Remember the old joke about going to a boxing match and having a hockey game break out? Well, something like that happened last weekend in Springfield.
Marcus Lucas invited people to his house for a cookout. I know, stop the presses, right? But …
A couple of hours into the party, Marcus disappeared. He came back wearing a white suit. His girlfriend, Jackie Price, had changed from her Dallas Cowboy jersey into a white dress.
Oh, yeah, something was up. People went to a barbecue and a wedding broke out.
“It was the first ‘pop-up wedding’ I’ve ever seen,” Rich Miller, the Capitol Fax guru who was there, wrote via e-mail, “and so incredibly romantic. People have been wondering for years when the two would get married. But instead of eloping to Vegas or having an elaborate ceremony, they kept it low-key and so very personal by just throwing a little party and treating everyone to an incredibly happy surprise. Unlike a lot of weddings I’ve attended, I’ll never forget this one.” […]
“We usually have a big cookout every year,” says Marcus. “Jackie was joking, saying, ‘I’m sure for the next one we’ll have a packed house.’ They’ll be waiting for something to happen.”
It was so much fun and the food was outstanding. I never will forget it, and neither will anyone else who was privileged to be there…
Sadly, Marcus passed away this week. I’d like to extend my deepest condolences to his family and friends. He was such a good man.
* The late, great Harry Belafonte will play us out…
This is not migration data – it’s data for where people file taxes compared to prior filing periods – its scope is limited and there are a lot of caveats. The census report is the standard for determining domestic migration.
The IRS calls it “migration data.” But the governor’s office referred me to these points in the IRS data user guide…
The address shown on the tax return is a mailing address that may not reflect the taxpayer’s actual residence. […]
Data do not represent the full U.S. population because many individuals are not required to file an individual income tax return.
Lead poisoning from consuming contaminated water can cause irreversible brain damage in children. But too many Illinois childcare facilities have old lead pipes carrying water into their buildings.
Ask Governor Pritzker and the General Assembly to dedicate $104.3 million in the FY2024 budget to eliminate lead water pipes from licensed childcare facilities.
* Press release…
Supportive Housing Providers Association (SHPA) Executive Director David Esposito testified before the Senate Health & Human Services Appropriations Hearing Wednesday night. SHPA and its partner organizations are requesting a funding Increase for Supportive Housing Program Services Supports to be included as part of the FY24 budget. SHPA continues to be grateful for the commitment to funding for supportive housing services by the Illinois General Assembly in the FY23 budget, however, the need to respond to the social and economic fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic continues. “Everyone needs and deserves safe, decent, stable housing. For some of the most vulnerable people in Illinois — people with mental illness, chronic health conditions, histories of trauma, and other struggles — a home helps them to get adequate treatment and start on the path toward self-sufficiency. But some conditions make it difficult for people to maintain a stable home without additional help. Supportive housing, a highly effective and proven strategy that combines affordable housing with intensive coordinated services, can provide that needed assistance.,” said Mr. Esposito, he went on to say, “The issues of affordable housing and homelessness have been made even more urgent by the economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. Specifically, when it comes to homelessness, this is a challenge not just happening in Illinois, but across the nation, and it has deep and immediate impacts on the lives of all it touches,”
Supportive housing providers are experiencing the largest workforce crisis in decades, program cost increases and are struggling to meet increased demand for services from individuals who, but for the support of providers such as the those that are SHPA members, would be homeless or institutionalized, and facing steep barriers to housing, health and behavioral healthcare, and human services. Instead, they’d rely on hospital emergency rooms, jails, and prisons to meet their immediate needs.
· 10,431 Illinoisians are Homeless Tonight- 47.5% have a disabling condition- 20% are experiencing chronic homelessness.
· Illinois had the 5th highest increase in the rate of chronic homelessness in the nation.
· 17,684 Supportive Housing beds are currently dedicated to Illinoisians who have experienced homelessness or unnecessary institutionalization
· 40,749 Additional Illinoisians need Supportive Housing now-
· 8 times higher for Black/African Americans households to experience homelessness in Illinois.
SHPA is requesting the General Assembly to appropriate a total $57,095,130 (increase $14.5 million) to supportive housing services in the FY24 state budget (breakdown as follows): General Revenue:
· $ 28,060,180 Supportive housing MI Housing (IDHS-Division of Mental Health)
o $ 2,271,380 increase for 10% cost of living increase for all current homeless and supportive housing grantees to offset increased program related costs.
o $ 3,075,000 increase to support services to 308 new unit development between 2022 & 2023.
· $ 25,314,200 to Supportive Housing Services (IDHS-Bureau of Homeless Services)
o $ 1,649,010 increase a 10% cost of living increase for all current homeless and supportive housing grantees to offset increased program related costs.
o $ 7,175,000 increase to support services to 718 new unit development between 2022 & 2023.
State Grants:
· $ 3,720,750 to Supportive Housing Mental Health Services and a $ 338,250 increase to for a 10% cost of living increase for all current supportive housing grantees to offset increase program related costs.
Thank you for your continued support and recognition of Illinois’ Community Health Centers (FQHCs) as a longstanding bipartisan solution to the primary care access problems facing our state. As you proceed with the Fiscal Year (FY) 2024 appropriations process, we respectfully request that you include $100 million ($50 million GRF + $50 million federal match) within the Department of Healthcare and Family Services’ budget to increase reimbursement rates for Illinois’ Community Health Centers (FQHCs).
(C)an [the Illinois Protect Illinois Communities Act] be harmonized with the Second Amendment of the United States Constitution and with Bruen? That is the issue before this Court. The simple answer at this stage in the proceedings is “likely no.” The Supreme Court in Bruen and Heller held that citizens have a constitutional right to own and possess firearms and may use them for self-defense. PICA seems to be written in spite of the clear directives in Bruen and Heller, not in conformity with them. Whether well-intentioned, brilliant, or arrogant, no state may enact a law that denies its citizens rights that the Constitution guarantees them. Even legislation that may enjoy the support of a majority of its citizens must fail if it violates the constitutional rights of fellow citizens. For the reasons fully set out below, the overly broad reach of PICA commands that the injunctive relief requested by Plaintiffs be granted. […]
Assuming arguendo that there is no presumption of harm for an alleged violation of the Second Amendment, Plaintiffs still satisfy this element. For example, Barnett and Norman are no longer able to purchase any firearm, attachment, device, magazine, or other item banned by PICA, while Hoods and Pro Gun are now prohibited from selling said any item banned by PICA. These harms are irreparable and in direct violation of the Second Amendment right to bear arms in self-defense. There is no question that the right to armed self-defense is limited by PICA, and in some cases, may be prohibited altogether. It is true that not all items are banned under PICA; however, if a lawful citizen only possesses items that are banned under PICA, he or she would have to purchase a non-banned firearm in order to legally defend oneself under the Second Amendment. […]
Although Defendants challenged the veracity of Plaintiffs’ evidence, they were unable to produce evidence showing that modern sporting rifles are both dangerous and unusual. Consequently, Defendants failed to meet their burden to demonstrate that the “arms” banned by PICA are “dangerous and unusual” and thus not protected by the Second Amendment. See Bruen, 142 S. Ct. at 2128 (emphasis added). […]
Plaintiffs have satisfied their burden for a preliminary injunction. They have shown irreparable harm with no adequate remedy at law, a reasonable likelihood of success on the merits, that the public interest is in favor of the relief, and the balance of harm weighs in their favor. Therefore, the Plaintiffs’ motions for preliminary injunction are GRANTED. Defendants are ENJOINED from enforcing Illinois statutes 720 ILCS 5/24-1.9(b) and (c), and 720 ILCS 5/24-1.10, along with the PICA amended provisions set forth in 735 ILCS 5/24-1(a), including subparagraphs (11), (14), (15), and (16), statewide during the pendency of this litigation until the Court can address the merits.
The Court recognizes that the issues with which it is confronted are highly contentious and provoke strong emotions. Again, the Court’s ruling today is not a final resolution of the merits of the cases. Nothing in this order prevents the State from confronting firearm-related violence. There is a wide array of civil and criminal laws that permit the commitment and prosecution of those who use or may use firearms to commit crimes. Law enforcement and prosecutors should take their obligations to enforce these laws seriously. Families and the public at large should report concerning behavior. Judges should exercise their prudent judgment in committing individuals that pose a threat to the public and imposing sentences that punish, not just lightly inconvenience, those guilty of firearm-related crimes.
A Naperville gun shop owner is asking the U.S. Supreme Court to block Illinois’ assault weapon ban while he fights the law in federal court.
Robert Bevis is seeking an emergency junction, one week after a federal appeals court in Chicago turned down his request.
“This is an exceedingly simple case,” Bevis argues in his appeal, filed on Wednesday. “The Second Amendment protects arms that are commonly possessed by law-abiding citizens for lawful purposes, especially self-defense in the home.”
…Adding… Press release…
State Rep. Bob Morgan (D-Deerfield), the chief sponsor of the Protect Illinois Communities Act (“HB5471”), responded to the decision from U.S. District Judge Stephen McGlynn of the Southern District of Illinois in East St. Louis, after McGlynn issued an injunction against the Illinois assault weapons ban that was signed into law on January 10, 2023. The decision comes after U.S. District Judge Lindsay Jenkins, and U.S. District Judge Virginia M. Kendall, both out of the Northern District of Illinois, separately rejected similar requests for an injunction.
“This news is disappointing, but we remain encouraged as we’ve already had two federal judges in Illinois refuse to block the law,” said Rep. Morgan. “Since its enactment, this law has already prevented the sales of thousands of assault weapons and high capacity magazines in Illinois, making Illinois communities safer for families. This is necessary and life-saving legislation, and we feel confident we will ultimately prevail in a higher court.”
This conflict in rulings will now move the issue to the 7th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals. This injunction does not impact the prohibition on rapid-fire devices, the interstate firearm trafficking strike force, or extension of the duration of a firearm restraining order established under HB5471.
Rep. Morgan serves as Chair of the Illinois House Firearm Safety Reform Working Group. He has seen firsthand the devastating effects that gun violence can have on a community. Highland Park, IL is a part of his 58th District, and he was present at the tragic Fourth of July mass shooting in 2022 during which 83 rounds were fired in less than 60 seconds, killing seven and injuring 48 people.
* G-PAC…
Today, the Gun Violence Prevention PAC (G-PAC) released the following statement from John Schmidt, a former U.S. Associate Attorney General and member of the Executive Board of G-PAC, in response to Southern District Court Judge Stephen McGlynn’s decision to enjoin the state from enforcing the Illinois’ assault weapons ban.
“Given comments he made from the bench at the hearing in East St. Louis on April 12, Judge McGlynn’s decision to rule against the Illinois ban on assault weapons and high capacity magazines is not surprising. But it is still disappointing. It is directly contrary to the prior decisions of two Chicago federal judges, Judge Virginia Kendall and Judge Lindsay Jenkins, both of whom found the new statute “constitutionally sound” and declined relief. We believe Judges Kendall and Judge Jenkins are right, and Judge McGlynn is wrong.
“Judge Kendall’s decision is already on appeal to the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals, and that Court also declined to grant any immediate relief. We have confidence that the Attorney General representing the State of Illinois will take all possible actions to try to assure that the statute continues to remain in effect while litigation proceeds.”
