Koehler law makes it to Jeopardy
Friday, Jun 23, 2023 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Sen. Koehler sent me this last night and I completely forgot about it. Oops. Better late than never, I suppose…
* The question, not the answer, is “What is Penicillium Rubens?” From a press release…
Governor JB Pritzker signed legislation that builds on the legacy of unsung hero Mary K. Hunt and designates Penicillium Rubens as the official state microbe of Illinois. The Governor also signed legislation which adds agricultural sciences and agricultural education as an option to fulfill the coursework requirements for university admission.
HB 1879 designated penicillium rubens NRRL 1951 as the official state microbe of Illinois. The designation recognizes the contribution of Mary K. Hunt, also known as Moldy Mary, and the Northern Regional Research Library - now known as the National Center for Agricultural Utilization Research. Due to their research and work, penicillin’s yield soared at a time when demand was high all across the world.
“It’s no secret that penicillin production is an achievement Peoria takes great pride in - but as of today, it becomes a point of pride for all of Illinois, with new status as our official state microbe,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “The additional legislation will help Illinois not lose any more Marys to history by recognizing the value of agricultural science in our education system for students of all backgrounds. By supporting our young learners who want to take ag sciences through to a university education - and beyond - Illinois is diversifying what it means to learn, to grow, to innovate - and to set the stage for our future generations to live their dreams.”
“By making penicillium rubens our state microbe, we commemorate the contribution that Peoria made to worldwide health and medicine,” said State Senator David Koehler (D-Peoria). “Nearly a century ago, our National Agriculture Utilization Laboratory discovered a microbe that has been saving lives from disease since—a historic feat worth recognizing and remembering.”
“When we look to our future as a state, it is proper to honor our past. Mass production of Penicillium was discovered in Peoria at our National Agriculture Utilization Laboratory and paved the way for Penicillin to improve health outcomes all over the world through the twentieth century,” said State Representative Ryan Spain (R-Peoria). “Life expectancy was lengthened worldwide because of this momentous work. That is a milestone worthy of recognition and tremendous Peoria pride.”
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Afternoon roundup
Friday, Jun 23, 2023 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Some people will believe just about anything as long as it feeds their bizarre outrage addiction…
Kane County Clerk Jack Cunningham said Thursday a group of residents suspicious of fraud and fearful of liberal influences in local elections are “indoctrinated” and “sociopaths.” But at the same time, Cunningham announced he will work toward a key change those same people have been calling for.
The group, which has included Kane County GOP Chairman Andro Lerario, spent the past several months calling for a return to paper ballots and the hand-counting of votes. They also want Cunningham to return a $2 million grant from the Center for Technology and Civic Life.
Opponents of the grant believe the money is coming from “Silicon Valley Billionaires” and is a liberal Trojan Horse because the grant was bestowed by a Chicago-based nonprofit with Democratic ties. […]
“Since these groups have gotten involved with misinformation, the Republican Party has become the minority party. Wake up.” [Cunningham said]
Cunningham, who is a Republican, said he will use the $2 million to hire police officers to work at polling places on Election Day. He will also create an educational program designed to address the claims of people questioning election integrity. He said neither his office nor the county board has accepted or will accept any money in trade for compromising local elections.
* Subscribers have so far received two updates on Rep. Rashid. Politico…
State Rep. Abdelnasser Rashid and his family were caught up this week in violence in the West Bank. Rashid and his family were visiting relatives when hundreds of Israeli settlers stormed the town of Turmus ‘Ayya, where they were staying. The Israeli settlers set fire to cars and homes “to avenge the deaths of four Israelis killed by Palestinian gunmen the previous day,” according to The Associated Press, which documented the attack. Palestinians say one person was killed in the violence. A spokesman for Rashid said the family witnessed the violence and are currently sheltering in place.
* IDES…
Over-the-year, total nonfarm jobs increased in all fourteen metropolitan areas for the year ending May 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, the unemployment rate increased in seven metropolitan areas, decreased in four, and was unchanged in three. […]
The metro areas which had the largest over-the-year percentage increases in total nonfarm jobs were the Bloomington MSA (+3.2%, +3,200), the Peoria MSA (+2.9%, +4,900), and the Champaign-Urbana MSA (+2.7%, +3,200). Total nonfarm jobs in the Chicago Metro Division were up +1.6% or +61,500.Industries that saw job growth in a majority of metro areas included: Government (fourteen areas); Education and Health Services, Leisure and Hospitality, and Other Services (eleven areas each); Transportation, Warehousing and Utilities (nine areas); and Manufacturing (eight areas).
The metro areas with the largest unemployment rate increases were the Danville MSA (+0.5 point to 5.2%), the Davenport-Moline-Rock Island IA-IL MSA (+0.5 point to 3.9%), and the Lake-Kenosha County IL-WI Metro (+0.4 point to 4.1%). The metro areas with the largest unemployment rate decreases were the Chicago Metro (-1.3 percentage points to 3.2%), a record low unemployment rate for the month of May, followed by the Rockford MSA (-0.3 point to 5.9%) and the Carbondale-Marion MSA (-0.2 point to 4.0%).
