* I don’t think they’ve been assigned their new offices yet, but, yes, this will most likely happen when the newbies come back to town in a couple of weeks and see where they’ve been placed…

Somewhere right now in the Stratton Building, a House staffer is explaining to a freshman lawmaker what they think is their office walk-in closet is in fact their office. Welcome to the Stratton.

— Randy Wells (@aaaawells) January 12, 2023

* Rep. Chris Miller (R-No Relation) rose on a point of personal privilege yesterday…

I rise today in response to the Speaker’s comments yesterday attacking my wife as well as the Freedom Caucus in Washington for holding firm on their commitments to drain the swamp. I want to thank the 20 conservative patriots in the US House of Representatives for their efforts to stop reckless spending and debt that is crushing our country. Those 20 Members of Congress fought against the status quo to get hard spending caps so that Washington can actually cut spending at a time with record inflation and a $31 trillion debt. And this chamber on both sides of the aisle, we can learn a lesson from their courage. A broken Congress is a Congress that passes a 4,000-page 1.7 trillion omnibus bill that nobody read, passing in the middle of the night on Christmas Eve. That is something that cannot happen again, thanks to these 20 patriots. I’m proud that the Illinois Freedom Caucus is fighting fiscal sanity here in Springfield and my constituents appreciate the bold effort of 20 Freedom Caucus members for doing the same thing in Washington, DC. Thank you very much and God bless you.

“I’m proud that the Illinois Freedom Caucus is fighting fiscal sanity here in Springfield” is not a typo.

Anyway, I asked Rep. Miller what Speaker Welch had said about US Rep. Mary Miller. He wouldn’t say. So, I checked and re-checked Welch’s inaugural speech. The only thing I could find that might be about her was this passage…

We must stand up to the extremists who want to pull us backward – because matters of basic human dignity shouldn’t be subject to the ideologies of politicians and judges.

…Adding… A commenter suggested that this might be it…

I also want to thank and congratulate our new Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias. After what we all watched in Washington last week, you sure made this inauguration look like a model of efficiency.

* Isabel’s roundup…

* Tribune | Things to do around Chicago: Events for MLK Day, puppets and ‘Chicago’ the musical: Martin Luther King Jr. Day at the Chicago History Museum: This family-friendly event invites visitors to reflect on King’s life through various activities and performances.

* Sun-Times | Why Illinois’ new assault weapons ban might not hold up in court: “The constitutional interpretation of the Second Amendment, of course, loomed large in the drafting of this legislation,” state Rep. Bob Morgan, D-Deerfield, said at Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s bill-signing ceremony Tuesday night. “Both chambers took that very seriously,” Morgan said. “We have to make sure that we’re passing laws that will withstand scrutiny. So we took those things into account. And, of course, there are a lot of legal threats that came, and we look forward to being able to take our arguments to court.”

* Journal Star | Jehan Gordon-Booth makes history with new title in state legislature: The selection makes her the first African American and first woman to lead budget negotiations in the House in the history of the state. “When we work together, we can do great things for the people of this state,” Gordon-Booth said in a press release. “Our budget is a reflection of our values, it’s important and necessary that we support essential services that residents depend on.”

* Center Square | Legislation restricting Illinois counties’ decisions on wind farms ready for governor: “It’s been clear that we need to do some permitting reforms that will provide reasonable limits on the restrictions that counties can place on the construction of renewable energy,” state Rep. Robyn Gable, D-Evanston, said.

* Sun-Times | Illinois Gaming Board OKs gaming license for clout-heavy lawyer James J. Banks in an about-face: Nearly two years ago, the Illinois Gaming Board denied a coveted and potentially lucrative video gambling license sought by James J. Banks, a clout-heavy Chicago lawyer and banker who’d served on the Illinois Tollway board under five governors, saying his “associations” threatened to impugn the gaming industry. But now the gaming board has reversed course, voting 3-0 in December to allow Banks’ Gaming Productions, LLC, to secure what’s called a terminal operator license. That means he can now distribute and draw income from video poker machines and similar devices in businesses such as bars and restaurants in Illinois communities where such gambling is legal.

