* Filling Greg Harris’ shoes will not be easy, but Gabel is a very talented legislator and JG-B has clearly shown that she has the legislative chops to handle her tough assignment. Rep. Lisa Hernandez being moved up to deputy is also noteworthy since she is also state party chair. Leader Gabel, by the way, was a member of the “19” who refused to reelect Speaker Madigan. It’s a new day…
Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch announced the members of his House Democratic leadership team Thursday, which includes Majority Leader Robyn Gabel, Speaker Pro Tempore and Chief Budgeteer Jehan Gordon-Booth, Deputy Majority Leader Lisa Hernandez, Assistant Majority Leader Jay Hoffman, and Assistant Majority Leader Kam Buckner.
“As I reflect on my first two years as Speaker of the House, I’m awestruck by what we were able to accomplish for the state we are all proud to call home,” said Speaker Welch. “It didn’t come easy or without challenges, and I wouldn’t have been able to achieve that success without the support of a strong leadership team that values our core Democratic principles and has a deep desire to put Illinois back on the side of working families. This new team I have assembled to help lead the largest Democratic majority in modern times is diverse, courageous, fiercely passionate, and driven by a strong moral compass that will continue to provide clear direction for our caucus and our House. We have much work to do for the people of this state and I am proud to stand alongside these dynamic leaders, as well as the rest of this duly elected chamber, to continue down the path of progress and purpose for all of Illinois.”
The following can be attributed to Majority Leader Robyn Gabel, D-Evanston.
“I’m honored to receive the great responsibility of being chosen as majority leader and I look forward to helping our entire Democratic Caucus succeed,” said Gabel. “In this new role I will continue to prioritize values that are most important to me – collaboration, inclusivity, and assisting my colleagues deliver results for their communities. I want to thank Speaker Welch for entrusting me to be our caucus’ leader, as well as Leader Harris for his dedication to our state. I look forward to the great things we’ll accomplish together in this upcoming legislative session.”
The following can be attributed to Speaker Pro Tempore and Chief Budgeteer Jehan Gordon-Booth, D-Peoria.
“Over the past two years, we have proven what we can accomplish with a leadership group that values and understands collaboration,” said Gordon-Booth. “As we look ahead, I am more optimistic than ever that we can work together on effective solutions to address the challenges facing working families across our state. In replacing Leader Greg Harris as the new chief budget negotiator, I’ll continue to prioritize our fiscal health and responsibly utilize our resources for the betterment of Illinois. I’m thankful for the trust of my colleagues and Speaker Welch, and I look forward to serving alongside this remarkable group of leaders.”
The following can be attributed to Deputy Majority Leader Elizabeth Hernandez, D-Chicago.
“Speaker Welch remains committed to unifying not just the Democratic Caucus, but all of Illinois. This leadership team reflects his commitment to diversity and inclusivity, and his desire for continued collaboration among our growing caucus. As we look ahead to these next two years, we are all united in our shared responsibility to do what’s right for Illinoisans, and to make our state a more welcoming place to call home.”
The following can be attributed to Assistant Majority Leader Jay Hoffman, D-Swansea.
“We have important work ahead of us in this next General Assembly. We must continue to prioritize our fiscal health and respond to the needs of families working through inflationary pressures. We must find opportunities to make government more effective and efficient. And we must stand united as Democrats, alongside Speaker Welch, to build a better, stronger Illinois for all.”
The following can be attributed to Assistant Majority Leader Kam Buckner, D-Chicago.
“I want to thank Speaker Welch and the rest of my colleagues in the Democratic Caucus for entrusting me with the privilege of serving on this leadership team. Two years ago, Speaker Welch’s election as the first Black Speaker of the House in our state’s history ushered in a new era for Illinois. Since that time, we’ve seen unprecedented fiscal stability, the passage of landmark criminal justice reform, and an equity-centered clean energy jobs package. As a member of this leadership team and on behalf of the people of Illinois, I will work diligently to build upon that legislative progress.”
Speaker Welch’s full leadership team will consist of:
· State Rep. Robyn Gabel – Majority Leader
· State Rep. Jehan Gordon-Booth – Speaker Pro Tempore / Chief Budgeteer
· State Rep. Mary E. Flowers – Deputy Majority Leader / Dean of the Caucus
· State Rep. Elizabeth Hernandez – Deputy Majority Leader
· State Rep. Jay Hoffman – Assistant Majority Leader
· State Rep. Natalie Manley – Assistant Majority Leader
· State Rep. Kam Buckner – Assistant Majority Leader
· State Rep. Aaron Ortiz – Assistant Majority Leader
· State Rep. Barbara Hernandez – Assistant Majority Leader
· State Rep. Marcus Evans – Assistant Majority Leader
· State Rep. Robert “Bob” Rita – Assistant Majority Leader
· State Rep. Kelly Burke – Assistant Majority Leader
· State Rep. Theresa Mah – Majority Conference Chair
· State Rep. Nick Smith – Majority Officer / Sergeant at Arms
In addition to these leadership posts, Speaker Welch has called on members within the House Democrats to serve as caucus whips, which has been utilized as an emerging leaders program. These members will be charged with rallying various caucuses and members around legislation and priorities for the entire Democratic Caucus. This team will include:
· State Rep. Lakesia Collins – Black Caucus Whip
· State Rep. Edgar Gonzalez – Latinx Caucus Whip
· State Rep. Jennifer Gong-Gershowitz – Asian American Caucus Whip
· State Rep. Frances Ann Hurley – Mod Caucus Whip
· State Rep. Lawrence Walsh Jr. – Downstate Caucus Whip
· State Rep. Will Guzzardi – Progressive Caucus Whip
· State Rep. Anne Stava-Murray – Women’s Caucus Whip
· State Rep. Nabeela Syed – Freshman Caucus Whip
· State Rep. Maurice West – Assistant Floor Whip
· State Rep. Ann Williams – Assistant Floor Whip
· State Rep. Katie Stuart – Assistant Floor Whip
· State Rep. Bob Morgan – Assistant Floor Whip
Speaker Welch is incredibly proud of the team he’s assembled – one of the most diverse in our state’s history. It includes experienced members, whose institutional knowledge will be instrumental, while also harnessing the passion and enthusiasm of the Gen-Z generation. For the first time in the history of the Illinois House of Representatives, Speaker Welch will convene the leadership team for a leadership retreat in January to discuss emerging priorities for the House Democratic Caucus.
*** UPDATE *** House Republican Leader Tony McCombie has released her own leadership list…
Deputy Minority Leader: Norine Hammond
Deputy Minority Leader: Ryan Spain
Conference Chair: Jeff Keicher
Assistant Minority Leaders:
John Cabello
CD Davidsmeyer
Charlie Meier
Brad Stephens
Mike Marron
Jackie Haas
Floor Leader: Patrick Windhorst
That’s a pretty darned good list. Also, I gotta say, Rep. Windhorst is really growing on me.
…Adding… From Leader Stephens…
State Representative Brad Stephens (R-20) has been appointed Assistant House Minority Leader by newly elected House Republican Leader Tony McCombie as the 103rd General Assembly was sworn in on Wednesday. Stephens was elected to his second full term this past November after being appointed to the seat in 2019 succeeding former State Representative Mike McAuliffe.
• When McCombie chose Stephens, she cited his strong background and experience on economic development issues as a key component of the House Republicans’ legislative agenda moving forward
• Stephens’ knowledge of the issues facing law enforcement and first responders because his district represents both City of Chicago and suburban Cook County which continues to face a litany of crime issues.
• In fact, Stephens is the only member of the House Republican Caucus who represents the City of Chicago and one of two members in the caucus representing Cook County (the only other seat is the Durkin seat)
“I’m thrilled to be joining this momentous leadership team of Leader Tony McCombie and help achieve the goals of the caucus through pragmatic, bipartisan, and effective legislation,” said Rep. Stephens. “As the only Republican House member representing parts of Chicago, I’m looking forward to bringing the perspectives of my constituents from Chicago and suburban Cook County to these important conversations. I also look forward to building bridges between the urban areas of Illinois with our fantastic rural communities so we can pass legislation to make our state better for everyone.”
“Rep. Stephens works tirelessly for his communities and brings extensive knowledge to this position from his work at the state and local level,” said Leader McCombie. “He prioritizes the needs of his constituents and is a confident advocate for legislation that helps Illinoisans. He will also bring an invaluable perspective from the 20th District, including from the City of Chicago, first responders, and people who live in close proximity to transportation hubs around our state.”
Solid choice.
…Adding… Rep. JG-G…
State Rep. Jennifer Gong-Gershowitz, D-Glenview, issued this statement following her appointment as whip of the House Asian American Caucus:
“I’m grateful for the privilege of leading the House Asian American Caucus. With each General Assembly, Asian Americans are breaking barriers in Illinois and seeing their representation in the State Legislature grow. Asian American voices are getting louder through recent victories, such as the passage of the TEAACH Act, my measure to ensure an accurate curriculum of Asian American history in Illinois schools. I hope to lead our growing caucus to continued legislative achievements.”
A simple eyeballing of this chart really tells the story of inflation in 2022. It was a first half of the year story, not a back half of the year story. pic.twitter.com/5aoFOdUb2s
Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) Education Career Pathway Grants are preparing 10,805 future teachers in high schools across the state. The grants expose students of all backgrounds to the experience of teaching and also aim to increase the diversity of the state’s teacher workforce: 45% of students in the pathway program identify as Black or Hispanic, compared to just 14% of current teachers.
Thanks to initiatives like the Education Career Pathways Grants, Illinois has increased student enrollment in education preparation programs by 41% - from 8,534 in 2017 to 12,069 in 2021. However, Illinois schools still reported 2,139 unfilled teaching positions in October 2021, and those unfilled positions are concentrated in under-resourced communities and in bilingual and special education. […]
ISBE has released $18 million in total Education Career Pathways Grants through three rounds of grant funding. A total of 171 high schools now offer Education Career Pathways.
* This is a bit silly. Mailed ballot application signatures are matched with voter registration signatures. The Democrats say the law already allowed election judges to compare signatures on the subsequently mailed ballots to the already pre-checked ballot application signatures, but a county judge disagreed, so they made the statute more explicit. ILGOP…
After rewarding themselves with massive pay raises, Illinois Democrats are once again drunk on power, and have moved to weaken signature requirements on absentee ballots.
During the 2022 election, the DuPage County Clerk chose to flout the letter of the law by not requiring that signatures on returned vote-by-mail ballots be matched to the official signatures on file for those voters. A DuPage County judge rebuked the Clerk for this practice. “Use of the Vote by Mail ballot application to qualify signatures on the Vote by Mail ballot itself would be an obvious way to commit ballot fraud.” Now, instead of abiding by the law – or strengthening it with common sense measures like voter ID – Democrats have decided to do away with the requirement altogether.
“When the rules don’t go the Democrats’ way in Illinois, they use their massive supermajorities to change them in their favor. First they voted to give themselves massive pay raises, next they voted to weaken signature verification requirements on absentee ballots.”
Sixteen hours after Gov. JB Pritzker signed the measure into law, the Rev. Jerry Doss of Springfield’s Abundant Faith Christian Center recognized it before his invocation over the House swearing-in ceremony.
“I want to also personally thank you – the leaders and the decision-makers – for passing the bill last night on banning assault weapons,” Doss said. “We appreciate you. Thank you.”
Doss’ comment was met with rousing cheers from Democratic supporters – and silence from Republicans.
Today, Governor JB Pritzker joined local, state, and community leaders to celebrate the final structural beam being placed at the 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.
“With these renovations, our veterans and their families will be able to enjoy state-of-the-art facilities that support them in living their fullest life – exercising their right to excellent care in quality surroundings,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “We owe our veteran heroes nothing less – and it’s exactly what I sought to do when I dedicated nearly $300 million in state funding to this renovation in our Rebuild Illinois infrastructure plan.”
The scope of work for the Quincy Veterans’ Home includes a campus rehabilitation to buildings, infrastructure, utilities, and landscaping to support the new facilities. The project provides for the demolition of six existing buildings, and renovation of the Neilson Dining Facility to include a multi-purpose space, administrative offices, and stores.
The long-term care facility is projected to house 210 skilled-care beds with full amenities for its residents. The independent living building, referred to as a domiciliary, will host 80 independent living units, with accommodations large enough for resident spouses and children.
“Illinois continues to ensure veterans and their families thrive in our state. By building this new Veterans’ Home on the hallowed grounds of Quincy, our treasured heroes will live in a brand-new, state-of-the-art facility on a truly historic campus,” said IDVA Director Terry Prince. “The continued investment in the five Veterans’ Homes across Illinois represents the State’s commitment to Veterans and their families. We are grateful for the Governor’s support, the work of the Capital Development Board and finally, our incredible partners on the construction team for addressing the unique needs of Veterans and the Home.”
Quincy Veterans’ Home is currently 45% complete, with an anticipated substantial completion for the domiciliary set for September 2023 and the long-term care facility scheduled for February 2024. The Illinois Capital Development Board (CDB) is overseeing the project’s design and construction in accordance with the protocol for state-appropriated projects.
