* From the Tribune’s story about the newly proposed SAFE-T Act revisions…

[Sen. Robert Peters], a sponsor of the original SAFE-T Act, was joined in filing Wednesday’s amendment by Democratic state Sen. Scott Bennett from Champaign, a former prosecutor who drafted his own proposed changes to the SAFE-T Act in September.

That’s hugely important.

The Senate will be taking up the amendment tomorrow morning.

* Darren Bailey on Cities 92.9…

And the bottom line, the bottom line is, frustrating as it is, early mail-in voting is what nailed us. That’s just simply all there is to it.

Mail-in voting would’ve helped, but Bailey lost by something like 12 points. I mean, if it helps convince Republicans to stop behaving against their own interests and start early voting, then fine. But that wouldn’t have won him the race and if that’s the only lesson the GOP learns, then they’ll never amount to much here.

Bailey went on to say some really off the wall things. But since he’s not running for anything at the moment, I’ll just leave it at that. Kinda tired of the rantings.

* Press release…

State Representative Dan Brady (R-Bloomington) today issued the following statement regarding his selection to be a part of Secretary of State-elect Alexi Giannoulias’ transition team:

“During the campaign I stressed that the office of Secretary of State should be more about public service than public policy. I have had the unique experience of working with Secretary White on the issues of distracted driving, organ and tissue donation, senior citizen services, and services for individuals with special needs.”

“I am honored that Secretary-elect Giannoulias is rising above party politics by drawing on that experience to make the office the best that it can be. I may be leaving elected office in a few short weeks, but I have always desired to help the people of Illinois in any way that I can. I appreciate this opportunity to use my unique knowledge to help enhance a statewide office that affects the lives of more Illinoisans on a daily basis than any other.”

More here.

* Railroad press release 1…

Today, Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky, a Senior Chief Deputy Whip and Chair of the Consumer Protection and Commerce Subcommittee of the Energy and Commerce Committee, issued the following statement after voting in support of H.J. Res. 100, ratification of the Tentative Agreement, which increases wages and benefits for rail workers, preserves the right-to-strike in the long-term, and ensures American families can access the goods and services they will need this holiday season and throughout the year, and H. Con. Res. 119, which would increase the number of sick days in the tentative agreement from one to seven days:

“I did not take this vote lightly, as I am a strong supporter of collective bargaining, and am proud that the state of Illinois has enshrined the right to bargain collectively into its Constitution.

“Let me be perfectly clear – the leadership of American railroads should be ashamed of themselves. They have spent the better part of a decade hollowing out their workforce, in pursuit of quarterly profits and at the behest of Wall Street, thus creating an untenable situation for many workers.

“This gross mismanagement brought us to where we are today and put Congress in a position it should have never been in. Collective bargaining is sacred, and Congress should not intervene in it unless the circumstances are at least as dire as they are today. The work is never done, and that is the case today. Congress must work to undo the operational changes made by railroads over the last decade that have devastated railroad workers.

“I call on the Senate to support the improvements the House made to the Tentative Agreement as reflected in H. Con. Res. 119, which would provide workers with seven days of paid sick leave.”

Railroad press release 2…

Congresswoman Mary Miller (R-IL) released the below statement on her vote to avert a rail strike impacting the agriculture industry:

“Amtrak Joe” promised to be the railroad President, but he failed to bring both sides to an agreement to prevent a catastrophe. I voted today to prevent a railway stoppage that would bring the agriculture industry and the transportation of food in our country to a grinding halt. Farmers rely upon rail and are already suffering from the Biden Diesel Crisis and the Biden Supply Chain Crisis, they cannot face another crushing blow to their ability to operate their farms and provide food to the American people.”

* Three citations in a single day?…

On November 29, 2022, the Illinois State Police (ISP) issued citations in three separate traffic crashes involving move over law violations, (otherwise known as “Scott’s Law”) violations. Two of the three crashes involved Illinois Department of Transportation vehicles. The first crash occurred on Interstate 70 eastbound near milepost 64, near Vandalia (Fayette county) in District 12. The second crash occurred on Interstate 94 northbound near 142nd Street (Cook county) in District Chicago. The third crash involved vehicles belonging to a private contractor performing roadway work on US 67 northbound at US 34 (Warren county) in District 14. Injuries were reported in two of the three crashes. The at fault drivers in all three crashes were cited for violating Scotts Law.

