A federal judge in Washington, D.C. has restricted the movement of a Springfield man convicted last month for his part in the Jan. 6, 2021, breach of the U.S. Capitol.
In a hearing Thursday, Judge Amit P. Mehta confined Thomas B. Adams Jr. of the 2800 block of Ridge Avenue to his home for 30 days after comments he made to The State Journal-Register about his part in the breach.
Two days after his conviction in a stipulated bench trial, Adams, 41, said he wouldn’t change anything he did that day. […]
According to Thursday’s order, Adams “will be restricted to his residence at all times except for employment; education; religious services; medical, substance abuse, or mental health treatment; attorney visits; court appearances; court-ordered obligations; or other activities approved in advance by the pretrial services office or supervising officer.”
* Press release…
Attorney General Kwame Raoul, as part of a coalition of 23 attorneys general, today welcomed a recent decision by CVS and Walgreens to offer mifepristone and misoprostol in their stores. Once certified by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), CVS and Walgreens pharmacies can fill prescriptions for mifepristone and misoprostol, which are often referred to as medication abortion, consistent with federal and state law.
In a letter to the companies, Raoul and the attorneys general explained that availability of mifepristone and misoprostol at retail pharmacies would enable millions of individuals to easily access critical, and sometimes lifesaving, reproductive care. Mifepristone and misoprostol have been approved by the FDA for more than 20 years and are also prescribed to treat other common health issues such as miscarriages, life-threatening ectopic pregnancies and gastric ulcers.
“I applaud the decision of CVS and Walgreens to offer accessible reproductive care in their stores. I am proud to collaborate with my colleagues on this letter, not only to support access to medication abortion, but also to share accurate information on the legal availability and medical benefits of mifepristone and misoprostol,” Raoul said. “I will continue to stand up for the rights of women to access reproductive health care both in Illinois and across the country.”
After Walgreens and CVS said they would seek this approval, a group of 20 Republican attorneys general sent a joint letter to executives at both companies warning that they could face legal consequences if they decide to mail and distribute medication abortion in their states.
The Justice Department said earlier this year that abortion pills can be distributed through the mail, but different state laws limit how residents can access the drugs. Arizona, Texas and Arkansas, for example, all ban people from receiving the medication through the mail.
* We talked about the redboxing being done by Mayor Lightfoot’s campaign the other day. Crain’s used the Internet Archive to dig a little deeper…
For much of the campaign, the media section for Lightfoot For Chicago website featured an updated list of positive news stories about the first-term mayor. But after an independent expenditure committee was created — run by former campaign advisor Dave Mellet — to support Lightfoot, the section was updated to include language focused on advertising to “Black frequent municipal primary voters.”
First, the website called for voters to be made aware of Wilson’s past support of former President Donald Trump and donations to other Republicans as well as Johnson’s support of a measure to “redirect funds for policing.”
But as Lightfoot polling began to show Johnson rising in the field, and perhaps because Wilson voters have proven to stick by their man, any mention of Wilson was dropped in favor of directing a full assault on Johnson.
The 77 Committee has picked up the hints, spending $116,405 exactly as the Lightfoot campaign had signaled on their website: in mailers and tv ads opposed to Wilson and Johnson.
* Press release…
Governor JB Pritzker today signed HB0009 into law, authorizing an easier process for individuals seeking to change the gender listed on their birth certificate. Previously, amending a birth certificate’s gender marker required certification from a health care professional that the individual had undergone gender reassignment surgery or other clinical treatment. The updated law allows changes to the birth certificate providing the petitioner signs a statement affirming their gender identity or intersex condition, opening an easier path to legal recognition for transgender Illinoisans.
“Here in Illinois, we recognize that gender transition is a personal journey that doesn’t always follow a prescriptive medical path, but still deserves to be honored legally,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “In a time of increasing violence and hateful rhetoric against the trans, nonbinary, and gender non-conforming community, it is more important than ever to reaffirm our state’s commitment to recognizing the rights and dignity of LGBTQ+ Illinoisans.”
Previously, transgender Illinoisans were required to receive documentation from a licensed physician to begin the gender change process. However, many trans individuals do not opt for surgery to address gender dysphoria for personal or financial reasons but would still benefit from legally changing their gender as they transition socially or with the aid of hormone therapy. This bill makes gender-affirming documentation more accessible and recognizes the distinction between biological sex and gender for many transgender individuals.
* IDPH…
IDPH has recorded a total of 4,050,952 cases and 36,297 deaths, in 102 counties in Illinois since the beginning of the pandemic. The department is reporting 10,813 new confirmed and probable cases of COVID-19 in Illinois in the week ending February 12, and 68 deaths.
“We are happy to report no counties are at a high COVID-19 community level this week,” IDPH Director Dr. Sameer Vohra said. […]
As of last night, 979 individuals in Illinois were reported to be in the hospital with COVID-19. Of those, 131 patients were in the ICU and 39 patients with COVID-19 were on ventilators.
* This is troubling…
Did you know only 39% of women received CPR from bystanders in public compared to 45% of men? To initiate better outcomes, I joined the Women’s Caucus for a CPR training earlier today and have continued to host free CPR training classes in the 21st Senate District. pic.twitter.com/f3kbt6Xlm9
While we’re on the topic, Illinois AFL-CIO Secretary-Treasurer Pat Devaney was a firefighter for years and served as the firefighters’ union president as well. During the Illinois Legislative Black Caucus Foundation’s Black History Month Soirée Wednesday night, a guest collapsed. Another guest began giving the person CPR even though he was breathing regularly. Devaney stepped in, diplomatically stopped the unnecessary CPR and helped the man until an ambulance arrived.
The next time you see Pat, give him an attaboy.
* Press release…
State Senator Elgie R. Sims, Jr. – the chief sponsor of the SAFE-T Act – will serve as chair of the newly established Senate Special Committee on Criminal Law and Public Safety.
“Our number one priority as a General Assembly is to center public safety by and for the people,” said Sims (D-Chicago). “Our collective efforts have allowed us to reimagine public safety and provide historically marginalized communities with access to the resources they need to address the challenges plaguing our communities. However, our work is not done. This committee will give us an opportunity to continue maintaining public safety for all, not just a few.”
Since first entering the legislature, Sims has served as a leading voice in the effort to reform our state’s criminal justice system. Sims most recently spearheaded efforts to pass a comprehensive criminal justice reform bill that changes current use of force policy, how courts impose bail and sentences people convicted of crimes, and advance rights to all Illinois citizens, including detainees and prisoners, to better improve interactions with law enforcement professionals.
The Senate Special Committee on Criminal Law and Public Safety will prioritize violence prevention, focusing on deterrence from the criminal justice system and approaching criminal justice reform through a community-based approach.
“Until systemic racism in our criminal justice system is fully eradicated, our work is not done,” said Sims. “The special committee will allow us to focus on ensuring all people – regardless of their ZIP code or the color of their skin – have the same fair and just chance at safety and success.”
Sims will serve as chair of the 10-person committee throughout the 103rd General Assembly.
* You really gotta wonder whether CTA President Dorval Carter wants Mayor Lightfoot to lose…
2/16/2023 had the lowest number of weekday blue line trains, just 90 arrivals per direction, since we started tracking it in Nov 2021 (excepting 12/23/22 & 12/26/22). If CTA claims "We’ve had no issues recruiting people for rail operations", how come service keeps getting worse? https://t.co/kZJoW8ZSY7
* INCS Action PAC, which is run by the charter school industry and often spars with the Chicago Teachers Union, is now spending some money in the mayor’s race, dumping $63K into digital ads attacking Brandon Johnson, a CTU staffer.
* Fox Chicago | Gov. Pritzker pitches education plan across Illinois: Over the next few days, Gov. J.B. Pritzker is visiting childcare facilities, learning centers, and schools across the state to promote his Smart Start Illinois program. The plan is to provide every child in Illinois with access to a pre-school program and give more money to providers to improve their programs and hire more staff.