During the event, the last structural beam was raised to the top of the long-term care facility and attendees had the opportunity to sign the beam before it was placed on the third floor of the structure.
“The Capital Development Board is proud to work collectively with Quincy Veterans’ Home staff and the dedicated construction teams to bring this project to life,” said Capital Development Board Executive Director, Jim Underwood. “More than 150 construction workers have remained committed to advancing this project and because of their hard work, the project has remained on track, despite ongoing challenges in the construction industry.”
Mild winter temperatures have allowed the project to progress without delay. In the domiciliary, air and vapor barrier installation and brick masonry work is nearing completion. The long-term care facility has completed all grade beams, with structural steel in place for all resident wings anticipated this week.
Governor Pritzker’s bipartisan Rebuild Illinois capital plan provides essential funding to support the revitalization and improvement of Illinois roadways, state facilities, universities, bridges, and railways over a six-year period. The plan addresses critical infrastructure and economic opportunities.
Today, after being elected by his peers to serve as the Illinois Senate Republican Leader, Sen. John Curran (R-Downers Grove) announced his leadership team for the 103rd General Assembly as follows:
Senator Sue Rezin, Deputy Leader
Senator Neil Anderson, Caucus Chair
Senator Terri Bryant, Assistant Republican Leader
Senator Dale Fowler, Assistant Republican Leader
Senator Steve McClure, Assistant Republican Leader
Senator Jason Plummer, Assistant Republican Leader
Senator Sally Turner, Republican Caucus Whip
Senator Jil Tracy, Republican Caucus Whip
“This team from throughout Illinois will bring diverse perspectives, experiences, expertise and policy solutions to our caucus leadership,” Curran said. “I trust each of these members to be champions for their districts and their ideals as we work together to create a bold but doable agenda for the Senate Republicans.”
Chicago Public Schools Inspector General Will Fletcher is opening an investigation after Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s reelection campaign sent an email to Chicago Public Schools teachers asking them to encourage their students to volunteer for her campaign in exchange for class credit.
“CPS OIG has opened an investigation into this matter and we are currently gathering information to determine which, if any, policies have been violated,” Fletcher’s office said in a statement.
Chicago Inspector General Deborah Witzburg’s office confirmed they’re “gathering information” as well.
“The Office of Inspector General is aware of the public reporting on this matter. We are gathering information and we’re in contact with the Inspector General for Chicago Public Schools,” spokeswoman Deanna Shoss said in an email.
The Chicago Board of Ethics also plans to discuss the matter at its next meeting on Jan. 23, according to executive director Steve Berlin.
“This should not have happened,” Lightfoot said Thursday afternoon at a news conference. She called the emails a mistake by a staff member and said she didn’t know about the emails until Wednesday, at which point she “put an immediate stop to it.”
* The Illinois Senate said goodbye to retired Sen. Tony Muñoz today. Sen. Napoleon Harris’ speech captured Muñoz’s personality well…
* Isabel’s roundup…
* Sun-Times | Gun sellers, after sales spike ahead of state assault weapons ban, say law won’t survive: Handgun sales doubled, and rifle sales were 10 times what they were over the last year, according to owner Dan Eldridge. “There’s been quite a rush of people trying to get in under the wire,” Eldridge said. “Obviously, the law-abiding gun owners are concerned. And they’re voting with their wallets.”
* WCIA | Weather Service says radar data impacted by wind farm during Maroa tornado: “The Taylorville event, there was a bit more of a obscuration, a bit more contamination of the half degree slice,” said Shimon. That’s the lowest angle that the radar beam samples, providing information about a storm in a section that is closest to the ground. “But, even in that case, the slices above that were at least able to give us some picture of what was happening.”
* Tribune | Illinois fines health insurance company $500,000 for violations: Quartz sells health insurance plans on the Affordable Care Act exchange at healthcare.gov, and off the exchange, in parts of northwestern Illinois. The Illinois Department of Insurance announced Wednesday that it had fined the insurance company for violations of federal and state laws that require insurers to offer the same level of coverage for mental health and substance use disorder care as they do for traditional medical and surgical care.
* SJ-R | Unity marches in Springfield, Jacksonville highlight MLK Day: Martin Luther King Jr. Day events in the Springfield area feature the annual Springfield Frontiers International Memorial Breakfast and unity marches in the capital city and Jacksonville. Westminster Presbyterian Church hosts an MLK community gathering Saturday. Blackburn College’s annual MLK Convocation returns to the Carlinville campus Tuesday.
* Tribune | A pioneering Chicago architect is retiring after working on more than 100 green buildings: ‘She’s a 1st on many levels’: In the late 1990s, she led the team that designed the technical and environmental aspects of the Bachelor Enlisted Quarters at the Great Lakes Naval Training Center in North Chicago, the fourth building in the world to achieve the U.S. Green Building Council’s coveted LEED certification for sustainable design and construction. Vitt Sale also led the team overseeing the sustainable aspects of the first verified net-zero energy building in Illinois certified by the International Living Future Institute, the Adlai E. Stevenson High School East Building addition in Lincolnshire.
* Popular Info | How Walgreens manufactured a media frenzy about shoplifting: For several years, Walgreens and other major retailers have been sounding the alarm about an alleged spike in shoplifting, describing it as an existential threat to their business. These dramatic claims generated a nationwide media frenzy. Now, Walgreens is quietly backtracking.
* Sun-Times | Chicago leads nation in 2022 traffic congestion, report says: Drivers in Chicago lost an average of 155 hours to traffic, more than motorists in Boston at 134, New York at 117 and Los Angeles at 94, the report said. When compared with the rest of the world, Chicago was the second most congested globally, coming up just an hour behind London.
* Axios | Chicago’s best music venue tournament: The championship: These versatile clubs host top touring bands, up-and-coming local acts, comedians and more. Metro (and its building) have hosted local gatherings since 1927. With about a 1,100-person capacity, it has served as a home club for great local bands like The Smashing Pumpkins and Alkaline Trio. The 1892 Pilsen building that houses Thalia Hall is a designated Chicago landmark. The club can seat close to 1,000 and has hosted huge shows, including Dave Chapelle and Superchunk.
* Illinois Times | Emergency workers face murder charges: Family members of a 35-year-old Springfield man who died in December say they were glad two emergency medical service workers were charged with his murder after the pair allegedly put the man face-down on a stretcher and applied straps so tightly that he suffocated.
* WGN | Bears hire Kevin Warren as new team president, CEO: The team officially hired Big Ten Commissioner Kevin Warren as their new team president and CEO on Thursday morning. He will replace Ted Phillips, who announced he would step down from the position at the end of the 2022 season.
* Illinois Newsroom | Amid a national egg shortage, local farmers continue to deliver: But not all egg producers have suffered the same losses due to the avian flu. Penny Gioja operates Joy of Illinois Farm in Champaign. She said her birds have so far been spared, and that’s thanks in part to the farm’s location. “We’re out on this small farm west of Champaign and there are no (other) chickens that I know of within several miles of us. So the chances of our chickens getting sick is pretty low,” Gioja said.
* The Southern | Carbondale restauranteur ‘Tippy’ Cook dies : “He was as iconic as Carbondale,” said Carbondale Chamber of Commerce Executive Director William Lo, also a restaurateur in the community. “He was an institution in his restaurant and several others, always dropping sage words of wisdom.”
The filing also reveals [former ComEd board member Juan Ochoa] is expected to testify as to how he enlisted the help of a member of Congress in 2017 to help fix his political relationship with Madigan and win that board seat at ComEd. The Chicago Tribune reports, citing unnamed sources, that the congressman is believed to be then-U.S. Rep. Luis Gutierrez, D-Ill.
In 2017, [Ochoa] asked the same member of Congress to set up meetings with Madigan and another public official to request that they both recommend Individual BM-1 for an open position on ComEd’s board.
Ochoa also asked Gutierrez to set up a meeting with “another public official” to discuss the ComEd board appointment at about the same time, according to the filing. Prosecutors do not name that official, either, but sources told the Tribune he is then-Mayor Rahm Emanuel.
Mayoral calendars obtained by the Tribune via an open records request show that Emanuel and two of his aides met with Ochoa and Gutierrez at City Hall on Nov. 17, 2017, though the topic of the meeting was not included.
Interesting.
* So, why did Ochoa ask Gutierrez for help? Back to the proffer…
[Ochoa] asked the member of Congress to make the request because the member of Congress had endorsed Madigan in the prior election cycle, and Individual [Ochoa] felt Madigan owed the member of Congress a political favor.
* What’s Rahm Emanuel’s connection to Ochoa? This Crain’s story is from February of 2017, several months before the Madigan sitdown…
The former head of the agency that runs McCormick Place who left in 2010 amid an apparent political feud with Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan has returned as a board member.
Juan Ochoa, who ran the agency known as McPier from 2007 to 2010, replaced Olga Camargo on the agency’s board this month after being appointed by Mayor Rahm Emanuel. […]
It’s a return to McCormick Place for Ochoa nearly seven years after he resigned. While he said at the time that he was leaving McPier to focus on immigration reform, a 2011 Crain’s investigation found that he was politically handcuffed by the longtime speaker as retribution for Ochoa firing a Madigan ally at the convention center. […]
Ochoa, who had been appointed CEO of McPier by then-Gov. Rod Blagojevich, insisted that there is “no tension” between he and Madigan.
///BREAKING/// John Lausch, Chicago's top federal prosecutor since 2017, will be stepping down in "early 2023" Attorney General Merrick Garland announced. A Trump nominee, Lausch stayed on the job after Biden's election because of an unusual push from Illinois' two senators.
* Sun-Times | Chicago U.S. Attorney John Lausch to leave office by early March: Lausch has been Chicago’s U.S. Attorney since late 2017 and has overseen major public corruption investigations. They culminated with the indictment of former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan — and ultimately re-shaped Chicago politics.
* CBS Chicago | U.S. Attorney John Lausch stepping down as Chicago’s top federal prosecutor early this year: Lausch, who recently was tapped to review documents marked classified that were found at President Biden’s former office at a Washington think tank, told Garland he could conduct an initial review, but could not commit to a longer-term assignment, because he is planning to step down for a job in the private sector in early 2023.
* Illinois House Republican Leader Tony McCombie’s inaugural address…
I’ll start with saying Speaker, yes we can.
You know one day we debated on the floor. Now I’m off script sorry to my staff, and my husband. I said, to you Speaker, Representative? Is this a real bill? I think we’ll be doing that quite often.
Good afternoon, everybody. Thank you all for coming today. I appreciate that.
Thank you to my seat mate, Norine Hammond from Macomb for your nomination. I wouldn’t be standing here today if not for Norine. I have to tell you she has saved me from some very embarrassing floor speeches. Or more recently, when I called her to ask her opinion if I should run for this position, and if I would have her support, she said, “I got you baby.” Thank you.
And thank you to my friend and neighbor in Lee County, Brad Fritts, the youngest member ever elected to the Illinois House of Representatives. Congratulations to you and your family. I mean, what an accomplishment, elected at 22. I’m guessing most of you were not politically engaged at such a young age. Personally at 22, I was at Western Illinois University. I was on the six year plan. Trying to rebuild my GPA so I could actually graduate. Those are days and stories for another time.
It is really surreal to stand here before all of you today. I’m from Savanna, as you’ve heard, a small river town in Northwest Illinois. I was far from politically active, unless you consider all the scheming as girls do to deal with brothers growing up politics.
As a matter of fact, my friends and family, especially those here today are probably still wondering how and what in the world am I doing here? My family didn’t talk much about politics. But I knew my dad was a Reagan Republican and my mom was a JFK Democrat.
Our parents like many didn’t always have it easy but they raised us to be hard working individuals, demanding we respect ourselves but more importantly, we respect others. Many are not as fortunate as we are on this stage.
Today with me, I have my husband. We should all thank our husbands and wives. This is truly a team sport that were in. My big brother Kelly and some of my family are here and many of my dear, dear friends, my support system. I am so blessed and want to say thank you. Thank you for guiding me carrying me when I need it and helping me to be the very best to just about everything I’ve ever done.
You are rock stars and I love you.
To the members, especially the new members, of the 103 General Assembly here’s some advice, you haven’t asked but I’m a woman so I’m gonna give it, is that you be honest and genuine, with your colleagues, with your constituents and with yourself.
Have interesting conversations and learn from them. If you don’t know the answers, which you won’t it’s ok, let yourself be vulnerable and say so. Make the effort to change rather than silently accept what is wrong. Our position in politics is often regarded negatively. So let’s change that.
If you understand a policy and it will be a detriment to the people of Illinois and you still support it. That is a problem. Know this position is not about you. It’s about them. Represent your districts. Be present. Be engaged and never forget why you are here you are here to be their voice their representative.
Good luck on this adventure and congratulations to you all.
As we approach the new General Assembly, we see historic changes in leadership surrounding the redistricting process. We now see a wholesale change and who is leading all four caucuses in Springfield for the first time in more than 50 years. With that comes great responsibility and opportunity.
In 1876 the first African-American was elected to the Illinois House of Representatives John W. E. Thomas, a Republican if I may add. 46 years later, the first woman was elected to the Illinois House of Representatives, Laddie Holman O’Neill, also Republican.
