* Sen. Martwick is well known for starting “discussions.” Sometimes it works out, oftentimes, well, here’s Crain’s…
In a phone interview, Sen. Rob Martwick, who represents portions of Chicago’s Northwest Side and adjacent suburbs, said he still believes the state and particularly middle-class families need the income and lower property taxes, respectively, that a graduated income tax would bring, even though voters in 2020 rejected a proposed constitutional amendment to do that by about a 10-point margin. […]
Martwick said he has not yet drafted enabling legislation for a second referendum and that his version likely would be somewhat different that the 2022 proposal, which he sponsored when he was in the Illinois House. The matter could drag on until next year, but Martwick said his hope is to offer a bill as soon as next month and see what support it draws.
“I want to keep the discussion going,” Martwick said. […]
Martwick said he has not discussed his pending new campaign with Pritzker. He did bring it up Senate President Don Harmon, who did not endorse the idea, but said “OK, file the bill.”
Left-leaning proponents of taxing the assets held by America’s billionaires have a new target: In lieu of a federal wealth tax, state lawmakers want to tax billionaires where they live, in states like California, Washington and New York.
A group of legislators in statehouses across the country have coordinated to introduce bills simultaneously in seven states later this week, with the same goal of raising taxes on the rich. […]
Sponsors told The Washington Post that they will introduce their bills on Thursday in California, Connecticut, Hawaii, Illinois, Maryland, New York and Washington, and shared the text of their draft bills. […]
In four states — the three that drafted bills with Saez’s involvement, along with Illinois — lawmakers say they will float versions of a tax on wealthy people’s holdings, or so-called “mark-to-market” taxes on their unrealized capital gains.
* Jim Dey looks at the future of Rep. Carol Ammons after she was passed over for a Senate appointment…
What’s next on her political radar? Those who follow the political process will be waiting to see if she takes on Faraci in 2024 for their party’s nomination for the 52nd District seat.
Ammons already has filed required campaign committee papers for the Senate race. That shot across the bow was intended to persuade party leaders to appoint her to Sen. Bennett’s post.
But that move — as well as incendiary comments made by both Ammons and their supporters — had a more negative than positive impact on local Democrats.
The only Ammons supporter who has spoken publicly after the Faraci appointment is outgoing Cunningham Township Assessor Wayne Williams.
“While I’m happy for Paul, I stand by my previous comments,” he said. “I expect to be supporting (Carol Ammons) for state Senate.”
The Illinois State Board of Elections administers elections, but Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias wants his office to play a bigger role in their outcomes.
His transition committee of 125 people, including former Congresswoman Cheri Bustos, issued a report that calls for ramping up automatic voter registration, launching mail-in-ballot awareness and increasing polling places. The SOS report also calls for modernizing technology, improving driver services facilities and beefing up library enhancements, among other goals. Here’s the full report
* More on that apparent arson at Planned Parenthood in Peoria…
According to the Peoria Fire Department, the fire happened around 11:30 p.m. Sunday. Firefighters and paramedics responded around 12:15 a.m., finding flames and smoke coming out of a front window. After putting it out, firefighters searched the building and found no one inside, but a firefighter was taken to the hospital for non-life threatening injuries. Total damages are estimated at around $150,000.
A neighbor who lives on the street tells 25News she was the one who called the incident in. According to her, an individual pulled up in a car with a maroon door at the corner close to her house. They then took what looked like a lunchbox out of the car and walked down the sidewalk towards the facility. That’s when the witness saw the suspect smash a window in, throw a flaming object inside, and run down the length of the street back to their vehicle, after which they drove away from the scene quickly.
The Fire Department says this isn’t the first incident of its kind at the facility. It marks the latest act of vandalism that Planned Parenthood says is on the rise across the state and country, a trend local lawmakers are also noticing.
Scientists in France have created a way to divert lightning strikes using a weather-controlling super laser.
Researchers with the Polytechnic Institute of Paris guided the strikes from thunderclouds to places where they don’t cause damage. The team says the new technique could save power stations, airports, launchpads, and other buildings from disaster.
Don’t tell Darren Bailey. He could use that laser to zap state budgets. Not sure if he’d need a FOID card, though.
…Adding… Equality Illinois press release…
The state’s LGBTQ+ civil rights organization endorses Mayor Lori Lightfoot for re-election as Chicago’s Mayor. […]
While Equality Illinois unequivocally endorses Mayor Lightfoot, we echo the sentiments of many of our valued partners that the Mayor should accelerate her administration’s response to many of our city’s most daunting challenges, particularly those challenges like health care and housing access which disproportionately impact our city’s BIPOC residents, including LGBTQ+ BIPOC residents. At the top of this list, we hope to see a bolder, more proactive agenda to redress the inequities perpetuated by the current state of policing in the city. The city must more boldly redress the harmful over-policing of Black and Brown communities and more aggressively root out harmful police actors, including those who affiliate with anti-LGBTQ+ organizations. We call on the Mayor to lead a re-envisioning of public safety in our city; one that centers equity in its approach and keeps its residents safe.
* Isabel’s roundup…
* STL Today | Guns in St. Louis are increasingly semi-automatic — with higher caliber bullets, too: Police in recent years have seen a sharp rise in both semi-automatic guns and higher caliber ammunition in St. Louis — so shooters fire more rounds in a short amount of time, with guns that are more likely to be loaded with bullets that do more damage upon impact. That’s a grim recipe for a city that consistently has one of the highest homicide rates in the nation.
* Chalkbeat | Departing State Superintendent Carmen Ayala looks back at her tenure, COVID challenges: Just one year after being named superintendent, Ayala found herself standing next to Gov. J.B. Pritzker as he announced the closing of over 3,000 schools to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. With Ayala at the helm, the State Board of Education quickly responded to the pandemic. Now, with schools reopened, classrooms buzzing with activity, and districts flush with federal dollars to help schools deal with the fallout from the pandemic, Ayala said she feels that “It’s time to rest.”
* Crain’s | ComEd seeks four-year rate hike totaling $1.5 billion: The numbers are well above the historically high rate hikes ComEd obtained under the 2011 formula-rate law, which permitted the utility to change its delivery rates annually under a formula that essentially removed the ordinary authority the Illinois Commerce Commission has to set utility rates. In 2024 alone, ComEd seeks to hike its delivery rates by $894 million, by far the steepest one-year rate increase ComEd ever has sought. After that, rates would increase by an average of $198 million annually through 2027.
* WGN | UIC faculty strike after failing to reach agreement with administration: While the union is pushing for pay and support of mental health resources for students, UIC says mental health needs are met holistically, not as part of a single-union contract. In a statement Monday, a spokesperson for the union said they have spent the last three years scrambling to mitigate the effects of the pandemic saying “our whole community, students and faculty are exhausted.”
* Crain’s | The scion of one of Chicago’s richest families is taking on the city’s crime problems: Crown, though, is on the move elsewhere. Since October, he’s been leading a public safety task force established by the Civic Committee of the Commercial Club of Chicago. At 69, he may be finally stepping into his father Lester’s civic leadership shoes to take on Chicago’s scourge of gun violence and the city’s regrettable global image as one big crime scene. The issue is more intractable and politically radioactive than even the knotty ones like O’Hare expansion and a new county hospital the elder Crown took on.
