The Illinois Senate and House Democratic caucuses today released a draft Chicago Elected School Board District map for the public to review ahead of hearings to gather feedback and consider potential changes.
Click here or here if you’re interested in seeing the maps.
Mayor-elect Brandon Johnson released the following statement on the new arrival of asylum-seekers in Chicago:
“The truth of the matter is that we have governors around the border who have demonstrated they are not open to collaborating, and that of course is a disappointment. I’m prepared to have conversations with everyone — particularly those who have used this as a weapon against cities — because asylum seekers are experiencing extremely difficult conditions, both emotionally and physically.
“What we will do day one is make sure there is a real effort to coordinate our resources at the federal, state, county and city levels. We are already in the process of developing the infrastructure for that type of coordination, but also for engaging in a real community process that allows for our response to not just meet the need, but include all stakeholders in solving what is ultimately a crisis that was engineered by outside forces.
“I’m going to work collaboratively with the people of Chicago and alderpersons who represent areas where we can be supportive for asylum seekers to make sure every community, and every person in it, is protected. Many communities have for too long been denied basic amenities and resources that could help strengthen them, but the stronger our communities are, the better position we are in to support both newcomers, and current residents and families.”
I would like to share with you a quote by Abby Wambach, because this is our vision for the next four years. “I never scored a goal in my life without getting a pass from someone else.” The Mayor cannot score a goal, without getting a pass or many passes from the other members of the team that are the other twelve elected officials. We are team Springfield, we are going to make many goals, together. Our Team that the citizens have elected are going to take our passions and turn them into actions for a better Springfield.
A bill that would make it easier to move tens of thousands of effectively abandoned residential lots back onto the tax rolls and into productive use has picked up some late-session momentum in Springfield, clearing a House committee this morning.
Under the proposal pushed by Cook County Treasurer Maria Pappas and The Chicago Community Trust, an estimated 50,000 tax-delinquent properties that have not been claimed by anyone, most of them residential lots on the South and West sides, could pass into county control in three years or shortly thereafter, rather than going four, five, six years or longer as a neighborhood blight.
The county still would have to put the delinquent property up for sale once in its annual scavenger sale and give the owner an opportunity to pay off the tax debt. But after one attempt at a sale, the county could acquire the properties, arranging for resale or passing them on to the Cook County Land Bank Authority or Chicago and other municipalities that seek redevelopment of largely empty areas.
The bill would apply statewide, says sponsoring state Rep. Kam Buckner, D-Chicago, who was able to get the bill through the House Revenue Committee by an 11-6 vote. But the major impact would be in Cook County, which has had a persistent problem with abandoned properties in certain neighborhoods for decades. “We need to do something different,” Buckner said.
* Comptroller Mendoza…
Democratic and Republican state senators unanimously approved Comptroller Susana A. Mendoza’s Act-of-Duty bill to cover Chicago first responders severely stricken by COVID-19 in the days before vaccines were available.
The bill, which was unanimously approved by the state House of Representatives last month, now goes to Gov. Pritzker for his signature.
“My brother and all his fellow officers targeted by the city’s unfair policy are so grateful for today’s vote by the state Senate. We can’t say ‘Thank You!’ enough to Senators Cunningham, Senator Fowler, Representative Hoffman, Speaker Welch and all the legislators who fought for this,” Comptroller Mendoza said.
Comptroller Mendoza’s brother, Chicago Police Det. Sgt. Joaquin Mendoza, was the first COVID disability case to go before the city’s police disability board, which adopted a policy of not giving disability pensions to officers disabled by COVID.
“I watched in disbelief as the board’s majority inexplicably ruled against their own doctor’s findings and gave my brother only an Ordinary Disability benefit instead of a Duty Disability benefit, which means he’d only get 50% of his salary for five years and no health care insurance,” Comptroller Mendoza said.
* Sen. Preston…
State Senator Willie Preston passed a measure to remove all references to the death penalty in criminal statutes.
“The language we use influences attitudes and behavior,” said Preston (D-Chicago). “It’s important that we clean up the language used in our laws to avoid creating unconscious biases.”
HB 3762 makes improvements to the language used in certain criminal laws by removing the use of all references to the death penalty. Capital punishment has been abolished in the Illinois since 2011. Removing references that refer to death sentencing and the type of drugs that can be administered to cause death constitutes a vital component of the Illinois culture to avoid unintentional predispositions when determining sentencing for defendants.
“How we choose to write and speak on laws plays a big role in how others see the law,” said Preston. “We may perceive something to be harmless, when in reality we are unknowingly influencing the world around us. These improvements help mitigate that.”
Turnout in last year’s midterm elections fell from a century-high point of 50 percent in 2018 to 46.6 percent in 2022, and census data released Tuesday suggest the drop was concentrated among Black voters, younger voters and college graduates.
Black voter turnout dropped by nearly 10 percentage points, from 51.7 percent in 2018 to 42 percent in 2022, according to a Washington Post analysis of the Census Bureau’s turnout survey. White voter turnout slipped by only 1.5 points to 53.4 percent. The 11-point turnout gap between White and Black voters is the largest in any presidential or midterm election since at least 2000.