God bless her. She was elect to 19 General Assemblies serving 40 years the longest serving female elected in the United States at the time until Barbara Flynn Currie. Not a Republican.
But our systems of checks and balances is at risk. With increasingly one party control of Illinois State Government, long-held respect by those who value democracy, our system of checks and balances between our co-equal branches of government is unbalanced and unhealthy for us all, Republicans, Democrats and Independents.
We have an opportunity with leadership changes to reimagine what we expect from our state government. We must prioritize the co-equal nature of our government and prioritize fulfilling the constitutional duty, one which supersedes party loyalty or providing those checks and balances.
My Republican colleagues in the House have put their faith in me to restore and to rebuild and to bring balance to Illinois. It will be difficult, but we will claw back in the wake of the worst gerrymandered maps in the country. Looking out at the audience, it’s like sitting in the House. We’re a little out of out of balance here, too, ladies and gents.
We must take the lessons we have learned from the past to politically and structurally reform Illinois, providing a brighter future for our families. Illinois families are leaving, and I would say due to the growing size of our government and the byproduct of bad policy. Illinois could be flourishing. Let’s put politics aside and come together, work together to decrease the high cost of government and crushing mandates and regulations on our schools, on our business and our communities.
I promise we can do that while improving outcomes, keeping families safe and serving our most vulnerable Believe it or not, we have 40 of 118 seats. The Republicans here represent a part of all 102 counties.
It’s amazing to think about that. We might not be your representative, but we represent a part of each and every county in the state. It’s time for courageous leadership. Leadership must be unafraid to be forthright. So I ask you, Speaker Welch don’t be afraid, bring us to the table.
We are problem solvers. So use our knowledge, benefit from our talents. And here our hearts. Let us show you that any preconceived notions about Republicans is false. We want to govern, so I asked you please don’t disregard our value.
Together, Speaker Welch and the members of the 103 General Assembly. Let’s look to the future. Let’s put aside political agendas and do what’s right. Let’s make Illinois better place to work and raise our families. And the only way to do that successfully, Speaker Welch, is to join me to be accessible, transparent and honest to bring our caucuses together to frame real solutions.
Please take note, and please follow my lead by example and how short my speech just was. Thank you all so much for coming today. I appreciate it and we need you more than you ever know. So thank you very much for coming and God bless Illinois.
Isabel did the transcription, so please pardon any errors.
* Illinois Senate Republican Leader John Curran…
Thank you, Gov. Pritzker and thank you to everyone for joining us here today in this celebration of our democracy.
Six years ago, I was a lawyer enthusiastic about public policy when I was appointed to fill the seat of my friend and the first female leader of an Illinois caucus Christine Radogno. I never imagined that my journey would lead me here to this historic place, at this revered podium, where so many memorable speeches were given. I assure you, this speech will not be one of them.
It is moving and a bit surreal to be honored with the confidence of my colleagues to lead us on our new path. Thank you.
This is one of the countless experiences that would never be possible without the support of my partner in life and love, my wife Sue. She, and so many other spouses in this great room today, do the real hard work behind the scenes so we can serve our districts here in Springfield. I am so proud of her and our four daughters whose talents and potential far outpace my own. I ran for office because young Illinoisans like them deserve a future with great opportunity for all.
I am also thinking of my parents, Tom and Margaret who were born in Ireland and met here in the Great State of Illinois. It is their hard work, perseverance and hope that paved my own road to the American dream.
Like many children around the world and right here in Illinois, my father was forced to drop out of school too young, to support his family.
At thirteen, he was sent from their small country farm to live in Galway City to work at a store during the week, and on a local farm on the weekends. Instead of going to school he was working to send money back home to help pay for his sister’s tuberculosis treatment.
At the age of eighteen he pioneered to America alone, with no family, too little money, and the hope of a better life.
He worked as a carpenter and married my mother who had been weaving her own story of immigration from Ireland. While my father worked on becoming a homebuilder, my mother was building our own home raising seven children. They didn’t just support our family here in Illinois, but went on to sponsor three of my father’s brothers for U.S. immigration and help get them all established here in the Great State of Illinois.
I wish that my parents and sister Marie were watching from these special seats, instead of heaven’s, but I feel their Irish spirit of love and light here today.
I’d like to thank the people of the 41st District who honor me with the opportunity to represent them in the Illinois Senate. They remind me of the nobility of public service and their votes for and against me continue to make me a better advocate for our community and our democracy.
Finally, thank you to Senate President Don Harmon for your dedication to the state of Illinois. I look forward to working with you in the year ahead.
Our democracy was designed to allow us to make a difference - even through our differences. In this spirit, Illinois is better served when our public policies are crafted from two, not one, participating parties. As legislators, I believe we can best respect our principles by sharing them with the other side and taking the time to listen and learn why they are important to the constituencies we represent.
Regardless of the letter next to our name, we are all here to do one thing - create a better Illinois.
That means that all legislators, not just the majority, are here to represent our constituents through creating strong, practical public policy. There are millions of Illinoisans who support the Republican principles of freedom and economic opportunity for all. It is my job as Leader to ensure that their votes and their voices are represented, and our caucus takes our role in that process very seriously.
There is a lot of talk about division in our politics and our state. While it may seem new, Illinois has overcome many challenges of division before. What matters right now are solutions.
Illinois families and businesses are facing great challenges. Inflation, unemployment, over-taxation and childcare challenges are affecting our job creators and our job seekers. Communities continue to suffer from the great emotional and economic toll of the pandemic-related crises.
If you are an Illinoisan, whether you’re from a farm or a flat, you have the right to be represented fairly and freely in our state government. That means as legislators, we must come together and lead by example to create a government that is just as effective for our Southern Illinois working mothers as it is for our Northern Illinois laborers.
Our agenda is focused on helping Illinois families and job creators rebuild and renew opportunity in Illinois. We need real, substantive and sound economic policies that are going to help improve the lives of the people in our state.
We will be thoughtful and genuine in our attempts to find opportunities to collaborate on behalf of the families and employers of Illinois. And we will continue to be steadfast in our voiceful opposition to misplaced policies that will hold our citizens and job creators back.
It is important for legislators to listen to and respect each other’s principles to better understand the needs of the districts outside of our own. I know through experience that with collaboration we can make real, true improvements to help reestablish Illinois as one of the greatest places to live, work and raise a family.
Unfortunately, progress is not always easy or quick. A true bipartisanship government will not be created overnight.
As the Irish say, “the longest road out is the shortest road home.”
It has been a long and difficult road for our party, our state and our world.
But the only way to move forward is to move on.
Today, January 11, 2023, the Illinois Senate Republicans are proudly facing the future.
Our caucus of innovative and dedicated public servants is moving forward for all Illinoisans - together. One idea, one meeting, one policy at a time.
Like my fellow legislators, I am also inspired by one of the world’s wisest Republicans, President Abraham Lincoln. And so, I will leave you with his words that are far better than my own:
“With malice toward none; with charity for all; with firmness in the right, as God gives us to see the right, let us strive on to finish the work we are in.”
Thank you. God bless you. God bless the Great State of Illinois.
The Constitutional Sheriffs and Peace Officers Association (CSPOA) is a political organization of local police officials in the United States who contend that federal and state government authorities are subordinate to the local authority of county sheriffs. Self-described constitutional sheriffs assert that they are the supreme legal authority with the power and duty to defy or disregard laws they regard as unconstitutional.
As your Sheriff, I wanted to give citizens of Kankakee County an update on the recent passage of HB 5471, also known as the Protect Illinois Communities Act.
As your duly elected Sheriff my job and my office are sworn, in fact, to protect the citizens of Kankakee County. This is a job and responsibility that I take with the utmost seriousness.
Part of my duties that I accepted upon being sworn into office was to protect the rights provided to all of us, in the Constitution. One of those enumerated rights is the right of the people to keep and bear arms provided under the 2nd amendment.
The right to keep and bear arms for defense of life, liberty and property is regarded as an inalienable right by the people.
I, among many others, believe that HB 5471 is a clear violation of the 2nd Amendment to the US Constitution.
Therefore, as the custodian of the jail and chief law enforcement official for Kankakee County, that neither myself nor my office will be checking to ensure that lawful gun owners register their weapons with the State, nor will we be arresting or housing law abiding individuals that have been charged solely with non-compliance of this Act.
-Sheriff Mike Downey
That looks like they’re gonna allow illegal gun sales to happen unabated.
Sheriffs from Jo Daviess County, Logan County, Wabash County, Edwards County and Ogle County have all posted nearly identical statements so far.
* Mark Maxwell makes a valid point…
The sheriff’s press release needs an edit. He incorrectly uses the term “law abiding individuals” to describe defiant scofflaws. Critics may ultimately convince a court that registering guns with the state is unconstitutional, but until that day comes, the requirement is law. https://t.co/uez32×6ad7
* Politico got a response from the governor’s office on a similar statement from the Greene County Sheriff…
Sheriffs have a constitutional duty to uphold the laws of the state, not pick and choose which laws they support and when. We’re confident that this law will hold up to any future legal challenges, but again, it is the current law of our state. Anyone who advocates for law, order, and public safety and then refuses to follow the law is in violation of their oath of office.
The State shall furnish 66 2/3% of the total annual salary to be paid to a sheriff. Said amounts furnished by the State shall be payable monthly by the Department of Revenue out of the Personal Property Tax Replacement Fund or the General Revenue Fund to the county in which the sheriff is elected or appointed. The county shall furnish 33 1/3% of the total annual salary.
(a) The General Assembly shall provide by law for the formation, consolidation, merger, division, and dissolution of counties, and for the transfer of territory between counties.
Just sayin.
*** UPDATE *** From comments…
(A) ban on assault weapons is clearly constitutional under the Second Amendment. The federal Courts have made a ruling on this literal controversy, and in Illinois. They have done it more than once; see Friedman v. City of Highland Park (2015) and Wilson v. Cook County (2019).
Friedman is here and Wilson is here. The Supreme Court refused to hear both.
…Adding… The governor was asked about this sheriffs topic today…
Well, the first thing I’d say is they took an oath of office to uphold the law. As law enforcement, that’s their job. And I expect them to do that job. You know, you can have all the resolutions and declarations that you want. The reality is that the laws that are on the books, you don’t get to choose which ones people are going to follow. You know, if you don’t like it, go petition for a change in the legislation or in Springfield. But as it is you don’t get to decide I’m going to drive 150 miles an hour on the highway and there should be no consequences. And the same thing is true about carrying out the assault weapons ban and a ban on high capacity magazines and also switches that are changing regular guns into essentially machine guns or automatic weapons. So I think we did the right thing. It was a consensus. There even was a Republican vote for it. And an overwhelming support across the state of Illinois, including in Downstate Illinois for this kind of a ban. Remember, nobody’s guns are getting taken away from them. There are plenty of other weapons that aren’t covered at all by this ban. And this ban is really focused on the same kinds of weapons that were banned by the federal government for 10 years and we saw a significant downdraft in the number of people who were shot and killed as a result of the passage of that assault weapons ban. We expect the same thing to happen here in Illinois.
* Transcription of Illinois Comptroller Susana Mendoza’s inaugural address…
Well hello, hello. Muy buenas tardes. Good afternoon, Illinois!
I want to start by thanking God as so many have done before me for the many, many blessings in my life including this special moment with all of you.
Thank you to the Honorable Rossana Patricia Fernandez for swearing me in to my 3rd term as your Illinois State Comptroller. Thank you to the Reverend Dr. Lesa Branham for her prayers over me this morning. Those are so appreciated. Thank you, Reverend. Congratulations to Governor Pritzker, Lt. Governor Stratton, Attorney General Raoul, Treasurer Frerichs, and Secretary of State Giannoulias.
I look forward to working with this wonderful team, with Speaker Welch, President Harmon, Leader McCombie and Leader Curran and the 103rd General Assembly as we continue moving our state forward, because improving our state should be a bipartisan affair.
I want to thank my amazing family. Let’s start with my mother Susana – the original firecracker. My Godmother Maria, and my in-laws, Ed and Helene Szostak. Thank you for being here. My greatest blessing, our 10-year-old son David, who is obviously excited to be missing school today. But, let’s be honest. What a great civic lesson to see his mom being sworn in for another term, right? I’m so proud of my son David and I’m so happy and blessed to be his Mami.
My most important thank you goes to the unsung hero in my success as your Comptroller, the yin to my yang, my husband David. He is my anchor. He truly is. He’s my number one advisor, my best friend. He’s my rock and he inspires me every day. And let’s be honest – he is very easy on the eyes. I love you so much, Honey.
And thank you so much to the incredible team I’m blessed to lead at the Comptroller’s Office, for your hard work and dedication to the people of Illinois.
To the men and women in Organized Labor, thank you for always having my back. I got yours too. And to my beloved voters of Illinois. Thank you so much from the bottom of my heart, for choosing me to serve another term as your Illinois State Comptroller. I am deeply humbled and grateful for your overwhelming support.