* Forbes | Adult-Use Cannabis In Illinois Created 30,000 Jobs, Governor J.B. Pritzker Says: Last month on Jan. 19, the Illinois Department of Agriculture (IDOA) issued 33 additional Transporter licenses, closing the 2022 application pool. Those are added to the 88 Craft Grow licenses and 54 Infuser licenses already issued, bringing the total of licensed transporters in the state to 222.
* WBEZ | How admittedly corrupt ex-Illinois lawmakers get to keep their pensions: Former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan and his indicted inner circle all have drawn hundreds of thousands of dollars in state pension payments while they await upcoming federal corruption trials. Madigan has pleaded not guilty.
* NBC Chicago | Chicago’s Immersive Van Gogh Experience To Close After 2 Year Run: According to organizers, Chicago in Feb. 2021 was the first city to debut the exhibit. Since then, “Immersive Van Gogh has launched an immersive art craze,” a press release says, “traveling to over 20 different U.S. cities and selling over 6 million tickets, making it one of the most popular entertainment attractions in the country.”
* The Onion | It Is Journalism’s Sacred Duty To Endanger The Lives Of As Many Trans People As Possible: Much of the recent debate concerns medical procedures, particularly in children, and whether things like hormone replacement therapy or gender-affirming surgeries are safe and appropriate. Indeed, there are critical questions to be asked about the social complexities of gender, as well as medical ethics in a profit-driven healthcare system. We are simply not interested in any of that. Instead, we will use flawed data and spurious logic to repeatedly write the same hand-wringing arguments asking whether there are suddenly too many trans people around. Journalistic integrity demands nothing less.
(T)he Lightfoot administration is planning to pump more than $400 million into its own community safety plan that targets 15 of the city’s most violent community areas.
The plan, “Our City, Our Safety,” was unveiled more than a year ago and has produced few results so far, according to crime data kept by the Sun-Times that shows many of those communities have gotten more dangerous.
It does take a while to set things like these in motion. I wrote about this topic last year. Governments have to make sure that the money is going to qualified contractors and groups and sometimes they even have to help stand up those recipients.
Faced with surging violence, Mayor Lori Lightfoot boasts about investing big money in big ideas — more than $400 million for social programs to battle crime at its roots.
But when it comes to the city’s actual spending and execution, there have been more promises than progress.
An Illinois Answers Project investigation found:
• The city had spent about 6% of the money — roughly $25 million, by a generous estimate — a year into the five-year plan to use a one-time federal windfall and borrowed money to reduce violence, city figures show.
• Many of the city’s programs took months to launch, while a few had yet to start by the end of the year, City Hall reported.
• While the city has marketed its initiatives as innovative, several programs involve traditional services recast as anti-crime efforts. The city, for instance, has earmarked tens of millions of dollars to create more pickleball courts, rehab and sell vacant lots and speed up its response to 311 calls.
• In some cases, the city failed to cite evidence that its programs could work — even when the federal government has asked for it. And the Lightfoot administration has shown few clear plans to evaluate the programs. Experts say city officials are missing a chance to collect valuable data that could help them decide what’s worth continuing.
• A key part of Lightfoot’s plan is funding an array of street outreach groups that specialize in interrupting violence. Some of those groups have little or no experience. In one instance, a group initially rejected for city funding still found ways to get cash. The group is run by a man subject to an order of protection for putting a gun to his ex-wife’s head and threatening to kill her, records show.
The city’s sluggish progress has come as its public safety leadership is in upheaval. The office tasked with coordinating anti-violence programs hasn’t had a permanent director since October; the prior one left without explanation after an Illinois Answers investigation found she had inflated her accomplishments. In four years, the city has had four deputy mayors for public safety.
Experts on anti-violence initiatives say Chicago is doing the right thing by funding a range of programs aimed at helping people in need and fixing neighborhoods instead of depending entirely on police and prisons. But they said the city must spend the money efficiently. During budget hearings and in interviews, aldermen complained the city has moved far too slowly. […]
The $25 million spending figure for 2022 is a generous estimate. The city has been opaque about some of its spending, provided at times inconsistent figures and failed to answer questions clearly about the money.
The city has promised increased spending in the coming years, but at the rate the city spent in 2022, it would take until 2038 to spend the $410 million.
Amends the Humane Care for Animals Act. Provides that no person may sell, offer for sale, barter, or give away as a pet or novelty any hermit crab or goldfish that has been dyed, colored, or otherwise treated to impart an artificial color. Provides that a violation is a Class B misdemeanor.
The bill has the look of being inspired by a constituent. Background on the topic is here.
* From my favorite group chat…
I prefer to imagine that Bob was visited in the middle of the night by the ghost of a crab that told him he had to do this, Jacob Marley-style.
Accompanying AI pics with the command: “An oil painting of an Illinois state Representative being visited in the middle of the night by the ghost of a tie-dyed hermit crab”…
ChatGPT…
Please write a short story about Illinois state Representative Bob Rita being visited in the middle of the night by the ghost of a tie-dyed hermit crab who wants him to introduce legislation banning the sale of dyed hermit crabs and goldfish.
Illinois State Representative Bob Rita had just settled into bed after a long day of legislative meetings when he heard a strange noise coming from his living room.
He sat up in bed, straining to listen, and heard a faint rustling sound. He quickly grabbed his phone and turned on the flashlight app, tiptoeing his way out of the bedroom and into the living room.
There, he saw a strange sight: a small, tie-dyed hermit crab was shuffling around on his coffee table. The crab looked up at Bob with beady eyes and began to speak.
“Representative Rita,” said the crab, “I am the ghost of a hermit crab who was dyed in unnatural colors by a pet store. I died a slow and painful death because of the dye. I have come to you to ask for your help.”
Bob Rita was understandably shocked at this unexpected visitor. “How can I help you?” he asked.
“I want you to introduce legislation that would ban the sale of dyed hermit crabs and goldfish in Illinois,” said the hermit crab. “These practices are cruel and inhumane, and they cause countless animals to suffer and die needlessly. Please, will you help me?”
Bob Rita thought for a moment. He was known for his advocacy for animal rights, but this was a unique request. Nevertheless, he knew it was the right thing to do. “I will do everything in my power to make this happen,” he said.
With those words, the hermit crab vanished, leaving Bob Rita alone in his living room. The representative knew that this was a sign that he needed to take action. Over the coming weeks and months, he worked tirelessly to draft and pass legislation that would prohibit the sale of dyed hermit crabs and goldfish in Illinois.
The law passed with overwhelming support, and soon pet stores across the state stopped selling these animals. Bob Rita was hailed as a hero by animal rights activists, and he knew that he had made a real difference in the lives of countless creatures. He never forgot the strange encounter with the tie-dyed hermit crab, and he felt a sense of gratitude for the ghost that had inspired him to take action.
That was fun.
* The rest of this post was compiled by Isabel. Press release…
Legislation introduced today in the Illinois General Assembly by State Representative Jennifer Gong-Gershowitz (D-17) will give victims of doxing the ability to seek civil recourse from their attacker, something doxing victims are unable to currently do in Illinois. Doxing is the act of sharing an individual’s personal information with the intent to cause the individual harm. Senator Julie Morrison (D-29) will carry the legislation in the Illinois State Senate.
Supported by a diverse coalition of civil rights, domestic violence and anti-hate groups, the legislation creates an important deterrent to doxing and gives victims a voice in the aftermath of immense harm. Similar civil anti-doxing bills were recently signed into law in Maryland, Nevada, and Oregon, and the Washington State Legislature recently advanced a similar bill during its current legislative session.
“Doxing is a form of harassment used to threaten and intimidate vulnerable people by maliciously broadcasting their personal information, often including home and work address. Doxing can have a devastating impact on victims, exemplified by a tragic case in which a Jewish woman was subjected to months of harassment and abuse by Neo-Nazis after being doxed on a white supremacist publication,” said Representative Gong-Gershowitz. “This legislation is an important step toward ensuring our laws and regulations are keeping up with new and changing technologies to preserve the safety and privacy of everyone in Illinois – especially marginalized and vulnerable people that are all-too-frequently victims of doxing.”