* Isabel’s afternoon roundup…
* Commerical-News | Marron calls for Project Success funding : State Rep. Mike Marron has called on the Illinois State Board of Education and Gov. JB Pritzker’s office to fix a funding error that resulted in cuts made to Project Success of Vermilion County. Funding for one-third of the nonprofit organization’s after school enrichment programs has disappeared, prompting them to make the decision to cease programming at six sites in Westville, Georgetown and Oakwood come August.
* Daily Herald | Naperville gun shop owner gives city until Monday to start negotiating end to gun sale ban: Naperville officials have declined to comment on the offer, but — with the state law in place — Bevis and his lawyers believe the Naperville law is redundant and unnecessary. “Now (Naperville) can get out of the ordinance even easier,” Bevis said after Thursday’s court ruling was announced. “This might entice them to act quicker.”
* Tribune | Brandon Johnson ran a pro-worker, tax-the-‘ultra-rich’ campaign. Can he and business leaders find common ground?: Johnson during his campaign proposed hiking a tax on hotels, reinstituting a city head tax, tripling the tax on high-end real estate transactions, taxing jet fuel and levying tolls on securities trading. Business leaders also expressed concern about Johnson’s positions on policing following two rounds of civil unrest that ended in wide-ranging theft and property destruction that also diminished the city’s downtown and other commercial corridors.
* Illinois Answers Project | Explained: Chicago’s Migrant Crisis: Last week the city was caught flat-footed when migrants began arriving at O’Hare International Airport. Those arriving were Venezuelan migrants and given a one-way ticket from Texas. About 40 people, mostly young women and children slept outside a homelessness center inside the airport, Block Club Chicago reported.
* Daily Herald | What’s behind the ‘epidemic’ of drivers recklessly fleeing from police?: Instances of drivers recklessly fleeing from police have reached “epidemic” levels, DuPage County State’s Attorney Robert Berlin says. And the stats back him up. Last year, his office prosecuted 82 cases of aggravated fleeing and eluding, up from 54 in 2021 and 51 in 2020. With 14 cases in April alone this year, the office is on pace to far exceed last year’s total.
* Sun-Times | Gun assault rates for kids doubled in Chicago, 3 other big cities during COVID pandemic, even worse for Black children, study finds: The analysis led by Boston University’s Jonathan Jay, who studies urban health, included a review of gun assaults between mid-March 2020 and December 2021 in Chicago, Philadelphia, Los Angeles and New York. It found that Black children were 100 times as likely as white children to be victims of fatal and nonfatal shootings. Pre-pandemic, they were 27 times as likely. The researchers excluded accidental shootings and incidents of self-harm.
* WCIA | Former Sangamon. Co police chief accused of possessing child pornography: An arrest warrant and charging documents made available by the State’s Attorney’s Office show that James Hillyer is charged with eight counts of possessing child pornography, five counts of official misconduct, and one count of grooming. State’s Attorney Dan Wright said Hillyer turned himself in on Thursday following the warrant being issued; he remains in custody at the Sangamon County Jail on a $150,000 bond.
* CBS Chicago | Former U.S. Sen. Mark Kirk speaks publicly for first time in more than five years: Kirk served only one term – he lost a bid for reelection in 2016 to Democrat Tammy Duckworth. And in January 2012 – just over a year into that one term – Kirk suffered a stroke. […] “I had somewhat of a speech impediment after the stroke. The toughest thing to do is to keep the attention of a senator - they have strong ADD,” Kirk said. “The thing I most insisted on, that I could speak fast enough to keep their attention.”
* Crain’s | CTA is getting $200 million from the feds for new train cars: “This is a big win for the city of Chicago,” said U.S. Rep. Michael Quigley, the ranking Democrat on the transportation, housing and urban development subcommittee of the House Appropriations Committee. “This is part of why I wanted to be on this committee, to make a difference.”
* Media Matters | Right-wing conspiracy theories drive GOP-led states to pull out of important interstate voter data-sharing effort: In January 2022, The Gateway Pundit launched a series of articles accusing the Electronic Registration Information Center of being a George Soros-funded “left wing voter registration drive disguised as voter roll clean up.” Other right-wing outlets followed suit, creating new narratives to frame a once-mundane data-sharing effort as a bad actor. Since this misinformation campaign began, six states have pulled out of ERIC, with Republican elected officials echoing theories promulgated by right-wing media. Former President Donald Trump also chimed in, posting on Truth Social that GOP-led states should “immediately pull out of ERIC, the terrible Voter Registration System that ‘pumps the rolls’ for Democrats and does nothing to clean them up.”
CSL Behring is in the early phases of a 1.8 million-square-foot expansion which will easily require an investment far north of $1 billion.
Although employment projections have not been publicized yet, there is speculation it could come close to doubling the existing 1,600-member workforce.
The Australian-based pharmaceutical company has not asked for a penny of financial assistance or tax breaks from any governmental body.
It has made one seemingly simple request. This request was made 16 months ago, and as of this week, it still has not been satisfied.