***
A few years ago at the Illinois State Fair, the one and only, Secretary of State Jesse White, pulled me aside and said, “Hey Susana, come here. You wanna know how to become the #1 vote getter in the state of Illinois?”
Of course I wanted to know the secret from the only statewide official to ever win all 102 counties in the State of Illinois. He looked me in the eye and said, “The secret is to SHOW UP.” When someone tells you that it’s not worth your time to drive six hours for an event where only 10 people make it, don’t listen to them. You SHOW UP anyway. Those 10 people matter, and they’ll know you care about them. And I know you care.
I do care and I promise you, Secretary, that I’m going to keep showing up. Let me tell you - it’s the best part of the job. Meeting voters and finding out what I can do to make their lives better. Being their voice and restoring their faith in our state.
In November, I asked for your trust through your vote. And thanks to you showing up for me, I stand before you as the new highest vote getter in the State of Illinois. Thank you so much. Thank you, thank you, thank you.
And thank you Secretary for not being on the ballot because I would not have come in first place if you had still been on – let’s be honest. But thank you also Secretary, for your years of selfless dedication to our state, for your friendship and for your advice.
And I promise, as I’ve already said, to always show up for Illinoisans the way you have done so beautifully for your entire career. Thank you.
***
People told me I was crazy when I first decided to run for Illinois Comptroller in 2016 during the budget impasse—the worst fiscal crisis in our state’s history. Our bill backlog peaked at $16.7 billion dollars of unpaid bills.
Our Rainy Day Fund was non-existent with less than $60,000 in it. We had suffered 20 years of consecutive credit downgrades.
The average vendor doing business with the state had to wait 210 business days to get paid. Back then, I promised you that—if you sent me to Springfield—I’d deliver a complete and transparent financial turnaround for the State of Illinois. And I delivered on my promise.
No more bill backlog. It’s gone. And I paid it down before receiving a penny of federal ARPA stimulus funds. 6 full credit upgrades on my watch. You heard that right. 6 full credit upgrades.
A RECORD HIGH Rainy Day Fund of over $1 billion dollars and growing.
This is great news. In fact, just last night the General Assembly approved an additional $850 million more for the Rainy Day Fund. We’re on a roll!!
My oldest bill today is only 10 days old. When people say you should run government like a business – I say how about we run it better than a business? That’s what I’m proving we can do here in the State of Illinois.
All my hard work to help people and fix our state’s finances has been to get Illinois ready for its growth spurt. And we are ready. We’re ready because Illinois is the beating heart of this nation.
From the bustling streets of Chicago to the expansive farmland of rural Illinois… to Southern Illinois towns like Cairo where we’re fighting to get that new riverport built. And we get things done when we all pull together.
We want to be the state people look at when they consider how to grow their business, their wealth and families.
I love Illinois with all of my heart. For those who voted for me, thank you for trusting me with another term as your Comptroller. For those who didn’t vote for me, know that I will work for you as passionately as I will for my own family.
Afterall, Illinois is my heart, and each and every one of you, regardless of your party preference, is in my heart. I will work hard to earn and keep your trust.
Lastly, I want to make a promise to my son David and to all of Illinois’ children. I will live to make you proud! I will approach my new term with an eye on the endless possibilities for our beautiful state, through the excited and hopeful eyes of my child and with the children of Illinois front and center in my thoughts and in my heart.
Illinois’ future is bright, and so is yours. I see you right there, Lucas. I’m talking to you, buddy, and all the other kids. I will do my part to leave you a state you can be proud of, with endless possibilities for your future.
It is my honor to serve you all. THANK YOU and may God bless you and keep you. Que Dios me los bendiga y me los cuide para siempre.
* AP | Legislature’s swearing in heavy on symbolism, selflessness: Speaking from the Old State Capitol rostrum where Abraham Lincoln delivered his June 1858 “House Divided” speech, newly reelected Senate President Don Harmon noted that Lincoln’s call for slavery’s demise cost him a U.S. Senate seat. Even though Lincoln had no idea the same idea would make him president two years later, he knew that people needed to hear the words even advisers said were too radical, Harmon said.
* WMBD | Illinois House Bill 9 needs one more signature to be made law: Passed in the Illinois House and Senate, there’s one more stop for House Bill 9. It’s a bill that would amend the Vital Records Act, requiring the state registrar to issue a new birth certificate to someone who would like to change their gender identity.
* Chalkbeat | Illinois lame-duck legislative session: Education bills you might have missed: Among the education bills passed was one that focused on the state’s bus driver shortage. When students returned to the classrooms during the 2021-22 school year, many districts struggled to hire bus drivers to transport students to and from school. In Chicago, students with disabilities were hit the hardest. Throughout Illinois, students in rural communities or areas that do not have a public transportation system struggled to get to school.
* Patch | Elmhurst’s Mazzochi No Longer In House: Douglass’ election was certified in late November. But Mazzochi has not publicly acknowledged her loss. Even an Elmhurst GOP official who recently reported on the outcomes of local races excluded Mazzochi’s result.
* WBBM | The next drug frontier in Illinois could be magic mushrooms – for medical use, only: An Illinois House member has introduced a measure that could pave the way for the regulated use of psychedelics in treating a variety of mental and physical illnesses. House Bill 1 from Rep. LaShawn Ford, D-Chicago, would create a psychedelic therapy program for people 18 and older that employs “natural medicines produced and tested at licensed service centers,” according to a news release.
* WCIA | General Assembly issues resolutions to honor Scott Bennett: “Stacy, I know you did not ask for this role,” Senate President Don Harmon (D-Oak Park) said. “Everyone in this room wishes that you did not have to fill it. But I am confident that you will also always be your children’s hero. And you will always be part of the senate family.”
* WBEZ | People with sex and gun convictions are required to register with police. CPD can’t keep up.: Thousands of people in Chicago are on a criminal conviction registry, including registries for gun crimes, sex offenses and murder and violence against youth. People on the registry have to show up yearly, quarterly or weekly or risk getting locked-up. But WBEZ has found men are repeatedly being turned away because of staffing shortages in the Chicago Police Department’s registry office.
* Illinois Times | An exit interview with Rodney Davis: Rodney Davis, the Taylorville resident who failed on Nov. 8 to win a sixth two-year term in the U.S. House, pointed to many successes during his career in Congress in an interview before he left office Jan. 3.
* Crain’s | Anatomy of a Springfield miracle: Labor, biz both win : It’s not often that the Illinois General Assembly—on the same day, nonetheless—passes separate pieces of major pro-business and pro-labor legislation. Yet, that’s exactly what happened in Springfield yesterday as lawmakers passed bills that finally could put Illinois in the game to lure big new manufacturing plants and guarantee paid-sick leave for millions of workers downstate and in Chicago suburbs outside of Cook County.
* Press Release | Statement by White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre on Illinois Becoming Ninth State to Enact an Assault Weapons Ban: Illinois has now become the ninth state across America to pass an assault weapons ban and take bold action to keep weapons of war off America’s streets. Today, President Biden commends the leadership of Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker, House Speaker Chris Welch, Senate President Don Harmon, Representative Bob Morgan, and the numerous advocates, survivors, and elected officials whose tireless efforts turned the pain of Highland Park and other acts of gun violence into meaningful action on behalf of all Illinoisans.
* Journal Star | City Council approves $90,000 payment to controversial Peoria police officer: The Peoria City Council voted on Tuesday to accept a deal offering a payment of just over $90,000 to police Officer Jeremy Layman in exchange for his resignation. Layman was initially fired in February 2018 for alleged violations of Peoria Police Department policy, including wearing a “Baby Daddy Removal Team” T-shirt and making disparaging comments about residents of Peoria’s predominantly Black South Side on social media.
* Block Club | Ald. Jim Gardiner Obsessed Over Facebook Comments, Launched ‘Terror Campaigns’ Against Critics, Former Staffer Testifies: Gardiner would ask his “fan boys” and supporters to reply to the negative comments to shut them down and harass people, King said. He even pulled old police records of a constituent who criticized him and had critic Pete Czosnyka‘s garden ticketed, King said. “At a certain point, if you are somebody who has something negative to say about Jim, you’re seeing all these small, little terror campaigns, you’re going to silence as a result,” King said. “You’re going to self-silence.” … The FBI, the Chicago Board of Ethics, the Circuit Court Clerk’s Office and the Office of the Inspector General have launched investigations into Gardiner’s conduct. He also faces multiple lawsuits and allegations he withheld ward services from critics, used foul language to describe women and other potential misconduct.
* WBEZ | Feds Hit An Illinois Charter School Chain With A Big Fine: Concept Schools Inc. — which has four publicly-financed campuses in Chicago and dozens of other charter schools in the Midwest — allegedly engaged in a bid-rigging scheme to steer federally funded technology contracts to insiders.
* Bloomberg | Southwest Air hit hardest after FAA outage, adding to woes: The delayed trips amounted to about 46% of Southwest’s schedule, according to data as of 11:30 a.m. Eastern time from tracking service FlightAware. American Airlines Group Inc. and Delta Air Lines Inc. each delayed about a third of their planned flights, while 29% of United Airlines Holdings Inc.’s schedule was affected.
* Sun-Times | Firefighters battling blaze at LaSalle chemical plant: Residents near a northern Illinois chemical plant were told to shelter in place Wednesday as firefighters responded to a fire that sent smoke plumes towering over the plant and prompted the plant’s evacuation.
* Sun-Times | Landmark status for historic West Side church is first step of many Chicago should take to preserve houses of worship: A city panel will vote Thursday on whether to grant preliminary landmark status to a historic West Side church — a move that’s good news to anyone concerned about the fate of Chicago’s architecturally-significant houses of worship. The Commission on Chicago Landmarks will decide if Greater Union Baptist Church, 1956 W. Warren Blvd., is worthy of the honor. The 137-year-old brick-and-terra cotta beauty by the noted architect William Le Baron Jenney should be a shoo-in.
* Inaugural snippets from the bird app…
Rep. Kam Buckner (D-Chicago) works a punchline into his speech nominating Chris Welch for Speaker. Buckner says Illinois House Democrats orchestrated the most “transparent” redistricting process in history. pic.twitter.com/HBl4ArVh90
President Harmon notes that at not quite three years in his position, he is the legislative leader with the longest tenure. Speaker Welch beginning his second term with the 103rd. Both GOP leaders are new to Four Tops - Curran in the Senate, McCombie for the House. https://t.co/jN1Se2wyMspic.twitter.com/x9cSoYI4AV
Lots of @UISPAR alums are here today covering the Illinois House of Representatives Inauguration for various media outlets at #UISedu. pic.twitter.com/SGJx0PpUlE
* Senate President Don Harmon had this to say yesterday during floor debate…
I did not expect to be calling House Bill 1064. I worried that, like Senator Cunningham’s bill before, this might have been a straw too many to bear. But I changed my mind. And before I present the substance of the bill, I want to tell you why.
This is a case of tenacious advocacy, not by high-paid lawyers, but by citizens who came and shared their stories with all of us. Not just ordinary citizens, in this case, it is primarily on men who spent decades in jail without any hope. They spoke to you all, you asked me to call the bill. It was members of the Democratic caucus and, to my delight, it was members of the Republican caucus. So we hz d the chance to advance a substantive bill on criminal reform with bipartisan support.
At its core, this bill does one very simple thing. For young people, those under 21 when they committed the offense who are sentenced to life in prison, it provides them the hope, the possibility of parole, after serving 40 years of their sentence. It’s a little glimmer of hope. It’s a bit of grace. It’s a little mercy. And I’m delighted to have support from both sides of the aisle.
The advocates did an enormous amount of work and they went to Harmon and assured him it would pass with support from both sides of the aisle if he put it up on the big board. They were right.
* Press release…
In a bipartisan vote on Tuesday, January 10, the Illinois Senate passed House Bill 1064, which would ensure most people sentenced before age 21 can seek a limited parole review. The House approved the measure in April 2022. Restore Justice calls on Governor JB Pritzker to sign HB 1064 into law.
“HB 1064 recognizes that children should be treated differently than adults. In Illinois, we care about our young people, and we know that children have the greatest capacity for change. HB 1064 gives those who would otherwise have no hope of returning to their families a chance to show who they have become,” said Julie Anderson, Restore Justice’s Outreach Director. Anderson’s son originally received a life without parole sentence for a crime that happened when he was just 15. He has since been resentenced because of U.S. Supreme Court decisions.
HB 1064 passed with bipartisan support in each chamber; in the House, Representatives Rita Mayfield (D-Waukegan) and Seth Lewis (R-Bartlett) championed the measure. Senate President Don Harmon (D-Oak Park) moved the measure through his chamber; President Harmon has long been committed to addressing extreme sentencing of young people. He sponsored House Bill 531 (now Public Act 100-1182), the Youthful Parole Law, which Governor Pritzker signed into law in 2019.
“It’s a sliver of hope for an otherwise condemned person under 21 who maybe, just maybe, might redeem themself decades down the road and warrant consideration for a second chance at society,” President Harmon said.
Senator Donald DeWitte (R-St. Charles) spoke forcefully in favor of redemption during the floor discussion about the bill; we are grateful for his leadership, compassion, and belief in the ability of children to rehabilitate themselves.