* WBEZ | From state regulations to finding financing, Illinois cannabis craft growers face multiple obstacles: The vast majority of future craft growers in Illinois are facing significant obstacles. It’s been three years since recreational cannabis became legal in Illinois. Out of 88 licenses issued, so far only one facility has opened and only one secured a loan through a state program set up specifically for marijuana businesses. Craft growers are finding it difficult to get financing or outside investments and they’re hamstrung by state regulations. Plus, they only have until March 1 to be ready to operate. Xavier is among those 88 applicants selected by a state lottery for a conditional craft grow license. These licenses were created, in part, as a way to help people get into the cannabis industry who otherwise wouldn’t have the means to do so.
* NBC Chicago | Zelle Fraud: More People Tricked Into Sending Money Over Popular E-Pay Option: Each year, millions of dollars are stolen from consumers through Zelle in fraudulent transfers, data shows, and victims say getting help or refunds from their banks has been difficult. That could soon be changing, as the Wall Street Journal reports the big banks that own Zelle’s parent company, Early Warning Services, have been meeting and negotiating the standardization of refund procedures, as well as the sharing of liability within the Zelle network.
* Tribune | Freshwater fish are significantly more contaminated with toxic forever chemicals than saltwater fish and shellfish, analysis shows: Eating just one freshwater fish a year can dramatically increase the amount of toxic forever chemicals coursing through a person’s blood, according to a new study that reflects more than a half century of pollution contaminating the Great Lakes and rivers nationwide. The alarming finding is based on an analysis of hundreds of fish caught by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency since 2013. Though the EPA has concluded some of the chemicals are harmful at any level, the agency hasn’t drawn attention to its fish sampling or warned Americans they could be in danger.
* Tribune | Two south suburban cops stole cash, drugs, extorted drivers: A south suburban police sergeant and a patrol officer under his command are facing federal charges alleging they robbed motorists of cash and drugs during traffic stops and extorted people in exchange for declining to press charges or tow their vehicles. Jarrett Snowden, 34, of Lansing, and Antoine “Bell” Larry, 46, of Bolingbrook, both officers for the small village of Phoenix, were charged in a four-count indictment made public Tuesday with bribery conspiracy, extortion, and attempted extortion.
* WBEZ | Everybody’s late and everything smells like weed: What nearly 2,000 CTA riders told us: The second-largest transit system in the United States spent 2022 trying to bounce back from a slew of challenges: a pandemic that wiped out ridership in systems across the country, shortages of bus and train operators and a massive culture shift toward remote work. That’s not much solace to John Wilmes, a professor at Roosevelt University who is pursuing a career change so he can work remotely after commuting for 12 years. “It’s been that bad. I can’t rely on it anymore,” he said. “I’ve always been a defender of the Chicago Transit Authority. I’ve always said, ‘Actually, it’s not that bad. It’s actually one of the good things about living here. It’s pretty reliable.’ That’s no longer true. And the city doesn’t seem to care.”
* Herald & Review | The steep plunge in used car prices — what it means, and what’s ahead: Since the start of the pandemic and the resulting disruptions to new car supply chains first sent prices soaring, used car prices posted their largest annual increase on record — up 45% in the 12 months ending in June 2021, according to the Consumer Price Index — before swinging to a 12-month drop of 8.8% in the most recent reading for December.
* News-Gazette | New abortion clinic to open in west Champaign: Plans for this new clinic have been afoot since at least June, when a fundraiser to help pay for a building purchase was launched on GoFundMe by Dayton, Ohio-based OB-GYN Dr. Keith Reisinger-Kindle and two others listed as fundraising team members, Aeran Trick and James Reisinger-Kindle.
* Tribune | A new lane in Chicago politics? Movement for more bike infrastructure grows: Rebecca Resman’s biking education group had long focused on teaching kids to safely ride bikes, hosting parent forums, family group rides and bike-to-school days. But then three children were killed in car crashes last June, including 2-year-old Raphael “Rafi” Cardenas atop a mini-scooter in Lincoln Square and 11-year-old Ja’Lon James biking to the store to get milk in Lawndale. The family of 3-year-old Lily Grace Shambrook, who was riding on the back of her mother’s bike in Uptown when she was killed in a semi-truck crash, plans to file a lawsuit Tuesday against the companies and drivers involved with her death, Clifford Law Offices said.
* WCIA | Champaign organization donates books to Central Illinois prisoners: For almost 20 years, Books To Prisoners has collected books to send to prisons in the area. The non-profit donates more than 6,000 books a year. Program coordinator Rachel Rasmussen said books are a great way to humanize and educate prisoners who don’t have access to reading.
* WSIL | Doughboy Statue Vandalized in Herrin: The Doughboy Statue was recently vandalized in Herrin overnight with paint splattered on the base of the memorial and on the grounds around it.
Charles Parola, Chairman of the Doughboy Committee, assessed the damage to the sculpture on Monday after hearing about what happened.
* WGN | Voting underway for 50 finalists in Chicago’s ‘Name a Snowplow’ contest: Last month, Chicago officials announced the contest and encouraged residents to use their “ingenuity and imagination” to create names by Jan. 6. The Department of Streets and Sanitation picked the finalists and voting is open through Jan. 31.
* Press release | Department on Aging Seeks Nominations for Senior Illinoisan Hall of Fame: “Nominating an older friend, family member or neighbor for the Senior Illinoisan Hall of Fame is a wonderful way to show them the impact of their contributions to your community,” said IDoA Director Paula Basta. “Each year, we enjoy reading the nominations to get to know Illinois’ most outstanding older adults and giving special recognition to four of them.”
Officials say an overnight fire at the Peoria Planned Parenthood clinic was intentionally set.
Peoria Fire Department battalion chief Jeff Hascall said firefighters responded to a call at 2709 N. Knoxville Ave. just after 11:30 p.m. They found fire and smoke showing from one of the front windows. Planned Parenthood of Illinois president and CEO Jennifer Welch said a fire accelerant was thrown through the window.
The fire was brought under control by 12:15 a.m. Nobody was in the building at the time. One firefighter was taken to the hospital with minor injuries.
The fire was deemed to be an arson. Damage, estimated at $150,000, to the building are “significant,” said Welch.
“Thankfully, no patients or team members were present or harmed. Senseless acts of vandalism have been on the rise across the country and Illinois has become a target as extreme and divisive rhetoric increases,” Welch said in a statement.
Abortion procedures are not performed at the Peoria Planned Parenthood clinic, though abortion pills effective through the 11th week of pregnancy are available. The clinic offers services, including birth control, sexually-transmitted infection testing and treatment, and hormone replacement therapy for trans patients.
Welch said Planned Parenthood will work with authorities to prosecute those responsible “to the fullest extent of the law.” No arrests have been made.
Eight of the nine candidates vying for Chicago’s mayor took to the stage Saturday for a two-hour Women’s Mayoral Forum at the Chicago Temple. […]
“Do you remember how you felt when you heard about that draft decision? It was like a punch in the gut,” Mayor Lori Lightfoot said while calling out Paul Vallas on the issue of abortion rights. “All of us were up in arms. All of us took to social media. All of us were doing everything that we could, except for Paul Vallas, who has been silent on us for seven months until today at this forum.” […]
“Lori likes to reinvent new facts to suit her narrative. That dog doesn’t hunt in this game,” Vallas, who is the former CPS CEO, responded. “As mayor, I pledge to work tirelessly to ensure that Chicago is a reproductive safe haven.”
“Shame on you, Paul, for not talking about women’s rights until today,” Lightfoot added.
Anti-abortion activists’ greatest ambition is to shape public opinion on abortion regardless of whether the procedure is legal, several of them said in conversations with the PBS NewsHour. The same advocates are also concerned about people who face unexpected pregnancies, and said that they want to expand social safety nets to help parents and infants — though much of their vision of the safety net is centered around Christian religious community.