*** UPDATE *** Attorney General Raoul has filed a motion with the Southern District to stay the preliminary injunction pending appeal…
The Court’s Preliminary Injunction Order is inconsistent with two prior rulings from two different judges in the Northern District of Illinois rejecting requests to preliminarily enjoin the Act on materially indistinguishable Second Amendment claims. See Bevis v. Naperville, No. 22- cv-4775, Dkt. 63, 2023 WL 2077392 (N.D. Ill. Feb. 17, 2023); Herrera v. Raoul, No. 23-cv-532, Dkt. 75, 2023 WL 3074799 (N.D. Ill. April 26, 2023). The Court’s Preliminary Injunction Order neither mentions nor analyzes why those two rulings on the same Act and the same type of Second Amendment claims were erroneous. They were not. The Seventh Circuit has also had the opportunity to enjoin the Act while considering the Bevis appeal, and it denied that request on April 18, 2023. Bevis v. Naperville, No. 23-1353, Dkt. 51 (7th Cir.) (denying motion for injunction pending appeal).
In order to avoid inconsistency and confusion—particularly given that refusing to stay the Preliminary Injunction Order would have the practical effect of overriding the Seventh Circuit’s contrary order in Bevis—this Court should stay its Preliminary Injunction Order while the Seventh Circuit considers the merits of the State Defendants’ interlocutory appeal. Furthermore, the Court should stay its Preliminary Injunction Order because: the Act does not violate the Second Amendment and Plaintiffs’ Second Amendment claims will ultimately fail on the merits; enjoining the Act inflicts irreparable harm on the public by allowing the weapons preferred by mass murderers to continue to proliferate; and the public interest favors allowing the Act’s restrictions on assault weapons and large capacity magazines to remain in effect.
* Here’s a factoid I hadn’t yet seen or forgot seeing it if I did: Lori Lightfoot received fewer votes in the first round this year than she received in the first round four years earlier.
In the first round of the 2019 Chicago mayoral race, candidate Lori Lightfoot received 97,667 votes. She went on to win the runoff with 386,039 votes, or 73.7 percent, against Toni Preckwinkle.
Four years later during 2023’s first round, Mayor Lightfoot received 94,890 votes. That’s 2,777 fewer votes than four years prior and 291,149 less votes than she got in the 2019 runoff.
A Republican businessman and philanthropist from Galesburg will challenge the 17th District’s freshman congressman in November 2024.
Rafael “Ray” Estrada, 56, said he plans to tackle U.S. Rep. Eric Sorensen, D-Moline, a former TV weatherman who took over the seat formerly held by fellow Democrat Cheri Bustos after beating GOP challenger Esther Joy King in 2022.
Earlier this month, the National Republican Campaign Committee announced its plans to put a bullseye on Sorensen and 36 other “vulnerable” Democrats […]
Estrada, whose family fled civil war Nicaragua 44 years ago when he was 12, is president of the nonprofit Estrada Global Foundation, “which provides aid to refugees and displaced citizens through direct assistance that helps provide for their basic needs and safety.” according to the release.
Direct Mail - Candidate Division
For Governor - Democrat [Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers]
Gold: Don’t Run. We Are Tracking You
Silver: Alleged “Miscarriage”
For U.S. Senate - Democrat [US Sen. Tammy Duckworth]
Silver: Relentless
Best Use of Targeting
Bronze: Don’t Run. We Are Tracking you [Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers]
Collateral
Most Original/Innovative Collateral Material - Democrat [Long Beach Mayor Rex Richardson]
Bronze: Mayor Rex
Regional - Overall Division
Direct Mail - For Local/Municipal/Mayoral - AAPC West [Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass]
First place: Way Out of No Way
Yesterday, the City of Chicago released an independent study commissioned on behalf of the Department of Business Affairs and Consumer Protection (BACP) that revealed Transportation Network Providers (TNP) chauffeurs, also known as rideshare drivers, are making over $1,000 weekly on average. Additionally, 25% of drivers earn between $28.90 - $37.90 per hour after expenses, while 65% of drivers make $18.90 - $27.90 per hour after expenses. The study, conducted by Crowe LLP, evaluated drivers who complete more than 30 hours of driving per week.
The study found that including all time online on an app, <24% of drivers work >30 hours per week and 25% of all rideshare drivers worked on multiple apps. Based on the findings, no full-time Uber or Lyft drivers earned < $21 a hour over the study period (all the way back to 2017) and only 0.4% of part time drivers did after expenses. Even including all online time (including duplicated time), >80% of full-time rideshare drivers and >55% of part-time rideshare drivers earned more than $20 an hour after expenses, dating back to 2017.
• The City is currently housing 2,702 migrants
• 3,936 clients have arrived on buses from the border and have been taken to shelters since September of 2022
• An additional 3,144 clients have been placed into shelters through the 311 system since September of 2022
• Catholic Charities has provided Outmigration Services for over 705 clients […]
Country of Origin
Venezuela - 3589
Colombia – 336
Nicaragua – 186
Ecuador – 84
Peru – 37
Honduras – 16
Mexico – 11
Cuba – 10
* Isabel’s roundup…
* Crain’s | Illinois delegation asks Congress for $75M to pay for 2024 DNC: In a letter to the chairs and ranking members of the Senate and House appropriations subcommittees on commerce, the Illinoisans are asking that a total of $150 million be appropriated, half to Chicago and half to Milwaukee, where the Republicans are due to meet.
* Crain’s | Report allegedly reveals how Dan Proft’s news sausage gets made: What makes the Post’s story notable — beyond exposing the process and that operatives for Donald Trump are interested in the platform — is the ongoing investigation by the Illinois State Board of Elections into alleged illegal coordination between Proft’s People Who Play By The Rules PAC and Bailey’s campaign during last year’s election. As an independent expenditure group, the PAC is forbidden from collaborating, either directly or indirectly, with a candidate for office.
* Crain’s | A ‘ComEd Four’ prosecutor finally explains why some executives weren’t charged: As part of his final address to jurors, lead prosecutor Amarjeet Bhachu provided an answer: No one at the utility or its parent, except Pramaggiore, had the full view of the pile of favors being done for Madigan. … In a slide shown to jurors as Bhachu discussed the issue, the names of the three were shown with this comment: “1. ‘The question is whether the defendants had corrupt intent — not someone else.’” “None of those folks had the full picture,” Bhachu said.
* Herald-Whig | Eyler kicks off campaign for Adams County state’s attorney: A Republican, Eyler has served as first assistant state’s attorney in Adams County since December 2016 when State’s Attorney Gary Farha took office. Eyler said no matter what changes lawmakers in Springfield make to criminal law in Illinois, the state’s attorney’s office will continue to prosecute crime.
* Casino | Circa Sports Approved for Illinois Betting License, Eyes August Launch: Circa applied for an Illinois sports wagering license nearly a year ago. From here, the operator must make a written request to the IGB to start accepting bets in the state. Upon approval, Circa will be the eighth gaming company to offer mobile sports betting in the sixth-largest state.
* Sun-Times | Noose found on tree at Naperville middle school: Naperville police are investigating after a noose was found on the grounds of an Indian Prairie Unit District 204 middle school. The noose was found Thursday in a tree at Scullen Middle School, according to Lisa Barry, the district’s spokesman.
* SJ-R | Springfield, Logan County receive grant money for Route 66 projects: The state announced Thursday that Springfield would be receiving $623,000 from the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity’s Route 66 Grant Program to help in the construction of 12 murals connecting the city and other cities and villages in central Illinois to other murals in the Illinois & Michigan Canal National Heritage Corridor – located in the Chicago area – and the Great Rivers & Routes area in the Metro East suburbs of St. Louis.
* AP | Iowa flooding: Cities work to keep out Mississippi River floodwaters: The Upper Mississippi River will rise to near record-high levels as it flows through Wisconsin and Iowa, but officials said they expected to hold back floodwaters with a combination of flood walls, temporary barriers and wetlands, especially if dry weather continues.
* Fox News Poll | Voters favor gun limits over arming citizens to reduce gun violence: After a series of mass shootings this spring, including the killing of several students at a private Christian school in Tennessee, voters would prefer focusing on specific gun control measures rather than arming citizens to reduce gun violence.
* Tribune | ‘Put it on me,’ White Sox GM says of team’s worst start since 1986: “Put it on me,” Hahn continued. “I’ll tell you this, let’s make this real clear, it sure as heck isn’t on (manager) Pedro (Grifol) and his coaching staff. They are doing everything in their power to prepare, focus on what’s controllable, what’s fixable, addressing the problems as they arise. And are really doing everything in their power to get this thing right. It’s absolutely not on the manager and the coaches.
* STLPD | Elvis is in the building during Illinois Elvis Festival in Collinsville: Elvis tribute artists take to the stage to the delight of Elvis fans during the Illinois Elvis Festival at the Gateway Convention Center in Collinsville. The festival continues on Friday and Saturday with two shows each day. ETA Festivals, the organizers of the event, said they expect 6-8,000 people to attend the shows over the weekend. The event features 12 different Elvis tribute artists, including Bill Cherry and 14-year-old Finley Watkins from Bernie, Mo.
* CNN | Twitter’s former CEO has a new app that looks a lot like Twitter: But under the hood, Bluesky, developed by Twitter co-founder and former CEO Jack Dorsey, is vastly different. The app, which launched in a closed beta on iOS in February and on Android this month, runs on a decentralized network which provides users with more control over how the service is run, data is stored, and content is moderated.
* Amanda Zurawski is one of five women suing the state of Texas for denying abortions after medical complications…
Listen to Amanda Zurawski testify about the physical and psychological trauma that Texas' abortion bans inflicted on her after her pregnancy failed. It's a horrific story that has played out again and again since the Supreme Court abolished the right to abortion. pic.twitter.com/DJhGo4HCgO
People often ask Dr. Leah Torres why she stays in Alabama.
The 43-year-old OB-GYN — who strides into her clinic most mornings wearing a clitoris pendant and T-shirts with slogans that declare “ABORT THE PATRIARCHY” — does not consider this conservative Deep South state her home. […]
The center was one of the busiest abortion clinics in the state, until the Supreme Court struck down Roe vs. Wade last year. Abortion became illegal in Alabama, one of over a dozen states with full bans. Now that doctors who perform the procedure in Alabama risk up to 99 years in prison, Torres finds herself, once again, unable to offer the full spectrum of reproductive medical care she was trained for.
But Torres has no intention of backing down.
“You don’t want me here? That’s why I’m gonna stay,” she said, sitting at a desk strewn with laboratory invoices and a tiny fetus replica handed out by antiabortion campaigners. “I’m not leaving, just out of spite!”
When Hollis Moore was looking for their next teaching position four years ago, they read news articles and tried to look for signs that a school district would be supportive of their identity. […]
Expectations for how Moore could describe themself changed again in February of this year. Moore said an administrator read them a new directive.
“I was not to say that I was nonbinary, I was not to say that I was not a boy or a girl, I was not to talk about ‘genderless lifestyles,’ because these things would be considered sex education, and sex education was something governed by Missouri laws,” Moore recalled.
Also in February, a second openly trans employee heard about the same policy. Delilah Wylde said she was told she could not discuss her identity two days into her new job as a guidance counseling substitute.
“They read some very offensive policy on how they considered my gender identity to be sexual education, which I obviously was not happy about, because they have essentially sexualized my identity,” Wylde said. “And that’s a very dangerous place to be in as an educator because you’re working with kids.”