ADL (Anti-Defamation League) Midwest has been working with Representative Gong-Gershowitz and coalition members on the bill for the last six months in response to a dramatic increase in online hate in recent years. The effort is part of ADL’s Backspace HateTM initiative supporting victims and targets of online hate and harassment by raising awareness and passing legislation to better hold perpetrators accountable for their actions online. […]
Amends the Freedom of Information Act. Provides that a public body may require (rather than may not require) that a request be submitted on a standard form or require the requester to specify the purpose for a request. Provides that a person making a request may not make a request for any other individual, but may make a request for an organization if the person discloses the organization for whom the request is being made.
* Press release…
The Illinois State Dental Society joined House and Senate legislators to announce support for key, consumer-centered legislation that will help protect patients by increasing transparency and accountability for dental insurers while ensuring more patient dollars go to patient care.
“Illinois dentists care about their patients and understand the critical role the mouth-body connection plays in their overall physical health. Today, more than half of Americans delay getting medical care — or avoid it altogether — because of burdensome costs, and the most frequently skipped is dental care. This legislation is a significant and necessary step to ensure more access to care, more transparency and more value for dental care in Illinois,” said Eric Larson, Executive Director Illinois State Dental Society.
Sponsored by Representative Jennifer Gong-Gershowitz (D-Glenview) and Senator Laura Fine (D-Glenview), the More for Your Smile legislative package would require dental insurance companies to spend 80 percent of premiums on dental benefits and quality improvement instead of administrative expenses. Other dental reform bills being introduced include regulations related to virtual credit cards, and network leasing.
The More for Your Smile legislative package accomplishes the following:
- Ensures Patient Dollars Directed to Patient Care: Protects patient dollars by requiring dental insurance carriers to spend at least 80 percent of premium dollars on patient care rather than administrative costs, salaries, and profits. Carriers that do not meet this minimum standard would have to refund the difference to covered individuals and groups. Carriers would be required to disclose administrative costs and other financial information annually to the Department of Insurance. This policy has demonstrated broad public support. In 2022, 72 percent of Massachusetts voters approved a similar language at the ballot box. HB 2070/SB 1287.
- Requires Safeguards for Network Leasing: Establishes safeguards for patients and dentists by requiring dental plans to be more transparent when leasing their dental networks and gives dentists certain negotiating capabilities while ensuring no provider is canceled for declining to participate in the new leased network. HB 2072/ SB 1288.
- Bans Fees from “Virtual Credit Cards”: Protects dentists from incurring increased costs associated with Virtual Credit Card transaction fees. Currently, these transaction fees make reimbursement amounts lower than the negotiated rate and can be implemented without a dentist’s consent. HB 2071/SB 1289.
Democratic state lawmakers are mobilizing against a tidal wave of proposed legislation to heavily restrict access to gender-affirming health care, combating stringent measures that can carry prison sentences as long as a decade with bills that plan to establish sanctuary states to shield doctors, transgender youth and their families in all 50 states from potential legal retribution. […]
In January, nearby Illinois became the first midwestern state to enact a law explicitly protecting access to gender-affirming health care and abortion, promising that “the treatment of gender dysphoria or the affirmation of an individual’s gender identity or gender expression” is lawful health care in Illinois, “whether such activity may constitute a violation of another state’s law.”
A second Illinois bill introduced by Sen. Mike Simmons (D), who in 2021 became the first openly LGBTQ person elected to the state Senate, would build on that law by establishing the Gender-Affirming Health Care Protection Act that would similarly protect doctors and individuals seeking gender-affirming care in Illinois from being charged or subpoenaed based on the laws of another state.
It would also prohibit the governor from complying with extradition requests from other states for individuals in Illinois that have administered, authorized or “otherwise allowed” a child to receive gender-affirming health care, regardless of the state where care was provided.
* Press release…
State Senator Celina Villanueva championed a measure that prohibits students from changing their guardianship in efforts to qualify for need-based financial aid for college.
“Students that are experiencing financial hardships should not feel pressured to change their guardianship in order to receive need-based financial aid,” said Villanueva (D-Chicago). “It is imperative that legislation is put in place to ensure that students who are seeking need-based financial receive the resources they need without being penalized due to of their financial hardships.”
Senate Bill 195 is a direct response to previous public reports that Illinois students became eligible for need-based education financial assistance through the practice of “Opportunity Hoarding.” Opportunity hoarding is the practice of exploiting a loophole in the Probate Act by transferring legal guardianship from a parent to a relative or friend in lower income brackets or by declaring financial independence.
According to ProPublica Illinois, the cost of tuition, fees and housing for full-time students at public universities in Illinois has doubled within the past 15 years. […]
Senate Bill 195 passed the Senate Judiciary Committee and moves to the Senate floor for full consideration.
Amends the Tobacco Products Tax Act of 1995. Provides that, beginning January 1, 2024, the tax per cigar sold or otherwise disposed of shall not exceed $0.50 per cigar, excluding little cigars. Provides that distributors are allowed a discount in the amount of 2% of the distributor’s tax liability but not more than $2,000 per return.
* I’m told this is basically to give the feds an option to have someone officially confirm the authenticity of documents…
Not every day you see the custodian of records for the Speaker of the Illinois House of Representatives subpoenaed to testify at a Chicago political corruption trial. Yes, the “ComEd Four” trial starts in 17 days folks. h/t @PetrellaReportspic.twitter.com/YTAqZCdm4A
* A preview from earlier this morning in anticipation of an Illinois Supreme Court ruling on Cothron v. White Castle, a Biometric Information Privacy Act case. This was prepared by Locke Lord senior counsel Ken Suh…
• This will be the second major Illinois Supreme Court decision in this month to define the scope of BIPA liability and damages.
• Earlier this month, the Court decided in Tims v. Black Horse Motor Carriers that BIPA claims were subject to a five-year statute of limitations.
• At issue in the case is when a claim under BIPA accrues. The Court’s answer will determine whether a violation of BIPA occurs every time a person’s biometric data is scanned without the proper consent or disclosure, or a violation of BIPA occurs once per individual regardless of the number of times that person’s biometric data is scanned without the proper consent or disclosure.
• The decision will have huge consequences because BIPA provides for statutory damages per violation.
o A victory for the plaintiff, could mean that businesses are liable for a statutory damages amount every time an employee’s biometric data was scanned without the proper consent or disclosure for the preceding five years.
o In contrast, a victory for defendant White Castle, will establish that every employee whose biometric data was scanned without consent or disclosure, would be entitled to a single statutory damages award regardless of the number of times their biometric data was scanned.
* Four of the seven Supreme Court justices handed down their majority opinion at about 9 this morning…
We hold that a separate claim accrues under the Act each time a private entity scans or transmits an individual’s biometric identifier or information in violation of section 15(b) or 15(d).
According to her complaint, plaintiff is a manager of a White Castle restaurant in Illinois, where she has been employed since 2004. Shortly after her employment began, White Castle introduced a system that required its employees to scan their fingerprints to access their pay stubs and computers. A third-party vendor then verified each scan and authorized the employee’s access. […]
In relevant part, White Castle moved for judgment on the pleadings, arguing that plaintiff’s action was untimely because her claim accrued in 2008, when White Castle first obtained her biometric data after the Act’s effective date. Plaintiff responded that a new claim accrued each time she scanned her fingerprints and White Castle sent her biometric data to its third-party authenticator, rendering her action timely with respect to the unlawful scans and transmissions that occurred within the applicable limitations period.
As with section 15(b), we conclude that the plain language of section 15(d) applies to every transmission to a third party. White Castle argues that a disclosure is something that can happen only once. The Seventh Circuit asserted that the plain meaning of “disclose” connotes a new revelation. […]
This court has repeatedly recognized the potential for significant damages awards under the Act. This court explained that the legislature intended to subject private entities who fail to follow the statute’s requirements to substantial potential liability. The purpose in doing so was to give private entities “the strongest possible incentive to conform to the law and prevent problems before they occur.” As the Seventh Circuit noted, private entities would have “little incentive to course correct and comply if subsequent violations carry no legal consequences.” […]
While we explained in Rosenbach that “subjecting private entities who fail to follow the statute’s requirements to substantial potential liability, including liquidated damages, injunctions, attorney fees, and litigation expenses ‘for each violation’ of the law” is one of the principal means that the Illinois legislature adopted to achieve the Act’s objectives of protecting biometric information, there is no language in the Act suggesting legislative intent to authorize a damages award that would result in the financial destruction of a business.