“Quite frankly, this is all kind of new and there’s so much up in the air,” said Carol Tobias, president of the National Right to Life Committee, of her organization’s plans. “It’s kind of like throwing darts at that board to see where it’s going to land. We’re certainly going to try to direct it, but there are just a lot of unknown possibilities out there yet.”
“Nothing begets success like success,” said Shawn Carney, co-founder, CEO and president of 40 Days for Life, an anti-abortion activist group that twice a year organizes simultaneous prayer campaigns outside of abortion facilities for 40 days.
“People who were hesitant to do 40 Days for Life said, ‘Oh, we’ve got to do it now. We’re winning.’”
Leading up to the fall of Roe v. Wade last summer, activists and Republican politicians fought to restrict and ban abortion via medication, which has become the most popular and increasingly accessible way to terminate a first-trimester pregnancy in America. And the Food and Drug Administration’s recent rule change allowing retail pharmacies to provide the abortion drug mifepristone directly to patients has only heightened abortion opponents’ urgency to disrupt access to these pills. National anti-abortion groups have already announced upcoming protests at CVS and Walgreens, which have agreed to obtain certification to dispense the drug. […]
The text of one email [Rev. Patrick Mahoney, director of the Christian Defense Coalition] sent to the anti-abortion listserv, which he shared with The Daily Beast, outlined a specific strategy to win a boycott campaign. “Focus in on JUST ONE national chain. Pick the one that is in the weakest financial position.” Mahoney wrote. “Focus on the chain that has the most locations in the pro-life leaning states. Direct action and peaceful protests and local pharmacies. In other words, treat each pharmacy like an abortion clinic.”
For now, Stanton Public Policy Center has tabled its wild goose chase—finding Danco’s HQ—to focus on disrupting access to medication abortion. The group has planned a demonstration at a CVS in Northwest Washington, D.C. next Wednesday afternoon. Different groups have announced protests at various CVS and Walgreens locations all over the country on Feb. 4 and at Walgreens’ headquarters in Deerfield, Illinois, on Valentine’s Day.
Idaho’s Supreme Court upheld the state’s abortion ban—but they also offered some ‘clarifications’ on law that aren’t likely to do anything other than further confusion and suffering. For example, Idaho’s ban requires that doctors who legally terminate pregnancies (in the limited exceptions that the state allows to do so) in a way that “provide[s] the best opportunity for the unborn child to survive.” Like, what?
The court writes that doctors performing abortions “must remove that unborn child in a manner that provides the best opportunity for survival (e.g., vaginal delivery or cesarean delivery)” as opposed to a procedure like a D&C—even if the doctor understands that the fetus will not be viable—unless doing so would pose a “greater risk of the death of the pregnant woman.”
* WSIL | Gun legislation, abortion among topics at Tuesday’s town hall in Marion: State Reps. David Friees (R-Red Bud), Dave Severin (R-Benton), Paul Jacobs (R-Pomona) and Patrick Windhorst (R-Metropolis) and Sens. Terri Bryant (R-Murphysboro) and Dale Fowler (R-Harrisburg) are expected to attend. Severin wants to make clear that the town hall is not a gun rally and that organizers planned the event weeks before the gun legislation came to a vote.
* Bloomberg Law | State Abortion Rulings Post-Dobbs Begin Defining Scope of Rights: State top courts have begun weighing in on whether their laws provide greater protection for abortion rights than the federal constitution, with mixed results. A majority of South Carolina’s Supreme Court justices recently held that the state constitution’s guarantee against unreasonable invasions of privacy extends to abortion. But the Idaho Supreme Court reached the opposite conclusion, holding that there’s no fundamental right to abortion in the state constitution.
* NWI | Indiana Supreme Court weighs constitutionality of near-total abortion ban Thursday: At issue is whether the near-total abortion ban enacted in August by the Republican-controlled General Assembly and Republican Gov. Eric Holcomb infringes on liberties guaranteed by the Indiana Constitution. The 60-minute hearing before the five Republican-appointed justices is scheduled to begin at 8 a.m. Region time.
* Youth Today | For foster youth, new restrictions make abortion access even more difficult: As a growing number of states ban or further limit abortion in the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade in June, women in many places face increasing barriers to seeking abortion. But for teenagers and young people in foster care or those who have recently aged out, the new restrictions are making abortion access, already a challenge, even more difficult. Foster youth are more likely to become pregnant than their peers and less likely to have financial resources and a family support system. An American Academy of Pediatrics study found that half of children born to teens in foster care ended up in child protective services custody by their second birthday.
* AG Raoul obliquely mentioned this topic during his inaugural address and I fleshed it out a bit for subscribers last week. Suffice it to say, Raoul wants a similar law passed here. Press release…
Attorney General Kwame Raoul led a coalition of 18 attorneys general supporting a New York law to hold the firearms industry accountable. In an amicus brief, Raoul and the coalition argue that New York has the authority to protect residents and public safety.
New York enacted its statute to hold gun industry members accountable for the irresponsible sale and marketing of firearms when that conduct results in harm to the public. Under the law, public officials or private citizens can file a lawsuit against a gun industry member when they knowingly or recklessly endanger the safety or health of the public in New York state through the unlawful or unreasonable sale, manufacturing, importing, or marketing of firearms. Gun industry members can also be held liable when they fail to use reasonable controls and procedures to prevent firearms from being unlawfully used or sold in New York state.
“Attorneys general play a key role in protecting residents from unlawful industry practices,” Raoul said. “My office has used its consumer protection powers to hold the tobacco, opioid, and payday loan industries accountable. Our enforcement actions have significantly changed industry behavior to protect Illinois residents. The firearms industry is not exempt from that same accountability, and that is why I filed this brief in support of New York’s law.”
Several members of the firearms industry sued New York, arguing that the statute is preempted by federal law and is unconstitutional. The U.S. District Court for the Northern District of New York dismissed the lawsuit. Raoul and the coalition are now asking the appellate court to affirm the lower court’s ruling, which found that the law is not preempted by the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act — a federal law that limits civil remedies against gun industry members for harms caused solely by the misconduct of individuals who use firearms. The court also found that the law did not run afoul of either the Dormant Commerce Clause or the Due Process Clause of the U.S. Constitution.
Raoul and the coalition argue that New York’s statute is lawful and benefits the public. As the brief explains, empirical evidence suggests a direct link between the harmful effects of gun violence and the irresponsible actions of gun industry members, such as dealers failing to enact reasonable controls to prevent straw purchasing or manufacturers designing novel marketing schemes to target vulnerable youth. New York’s law serves the important purpose of deterring gun industry members from engaging in irresponsible practices that actively contribute to increasing gun violence and, where necessary, holds those who engage in such tactics accountable for their own actions.
The brief is the most recent step in Attorney General Raoul’s work to address gun violence throughout Illinois and across the nation. The Attorney General’s office created a state-of-the-art crime-gun tracing database for Illinois law enforcement called Crime Gun Connect. Raoul’s office also collaborates with local law enforcement to combat gun trafficking and has used the office’s jurisdiction to prosecute multi-county gun trafficking offenses. Additionally, the Attorney General’s office works with law enforcement agencies and prosecutors to increase awareness of Illinois’ red flag law and to address gaps in Illinois’ firearms licensing system. The office also continues to prosecute individuals who lie on FOID card applications.