* The Lieutenant Governor of Texas…
Allowing the Ten Commandments and prayer back into our public schools is one step we can take to make sure that all Texans have the right to freely express their sincerely held religious beliefs.
Last summer, administrators at Bradford High School in Kenosha, Wisconsin, met as they do every year to plan for the incoming class of ninth graders. From a roster of hundreds of middle schoolers, Assistant Principal Matt Brown and his staff made a list of 30 to 40 students who they suspected might struggle the most to graduate. […]
But in most cases, the students on Bradford’s list for summer visits land there because of a label — “high risk”— assigned to them by a racially inequitable algorithm built by the state of Wisconsin, one that frequently raises false alarms.
Since 2012, Wisconsin school administrators like Brown have received their first impression of new students from the Dropout Early Warning System, an ensemble of machine learning algorithms that use historical data — such as students’ test scores, disciplinary records, free or reduced-price lunch status, and race — to predict how likely each sixth through ninth grader in the state is to graduate from high school on time. […]
An internal Department of Public Instruction equity analysis conducted in 2021 found that DEWS generated false alarms about Black and Hispanic students not graduating on time at a significantly greater rate than it did for their white classmates. The algorithm’s false alarm rate — how frequently a student it predicted wouldn’t graduate on time actually did graduate on time — was 42 percentage points higher for Black students than white students, according to a DPI presentation summarizing the analysis, which The Markup obtained through a public records request. The false alarm rate was 18 percentage points higher for Hispanic students than white students.
Republican legislators in Kansas enacted what may be the most sweeping transgender bathroom law in the U.S. on Thursday, overriding the Democratic governor’s veto of the measure without having a clear idea of how their new law will be enforced.
The vote in the House was 84-40, giving supporters exactly the two-thirds majority they needed to override Gov. Laura Kelly’s action. The vote in the Senate on Wednesday was 28-12, and the new law will take effect July 1. […]
“When I go out in public, like I’m at a restaurant or up on campus or whatever, and I need to go to the bathroom, there’s definitely going to be a voice in my head that says, ‘“Am I going to get harassed for that?’” said Jenna Bellemere, a 20-year-old transgender University of Kansas student. “It just makes it so much more complicated and risky and unnecessarily difficult.”
Republican legislators argued that they’re responding to people’s concerns about transgender women sharing bathrooms, locker rooms and other spaces with cisgender women and girls. They repeatedly promised that the bill would prevent that.
Under new law, Uber drivers for undocumented people could potentially be guilty of human smuggling, one of many concerns raised about a broad bill enacted by the Legislature.
Lawmakers in the House and Senate overrode Gov. Laura Kelly’s veto of House Bill 2350 Thursday, despite objections from Latino and Black Democrats who fear the legislation could punish anyone who helps an immigrant. The bill is one of several vetoed bills successfully passed into law by the Legislature.
Supporters of the bill say it will crack down on human smuggling, but several lawmakers have said the law’s wording is too ambiguous. It defines human smuggling as intentionally transporting, harboring or concealing someone known to be in the U.S. illegally while benefiting from the transaction and knowing the individual is likely to be exploited for financial gain.
In these cases, Kansas courts would have to decide whether the person being smuggled is in the country illegally, a decision usually left to federal immigration courts and one that the Kansas justice system may not be equipped to handle.
Florida Republicans are on the verge of passing new restrictions on groups that register voters, a move voting rights groups and experts say will make it harder for non-white Floridians to get on the rolls.
The restrictions are part of a sweeping 96-page election bill the legislature is likely to send to Governor Ron DeSantis’s desk soon. The measure increases fines for third-party voter registration groups. It also shortens the amount of time the groups have to turn in any voter registration applications they collect from 14 days to 10. The bill makes it illegal for non-citizens and people convicted of certain felonies to “collect or handle” voter registration applications on behalf of third-party groups. Groups would also have to give each voter they register a receipt and be required to register themselves with the state ahead of each general election cycle. Under current law, they only have to register once and their registration remains effective indefinitely.
Groups can now be fined $50,000 for each ineligible person they hire to do voter canvassing. They can also be fined $50 a day, up to $2,500, for each day late they turn in a voter registration form.
Those restrictions are more likely to affect non-white Floridians. About one in 10 Black and Hispanic Floridians registered to vote using a third-party group, according to Daniel Smith, a political science professor at the University of Florida who closely studies voting rights. Non-white voters are five times more likely to register with a third-party group in the state than their white counterparts, “a fact likely not lost on those pushing the legislation”, Smith said.
Florida officials are threatening to revoke the teaching license of a school superintendent who criticized Gov. Ron DeSantis, accusing the educator of violating several statutes and DeSantis directives and allowing his “personal political views” to guide his leadership.
Such a revocation by the state Department of Education could allow DeSantis to remove Leon County Superintendent Rocky Hanna from his elected office. The Republican governor did that last year to an elected Democratic prosecutor in the Tampa Bay area who disagreed with his positions limiting abortion and medical care for transgender teens and indicated he might not enforce new laws in those areas. […]
Hanna has publicly opposed that law, once defied the governor’s order that barred any mandate that students wear masks during the COVID-19 pandemic, and criticized a DeSantis-backed bill that recently passed that will pay for students to attend private school. The Leon County district, with about 30,000 students, covers Tallahassee, the state capital, and its suburbs.
“It’s a sad day for democracy in Florida, and the First Amendment right to freedom of speech, when a state agency with unlimited power and resources, can target a local elected official in such a biased fashion,” Hanna said in a statement sent to The Associated Press and other media Thursday. A Democrat then running as an independent, Hanna was elected to a second four-year term in 2020 with 60% of the vote. He plans to run for reelection next year and does not need a teacher’s license to hold the job.
One bill advancing through the Republican-controlled state legislature would conceal information about DeSantis’ travel and who he has met with at the governor’s mansion. Another would allow state political committees – like the one where DeSantis has stashed $85 million for his future political ambitions – to report their fundraising activity less frequently.
Separately, DeSantis in court cases has lately claimed “executive privilege” to block the release of records and to keep staff from testifying – a power typically reserved for presidents and which none of his predecessors had previously asserted is entrusted to the state’s governor. If realized, it would give DeSantis tremendous new discretion to keep information about his administration from the public.
Democrats contend Republicans here are trying to protect DeSantis from news stories and opposition research that could reflect negatively on the governor as he nears a run for president in 2024. First Amendment advocates in the state warn these efforts will have a far-reaching effect on Floridians’ access to their leaders long after DeSantis’ turn in the national limelight. […]
News organizations have sued his administration to obtain records that past governors regularly released upon request. Last year, a judge found DeSantis violated the state’s open records laws by failing to turn over documents related to the flights his administration arranged for migrants to fly from San Antonio to Martha’s Vineyard.
The Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (”IDFPR”) announced today it received 2,693 applications for the upcoming Social Equity Criteria Lottery (”SECL”). This lottery will distribute the next round of 55 conditional adult use cannabis dispensary licenses across the 17 Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Regions. The list of applicants participating in the SECL may be found on IDFPR’s website here. Applicants are encouraged to review the list and confirm that they have been properly listed for any BLS Region in which they applied. The SECL will be conducted by IDFPR with the Illinois Lottery in early- to mid-May. The date will be announced by IDFPR as soon as possible.
“Our simplified online application process increased the accessibility for individuals of all backgrounds and from all over Illinois to have the opportunity to write the next chapter of the most equitable cannabis industry in the country,” said IDFPR Secretary Mario Treto, Jr. “As part of the Pritzker Administration, we are committed to ensuring Illinois’ cannabis industry continues to set the gold standard for social equity and that it continues to flourish to create additional resources for communities and individuals across the state.” […]
Following the lottery, each applicant selected will have 45 calendar days to prove certain social equity eligibility criteria in order to receive a conditional license. […]
IDFPR will have at least 60 calendar days after the lottery to ensure the 55 applicants selected in the lottery meet the criteria detailed above. Applicants selected in the lottery will be provided an opportunity to provide supplemental information to satisfy these criteria if needed. If an applicant selected in the lottery does not provide the supplemental information, the conditional license will be offered to the next applicant drawn in that BLS Region, who must then meet the social equity eligibility criteria.
That’s almost three times the number of applicants that competed for the 185 licenses that were up for grabs in lotteries held two years ago. […]
Under the new rules, gone are the lengthy applications that required extensive business plans, covering everything from security to operations, which ran thousands of pages and cost many applicants thousands of dollars to complete. The cost to submit an application also dropped from $2,500 to $250.
Perhaps the biggest change is allowing only one application per applicant, leveling the playing field and increasing the number of people or groups who would receive licenses. In the previous lotteries, 937 applicants who submitted 4,000 applications competed for 185 licenses. Under the new criteria, about 2,700 applicants will compete for 55 licenses. […]
Only applicants who win a lottery pick to receive a license will then have to prove they meet the criteria. One of the complaints about the prior process was that applicants spent thousands of dollars to apply and meet the standards for ownership only to lose out on the luck of the draw.
Ascend Wellness Holdings, a multi-state operator with a large grow facility in Barry, Ill., works with Western Illinois University in Macomb. […]
People have a lot of class choices in the Western program. Horticulture 357, Cannabis Production, is one of three core classes students have to take. But they can also choose from electives such as hydroponic plant production and crop biotechnology.
The production minor also requires a three-hour practicum, where students volunteer at facilities like those at Ascend or Nature’s Grace. Hennings said the idea is to integrate students into an actual operation as they’re getting ready to graduate with the skills the cannabis industry wants.
* Scabby the Rat also made a picket-line appearance…
As workers at three local marijuana dispensaries, including two in Joliet, continue to strike, the employees have gotten support from an Illinois state senator who says the workers deserve a share of the more than $ 1 billion in pot profits they are helping to produce.
Sen. Rachel Ventura (D-Joliet) said that pot sales in Illinois generated $1.5 billion in 2022 and that employees at RISE dispensaries who went on strike last week over the lack of a fair contract should benefit from those profits.
In Fiscal Year 2022, Ventura said that Illinois cannabis sales generated $466.8 million in state taxes on the $1.5 billion in sales. Illinois total dispensary sales reached over three billion in total over the last three years, she said.
Workers at the dispensaries in Joliet and Niles went on strike last week after months of negotiating for a fair contract and are seeking better wages and retirement benefits, representatives from Local Teamsters 777 said. The last straw came, union officials said, when employees were forced to remove pins they were wearing calling for a fair contract by officials from Green Thumb Industries, which runs the dispensaries.
“This is the first cannabis strike in the country,” James Glimco, president of Lyons-based Teamsters Local 777, said Wednesday as he joined striking workers at the Rise dispensary near the Louis Joliet Mall.
Workers are seeking a contract agreement with higher wages, improved retirement benefits, and better access to health insurance.
Starting hourly wage at the dispensaries is $16.50, and the union wants to raise it to $19. […]
But there have been no contract negotiations since the strike started, he said.
“They’re playing hardball,” Glimco said. “I hear they’re advertising trying to hire people.”
The owners and operators of the RISE Dispensaries last year reported more than $1 Billion in revenue last year and a 14% growth in profits. Those profits were made due to the efforts of these workers. I fully support and stand in solidarity with their incredibly brave decision to fight for better wages and benefits. […]
It doesn’t matter if you are a machinist, carpenter, teacher, plumber, or a dispensary employee. If you work here in Illinois you deserve a fair day’s wage for a fair day’s work. That is what this country was built on and union organization, negotiation, and, as a last resort, strikes are what will continue to support and revitalize the middle class in these difficult post-pandemic times.