* ISP…
The Illinois State Police (ISP) Division of Criminal Investigation (DCI) Special Investigations Unit (SIU) continues to combat public corruption with the latest case involving charges against a former township official. ISP worked with the Jackson County State’s Attorney to bring charges against 70-year-old Danny D. “DD” Williams of Makanda, Illinois.
On April 21, 2022, Jackson County State’s Attorney Joseph Cervantez requested an ISP investigation into alleged inappropriate actions by Williams, the former Makanda Township Road Commissioner. After a thorough investigation, ISP identified several instances where Williams used his official position to steer contracts toward a contractor who would pay him in return.
On May 4, 2023, the Jackson County Grand Jury returned a true bill to indict Williams on the two counts of Pecuniary Interest in Contract and Williams appeared in court on June 14, 2023. No further information is available at this time.
* Rep. Sanalitro…
State Representative Jennifer Sanalitro is announcing the successful completion of her inaugural May Diaper Drive. The event is planned to take place every year and aims to help local families in need, especially those with babies and toddlers.
Thanks to the community’s generosity, the Diaper Drive collected a significant amount of diapers and essential baby items. Everything collected was donated to the Breakfast with a Baby Foundation. This local organization helps over 100 families by providing necessary items like clothing, toys, and diapers. Additionally, they offer a free breakfast during their monthly event at Our Savior Lutheran Church in Carol Stream.
Every month, the Breakfast with a Baby Foundation highlights a different organization that is working hard to help families in need throughout the community. The Diaper Drive, led by Rep. Sanalitro in partnership with Our Savior Lutheran Church, has made an important contribution to the Foundation’s efforts.
* Isabel’s roundup…
* Capitol News Illinois | Illinois consumer advocates, utilities spar over potential energy price increases: All told, electric utilities have asked to raise rates by a combined $2.8 billion over four years, while gas utilities have requested $890 million in increases next year. It’s an “unprecedented” number of proposed rate increases for one year, according to David Kolata, the former longtime head of the Citizens Utility Board, or CUB, a nonprofit organization created by the General Assembly in 1983 to represent consumers in cases like these.
* Center Square | ‘Death date’ approaching for many Chromebooks: The Illinois Parent Teacher Association has joined the Public Interest Research Group (PIRG) in asking Google to extend the life of 13 Chromebook models whose software will expire in less than three months.
* Crain’s | Kwame Raoul, 5 other AGs join feds’ suit to block $28 billion Horizon-Amgen deal: In the lawsuit, filed May 16 in Illinois federal court, the agency argues the acquisition would allow California-based Amgen to use its market power to pressure insurers and pharmacy benefit managers to favor two key Horizon drugs: Tepezza, used to treat thyroid eye disease, and Krystexxa, which treats gout. Right now, neither has competition, but rivals are expected to come to market over the next few years.
* WMBD | Volunteer firefighters in Illinois to get state tax credit: The measure, announced by State Sen. Tom Bennett (R-Gibson City), will take effect in the 2023 tax year and could be used when people file their returns next year. The Gibson City Republican said the proposal was part of a larger, bipartisan legislative package recently signed into law.
* Center Square | New Illinois law could curb recidivism by connecting inmates, communities: House Bill 1496, which takes effect in January, was signed by Gov. J.B. Pritzker earlier this month. The measure strengthens community connections for Illinois inmates by requiring the departments of Corrections and Juvenile Justice to record each inmate’s last-known street address and demographic data. That information is then passed on to the U.S. Census Bureau, which can direct resources to communities based on accurate population data.
* Sun-Times | Firm that brought Bally’s to Chicago casino deal stood to profit from another Bally’s deal: But even as Bally’s was successfully seeking Lightfoot’s blessing, it also was working on a separate, $2.6 billion deal. That was to buy an online British gaming company called Gamesys. As part of that deal, Bally’s would pay off Gamesys’s lenders, according to documents Bally’s filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.
* Sun-Times | New summer program for students tours Chicago pollution hotspots: Altgeld Gardens was the first stop on a daylong tour – followed by visits to the Calumet Water Reclamation Plant and the Wild Mile, which is a floating island ecosystem on the North Branch of the Chicago River. The field day is part of a new, two-week long summer program called the Environmental Justice Freedom School, which is designed to provide Chicago Public Schools students with a hands-on environmental and climate justice education.
* WICS | FDA releases guidance on researching psychedelic drugs for mental health treatments: The administration said psychedelic drugs may produce psychoactive effects like hallucinations and mood and cognitive changes. This presents the potential for abuse of these drugs, which is a safety issue that requires careful consideration to prevent misuse in clinical development.
* NYT | Why Some Americans Buy Guns: Some 22 million guns were sold that year, 64 percent more than in 2019. More than eight million of them went to novices who had never owned a firearm, according to the firearm industry’s trade association, the National Shooting Sports Foundation.