The Attorney General’s office partners with the U.S. Secret Service National Threat Assessment Center (NTAC) to try to avert violence by hosting trainings for law enforcement officers, educators, religious leaders and other community members that are designed to prevent targeted acts of violence.
Attorney General Raoul has persistently advocated at the federal and state levels to strengthen regulation of 3D-printed guns and ghost guns. Illinois law now prohibits ghost guns, but the office continues to fight in federal court to help defend a recent rule closing the federal loophole. Meanwhile, the Attorney General’s office also defends cases pending in courts across the state challenging Illinois regulations of firearms. Nationally, Attorney General Raoul successfully filed and resolved a lawsuit to get the federal firearm license of an unscrupulous arms manufacturer revoked.
In addition to supporting law enforcement, the Attorney General’s office supports victims service providers around Illinois that offer trauma-informed services for crime victims and their families. Raoul’s Crime Victims Services Division administers a host of programs and services to assist survivors of violent crime. More information is available on the Attorney General’s website.
Joining Raoul in the filing the brief, are the attorneys general of California, Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Hawaii, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, New Mexico, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington and Wisconsin.
…Adding… Meanwhile, I told subscribers about this today, so I’ll just share it here without comment…
The DuPage County Sheriff was irresponsible on multiple levels when he pronounced that he would not enforce the assault weapons ban recently signed into law.
Know that the 16 legislators representing the vast majority of the county will fight to protect you where he will not. pic.twitter.com/RY7KBaf0wl
*** UPDATE 1 *** The first lawsuit against the new assault weapons ban has been filed. Looks like they’re using the kitchen sink approach. Click here.
*** UPDATE 2 *** You knew it wouldn’t be long before Tom DeVore found a pigeon… er… client…
I am pleased to announce this moming we have filed our first lawsuit in Effingham County against Governor Pritzker, Senate President Don Harmon, Speaker of the House Christopher Welch and Attorney General Kwame Raul in regard to HB 5471, which law is an outright attack on the constitutional rights of lawful gun owners across the state unless one is so fortunate to be in the large group of persons who somehow are excepted out. The case is styled as Accuracy Firearms, LLC et al. v. Pritzker et al. which case number is 2023-MR-04. The people came together, and as result, citizens from 87 counties joined in this effort to defend their inalienable rights to bear arms and to further stand up against the tyrannical ways which their legislature and the Governor continue to pass legislation in violation of clear constitutional mandates.
No longer can the citizens sit idly by while bureaucrats destroy the very foundational fabric of our great Republic. It’s an honor of my lifetime to play a role in representing the People against tyranny. Whether it be with the Illinois Supreme Court or the United States Supreme Court, we will continue to seek redress at every available turn until such time as the foundational principles which make this country great are restored to the People.
The Court has graciously provided my clients with an emergency hearing at 11:00 A.M. tomorow in Effingham County wherein we are asking for a temporary restraining order to restore their constitutional right to bear arms while this matter proceeds through the Courts.
“Bureaucrats”? This is duly enacted legislation, Tom. Good to see he hasn’t lost his dramatic flair /s
*** UPDATE 3 *** ISRA…
“The ISRA leads the charge in opposing Illinois’ new gun legislation, which we believe to be unconstitutional. We will be filing a federal lawsuit imminently.”
* Rep. Blaine Wilhour (R-Beecher City) on Tucker Carlson…
Wilhour: Tucker, there are sheriffs all over the state, in fact, the majority of them said they’re not going to enforce this because it’s unconstitutional and it’s not enforceable. And, Tucker, man, I think that we are in danger of losing our country if we don’t stand up, if we don’t wake up. And you know, I didn’t leave the farm to go to the General Assembly to stand by and watch somebody like JB Pritzker trash our Constitution. He trashed it during COVID with his illegal lockdowns. He trashed it with his so called SAFE-T Act letting violent criminals out on the street. And now he’s coming after our guns and we’re just here to tell him that there’s 2.5 million legal gun owners in the state of Illinois that need a word and if he thinks that he’s going to come in here and make us register or legally obtained firearms, well, he better pack a lunch because it’s not going to happen we won’t comply.
Carlson: Well, of course, these are people who were not committing crimes, who are threat to nobody. And here is one of the dumbest, least accomplished people in our country. His family’s rich, he buys the seat and he can violate the Constitution because his family’s rich? So I really hope that people will just say no, this is too far and you think that people will do that?
Wilhour: I think they will. Violence is out of control in Chicago, they got the toughest gun laws in the country. You know, if they want to solve the crime problem they need to solve the opportunity problem in this state. Democrats in this state have destroyed the ability to make a good wage for too many people in this state.
Carlson: Yeah, so let’s go after the law abiders.
Wilhour: And that’s left too many people behind, Tucker, and that’s where the violence comes from.
Carlson: Blaine Wilhour, remaining in Illinois I hope for a long time. Great to speak to you, thank you.
* Interesting work from home data from a noted Stanford Economics Professor…
The Census has also started putting out #WFH data and gives an identical picture to our SWAA data.
Indeed, BLS, Census, Google and SWAA all have WFH data series. All show similar patterns, confirming the US trend of 30% of days WFH post-pandemic.https://t.co/IlKAW2htFPpic.twitter.com/fgujOhANuv
• The American Community Survey measures the share of employees who work fully from home.
• On a comparable sample – employees aged 20-64 earning at least $10,000 – the [American Community Survey] finds 18.39% of employees are fully remote while [the US Survey of Working Arrangements and Attitudes] finds 19.97%
• Google Workplace Mobility data measures the reduction in commuting days to workplaces across all cellphone users.
• Google records a 24.4% reduction in daily trips to workplaces, which when added to an ATUS-based estimate of 5% of days WFH pre-pandemic (see Barrero et al, 2021), yields a 29.4% share of WFH days. The corresponding SWAA estimate is 28.2%.
• The Household Pulse Survey measures the amount of working from home 1-2, 3-4, or 5+ days in the previous week at the individual level. For an aligned sample by age and income from June 2022 to December they estimate 30.2% of days WFH a week compared to 29.3% of days for SWAA
• On all three measures our SWWA data aligns extremely closely and levels and time series, giving us confidence in the accuracy of the analysis using this.
* The Question: How does your workplace location differ from before the pandemic? Explain.
When the Democrats get their act together during a legislative lame duck session, they can really pass a lot of stuff in short order.
We’ve seen it before. Two years ago, the Democrats passed a huge amount of important legislation, including the SAFE-T Act, in just a few days.
Except maybe for the assault weapons ban, which is proving unpopular with county sheriffs who believe they have the right to personally interpret the Constitution, nothing quite that intensely controversial passed during this year’s lame duck session.
Both chambers also passed a bill to protect out-of-state abortion providers who travel to Illinois, which has since been signed into law. The bill also protects non-Illinois physicians and parents of children who travel here for gender-affirming care.
And both chambers gave Gov. J.B. Pritzker a big win with the passage of his $500 million Large Business Attraction Fund. There are hopes that the governor can use at least some of that money to persuade Stellantis to transform its about-to-be-closed Belvidere plant to one that makes electric vehicles.
The coverage of those three bills will likely overshadow some other bills of note:
• SB208: I think this bill could have more impact on the day-to-day lives of struggling working people than maybe anything else I’ve ever seen passed in Illinois. All workers at private companies will now qualify for five paid leave days per year, no questions asked.
Just try missing a couple of days’ pay on a budget with absolutely no wiggle room. It can be a disaster. And now, some, or even much of that pain will be avoided.