* And the latest episode in the series “Growing Belushi” has a Shelbyville angle…
Chris sells Jim on buying a “turnkey facility” in Illinois, but the operation turns out to be growing bunk weed and will need a complete overhaul.
The episode went into great detail about the tons of improvements they put into the center, including a radiation remediation machine that costs a cool $400k! They also upgraded lights, HVAC, Vertification and better waste water management.
We asked Belushi what going national meant to him. Was it licensing intellectual property? Setting up gardens in other states?
“Lot of it is licensing. But vetting out the growers and the companies,” Belushi explained. “We got a great opportunity and Shelbyville, Illinois, taking over indoor grow that was a charity grow, all the profits go to charity. And we are taking that over and actually kind of doing like a Bar Rescue of like going into this girl upgrading everything and it becomes a Belushi Farms in Illinois. So we’re going to be growing in Illinois. We’re growing in Oregon and we’re licensing other places, other states, and possibly growing in Albania.”
From the show…
If ONE thing goes wrong with this test, @JimBelushi has to say his goodbyes to thousands of dollars 🥲
…Adding… I’m told by an expert in the field that Belushi was exaggerating about Illinois law. “Some failures are immediate destruction, other test failures can be remediated. The testing rules outline the options.”
Q: These traffic stops became the Police Department’s main way of seizing illegal guns. Block Club Chicago and Injustice Watch have found that, since 2015, CPD has carried out 4.5 million traffic stops. In 2021, the most successful year for seizing weapons during those stops, the police made 156 traffic stops for every gun arrest. What are the effects of making so many stops for one gun arrest?
Skogan: One of the consequences of this enormous number of unwarranted stops — stops of innocent people — is that they come away with a very sour taste in their mouth. What they discover is that police officers don’t want to listen to what they have to say and the officers push them around and shout at them, even though they find nothing. What the people walk away with is a very bad experience, which undermines their trust in police and undermines the legitimacy of the police in Chicago.
And that has consequences. The Chicago Police Department’s real problem, starting in the early 2010s, was the collapse of its ability to solve shootings and homicides. The number of those crimes for which they recover a gun, find a suspect, make an arrest, make what’s called a crime clearance — it began to plummet. It’s now extraordinarily low. And that limits the capacity of investigators — the detectives — to do much about crime. And because no one has been arrested, that leads many community members to conclude that the police aren’t trying hard, that they’re not paying attention to the lives of people like them, that they are not being protected.
The arrival of a new mayor and police superintendent is an opportunity for some new thinking about policy. We know a lot about things that will reduce crime in the streets. Chicago has already started to mount a pretty effective campaign using violence interrupters and related community organizations that provide services and support for young men who are in trouble. More of that is always welcome.
We also know that a focused deterrence strategy — which drops the idea of stopping hundreds of people to deter one little crime and focuses instead on a very small network of high-risk, high-offending people — is a much more effective way to get more bang for your stops and more bang for your investigations. So, the incoming mayor should focus on this detective-oriented police work.
Efforts to rebuild Chicago’s Black community are also really important. That community has been getting poorer and more isolated over time. Some dramatic action to try to bring Black Chicago back into the mainstream of city economic life is absolutely important.
As a newly formed commission launches a nationwide search for the Chicago’s next top cop, campaigns endorsing current and former Chicago police officials for the job are already impacting the process and raising some alarms.
The first-of-its-kind search by the Community Commission for Public Safety and Accountability has so far centered on three public meetings that have elicited seemingly coordinated efforts to raise the profile of certain police supervisors, including at least two who are also being pushed in online campaigns.
Anthony Driver Jr., the commission’s interim president, said those efforts are complicating the search, which relies on getting independent input from residents. […]
“We’re looking for the person to do the job, so community members’ voices are very important and their voice will be at the forefront,” he added. “But if somebody has 5,000 supporters and another person has 20 [and] the person with 20 seems way more qualified, then that’ll create an issue.”
One of the candidates even appeared in a campaign-style video. But, is it really all that unhealthy when members of the public speak up for their local commanders? We’ve seen plenty of mediocre (and worse) people chosen by “experts.” Then again, I can most definitely see where this could really get out of hand. Your thoughts?
…Adding… From David Axelrod’s interview of Brandon Johnson on what he’s looking for at CPD…
Right now, we have supervisors who supervise the supervisors, you have police officers that will have a different supervisor, sometimes three to four in one week. Now granted, they all might be part of a cadre of law enforcement but you know, every supervisor brings a different element. Right? And so having some consistency around supervision is really important, and having a superintendent who understands what it means to be compassionate, collaborative, and someone who was competent. That’s what what I’m going to look for, and that’s what we’re going to find to serve as superintendent in the city of Chicago. I’m very confident that we’re going to find someone that gives confidence to the rank and file but also understands constitutional policing.
…Adding… Final results map…
With final results by ward, Brandon Johnson @Brandon4Chicago defeated Paul Vallas by 26,448 votes & 4.3% in the Chicago mayor election. Johnson won every Black majority ward & he won northside liberal wards. Johnson won 6 Latino majority wards #chimayor23#electiontwitter#twillpic.twitter.com/IdFSbevWdY
* Isabel has some Chicago-related stories in her morning briefing, but she rounded up some more for this post…
* Tribune | What to know as Brandon Johnson prepares to become Chicago’s next mayor: Since winning election this month, Johnson has been assembling a transition team, traveling to Springfield to meet with lawmakers in the Illinois General Assembly to lay out his hopes and goals for his first term and picked his chief of staff.
* Sun-Times | Frank Annunzio, who represented Chicago in Congress, was linked to the mob, his FBI file shows: The records — released in response to a public records request and now part of the Sun-Times’ “The FBI Files” online database — also reveal there was a years-long federal investigation into a “proposed bribery scheme” described as having focused in part on Annunzio. That investigation was closed in the mid-1980s without any criminal charges, the files show.
* Sun-Times | First night meeting of the Chicago Fishing Advisory Committee draws new voices: Illinois’ assistant fisheries chief Kevin Irons said they are in the process of hiring two people to replace Brenda McKinney, who retired last year, with plans to expand the Urban Fishing program; hybrid bluegills will be stocked in the Chicago lagoons but not channel catfish; and he reminded about the fishing equipment loaner program that about 150 libraries are doing statewide.
* WBEZ | After death of Emmett Till’s accuser, Chicago-area cousin says, ‘No one now will be’ held accountable: “Our hearts go out to the family of Carolyn Bryant Donham,” Parker, of Summit, Illinois, said in a statement. “As a person of faith for more than 60 years, I recognize that any loss of life is tragic and don’t have any ill will or animosity toward her. “Even though no one now will be held to account for the death of my cousin and best friend, it is up to all of us to be accountable to the challenges we still face in overcoming racial injustice.”
* Block Club | These Humboldt Park 5th-Graders Are Spreading Awareness About The Need To Protect Rainforests: A group of 10- and 11-year-old students at Casals School of Excellence, 3501 W. Potomac Ave., studied rainforests around the world for an expeditionary learning project this school year. The students then launched a multi-faceted campaign around safeguarding rainforests, urging the school community to do its part.
A federal jury deliberated for a third day Thursday without reaching a verdict in the “ComEd Four” trial alleging a group of executives and lobbyists conspired to bribe then-House Speaker Michael Madigan to win his influence over the utility’s legislative agenda in Springfield.
So far, the panel of seven women and five men has deliberated for about 15 hours over three days. They will take Friday off, as has been the schedule throughout the seven-week trial, and resume discussions Monday morning.
The only communication from the jury Thursday came in the form of three notes asking for transcripts of the recorded phone calls and meetings at the center of the case. The jurors also sent a note asking how much Juan Ochoa was paid while on the ComEd board.
Ochoa testified it was about $80,000, but U.S. District Judge Harry Leinenweber responded that they should rely on their collective memories.
That was the much-anticipated meeting when ComEd CEO Joe Dominguez was finally briefed about the Madigan subcontractors by Mike McCain and Fidel Marquez. McCain and other defendants were worried that Dominguez, a former Assistant US Attorney, wouldn’t approve of the scheme. But Dominguez said he was “fine” with it, although he was under the impression that the subcontractors could be deployed by the company in a pinch. Dominguez was never charged, but things did get a little rough for him on the stand…
Dominguez grew annoyed with Bhachu’s line of questioning and accused the prosecutor of taking his words out of context.
“As you full well know, I went on to tell Mr. Marquez that ‘Everything we do here needs to be on the up and up,’” Dominguez said.
Dominguez then attempted to tell the court what Bhachu allegedly told him during that September 2019 proffer meeting, but Bhachu quickly cut him off.
“If you’re going to start talking about what I said, you might want to not do that because it might not work out well for you,” Bhachu said before telling Judge Leinenweber that Dominguez was out of line in bringing up their conversation. “What I said is inadmissible.”
The dust-up elicited accusations from the defense attorneys that Bhachu was threatening a witness.
* But was the jurors’ request significant? Maybe not…
The jurors said that transcript would "not pull up on our technology."
The jurors also asked for “at least two transcript binders.” As the Tribune’s Jason Meisner quipped, “It’s fairly clear from this question that we should not be on the edge of our seats for a verdict today.”
What about other executives at ComEd and parent Exelon who not only knew of parts of the alleged scheme and did nothing to stop it, but also signed off on key elements?
As part of his final address to jurors, lead prosecutor Amarjeet Bhachu provided an answer: No one at the utility or its parent, except Pramaggiore, had the full view of the pile of favors being done for Madigan. […]
In a slide shown to jurors as Bhachu discussed the issue, the names of the three were shown with this comment: “1. ‘The question is whether the defendants had corrupt intent — not someone else.’ ”
“None of those folks had the full picture,” Bhachu said.
* Illinois Times | “Pervasive” deficiencies at Illinois State Police: The latest biennial audit report released by Illinois Auditor General Frank Mautino found that the Illinois State Police did not properly manage equipment inventory, could not reconcile their accounting records, and may have lost confidential information contained on missing computers. The audit concluded that misstatements in ISP’s accounts were “both material and pervasive.”
* Chicago Tribune | Illinois Democrats denounce as ‘deceitful’ a pipeline used in last year’s elections to right-wing local news sites: The Washington Post reported Thursday that Brian Timpone, an ally and business partner of right-wing radio talk show host Dan Proft, used a password-protected portal that allowed Republicans to pitch stories, provide questions for interviews, place campaign announcements and run “verbatim” op-eds on websites and mailings that are published by the Local Government Information Services organization.
* Sun-Times | Search for Chicago’s top cop complicated by lobbying campaigns for candidates. ‘It’s not a popularity contest.’: The first-of-its-kind search by the Community Commission for Public Safety and Accountability has so far centered on three public meetings that have elicited seemingly coordinated efforts to raise the profile of certain police supervisors, including at least two who are also being pushed in online campaigns. Anthony Driver Jr., the commission’s interim president, said those efforts are complicating the search, which relies on getting independent input from residents.