Ultimately, however, we continue to believe that policy-based concerns about potentially excessive damage awards under the Act are best addressed by the legislature. See McDonald, 2022 IL 126511, ¶¶ 48-49 (observing that violations of the Act have the potential for “substantial consequences” and large damage awards but concluding that “whether a different balance should be struck *** is a question more appropriately addressed to the legislature”). We respectfully suggest that the legislature review these policy concerns and make clear its intent regarding the assessment of damages under the Act.
* From Justice Overstreet’s dissent, joined by Justices Thiess and Holder White…
The majority’s interpretation cannot be reconciled with the plain language of the statute, the purposes behind the Biometric Information Privacy Act (Act) (740 ILCS 14/1 et seq. (West 2018)), or this court’s case law, and it will lead to consequences that the legislature could not have intended. Moreover, the majority’s interpretation renders compliance with the Act especially burdensome for employers. This court should answer the certified question by saying that a claim accrues under section 15(b) or 15(d) of the Act (id. § 15(b), (d)) only upon the first scan or transmission.
In a statement, White Castle said it was “deeply disappointed with the court’s decision and the significant business disruption that will be caused to Illinois businesses, which now face potentially huge damages.” The company said it was reviewing its options to seek further judicial review, pointing to the dissent in the ruling.
Matthew Kugler, a professor at Northwestern University’s Pritzker School of Law whose research includes biometric privacy issues, said the ruling sends a clear to signal to lower courts that companies should not be required to pay out such massive damages in privacy cases.
“We will continue to see a large damages awards, but the court is signaling to the lower courts that those awards should not be larger than they were previously,” Kugler said.
*** UPDATE *** I didn’t see this my first time through, but wow…
White Castle estimates that if plaintiff is successful and allowed to bring her claims on behalf of as many as 9500 current and former White Castle employees, class- wide damages in her action may exceed $17 billion. We have found, however, that the statutory language clearly supports plaintiff’s position.
The majority acknowledges White Castle’s estimate that, if plaintiff is successful in her claims on behalf of as many as 9500 current and former White Castle employees, damages in this action may exceed $17 billion. Supra 40. Nevertheless, the majority brushes this concern aside by stating that “policy-based concerns about potentially excessive damage awards under the Act are best addressed by the legislature.”
Pritzker campaigned on freezing gas tax hikes and cutting grocery taxes. If those tax cuts were good enough to campaign on, why weren’t they good enough to make it into his budget? I asked him: pic.twitter.com/7XTgvzE29s
Well, let’s start with we did cut taxes last year when we had a surplus that we could put toward temporary tax break for everybody when inflation was going up. We did that. And I’ll continue to look for ways to put money back into peoples’ pockets with tax breaks. I also want to point out we’ve underfunded our education system, we’ve underfunded early childhood education. And so we’re trying to do things simultaneously as resources are made available. But remember, none of this can be done, I want to point this out and make sure everybody pays attention, can’t be done if you don’t balance the budget and make sure you’re allocating if you have surplus resources, allocate them properly when we thought those were one time funds over the last couple of years because some of it came in from the federal government. We said we’re only going to put them toward one time expenditures. And that meant for example, paying down debt for the state, we paid down almost $11 billion of debt for the state as a result of those excess revenues or surpluses that we saw, because we weren’t sure about whether we were going to see continued increases in our state sources of revenue. We now are looking at the state sources, we’re not seeing any federal revenue to augment that and yet we’re still running surpluses. That’s why we have surpluses here in FY23. It’s allowed us to pay down more debt. But and some of it will go to, for example, the pensions. We’re seeing that as a stable level of revenue. We dropped the revenue estimate by about one and a half billion dollars for next year. Because again, being prudent, I’ve been very conservative about revenue estimates. And so going into the next year, we’re actually proposing less revenue and lower spending overall than we had in FY23. And we’re dedicating that to trying to uplift our children across the state.
Please pardon all transcription errors.
* And here’s his response to the second question…
Oh, believe me, I want to make any tax cuts that we could propose permanent. Let’s start with that. I would like to lower everybody’s taxes. That’s number one. I’d love to do that. We also as you know, have deficits that have been run. I’m talking about infrastructure, investment deficits, deficits and investing in education that we need to work on simultaneously with trying to get more money back into people’s pockets. We’ve not raised taxes. In fact, we’ve held taxes the same. What we’ve seen is a level of economic activity in the state and our GDP rising, and that has brought in more dollars in our regular you know three big sources of revenue and that sales tax, individual income tax and corporate income tax, and we’re trying to put those in the right places. We’re getting to where we want to be in Illinois, again, rising in the rankings. And one thing to point out to you is that today, we’re number six in the country in K-12 education according to US News and World Report. And we’re number one among the most populous states in the country, the 10 most populous states we’re number one. I want us to maintain that I want us to make sure we’re investing in the right things. I have to say early childhood is absolutely the best place.
(A)round 95% of all General Fund spending on services goes to the four core areas of Education (Pre-K, K-12, and Higher Education), Healthcare, Human Services, and Public Safety. For too long, the state’s structural fiscal problems have forced decision-makers to cut Illinois’ real, inflation-adjusted investment in those core services. Just last year, Illinois’ funding for those services was collectively 16% less in real terms than it was in FY 2000, resulting in inadequate funding for schools, and inadequate capacity to meet the health, safety, and human service needs of everyone from senior citizens to individuals with disabilities, mental health concerns, or who have suffered from domestic violence. [Emphasis added.]
There’s more in Ralph’s report, but I went over it with subscribers earlier today, so I’ll just leave it at that.
* Pritzker statement: “Ron DeSantis’s dangerous and hateful agenda has no place in Illinois. Banning books, playing politics with people’s lives, and censoring history are antithetical to who we are. Every candidate hoping to hold public office in the land of Lincoln should condemn this event.”
* ADDED: Paul Vallas statement: “I wholeheartedly agree with Governor Pritzker that there is simply no place in Chicago for a right-wing extremist like Ron DeSantis, and I am disappointed in FOP leadership for inviting him to speak to officers. DeSantis’ record of trying to erase the LGBTQ community, banning books on Black history and much more is not in line with my values, the values of our community, or the values of the rank and file police officers who I believe have no interest in getting swept up in culture wars and national Republican Party politics. I want to build trust between all of Chicago’s communities and the police by holding everyone accountable, because that is the only way we can make our city safer. This decision by the FOP leadership makes that job harder.”
* WAND | Illinois House committee discusses accuracy of American history taught in colleges: Young people in Illinois start to learn about American history during elementary school and get more in-depth courses in high school. Many of their teachers studied history at Illinois universities, but state lawmakers want to ensure every college is keeping a standard of teaching history from all American perspectives.
* WBBM | Consumer groups make more arguments against utility’s $400M rate hike request: Consumer groups are urging the Illinois Commerce Commission to reject the request by Peoples Gas for a record $400 million rate hike without major changes. Abe Scarr with the Public Interest Research Group says a major driver of the rate hike request is the utility’s pipe-replacement program, but they’re falling behind every year.
* Tribune | ‘I had no choice’: For many homeless people, O’Hare has become a nighttime refuge: And while sheltering at the airport isn’t new, said Jessica Dubuar, director of health and specialty services of Haymarket Center, which has conducted outreach operations out of O’Hare to address homelessness in public transportation since 1990, the steadily increasing number of people doing it is.
* Sun-Times | Mayor vows to remove unhoused people from O’Hare as more seek shelter at airport: Lightfoot said Thursday that it’s a security risk to allow homeless people to stay at O’Hare. But a law enforcement source said that starting this week, additional police has been dedicated to offering services to homeless people — and removing those who don’t accept the help.
* Daily Southtown | Park Forest Mayor Jon Vanderbilt drops bid for reelection: “I love Park Forest and the people that live here, it’s a special place”” he wrote in a Facebook post Thursday evening. “I’ve given the residents 110 percent for the past 6 years. In that time I’ve lost a lot of relatives. After my father passing about a year ago my boys need more of my time and not less. Once re-elected I would have less not more time with my family.”