CSL wants a traffic light put at its pending new entrance at the intersection at the Lowe’s Hardware store. The company has told the Illinois Department of Transportation it will pay for the stoplight.
Incredibly, a state thirsting for manufacturing development has yet to OK what seems to be a simple request. […]
Abell said CSL is making the largest investment anywhere in the state and perhaps beyond and yet, their request cannot be resolved.
“We can’t get a three-way light to become a four-way light.” […]
Kankakee County Board Chairman Andy Wheeler said he’s been calling IDOT in Springfield, local state political leaders and anyone else he can think of to get the situation rectified.
I kinda lost my cool when I read that story. I’m from that part of the world. They’ve had hard times since the 1980s, when most of the good jobs left. It just about broke me to see how poorly that invaluable company was being treated.
Today, State Representative Lindsay Parkhurst (R – Kankakee) is excited to announce major road and bridge projects for the 79th District stemming from the Rebuild Illinois Capital Plan. […]
The $8.5 million project to improve the efficiency at the intersection of Route 50 and Armour Road has been included in the Capital Plan. … The project includes adding turn lanes, removing the 4-way stop sign at CSL Behring and replacing it with a stoplight, and coordinating stoplights on Armour Road and Route 50 to increase the efficiency of the flow of traffic. The first part of this project is slated for 2020.
I posted the complete press release on the blog at the time and the resulting reader comments actually generated a news story in Kankakee. Heh.
* Anyway, 65 months after CSL Behring first requested a four-way traffic light, 49 months after I first wrote about it and 45 months since the groundbreaking, IDOT is starting an ambitious project. Press release…
Gov. JB Pritzker and the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) were joined today by local officials and community leaders to announce the start of improvements to the intersection of Illinois 50 and Armour Road, a project that will reduce congestion and enhance safety while promoting economic development and job growth. Made possible by Gov. Pritzker’s historic, bipartisan Rebuild Illinois capital program, the $13.8 million project is the final step to improving traffic flow in a busy area surrounded by retail, lodging, and CSL Behring, Kankakee County’s largest employer.
“Revitalizing communities, redesigning transit systems — these are the kinds of changes that I’m proud to support — here and all across the state. And it’s the kind of change that sits at the heart and soul of what Rebuild Illinois is all about,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “This project has a ripple effect that spreads throughout the county, meeting community needs on many levels. It makes Bradley-Bourbonnais a more welcoming place for Kankakee’s largest manufacturing employer, while also creating new construction jobs and investing money back into local business.”
The project consists of widening and resurfacing the intersection of Illinois 50 and Armour Road with additional dedicated turn lanes. Improvements also include new storm sewers, an updated biking and walking path, sidewalks, new curbs and gutters, improved lighting, modernized traffic signals, and landscaping. The project will improve access from Armour Road to Pharmaceutical Drive/Arthur Burch Drive, an access point for the CSL Behring factory on the intersection’s southwest corner.
The project will eliminate the need for a four-way stop at one of the entrances to CSL Behring’s Bradley facility, which employs more than 1,600 people and recently underwent a $1 billion expansion. The work also removes a bottleneck for the approximately 16,900 motorists who use Armour Road and the 24,000 drivers on Illinois 50 each day. […]
Gov. Pritzker visited the CSL Behring plant in 2019 five months after being elected, pledging his support to help expedite plans to build a new plant main entrance on Illinois 50 and advance improvements to the intersection with Armour Road that are starting this spring. With the plant’s main entrance open and intersection work progressing, chronic backups in the area have diminished, improving traffic flow and safety surrounding a major state employer and tech jobs creator.
* The locals appear to be happy…
On Friday, House Assistant Minority Leader Jackie Haas (R-Kankakee) joined Governor JB Pritzker and other community leaders to launch the reconstruction of the Illinois 50 and Armour Road intersection. This project, funded through the Rebuild Illinois program, will widen and resurface this important intersection in the village of Bradley.
“This is a terrific day to launch such an important infrastructure project for the 79th District and Kankakee River Valley region,” said Leader Haas. “By making this critical intersection easier and safer to navigate, we will help connect constituents and visitors alike to economic engines of our communities in Kankakee County. I urge all traveling in the area during this construction period to be mindful of road workers and their safety, as well as the safety of other drivers.”
In Missouri, the statewide Chamber of Commerce identified the “Top Job Killing Legislation” filed in 2023. Every single bill was a Republican bill. Every. Single. One.
The GOP is not the party of economic growth, and they haven’t been for a long time.
In March, a Texas man, Marcus Silva, sued three women for $1 million each after they helped his ex-wife obtain an abortion last summer using pills. The suit alleged that the termination of the pregnancy qualified as wrongful death under state law, and he presented text messages between his ex-wife and the women as evidence.
In the post-Roe era, the suit horrified abortion-rights advocates and galvanized opponents. Both sides view it as a test case aimed at discouraging anyone from helping women access abortion in states where the procedure is now banned or severely restricted.