* Tribune | ‘The last maestro’: Conductor Riccardo Muti steps down at the CSO and ends an era. But he’s not leaving just yet.: On Friday, the CSO made official what most already knew, or have assumed: Though his tenure as the orchestra’s music director formally ends this month, Riccardo Muti will lead the orchestra in Orchestra Hall and on tour for six weeks — about half his current season commitment — for the next two seasons. The arrangement cushions the orchestra from artistic free-fall during its director search and allows Muti, turning 82 next month, to maintain a privileged relationship with the orchestra without quite so much back-and-forth between here and Ravenna, his home in his native Italy. Details after 2025 are still being finalized, but the CSO hopes to keep Muti a regular presence here, likely into the leadership of the next music director.
* Crain’s | Swarms of Taylor Swift fans helped boost CTA ridership: On Tuesday, the CTA reported that Swift’s Sunday, June 4, show “generated more than 43,000 additional bus and rail rides at the Roosevelt station and on the #146 Inner Lake Shore/Michigan Express route.” Alongside city festivals, great weather and a pair of Wrigley Field shows by Dead & Company (featuring surviving members of the Grateful Dead), those CTA-going Swift fans helped the agency tally 5.63 million riders the week of June 4 through June 10, the agency’s highest weekly total since the COVID-19 pandemic began in March 2020.
* Block Club | Chicago Pride Organizers Doubling Down On Security As Anti-LGBTQ Threats Mount: ‘We Won’t Let This Stop Us’: Hate crimes against queer people have spiked in recent years across the country, the New York Times reports, citing an upcoming report from the Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism at California State University. The change comes as anti-LGBTQ legislation sweeps the nation.
* Herald-Whig | JWCC keeps tuition flat for upcoming school year: “For more students to access higher education and to build enrollment, our goal must be keeping tuition as affordable as we can,” JWCC President Bryan Renfro said. “Starting at John Wood is the best bet for students to start or complete their college degree with limited debt. Keeping tuition low, investing in more student scholarships, and developing and enhancing academic and workforce programs are key components of this budget and the future of our college.”
* Naperville Sun | Naperville declared the No. 1 fittest town in Illinois, No. 18 in the country, new survey finds: Research found 92.2% of Naperville’s adult residents describe their state of health as excellent, very good or good, and 82.5% say they undertake some measure of physical activity in their spare time, such as walking, gardening, golf, running, calisthenics or other forms of exercise.
* Sun-Times | White Sox fan who had a wild ride in a car’s sunroof looks on the bright side: “In a way, falling through the sunroof might have been a good thing,” said Janczy, 64. “If I had just rolled right off and slammed into the pavement, who knows what could have happened to me, right?”
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Welch and Harmon defend budget process
Friday, Jun 23, 2023 - Posted by Isabel Miller
* Rich posted earlier earlier on the House Speaker Chris Welch and Senate President Don Harmon 21st Show interviews. Here’s another moment from Brian Mackey’s interview with Speaker Welch on the budget process…
Mackey: The reason I’m pressing on this a little bit is, I guess the larger issue I’m trying to get at is that you have talked about a different kind of process in the General Assembly. And here was still a budget that’s passed in the middle of the night, maintaining what I’ve heard referred to as the sort of ‘undergraduate work habits.’ I wonder if we’ll ever have a budget that passes you know, say, two in the afternoon and that will have been out there for the public to scrutinize for days and days, or weeks, potentially before it’s enacted.
Welch: Brian, let me take issue with the way you phrased your question. I think that’s poor journalism. But let me say this, it doesn’t take into account anything that we’ve done the last three years to address the concerns about bringing more light into this process. We intentionally engaged in a process. The House did not give the Senate an appropriations vehicle. We intentionally embarked on what we called a trust exercise, where the Senate would pass us an agreed budget on a Senate Bill, which under our Constitution has to in the House sit for three readings on three separate days before it can get passed. In previous years, budgets have come over from one chamber or another and the minute you get it you put it on the board and you pass it. We have tried to address the concerns from members of the Democratic caucus, members of the Republican caucus, folks like you in the media and create a process that would give more time. The budget was posted about eight o’clock on Wednesday night. People had the rest of Wednesday night to read it. They had all day Thursday, all day Friday. And we passed it at about 2-2:30 in the morning. As opposed to coming back at 10, 12 o’clock on Saturday afternoon, a holiday weekend, when folks wanted to go home. But that budget was out there three days to read. More than any budget in my 11 years in the General Assembly. And so yes, I take issue with the way you frame that question because I’m proud of the fact that we slowed the process down very intentionally. Give folks more time to read this budget. And rather than read it, the Republicans took the budget and wrapped it in a bow. But what I suggest is people use the changes that we put in place, read the budget and let’s have an honest discussion about it.
Mackey: Well, I’ll take your criticism on it. I will think about that. But I will say yes, it is an improvement over the past. I think other states have even more time. Maybe we’ll get there in the future.