“I consider myself a law-and-order Republican, but I also believe in rehabilitation. I believe there are some people who make extremely poor decisions in the very early portions of their lives who deserve consideration once they have met benchmarks and shown they are prepared to become contributing citizens after they have served their debt to society. For these people, we need to offer them hope and let them know we recognize that people can redeem themselves,” Senator DeWitte said.
* Restore Justice Foundation and Restore Justice Illinois…
Here is what HB 1064 will do:
• Youth 20 and younger sentenced to natural life and/or convicted of killing a peace officer could petition for a parole review after serving at least 40 years.
• Youth convicted of predatory criminal sexual assault of a child are excluded under this bill.
The 2019 Youthful Parole Law established:
• Most children and emerging adults (under age 21) given long terms of incarceration would have the opportunity to go before the Prisoner Review Board after 10 years and would then be allowed to seek parole two more times—unless they’ve been convicted of one of a handful of crimes (exceptions outlined below).
• Youth convicted of aggravated criminal sexual assault and most forms of first-degree murder would be eligible for parole after 20 years and once more after another 10 years.
I had an opportunity to discuss this legislation with members of my caucus this afternoon. And I closed our conversation with a question that I’ve asked them to all consider. I consider myself a law and order Republican. But I do also believe in rehabilitation. And I believe there are some people, some people who make extremely poor decisions in the very early portions of their lives, that they deserve consideration once they show they are prepared to make the effort to become contributing citizens once they have served their debt to society.
So I would ask this question of all of you in the room tonight: If you believe our law and order system is based on the fact that significant sentences, people should be locked up and the key should just be thrown away, then vote against it. But if you believe that, given guidelines and benchmarks, that these convicted young people can reach to prove that they can become contributing members of our society, then don’t just vote your conscience, vote your Christian conscience. Vote that people can redeem themselves. I intend to support this legislation, and I would urge my colleagues to simply consider the same position.
* I told subscribers about this bill today. I believe this is going to have a huge impact on working people who are struggling to get by. The fact that the main state business groups helped negotiate the bill to a place where they could be neutral is really quite something…
Gov. JB Pritzker, House Speaker Pro Tempore Jehan Gordon-Booth and Senate Majority Leader Kimberly A. Lightford issued a joint statement Tuesday supporting legislation that will guarantee paid leave for all Illinois workers:
“Whether it’s dealing with a sudden family illness or an emergency auto repair, sometimes life gets in the way of work. Paid leave will have a significant, positive impact on the lives of residents across our state, and underscores our commitment to uplifting working families. We appreciate the work put into this from all stakeholders, including business and labor, to bring us to this moment.”
Key components of Senate Bill 208 include:
· All employers will be required to provide their employees with a minimum of 40 hours (or five days) of paid leave per year to be used for any reason. Employers may choose to offer more paid leave time.
· A worker would begin to earn paid leave on their first day of their employment at a rate of one hour of leave for every 40 hours worked.
· Employees may use their paid leave starting on the 90th day of employment. An employer, however, may allow a worker to use it earlier.
· Workplaces can still require their employees to provide notice before taking paid time off. If the use of leave is unforeseeable, an employee is directed to provide notice as soon as practicable.
· Unused paid leave will carry over annually, up to 40 hours. However, employers are not required to cash out the balance of an outgoing employee’s paid leave.
· Employers that violate the act would be subject to penalties, including fines and compensatory damages for the affected employee.
This applies to all private employers, by the way. There’s no minimum (mistake in my earlier report because I relied on a briefing like a dummy). But the law can’t override a collective bargaining agreement.
* More…
Women Employed, which has been creating fundamental, systemic change for working women for nearly 50 years, today applauded the passage of SB208, the Paid Leave for All Workers Act, which provides up to 40 hours, or five days, of paid time off for all Illinois workers for any reason, including for an employee’s illness, to care for a sick family member, or for medical appointments. Women Employed led a broad-based coalition of advocates fighting for a statewide law providing paid time off for all workers.
Until now, about 1.5 million workers in Illinois did not have access to a single paid sick day. The new law, sponsored by Rep. Gordon-Booth and Sen. Lightford and championed by workers’ rights advocates and labor leaders, makes Illinois the 17th state to secure paid sick time for its workers.
“No one should fear losing income or their job because they or their loved ones are sick,” Women Employed’s Associate Director of Policy Sarah Labadie said. “Thanks to the championship of Leaders Gordon-Booth and Lightford and the commitment of Women Employed staff and our statewide coalition, Illinois can stand proud as a state where all of its workers are ensured paid time off.”
The Paid Leave for All Workers Act ensures all workers, including essential workers, have a set amount of paid time off. The bill provides:
Full- and part-time workers can earn up to 40 hours of leave per year.
Employees can use leave for any reason, including: recovering from their own illness, caring for a sick family member, school closures, reasons related to domestic or sexual violence, visiting a family member in jail or prison and other court-related reasons, and COVID-19 related reasons such as the need to quarantine or get vaccinated.
“Paid leave for all Illinois workers is long overdue,” Leader Jehan Gordon-Booth said. “I’m honored to have worked alongside Women Employed, the Shriver Center, labor leaders and so many other fierce advocates of workers’ rights who made this day possible.”
“Many low-paid workers face impossible choices when it comes to needing time off and keeping a job, and it shouldn’t be that way,” Sen. Lightford said. “In Illinois, we stand with our workers and I’m proud we worked together to make paid sick time a reality for workers who need it most.”
Dozens of Illinois cities and local governments, including Chicago, already offer paid sick days to their workers. The Paid Leave for All Workers Act ensures Illinois workers – no matter where they live – have access to the same right.
“Every day, workers are forced to choose between job security and caring for themselves or family members,” said Tim Drea, President of the IL AFL-CIO. “We’ve fought hard to ensure that millions of Illinoisans have access to paid leave, and are grateful to Rep. Gordon-Booth, Sen. Lightford, Women Employed and the deep bench of advocates for listening to the needs of working families in our state.”
The bill passed 78-30 in the House and 38-16 in the Senate and now heads to Gov. Pritzker’s desk for his signature.
“This is a great day for Illinois workers and their families,” Wendy Pollack, founder and director of the Women’s Law and Policy Initiative at the Shriver Center, said. “We couldn’t have made this possible without the outstanding support and leadership of our legislative sponsors and our dedicated coalition of advocates.”
More information on the Paid Leave for All Workers Act and a full list of coalition partners can be found here.
* The sponsors really deserve a lot of credit. Here’s Rep. Gordon-Booth’s statement…
Today, Illinois State Representative and Deputy Majority Leader, Jehan Gordon-Booth, released the following statement on the Senate’s passage of Senate Bill 208, which will create paid leave laws across Illinois, and now heads to Governor Pritzker for signature:
“Today is a proud moment for our state as we celebrate creating paid leave laws across Illinois. Because of this legislation, more than 11 million hardworking Illinoisans will have access to paid leave at their place of employment that they once did not have. Our employees are not only the backbone of our economy, but the backbone of their families and our communities, and they all deserve paid time off.
I’m grateful to leaders in the business and labor communities who came together to make this historic legislation a reality, including the Illinois State AFL-CIO, SEIU, Illinois Retail Merchants Association, Illinois Manufacturers Association, AFSCME, UFCW, and the Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce. Thank you to the advocates and organizations who have made their voices heard in this fight for years, especially those with the Shriver Center for Poverty Law and Women Employed.
This legislation will help make our state a more livable, desirable place for workers of all trades and industries, and sends a strong message that Illinois is a place that not only values the contributions of our employees at their place of work, but as they build a life for themselves and their families.”
SB208 creates paid leave laws across Illinois by requiring all employers to provide a minimum of 40 hours (or five days) of paid leave per year to be used for any reason. It also allows for unused paid leave to carry over annually, up to 40 hours.
* What follows is Speaker Welch’s Inauguration Address for the 103rd General Assembly. These are his remarks as prepared for delivery…
Good afternoon!
I want to begin by saying thank you to the House Democratic Caucus members for trusting me for a second time to lead our chamber as the Speaker of the House.
The second of three sons of Emanuel and Willie Mae Welch. The husband of ShawnTe Raines-Welch, and father of Tyler and Marley. A Black kid from the ‘Woods, Maywood and Bellwood, is Speaker of the House. Thank you Illinois!
Thank you Representative Kam Buckner and Leader Lisa Hernandez for your kind words in placing my name into nomination.
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.
Secretary Giannoulias – You know as well as anyone the historic shoes you are stepping into as you succeed the great Jesse White. I’m sure I speak for this entire House when I tell you how excited I am to see someone in this office who will respect that history while also looking to the future. We’re glad to have you, and we look forward to the work ahead.
And of course, I want to thank all the families and friends who are joining us here today. When I first took the Speaker’s oath two years ago at the Bank of Springfield Center, had my General Assembly family there – and that meant the world to me – but I can’t tell you how meaningful it is to share this moment today with my wife, ShawnTe Raines-Welch, and our children Tyler and Marley.
I think a lot of the members here today probably feel the same way. So many of you are taking office today for the first time.
Those of you now beginning your second terms had much the same experience I had – taking office in the Bank of Springfield Center knowing our friends and loved ones were watching online, but still missing being able to see and hug the people who were there for us at every step of the way.
Even those of us who have been through this many times had to wonder two years ago – our desks six feet apart, masked, with no vaccines to protect us – whether we would ever be able to experience something like this again.
So while the oaths we took here today are the same words we’ve all said or read before, they are imbued with an added meaning when you can look out and see the people who are the reason you’re saying them.
I consider all this as I laid my hand on our family Bible, which my mom got when my parents bought our first home. She gave it to ShawnTe and I when we were married twelve years ago, and we in turn will some day pass it to Tyler or Marley.
The dream of owning a home was by no means something that was guaranteed to my parents at that time. It took a lot of hard work and sacrifice, and undoubtedly was the subject of a lot of prayer.
They passed those hopes and prayers on to me, never imagining a moment like this would even be possible, but hoping in their hearts that all that they had done to create a better life for me and my siblings would also help us make life better for others.
Last week my little Marley asked me if I was going to give a speech today. When I said yes, she said: “Tell me something you are going to say.”
I was really excited about an 8 year old asking me about a speech. When she gets older, she probably won’t care too much about Dad’s political speeches. I couldn’t pass up the opportunity.
I told her that I often remind our caucus to remember their ‘why’, and I will probably tell them again. And, yes, today, I am going to say it again.
Everyone of us here today are elected leaders from our community. As leaders, we should ALWAYS remember our ‘why’!
Why do we get out of bed in the morning? Why do we put our names on the ballot to run for office? Why do we leave our loved ones and give up moments with our kids to come here every week? Why?
I still ask myself that question. Why is the second son of Emanuel and Willie Mae named Emanuel and not the first one? Why was I the son given our family Bible? A Bible that my mom signed in March of 1985, 5 months before Chicago gun violence would change our family forever. Why?
As legislators, we’re going to disagree on ‘how’ to achieve a goal, or ‘when’ is the right time to do it. But more often than not, our ‘why’ is very much the same.
We want to help people. We want to use the opportunities afforded to us to create more opportunities for those who come after us.
It’s no secret that Representative Jim Durkin and I would disagree on many of the ‘hows’ and ‘whens’ of lawmaking, and we would often make those disagreements known – sometimes at maximum volume.
And that’s a good thing, because debate and disagreement are necessary steps toward compromise and cooperation – as long as we never lose sight of our ‘why.’
Jim is a man who knows his why, and even through all the debates I never questioned what’s in his heart. I am sincerely grateful for his service,and he deserves a round of applause
Leader Durkin has now passed the torch to Leader Tony McCombie.
Looking out at Leader McCombie’s guests today I see the neighbors she served as leader of a local government; I see the people whose voices she is working to make heard; I see farmers from Whiteside County who have taught both of us about the importance of agriculture to our state; I see the generation that worked hard to help her get here today, and the generation she is working hard to help achieve even more.
Let’s give the first woman ever to lead a House Caucus, a well deserved round of applause.
So while Leader McCombie and I will certainly have our own disagreements, it is my hope that even our disagreements can be productive when we remember that the reasons why we’re doing the work are very similar.
That’s a commitment I make to every member — whether Democrat or Republican – because I am not Speaker of the Democrats but Speaker of the House:
Everyone who is here to work in good faith and pursue the common good will find common cause with me.
Everyone who values civility and respect will find that we have a strong foundation to work from.
Everyone committed to upholding the values of our democracy will be my ally in defense of a government of the people, by the people, and for the people.
Everyone who is ready to do the work and meet the challenges of this moment will have a partner in me – always.
But those who choose discord, those whose blind allegiance to extreme ideology would dismantle our fundamental institutions, those who would derail the work people have sent us here to do – they will find that this House will not waste the people’s time on their games.
Because we know the work we were sent here to do:
We must continue fighting for relief for those middle-class and struggling families hit hardest by unstable markets – because we believe the system should reward work, not wealth.
We must continue rebuilding Illinois’ fiscal house with fiscally and socially responsible budgets – because we know that your budget is a reflection of what you value.