This week, two of the women, Jackie Noyola and Amy Carpenter, filed their response in court: They are countersuing Mr. Silva for invasion of privacy in addition to offering a number of defenses to his claims. Ms. Noyola and Ms. Carpenter, who are close friends of Brittni Silva, Mr. Silva’s ex-wife, said he searched her phone without her consent and read their private messages. […]
The suit asserts that under that state law, the rights of a fetus are equivalent to those of an adult. If Mr. Mitchell’s argument succeeds, it would be a legal victory for the concept of fetal personhood — a goal of many abortion opponents.
The Florida legislature passed a bill Thursday that will let the state take transgender minors away from their families if they are receiving gender-affirming care.
The bill passed the Senate by a vote of 26–13, mainly along party lines, and the House shortly after by a vote of 83–28, again along party lines. The measure now goes to the desk of Governor Ron DeSantis, who has previously expressed support for it and will likely sign it into law.
If he signs it into law, the measure will allow the state to take custody of a child if they have been “subjected to or [are] threatened with being subjected to” gender-affirming care, which includes puberty blockers and hormone replacement therapy. Florida courts could modify custody agreements from a different state if the minor is likely to receive gender-affirming care in that second state. The text refers to gender-affirming care as “sex-reassignment prescriptions or procedures” and qualifies this care as a form of “physical harm.”
Medical facilities would have to give the state Department of Health a signed attestation that they neither provide gender-affirming care to any patients under the age of 18 nor refer people to providers that do. Their medical license renewal is contingent upon sending in this attestation.
North Carolina hastily approved legislation on Thursday that would ban most abortions after 12 weeks of pregnancy, setting the stage for a likely test of the Republican Party’s new, but slim, supermajority.
After an emotional, five-hour debate, the Senate, by a vote of 29-20, approved a ban the House had already passed the night before.
The bill now goes to the state’s Democratic governor, who has called it “extreme,” and said he would veto it. He has 10 days to act.
But the legislature has the potential to override his veto if Republicans can keep their party united to muster enough votes.
Tammy Murphy, the first lady of New Jersey, has made infant and maternal health her signature cause during her husband’s tenure as governor. She led the push for free nurse visits for newborns and expanded access to doulas during labor, with a goal of improving New Jersey’s abysmal pregnancy-related death rates.
But a gender-discrimination lawsuit, filed by four female troopers against the State Police, accuses Ms. Murphy of failing to practice what she has so often preached.
The suit claims that Ms. Murphy refused to permit a State Police trooper assigned to protect her to use a carriage house at the family’s riverside estate in Middletown, N.J., to pump breast milk during breaks.
The first lady told the woman’s supervisor, who runs the State Police unit that guards Gov. Philip D. Murphy and his family, that “it was not encouraged because of optics by guests who may be on the premises,” the lawsuit states.
Indiana’s governor on Thursday signed a bill that will require schools to notify a parent if a student requests a name or pronoun change at school, one of the final bills approved in a legislative session that had targeted LGBTQ+ people in the state, especially students.
Critics worry the law could out transgender children to their families and erode trust between students and teachers while supporters have contested the legislation keeps parents empowered and informed about their children when at school.
Republican Gov. Eric Holcomb’s approval of the legislation comes in a year when GOP-led legislatures around the country are seeking to curb LGBTQ+ rights, specifically targeting trans people’s participation in sports, workplaces and schools, as well as their access to health care.
Recently, Florida Republicans on Wednesday also approved a bill that would prevent students and teachers from being required to use pronouns that don’t correspond to someone’s sex, a bill Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis is expected to sign into law. Meanwhile, at least 16 states, including Indiana,have banned or restricted access to gender-affirming care such as hormones, puberty blockers, and surgeries.
House Bill 3413 would streamline the process in which Illinois returns Native American remains and materials to their communities. The bill passed unanimously in the House in March and an amended version cleared a Senate committee unanimously this week, sending it to the full Senate for consideration. […]
For 30 years, the state museum has resisted returning remains and materials back to their original communities, according to a ProPublica investigation. Despite the 1990 passage of the federal Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act, the state museum still maintains one of the largest collections of Native American remains in the country.
That law provides a process for federal agencies and museums receiving federal funds to repatriate or transfer their collections to lineal descendants or tribes. As of 2022, the Illinois State Museum had only returned 2 percent of the 7,700 remains it reported to the U.S. government, or just 156 individuals. […]
The Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation, a federally recognized Native American tribe in Kansas with historic ties to Illinois, advocated in favor of the bill.
* HB2203 was re-referred to the House Rules Committee back in March. The deadline hasn’t changed and the sponsor lost one of his co-sponsors, Rep. Debbie Meyers-Martin. From the Sun-Times…
The five biggest auto insurers in Illinois have raised automobile insurance rates a whopping $527 million since January, an analysis by two consumer groups shows. […]
Besides being able to raise rates as they like, only needing to notify state officials of their plans, Illinois insurers can consider non-driving factors in setting those rates — such as gender, occupation and whether a person rents or owns a home. […]
Now, state Rep. Will Guzzardi, D-Chicago, has introduced legislation to address those issues and crack down on insurers. Guzzardi’s bill would:
-Require automobile insurers to get prior state approval for rate hikes.