* Senate President Harmon…
Mackey: I had a little back and forth with the House Speaker on this very point, because he talked about the idea that the budget was sort of hanging out in public, right? I think it was from Thursday afternoon, was it until the House voted on it early Saturday morning. So I guess one business day, maybe two days, depending on how you want to look at it. There are states though, where the budget process is much more open, and it’s out there for public input. Why not actually pass a budget over the course of a week or two weeks instead of this still where it’s sort of negotiating, negotiating, and it all kind of comes together? It used to be in a few hours, now it’s in maybe a few days? I mean, is that a trend? Are we going to ever see a process where it’s just kind of slow and calm and out in the open?
Harmon: Well, I would argue that’s the process we have. And Brian, you’ve been around Springfield a long time. Every single bill passes the chamber in about 60 seconds when the roll call is called. It’s the work that leads up to that and we began our budget process with the governor’s budget address. The House and Senate both had countless appropriation committee hearings, where we heard from the state agencies that are funded as well as all of the stakeholders that wanted to testify. We have a very, very public process. I reject the premise that the budget itself is the introduction of the final budget with the roll call on the floor. There’s so much work, public work that goes into that. It’s easy to criticize the last 60 seconds, but it’s not fair to the work that people do over the months of the spring session.
Thoughts?
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* Ugh…
* From the link…
• Drought has rapidly intensified across the Midwest region over the last five weeks. According to the U.S. Drought Monitor, 58% of the Midwest is now in moderate to extreme drought (D1-D3), compared to just 8% five weeks ago. Areas with the most rapid deterioration in conditions include central/northern Illinois, western Indiana, eastern Iowa, central Michigan, central Minnesota, and east-central Wisconsin.
• Significantly below-normal precipitation has been the main driver for the rapid intensification of drought conditions. Some areas have had multiple days of hot temperatures as well, which allows for more moisture to be extracted from the surface through evapotranspiration.
• Soil moisture is reported to be very low across much of the Midwest. According to the USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service, the percent of topsoil in Illinois that is rated as short to very short currently surpasses levels at this time in 2012, during the last major regional drought.
• Drought impacts continue to multiply across various sectors in the region including significant impacts to vegetation, agriculture, water supply, forestry and fire. Many people, agencies and sectors are taking action to address the impacts being felt.
• Dry conditions across the entire Mississippi River Basin (including the Missouri and Ohio basins) are driving well below average (15+ feet) river stages throughout the Lower Mississippi River from St. Louis, Missouri all the way to the Gulf of Mexico, where low river stages are already causing issues and increased concerns for shipping.
• Long-range river forecasts from the NOAA River Forecast Centers indicate that the Mississippi River will reach low water stages just downstream of the Ohio/Mississippi confluence area as early as 1-2 weeks from now.
• Rainfall is crucial to alleviate drought concerns and impacts across the Midwest, particularly as corn pollination begins in early July. If corn-growing areas do not start receiving rainfall now, there will likely be impacts to corn yields, and potentially other crops as well. Water supply for livestock and municipalities in some areas is also a major concern if drought conditions persist.
• There is uncertainty in the summer outlook on whether precipitation will be above, near, or below normal. The U.S. seasonal drought outlook for June 15-September 30 shows that drought is likely to persist and potentially expand across the Midwest this summer.
How are things by you?
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* In the past seven days, both House Speaker Chris Welch and Senate President Don Harmon have been interviewed on Brian Mackey’s radio show The 21st. Here’s Speaker Welch being grilled on legislator pay…
Mackey: One of those things that [Republicans] have criticized, or at least some have criticized, are salary increases for lawmakers. Last year, I believe the base salary for a state legislator was just under $73,000. Now it’s going to be or is more than $89,000. How do you justify that to taxpayers?
Welch: Well, first of all, let me say Republicans were criticizing it, but I don’t know any of them have rejected the pay raises. Why is that? Because many of them thanked me years ago when I filed a lawsuit against Governor Rauner and his then comptroller for illegally stopping our pay. Many of them quietly were coming to me thanking me. Many of them are thanking me known for standing by court decisions that say it’s unconstitutional to waive the COLA. We are going to follow the law. We’re going to honor our Constitution. And that’s what we’re doing. That’s another point that I wanted to make about Republicans finding one or two things to come up with a talking point and criticize, rather than vote for something that they know is constitutionally sound that’s balanced, that lifts up every single community across the state that actually has a number of things in it that they fought for.
Mackey: I should tell listeners in a previous iteration of my journalistic career I wrote a column and I’ve argued in the past that higher pay for lawmakers might be something worth considering because otherwise you get a legislature instead of sort of more everyday working people it’s filled with real estate agents and bankers and other people with jobs where they can take significant time off. But a 22 percent increase in six months. Can you, again, to the worker out there who is not enjoying that level of pay raise in the past six months, how do you justify that?