We must continue to prioritize equity in health care, education, workplaces and, yes, also in our justice system – because we know a system that works for everyone is nothing to be afraid of.
We must work for safer communities for all by providing police with the resources they need right now, investing in communities to attack the root causes of crime, and getting illegal guns off our streets — because we know that keeping communities safe requires action, not just talk.
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. We must deliver for our small businesses, welcome innovators, and pair them with well trained and highly skilled workers – because we believe that Illinois’ farms and factories, our universities and our union halls, are where we will build the 21st Century economy.
We must protect voting rights and workers’ rights; we must support our schools and care for our seniors; we must speak up for our big cities, our growing suburbs, and our small towns alike – because we were sent here to provide for the common good, not divide for individual gain.
In doing this work, we’re not only doing the job we were sent here to do, we are fulfilling the charge laid out to us all in our State Constitution.
This past Sunday, my family was having breakfast at one of our favorite breakfast places, and my son Tyler asked me, “Dad, does the Illinois Constitution say ‘We the People’?” I said, “Let’s look it up!” And indeed, The Illinois Constitution starts with a preamble that opens up by saying “We, the People of the State of Illinois!”
The preamble is a beautiful beginning to our foundational document. It is a prayer for the strength to provide for the health, safety and welfare of the people;
To maintain a representative and orderly government;
To eliminate poverty and inequality;
To assure legal, social and economic justice;
To provide opportunity for the fullest development of the individual;
To insure domestic tranquility;
To provide for the common defense;
And to secure the blessings of freedom and liberty to ourselves and our posterity.
Tyler asked me that question four days before the Inauguration of the 103rd General Assembly because I was being reminded, “That’s Illinois’ why!”
When I look around this room full of families and friends, parents and children, I see so many of our personal ‘whys’.
Because my parents’ prayers are represented by our family Bible, and the dreams I have for my children aren’t unique to me. They’re something that everyone in this room wants for their own loved ones.
And the hope for a bright future is shared by each of the 12 million Illinoisans we serve in 118 districts from Chicago to Cairo, from Winnetka to Washington Park, and from Westchester to Savanna.
You see, regardless of our region, our race, or our religion, our common prayer is that our work today will build a better tomorrow.
That’s what people in all of our communities hope for every night as they fall asleep, and it’s why they get out of bed in the morning.
It’s up to us to work just as hard on their behalf.
I’m ready to do that work! We’re ready to do that work! Together!
Because the people of Illinois sent us here to do the work!
We know the mission of this moment and we know our why!
Members of the 103rd General Assembly, let’s rise to meet this moment!
Let’s use this time and all that has been given to us to do the work and move Illinois forward!
* Senate President Don Harmon inauguration remarks as prepared for delivery…
Thank you Governor Pritzker for presiding over our opening ceremonies.
One of these years, maybe, just maybe, we’ll have a normal Senate ceremony in our normal Senate chamber. But probably not anytime soon. The Senate seems to be pretty good at finding new and different ways to be different.
I am honored and humbled to receive the support of my colleagues to serve in this post.
Thank you.
My commitment to you is that I will strive each day to do my best to live up to the responsibilities and trust you have placed in me. I am also a bit surprised by the reality that, as of today, with a whopping tenure of not quite three years, I am now the longest serving legislative leader in the General Assembly. Make of that what you will.
On the flip side, I’d like to congratulate the newest member of the four tops, Republican Leader John Curran. Leader Curran, I look forward to the opportunity to work with you. I want to thank Senator Villanueva and Senator Turner for their kind remarks. And I especially want to thank my seatmate and legislative neighbor back home, Senate Majority Leader Kimberly Lightford. I am humbled to have your support and looking forward to another great and productive session working with you.
I want to think my pastor, Father Carl Morello for delivering the invocation and Rabbi Shoshanna Conover for the benediction. We are honored to have in our presence today a veritable who’s who of Illinois government. A two-term governor deserves a second welcome. Governor Pritzker, thanks for being here.
The Honorable Juliana Stratton, Lieutenant Governor
The Honorable Jesse White, former Secretary of State
The Honorable Kwame Raoul, Attorney General
The Honorable Michael W. Frerichs, Treasurer
The Honorable Lisa Holder White, Supreme Court Justice
The Honorable Joy V. Cunningham, Supreme Court Justice
The Honorable John G. Mulroe, Justice, Circuit Court of Cook County
And The Honorable James O. Langfelder, Mayor, City of Springfield
Thank you all for being here with us.
I have my Harmon support group here today. My wife, Teri. And our children:
• Don,
• Frances
• and Maggie
They are the foundation of every good decision I make. And if I make any bad decisions, it’s clear I didn’t seek their counsel.
OK, so here we are.
The ongoing Capitol construction project dispatched us to this historic chamber for today’s ceremony. I want to thank Justin Blandford and his historic sites team at the Department of Natural Resources for all their work shoehorning us in and helping make this event happen. This building and its history are a treasure for our state and I hope everyone comes back in due time to explore that legacy. We have in our midst today 16 Senators taking the inaugural oath of office for the very first time. Welcome aboard.
Our roll call shows 59 members, but I would like to acknowledge a 60th Senator who is not here. We lost a friend last month with the passing of Senator Scott Bennett. May his life serve as a reminder to value and enjoy the time we have. He was a model for public service, and we miss him dearly. I would ask that we have a moment of silence in his honor.
Of all the places we could have picked for today today’s ceremony, it’s fitting that we are here in this building and this chamber. This is a place of fresh starts and new beginnings. Not so long ago, our former colleague Barack Obama launched his campaign for the presidency from the steps outside. Less renowned, but arguably just as important, this very chamber hosts naturalization ceremonies in which people from across the globe complete their journey to become US citizens.
On February 1, 1865, the House, in this chamber, rushed to make Illinois the first state in the nation to ratify the 13th Amendment abolishing slavery, approving the measure by large majorities and, just as impressively, wrapping up those historic votes by 4:30 that afternoon. Lawmakers then quickly moved to repeal the state’s infamous Black Laws. I trust they worked late into the evening. And arguably most famously, it is here, in 1858, I believe in the spot where I am standing, that Abraham Lincoln drew biblical inspiration to challenge the morality of slavery in delivering his “House Divided” speech upon receiving the Republican nomination for the US Senate.
“A house divided against itself cannot stand.”
“I believe this government cannot endure, permanently half slave and half free.”
I have to tell you, as a bit of a history geek, and a graduate of Galesburg’s Knox College, the self-professed ‘hub of Lincoln scholarship,’ it is the thrill of a lifetime to stand at this podium and speak the words of Abraham Lincoln. We look back in admiration at Lincoln’s eloquence, his forthright stamina in defending what is right. But truth be told, back in the day it was delivered, the speech bombed. His friends and advisers warned it was far too radical for the times. Probably sounds familiar to a few of you … on both sides of the aisle. Lincoln would lose that Senate race to Stephen Douglas. Some would blame the tone of the speech for the loss. So why give it? Because Lincoln believed there was an important message that people needed to hear. The debate had gone on long enough. It was time to pick a side.
Yes, Lincoln lost that Senate race, but just two years later, that same message would propel him to the White House, where he would go on to become one of the greatest presidents in American history.
It’s humbling to be in this chamber and contemplate the magnitude of Lincoln’s words. It is my hope that we all think deeply about why it is that we find ourselves here, and what we wish to accomplish for the people of Illinois in the days, weeks, months and years ahead. The Senate that I know is one filled with good and decent people, elected to do right by their communities. I’ve been thinking a lot lately of something my mom told me when I was first elected. “I don’t worry that you won’t do the right thing when you go to Springfield,” she said. “I worry that Springfield will change your notion of what the right thing is.”
My mom passed away New Year’s Day. She was, and will always be, my hero. Her words, and the challenge they instill, stuck with me. I will forever do my best to live up to her expectations.
I offer a similar challenge to all of you. Each of us serves roughly a quarter million people back home. A quarter million people. What is best for them? What is best for the millions of working families across our state? What is best for the nearly 13 million people who collectively call Illinois home? Be guided by that truth, whether it be politically convenient or not. If your motivations are elsewhere, the Illinois Senate is not for you.
James Rochford was the superintendent of the Chicago Police Department in 1976. That year he welcomed a new class of patrol officers with a stern warning that seems appropriate to revisit today. “If you lack integrity, get out – get out now – because you will be found out. To be sorry is too late. If you remember the esteem in which you are held by our family and friends, many of whom are in this hall, you will save them the eventual shame and heartbreak.”
We’ve all unfortunately witnessed the sweeping tarnish that comes when even one elected official strays. If you aren’t here to do what’s right for the people of Illinois, I would suggest you take Mr. Rochford’s advice. The people of Illinois deserve better and it is up to us to deliver.
I will close with Lincoln’s own concluding remarks from the House Divided speech and look forward to working with all of you to improve the lives of all of the people who call the great state of Illinois their home.
Wise counsels may accelerate or mistakes delay it, but sooner or later the victory is sure to come.
Two months ahead of trial, federal prosecutors late Tuesday revealed new details of wiretapped conversations and other evidence they intend to use against four people accused in an alleged bribery scheme between Commonwealth Edison and then-House Speaker Michael Madigan. […]
— A ComEd lawyer is expected to testify that the man accused of orchestrating the scheme, ex-lobbyist Michael McClain, had such a longstanding and close relationship with Madigan that he was sometimes referred to within ComEd as a “double agent.” […]
— In 2016, McClain wrote a letter Madigan saying he wanted to let his “real” client know he was retiring from lobbying, but still willing to do “assignments” for him. “I am at the bridge with my musket standing with and for the Madigan family,” he wrote, according to a copy included in the filing. […]
— Former McPier boss Juan Ochoa is expected to testify how he enlisted the help of a member of Congress [Luis Gutierrez] in 2017 to help repair his tattered political relationship with Madigan and ultimately secure a lucrative position on ComEd’s Board of Directors.
— Prosecutors also intend to call Ed Moody, the former Cook County Recorder of Deeds and longtime 13th Ward precinct captain, who will testify Madigan told him it was ok that he was being paid by ComEd for doing next to nothing because he was “a valuable political operative” and that campaign work “was what was important to Madigan.”
The government expects to call Individual 13W-3 as a witness at trial. Individual 13W-3 is one of the subcontractors who was paid through intermediaries such as Doherty, Intermediary 2, and Intermediary 3. The government anticipates that Individual 13W-3 will confirm that Individual 13W-3 performed little or no work in return for payments received indirectly from ComEd, and that the payments were made simply because Individual 13W-3 was a valuable political operative for Madigan. […]
Individual 13W-3 will testify that s/he received a series of patronage jobs—other jobs that Madigan secured for Individual 13W-3 as compensation for Individual 13W-3’s work as a precinct captain and for other political campaign work Individual 13W-3 performed for Madigan. These patronage positions included jobs in local government.
Individual 13W-3 continued to work very hard for Madigan on political campaigns, in part because Individual 13W-3 enjoyed the work, and in part out of fear that Madigan would threaten Individual 13W-3’s government job. Indeed, Individual 13W-3’s understanding was that if Individual 13W-3 did not perform well during political campaigns, Madigan could cause him/her to be removed from their government job.
Individual 13W-3 is expected to testify that, in addition to the government positions that Madigan obtained for Individual 13W-3, Madigan also arranged for Individual 13W-3 to receive additional money. Specifically, Individual 13W-3 asked Madigan for a job as a consultant or lobbyist where Individual 13W-3 could make an additional $45,000 per year, so that Individual 13W-3 had sufficient funds for his/her retirement. Ultimately, Madigan informed Individual 13W-3 that s/he would be “working for McClain.” Individual 13W-3 knew McClain to be a part of Madigan’s “kitchen cabinet,” that is, s/he knew McClain to be one of the Madigan’s closest confidants and advisors. However, Madigan told Individual 13W-3 that he (Madigan) controlled the contract, and that if Individual 13W-3 left the organization (meaning Madigan’s political organization), Individual 13W-3 would no longer work for McClain. […]
Individual 13W-3 will testify that payments from Intermediary 2 ended, and he began receiving payments from Intermediary 3, who was a lobbyist and former Illinois State Representative who was close to Madigan. Intermediary 3 received a consulting contract from Intermediary 3 that referenced providing services to ComEd. Individual 13W-3 signed the contract that suggested that Individual 13W-3 would provide services to ComEd, but it was apparent quite quickly that Individual 13W-3 was not going to do any work for ComEd.
Specifically, Individual 13W-3 will testify that approximately two to three weeks after receiving the contract from Intermediary 3, Individual 13W-3 had a conversation with Madigan while Individual 13W-3 was out doing campaign work in the 13th Ward. During that conversation, Individual 13W-3 expressed his/her concern to Madigan that Individual 13W-3 had not been doing any work for ComEd as the contract suggested.
Madigan responded that Individual 13W-3 did not have to worry about that, because what Individual 13W-3 was doing right then—meaning campaign work—was what was important to Madigan. Madigan further told Individual 13W-3 that Individual 13W-3 was doing what Intermediary 3 and ComEd wanted Individual 13W-3 to be doing. Individual 13W-3 understood Madigan to be referring to political campaign work for Madigan, and further understood s/he did not have to worry about doing any work for ComEd. [Emphasis added.]