* Sun-Times | Brandon Johnson not ready to clean house at City Hall, adviser says: Don’t expect “wholesale, universal changes” in city departments, said Jason Lee, a senior adviser to Johnson’s mayoral campaign and transition team, citing a need for “at least some initial continuity so that we can make sure that government maintains its core functions.”
* WBEZ | Chicago families plead for a second chance for their closing school: Hope Institute Learning Academy opened in 2009, promising to create a unique community where students with autism and other disabilities would be catered to in an environment with students without special needs. It is run by Hope Institute, a nonprofit headquartered in Springfield, which provides programs for developmentally disabled people, including a residential academy and a vocational school. Hope Institute has a contract with Chicago Public Schools to run the West Loop school.
* Tribune | Mom of Olympian Cathy Boswell gets hearing implant just in time for daughter’s induction into Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame: Cathy Boswell, a former basketball star at Illinois State University and an Olympic gold medalist, is due to be inducted into the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame Saturday. Clarice wanted to hear her daughter’s acceptance speech. “That was my prayer, that my hearing would be restored,” she said, “that I could hear her receive her Hall of Fame recognition. It’s very important because it’s been a long journey. And one that’s very deserving.”
* WGN | Cow located in Niles after ‘senior prank’; students cited: Authorities in Niles located a cow after it was on the loose for several hours due to a “senior prank” and the students involved have been cited. Just before 3 a.m. Thursday, police responded to the 8300 block of Ballard on the report of suspicious people in the area.
* Illinois Supreme Court Chief Justice Mary Jane Theis was recently interviewed by MC Sungaila for The Portia Project…
I’m going to share a judicial secret with you. What keeps judges, especially appellate judges, up at night is the concern and fear that adopting a rule that makes sense in this specific case has unintended consequences on other matters. As they say, things that haven’t even happened yet. If I interpret this word in this statute a certain way, how is this word used elsewhere in other statutes and what harm am I doing?
If I ever had a say in a tip for appellate lawyers, it would be to realize that’s what the judge is thinking about. What are the unintended consequences of deciding this case a certain way? How do you ease the discomfort the judge has? How do you make the judge comfortable to say, “Yes, that’s the good rule here, and good rule moving forward too”? Very often, good appellate lawyers understand that, but many lawyers who do appeals are still just focused on their cases. […]
The judicial perspective has a very different idea than what the lawyers are trying to do to win this case. Lawyers who understand that, and there certainly are wonderful lawyers who can be better advocates, can win more cases if they put the judges’ minds to ease that this is a good rule for everybody moving forward and not just this case.
Art Potash, IRMA board chairman and CEO of Potash Markets, a chain of specialty grocery stores in Chicago’s Gold Coast neighborhood, noted that more than 6,600 bills have been introduced in the General Assembly this year, the second most ever introduced in the first year of a session.
“Quite frankly, much of the legislation presents additional challenges to the business community,” he said during a luncheon speech. “Thankfully, the respective teams at IRMA and IMA have done a great job of containing most of the harm, at least as we sit here today.”
During his keynote address, Pritzker touted investments the state has made in workforce training and apprenticeships, as well as his proposed budget that calls for increased funding for community colleges, universities and student financial aid.
“Yes, of course, people are talking to Mississippi about low-wage workers that they can get if they put a low-wage manufacturing facility in that state,” he said. “But what they talk to Illinois about is skilled labor and skilled workers, because we provide those, and we have the third-largest community college system in the entire nation. And we’re utilizing that to make sure that we’re at the top of the heap when it comes to skilled work.”
The corrections department reports that there were 76 deaths in Illinois prisons last year, the average age of the deceased being 57.
Of the 76 deaths, 57 were attributed to natural causes, 11 to suicide and one to homicide. The findings in five other cases were pending.
* IDES numbers…
The unemployment rate decreased in eleven areas, increased in one area and was unchanged in two for the year ending March 2023, according to data released today by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) and the Illinois Department of Employment Security (DES). Over-the-year, total nonfarm jobs increased in all fourteen metropolitan areas. […]
The metro areas which had the largest over-the-year percentage increases in total nonfarm jobs were the Peoria MSA (+3.9%, +6,400), the Champaign-Urbana MSA (+3.4%, +4,000), and the Bloomington MSA (+3.1%, +2,900). Total nonfarm jobs in the Chicago Metro were up +1.6% or +60,100. Industries that saw job growth in a majority of metro areas included: Education and Health Services (fourteen areas); Leisure and Hospitality (thirteen areas); Wholesale Trade and Government (twelve areas each); Manufacturing and Other Services (eleven areas each); Mining and Construction and Transportation, Utilities and Warehousing (nine areas).
The metro areas with the largest unemployment rate decreases were the Rockford MSA (-1.1 points to 6.7%), the Carbondale-Marion MSA (-0.6 point to 4.0%), and the Springfield MSA (-0.6 point to 3.9%). The Chicago Metro Division unemployment rate fell -0.3 point to 4.1%. The unemployment rate increased in the Lake County-Kenosha County IL-WI Metropolitan Division (+0.2 point to 5.0%). The unemployment rate was unchanged in the Danville MSA (5.4%) and the Davenport-Moline-Rock Island IA-IL MSA (4.1%).
* A blanket ban after a single violation is just totally ridiculous…
Reporters covering hearings and press conferences in Cook County have long been allowed to bring their computers and cellphones into the criminal courthouse at 26th and California to do their job.
No more, under an order issued Wednesday by Circuit Court Presiding Judge Erica Reddick.
Effectively immediately, “all media and members of the public except employees and authorized personnel shall not bring cellphones, laptops or any electronic devices into the George N. Leighton Criminal Courthouse.” [..]
The ban stems from an incident this week when a member of the media took photographs with a cellphone while in a courtroom, a breach of court rules, a spokeswoman for Chief Judge Tim Evans said in a statement.
* Press release…
An estimated 780 teachers in 219 school districts across the state of Illinois will be supported by the Elevating Educators: Bilingual Education Grants, shared State Senator Karina Villa. More than $5 million in grants will go toward the bilingual educator pipeline, where teachers will receive training and a license to teach English learners, or students whose native language is not English.
“Every child deserves the same quality of education, regardless of what language they may speak at home,” said Villa (D-West Chicago). “I am proud to see this investment in licensing teachers to work with students whose native language is not English.”
The number of English learners in Illinois schools has steadily grown over the last 12 years, however the number of teachers qualified to teach these students has not. Illinois schools serve more than 275,000 English learners — nearly 14% of the state’s student population — who speak around 220 different languages. Illinois schools reported more than 300 unfilled teaching positions in bilingual education as of October 2022. These grants will help address this disparity.
Around 450 teachers already have an Educator License with Stipulations endorsed for Transitional Bilingual Education, a temporary license for teaching English learners that lasts five years. These grants will cover expenses, such as tuition and fees, for teachers who have this temporary license so they can get their permanent teaching license. Districts can also use the grant funds to cover expenses for current teachers licensed in other subjects, which will allow them to earn an English as Second Language or Bilingual Education credential. Funding for the grant comes from federal pandemic relief funds.
“Growing up speaking a language other than English can make young children feel very ‘othered’ and alienated from their peers,” Villa said. “Having teachers who can bring inclusivity into their own classrooms with the languages they speak is very important to show children that being bilingual is valuable, and a great strength.”
* Freedom Caucus…
The IL Freedom Caucus is issuing the following statement on a Secretary of State internal policy requiring individuals taking a driving test to wear a mask.
“We recently became aware of an internal policy that allows driver’s license facilities in Illinois to require drivers to wear masks during the administration of the driving test. Upon learning of this policy, we sent a letter to Secretary Alexi Giannoulias asking him to remove the mask requirement at driver’s license facilities throughout the state.
Illinois is no longer under an emergency declaration. Masking is not required in the vast majority of public spaces throughout the state. Most healthcare facilities have also removed their mask requirements. We urge Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias to affirm the freedom of Illinois residents to make their own healthcare decisions. Masking is voluntary in Illinois and the Secretary of State should recognize that fact by getting rid of this unnecessary mask mandate. Utilizing the services of the Secretary of State’s office should not mean having to give up the basic rights and freedoms we have everywhere else we go in Illinois. We call on Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias to stand up for the rights of our citizens and end the mask mandate at driver’s license facilities in Illinois.”
Illinois is still under a public emergency for a couple more weeks. Secretary of State’s response…
Throughout the pandemic, the Secretary of State’s office has implemented protocols to protect the health and safety of employees and the residents of Illinois. Although we have adjusted these protocols to meet changing circumstances throughout the pandemic, we have measures that follow this goal in place until May 11, which aligns with the state with the federal government’s decision to end the national public health emergency on that date.
* Springfield doesn’t have the only defeated mayor with coping issues…
.@chicagosmayor's press team has stopped responding to our requests for an exit interview, continuing Lightfoot's media freeze-out two months after she lost reelection.
She remains mayor of the nation's 3rd-largest city for another 18 days.
Adding this to the pile of examples I will send to my clients when they ask me if I wouldn't mind using "agree/disagree" as the question scale for message testing… https://t.co/9V46agy9I7
— Kristen Soltis Anderson (@KSoltisAnderson) April 27, 2023
* The Appeal | Life in prison for a killing he didn’t cause or condone: In Illinois alone, around 500 people are currently serving first-degree felony murder sentences for killings they did not commit themselves or intend to commit. Reform efforts must consider past injustices as well as future abuses.
* Evanston Now | Council rejects cannabis lounges: But Ald. Melissa Wynne (3rd), the only member on the council when it imposed the indoor smoking ban in 2006, said, “I’m a hard no” to permitting the lounges.
* Washington Times | Government war on TikTok financed by Facebook: Luckily, the media sniffed out this campaign. The Washington Post reported that Facebook paid a GOP firm to engage in a well-funded political sabotage campaign against TikTok. The powerhouse firm Targeted Victory led “a nationwide campaign seeking to turn the public against TikTok” by “placing op-eds and letters to the editor in major regional news outlets, promoting dubious stories about alleged TikTok trends that actually originated on Facebook, and pushing to draw political reporters and local politicians into helping take down its biggest competitor.”
* Center Square | Bill would make Illinois first state to give the Income Share Agreement industry its own law: A nonprofit policy organization is speaking out against legislation in Springfield that would make Illinois the first state to give the Income Share Agreement industry its own law. ISAs are a type of private student loan where the loan is made in exchange for the student’s agreement to pay the lender a percentage of their future income for up to 20 years.
* Illinois Times | “Pervasive” deficiencies at Illinois State Police: The findings of inadequate inventory control were the most extensive. Sixty missing items were computers and other storage devices that may have contained confidential information, but there is no record of the data they contained. The auditors found a $1.7 million discrepancy between equipment and data processing expenditures entered on two different state government forms. Auditors were unable to reconcile property control documents, with more than $4 million in “unknown activity” in 2022 and more than $5 million in 2021.
* Crain’s | Illinois’ first privately built toll bridge opens today: The $170 million project extended Houbolt Road south of U.S. Route 6 over the Des Plaines River into two intermodal facilities where freight is transferred from railcars to trucks. The first privately built toll road in Illinois is opening just as the freight industry is grappling with a decline in shipping after a huge surge during the COVID-19 pandemic.
* Crain’s | How an unconventional media strategy helped power Brandon Johnson to victory: While opponent Paul Vallas used his deeper campaign coffers to reach voters through television ads and other traditional media, Johnson took his message to smaller, alternative outlets that target demographic niches such as younger voters, minority groups and LGBTQ audiences.