Welch: Let me first level-set. What recently happened was the legislature did receive its annual COLA increase back in January for the first time since 2007. The 102nd General Assembly approved raises for state legislators, constitutional officers for everyone in state office for the first time since 2007. As you have written about Brian in the past, if you’re going to recruit good talent across the state, if you’re going to have good people sign up for these jobs and spend time away from their families week after week, you have to have a competitive salary. And we tried to address that in January in the 102nd General Assembly. And so they raises were voted on by the previous General Assembly for the first time since 2007. I don’t know anyone who has worked in a job and didn’t get a raise since 2007.
Please pardon all transcription errors.
* Same topic with Senate President Harmon…
Mackey: One aspect of [the state budget] that’s got a lot of attention has been salary increases for lawmakers. I think it was just last year the base salary for a state legislator was just under $73,000. Now it’s more than $89,000. How do you justify that increase to taxpayers?
Harmon: Well, again, to be clear, that was an increase last year after decades without any statutory increase in the salary. This year, the budget included money to fund the statutory salaries for all officers in the state. No change in that statutory salary. So this was just a routine budget appropriation to satisfy that statutory obligation.
Mackey: But there was a cost of living increase this year.
Harmon: Correct. That’s built into the statutory salary structure. It avoids the difficult decision of what the salary should be?
Mackey: Well over six months, that is a 22 percent increase. If there are people out there, and look as you may know, I’ve written about there may be justifiable reasons to have higher salaries for lawmakers if you want a legislature that has people who are not just real estate agents and bankers and attorneys and people with jobs where they can take time off. But a 22 percent increase in six months I imagine will strike some listeners as quite a lot.
Harmon: I understand the question, it is always a difficult issue. If we never dealt with legislative pay increases, as unpleasant as they are, we would still be being paid several hundred dollars, which, you know, going back to the beginning of the General Assembly. So you have to make those calculations along the way. I think the bigger question is one you alluded to. Should we maintain a part time legislature? Or have we reached the point where we really are a full time legislature and should be compensated as such?
Mackey: What do you think the answer to that is?
Harmon: I think it’s a conversation worth having. I have always put great stock in a citizen legislature where people bring their real life expertise to the Capitol and and we pass better legislation because people have those experiences. But I’m also caught by the the conflicts that inevitably arise when people are juggling their public service and their private occupations.
Discuss.
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Question of the day
Friday, Jun 23, 2023 - Posted by Rich Miller
* I interviewed Senate President Don Harmon earlier this month and he told me about the axe-throwing outings with Republicans. From Brian Mackey’s interview this week…
Mackey: I understand you and your fellow Senate Democrats invested a lot of time to try and build some areas of consensus with Republicans this spring. Did that actually start with an axe throwing outing in Springfield? Is that true? Did I read that correctly?
Harmon: It did. Somewhat organically, we were looking for opportunities to get together out of the Capitol, off campus and just socialize, get to know each other as people. And someone came up with the idea of going axe throwing on MacArthur Boulevard in Springfield. We ended up doing it several times in small groups. And I don’t give that all the credit for a good working relationship with the Republican caucus this session. But it’s certainly disarming when you get to play together a little bit in that context.
Mackey: Oh, ‘disarming.’ It’s going to come thick now, because I was gonna say something about axes to grind. Speaking of which, ultimately, you ended up not getting any Republican votes on the budget. Why, from your perspective, despite some effort, I understand and that was thought of to be a possibility, from your perspective, why didn’t that come together?
Harmon: Well, I do want to be clear, we’ve worked with the Republican caucus from the beginning. We involved them in the budget conversations all during the spring session. And frankly, we have a better budget because of it. There’s much input from the Republican caucus in our budget. In the end, we weren’t able to get the votes on the budget from Republicans. We weren’t able to cross the divide on a couple of non budgetary related items that they thought were precursors to supporting the budget. But I’m not discouraged. I think it was a process worth undertaking. And we’ll do it again next year.
Mackey: What did you learn about bipartisanship from this spring legislative session? Is that still a worthwhile goal? Because I mean, you’ve been in the Senate long enough, you know that that hasn’t always been the dominant, sort of prevailing attitude among senators.
Harmon: It validated for me my belief that bipartisanship is almost always better. There are certain issues where we’re just never going to see eye to eye. And that’s okay. In those cases, we have a strong majority elected by the people of Illinois and we’ll pursue those in a partisan fashion. But on the routine business of governing, we are always better off with a bipartisan coalition. And Brian, you know, 95 percent of what we pass in a typical session is bipartisan or unanimous. But on the tough issues, if we can get good people from both sides of the aisle to sit down eyeball to eyeball and work towards a compromise, we almost always get a better product.
Please pardon all transcription errors.
* The Question: Do you have any suggestions for future Senate bipartisan outings? Snark is not exactly encouraged, but allowed since it’s a Friday afternoon in late June.
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* Since it’s the one-year Dobbs anniversary, let’s look back at how one “hot button” issue evolved. From the Chicago Tribune on May 26, 2001…
The Illinois House Friday narrowly defeated a measure that would have required notification of parents before their teenage daughters obtained abortions, marking a rare setback for abortion foes who have passed virtually every major legislative initiative they have pushed for more than two decades.