* The Southern | Jackson Growth Alliance economic group is looking for a new leader: “We’re looking for someone with deep roots in the area and who understands business development and retention,” explained Joni Bailey, chair of the JGA board of directors. “To use an anachronistic word, they also need a deep Rolodex, meaning they need to be able to pick up the phone and call a lot of people; they need to have a good network of people.”
* Farm Week | Get to Know House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch: Emanuel “Chris” Welch, D-Hillside, has served as Illinois House Speaker since Jan. 13, 2021. He has served in the General Assembly since January 2013 and represents a western Chicago suburb. An attorney, Welch also served 12 years on the Proviso Township High School Board of Education, the last 10 as president. He earned a bachelor’s degree from Northwestern University, Evanston, and a law degree from John Marshall Law School, Chicago. He and his wife, ShawnTe, have two children, Tyler and Marley.
The Early Learning Center serves more than 700 preschoolers in Springfield each day, in morning and afternoon classes. Yet, like many preschools in the state, the ELC has to turn down parents of 3-year-olds and 4-year-olds because of a lack of staffing and space.
Springfield Public School District 186 Superintendent Jennifer Gill said the center plus two satellite sites are all that currently exist to serve the local need. As a result, anywhere from 100 to 150 families can find their way on a wait list she said. […]
Smart Start is a multi-tiered, $250 million program that would also address staffing issues experienced in early intervention programs and childcare facilities by providing workers a raise. It would also send $5 million to the Department of Human Services to expand its home visiting program.
Gill, Springfield Mayor Jim Langfelder, and local Democratic legislators state Sen. Doris Turner of Springfield and state Rep. Sue Scherer of Decatur, joined the governor at the ELC library, his first stop on a state tour Thursday promoting the budget proposal that will need General Assembly approval.
A small, globe-trotting balloon declared “missing in action” by an Illinois-based hobbyist club on Feb. 15 has emerged as a candidate to explain one of the three mystery objects shot down by four heat-seeking missiles launched by U.S. Air Force fighters since Feb. 10.
The club—the Northern Illinois Bottlecap Balloon Brigade (NIBBB)—is not pointing fingers yet.
But the circumstantial evidence is at least intriguing. The club’s silver-coated, party-style, “pico balloon” reported its last position on Feb. 10 at 38,910 ft. off the west coast of Alaska, and a popular forecasting tool—the HYSPLIT model provided by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)—projected the cylindrically shaped object would be floating high over the central part of the Yukon Territory on Feb. 11. That is the same day a Lockheed Martin F-22 shot down an unidentified object of a similar description and altitude in the same general area. […]
The descriptions of all three unidentified objects shot down Feb. 10-12 match the shapes, altitudes and payloads of the small pico balloons, which can usually be purchased for $12-180 each, depending on the type.
Schaumburg thought it scored an economic development win several years ago, when it inked tax break deals with Zurich North America and Motorola Solutions to keep two of the village’s biggest employers — and thousands of high-paying jobs — in the suburb and provide an anchor for an ambitious office, residential and retail development.
Then came the pandemic, severing the link between job and office. Suddenly, the economic ripple effects that local officials imagined when tax breaks were first dangled — a steady stream of office workers stepping out for lunch in the village each day, dropping off their dry cleaning, filling up at local gas stations or stopping by a nearby grocery store on their way home from work — shrank precipitously as workers stayed home, perhaps for good.
Now Schaumburg wants to rework the deals and stop paying millions to the companies for jobs being done remotely rather than in an office park. […]
In reaching the incentive deals, the village estimated that each employee would spend $222 to $361 a week in the suburb, generating nearly $300 a year in annual sales taxes locally, according to court documents.
The village is now in court for refusing to reimburse the companies.
And to give you an idea about the local spending involved with this job location shift, here’s another Crain’s piece…
Compared to 2019, the average Chicago office worker is spending $2,387 less on meals, shopping and entertainment near their workplace, the researchers found. That dropoff is smaller than many other U.S. cities, including New York City ($4,661), Los Angeles ($4,200), Washington, D.C. ($4,051), and Atlanta ($3,938), among others.
Chicago workers are spending 26.8% fewer days in the office now than in 2019, according to the study. That ranks ninth among the studied cities, with Washington, D.C., seeing the highest in-office decline, at 37%.
Tim McCarver, the square-jawed catcher who anchored the St. Louis Cardinals famed “El Birdos” through three pennants and two World Series championships in the 1960s, then went onto a lengthy career as a broadcaster, died Thursday morning. The National Baseball Hall of Fame made the announcement with Major League Baseball later confirming that heart failure was the cause of death. McCarver was 81 years old. “Tim McCarver was an All-Star, a World Series Champion, a respected teammate, and one of the most influential voices our game has known,” Commissioner Rob Manfred said in a statement. “As a player, Tim was a key part of great Cardinals and Phillies teams in his 21-year career. In the booth, his analysis and attention to detail brought fans closer to our game and how it is played and managed. Tim’s approach enhanced the fan experience on our biggest stages and on the broadcasts of the Mets, the Yankees and the Cardinals.
* Isabel’s roundup…
* Center Square | How Illinois Students Perform on the ACT Compared to the Nation: While ACT scores have declined nationwide in recent years, there is considerable variation in average ACT scores from state to state. In Illinois, the average composite ACT score in 2022 was 24.5 out of a possible 36, the 13th highest among states.
* Crain’s | Bally’s Tribune drama is yet another perplexing plot twist in Lightfoot’s casino quest: Much as the Lightfoot administration would prefer that we all move on and celebrate her great victory before electing her to a new term, the questions keep coming about why she was in such a rush to select Bally’s to run the city’s prized casino. The questions, many of them about apparent favoritism, have circulated for the last year. Now, in recent days, comes another set of questions surrounding when Bally’s will be able to move the current tenant out of its River West site — the Tribune printing plant — and how much it might have to put on the table to induce such a relocation.
* Tribune | 4 years after Aurora, mass shooting deaths in Chicago area continue to climb: In total, there have been 214 mass shootings in the Chicago area since that day, resulting in 143 deaths and 973 injuries, according to data from the Gun Violence Archive, which defines a mass shooting as four or more people, not including the gunman, shot in a single event.
* Tribune | What will happen to Soldier Field without the Chicago Bears?: If the team leaves Soldier Field, Irizarry said she hopes the stadium can host many more concerts each year, easing the increasingly controversial burden on neighborhood parks for big musical events such as Riot Fest in Douglass Park and the recently announced Re:SET festival in Riis Park.
* Tribune | Waukegan’s temporary casino opens Friday: ‘This will bring a new vitality to the city’: Babinski said there are 350 employees, with a goal of reaching 500 in the near future. Hiring is ongoing. Those without experience will be trained to be dealers, or handle other tasks. Pay is competitive at nearby places of employment like Amazon, Medline and Visual Pak, casino officials said.
* Crain’s | Is Lightfoot’s signature housing policy working? Depends on who you ask.: City approvals for marquee apartment projects have been smaller and less frequent since the City Council passed Lightfoot’s 2021 revamp of the city’s Affordable Requirements Ordinance, an Illinois Answers Project analysis shows. Some builders point to the trend as vindication for their opposition to the ordinance, which cranked up requirements for developers to include some affordable units in any large project they propose in wealthy or gentrifying neighborhoods. They say the rules were so harsh that they choked off development, ultimately leading to less new housing — including fewer new affordable units.
* WTTW | Mayoral Race Gets Pointed as Election Day Nears: In this week’s edition of Spotlight Politics: The Chicago municipal election is less than two weeks away. As early voting opened citywide, things got pointed at the final mayoral candidate debate. And Gov. J.B. Pritzker gave his combined budget and state of the state address Wednesday. Our politics team of Amanda Vinicky, Paris Schutz and Heather Cherone takes on those stories and more.