The state’s top business groups, led by the Illinois Retail Merchants Association, have been negotiating this bill for years, mainly in an attempt to preempt Chicago from passing a more generous plan. But the final bill allows the city and other home rule units to pass more expansive benefit laws, and the groups were neutral.
All props to sponsors Rep. Jehan Gordon-Booth and Sen. Kimberly Lightford for getting this thing across the finish line with the help of the two Democratic legislative leaders, the governor and organized labor. Some Republicans even voted for it in the House. I really can’t believe this all came together.
• HB1563: The legislature approved a bill a few years ago which required all state jobs with no specific location requirements to be relocated to Sangamon County. Newly created jobs had to be located in the state capital’s county as well. But both lame duck chambers significantly loosened those requirements.
• HB969: The Commission on Government Forecasting and Accountability revised this fiscal year’s revenue outlook upward by a whopping $4.9 billion last November. The belief is that this money is one-time only, so the governor and the Democratic legislative leaders have proposed using most of that cash to pay down bills, build up the Rainy Day Fund, create a business attraction fund, etc.
But legislators are spending creatures and they all have priorities, so the pressure to add big-time dollars into the state’s base spending is undoubtedly intense, which could cause a fiscal disaster if/and/or when revenues fall.
One solution is to divert some of that extra cash into one-time spending for members, including capital projects. The idea would be to placate legislators without putting future pressure on the state budget.
So, the new supplemental appropriations bill has a ton of one-time local and Democratic priority spending, like $5 million to the Hate Crimes and Bias Incident and Response Fund; $162 million for “costs associated with care and services provided to asylum seekers” that the city has sought; $1 million to the Chicago Recovering Communities Coalition for the South Side Heroin/Opioid Task Force; $10 million to the Office of the State Appellate Defender for “all costs associated with pretrial release”; $500K to the Peoria Civic Center for “audience building seed”; $75 million for housing programs; $4 million for East St. Louis home renovation grants; $11 million for construction of an East St. Louis trauma recovery center; $9 million to community colleges and universities to administer the Mental Health Early Action on Campus Act; etc., etc., etc. Several churches will receive state funds as well.
Not everyone was happy. Just $12.5 million was appropriated to community-based services for persons with developmental disabilities, when advocates wanted at least $30 million.
And there’s a danger that a few of these one-time grants could create future spending pressure. Casa Central, a Latino social service agency, is getting $500,000 for ongoing operating expenses as is the Peoria Riverfront Museum and others. But it’s not really a huge amount.
* WSIL | Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton speaks at 2 MLK events in Southern Illinois: Stratton first joined the community at the SIU Student Center where she spoke at the MLK 41st Scholarship Breakfast sponsored by the Carbondale Branch NAACP. She then made her way to Pulaski, IL, where she then attended and spoke at a Martin Luther King Jr. event there as well.
* Crain’s | Chuy Garcia unveils public safety plan in race for mayor: The anticipated plan sought to walk the difficult tightrope other campaigns have faced in advocating for both investing in the police department by “increasing staff levels and focusing” on patrol beats, while investing in violence prevention efforts. Garcia’s speech touting the plan heavily criticized Lightfoot for “broken promises” and backtracking on reform efforts, but his own plan mirrored Lightfoot’s approach in some aspects and was light on specifics when calling for new approaches.
* Herald and Review | How Alexi Giannoulias hopes to shorten your wait at the DMV : “We are excited about bringing some of this new technology. We are looking at implementing our skip-line appointment program, which will reduce wait times,” Giannoulias told Lee Enterprises in an interview last week. “We’re going to launch an electronic car title system to streamline the car registration process.”
* Crain’s | Orphe Divounguy: How Illinois could benefit from a Midwestern revival: Today’s affordability crunch in expensive coastal cities creates an opportunity for the Midwest. As people look for new ways to overcome the home affordability crisis, Midwestern markets—which tend to be relatively more affordable—are expected to fare better than other similarly sized metro areas amid the current nationwide housing cooldown.
* Crain’s | Ken Griffin sells Park Tower condo for $11.2 million: The 66th-floor condo at the Park Tower on Michigan Avenue sold Jan. 13. It’s the second completed deal in the sell-off of his downtown Chicago portfolio, which began in July when he put four units on the market with a combined asking price of $54.5 million.
* AP | Memorial for Lisa Marie Presley to be held at Graceland: A public memorial service for Lisa Marie Presley will be held next weekend at Graceland, the famed Memphis home of her father, Elvis Presley. The memorial for Lisa Marie Presley will be held on the front lawn of the mansion at 9 a.m. on Jan. 22, according to a representative of her daughter and actor Riley Keough.
* AP | On King’s holiday, daughter calls for bold action over words: The Rev. Bernice King, who leads The King Center in Atlanta, said leaders — especially politicians — too often cheapen her father’s legacy into a “comfortable and convenient King” offering easy platitudes. “We love to quote King in and around the holiday. … But then we refuse to live King 365 days of the year,” she declared at the commemorative service at Ebenezer Baptist Church, where her father once preached.
As Governor Pritzker begins his second term in office, the administration has announced the following personnel appointments to Illinois State Agencies:
Illinois Department of Central Management Services (CMS)
Raven DeVaughn will serve as the Director of the Illinois Department of Central Management Services.* Prior to taking on this role, DeVaughn served as Assistant Director at CMS where she oversaw the agency’s procurement through the Bureau of Strategic Sourcing (BOSS), promoted minority and women owned participation in CMS contracts; oversaw the Bureau of Administrative Hearings and the Illinois Office of Communications and Information; and served as liaison to the recently created Commission on Equity and Inclusion and the African Descent-Citizens Reparations Commission. Before joining CMS, Raven served as the Director of Economic Development Initiatives within the Office of Civic Engagement at The University of Chicago, where she designed and advanced policies surrounding the University’s community-based economic inclusion efforts on the south side of Chicago. She earned a Bachelor of Arts in English from Howard University and a Juris Doctor degree from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.
Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO)
Kristin Richards will serve as the Director of the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity.* Most recently, Richards was the Director of the Illinois Department of Employment Security where she oversaw the provision of more than $38 billion in unemployment benefits to hard-hit families during the pandemic. With more than 20 years of public service experience, Richards has served under two governors and as Chief of Staff for two senate presidents. In her time with the Illinois Senate, Richards played a critical role in bipartisan negotiations which resulted in Medicaid and pension reform, and later, ending the more than two-year budget impasse. She began her career in public service as a James H. Dunn Fellow in the Governor’s Office in Springfield. Richards earned her Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Millikin University.
Illinois Department of Employment Security (IDES)
Ray Marchiori will serve as Temporary Director of the Illinois Department of Employment Security. Marchiori currently serves as the Chief of Staff for the IDES and has more than 25 years of public service experience. He has served in executive-level roles for state, county, and federal agencies. Marchiori received his Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Northern Illinois University.
Illinois Department of Innovation and Technology (DoIT)
Brandon Ragle will serve as Temporary Secretary of the Illinois Department of Innovation and Technology. Ragle has worked at DoIT since 2016, where he served as the Assistant Secretary and the Chief of Enterprise Applications. Prior to that, he was Deputy Chief of Enterprise Applications. Ragle brings 30 years of service in state government, serving in various roles supporting the Illinois Department of Corrections, Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation and Illinois Department of Insurance. Ragle spent the past two decades in information technology. Ragle served in the Illinois National Guard for seven years and was non-commissioned officer of the year in 1995. Ragle received a Bachelor of Arts in Organizational Leadership from Greenville College and Master of Business Administration from Benedictine University.