ISP is reminding the public of the requirements of Scott’s Law. When approaching an emergency vehicle, or any vehicle with its emergency or hazard lights activated, drivers are required to slow down AND move over. A person who violates Scott’s Law, commits a business offense and faces a fine of no less than $250 or more than $10,000 for a first offense. If the violation results in injury to another person, the violator’s driver’s license will be suspended for a mandatory period of anywhere between six months and two years. All 50 states have mandatory move over laws to protect first responders, roadway maintenance workers, roadside workers, and all motorists traveling on the road.

* Tonight? Already?…

Before you watch Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer on @CBS tonight, here’s my story on how this story was created right here in Chicago:https://t.co/XdSPAL6M3t

— Kori Rumore Finley (@rumormill) November 30, 2022

* Isabel’s roundup…

* CBS Chicago | Jewelry, historic souvenirs among items offered in Illinois Treasury Department holiday auction: The Illinois Treasury Department is ramping up for the 2022 holiday auction of unclaimed property. It includes things like jewelry, collectible coins, and historic souvenirs.

* Center Square | This Is the Poorest City in Illinois: Among the 91 places in Illinois with available data and populations of at least 25,000, East St. Louis ranks as the poorest. The typical East St. Louis household earns $24,009 a year, compared to the statewide median household income of $68,428.

* SJ-R | Nativity scene installed at Illinois Capitol, joins menorah; other religious displays to follow: The displays can be placed in the Capitol as the organizers are privately based and not affiliated with the state of Illinois. Indeed, one of the event’s organizers, Julie Zanoza, mentioned that the state called the Christmas tree located next to the display a “holiday” tree, even though most people would recognize the holiday that it represents.

* SJ-R | In Illinois, congressional action to avert rail strike necessary or ‘horrible precedent’: Asked on Tuesday whether he supported congressional action, Gov. JB Pritzker indicated that he supported the president’s decision. “Railroads are extraordinarily important, especially right now because we are having trouble with barges on the Mississippi” he said. “We cannot have a situation in which the supply chain is cut off because there is a mass railroad strike.”

* Sun-Times | Another suburban Chicago resident gets 18 months probation for Jan. 6 role: Dawn Frankowski, 54, was arrested in Naperville in September 2021 and charged along with David Wiersma of Posen, who on Tuesday was also sentenced to 18 months of probation. Both pleaded guilty in late August to misdemeanor parading, demonstrating or picketing in a Capitol building.

* Patch | How IL Senators Voted On Same-Sex, Interracial Marriage Protection: Illinois Senators Dick Durbin and Tammy Duckworth voted Tuesday with the majority on landmark legislation codifying federal protections for marriages between same-sex and interracial couples.

* WBEZ | As new federal judge takes over court-ordered reforms, CPD faces blistering criticism over its efforts so far: A new chapter began Tuesday as Dow handed over the gavel to Judge Rebecca Pallmeyer after he was tapped to be Chief Justice John Roberts’ chief of staff. During a court hearing, Dow reflected on his work on the consent decree, which he called “the most challenging, the most vexing, the most time-consuming and, in many ways, the most rewarding case that I’ve had in my 15 years on the bench.”

* WBEZ | Illinois’ weed workers are unionizing at a record pace. Now comes the hard part.: This surge in union election wins in the cannabis industry is a glimmer of hope for organized labor, which has seen its ranks decline for the past half-century, from a high of 35% in 1954 to 12% today. Most of the unionized workforce is now in the more welcoming public sector — and the reason why recent union campaigns at two of the most well-known Fortune 500 companies, Amazon and Starbucks, have captured public attention.

* Axios | Illinois hoping for earlier presidential primary: Members of the Democratic National Committee meet tomorrow to determine a new primary structure and schedule for the 2024 presidential primaries. Why it matters: The DNC has signaled it’s moving on from Iowa as the first Midwest state to hold primary voting.

* WTTW | It Was a Busy Month for Illinois Politics : Between Election Day and more candidates entering the race for Chicago mayor, it was a busy month for politics. Take our November News Quiz to see how much you know.

* Tribune | Meet the winners of the Tribune’s 2022 Holiday Cookie Contest: From a delicious shortcut using Rolo candies in decadently chocolatey cookies, to the sweet cinnamon lacing our third-place sugar cookie recipe, each of the winning cookies has a unique touch that left a lasting impression on our dozen judges from the Tribune newsroom. And yet, two of them can be made in under an hour.

* As of 2:40 today, our LSSI fundraiser had reached $12,725. While needs vary for each child, $25 is the average cost of a Christmas gift. A big thank you to all who have donated. Let’s keep this going!