* The Commission on Government Forecasting and Accountability hired the actuarial firm Segal to look at “safe harbor” questions surrounding the Tier 2 pension systems. The report was written by Senior Vice President & Consulting Actuary Matthew Strom…
As requested, we are providing narrative and analysis regarding the impact of changes to the projected costs of the Teachers’ Retirement System of the State of Illinois (TRS), State Employees’ Retirement System of Illinois (SERS), and State Universities Retirement System of Illinois (SURS), based on potential benefit formula changes needed to maintain exemption from Federal Insurance Contributions Act (FICA) taxes.
Note that the sample safe harbor tests shown in this letter (as defined below for FICA purposes) are included for illustrative purposes only. Neither Segal nor CoGFA is in possession of the data needed to determine the number of members who are not in compliance with the current safe harbor provisions. It is our understanding that, ultimately, it is the responsibility of the individual employers within each System to determine whether they qualify for exemption from FICA taxes.
The IRS has provided guidance on determining whether a system’s benefits are comparable to Social Security in Revenue Procedure 91-40. The guidance provides for three levels of testing:
• If the benefit provisions meet certain requirements, then the System qualifies under a safe harbor and no further testing is required.
• If the System does not satisfy the safe harbor requirements, then individual testing can be performed to confirm that the benefits for active members of an employer meet the minimum benefit requirements.
• Treas. Reg. 31.3121(b)(7)-2(e)(2) permits employers to compare the actual retirement benefits accrued by Tier 2 members to the estimated retirement benefits such members would receive from Social Security on an individual-by-individual basis. If the System’s benefit were greater for some or all Tier 2 members, those Tier 2 members would continue to be exempt from FICA taxes.
Change in Total State Contributions Through FY2045 $5.606 billion
That works out to about $254.82 million a year if Illinois changed the program this year. The annual cost grows with any delays, of course, and it will grow because the budget has already been approved. A $2.1 billion up-front payment would wipe out the debt, but that isn’t likely.
The Illinois Psychiatric Society is offering a blueprint of policy pillars to drive conversations about the needs to treat the mentally ill.
The group’s reform ideas fit broadly into three categories: increasing equitable access to care, ensuring the various mental health systems of care are coordinating for patients’ benefit, and doing more to prevent mental health issues from developing and worsening.
“And how do we teach people about mental health, and really addressing families, parents and even faith leaders because a lot of times that’s really the place where you can reach people is at their churches,” IPS president Andrew Lancia said.
Several measures moved through the General Assembly during the spring session, including a bill that would increase the availability and accessibility of mental health resources for students.
Another measure, Senate Bill 724, would create an interagency youth services team to implement new technology for referring families to resources and improve service coordination to address behavioral health for children.
The bills cleared both chambers.
* Press release…
First-in-the-nation legislation introduced by Illinois Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias aims to protect the privacy and safety of individuals seeking abortion care by restricting the use of Automatic License Plate Readers (ALPRs).
Giannoulias joined the sponsors of House Bill 3326, State Rep. Ann Williams (11th District – Chicago) and State Sen. Sara Feigenholtz (6th District – Chicago), along with Jennifer Welch, President and CEO of Planned Parenthood of Illinois and other supporters today to underscore the importance of this model legislation.
House Bill 3326, which passed the Illinois General Assembly last month and awaits the governor’s consideration, would prohibit the use of license plate readers from tracking individuals seeking abortion care or assisting them. No other state specifically prohibits ALPRs from being used to track or penalize individuals seeking abortion care or from criminalizing a person’s immigration status.
“No one seeking abortion care in Illinois should be harassed in any fashion, and I’m committed to enabling individuals to pursue and obtain the lawful healthcare they need without government interference,” Giannoulias said. “License plate readers are an important tool for law enforcement – especially when apprehending suspects in violent crimes or recovering stolen vehicles in car jackings – but we need to regulate these cameras so they aren’t abused for surveillance, tracking the data of innocent people or criminalizing lawful behavior. This legislation sets common-sense standards and protocols to ensure that license plate data is used properly.”
* Press release…
The General Assembly passed and Governor JB Pritzker has signed a fiscal year 2024 state budget that includes a historic appropriation of $2.53 billion for higher education, an increase of $279 million (12.4 percent) compared to the previous fiscal year and the largest increase in over 20 years. Notable highlights from the budget include a $100 million increase for the Monetary Award Program (MAP), an $80.5 million (7 percent) increase for public universities, $19.4 million (7 percent) increase for community colleges, a $3.8 million increase to the Minority Teachers of Illinois Scholarship Program (MTI) to recruit and retain minority teachers, and a $15 million increase for the AIM HIGH program.
The budget also includes an investment of $6 million for Grow Your Own (an increase of $3.5 million), $15.75 million for Golden Apple (an increase of $8.5 million) and $975,000 for the Teachers Loan Repayment Program (an increase of $535,000) – all of which are key in helping address teacher workforce needs.