-Ban “excessive” insurance increases.
-Prohibit using gender, marital status, age, occupation, schooling, home ownership, wealth, credit scores or a customer’s past insurance company relationships in setting car insurance rates.
Sen. Bill Cunningham (D-Chicago) said his bill could expand education and job training credits for incarcerated people to become eligible for mandatory supervised release sooner. The proposal would also update state law regarding drug testing prior to parole hearings, as drug tests would only be required if there is reasonable suspicion of illegal drug use.
“There are requirements that the Department of Corrections makes certain disclosures to participants so they know what their goals are and what they need to do to successfully complete their term under MSR,” Cunningham said Thursday.
Senate Bill 423 states that parole officers would be required to complete quarterly reports for the Department of Corrections. However, AFSCME leaders told Cunningham they are currently opposed to that idea. […]
Senate Bill 423 passed unanimously out of the Senate Special Committee on Criminal Law & Public Safety. The legislation now heads to the Senate floor for further consideration.
Republican lawmakers from both chambers hosted separate news conferences Thursday and outlined what they hope to accomplish before the end of the session, despite being in the minority. […]
State Sen. Jason Plummer, R-Edwardsville, said one of the ways to do this is by addressing the high cost of energy.
“Senate Bill 2200, that would get rebates into the pockets of the families that need them the most,” Plummer said. “To be clear, this policy has already passed. It’s there. All we have to do is fund it. We can fund it right now. We are spending money on many other things. We can fund Illinois families that are struggling under egregious energy bills that the General Assembly caused.” […]
State Rep. Steven Reick, R-Woodstock, said he has a measure related to DCFS he hopes to pass.
“I put forth a bill to require DCFS to institute a caseload tracking system with yearly reports to the General Assembly as to the ongoing case files, operation of the caseload management system itself, the ratio of active files to personnel, and how appropriations can be structured to incentivize caseload management,” Reick said.
A bill supported by Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias passed out of the Senate Thursday that would change the law so police can’t pull someone over solely for having something hang on a rearview mirror.
“There is absolutely no data to support that pulling people over for an air freshener or a rosary hanging from their rearview mirror reduces violent crime or prevents accidents,” Secretary Giannoulias said. “Amending the current law will not jeopardize public safety; instead, it will result in greater equity on the road and improve relationships between police and community by eliminating pretextual traffic stops that disproportionately affect people of color.”
The bill passed out of the Senate 41-11. […]
The bill now heads to the Governor J.B. Pritzker’s desk.
Subscribers know more, but the scare tactics used by opponents about completely obstructed views would be covered under the reckless driving statutes.
A new Senate bill amendment backed by the Cook County treasurer’s office and the Chicago Community Trust seeks to reform Illinois’ property tax sale system.
Backers such as state Rep. Kam Buckner, a Chicago Democrat, say the bill would cut the cost for homeowners trying to pay off property tax debt in half, close a loophole that critics said allowed private investors and hedge funds to profit off local governments and help get vacant or abandoned properties back on the tax rolls. […]
The treasurer’s office and the Chicago Community Trust introduced separate and overlapping bills aimed at reforming the delinquent property tax system earlier this year. A merged proposal cleared the House Revenue and Finance Committee Thursday and is on track for House floor approval later this month. […]
The amendment, Senate Bill 1675 Amendment 1, would reform the state’s system for selling delinquent property taxes. Under the current system, property owners who don’t pay their bills can see their taxes put up for auction. When sold, a lien is put against the home or business until the owner can pay the taxes back to the buyer, plus interest. Delinquent sales allow taxing bodies to collect revenues they’re owed while giving property owners extra time to pay their bills without losing their homes. Investors, too, can make a profit at a low risk. Most homeowners do eventually pay back their taxes with interest.
A measure amending language in child welfare and juvenile court statutes to be more inclusive has passed in the Illinois Senate.
House Bill 1596 recognizes the growing number of minor Illinoisians who identify as LGBTQ+ and amends the language to better reflect their identities.
The ACLU Director of Systems Reform Policy, Nora-Collins Mandeville said that, “Today’s majority vote in the Senate sends House Bill 1596 to the Governor’s desk for final approval. A few years ago, the Illinois Auditor General reported that DCFS was failing to meet the needs of the growing number of LGBTQ+ youth under their care.” […]
The legislation now heads to the Illinois Governor’s desk for signing into law.
Opioids have been involved in over 70% of fatal drug overdoses in Illinois. State lawmakers hope to pass a package of bills to address the opioid crisis before session ends.
Sen. Paul Faraci (D-Champaign) told reporters Thursday that pharmacists, nurses, and physician assistants are the only people currently authorized to use overdose prevention equipment. Faraci said his plan could allow trained overdose responders to use fentanyl testing strips to help people in need. […]
House Bill 1121 passed unanimously out of the House in March. The plan also received unanimous support from the Senate Public Health Committee on April 19. […]
House Bill 1557 could require most music venues to have Naloxone and other opioid-overdose antidotes on hand. The legislation applies to for-profit venues with an occupancy of 1,000 or more people. Sen. Karina Villa (D-West Chicago) said the proposal also requires venue staff to be trained on how to properly use antidotes to safely prevent an overdose. […]
House Bill 1557 passed out of the House on a 105-2 vote on March 23. The Senate Public Health Committee unanimously approved the plan on April 19.