* Axios | Texas abortion ban architect turns to libraries: Jonathan Mitchell, the Austin attorney widely credited with devising the legal strategy for a Texas law that bans abortion after six weeks and also empowers private citizens to bring lawsuits against those who violate it, is now applying the same novel legal mechanisms to book bans.
* NYT | A New Goal for Abortion Bills: Punish or Protect Doctors: Most of the bills are in the early stages, and many are not likely to survive politically divided state governments to make it into law. But if there is one thing that is evident, the legislative flurry shows that both sides of the debate agree on at least one point: Doctors are the critical link — and that has made them the most vulnerable to punishment. At least three dozen bills are aimed at doctors and other medical personnel as a way to regulate abortion.
* WGN | At 103, Sister Jean publishes memoir of faith and basketball: “I guess there aren’t too many 103-year-old nuns using iPads these days – there aren’t too many 103-year-olds, period,” she writes in her memoir that will be published Feb. 28. “But I’m pretty comfortable with modern technology. I’ve always said, ‘If you’re not moving forward, you’re going to get left behind real quick.’ Adaptability is my superpower.”
* I went through our post from yesterday and pulled out the extra asks for you to see here…
* Economic Security for Illinois: “We were disappointed to learn that Governor Pritzker’s proposed budget fails to include a plan to create an Illinois Child Tax Credit.”
* Sen. Mike Simmons: “(M)ore funding is still needed to help historically underserved communities grappling with the continuing HIV and AIDS crisis and for Black-led community organizations to help with this issue.”
* SEIU Healthcare: “The proposed budget’s lack of investment in the home care workers who make it possible for seniors to stay in their homes may force some to forgo needed care or be forced into nursing homes.”
* AARP Illinois: “We must also expand access to services to achieve equity in home and community-based care across the Community Care Program and Home Services Program, increase funding for case management and adult day service programs, pass a tax credit to support Illinois’ 1.5 million unpaid family caregivers, and raise the monthly grant level for the [Aid to the Aged, Blind and Disabled] program.”
* Illinois Partners for Human Service: “While increased state and federal dollars have been directed to our sector over the past two years, very little of this funding has addressed the systemic challenges facing the health and human services workforce. We appreciate the Governor’s acknowledgement of these structural issues, but we are far from where we need to be. More work - and investment - is needed to rectify the consequences of twenty years of disinvestment in the health and human service sector in our state.”
* IARF: “We now ask the General Assembly to build on this proposed budget and advance our legislation to increase the wage rate for Direct Support Professionals by $4 an hour to help address the workforce crisis Gov. Pritzker discussed today, as well as legislation increasing targeted crisis mental health service rates.”
* Illinois Education Association: “IEA has introduced Senate Bill 1749 that would allow vision and dental coverage for our retired members.”
* Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights: “In addition to at least $53 million for the Immigrant Services Line Item, ICIRR members and our coalition partners are committed to ensuring that a state Child Tax Credit and healthcare for all Illinoisans regardless of immigration status are included in the final budget.”
* Illinois Association for Behavioral Health: “While we appreciate an incremental increase in the proposed budget, we will advocate vigorously to align spending with the speech’s ambitious sentiments.”
* Chicago Coalition for the Homeless: “We encourage the legislature to work with the Governor’s office to include an increase in TANF to 50% of FPL to provide additional funds to pay off debt, to save, and to make the necessary purchases for their families.”
* Illinois Shelter Alliance: “Our request for $61 million in Emergency and Transitional Housing Program funding was originally outlined in a letter sent to Governor Pritzker in December.” [The governor proposed $55 million.]
While he celebrated his efforts, Rep. Will Davis, D-Homewood, said the state needs to invest $200 million more in the funding formula to address the Black community’s lack of resources and disproportionate impact, particularly in education. […]
State Sen. Cristina Pacione-Zayas, D-Chicago, agreed.
“We are fully aware that if we only do a $350 million increase annually, we’re not going to reach adequacy by 2027,” she said. “I think that’s very well-established. So we will definitely be deep in those negotiations to see how much more we can add on top of that.” […]
The Latino Caucus, for example, will be seeking a major expansion of Medicaid coverage to undocumented immigrant adults – those not currently covered by laws passed in the last few years aimed at coverage of undocumented youth and seniors. Details on that plan – including cost – will be introduced at a later date, caucus members said Wednesday.
…Adding… The governor had this to say earlier today when asked about the push to increase Evidence-Based Funding…
Maybe we should go back to Greg Bishop’s suggestion that we raise taxes? Was that your suggestion? [Laughter] No.
The truth is that everybody here has been pretty, I’m talking about the General Assembly and the members from throughout the state, is being prudent about putting more money into our K-12 system. I want to point out it’s not just 350 million in EBF. We also, you heard me yesterday talk about an additional $86 million for what are called categoricals, transportation, special education, and $70 million more per year for a program to bring in new teachers. We need to improve our teacher pipeline, and there are 170 school districts that account for 80% of the shortfall in teachers. So the teacher vacancies, 80% of them are in 170 out of our roughly 850 districts. And that’s where we’re putting our dollars, so that we can bring in and let those districts decide how they want to attract those new teachers because they know better than we do what will work in their districts. A rural district is very different than an urban district. So, just to give you an idea that’s you know, I’ve said was $506 million. There actually are hundreds of millions more in various aspects of K-12 education. But yeah, we’ve got to continue to fund our education system.
Pritzker said the state isn’t currently planning to close Choate, but he didn’t rule it out if safety issues aren’t addressed.
“The question is, can we prevent that in the future? And if not, then obviously that’s not a facility that should remain open,” the governor said in response to a reporter’s questions at an unrelated event in downstate Decatur.
Meanwhile, he said, the “state has an obligation to the people that it serves at that facility right now” and is concentrating on upgrades to the facility and ensuring that appropriate services and personnel are in place. In a statement to reporters last week, Marisa Kollias, a spokesperson for the Illinois Department of Human Services, which runs Choate, said that the problems there are the result of “longstanding, entrenched issues” and that the department has taken “aggressive measures” to address them.
* Gov. Pritzker was asked today if he has a plan to address the many problems at Choate Developmental Center, or if he would close it down…
Well, I’ve told you before that if the problems can’t be fully addressed, then we’ll have to close it down because the state obviously in that area is incapable of managing the facility properly if we can’t take care of the problems.
Look, there’s no doubt there are continuing issues at Choate and if those continue, as I say, we can’t keep it open.
One of the big challenges with some of these facilities, I want to point out, is they’re located in areas where it’s very hard to find personnel. Think about what’s going on in Illinois and across the nation right now, which is we have many, many more job openings than we have people who are available to do those jobs. Then, think about whether you need people who are trained for a job and in a developmental disabilities facility, you sure do need training.
So these are the challenges that we’re currently going through and thinking about going forward how do you address that, especially in a rural location, where it’s already hard to find people for every other job. So, we’ll continue to work on this because it is vital that we have the proper care for our developmentally disabled.
He was asked if he had a plan. He didn’t outline one.
State lawmakers are pushing bills that would give city officials permission to create a “safe consumption site” where people can use drugs more safely and get recovery help when they’re ready.
Sen. Sara Feigenholtz and Rep. La Shawn Ford are pushing forward partner bills that would legalize a pilot site in a Chicago neighborhood hit hard by the opioid crisis.
The site’s staff would be trained to recognize overdoses and use drug-reversing medication like Narcan. People would be able to bring and use illegal drugs — without punishment — and get access to testing strips and clean syringes.
A local nonprofit would operate the site and hire community members and people in recovery. The staff would be encouraged to build relationships with clients and offer HIV and Hepatitis C testing, housing, medical services, employment opportunities, drug treatment programs and other social services that can put people on a path for recovery.
Earlier this month, state Sen. Chapin Rose, R-Mahomet, introduced Senate Bill 1867, a measure he called “political sarcasm.”
The “If This Is Such A Good Idea, Let’s Start With You Act” reads that by June 30, 2024, the city of Chicago must convert Millennium Park into a solar energy park by building solar energy facilities on all open spaces and by mounting solar energy facilities on structures. The measure also includes language requiring equipping a wind turbine on the sculpture “Cloud Gate.” […]
“It is designed to illustrate in a humorous way this hypocrisy out of the progressive left and Cook County,” Rose said. “Last session, they brought us a bill to overrule the ability of local county boards to site windmills in downstate Illinois.” […]
The Republican said he did not expect his bill to pass, but he hoped to foster more cooperation between Chicago and downstate counties on the issue of where to put alternative energy projects.