* Appointments pending confirmation by the Illinois Senate.
* 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.
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.
* 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.”
* 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.
* 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.
* 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 | 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.”
Gov. JB Pritzker signed a measure Friday shielding reproductive and gender-affirming health care patients and providers from legal action originating across state lines.
Illinois lawmakers on Tuesday approved a measure protecting Illinois’ access to abortion from out-of-state meddling, making the state the latest to pursue such protections since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade last June.
The bill will shield reproductive and gender-affirming health care patients and providers from legal action originating across state lines in a post-Roe world where some states are moving swiftly to restrict such procedures.
* From the governor’s press release…
• Shields individuals in Illinois from foreign subpoenas, summons, or extraditions related to lawful reproductive or gender affirming care in Illinois. Requires courts in Illinois to apply Illinois law in cases involving reproductive health care.
• Requires the Department of Public Health to partner with organizations to provide grants for abortion training.
• Clarifies that Advanced Practice Registered Nurses and Physicians Assistants can perform abortions consistent with their training and within their scope of practice.
• Requires local units of government including schools, municipalities, and counties that offer health insurance plans to provide coverage for contraceptives, and if they offer pregnancy-related benefits, abortion.
• Requires abortifacients (i.e., medications administered to terminate a pregnancy), gender-affirming health care medications, and PEP/PrEP medication (i.e., HIV treatment) to be covered by insurers at no-cost to the consumer.
• Prevents insurers from charging higher out-of-pocket costs for certain insurance plans when patients are forced to seek out-of-network provider care due to an in-network provider raising moral objections under the Health Care Right of Conscience Act.
• Expands access to reproductive health care by permitting birth centers in Illinois to provide full spectrum reproductive health care and sexual health care, instead of only childbirth-related needs of pregnant persons and their newborns.
• Allows patients to receive hormonal birth control over the counter from a pharmacist pursuant to a standing order from the Illinois Department of Public Health.
• Establishes a counterclaim for individuals who have a judgement entered against them in another state for reproductive health care that is legal in Illinois.
• Clarifies that no person is subject to civil liability for receiving an abortion under the Wrongful Death Act, clarifies that no hospital personnel shall report an abortion to law enforcement agencies, and clarifies that the statute of limitations under the Reproductive Health Act is 2 years.
• Amends the Parentage Act:
o Allows intended parents or parents to dispose of any cryopreserved fertilized ovum to be governed by the intended parent’s or parent’s most recent informed consent or under a marital settlement agreement.
o Allows for the establishment of a parent-child relationship in the event of gestational surrogacy wherein the intended parent dies; and
o Allows an out-of-state physician to certify the genetic make-up of embryos.
• Adds “assisted reproduction” to the definition of reproductive health care in the Reproductive Health Act. “Assisted Reproduction” means a method of achieving a pregnancy through the handling of human oocytes, sperm, zygotes, or embryos for the purpose of establishing a pregnancy.
• Prevents the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR) from taking disciplinary action against any health care professional licensed under the Division of Professional Regulation Acts governed by IDFPR based solely upon the license of the professional being disciplined by any state for providing or participating in any health care that is legal in Illinois, regardless of whether it is legal in the other state.
• Allows IDFPR to establish expedited, temporary licenses for out-of-state healthcare professionals seeking to provide healthcare in Illinois. Allows these licensees to offer telehealth.
• Amends the Wrongful Death Act to prohibit someone from asserting a claim as a result of a lawful abortion.
• Adds additional protections for healthcare providers and facilities from being punished for providing abortions and related services.
* From sponsoring Rep. Kelly Cassidy’s speech today…
When the Supreme Court overturned Roe, I learned an important lesson. Doesn’t matter how long you’ve anticipated a punch in the gut, it still hurts. We all came together on that day too, many of us were together. And as we hugged and cried and consoled each other, I thought about the people who dedicate their time and energy to attacking those least able to defend themselves. Whether that’s an acting bans on reproductive care, attacking the trans community by taking away health care or simply trying to legislate them out of existence, and I resolved to punch those bullies back even harder. I referred to them as bullies in debate on the House floor. They didn’t like it. But that’s exactly what they are. They’re punching down. Well, they got a problem. Folks, this is the first of those punches but certainly not the last. […]
Our mission is clear. If you want to come after people seeking care or their providers, if your mission is to torment trans kids and their families, you’re gonna have to get through all of us first.
* Press release from Rep. Adam Niemerg (R-Dietrich)…
“As I have previously stated, there does not seem to be any restrictions on abortion that the majority party would ever support,” Niemerg said. “This legislation goes far beyond merely allowing abortion to be legal in Illinois. The leaders in the House and the Senate are actively promoting abortion and even taking the extreme position to provide legal immunity to abortion providers. The message we are sending abortion providers is it does not matter what kind of sanctions other states have placed on you and if a woman in your care dies, you can’t be sued. This is not pro-woman. Allowing unqualified medical personnel to perform abortions and protecting abortion doctors from lawsuits does nothing to protect women. Anyone who cares about women’s health should be opposed to this monstrous legislation.”
Q: There’s word that you might be going to Davos for the conference there. If so, what do you plan to do to help the people of Illinois?
Pritzker: Well, I want to promote the state of Illinois. I was very pleased and honored to be invited to go to the World Economic Forum, just as I did last year, as you know, to COP 26 to promote our Climate and Equitable Jobs Act. While I’m in Davos I’ll be talking to, meeting with national leaders here from the the United States but also international leaders and promoting commerce for the state of Illinois, as well as the ideas that have really come forth from the state of Illinois that I think others may want to follow.
Q: Davos is made up of world leaders. Do you one day want to be on that stage as, perhaps, President? [laughter]
Pritzker: We’re the fifth largest state in the United States. We’re already on the world stage. [applause]
Chicago— Governor Pritzker will travel to Davos, Switzerland next week to speak at the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting and promote Illinois’ achievements on the world stage. The meeting brings together world leaders across industries to discuss political and social priorities, this year focusing on the theme “Cooperation in a Fragmented World.” The Governor will also visit Germany for business development purposes.
“I’m looking forward to meeting with leaders from across various industries, nonprofits, and business over the course of next week to learn from the cutting edge work they’re doing and to share our own advancements here in Illinois,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “Our work on clean energy, our investments in infrastructure, and our dedication to technological innovation and growth are all world-class, and I’m excited to perform my role as Chief Marketing Officer for Illinois on the world stage.”
Governor Pritzker will participate in several forum events over the course of the week, including invitations to speak on panels and join roundtable discussions:
• Tuesday, January 17th
o American (Un)Bound Panel on the American Legislative Landscape
• Wednesday, January 18th
o Gathering of World Leaders: Roundtable on Navigating the New Energy Reality
• Thursday, January 19th
o Joint Governor’s Policy Meeting: Industry Infrastructure
o Gathering of World Leaders: Roundtable on Chartering the Course to COP28
Governor Pritzker will be accompanied by First Lady MK Pritzker, Chief of Staff Anne Caprara, Deputy Governor Andy Manar, and Deputy Governor Christian Mitchell. Governor Pritzker will highlight the Climate and Equitable Jobs Act, the Reimagining Electric Vehicles Act and Illinois’ many commitments to clean energy and sustainable power. The Governor will also highlight the Rebuild Illinois Capital plan, one of the largest in the U.S., and our state’s nation leading work on reproductive health and gun violence prevention.