Earlier this week, the “ComEd Four” were found guilty on all charges related to a conspiracy to bribe Former Democratic House Speaker Michael Madigan.
“Finally, we are starting to see Illinois Democrats held accountable for their corrupt actions. After decades of Democratic insiders putting their personal interests ahead of Illinois residents, it’s now clear that the Madigan Democrat machine corrupted Illinois State government,” said Illinois Republican Party Chairman Don Tracy.
“Former Speaker Madigan may be gone, but we can’t forget that Illinois Democrats across the state – from Gov. JB Pritzker on down – supported, enabled and kissed the ring of Speaker Madigan,” added Chairman Don Tracy.
Former Illinois House Republican leader Jim Durkin, who left the legislature after last year’s elections solidified the Democrats’ legislative supermajorities, said the verdict “opened a window” for GOP candidates to go after Democratic lawmakers who participated in Madigan’s operation.
”We have actually been given a glimpse of how Mike Madigan and his playbook, how they have operated in this corrupt manner for such a long time. It has now been brought to a jury, exposed and convicted of federal crimes,” Durkin said. “So Republicans should be talking of course about Mike Madigan, what he’s done to the state, what he’s done to our reputation, what he’s done to our finances.”
But, Durkin said, the window of opportunity slams shut if the political conversation turns from corruption to social issues.
” ‘Republicans, you’re anti-women, you’re anti-choice.’ We’ve got to stay away from that,” Durkin said, “particularly in the areas where we have to compete and where we should be winning — that is in the suburbs and the collar counties.”
It’s clear from the jurors who spoke after Tuesday’s clean-sweep guilty verdicts that the argument that Madigan and his associates have been pitching to the public — that this was all politics as usual — fell completely flat in a federal courtroom.
“We bought it for a while, but then when evidence started unfolding (we thought) ‘Explain to us how you can turn around and pay these folks gazillions of dollars and they’re not doing anything?’ ” juror Rob Garnes told the Tribune. “What does that have to do with lobbying?”
Hiring a lobbyist based on a leader’s recommendation and then not using that lobbyist could become problematic.
Garnes said the general consensus of the panel was that, while nobody’s perfect, it seemed like no one seemed willing to step in and put a stop to the corruption.
“They just continually do it over and over and over again,” said Garnes, an IT professional who lives in Westmont.
Madigan surrounded himself with people who got the things he wanted done. Nobody in that circle seemed to question him about the line between right and wrong. Hubristically fatal mistake.
The state is suspending the legislative pension of former Commonwealth Edison lobbyist Michael McClain, but the move may not be permanent.
A spokesman for the state General Assembly Retirement System tells WBEZ that it has moved to withhold McClain’s pension following a federal jury’s verdicts against him in the ComEd bribery trial. […]
State law holds that legislative pensions can be revoked if a legislator has engaged in misconduct arising out of or in connection with his or her service in the General Assembly.
That could be a factor against the permanent revoking of McClain’s benefits — the wrongdoing that federal prosecutors focused upon spanned between 2011 and 2019, long after McClain’s time as a Democratic lawmaker from Quincy.
Which brings up the question of whether future legislators’ pensions should be yanked if they’re convicted of a felony. Your thoughts?
But the writing is already on the wall – cut a deal with prosecutors now, or go to trial and risk spending the rest of your life in prison.
OK, cut a deal on what? The feds generally cut deals to avoid iffy trials and/or in exchange for the head of someone higher up the criminal food chain. The unanimous ComEd Four verdict indicates that Madigan’s trial likely won’t be all that iffy, and, as far as the G is concerned, Madigan was at the very tippity top of the food chain.
Unless Madigan agrees to plead guilty and takes a long sentence (perhaps, for instance, if they bust someone truly close to him), I don’t see it happening.
* On another topic…
Following the verdict in the ‘ComEd 4 trial’, Congressman Sean Casten (D) is calling for Michael Madigan to immediately step down as the Committeeman for the 13th Ward of Chicago.
Congressman Sean Casten (IL-06) represents thousands of Illinoisans in the 13th Ward of Chicago.
“Mr. Madigan will have his day in court, but the corruption has come too close to his office for him to claim ignorance. Public service is a sacred trust. For the good of our democracy and the Democratic Party, he should step down at once,” said Rep. Casten.
I kinda wonder what US Rep. Chuy Garcia thinks, since his congressional district covers the 13th Ward. So, I reached out and will let you know.
Larry Rivelli is a body in constant motion on the backstretch at Hawthorne Race Course. […]
But his pacing comes to a standstill when it’s time to trot out Two Phil’s, the 3-year-old chestnut colt with the white-striped snout, who commands all of Rivelli’s attention. Other trainers and riders stop to poke their heads over the backstretch gate, too, for a view of one of the horse’s final training sessions before the biggest race in the world.