In summer 2018, months before it became apparent they were the targets of a federal investigation, then-Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan was reminded by a longtime confidant about a contract they’d help someone land that tied the person to ComEd.
Madigan then interrupted his confidant, Michael McClain. The men were allegedly near the end of an almost decade-long scheme, in which they convinced ComEd to give Madigan’s associates jobs, contracts and money in order to curry favor with the speaker.
“Some of these guys have made out like bandits, Mike,” Madigan quipped, according to a newly released transcript of the conversation that was caught on a federal wiretap.
“Oh my God, for very little work too,” McClain said, coughing amid his response. “Very little work.”
Now, federal prosecutors say that conversation is evidence that Madigan and McClain understood that people employed by ComEd at Madigan’s request were doing little or no work for the utility. “Indeed,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Amarjeet Bhachu wrote, “many of the Madigan subcontractors made out like thieves, just as Madigan observed.”
The government anticipates introducing recordings of other benefits the defendants sought to solicit and confer on Madigan. For example, on or about December 11, 2018 (McClain Phone, Session #18290), Madigan asked McClain if he had received a resume for a named individual who was related to a local public official, and told McClain that his “thought was there might be a place for her at ComEd.” McClain advised Madigan he would bring the resume with him when he had breakfast with Marquez.
As another example, on or about April 9, 2019 (McClain Phone, Session #17513), John Hooker had a telephone call with Marquez. During the call, Hooker reported to Marquez that Pramaggiore was exploring hiring Madigan’s former chief of staff [Tim Mapes], who had left his position in the wake of allegations of harassment made by other State employees. Hooker explained that Pramaggiore wanted to have the former chief of staff work for her, but Pramaggiore wanted to “pay him but hide his contract in someone else’s,” and Hooker had suggested “put him in as a consultant with McClain.” McClain similarly suggested to Marquez that ComEd could “hide things” by employing Madigan’s former chief of staff as a consultant through a third party in an intercepted phone call. (McClain Phone, Session #3870.) Of course, Pramaggiore’s and McClain’s proposed method of concealment of payments to Madigan’s former chief of staff had been employed by the coconspirators with the Madigan subcontractors for years to great effect.
As another example, on February 16, 2019, McClain spoke to another ComEd lobbyist, in follow-up to that lobbyist’s request that Madigan help him secure more lobbying work. McClain acknowledged that the lobbyist had come to see the Speaker; McClain told him that “we’re on it” and “this is [Madigan’s] return call.” The lobbyist told McClain that he was hoping to get more work and acknowledged that he enjoyed his work for ComEd. McClain Phone, Session #20021. This call demonstrates that McClain acted as Madigan’s agent (“this is his return call”), and Madigan arranged for McClain to help to secure consulting work at ComEd and other companies for individuals connected to Madigan.
* McClain wasn’t wrong when he said Madigan was his “real” client…
On or about November 16, 2018 (McClain Phone, Session# 14849), Madigan reviewed his efforts to gather votes to be re-elected Speaker with McClain, discussed McClain arranging to have a message passed to Illinois’ Joint Committee on Administrative Rules concerning a prior directive issued by Governor Rauner. In addition, McClain asked Madigan when McClain should call a named State Representative that Madigan wished to retire and “lower the boom” on the State Representative; Madigan instructed McClain to do so “sooner rather than later.” Thereafter, on or about August 11, 2018 (McClain Phone, Session #15167), McClain called the named State Representative to tell them that “this is no longer me talking, I’m an agent,” on behalf of someone [Madigan] who thought the Representative ought to “move on” and was not interested in moving the State Representative “up in leadership.” (McClain made a number of other calls in which he discussed his communications with that State Representative on Madigan’s behalf.
On or about September 5, 2018 (McClain Phone, Session #12860) during a telephone call between Madigan and McClain, Madigan asked for McClain’s advice on how to respond to the Senate President, who was understood to have authorized political advertisements to be broadcast that cast Madigan in a negative light. McClain advised Madigan to “let your agents do it for . . . now,” “I’d let us handle this for twenty-four, forty-eight hours and if [the Senate President] by that time hasn’t called you, then I guess you, you’re gonna have to call him . . .”
* ComEd’s former senior vice president of external and governmental affairs Fidel Marquez lays it out…
Marquez learned after he assumed this position that two Madigan associates— Individual 13W-1 and Individual 13W-2—were being paid by ComEd as “subcontractors” through JDDA, and soon after, a third Madigan associate, Individual 13W-3, was added as a subcontractor. Marquez will explain that the payments to Individual 13W-1 and Individual 13W-2 continued through the entirety of his service as Senior Vice President of Governmental and External Affairs,8 and the payments continued to Individual 13W- 3 until and including 2018 (though Individual 13W-3 was paid through multiple third parties, including JDDA, Intermediary 2, and Intermediary 3 as discussed further below).
Marquez will testify that (i) he never asked any of these individuals to perform any work for ComEd, and did not expect them to perform any work for ComEd; (ii) Marquez was never informed they were performing work for anyone at ComEd; and (iii) none of them had any unique skills that ComEd needed or wanted. The method of paying them—that is, as subcontractors—was unusual. The intermediaries, like JDDA, served as “pass through” entities in order to pay the subcontractors. Marquez is expected to further testify that while paying individuals as requested by Madigan and McClain did not guarantee legislative success, the purpose of the payments was to influence Madigan and to ensure Madigan did not act against ComEd and its legislative requests and agenda due to a failure to fulfill his hiring requests.
Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker earlier this month signed into law a bill, HB 2988, that gives counties and municipalities sole authority for establishing standards to develop wind farms in the state.
The law, which went into immediate effect, stipulates that only a county may enact zoning regulations in rural areas outside of the jurisdiction of incorporated cities, even if there are not county-wide zoning regulations. The law resolves a dispute that arose last year in Douglas County where EDP Renewables North America wants to build a 200 MW wind farm.
* From the Illinois Farm Bureau’s candidate forum last year…
Q: As governor, would you support legislation to create statewide controls over the siting of wind or solar projects?
Pritzker: No. In fact I’ve specifically avoided that. I don’t think that’s the way. We’ve got to have a continuous conversation, the one that we’ve been having for years now, between the state and local governments and local control, so that we decide together about siting.
* Yesterday…
A bill protecting Illinois-based clean energy projects from a growing number of local bans passed today during the Illinois General Assembly’s lame duck legislative session. HB4412 was drafted to prevent counties from enacting preemptive local ordinances that outright ban local wind and solar projects, hindering the state’s new climate goals set forth in the Climate and Equitable Jobs Act (CEJA). The bill passed by a vote of 33 to 17 in the Senate and 73 to 36 in the House.
“We’ve seen an uptick in radical misinformation campaigns taking root here in Illinois that aim to obstruct the progress we have made in CEJA by banning local wind and solar clean energy projects,” said Jen Walling, executive director of the Illinois Environmental Council. “Unaddressed, these out-of-state fear-mongers will compromise the state’s ability to meet our climate goals and realize the financial savings, job creation, economic development, and grid reliability secured in CEJA.”
With the passage of HB4412, the legislature successfully removed overburdensome local wind and solar siting regulations while prioritizing protections for endangered species and natural areas and encouraging conservation practices at utility-scale clean energy sites.
“I was proud to cast my vote for CEJA, and I’m proud to have brought forward legislative solutions like HB4412 to ensure that Illinois remains on track to meet our climate, jobs and justice goals secured in our nation-leading climate bill,” said State Rep. Robyn Gabel.
“The General Assembly was proactive in passing HB4412, taking necessary action to defend the economic, equity and climate benefits secured in CEJA by directly confronting counterproductive bans on clean energy,” Walling continued. “Now our state can continue plugging away at the implementation of CEJA without having to play whack-a-mole every time fossil fuel interests introduce an ordinance intended to delay our clean energy future.”
Over a dozen local bans have passed in Illinois counties to date. HB4412 would not only prevent future bans but would also take precedence over current bans, clearing the way for rapid clean energy development across the state, helping Illinois meet its climate goals, and helping communities address potential capacity shortfalls.
“Illinoisans expect the General Assembly to anticipate problems and generate policy solutions that ensure the best outcomes for our communities, and HB4412 is a prime example of that work,” said State Sen. Bill Cunningham. “With this legislation, we’re bringing clean energy jobs and opportunities to people across Illinois.”
HB4412 heads next to Gov. JB Pritzker’s desk for his signature.
* Sponsoring Rep. Robyn Gabel said during a committee hearing yesterday that Gov. Pritzker will sign the bill. I confirmed that with the governor’s office. And when I asked how this was not a flip-flop from the 2022 campaign, I was told this…
Local governments will still have the ability to put in place local regulations regarding permits and there is nothing that requires they grant permits for wind projects. The Governor believes this bill reflects a middle ground that still allows for local control over permitting while removing barriers on the path to a clean energy future for the state.
* “Where is the local control?” Rep. Gabel was asked during floor debate last night. Her response…
As I said, these permits have to be passed by these county organizations, has to be passed by the zoning board of appeals, the full county board, it has to receive a road use agreement and building permits from the county.
More than 70 counties filed in opposition to the bill.
Groups like the Illinois State Rifle Association plan to immediately file a lawsuit, seeking to strike the law and to prevent it from ever taking effect.
State Rep. Blaine Wilhour, R-Effingham, said they’ve got the U.S. Constitution on their side.
“A lot of you guys over there despise our founders and you casually cast aside the principles that this country was founded on. But our founding fathers, they knew what they were doing. See they had experienced the tyranny of the majority, and they vowed that that was never going to happen in our country,” Wilhour said.
Um, the Bill of Rights was an after-thought. And they were suffering under the tyranny of a monarch’s whims, which is hardly the majority.
* Illinois Freedom Caucus…
The Illinois Freedom Caucus today is issuing the following statement on the passage and upcoming signing of HB 5471, which bans numerous types of firearms, limits the rounds in magazines and requires registry of grandfathered firearms.
“The stated purpose of this bill is to ‘end gun violence’ in Illinois but the proponents of this legislation offer no evidence as to how infringing on the rights of honest citizens will accomplish their goal. The proponents were asked numerous times to provide that evidence, and none was given.
This legislation is an unconstitutional bill on its face. It is lazy and irresponsible at best and a violation of our oath of office at worst. As legislators we take an oath to ‘support the Constitution of the United States and the Constitution of the State of Illinois’ but the legislators who voted for this bill are actively undermining and usurping our Constitution all to make a political statement.
The bill fails to address the problem of violence at its root cause, and it is a clear violation of our Constitutional rights. House Bill 5471 will not stand up to Constitutional scrutiny and the sponsors of the bill know it. The sponsors provided no legal argument for how this bill would hold up in court, begging the question why pass it in the first place? The answer is simple. This is not about any pretense of public safety. It is a direct attack on anyone who dares to have a different point of view than the extreme leftists who make up the majority party. It is in the end nothing more than a political statement. If the goal was to protect innocent people, we would be passing a bill to deal with individuals rather than passing blatantly unconstitutional legislation.”
The Illinois Freedom Caucus is comprised of State Representatives Adam Niemerg (R-Dieterich); Chris Miller (R-Oakland); Brad Halbrook (R-Shelbyville); Blaine Wilhour (R-Beecher City) and Dan Caulkins (R-Decatur). The members of the Illinois Freedom Caucus are members of the Illinois General Assembly who are advocating for limited government, lower taxes and accountability and integrity in government.
Maybe let the courts decide before making such bold predictions. Eight other states have a version of this on their books. Illinois’ new law is partly based on Connecticut’s law, which has been on the books since 2013.
And it’s pretty rich for these folks to be calling others “lazy.” They do almost nothing but whine all day. Not a hard worker in that bunch when it comes to their actual legislative jobs. I mean, Rep. Halbrook didn’t get endorsed by the Illinois Farm Bureau last year. How does that even happen?
* Rep. Niemerg…
The Illinois House has given final approval to the most expansive gun control legislation in the history of the state, but State Representative Adam Niemerg (R-Dietrich) says in the end the law will accomplish nothing because it is a clear violation of the Constitution.
“This bill passed with thunderous applause from far-left legislators but in the end very little has been accomplished today,” Niemerg said. “The bill is a clear violation of the Constitution and will not hold up in court. If the intention is to cost honest citizens time and money in defending their Constitutional rights, then mission accomplished. If the intention is to prevent violence, then what exactly has been accomplished here? We were told there was an emergency, and we could not wait to pass this legislation. Instead of passing a bill that preserved our Constitutional rights and addressed violence in our culture at its root cause, the advocates of this bill chose to enact a bill that will not stand up in court. The backers of this bill have a lot of explaining to do. They have violated their oath of office by passing a bill that is clearly unconstitutional and they have done nothing to prevent future violent attacks. All they have accomplished is wasting time and wasting money.”
House Bill 5471 as amended restricts the purchase and manufacturing of many different types of federally legal firearms, limits magazine capacity to 12 rounds and requires signed affidavits for grandfathered in firearms.