* Crain’s | Big Fulton Market apartment project moves forward with $125 million loan: High Street Residential, a subsidiary of Dallas-based Trammell Crow, recently broke ground on the 377-unit luxury high-rise at 1112 W. Carroll St., one of the few big multifamily developments to get underway in the neighborhood this year. Though developers have been especially active in the neighborhood over the past few years — and construction continues at many projects there — groundbreakings are a lot less common all over the city these days amid high interest rates and a tighter lending environment.
* WSIL | Carbondale named one of the cutest small towns in Illinois: The City of Carbondale was named one of the eight cutest small towns in Illinois, according to World Atlas. The site ranked Carbondale as one of the cutest towns, stating the city as a melting pot of culture and nature, as well as, a great place to enjoy the outdoors.
* Crain’s | New York pharma giant swoops in to take over closing Novartis Libertyville plant : Bristol Myers Squibb said in a statement that it has executed an agreement with Novartis for the plant after Novartis said it would close the plant and lay off 275 people by the end of this year. Bristol Myers Squibb said the transition of the facility will take place over the course of this year but did not disclose any other terms of the deal. The company did not specify how many employees it planned to retain at the plant.
* Rest of World | Twitter is complying with more government demands under Elon Musk: It’s been exactly six months since Elon Musk took over Twitter, promising a new era of free speech and independence from political bias. But Twitter’s self-reported data shows that, under Musk, the company has complied with hundreds more government orders for censorship or surveillance — especially in countries such as Turkey and India.
* NYT | Inflation Is Still High. What’s Driving It Has Changed.: What generated the painful inflation, and what comes next? A look through the data reveals a situation that arose from pandemic disruptions and the government’s response, was worsened by the war in Ukraine and is now cooling as supply problems clear up and the economy slows. But it also illustrates that U.S. inflation today is drastically different from the price increases that first appeared in 2021, driven by stubborn price increases for services like airfare and child care instead of by the cost of goods.
* Rolling Stone | The Online Racists Stealing Military Secrets: While Republicans in Congress have played down the risk of extremists in the military, experts who follow the issue say they’re not surprised to see extremist beliefs and leaks of classified information coincide. In a 2021 hearing on extremism in the armed forces, Republican members of Congress wondered aloud whether the issue had really “proven itself to be a major problem” or whether the issue was merely “political theater” for Democrats to enforce a partisan ideological discipline on the armed services. Republicans in the House and Senate have blasted Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin’s training efforts to root out extremism and voted against legislation to track “white-supremacist and neo-Nazi activity in the uniformed services.”
With COVID-19 Public Health Emergency proclamations set to lapse on May 11, state Rep. Bob Morgan, D-Deerfield, passed a bill Wednesday providing stability to Illinois healthcare professionals and access to healthcare services amid expiring pandemic emergency measures.
“Healthcare workers went above and beyond—both in professionalism and selfless courage—to confront the unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic which has upended our society for the last three years,” Morgan said. “As emergency measures will soon expire, this bill codifies some of the best reforms to our healthcare delivery in hospitals, healthcare facilities and pharmacies, and reinforces our over-stretched healthcare workforce with temporary healthcare professionals. Emergency declarations may be expiring, but COVID-19 isn’t gone and our state’s healthcare shortages would have worsened had we failed to act.”
Morgan’s House Bill 559 provides healthcare workers who have been practicing under temporary, emergency licenses during the pandemic with the opportunity to obtain full licensure, and to continue practicing while that licensure process is ongoing. The law also permits continued pharmacy access to flu and COVID-19 testing and vaccination, and therapeutic treatment for COVID-19.
The bill passed both the House and Senate without opposition, and was signed into law today by Gov. J.B. Pritzker. The new law takes effect immediately. Supporters of the bill included the Illinois Health and Hospital Association, the American Nurses Association, the Illinois Retail Merchants Association, the Illinois Pharmacy Association, the Illinois State Medical Society, the National Association of Social Workers and the Health Care Council of Illinois.
“Not only have many temporary public health measures benefited Illinois’ healthcare delivery system—allowing them to expire would risk severe disruption to our healthcare workforce and healthcare as we know it,” Morgan said. “That’s why we must recognize the heroic labors and sacrifices of these dedicated frontline healthcare workers as they continue to care for the most medically vulnerable residents of our state.”
Meet my Transition Committee and Subcommittee Co-Chairs!
I’ve long said that in order to build a better, stronger, safer Chicago, we need everyone who can help at the table. That’s what’s reflected in these appointments. https://t.co/hxuai10lOxpic.twitter.com/lxnN9V4NPS
* Let’s start with public safety. Brendan Deenihan is a member of the transition committee. Deenihan was CPD’s Chief of Detectives until he left the department earlier this year, apparently for a job with Google…
Insiders have speculated that Deenihan was likely among a shortlist of candidates to replace the top cop.
Deenihan joined the police department in 1997 and earned a reputation as being a meticulous and collaborative leader as he rose in the ranks. He notably led the implementation of technology centers in the city’s police areas that police leaders have framed as vital for cracking cases and reducing crime.
Johnson also appointed three co-chairs to his Public Safety Subcommittee, including Sen. Robert Peters, a top defender of the state’s SAFE-T Act. Other members include Robert Boik, a CPD veteran administrator who served as chief of staff to two superintendents and then took over the CPD’s much-criticized effort to comply with the federal consent decree until last year when he was apparently fired after a disagreement with the superintendent over proper staffing of that effort. And Dr. Kathryn Bocanegra, a UIC assistant professor with more than “15 years of experience in community mental health, community violence prevention, and criminal justice reform work.”
* The transportation subcommittee co-chairs are heavily weighted toward mass transit. Rep. Kam Buckner, a full-throated mass transit supporter who ran for mayor is a co-chair, as is former state Sen. Kirk Dillard, who chairs the RTA. Elevated Chicago director Roberto Requejo, who previously worked for the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago, The Chicago Community Trust, and the Metropolitan Planning Council, is also a co-chair.
* Martin Cabrera, of Cabrera Capital Markets, is on the transition committee, as is Richard S. Price, the Executive Chairman of Mesirow, Charles Smith of CS Insurance Strategies and Margaret Stender, Minority Owner and Founding CEO of The Chicago Sky. The Economic Vitality & Equity Subcommittee Co-Chairs are Michael Fassnacht, the President & CEO of World Business Chicago; Lynnette McRae, the Program Director for Connecting Capital and Community at Chicago Community Trust; and Grow Greater Englewood Executive Director and Woods Fund Chicago chair Anton Seals.
* Jim Connolly of the Chicago Laborers’ District Council and Dian Palmer of SEIU Local 73 are also on the transition committee. The Workers Rights and Labor Subcommittee co-chairs are Shabatayah Andrich of SEIU HCIL, Rev. C.J. Hawking of Arise Chicago and Sophia Zaman of the Raise the Floor Alliance.
* Emma Tai of United Working Families had a huge impact on the campaign and she’s on the transition committee. US Rep. Delia Ramirez is on the committee as is Kennedy Bartley of the People’s Unity Platform, Jitu Brown of the Journey For Justice Alliance and Rev. Dr. Marshall Hatch, Sr. of the New Mount Pilgrim Missionary Baptist Church.
* Education & Youth Subcommittee co-chairs include CTU Vice President Jackson Potter and Jesse Ruiz, who was Gov. Pritzker’s Deputy Governor for Education and has had a host of other positions in education. Jay Travis, the executive director of the Needmor Fund who led the CTU-allied Kenwood-Oakland Community Organization and lost a bitter House primary to Christian Mitchell, is also a co-chair.
* A roundup from Isabel…
* Crain’s | Brandon Johnson names transition committee: Among those named are World Business Chicago President and CEO Michael Fassnacht, Mesirow Executive Chairman Richard Price and Regional Transportation Authority Chairman Kirk Dillard.
* Tribune | Aldermen who supported Paul Vallas look to mend fences with Brandon Johnson yet stay true to themselves: The tough sledding might not just be on Johnson’s side either. A few of the aldermen who backed Vallas represent wards that Johnson won, including receiving more than 78% of the vote in Beale’s 9th Ward and more than 80% of the vote in Moore’s 17th Ward. “Sometimes your children believe that not going to school is best for them,” Moore explained in a metaphor for his constituents. “You have to do what is best for your residents, and that’s what I did in supporting Paul Vallas. Not what was best for David Moore.”
* ABC Chicago | Mayor-elect Brandon Johnson names transition team: Mayor-elect Brandon Johnson outlined his transition team Thursday as he attended his final Cook County Board meeting. A resolution was read in his honor talking about this childhood, and work for Cook County. His fellow commissioners took their time talking about Johnson’s successes and their pride in his work.
* Sun-Times | Search firm hired to find Chicago’s permanent police superintendent: Gary Peterson, president, chief executive officer and founder of Public Sector Search & Consulting, is a former police chief in Martinez, Calif. Trish Peterson, the firm’s co-founder and executive vice president of operations, is a former trial attorney with the San Francisco Bay Area district attorney’s office.
* Crain’s | The window to open a temporary casino in Medinah Temple is shrinking: Bally’s said it wanted the temporary facility up and running in the second quarter, which ends on June 30, while it continues to pursue the permanent $2.2 billion casino in River West. But to do so it needs approval from the board, and once again the item is not on the agenda for the board’s monthly meeting tomorrow.
* Tribune | Influx of migrants living at Chicago police stations as city, charity groups scramble to find them shelter: Across the city, migrants overwhelming the city’s social services have been living at police stations while awaiting placement at shelters, raising health and humanitarian concerns among police and community organizations. People seeking asylum have been placed at more than a dozen police districts around the city, sleeping in the lobbies and waiting — often with children — for days.
* Jeff Tischauser | Prohibiting extremists in CPD ranks is key to rebuilding trust with communities: Today, across the city, around 13 officers who are known associates of hate and extremist groups are patrolling the streets. One of those officers lied about his association with the Proud Boys, an allegation sustained by CPD’s bureau of internal affairs (BIA). In another case, according to the Chicago inspector general’s office, an officer told Police Department investigators about his membership in the Oath Keepers. Both officers remain on the force.
* Chalkbeat | Chicago adopts new policy for evaluating how schools are doing: The new policy, named “Continuous Improvement and Data Transparency,” formally replaces the district’s controversial school ratings system, which had long come under fire for overemphasizing standardized test scores and unfairly labeling high-poverty campuses.
* Hyde Park Herald | Museum of Science and Industry workers demand end to alleged union-busting: “My coworkers and I are forming our union to ensure that our workplace is healthy and safe. We are forming our union to get the fair pay and benefits we need to live comfortably,” said Marcus Banks, a guest engagement representative whose work involves selling tickets and facilitating field trips. “We should have the freedom to do that without management interference.”
* Sun-Times | A tree older than Chicago is about to be cut down: This tree, among the oldest living things in the city, will come down Monday — if all goes according to plan. The bur oak, believed to be 250 to 300 years old, is dying, say staff at Lincoln Park Zoo, where the tree sits cordoned off just west of the Helen Brach Primate House.
* Not mentioned is that the projected surplus is one-time and we could be heading into a recession…
Did you know? Illinois has a budget surplus of over a billion dollars – NOW’S the time to return our community’s fair share so we can #InvestInCommunities.