All eyes in the state’s entire horse racing industry will be focused on Two Phil’s this weekend, too, as he’s poised to become the first Illinois-based horse to compete in the Kentucky Derby since Recapturetheglory finished fifth in 2007. […]
It’s the first Derby run for Rivelli, unquestionably Illinois’ top thoroughbred trainer with 1,772 wins and more than $36 million in earnings since 2000.
A full field of 20 is scheduled to go postward. Two Phil’s — No. 3 with Derby rookie Jareth Loveberry in the irons — is a sixth selection in the morning line at 12-1.
The top opening picks are: Forte (No. 15, trainer Todd Pletcher, 3-1), Tapit Trice (No. 5, Pletcher, 5-1) and Angel of Empire (No. 14, Brad Cox, 8-1). […]
TWO PHIL’S IS JOINTLY OWNED BY Patricia’s Hope LLC (Vinnie Foglia and mother Pat Foglia, both of North Barrington, 80 percent) and former advertising exec Phil Sagan of Bloomingdale, who bred the chestnut charger in Kentucky.
The colt is named for Sagan and eightysomething Phil La Sala of Bensenville. La Sala is the father of longtime Chicago jockey Jerry La Sala, who was instrumental in helping to bring about the breeding of Hard Spun to Mia Torri, a General Quarters mare. Anthony Sagan — the son of the breeder — also played a role.
The group has a live chance on that stage. Two Phil’s got here through winning the Jeff Ruby Steaks (G3) at Turfway Park, which is not traditionally a producer of top Derby contenders, though last year’s winner, Rich Strike did come from it.
However, he’s won at Churchill. He has experience, and his connections think he has the temperament to perform well in an environment that stresses out some runners.
“Real cool,” Rivelli said. “He’s perfect for this type of setting. He’s laid back, he likes to sleep. Nothing really bothers him.”
And if Two Phil’s does the unlikely, a major city will celebrate.
“Everybody back home before we left were patting me on the back, you know, ‘Bring home the Derby,’” Rivelli said. “That’s pretty cool.
While Two Phil’s is now a serious Derby contender, he was once a horse that slipped through the cracks in the sales ring. He was a $150,000 RNA at Keeneland September and he failed to garner much interest the following spring at OBS. The Sagans decided to send the colt to Rivelli, hoping that the conditioner could get a win on his record as a juvenile and they could find a buyer from there. […]
Two Phil’s has never actually raced in Illinois, he has trained out of Rivelli’s barn at Hawthorne Park and shipped to six different tracks, collecting four wins and two more placings from eight career starts. Rivelli decided to keep the same routine for the Derby, with Two Phil’s putting in his final five-furlong prep in :59 flat on Mar 27. at Hawthorne before heading to Churchill Downs on Sunday. […]
Rivelli will readily admit that while Two Phil’s is already a winner at Churchill, having claimed the GIII Street Sense S. last October, the big question surrounding the colt is about just how strong his affinity for synthetic might be. His 101 Beyer Speed Figure at Turfway Park in the Jeff Ruby, which is the biggest number among the Derby contenders, is 13 Beyer points higher than his second-best figure from a second-place finish in the GIII Lecomte S. in January.
Now that Derby week is well underway and the Two Phil’s contingent is in Louisville, the dream is starting to become a reality for Rivelli as he represents his grandfather and uncle that went before him, his fellow Chicago horsemen back home and, perhaps in some ways, his beloved Arlington Park, where he won nine training titles before it closed two years ago.
For years, Arlington Park’s opening day coincided with Kentucky Oaks Day. Then COVID-19 struck, and Arlington didn’t begin a 2020 meeting until July. In 2021, the opener returned to the first Friday in May – a dark day, not a celebration. Churchill Downs Inc., Arlington’s owner, already had decided, strictly for financial reasons, to shed the track from its corporate portfolio. In May 2022, the massive Arlington grandstand, the vast tract of land upon which it rests, stood quiet as a remote Illinois prairie.
No one would have felt the closure more acutely than the trainer Larry Rivelli, the owner Vince Foglia, and the jockey Jareth Loveberry. Rivelli won every Arlington training title from 2014 through Arlington’s end. Foglia, who races as Patricia’s Hope LLC, was the perennial leading owner starting in 2015. Loveberry, late to the party, arrived in 2020, winning the riding title that year and the next.
“I grew up by Arlington Park. I went to the high school nearest Arlington Park,” Foglia said. “The whole thing feels tragic. I drive by it all the time and just say, ‘Wow, what a shame.’ ”
Let the first Friday in May 2023 rouse bittersweet memory. Rivelli, Foglia, and Loveberry have other business on Saturday.
* DRF | Beyer Figures say Two Phil’s shouldn’t be overlooked: Two Phil’s earned a 101 Beyer last out, the highest last-out figure in this year’s Derby field. He did it in a romping victory at Turfway Park, and therein lies the rub. Turfway has an all-weather surface. On dirt, Two Phil’s has never been close to the triple-digit fig he earned on synthetic.