* Well over a thousand bills have already been introduced in the House. Here is a tiny sampling of synopses, starting with Rep. Rita Mayfield’s HR0010…
Declares November 18, 2023 as “A Christmas Story Family Day”.
Amends the Illinois Police Training Act. Provides that the Illinois Law Enforcement Training Standards Board, police training schools approved by the Board, law enforcement agencies, and units of local government may not initiate, administer, or conduct training programs that include warrior-style training, either directly or through a third party. Provides that the Board may not reimburse a law enforcement agency or unit of local government for any portion of training programs that include warrior-style training. Provides that law enforcement agencies and units of local government may not indemnify or otherwise provide liability protection for a peace officer for liability arising from the use of tactics derived from warrior-style training. Defines “warrior-style” training. Preempts home rule. Amends the Illinois State Police Law of the Civil Administrative Code of Illinois to make conforming changes.
Amends the General Assembly Operations Act. Provides that if a witness slip is filed in either chamber on a bill or amendment, and all of the text of that bill or amendment is subsequently incorporated into another bill or amendment, then that witness slip shall, with the consent of the person filing it, be associated in the database of witness slips maintained by the Legislative Information System with the bill or amendment into which the text is incorporated. Provides that the Legislative Information System shall establish and maintain a database for tracking witness slips.
They shouldn’t even think about doing that until the GA tightens up the requirements for witness slips. Right now, you can put any name on your electronic slip. It’s ridiculous. Some bills are absolutely flooded with highly questionable slips. Back when they only used paper slips, you had to attest, under penalty of perjury, that you were signing your actual name, organization, etc. The slips, as they currently stand, are worthless and many are just a mockery.
* Reps. La Shawn K. Ford and Jehan Gordon-Booth’s HB1…
Creates the Compassionate Use and Research of Entheogens Act. Establishes the Illinois Psilocybin Advisory Board within the Department of Public Health for the purpose of advising and making recommendations to the Department regarding the provision of psilocybin and psilocybin services. Provides that the Department shall begin receiving applications for the licensing of persons to manufacture or test psilocybin products, operate service centers, or facilitate psilocybin services. Contains licensure requirements and prohibitions. Provides that a licensee or licensee representative may manufacture, deliver, or possess a psilocybin product. Provides that the Department may obtain, relinquish, or dispose of psilocybin products to ensure compliance with and enforce the Act and rules adopted under the Act. Creates the Psilocybin Control and Regulation Fund and the Illinois Psilocybin Fund and makes conforming changes in the State Finance Act. Requires the Department of Agriculture, the Illinois Liquor Control Commission, and the Department of Revenue to perform specified duties. Contains provisions concerning rulemaking; taxes; fees; zoning; labeling; and penalties. Preempts home rule powers. Contains other provisions. Amends the Criminal Identification Act. Provides that specified records shall be expunged prior to (i) January 1, 2024 (rather than January 1, 2023) and (ii) January 1, 2026 (rather than January 1, 2025). Provides for expungement of specified records concerning the possession of psilocybin and psilocin. Amends the Illinois Controlled Substances Act. Removes psilocybin and psilocin from the list of Schedule I controlled substances. Amends the Illinois Independent Tax Tribunal Act of 2012. Provides that the Tax Tribunal shall have original jurisdiction over all determinations of the Department of Revenue reflected on specified notices issued under the Compassionate Use and Research of Entheogens Act. Effective immediately.
Amends the Public Community College Act. Provides that the Illinois Community College Board shall develop and maintain a program to provide free tuition at one community college in each R3 Area (designated as such under the Cannabis Regulation and Tax Act) using money appropriated from the Cannabis Regulation Fund. Authorizes the Board to adopt any rules necessary. Amends the State Finance Act to make related changes.
Friday, Jan 13, 2023 - Posted by Advertising Department
[The following is a paid advertisement.]
The Illinois Credit Union League is the primary trade association for Illinois credit unions. On behalf of our member credit unions, we offer congratulations to the newly sworn in members of the 103rd General Assembly!
Credit unions are not-for-profit cooperatives that focus on their members and the communities they serve. Credit unions function like other financial institutions in many ways: they offer checking accounts, savings accounts, and credit cards, as well as personal, home, and auto loans, free ATMs, and more. However, credit unions exist as member-owned cooperative institutions. Credit union across Illinois are actively engaged in the communities where they are located. We look forward to working together to provide consumer friendly financial products and services to benefit the communities and constituents you serve!
* From Molly Parker at the Southern Illinoisan a while back…
Illinois’ sex offender registry, which now includes more than 32,000 people — most of them men, though some women, as well — has rapidly expanded since its first iteration in 1986.
Then, it included four qualifying crimes. Today, there are more than 30 crimes that trigger mandatory registration, including some repeat misdemeanor offenses.
In recent years, policy makers and advocates, both for offenders as well as victims, have been raising questions as to whether the registry, and the ever-increasing rules around it, really makes the public safer, or causes more societal harm than it does good.
In 2018, a bipartisan task force recommended Illinois take a far more nuanced approach to its registry, providing for risk assessments that allow law enforcement to focus limited resources on monitoring and more robust treatment options for people who are at high risk of re-offending.
The task force also recommended that those who pose less risk automatically fall off the registry after a set period of time. In fact, one of the key findings of the group is that the registry has not lived up to its mission.
• Illinois law requires people on a public conviction registry who are homeless to report weekly in person to police—compared to annual or quarterly registration for people with housing. […]
• CPD detectives conduct 23,000 re-registrations per year of 450 homeless people alone, collecting and uploading the same forms each week. It is rote paperwork
Whether you agree with registration or not, the City of Chicago’s police department is making a real mess of things.
Victims and their families also say poorly functioning registries are not in their interests. Jennifer Bishop-Jenkins, a victim advocate and director of Marsy’s Law for Illinois, said victims can be retraumatized if the system fails to work as promised “This is a matter of public safety and law. And it is not something that should be a, ‘Oh, only if we feel like it today.’ ” […]
Data from public records show CPD routinely registered more than 1,000 people per month in 2018. By the end of 2022, that number had been cut nearly in half.
The team that registers people is “a unit that for some reason the Chicago Police Department, especially the bureau detectives, who oversee this unit, do not care if it succeeds. And right now it is failing,” said Patty Casey, a former Chicago Police Commander who oversaw the registries until she retired in June 2021.
Casey called the situation inhumane — and said people who are trying to comply with the law should be able to do that.
If they can’t register, they risk arrest for no reason.
CPD refused to answer any and all questions when pressed by WBEZ.
* Mayor Lori Lightfoot was asked about the WBEZ story yesterday. She didn’t have much of a response…
Well, I’m not, I’m not, I was not aware of that. But obviously we need to make sure that we’re abiding by the law. And particularly when it comes to these folks that have to register on a on a regular basis, something I will take up with the superintendent and deal with thatto make sure that they’re able to comply with the law, and that we’re doing what we need to do to make sure that they have the ability to register accordingly.
Last night Governor JB Pritzker signed into law HB5471, the Protect Illinois Communities Act. This act placed restrictions on the ability to possess military-style weapons and high-capacity ammunition magazines. The Act goes into effect immediately.
Knox County Sheriff Harlan has issued a statement stating that: 1) He is the chief law enforcement officer of Knox County; 2) That he has decided that the Act is unconstitutional; and 3) he will not enforce the Act or make arrests based on violations of the Act. I disagree with all three of these positions and encourage him to reconsider.