Industry advocates and unions supporting caregivers for individuals with developmental disabilities are calling on lawmakers to more than double a funding increase proposed by Gov. J.B. Pritzker in February.
The Illinois Association of Rehabilitation Facilities is requesting a $4 hourly increase to the wage rate for direct service professionals in community-based settings that serve individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Direct service professionals, or DSPs, are the individuals who provide daily personal care such as assisting individuals with eating, grooming and dressing. The requested increase is $2.50 beyond an increase proposed by Pritzker earlier this year.
The $4 rate increase is also backed by AFSCME Council 31, the union representing about 4,000 workers at community facilities as well as about 4,000 employees at state-run centers.
When fully implemented after the coming fiscal year, the state’s cost will start at $141.6 million per year.
From the governor’s office…
The Pritzker administration along with the majority in the General Assembly has implemented a series of investments to adequately fund facilities that provide services for developmentally disabled individuals. These investments will be phased in over a five year period, which began in FY22 with $108.9 million. Since then, the State followed up with $179.6 million in FY23 and a proposed investment in FY24 of $161.3 million. If the Governor’s proposed budget passes the General Assembly this spring with these investments intact, that would mean a $449.8 million investment in the Division of Developmental Disabilities. Individuals with mental illness, intellectual, and developmental disabilities deserve to be treated with dignity and ought to receive the highest quality of care. Under Governor Pritzker, IDHS is standardizing and improving conditions across the care system – while prioritizing community-based solutions to ensure protection for the most vulnerable Illinoisans.
Also…
The proposed fiscal year 2024 budget for DHS provides over $2 billion for services for people with developmental disabilities (DD) in support of the Ligas consent decree. The fiscal year 2024 budget proposes a nearly $200 million increase to support these services, including:
• $63.1 million to implement an accelerated timeline of changes following the Guidehouse rate recommendations beginning January 1, 2024, including a $1.50 per hour increase for Direct Service Providers (DSP) and regionalization of rates for Day Services.
• $56.7 million to annualize the cost of fiscal year 2023 Guidehouse rate increases.
• $26 million is included for continued compliance with the Ligas consent decree including $12 million to annualize fiscal year 2023 placements and $14 million for 700 new placements.
• $19.3 million to increase staffing by 330 positions at state DD facilities.
• $27.6 million to adjust for the SSI increase of 8.9 percent for people served through the Home
• and Community Based Waiver.
Thursday, Apr 27, 2023 - Posted by Advertising Department
[The following is a paid advertisement.]
Medicaid covers about 40% of births in Illinois. Low reimbursement from the state’s largest insurer has contributed to difficult decisions by some hospitals to discontinue obstetric (OB) services. While hospitals have come up with creative solutions to continue providing care, the closures mean patients must travel farther for some prenatal services and delivery.
Hospitals across Illinois are confronting tough choices as increasing labor, drug and supply costs put pressures on their ability to care for their communities. With 3.6 million Illinoisans covered by Medicaid, hospitals are further strained by the shortfall between the cost to provide care and Medicaid reimbursement—at about 80% of a hospital’s costs.
Senate Bill 1763 can help hospitals serve their communities while helping patients reach optimal health. SB 1763 would, among other provisions:
• Increase by 20% hospital Medicaid base rates across-the-board.
• Double the current Safety Net Hospital add-on payment to provide added consideration for the hospitals serving vulnerable communities.
• Institute an annual inflation update to prevent future Medicaid underfunding and assure equitable access to hospital services.
Illinois Medicaid is one of the most underfunded in the U.S., ranking 48th in spending. Pass SB 1763 for the first GRF Medicaid hospital rate increase in 28 years. Discover the facts to learn more.
Illinois state representatives will soon vote on a plan to provide new materials for K-12 schools to teach about overdose and substance use prevention.
Sponsors hope the bill could improve drug education standards to help students understand current and projected substance use and overdose trends. It also calls for education of the history of drugs and health policy in Illinois and the United States, the impact of zero tolerance, and restorative justice practices. […]
Democrats filed the proposal in memory of Louie Miceli who died from an overdose in 2012. Felicia Miceli, Louie’s mother, said Wednesday that young people are becoming addicted to drugs because they haven’t properly learned about healthy coping mechanisms, the truth about drugs, or the potential risks. Miceli now works as a grief counselor helping families going through the same traumatic experience she did. […]
This plan passed unanimously out of the committee and now heads to the House floor for a full vote. If approved, Senate Bill 2233 will move to Gov. JB Pritzker’s desk for his signature of approval.
* Chicago Sky…
Support House Bill 4042, which amends the Sports Wagering Act by lowering the initial license fee for a master sports watering license for a sports facility with a maximum seating capacity of 12,000 for less. Currently, the fee for this license is $10,000,000. HB 4042 would lower the fee to $3,500,000.
BENEFITS OF PROVIDING PROFESSIONAL WOMEN’S SPORTS TEAMS WITH THE OPPORTUNITY TO RECEIVE A SPORTS WAGERING LICENSE
REVENUE:
• Generates additional revenue for the state by providing the opportunity
for another sports book license. Under current terms, marketplace does not support license at higher price
EQUITY:
• Allow women’s professional sports teams to compete in sports betting
space with men’s professional sports teams;
• Promotes racial equality by permitting the only Chicago professional
sports team with substantial ownership by people of color and women
to have a sport’s wagering license;
• Promotes economic equity by providing teams that are not worth
billions of dollars with the opportunity to participate in the sports
wagering industry;
• Aligns with the State’s equity goals
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT:
• Furthers economic development on the south side of Chicago where the
sports facility is located
THIS BILL DOES NOT SEEK SPECIAL TREATMENT
• To the contrary, reducing the fee as requested lowers barriers to entry
and levels the competitive playing field to small business with uniquely
diverse ownership;
• The $3,500,000 fee, if applied to the Chicago Sky, would be the highest
fee as a percent of gross revenue for any master sports wagering licensee in the state of Illinois including other major professional sports teams, casinos and racinos;
• The price paid for current sports wagering licenses have averaged approximately $5,400,000.00
Republican lawmakers formed a public safety working group to address the crime problem in Illinois.
The House GOP Public Safety Group began meeting in January. The group says the its bills fall into three categories, including protecting victims of crime, the real pretrial fairness act, and recruitment and retention of law enforcement officers.
Some of the over 20 measures would change parts of the controversial SAFE-T Act, including reinstating cash bail statewide. […]
House Bill 3209 would prevent victims from being forced to testify at pretrial detention hearings.
House Bill 3352 expands the offenses for which an arrested person must provide a DNA sample to include all forceful felonies and aggravated domestic battery.
If passed, House Bill 3425 would require the Illinois State Board of Education, ISBE, to create a bullying policy template for schools to follow, and it would include requiring schools to notify parents within 24 hours if their child is involved in bullying.
State Sen. Sara Feigenholtz (D-Chicago), the bill’s sponsor, says the legislation comes after a young man in her district committed suicide after being bullied, something his parents didn’t know about.
“In this particular instance with my constituent, it was not reported and it was not reported in a timely fashion. There should be a sense of urgency and a handoff of notification immediately,” said Feigenholtz. […]
The house bill was unanimously passed by the Senate Education Committee on Tuesday, it will now move to the full Senate for a vote.
* SB2243 passed out of the committee and now moves to the House floor. WAND…
Nearly 40% of fourth graders in Illinois read below a basic level. Now, lawmakers want the Illinois State Board of Education to create a comprehensive literacy plan.
Senate Bill 2243 would require ISBE to work with education stakeholders to develop and adopt a plan by January 31, 2024. […]
“I think that we really need to get back to the basics which is reading, writing, and arithmetic,” said Rep. Rita Mayfield (D-Waukegan). “So, I think the core of a school day should be focused on those three areas.”
Yet, some House Republicans said they were concerned the plan could require students to read 90 minutes each day and possibly shorten time for other subjects.
House Bill 2789 is being pushed by Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias, whose office oversees the Illinois State Library and administers grants for public and school libraries. It’s a measure whose time has come.
Most of the opposition to the bill came from Republican lawmakers who said it takes control away from local library and school boards.
But my prediction is that in coming years if this bill becomes law, folks on the left as well as the right will be frustrated because they won’t be able to remove books they don’t agree with from library shelves.
It is commendable that parents are monitoring what their children are reading. But it’s deplorable that some adults believe they can use government to keep other people’s children from reading something with which they disagree.
Lawmakers say under current law, substitute teachers may only fill vacancies in an emergency situation for up to 30 days.
“So this bill allows a substitute teacher who has filled a vacancy left by a licensed teacher in an emergency situation for 90 days or until the end of the semester, whichever is greater if the school district files a written request with the appropriate regional office of education,” Sen. Meg Loughran Cappel, (D) Plainfield, said.
The school district would need to file a written request with the appropriate regional office of education.
The bill passed in the Senate Education Committee on Tuesday. The bill now heads to the Senate floor.
Laura Kane created Marshmallow’s Hope, a nonprofit organization that aides in mental health and suicide prevention after the death of her son, Zachary.
Kane says her son took his own life and less than a week later, she was fired from her job for missing days and underperforming during her time of grief.
A bill introduced on Wednesday in Zachary’s honor would grant parents six to twelve weeks of bereavement leave for the death of a child.
“The bill will give families the job protection they deserve during this type of crisis. I truly hope no one has to use this benefit, but in the event they find themselves in these circumstances, the bill will provide them protection during their darkest hours,” said Kane.
Senate Bill 2034 applies to youth suicide and homicide deaths. Lawmakers hope it will pass swiftly during this legislative session.
IARF and AFSCME are advocating for full implementation of a Guidehouse recommendation that wage rates for DSPs be funded at 150 percent of the minimum wage. That would accelerate a six-year window outlined by IDHS to comply with the Guidehouse recommended rates.
The $21 rate would be 150 percent of the $14 minimum wage upon its effective date. The increase would take effect halfway through the upcoming fiscal year to give the state time to approve the proposal with the federal government.
AFSCME and IARF, however, are backing two different proposals. AFSCME is supporting two measures – Senate Bill 1600 and House Bill 3398 – that require all $4 of the increase be directly passed through to workers.
“You must ensure that providers are required to pass through the funds for our wages rather than spend that money in other ways,” Christine Rivera, an AFSCME member and DSP at Ray Graham Association told a House committee Tuesday.
Evans said the bills IARF is backing – House Bill 3569 and Senate Bill 2026 – would require that $2 be directly passed through to DSP wages, while the other $2 could be used more “flexibly,” such as for recruitment and retention efforts. It’s an agreement that Evans said was reached between providers, the state and labor in a previous fiscal year.
* We’ve talked about this bill at least a few times…
Illinois is one step closer to fining crisis pregnancy centers that use deceptive practices to prevent pregnant people from having abortions. […]
Senate Bill 1909 would prohibit the centers from interfering with access to abortion and emergency contraception.
The Illinois Attorney General’s office is also supporting the legislation in order to ban crisis pregnancy centers from deception in advertising, soliciting, and offering pregnancy-related services. […]
The conservative Thomas More Society is already preparing to file a lawsuit if the plan becomes law. Former Rep. Peter Breen is the Executive Vice President and head of litigation for the organization.