* TRC | ‘Blood, sweat and tears’ – Jareth Loveberry takes on racing’s elite in Kentucky Derby with Two Phil’s: Trained by Illinois-based Larry Rivelli, Two Phil’s has won four out of eight starts. The son of Hard Spun already has a victory at Churchill Downs, landing the G3 Street Sense in October last year, and sealed fifth place in the Derby points standings with a 5¼-length success in the G3 Jeff Ruby Steaks at Turfway Park.
At a joint City Council committee hearing last week, alderpersons were told Chicago is out of money, space and time to handle the “humanitarian crisis” caused by asylum-seekers descending on Chicago, with 40,000 people waiting at the border and a surge that has yet to peak. […]
With “zero dollars” from the federal government for 2023 costs and a $53 million shortfall to meet the [migrant] surge through June, [City of Chicago] Budget Director Susie Park said the Council will soon be asked to approve a “mid-year budget amendment” that applies portions of a nearly $700 million surplus to plug the gap.
Matthew Doughtie, manager of emergency management services for the city’s Office of Emergency Management and Communications, told alderpersons 13 options have been identified as additional shelter locations, “none of them great. … Each of them comes at a cost, be they financial personal or political cost. But, they’re options nonetheless.”
* Meanwhile, the state’s estimated costs have grown yet again for a DHFS program to a pretty scarily high number. From Capitol News Illinois…
The estimated cost for Illinois to continue providing health care coverage to noncitizens who are otherwise ineligible for Medicaid benefits has been revised upward to $1.1 billion for the upcoming fiscal year.
As of the end of March, the Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services estimated it would cost $990 million to fund the program that provides state-funded health care to individuals age 42 and older who would otherwise qualify for Medicaid if not for their citizenship status.
The new estimate, shared by IDHFS Director Theresa Eagleson in testimony to a Senate appropriations committee Wednesday night, is now $880 million beyond the $220 million estimate included in Gov. JB Pritzker’s February budget proposal. […]
IDHFS chief of staff Ben Winick told the committee that the original estimate relied on the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey data to estimate the eligible population, then assumed a certain percentage would enroll. But both the cost of providing care and the number of enrollees have far outpaced estimates.
Obviously, they really need to find a way to get a handle on those costs. It’s starting to remind me of how the Edgar administration was overrun by Medicaid costs in the 1990s.
By the way, there it is again. The ACS always undercounts Illinois.
A day after former Commonwealth Edison CEO Anne Pramaggiore was convicted of bribery and conspiracy, ComEd parent Exelon disclosed a likely $173 million cost tied to addressing a class-action lawsuit accusing the company of hiding the scheme from shareholders.
The December 2019 lawsuit, filed in federal court in Chicago, has proceeded under an agreement with the federal government barring inclusion of company communications with the feds from discovery. That agreement expires May 15, according to Exelon’s U.S. Securities & Exchange Commission filing today. […]
The plaintiffs, New York-based Local 295 IBT Employers Pension Fund, recently agreed to the $173 million settlement, said Jim Barz, attorney with Robbins Geller Rudman & Dowd in Chicago. It remains subject to court approval. […]
This settlement won’t hit Exelon’s bottom line, though, because the company expects the entirety to be covered by liability insurance for directors and officers.
The average household ratepayer in northern Illinois will get a $4.80 credit on their electric bill next April in recompense for Commonwealth Edison’s nine-year-long bribery scheme.
The Illinois Commerce Commission unanimously approved ComEd’s $31 million offer to settle the issue of how much ratepayers should be refunded for the scheme, aimed at currying favor with then-House Speaker Michael Madigan. ComEd is adding another $7 million under Federal Energy Regulatory Commission jurisdiction, so the total refund is $38 million.
* NBC Chicago | Illinois Residents Debate On Tax Credit Scholarship Program For Private Schools: Families that participate in the Invest In Kids program say it’s an invaluable resource, though critics say the initiative hurts public schools. Tracy Smith of Hyde Park told NBC 5 that her 15-year-old twins are blazing a path to success, and it all began at St. Sabina Academy.
* Tribune | Migrants moved to Park District field houses, as South Shore residents criticize city for shelter plans: There were 207 families residing inside Chicago police stations Thursday morning, said Ald. Byron Sigcho-Lopez, 25th, citing an unofficial count shared with him by community groups. Dozens of migrants were shown sleeping shoulder to shoulder on the lobby floor of Rogers Park’s 24th District police station in a photo shared on social media and confirmed with police sources by the Tribune.
* Center Square | Illinois lawmakers warn of the rising costs to care for undocumented immigrants: Gov. J.B. Pritzker said since August, the state has provided $240 million for arriving migrants being transported from places like Texas. “To make sure that we were providing the services necessary,” Pritzker said. “We’re talking about shelter, we’re talking about food, we’re talking about health care.”
* Tribune | The Chicago White Sox can’t ruin your summer, no matter how hard they try: So why would anyone come out and watch a Sox team that fell on its face the first month of the season and has little chance of competing in 2023? Maybe because it’s one of the few things from their childhood that remains relatively the same as it was back in the day. They’ve been waiting for months for the weather to turn, and what else is there in Chicago that defines summer like going to a baseball game?