Both abortion opponents and abortion rights supporters agreed that the vote could portend a philosophical shift in the chamber.
“I think the House of Representatives has gotten a lot more moderate and I think that vote shows it,” said Rep. Terry Parke (R-Hoffman Estates), a longtime abortion foe who said his bill would have stopped Illinois from serving as a “dumping ground for abortions” for young women from other Midwestern states with notification laws.
Parental notification “is the least intrusive on the issue of abortion that we can put out there,” he said. “If we can’t pass that, it means that until there’s a change … I don’t know how we can pass anything that affects the issue of abortion unless we get others to change their position.”
The bill is here.
* Parental notification is supposed to be a hot-button political issue, and was considered even more so 22 years ago. But a total of 14 House Republicans voted with the pro-choice side on that bill: Reps. Beaubien, Coulson, Cross, Hassert, Hoeft, Klingler, Krause, Lindner, Mathias, Moore, Mulligan, O’Connor, Osmond and Persico. Nine of those folks served in the House when the chamber was majority Republican. The chamber had a 60-58 Dem-GOP party split at the time of the PNA vote.
Today, there is not a single pro-choice Republican in either legislative chamber and hardly any Republicans holding districts in the suburban and exurban areas that were represented by those pro-choice Republicans back in the day. The current party split is 78-40.
Yes, the district maps are far worse for the GOP now than they were then. But at least some of those 14 HGOPs might not have been around in 2001 had they been strongly opposed to abortion rights.
* By contrast, 19 House Democrats voted for that 2001 parental notification bill, including the House Speaker: Brosnahan, Brunsvold, Bugielski, Capparelli, Forby, Fowler, Franks, Hannig, Hartke, Hoffman, Holbrook, Shirley Jones, Joe Lyons, Mautino, McCarthy, McGuire, Novak, Reitz and Speaker Madigan.
And six House Democrats voted Present, including a current Illinois Supreme Court justice who is now pro-choice: Crotty, Curry, Steve Davis, Giles, Mary K. O’Brien and Ryan.
So, that’s 25 of 60, or 42 percent. Most, not all, of those districts are now represented by either pro-choice Democrats or by Republicans.
* At the time of that 2001 vote, the courts had blocked a parental notification bill passed during the brief era of Republican legislative control. The Illinois Supreme Court reinstated the law in 2013.
When a repeal of the parental notification law was put up on the Big Board in 2021, all Republicans and just 6 House Democrats voted against repeal: Davis, DeLuca, Scherer, Walsh, Yednock and Zalewski. Another three voted Present: Burke, Crespo and Hurley. Two didn’t vote: Moylan and Tarver.
That works out to 11 of 73, or 15 percent. Rep. Jay Hoffman, who voted for parental notification in 2001, voted to repeal the law in 2021. House Speaker Chris Welch voted to repeal as well.
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One year in a post-Roe v. Wade Illinois
Friday, Jun 23, 2023 - Posted by Isabel Miller
* Tribune…
One year ago, the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the landmark 1973 decision Roe v. Wade, reversing nearly a half-century of federal abortion rights protections and leaving the matter up to individual states.
Roughly half of all states in the nation — primarily in the Midwest and South — moved to either ban or severely restrict abortion. But Illinois had approved strong reproductive rights protections, declaring abortion a “fundamental right” in the 2019 Reproductive Health Act. Abortion providers in Illinois have reported an unprecedented surge in patients traveling from other states to terminate pregnancies here, as abortion access dwindled in large sections of the country. […]
In a 5-4 vote, the U.S. Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade, the 1973 ruling that guaranteed abortion rights nationwide. The high court also votes 6-3 to uphold a Mississippi abortion restriction in the case at hand, Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization. Protests and rallies — for and against the end of federal abortion protections — erupt in Chicago and across the country.
Eric Scheidler, executive director of the Chicago-based Pro-Life Action League, predicts that Illinois will “become an abortion mecca, by design.”
Check out the Tribune’s timeline here.
* Governor Pritzker penned an op-ed for Salon to mark the anniversary…
As Governor of Illinois, it is my duty to not only keep our residents safe, but to uphold our 205-year legacy—a legacy rooted in progress and justice. So, while every state bordering us is forcing women to revert to back-alley abortions, with some elected officials threatening to limit contraceptive access only for those with approval from their husbands, I’ve worked hand-in-hand with members of the General Assembly to extend protections for patients and providers alike.
We have welcomed abortion providers who fled their states, and we eliminated barriers to access by allowing birth centers to provide all reproductive care and removing copays for birth control and medication abortions. We instituted new protections for patients, doctors and nurses from out-of-state subpoenas—creating another safeguard for reproductive access in Illinois. We funded the creation of the Reproductive Health Public Navigation Hotline—a centralized resource where patients will be able to find the services that will meet their needs. And all the while, we are investing millions toward learning collaboratives and abortion provider trainings, so we can continue to train healthcare personnel to meet the demand of patients seeking reproductive freedom who are flooding in from across the nation.