Amends the Liquor Control Act of 1934. Provides that the Illinois Liquor Control Commission or local liquor commissioner may not refuse to issue a retail license based on an applicant’s noncitizen status if the applicant otherwise meets the qualifications for licensure and the applicant has a valid Illinois driver’s license or Illinois identification card; the applicant undergoes a criminal history records check and has no record of an offense that would disqualify him or her from licensure; the applicant resides in the jurisdiction in which the license will be issued; the applicant is in good standing with the community in which the license will be issued; and the applicant is in good standing with the Internal Revenue Service, the Department of Revenue, his or her creditors, applicable credit bureaus, and any other similar financial agencies. Preempts home rule powers.
State Senator Andrew Chesney (R-Freeport) and State Representative John Cabello (R-Machesney Park) have filed similar legislation in the Illinois Senate and House of Representatives, claiming federal background checks and waiting periods are adequate in weeding out those who should not be able to own a gun.
“Illinoisans have a constitutional right to possess firearms, yet the Legislature continually throws up roadblocks that interfere with that right,” said Chesney. “The legislators who bring forward and pass these kinds of bills claim they are protecting public safety, but they are ignoring the very real fact that those who purchase firearms lawfully are not the ones responsible for the violent crime epidemic in this state. The criminals ravaging the streets of Chicago are not lawful people. Illinois’ FOID card system is not preventing these criminals from getting their hands on guns.”
The FOID Card Act has been in effect in Illinois since 1968 and has been amended on multiple occasions. Additional laws place other restrictions on gun ownership, gun use, and the licensed dealers who sell firearms and ammunition.
“As a State Representative and Law Enforcement Officer, I understand the importance of upholding our constitutional right to gun ownership while also ensuring that public safety is protected. Unfortunately, Illinois’ current FOID Card system does not provide adequate protection and fails to keep guns out of the hands of violent offenders and criminals. The current FOID card system fails to stop violent criminals from committing gun crimes while making purchasing a firearm a cumbersome process for those that follow the law. As State Rep, I want to make sure that law-abiding citizens are able to exercise their right to bear arms without unnecessary burdens therefore I am proud to sponsor this proposal that voids Illinois’s FOID card system.”
* What a happy day…
Happy Introduction Of First Substantive Bill For An Act Concerning Fish In The 103rd Illinois General Assembly Day to all who celebrate. pic.twitter.com/4GOELbwxjM
Legislation being considered by the Illinois General Assembly would require all new homes to be equipped with electric vehicle (EV) charging capabilities.
House Bill 2206 and Senate Bill 40 would require any new home construction to include at least one dedicated parking stall for EV charging.
Charging stations are made by manufacturers such as ChargePoint, Blink, and Shell, and can cost upwards of $400.
The bills would not require the installation of a charging station but would ensure that the home’s electrical panel is able to handle the high voltage load, as well as the installation 220-volt power supply to the garage.
Amends the Firearm Owners Identification Card Act. Requires a person to have a currently valid Firearm Owner’s Identification Card issued in his or her own name by the Illinois State Police in order to acquire or possess a flamethrower. Exempts certain military, law enforcement, and other specified persons. Defines flamethrower. Amends the Criminal Code of 2012. Provides that it is a Class 4 felony to deliver a flamethrower to a person, incidental to a sale, without withholding delivery of the flamethrower for at least 72 hours after application for its purchase has been made.
Provides that the Act may be referred to as the Defend the Guard Act. Amends the Military Code of Illinois. Provides that, notwithstanding any other provision of the Code, the Illinois National Guard and any member thereof shall not be released from the State into active duty combat unless the United States Congress has passed an official declaration of war or has taken an official action in accordance with the United States Constitution to explicitly call forth the Illinois National Guard and any member thereof for the enumerated purposes to expressly execute the laws of the union, repel an invasion, or suppress an insurrection. Requires the Governor to take all actions necessary to comply with the requirements of the amendatory Act.
* If this would be the second to last week of session, what would you dedicate the last week of session to?…
I rise in support of @SenatorFine's resolution to declare the second to last week of the General Assembly's 2023 spring session "Compost Awareness Week".
* Mayor Lightfoot after the Chicago Bears made an offer last June to buy Arlington International Racecourse…
The Bears are locked into a lease at Soldier Field until 2033. In addition, this announcement from the Bears comes in the midst of negotiations for improvements at Soldier Field. This is clearly a negotiating tactic that the Bears have used before.
Due to the Bears’ legal restrictions in the pre-purchase phase, the city was unable to engage in direct negotiations with the Bears while the land was under contract. Now that the deal has been completed, we look forward to negotiating and convincing the Bears that the team’s best future remains in our beloved city of Chicago.
* The Question: Do you think there’s still a decent chance that the Bears remain at Soldier Field, or do you believe the team is outta there? Take the poll and then explain your answer in comments, please.
Pritzker proposed spending another $200 million out of this year’s budget to supplement the state’s pension payment, something that will cut costs in the long run. But he pretty much rejected a proposal from the Civic Committee of the Commercial Club to sharply ramp up state pension contributions via a 10-year income tax surcharge, telling Rich Miller in a Capitol Fax interview that things the big business group is proposing are “not likely to come to fruition and that I would oppose.” But Pritzker says he is willing to talk about it if the group wants to revive his proposed graduated income tax. [Emphasis added.]
I asked Gov. Pritzker yesterday about the plan put forth by the Civic Committee of the Commercial Club of Chicago to raise income taxes for ten years, cut state agency budgets by 2-3 percent and use that money to accelerate pension funding.
“I think there are many things they are proposing that are not likely to come to fruition and that I would oppose, but I also think that there are some ideas in there, like the one I proposed four years ago, that are reasonable to talk about.”
Pritzker said increasing the amount of money that goes to pensions is something he would support, as well as discussing “whether we should keep the [pension debt] amortization schedule as it is.” He said he opposed the group’s proposal to eliminate the estate tax. And, the governor said, “I would be concerned about any additional tax burden on middle class and working class people in Illinois.”
I attempted to obtain a correction, but was rebuffed.
Q: Okay, last thing, real quick. I don’t know if you can answer it real quick, but this Civic Committee recommendation, cut 2 to 3 percent across budgets and agencies and raise taxes on everybody by half a point, and then use all the money for pensions and rainy day fund. What do you, what do you make of that?
Pritzker: I think you may recall that I was on the Civic Committee before I became governor. I was a businessman and appointed to that committee. And now I am a ex officio member of it as governor. I only point that out because I’m well aware of how the Civic Committee puts its plans together.
And, look, it’s their job to put forward ideas for solving our fiscal challenges. That’s part of what it views as its important contribution. And I value the fact that they put those things forward.
I think, you know, there are many things that are proposed in that that are not likely to come to fruition and that I would oppose. But I also think that there are some ideas in there, like the one I proposed four years ago, that, you know, are reasonable to talk about. Which are, you know, increasing the amount that we’re putting into pensions and and then, you know, it is a question whether you can, you know, whether we should keep the amortization schedule as it is.
[Crosstalk]
Q: OK, and then but, but what you would oppose? [Crosstalk]
Pritzker: …increasing the amount of putting, that we’re putting into pensions.
Q: Right. But when you said ‘there are some things I would oppose,’ what would that be? Would that be the the increase in the flat tax for 10 years, or the cuts to the agencies, or both?
Pritzker: The estate tax [laughs, crosstalk] is not something that I think, is one example. And I think we, look, I think I would be concerned about any additional tax burden on middle class and working class people in Illinois.
* We focused almost exclusively on the budget portion of Gov. JB Pritzker’s address yesterday, but it was also a State of the State address. What follows are some excerpts from that…
In the age old fight between happy warriors and misery’s carnival barkers, we’ve shown that if we resolve to do it, happy warriors win every time. And we are winning.
