of Illinois’ mission
The University of Illinois should focus primarily on enhancing the lives of citizens in Illinois by educating Illinoisans so that Illinois can have a more productive and educated population. Yet school administrators have a financial incentive to accept non-Illinois students because out-of-state students pay more, which provides more funding to the university.
Tuition to the University of Illinois ranges from $17,138-$22,324 for in-state students for the 2022-2023 school year. By comparison, tuition and fees for out of state students range from $35,110-$42,796 per year, while international students pay $36,018-$45,774 in tuition and fees.4
In-state students pay lower tuition and fees because their families pay taxes that fund the University of Illinois system. For example, the state appropriated $655 million in general funds to the University of Illinois System for the 2023 fiscal year. The System’s operating budget is $7.18 billion. Illinois taxpayers also cover the pension costs of university faculty and the cost of capital projects.5
Illinoisans pay taxes that fund the university’s operating budget, and so the university should show a strong preference for Illinois students. This policy needs to be reflected in state law. The University of Illinois should guarantee 9 out of every 10 seats to Illinois high school graduates.
College recruiters call the population drop “the cliff.” The cohort of Illinois high school seniors graduating in 2023 is down 5% from a 2015 peak, with the ranks of Gen Zs thinner than their millennial predecessors. The number of high school graduates is expected to drop a stunning 22% by the mid-2030s.
*** UPDATE *** Natalie Edelstein at the Pritzker campaign…
The vast majority of students who attend the University of Illinois are from in-state. As of last year, more than 80% of the University of Illinois students were Illinois residents. Darren Bailey’s lackluster campaign promise to boost in-state attendance rates is based on a false premise and is yet another example of Bailey misunderstanding the role he is aiming to take on. It is critical that Illinois universities attract out-of-state students as these are the same people who go on to start families, businesses, and lives in Illinois upon graduation. Darren Bailey is woefully underprepared to serve as the State’s best Chief Marketing officer––a role that Governor Pritzker has done exceptionally.
* Illinois ranks 11th in largest unionized workforces, according to Stacker…
To determine which states are the most unionized, Stacker looked at BLS data for 2021 (released in January 2022) and ranked each state according to its percentage of wage and salary workers who were members of labor unions.
Not surprisingly, the issue is politically polarized. Republicans overwhelmingly back right-to-work laws, and Democrats overwhelmingly side with their historic allies in labor. In fact, a red/blue map of the right-to-work states versus pro-union states looks nearly identical to that of the Electoral College.
Today, 27 states enforce right-to-work laws. These free-rider statutes extend the gains of union-won collective bargaining agreements to non-union workers who didn’t join or pay dues themselves. Predictably and as intended, many workers simply opt to piggyback instead of pitching in, which causes union membership and the influence of organized labor to dwindle. Big business prefers divided labor over organized labor for a reason. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the median weekly wage for union members in the United States is $1,169 vs. $975 for nonunion workers.
In 2021, union membership stood at about 10.3% of the U.S. workforce. That’s a little more than half of the 20.1% that existed when BLS began tracking it in 1983. Three decades before that, in 1953, more than one in three private-sector workers were union members. Today, that number has dwindled to just 6.1%. Right-to-work legislation is decided at the state level, so the country’s remaining union members are not spread out evenly. […]
11. Illinois
-Members of unions: 752,000 (13.9% of employed population)
-Up 13,000 from 2020 (-0.4 percentage points)
-Workers represented by unions: 818,000 (15.2% of employed population)
Q: So first of all, tell us more about the Illinois Right to Collective Bargaining Amendment. Proponents are calling it the Workers Rights Amendment right?
Kang: Right. The amendment actually just enshrines the right for workers to collectively bargain in the Illinois constitution. And so the words that they use are employees shall have the fundamental right, to collectively bargain for wages, hours and working conditions and to protect their economic welfare and safety at work and so only a handful of other states. have such a guarantee. Those are Hawaii, New York and Missouri. So Illinois, if this amendment passes, and Illinois would be part of that group.
Q: Well, the amendment would also bar the state from passing so-called Right to Work laws. Can you explain what the Right to Work laws actually do?
Kang: Sure, Right to Work laws, what they do is they give workers the freedom to choose whether they want to join a union or not. The law also say that employees actually can’t be forced to pay dues to a union. So if that workplace is already unionized, and you want to join this company, you don’t have to pay dues to a union. Supporters of Right to Work laws say that these laws give freedom to the workers to choose. But of course they weaken the union’s power to collectively bargain. As of now, 28 states actually have Right to Work laws, including some states around us, Wisconsin, Michigan, Indiana, and Iowa all have these right to work laws.
Q: What does this polling suggest about whether or not this will pass?
Kang: Polling at the national level suggests there’s a lot of support for unions. One poll has it at 70% of Americans supporting unions and researchers say that that’s the highest level in decades. And also, you’re hearing a lot more about workers unionizing kind of everywhere. You’ve heard about Starbucks stores unionizing, Amazon workers trying to make that happen at warehouses. Just a few days ago, Intelligentsia in Chicago, cafe workers there also voted to unionize. And this week 500 workers at Howard Brown Health also voted to join, so there’s definitely a trend.
Howard Brown Health employees voted to unionize with the Illinois Nurses Association — a move employees say will address what they’ve called a toxic work culture at the LGBTQ-affirming health care organization. […]
Howard Brown Health is a federally qualified health center that employs several hundred people across its 12 clinics, the Broadway Youth Center and its resale shops. Howard Brown Health was founded in 1974 with a focus on serving LGBTQ people and other communities that are vulnerable.
Today, Howard Brown Health serves about 30,000 patients annually with a variety of services, including including primary care, dental services, pediatric care, counseling and HIV case management, testing and outreach. The organization has been on the front lines of the coronavirus pandemic, giving out more than 70,000 vaccinations and nearly 100,000 COVID-19 tests, said President and CEO David Ernesto Munar.
Since workers launched their campaign to unionize in February, Munar has said the organization would recognize the group if it forms and bargain in good faith. He congratulated the organizers in a statement Tuesday.
* Carbondale has the first unionized Starbucks location in southern Illinois. KFVS…
According to a release from Starbucks Workers United and CMRJB, workers at the 1025 E. Main St. location won their union election on Thursday, August 11 by a tally of 11-2.
“It just goes to show that efforts to build a better future for everyone are worthwhile,” workers from the Carbondale location said in a statement.
A Richmond Heights location in Missouri also won their union election Thursday, becoming the fifth unionized location in St. Louis.
As of Thursday, according to the release, the Starbucks Workers United Movement has reached at least 210 unionized Starbucks.