Anti-choice extremists aren’t going to stop at Roe v. Wade. They will keep chipping away—bit by bit—at reproductive healthcare and other related privacy rights. But Illinois will remain a haven—so long as we fight for it. And my administration and pro-choice members of the General Assembly will do everything in our power to ensure widespread, equitable access to reproductive rights as a foundational freedom.
In Illinois, abortion is legal, abortion is health care, and personal decisions about it will remain between a woman and her doctor.
* NPR…
Since the fall of Roe, Illinois has welcomed an influx of out-of-state patients seeking abortions, becoming what advocates call a “Midwestern safe haven” for reproductive health care.
Democratic lawmakers have focused on passing shield laws, or protections for people coming to Illinois from surrounding states where abortion access is restricted or generally banned, like Indiana and Missouri.
One such measure, which was signed into law earlier this year, applies to healthcare providers and patients. Another measure passed last month, which is waiting for a signature from Democratic Gov. JB Pritzker, would prohibit law enforcement from sharing data from automated license plate readers with other states for the purpose of prosecuting someone seeking an abortion in Illinois.
Other notable legislation includes requiring insurers to cover abortion medication, requiring public colleges to offer emergency contraception at “wellness kiosks” and allowing patients of crisis pregnancy centers to sue if they feel the center had misled them from seeking abortion care.
* Daily Herald…
Dr. Erin King, executive director of the Hope Clinic, knew an influx of out-of-state patients who need abortions would be coming to the East St. Louis facility after the June 24, 2022, court ruling.
Still, “it’s almost surreal to now every day talk to people that are traveling from Florida, Mississippi, Texas, Alabama, Arkansas, Missouri, Kansas,” to name a few places, King said. […]
Planned Parenthood of Illinois on June 12 reported a 54% rise in patients seeking abortion procedures or medication since June 2022. Before the Supreme Court decision, 7% of clients came from out of state; that portion has risen to 25%. […]
Julie Uhal, manager of the Securing Access For Everyone abortion expansion program at Planned Parenthood of Illinois, gave the example of a client from Tennessee, where abortion is banned.
“She wasn’t an English speaker and didn’t have any ID, so she couldn’t get on a plane and really needed to get back to work the next day after the appointment. So they coordinated a 10-hour bus ride,” Uhal said in an earlier interview.
* Related…
* American Progress | Illinois Pediatrician Combats Confusion Among Adolescents and Families Caused by Abortion Bans: Since the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade and recent legal challenges to medication abortion, Stephanie has noticed many patients are unsure about what options are available to them. Even in Illinois, where abortion is still protected, she notes that among teens, misinformation travels faster and lingers longer, especially through social media and word of mouth. Many are already under social pressure from peers or family and are now further confused by the constantly evolving legal landscape surrounding abortion.
* WBEZ | Catholic abortion doulas comfort the faithful in a post-Roe world: “One of the chapters here specifically addresses spiritual conflict,” Likins said. “There’s lots of examples of how you could counsel someone to go from feeling like God will never forgive them for having an abortion to feeling like, maybe God is actually comforting them during their abortion.”
* Forbes | The Business Impact Of Dobbs A Year Later: Entrepreneurs around the country drew on their creativity to come up with solutions for helping those living in the most restrictive states access reproductive care. Women’s health startups like Julie and Stix created “buy one, donate one” models where people were able to buy emergency contraception while simultaneously donating the pills to people impacted most severely by their state’s trigger laws. Plan C Pills, founded by a group of public health veterans, advertising creatives and digital strategists, was built as a hub for accessing abortion pills by mail in all 50 states. Travel companies like Elevated Access offer private flights for those seeking abortion or gender-affirming care. Their mission is to ease the burden and provide transportation for folks so they can receive life-saving healthcare.
* Axios | Senate Dems tie abortion to broader health care in new Dobbs push: The report is just the latest in a cascade of efforts by Democratic lawmakers and campaign operatives to focus on abortion during the week of the Dobbs anniversary.
* NPR | New abortion laws changed their lives. 8 very personal stories: In December 2022, right before Christmas, I was 20 weeks and 3 days pregnant when I learned my water had broken early. The chances of the baby surviving were very low, but I couldn’t end the pregnancy under Texas laws.
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More anti-Illinois clickbait
Friday, Jun 23, 2023 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Center Square headline…
Illinois home sales plummeted in May compared to last year
The article reports that home sales fell 22 percent in Illinois compared to May of last year. Not noted is that national home sales have fallen as well. The St. Louis Fed reported national existing home sales dropped 20.4 percent during the same time period.
* Once you get beyond the anti-Illinois clickbait headline, however, they at least provide a good reason…
According to Daniel McMillen, head of the Stuart Handler Department of Real Estate at the University of Illinois at Chicago, low housing inventory is hampering the market.
“The really big change that we see is that the available housing inventory is down about 27% and is at the lowest it’s been since 2008,” said McMillen Thursday during a virtual news conference.