Which is why, here in Illinois in 2023, I’m confident in saying the state of our State is stronger than it has been in decades, and we’re getting stronger every day.
Some of the most marginalized people in our society are women, especially women of color, who earn the least and take on some of the greatest societal burdens. When conservatives on the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, they didn’t strip the right to an abortion from wealthy women, they took it from the most vulnerable women.
I won’t accept that for the women of Illinois, and neither do the majority of the people of Illinois. That’s why, last month, we expanded our pool of abortion providers and eliminated barriers to access: allowing birth centers to provide all reproductive care, eliminating copays for birth control and abortive medications.
Since Roe was overturned, all the states around us have taken away reproductive freedom from their residents, so Illinois healthcare providers are seeing triple the demand, with desperate patients showing up at the crack of dawn every day.
That’s why we are establishing a Reproductive Health Public Navigation Hotline, so patients can call ahead for a risk assessment and find the services that will meet their needs. From transportation and lodging to insurance coverage options, the hotline will help patients traverse a complex and overwhelmed system. To address the shortage of reproductive healthcare workers, we are providing $5 million toward learning collaboratives for worker training.
Let’s not pull punches — this is the result of a national conservative crusade to legislate against the most intimate matters of a woman’s basic healthcare. I’m sure there are some elected officials who would like us to stop talking about abortion.
Well, too bad.
There are women in this country right now who are facing untold mental and physical anguish because of the fall of Roe v. Wade. Here in Illinois, women know their rights are protected, but that doesn’t take away our obligation as Americans to speak up for the rest of the nation.
* Keep in mind when reading this that Pritzker took the lead in building a Holocaust museum in Skokie…
Delivering what matters to Illinois residents and their families is what defines good governance. We’ve all been asked to represent our constituents with tenacity and honor. And to speak up when our common American values are challenged.
Our history is a series of stops and starts, of ups and downs, of our ancestors getting it tragically wrong and courageously right. The only thing we can hope for in this work is that the values we attach our names to will make our grandchildren proud.
After all, this is the Land of Lincoln. We have a responsibility to that legacy.
As Elie Wiesel said, “We must always take sides. Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented.”
With that in mind, I want to take sides on something I feel obligated to speak out about, especially given the history of anti-Semitism and discrimination suffered by my ancestors and that persists for so many others today.
There is a virulent strain of nationalism plaguing our nation, led by demagogues who are pushing censorship, with a particular attack right now on school board members and library trustees. It’s an ideological battle by the right wing, hiding behind a claim that they would protect our children — but whose real intention is to marginalize people and ideas they don’t like. This has been done in the past, and it doesn’t stop with just snuffing out ideas.
This afternoon I’ve laid out a budget agenda that does everything possible to invest in the education of our children. Yet it’s all meaningless if we become a nation that bans books from school libraries about racism suffered by Roberto Clemente and Hank Aaron, and tells kids they can’t talk about being gay, and signals to Black and Brown people and Asian Americans and Jews and Muslims that our authentic stories can’t be told.
I’m the father of two children. I care a great deal about their education. Like every good parent, I want to be involved in what they learn. I’m also a proud American. Our nation has a great history, and much to be proud of. I want my children to learn that history. But I don’t want them to be lied to. I want them to learn our true history, warts and all. Illinois’ young people shouldn’t be kept from learning about the realities of our world. I want them to become critical thinkers, exposed to ideas that they disagree with, proud of what our nation has overcome, and thoughtful about what comes next.
Here in Illinois, we don’t hide from the truth, we embrace it. That’s what makes us strong.
I want to conclude today with sharing a story of someone who exemplifies the tenacity of our people here in the Prairie State.
In 1951, at the age of 18, Joyce DeFauw arrived on Northern Illinois University’s campus to pursue a degree in economics. But life had other plans. She met her husband, Don Freeman Sr. and left NIU to raise a family.
Seven decades later — nine children, and dozens of grandchildren and great-grandchildren later — Joyce decided she could focus on herself again, and she re-enrolled in college to finish her degree. Once again, life had other plans…a once-in-a-generation pandemic. But that didn’t deter her. She finished her classes on a laptop given to her as a gift — and just two months ago, at age 90, Joyce walked across the stage to receive her Bachelor of General Studies, becoming the oldest person in history to graduate from NIU.
Joyce’s story is a classic Illinois tale. We are a stubborn people — we persevere no matter the challenge. We welcome opportunity for improvement. And when we rise, we rise together.
I see it in Mboka Mwilambwe who received a tuition waiver from this welcoming state and has returned it tenfold as Bloomington’s Mayor, and in Jaichan Tyrique Smith, who is on his way to becoming a child clinical psychologist. I see it in Itanzia Dawson, a mom determined to provide a better life for her family and who now educates the children of Little Village. I see it in Anne Tyree, who supports mental health patients and their families who are going through the same thing she has. I see it in neighbors who helped each other through the pandemic, in small businesses contributing to their communities’ success, in the determination of our young people to make positive change for our state and nation.
We are a people with enough empathy to be kind to one another, enough grit to persevere, and just enough confidence to believe we can make a difference in this world. That’s the Illinois that I know. That’s the Illinois we all represent.
Thank you. God bless the great state of Illinois and the United States of America.
* Capitol News Illinois | Pritzker’s second-term agenda buoyed by ongoing strong revenue expectations: All told, the governor outlined a Fiscal Year 2024 budget that anticipates $49.9 billion in general revenues, a $1.4 billion decrease from current FY 23 estimates. Excluding current-year contributions to the state’s “rainy day” fund, the $49.6 billion in approved FY 24 spending represents a drop-off of about $350 million.
* WCIA | Democrats ‘pleased’ by Pritzker’s 2023 Illinois budget address: “It is paramount that we prioritize hardworking families and continue to make fiscally responsible decisions that put our state in a better position for generations to come,” Illinois Speaker of the House Chris Welch said. “This proposal by Governor Pritzker proves that Democrats are united in those goals. This budget address is a great starting point for our legislative negotiations, and I look forward to building on our recent success.”
* WBEZ | Pritzker pledges more money for education and child care in his budget address: In the first big swing of his second term, Pritzker also underscored his work the past four years in stabilizing Illinois’ finances after a two-year budget impasse under his GOP predecessor crippled state operations, hollowed out social service agencies and put egg on the state’s face nationally.
* Politico | Illinois governor slams ‘demagogues’ who attack schools, libraries: He didn’t mention Ron DeSantis, but it was clear that Pritzker’s ire was aimed at Florida’s Republican governor and his allies. The attack is the latest in an ongoing feud between the two ambitious governors over DeSantis blocking an advanced placement course on African American studies from his state’s school curriculum. DeSantis also has signed the “Stop W.O.K.E Act,” which prohibits the teaching of critical race theory in Florida schools.
* AP | Illinois State leader quits after less than 2 years on job: The Illinois Pantagraph reported Wednesday that the school’s board of trustees approved Terri Goss Kinzy’s resignation Feb. 10. Board documents indicate her resignation was effective on Tuesday.
* Illinois Times | Mayoral endorsements cross political lines: When it comes to campaign fundraising, Springfield mayoral candidate Misty Buscher’s support from labor unions so far has been a factor in her lead over incumbent Mayor Jim Langfelder. With about $204,500 available at the close of 2022’s fourth quarter, Buscher, the current city treasurer, held an $86,334 edge in funds available compared with Langfelder, who had $118,202 available, according to reports filed with the Illinois State Board of Elections.
* Tribune | Arlington Heights leader ‘excited’ and school districts waiting to see as news drops of Chicago Bears buying 326-acre property: A great deal of analysis and negotiations remain to be done, village leaders said. But the announcement Wednesday that the team bought the property for $197.2 million concludes more than a year of tentative negotiations between the village of Arlington Heights and the team as the Bears consider erecting a multibillion-dollar stadium and mixed-use commercial, residential and entertainment district on the 326-acre property.
* Barstool Sports | Justin Fields: ‘I hope we get a dome’: Fields explained his dismay with Bear weather, especially when having to deal with the wind. He said it’s difficult for him to run faster and he feels slower when it’s colder out.