First, while this is largely semantic, Illinois Courts have repeated declared the state’s attorney to be the chief law enforcement officer of the county because he or she decides whether charges are filed. Second, the Protect Illinois Communities Act is presumed constitutional and enforceable until Illinois courts state otherwise. Third, until a court issues such a ruling, a law enforcement officer has an obligation to investigate crimes and enforce the law.
There is a process to address the constitutionality of a newly-enacted law. For example, I joined over 60 state’s attorneys in a law suit seeking that the Pre-Trial Fairness Act be found unconstitutional. A trial court sided with the State’s Attornevs and the issue is now before the Illinois Supreme Court. Until the trial court issued its decision in the last week in December, my office was prepared to enforce the Act starting on its effective date of January 1st. I urge the Sheriff to follow this example.
The sheriffs unilateral approach creates a problematic patchwork of enforcement. Apparently, no arrests or investigations regarding violations of the Act will occur in the county, but can still occur within municipalities like Galesburg, Abingdon, or Knoxville. Further, the Sheriff has pledged not to take into the jail those who are arrested in Galesburg or other cities for violation of this Act. Will those people be then housed in different counties at Knox County’s expense or will they just be released in the community? Furthermore, agree with the statute or not, it does give law enforcement another tool to keep firearms out of the hands of individuals whom we all agree ought not have them. It makes little sense to say that tool will not be used in any circumstance.
As law enforcement officers, our personal convictions regarding a particular act or statute are largely irrelevant. The legislature decides what the law is. The courts decide whether they are constitutional. Its up to the Sheriff and I to enforce the laws.
The Sheriffs conviction regarding the Act should not be allowed to have the effect of law in Knox County. Personally, I agree that the statue has constitutional issues. These need to be decided in a courtroom and not, in the back office of the Sheriffs Department.
The potential for uneven enforcement within counties is a good point. Anyway, discuss.
* Related…
* Sheriffs say they want no role in enforcing state’s assault weapon registry: Dozens of county sheriffs in Illinois — approximately “80-ish,” per Illinois Sheriffs’ Association head Jim Kaitschuck — say they’ll refuse to enforce a provision of a new assault weapons ban that would require owners of such guns to register them with the state. … [Chicago-Kent College of Law professor Harold Krent] contrasted the sheriffs’ move with state’s attorneys’ actions surrounding the cashless bail provision of Illinois’ SAFE-T Act, which was supposed to do away with cash bond in Illinois on Jan. 1. Despite grumbling from dozens of state’s attorneys in Illinois, even the staunchest opponents to the law were at least somewhat prepared to comply with it in the new year, at least until the Illinois Supreme Court stayed the law on Dec. 31, pending a full appeal.
* ADDED: Does Your Sheriff Think He’s More Powerful Than the President?: The Marshall Project collaborated with political scientists Emily Farris and Mirya Holman on a survey of America’s 3,000-plus sheriffs last year. More than 500 responded, and more than a dozen agreed to be interviewed after taking the survey. (Read about our methodology at the end of the accompanying story.) Though only a handful claimed membership in Mack’s group, more than 200 (nearly half of the respondents) agreed with him that their own authority, within their counties, supersedes that of the state or federal government. (Another 132 clicked “neutral.”) More than 300 — which account for one-tenth of America’s roughly 3,000 sheriffs — said they are willing to place themselves between a higher government authority and their constituents, an action they call “interposition.”
*** UPDATE 1 *** Attorney General Kwame Raoul was asked today “what can be done to protect the assault weapons ban and how you continue to address those sheriffs?” His response…
First of all, as Attorney General, I get to weigh in to my legislators as to what our opinion is on pending legislation. Sheriffs have a Sheriffs’ Association. They have an opportunity to do the same.
But once the legislature passes legislation and the governor attaches a signature to it, it’s the law of the land that they have the duty that they’ve sworn an oath to enforce.
I will say also that as law enforcement agencies, there’s overlapping jurisdiction as well. So if they don’t do their jobs, there are other people available to do the job.
*** UPDATE 2 *** Mark Maxwell asked House Republican Leader Tony McCombie a very good question…
Maxwell: During the pandemic and the use of the Governor’s executive pandemic powers, we saw a lot of law enforcement officials say ‘We choose not to recognize this assertion of power because it didn’t go through the legislature.’ They they saw it as executive overreach. Just this week, the legislature wrote new laws banning assault weapons, and the governor signed it into law, going through that proper process. And yet again, we have some law enforcement officials saying they won’t enforce the assault weapons ban. Do you fear that undermines the legitimacy of the legislature?
Leader McCombie: No, I don’t think so. I think that’s the question of the Constitution. In the bill, there’s nothing in there saying how they’re supposed to find these guns, how they’re going to go into people’s homes. Also, I believe the majority of the people believe in the Second Amendment and support the Second Amendment and that’s why they’re not going to do that. This bill will go to the courts for sure. And if it comes out the courts the favor of Second Amendment folks, they will come back and they will try to write another bill. This will be a never ending process. But this still, and we need to be honest, this is not going to do anything, this bill is not going to do anything about the root causes. It’s not going to stop gun crimes in Chicago or anywhere else across the state. And if we don’t get together and start addressing those issues, then this will never stop.
COVID times: We will not enforce this executive order because it didn’t go through the legislature!
* Daily Herald | Bill guaranteeing workers five days of paid leave will head to governor: “Paid leave for all is about the dignity of work,” said Rep. Jehan Gordon-Booth, a Peoria Democrat and a lead sponsor on the bill. “It’s about humanizing and honoring the realities that we know that adult workers have in our daily lives and providing a space for folks to just do what it is that we all have the luxury and are so blessed to do.”
* Crain’s | Emanuel’s role in ComEd board pick comes to light: A source close to the matter says Emanuel agreed in 2017 to use his influence to help Latino community leader Juan Ochoa get a seat on the Chicago utility’s board. The push—which also involved former U.S. Rep. Luis Gutierrez, D-Chicago, a close Emanuel ally—was successful. The source recalls Emanuel said at the time he’d been able to get Ochoa the ComEd board slot.
* WBEZ | Student mental health emerges as key issue as UIC faculty strike date looms: Faculty union members who are threatening to strike on Tuesday are asking for increased pay in part to compensate for larger workloads they say have resulted from their students’ heightened mental health needs. They are also asking the university to provide free psychological and neuropsychological testing for struggling students.
* Sophia Van Pelt | Better Government Association: How Illinois courts are hidden from FOIA: Statistical information from the courts is subject to open access laws in 27 states, and 15 more have court rules and policies that make the data available. But a quirk in the wording of Illinois’ FOIA – it does not explicitly name the judicial branch – has allowed the courts to interpret the law to mean they are exempt from FOIA. In other words, the judiciary has decided it does not need to be held accountable to the public in the same way other parts of the government are. This is a disservice to the people of Illinois and seems contrary to the original intention of FOIA.
* WTTW | Reflecting on the Road to Death Penalty Abolition in Illinois, 20 Years After Sweeping Clemency: Renaldo Hudson, director of education at the Illinois Prison Project, was one of the 167 people who had his sentence commuted. “It meant I had the opportunity for my humanity to be seen, and not just the act that I committed,” said Hudson, who was given a death sentence for a murder he committed when he was 19 years old.
* KHQA | Pritzker celebrates milestone at Quincy Veterans’ Home: The “Topping Out” ceremony marks a significant milestone in the nearly $300 million renovation and rehabilitation project that will provide a 260,000 square foot residential long-term care facility and 80,000 square foot independent living facility to Illinois veterans.