* Center Square | Mail workers robbed; bomb threat cleared; push underway to legalize psychedelic mushrooms: The latest incident happened in Lincoln Park. Police said a mail carrier was on his route when two men pulled out guns and robbed him around midday Wednesday. The union representing mail carriers said they were working with the postal service to get protection for carriers.

* AP | US Kindergarten Vaccination Rate Dropped Again, Data Shows: Usually, 94% to 95% of kindergarteners are vaccinated against measles, tetanus and certain other diseases. The vaccination rates dropped below 94% in the 2020-2021 school year, during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic. A Centers for Disease Control and Prevention study released Thursday found rates dropped again in the 2021-2022 school year, to about 93%.

* WMBD | Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias visits Bloomington in first week of office: Giannoulias said he plans on utilizing new technology to help modernize the DMV experience. “We are looking at digital IDs and digital driver’s licenses. Skip the line program. So new technology will help really decrease wait time and make it easier for people to access government services,” said Giannoulias.

* Chicago Reader | Illinois extends curbside pickup for medical patients to January 31: Dina Rollman, senior vice president of government affairs at Green Thumb Industries, was unsure about why the variance needed to end in the first place. “We have taken steps to try to understand what the purported reason was for ending curbside and we have been unable to discern any basis for it whatsoever,” she said.

* Tribune | State announces Illinois Beach State Park shoreline erosion projects; ‘It’s essential that we preserve these spaces for future generations’: Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker and officials from the Illinois Department of Natural Resources and the Illinois Capital Development Board have announced plans for two projects to protect roughly 2.2 miles of shoreline from further erosion at Illinois Beach State Park in Zion for an estimated price tag of $74.5 million.

* Sun-Times | Looking back at Colleen Callahan’s nearly four years as the first woman director of the IDNR: I was leery when Callahan was appointed because she did not have a background in biology. She came more from the media and communications side, but she helped lead the IDNR back toward competency and its place as a destination job. The IDNR she took over was a skeleton after four years of budget issues under former Gov. Bruce Rauner. The IDNR has a long way to go to full recovery, but it is again a functioning agency. To me, that is her greatest legacy.

* Tribune | US Rep. Jesús ‘Chuy’ García vows more neighborhood patrol teams and outreach — and a new police superintendent — in public safety plan: Repeating calls from other challengers, García said Chicago police Supt. David Brown should be fired and criticized him as an ineffective leader. He vowed to shift resources from citywide units to patrol teams in the neighborhoods, as well as fill administrative positions with civilians and keep sworn personnel working on the streets.

* WTTW | In Addition to CPS Teachers, Lightfoot Campaign Also Asked City Colleges Instructors to Encourage Students to Help Her Win Reelection – for Credit: In her first public remarks since WTTW News broke the story, Lightfoot said the emails should not have been sent, and blamed “a young staffer” for making a “mistake” that was “well intentioned.” No one else in her campaign’s leadership knew about it until it unleashed a firestorm of criticism from her opponents in next month’s election and demands for investigations, Lightfoot said.

* Tribune | Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s signature Invest South/West program is 3 years old. But some of its big projects were already planned when she took office: Some of the largest investments were already on the launchpad when Lightfoot took office. Others were for standard repairs to existing buildings. And many of the projects are still in the conceptual phase and have not even begun to be built. Of the more than $750 million that the city counts as part of the public spend for Invest South/West, more than half has been allocated toward those kinds of expenditures rather than new or groundbreaking projects, the Tribune found.

* Fox 2 | Mystery lemur found in Illinois family’s garage: The Illinois Conservation Police worked with Miller Park Zoo staff to safely capture Julian and transport him to Miller Park Zoo, where he is being cared for by their expert staff. “I greatly appreciate that the family asked for help in recovering this animal,” said Jay Pratte, Miller Park Zoo Director. “We will work with the IDNR on the next steps of King Julian’s journey.”