“As I said before, criminals won’t fill out an affidavit for their guns,” Niemerg said. “This legislation is not about protecting people. It is about making a political statement. I am committed to working in bipartisan way to take meaningful action to address the problem of violence in our culture at its root cause, but I will not violate the Constitutional rights of honest citizens. If the advocates behind this legislation really cared about solving the problem, we would be focused on solutions that work instead of passing legislation that will not stand up to Constitutional muster.”
House Bill 5471 now moves to the Governor’s desk where it is expected he will sign it.
Solutions that “work” include getting at the root causes of violence, interrupting violence, expanding mental health care and even doing things like putting more social workers in schools. When was the last time one of these Freedom Caucus members voted for any of that?
* Look, I don’t know for sure that the bill is constitutional or that it’ll have its intended effect. What I do know with absolute certainty, however, is that the people screaming the loudest right now are the same people who are never around when their help is needed to go at this issue from different directions.
Look no further than the commenters who rush over from Facebook whenever a gun bill is proposed. They don’t engage with anything else. I mean, say whatever else you want about the commenter known as Lucky Pierre, but at least that person has interests beyond a single topic.
* Pro-Choice Missouri, PROMO, and Missouri Abortion Fund…
“Missourians applaud the passage of HB 4664. Missourians rely on states like Illinois for abortion care and we know politicians are coming after the transgender community’s very ability to exist. The bill puts protections in place today that will bring necessary relief and reassurance tomorrow for the patients and providers who are risking their lives to cross state lines to exercise rights and freedoms that aren’t afforded to us in Missouri. Missourians deserve better; Missourians deserve more.
“This legislation is bigger than just Illinois. Our communities need policies that expand access to abortion and gender-affirming care, protect providers, and add capacity to a health care system that has offered Missourians a place of refuge in a post-Roe reality. We urge Governor Pritzker to take immediate action and sign this bill into law.”
* Hannah Meisel has by far the best explanation piece on the bill…
Demand from out-of-state abortion seekers – particularly from neighboring Missouri – began accelerating even before the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade last summer, but advocates expect even more need as Republican-controlled states further clamp down on abortion access.
To meet that future demand, Democrats included provisions in their bill meant to grow Illinois’ reproductive health care workforce, like allowing physician assistants and nurse practitioners to perform vacuum aspiration abortions – the most common type of in-clinic abortions for pregnancies up to around 14 weeks – which do not require general anesthesia.
Under the bill, Illinois would also speed the process for granting temporary permits for all doctors, physician assistants and nurse practitioners to address health care shortages in all areas, not just reproductive health care. […]
Under the bill, which Gov. JB Pritzker said he will sign, Illinois would join California, Massachusetts and a handful of other East Coast states in establishing “shield laws” protecting information about abortions from being subject to subpoenas and orders for witness testimony issued from courts in other states.
Like the shield laws enacted by those other states, Illinois’ legal protections would also cover patients and health care professionals engaged in gender-affirming care – a practice some Republican-led states have already begun clamping down on in addition to restricting abortion access.
* Illinois House passes measure that expands scope of medical professionals able to perform abortions: It also allows patients to receive hormonal birth control over the counter from a pharmacist under a statewide order from the Illinois Department of Public Health and clarifies that no person is subject to civil liability for receiving an abortion and that no hospital personnel may report an abortion to law enforcement agencies. Advanced practice registered nurses and physician assistants would be able to perform aspiration abortions, the most common in-clinic abortions that do not require general anesthesia. … It also removes co-pays for HIV medications and gender-affirming care, including medication and surgery for those seeking to change their gender. That became a sticking point for many Republicans, who picked apart whether minors should be able to choose their gender. The legislation, however, strictly focused on medications for gender-affirming care not an expansion of the care.
* Carbondale City Council votes unanimously in favor of amendment regarding protests outside health care facilities: The Carbondale City Council voted unanimously Tuesday night to amend the city’s ordinance on disorderly conduct in an effort to protect patients and staff going into and out of medical facilities that provide abortion services, and other health care facilities. The amendment council members voted in favor of centers around the type of conduct allowed within a 100-foot radius of entrances of hospitals, medical clinics and other health care facilities. A previous version of the amendment specified a radius of 50 feet, but council members expanded that to 100 feet before voting in favor of the change. Within that specific area, people could be charged with disorderly conduct if they knowingly come within 8 feet of an individual without their consent to hand them a leaflet or handbill, display a sign to them or engage in “oral protest, education, or counseling with such other person in the public way.” People could also be charged if they use force, threats or physical obstruction to injure, intimidate or interfere or attempt to injure, intimidate or interfere will anyone entering or leaving a health care facility.
* ADDED: Women can be prosecuted for taking abortion pills, says Alabama attorney general: One week after the federal government made it easier to get abortion pills, Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall said Tuesday that women in Alabama who use those pills to end pregnancies could be prosecuted. That’s despite wording in Alabama’s new Human Life Protection Act that criminalizes abortion providers and prevents its use against the people receiving abortions. Instead, the attorney general’s office said Alabama could rely on an older law, one initially designed to protect children from meth lab fumes. “The Human Life Protection Act targets abortion providers, exempting women ‘upon whom an abortion is performed or attempted to be performed’ from liability under the law,” Marshall said in an emailed statement. “It does not provide an across-the-board exemption from all criminal laws, including the chemical-endangerment law—which the Alabama Supreme Court has affirmed and reaffirmed protects unborn children.”
* Treasurer Frerichs had an outline in his head of what he wanted to say during his Monday inaugural address. He had no written speech. No written notes, either. As someone who has given several speeches over the years, I can tell you that is not an easy thing to do. The Frerichs folks transcribed the speech at my request. Click here for the video…
Good afternoon. It is a pleasure to be with you here today. I want to congratulate my fellow constitutional officers and I want to say some thanks. I want to say thank you to my father. My father is a retired Teamsters truck driver. My mother is a retired AFSCME secretary from the University of Illinois, and they’ve raised me with a set of beliefs that have shaped who I am. I want to thank my wife, Erica, and my daughter, Ella, for bringing me untold joy and happiness in my life. And I want to thank you, the brave and hardy patient souls, who have sat through all of these speeches to make it to mine. Thank you.
This has been a really great year. I got married. I became a dog owner. I got re-elected. A lot of my friends got re-elected. We passed the Workers’ Rights Amendment. And a couple of weeks after the election, my wife let me know that this year we will be growing our family.
I like to say 2022 was an exceptional year, with the exception of the last month. You see, one month ago, on Dec. 9, State Sen. Scott Bennett passed away. The Senate lost a hilarious and hard-working colleague. His young family lost a devoted and loving husband. And I lost a true friend. And for those who know me in politics, I try to be optimistic. I try to see the good in every situation. But this one has been tough. The only real good I can find is that it brought home to me that none of us are guaranteed a tomorrow and that we should make the most of the todays we have. It reiterated to me that we should work to do the most good for the people of this state while we’re here and while we have this opportunity.
Now, eight years ago, I inherited an office that was mired in mediocrity. But I am proud to say that we have changed that. We have made many positive changes. I’m excited that we came in, and we have since taking office made over $1.5 billion in interest income — $1.5 billion that doesn’t have to be raised in taxes. The year before I came in, we helped municipalities and local units of government save and invest money. They made $50,000 in that year. Today, we are making $2 million per day. We took an unclaimed property system that was mired in the past and we dragged it into the 21st century. And as a result, we are a national leader, returning over $1.6 billion to Illinois families, business and nonprofits. We took a college savings plan with under 400,000 accounts and have grown it to over 800,000 accounts, from $7 billion in assets under management to more than $15 billion assets under management and received top ratings from independent ratings analyst Morningstar.
We didn’t stop there. We set up a new savings program to help people save for their retirement so that more Illinoisans can enjoy their golden years and have a retirement with dignity. And thanks to legislation passed by Sen. Scott Bennett, we set up a savings program to help people with disabilities have a brighter future. And it is now helping tens of thousands of people have their parents put them on a pathway to a more successful future.
But it’s another legislative fight that Senator Bennett engaged in that I want to talk a little bit about today. There was a coal-fired power plant in his district that had been dumping toxic coal ash into pits next to a national scenic river. Now that company did that, and it was a way to save money. I’m sure at some point in the past, some CEO making that decision helped to boost their profits by doing it this way. But what happened was years down the road, there were costs to pay. And that company has to pay millions and millions of dollars.
Now these are risks based on decisions that companies are making. As the chief investment officer, when we are investing funds for college savings, for retirement, we are long-term investors. We want to know about those risks so we can make informed decisions about our investments. We have been doing that for the last eight years. We have been engaging with corporations, we have been voting our proxies, we have been pushing them to do right for the long term. When you treat your workers poorly, when you slash their wages or cut their benefits, when you create unsafe work conditions, that may actually save you money in the short term and may get you a nice bonus that year. But we know that in the long term, you are going to lose human capital, you’re going to have less productive employees, and you’re going to risk them striking which will ultimately cost your company money. You may be able to save money by polluting the waters and the air around your company, but long term, it is going to cost you more money.
And we also know, if you look at the great diversity of our state and you welcome them all into your companies and onto your boards, you will benefit. Research has shown you will be more productive. And so we engage with those companies. We ask them to look at things like their environmental impact, their relationship with their workforce, and their commitment to diversity. And we know that when we do this together, we are stronger. And so, we have worked with other state treasurers. We have worked with union pension funds. We have worked with coalitions like the Human Capital Management Coalition, like Climate Action 100 Plus, and like the Midwestern Investors Diversity Initiative.
And I can tell you our work has been noted because we have received the attention of the fossil fuels industry, and they are funding a national campaign right now, working with red-state legislators, attorneys general and state treasurers to try and undermine our rights as shareholders. They want us to invest in the dark. They don’t want us to ask questions. They say, trust the CEOs, they know what’s best. But we know numerous examples where they have made decisions for the short run. But we invest for the long term.
When politicians in Texas and Florida and West Virginia try to take away our rights as state treasurers, our rights as investors, to be responsible in our investments, we will fight back. We will continue to engage with corporations to make sure they understand the value of treating your workforce with respect, that they understand the value of treating the environment with dignity, that they understand the value of diversity so that we can truly have a country of one nation, with liberty and justice for all.
I don’t know how many tomorrows I have, but I know that you gave me four more years. And as long as I have breath in these lungs, I will stand up and I will speak out for our retirees, for our workers, for our environment, and for all citizens in the state of Illinois. Thank you, Illinois, for giving me this opportunity, and God bless you all.
It’s a solid list of accomplishments, but, it’s also well-crafted. Near the beginning, he talked about how “none of us are guaranteed a tomorrow.” And then he finished with that same thought and closed the circle. I know it’s not the most consequential speech you’ve ever seen or read, but I thought it was worth pointing out.
* Speaker Welch’s statement on conclusion of the 102nd General Assembly…
“The 102nd General Assembly, my first as the Speaker of the House, was truly historic.
“We’ve taken significant steps to get our fiscal house in order by balancing budgets, eliminating the nearly $17 billion in unpaid bills we inherited, replenishing our rainy-day fund, and earning our state six credit upgrades. We’ve put Illinois on the path to 100% clean energy and provided record-level investments for our communities to combat the root causes of violence. We’ve protected the right to vote, stood up against antisemitism and racism, and navigated through a once-in-a-century global health pandemic. Tonight, I’m proud to cap off these monumental and consequential two years by protecting reproductive health care and approving one of the nation’s strongest assault weapons bans.
“I want to thank my leadership team, the entire Democratic Caucus, my colleagues on the other side of the aisle, and all of our talented staff. I’d also like to extend gratitude to Senate President Don Harmon, our counterparts in the Senate, and Governor JB Pritzker.
“Over the past two years, we’ve risen to meet the challenges of this moment, and we’ve moved Illinois forward together. I look forward to building on that progress in the 103rd General Assembly.”
* Crain’s | Bill creating $400M EV deal-closing fund is now headed to Pritzker’s desk: Following an 86-23-19 vote in the House earlier in the day, the Senate late Tuesday passed legislation that would create a deal-closing fund like those that exist in other states, one that would allow the governor to dip into a kitty initially stocked with $400 million to bring prospective economic development deals over the finish line. The Senate vote was 40-15.
* Center Square | Outgoing Illinois House Minority Leader resigns amid accusations of being too far to the left: After 24 years in the legislature, Durkin said it is time to leave, claiming the Republican Party in Illinois has lost its way. “We’re not, nor should we be a party that subscribes to extremists, and that if you do not pass the purity test for Republicans, you’re not worthy of running for office. I don’t believe in that,” Durkin said.
* WGN | When will egg prices come down?: Right now, retailers are trying to replenish inventory to normal operating levels, and it could be several months before eggs are at the price point that shoppers are used to paying. Even those prices won’t be what they once were, as inflation continues to affect the cost of food across the board.
* WTTW | It’s Triplets! Lincoln Park Zoo Welcomes Three Lion Cubs: The new arrivals all appear healthy and, in a good sign, all began nursing within their first hours, according to the zoo. There’s no word yet on the cubs’ sex or names. The cubs and Zari will be kept behind the scenes in the cubs’ first weeks.