Deceptive practices related to limited services pregnancy centers. […]
A limited services pregnancy center shall not engage in unfair methods of competition or unfair or deceptive acts or practices, including the use or employment of any deception, fraud, false pretense, false promise, or misrepresentation, or the concealment, suppression, or omission of any material fact, with the intent that others rely upon the concealment, suppression, or omission of such material fact:
(1) to interfere with or prevent an individual from seeking to gain entry or access to a provider of abortion or emergency contraception;
(2) to induce an individual to enter or access the limited services pregnancy center;
(3) in advertising, soliciting, or otherwise offering pregnancy-related services; or
(4) in conducting, providing, or performing pregnancy-related services.
The laws and public policy of this State have established the fundamental rights of individuals to make autonomous decisions about their own reproductive health, including the fundamental right to use or refuse reproductive health care. It is also the public policy of the State to ensure that patients receive timely access to information and medically appropriate care and that consumers are protected from deceptive and unfair practices. Despite these laws, vulnerable State residents and nonresidents seeking health care in this State have repeatedly been misled by organizations and their agents purporting to provide comprehensive reproductive health care services, but which, in reality, aim to dissuade pregnant persons from considering abortion care through deceptive, fraudulent, and misleading information and practices, without any regard for a pregnant person’s concerns or circumstances. These organizations pay for advertising, including online and on billboards and public transportation, that is intended to attract consumers to their organizations and away from medical providers that offer comprehensive reproductive care. The advertisements and information given by these organizations provide grossly inaccurate or misleading information overstating the risks associated with abortion, including conveying untrue claims that abortion causes cancer or infertility and concealing data that shows the risk of death associated with childbirth is approximately 14 times higher than the risk of death associated with an abortion. This misinformation is intended to cause undue delays and disruption to protected, time-sensitive, reproductive health care services, and the State has an interest in preventing health risks and associated costs caused and compounded by unnecessary delays in obtaining life-changing or life-saving reproductive care.
* I told subscribers about this earlier today. Washington Post…
The top Republican campaigns in Illinois used a private online portal last year to request stories and shape coverage in a network of media outlets that present themselves as local newspapers, according to documents and people familiar with the setup.
Screenshots show that the password-protected portal, called Lumen, allowed users to pitch stories; provide interview subjects as well as questions; place announcements and submit op-eds to be “published verbatim” in any of about 30 sites that form part of the Illinois-focused media network, called Local Government Information Services. […]
The online portal offers the potential for a new level of collaboration between political operators and certain media outlets — one in which candidates can easily seek to customize news stories without the public’s knowledge. The use of the tactic in Illinois has caught the attention of allies of former president Donald Trump, who have discussed the potential of expanding the operation, according to people familiar with the discussions.
The network is run by Brian Timpone, a businessman and former television broadcaster who told federal regulators in 2016 that his publishing company was filling the void left by the decline of community news, “delivering hundreds and sometimes thousands of local news stories each week.” He did not respond to requests for comment. […]
Timpone has denied that the sites serve partisan interests. In 2016, he submitted a sworn declaration to the Federal Election Commission responding to a complaint that his network’s coverage represented an in-kind contribution to a Republican candidate. […]
In one example, the campaign of Darren Bailey, the Republican running to unseat Illinois’ governor, Democrat J.B. Pritzker, used the portal to pitch a story days before last November’s election about an endorsement from Tulsi Gabbard, the former Democrat and onetime congresswoman from Hawaii, according to documents reviewed by The Post. A story soon appeared in the Dupage Policy Journal, whose website describes itself as a product of Local Government Information Services.
The Dupage Policy Journal quoted Gabbard’s effusive comments about Bailey, ticked off Bailey’s other endorsements and reported that the GOP candidate was “honored” by the vote of confidence. Other Chicago-area outlets reporting on the Gabbard endorsement, by contrast, offered additional context. They noted that Gabbard had previously called Donald Trump, who was also backing Bailey’s run, “unfit to serve” and quoted Pritzker criticizing Gabbard as a “conspiracy theorist.” Bailey, who failed to unseat Pritzker, did not respond to a request for comment. […]
Proft has described himself as a “part owner” of the network, though his name does not currently appear on Illinois registration records. He did not respond to requests for comment.
How convenient. Stay tuned.
*** UPDATE *** DPI…
Today, the Washington Post released a bombshell story detailing the level of access and cooperation between Illinois Republicans’ campaigns and far-right propaganda network, Local Government Information Services (LGIS).
Democratic Party of Illinois (DPI) Chair Lisa Hernandez issued the following response:
“I am appalled by the revelations in today’s Washington Post story on Dan Proft and Brian Timpone’s concerted efforts to mislead voters. This goes far beyond news with a partisan tilt; this was a deliberate distribution of disinformation that came straight from Republican candidates and their campaigns. It is imperative that all of our public officials condemn these actions in the strongest possible terms to avoid setting an unacceptable precedent that permanently shatters the line between news and propaganda, especially as Timpone attempts to expand his deceitful operation in 2024. The dangerous attempts to deceive voters pose a threat to our very democracy; degrading trust in our elections, media, and elected officials. Illinois voters deserve better, and Darren Bailey and all of the Illinois Republicans who engaged with LGIS owe them an apology,” said DPI Chair Lisa Hernandez.
Throughout the 2022 election cycle, Illinois voters were inundated with right-wing, pink-slime papers disguised to look like local news. DPI sent mailers to voters informing them of the deception, and ultimately Illinoisans rejected the hateful rhetoric and dangerous lies that Proft and his allies spread.
During one of those discussions, House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch, D-Hillside, drew applause when he responded with an emphatic “no” when asked if he plans to try again for passage of a constitutional amendment to allow for a graduated state income tax.
“You know, one of the things I’ve learned is you learn a lot in losses. And, you know, we got our butts kicked on that issue,” he said. “We have to find a different way to govern, and we’ve been doing that. And that different way of governing has led to eight credit upgrades and several balanced budgets and surpluses, where we have a rainy-day fund and Illinois is on the right track.”
It was never gonna happen, despite all the hype out there earlier in the spring.
Last week, local government leaders lobbied state legislators to gradually restore their share of the state’s income tax receipts to 10%. It is currently a bit over 6%.
Welch indicated such a jump is not likely due to other budgetary pressures, such as the state’s evidence-based funding formula for schools.
“Is there room to improve? I think so. Is it 10%? No,” Welch said.
Illinois House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch on Wednesday vowed there wouldn’t be another attempt to ask voters to approve a graduated-rate income tax, but did not rule out putting a proposed constitutional amendment codifying a women’s right to abortion on the 2024 presidential election year ballot to drive Democratic turnout.
House Republican Leader Tony McCombie, meanwhile, acknowledged that while her caucus does not have a single lawmaker who supports abortion, she would be open to supporting a suburban GOP candidate who supports the procedure. Republicans were once the dominant party in the suburbs but their hard-line positions on social issues, including opposition to abortion, has eroded the party’s support. […]
In rattling off abortion rights legislation the Democratic-led legislature has passed in the last few years, including the 2019 Reproductive Health Act, Welch hinted that an abortion rights amendment could provide an extra jolt of motivation for the state’s Democratic voters in November 2024.
“We have done a really good job in Illinois at being the place that folks across the country know is a place where we value women, we trust women,” he said. “The issue is one that is pretty clear here, especially here in Illinois. If it is on the ballot, it could potentially help Democratic turnout.”
* Tribune | Illinois House Speaker Emanuel ‘Chris’ Welch doesn’t rule out putting abortion rights on 2024 ballot: Illinois House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch on Wednesday vowed there wouldn’t be another attempt to ask voters to approve a graduated-rate income tax, but did not rule out putting a proposed constitutional amendment codifying a women’s right to abortion on the 2024 presidential election year ballot to drive Democratic turnout.
* Chicago Mag | Rowe v. Raoul: In a case combining lawsuits across 64 counties, Kankakee County state’s attorney Jim Rowe contends that ending cash bail violates the Illinois Constitution. Late last year, Thomas Cunningham, a conservative Kankakee County judge, agreed. Attorney General Kwame Raoul appealed Cunningham’s ruling to the Illinois Supreme Court, which heard oral arguments in mid-March. A decision is expected this summer.
* 19th News | Women are almost half of lieutenant governors. Could it pave the way to higher office?: Among the research findings: Most voters believe that women lieutenant governors are qualified to serve as governor, and the office can prepare these women for the role. “They’re kind of the sleeper category in terms of gaining parity for women, because I don’t think people are really thinking about it too much,” said Amanda Hunter, executive director of the foundation, which does nonpartisan research on women in politics.
* Tri States Public Radio | Illinois House Republican Leader hoping for balanced state budget: “The speaker says it will be balanced. But does balanced mean we will borrow funds from other agencies and other funds? Yes. Does it mean that we will move funds from one fund to another? Yes. I don’t hope for that, but it’s been that way ever since I’ve been there.” She said such maneuvering lacks transparency.
* Daily Herald | Ex-Kane County court clerk accused of stealing from office: Former Kane County Circuit Clerk Thomas Hartwell has been charged with official misconduct, accused of spending nearly $120,000 in county funds on a campaign event and taking kickbacks from a St. Charles business owner.
* WBEZ | CTA is launching an anti-grime campaign. Customers say it’s overdue.: The CTA earlier this month announced a new “Goodbye, Grime” campaign — complete with digital ads — to highlight $6.5 million in repairs and improvements planned for rail stations. Cleaner transit stations and fleets are part of a bigger effort to boost sagging ridership and public confidence in the agency that has taken a hit this year. In a November WBEZ survey of regular CTA commuters, complaints about cleanliness and sanitation ranked third among rider concerns, after reliability (1) and safety (2).
* Tribune | Aldermen who supported Vallas look to mend fences with Johnson yet stay true to themselves: Weeks later, Beale and his colleagues who backed Vallas find themselves in the unenviable position of having supported the loser in the mayor’s race and forced to build a new relationship with Johnson, who some aldermen had described as too progressive, too inexperienced or too lenient of crime.
* WBEZ | Chicago drops public school ratings in favor of a less punitive system for assessing schools: Rather than being punitive, CPS board members say CPS’ new accountability policy focuses on improving teaching and learning, as well as creating an optimal educational experience. “This is a soft accountability policy that can be model for the nation,” John Easton told the board. Easton served as an advisor on this policy and formerly served as the director of the Institute of Education Sciences in the U.S. Department of Education. Easton started his career in Chicago Public Schools.
* CBS Chicago | Longtime resident’s new book offers glimpse at booming West Loop’s history: Fairbanks proudly calls the West Loop home. She wrote a book about it called “Chicago’s West Loop, Then and Now: People, Businesses, Buildings.” “I wrote this book because I’ve lived in the neighborhood for 25 years,” she said. “So I’ve seen the wave of changes, and I knew there was history here.”
* Daily Herald | 2023 Best Places to Work in Illinois to be honored May 11: The Daily Herald Suburban Business has announced the names of 57 companies in three categories of competition that are being honored as the 2023 Best Places to Work in Illinois. This statewide survey and awards program was designed to identify, recognize and honor the best places of employment in Illinois, benefiting the state’s economy, its workforce and businesses.
* WTVO | Illinois senator gets stuck in falling elevator: A scary moment for Illinois State Senator Chapin Rose, as an elevator he was in at the Capitol suddenly started to fall. Rose was on his way to a meeting, hopping in an elevator on the fourth floor. It started to drop as soon as the doors closed.