McMillen said higher interest rates have contributed to slower sales, but he expects them to ease as the year goes on.
I have some personal experience with this topic and, anecdotally, the lack of inventory checks out.
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Open thread
Friday, Jun 23, 2023 - Posted by Isabel Miller
* It’s Friday! What’s up with y’all?…
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Isabel’s morning briefing
Friday, Jun 23, 2023 - Posted by Isabel Miller
* Here you go…
* WBEZ | Do you believe in ‘magic’ lobbyists? Illinois businesses stick by Madigan-connected lobbyists: Despite being publicly identified in the ComEd corruption case, none of the other “magic” lobbyists are facing charges as a result of that investigation. One other entry on the list, a former lawmaker, has been charged with tax fraud, but her indictment makes no connection to the ComEd case.
* Sun-Times | Ex-Proud Boy from Aurora gets more than 3 years in prison for Jan. 6 Capitol assault: The sentence handed down to James Robert Elliott, 25, on Thursday is the harshest dealt so far to an Illinois resident charged in the riot. In addition to the 37-month prison sentence, Elliott must also pay $2,000 in restitution, according to the U.S. attorney’s office in Washington, D.C.
* Vandalia Radio | Governor JB Pritzker signed dozens of new laws this month; here are a few you may not of heard about yet: Some of the new laws require insurance coverage for preventative liver screenings and medically necessary compression sleeves. There’s also one that requires new construction of single-family homes and apartment buildings to include basic infrastructure for electric vehicle charging stations. State Representative Robyn Gabel sponsored the bill in the House.
* WAND | Illinois education leaders discuss first draft of statewide comprehensive literacy plan: Lawmakers and advocates hope the 54-page plan can get students back on track. Many believe the new literacy plan should consider core instruction practices and guidance for intervention with at-risk students.
* 21st Show | Senate President on the legislature’s accomplishments this session: The General Assembly ended its annual legislative session last month, and Governor Pritzker has been signing legislation from that into law — including a more than $50-billion dollar budget. Last week we talked about this with the Speaker of the Illinois House, Chris Welch, and today we spoke with his counterpart on the north side of the Capitol building — Senate President Don Harmon.
* Crain’s | With downstate visit, Biden’s health chief to spotlight ‘tale of two states’ on abortion access: During Friday’s appearance at the Illinois location, HHS says, Becerra intends to talk with the stakeholders, like abortion providers and advocates, about what he calls as the “tale of two states,” which describes the experience for a clinic in a state where abortion care is still legal to operate near a state where abortions are now banned. At the St. Louis center, Becerra will host a roundtable and press conference to highlight why abortion bans are putting patients in “harm’s way” and contributing to a nationwide health crisis.
* Sun-Times | After Anjanette Young search warrant reforms, a massive drop in number of Chicago Police Department raids on homes: In 2021, after the reforms, the number of residential searches dropped to 172, with 183 last year, down from 509 in 2020. A former police commander says that means criminals will “feel more free to do their illegal business.”
* Tribune | 3M reaches $10.3 billion settlement in ‘forever chemicals’ suits: Under the sweeping settlement, 3M said it would pay out the money over 13 years to any cities, counties and others across the country to test for and clean up perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances, known as PFAS, in public water supplies.
* Crain’s | Obama Presidential Center lands $26 million grant: $25 million of the grant will go toward establishing the Democracy in Action Lab, a programming hub that aims to provide “a physical space to facilitate community convening and inspire civic participation.” The remaining $1 million will support the Obama Foundation’s Leaders Program, connecting and supporting civic leaders around the world.
* Tribune | Residents and birders frustrated that developer proceeded with demolition that damaged gull colony on Goose Island: On Friday evening, Frank was developing photos she took of the birds when she noticed nests on the roof of the facility. Frank proceeded to contact the construction company, Brandenburg Industrial Service Co., to alert them of the gull chicks and received replies about addressing the issue. By Tuesday morning, Frank had photos and videos of dead gulls around the active demolition site. She said her contacts at the construction company stopped responding to her.
* Tribune | A Chicago man crossing Lake Michigan in a watermelon-shaped craft disappeared 120 years ago. Here’s what we know.: Known as Foolkiller No. 3, the 30-foot long and 20-foot wide canvas-covered vessel looked more like a floating blimp than a submersible. It was not designed to sink, but to glide — across land or water — when propelled by the wind. Its cavity was dotted with one glass porthole on each end and hollow except for an axle to help the watermelon-shaped machine turn while its occupant was seated atop it.
* Crain’s | What a $3,000 ticket gets you at the NASCAR Street Race: The premium tickets, which start at $3,015 per person, grant guests access to the President’s Paddock Club, a two-story viewing structure overlooking the race’s start and finish line on South Columbus Drive. Ticket-holders will find an enclosed, air-conditioned space on the lower level and an open-air rooftop terrace upstairs.
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Live coverage
Friday, Jun 23, 2023 - Posted by Isabel Miller
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