“This year’s budget steps up our direct support for higher education institutions by $100 million—the largest dollar and percent increase in more than twenty years,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “And by raising the number and amount of college scholarships to a record-breaking, all-time high of more than $750 million, we’re making it possible for nearly every student from a working-class family to attend community college tuition free and fee free—a huge step towards closing the education gap and advancing equity here in Illinois.”
* Press release…
Governor JB Pritzker today announced the opening of a new homebuyer program designed to help increase home purchase accessibility for low- and moderate-income individuals, families and seniors interested in purchasing a home in Illinois. Administered by the Illinois Housing Development Authority (IHDA), Illinois HFA1 provides $10,000 for down payment and/or closing cost assistance to make buying a home more affordable. By offering a competitive interest rate and limiting the total fees charged to the borrower, IHDA programs are designed to be as affordable as possible. This can allow for substantial savings over the life of the loan. Funding for Illinois HFA1 is expected to assist more than 1,500 new homebuyers.
* Press release…
Today, the Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response (ASPR) announced $2 million for Illinois to strengthen the Medical Reserve Corps (MRC) network – focusing on emergency preparedness, response, and health equity needs. Funding for the first-ever MRC State, Territory and Tribal Nations, Representative Organizations for Next Generation (MRC-STTRONG) grant program is from the American Rescue Plan.
The MRC of Illinois, in collaboration with the Illinois Department of Public Health, will use the funding to strengthen MRC’s capacity to respond by developing and implementing standardized training, grow and develop four new MRC units throughout the state in areas with greatest need and offer sub-awards to 50 MRC units in Illinois.
* Press release…
The Illinois Liquor Control Commission (ILCC) filed an emergency rule on May 26, 2023, to protect the public from confusion between alcoholic beverages and non-alcoholic beverages of the same brand and to prevent the marketing of alcohol to children. A “co-branded alcoholic beverage” is any alcoholic beverage containing the same or a similar brand name, logo, or packaging as a non-alcoholic beverage. The emergency rule applies to all establishments in Illinois that sell packaged alcohol for off-premises consumption.
Under the emergency rule, establishments with larger retail sales floors (exceeding 2,500 square feet) are prohibited from displaying co-branded alcoholic beverages immediately adjacent to soft drinks, fruit juices, bottled water, candy, or snack foods portraying cartoons or youth-oriented photos. Establishments with retail sales floors of 2,500 square feet or less must either: (1) comply with the display requirements for establishments with larger retail sales floors; or (2) post clear signage on every display that contains co-branded alcoholic beverages and is immediately adjacent to soft drinks, fruit juices, bottled water, candy, or snack foods portraying cartoons or youth-oriented photos.
* Sen. Andrew Chesney is, believe it or not, flat-out wrong…
Hidden within the pages of the 3,425-page budget and the accompanying 898-page BIMP is hundreds of millions of dollars toward free healthcare and other programs for illegal immigrants. Governor Pritzker’s own financial analysts put a price tag of $1.1 billion on this free healthcare program for illegals. In spite of his analysts’ cost estimate, the budget our Governor is touting as “balanced” only funds the healthcare program at $550 million. Gov. Pritzker has said no one currently eligible will be removed, so it’s pretty ridiculous to think the cost of the program will be half of what his own agency claims.
*facepalm*
The $1.1 billion was a projection for next fiscal year’s increase if nothing was done to rein in costs ahead of time. The governor had already set aside somewhere around $230 million extra for next fiscal year, so he can now use managed care (the recipients were among the few still receiving fee for service coverage), enrollment caps, etc. to stem the rest of the cost. This ain’t difficult to understand, unless possibly if you’re somebody who believes in the kitty litter myth.
* Media advisory…
40 years later Honoring Rudy Lozano
Black Brown Unity
BBQ + Showcase + Press conference
June 8 2023 5pm-7pm
Healthy Hood 2242 S Damen outdoor
During the 2020 unrest, after the assassination of George Floyd, the Black and Brown communities were pitted against each other. Grocery stores closing caused the crossing over of neighborhood borders with threat of violence so June 8 2020 the first Black Brown Unity event was held honoring Rudy Lozano and Harold Washington and the Rainbow Coalition
Now we see a similar tensions between our black brown communities around the immigrant refugee crisis.
That is why on June 8th 2023, the 40th anniversary of the assassination of Rudy Lozano a pillar in the Latino Community and across the city for his activism work in the labor movement and perhaps most notable role in the building of the black brown coalition during the Harold Washington campaign for mayor that ultimately made him a target and resulted in his assassinated.
SEIU Health Hood will come together to provide the education truth and transparency and love necessary and desperately need to meet the moment. A showcase of young leaders and change makers in music, poetry and art, who are tackling the issues of today with the examples of leaders of the past with a true people first approach.
* Wait. Nobody goes to Chicago…
This just in! 🚨
Chicago set its new all-time record for total hotel rooms occupied!
Thanks to three nights of Taylor Swift, the ASCO Annual Meeting, the James Beard Awards and more.
This isn’t just post-pandemic–we had more rooms filled than ever in Chicago’s history! pic.twitter.com/OqEGB3ZB2C
— Talkin’ Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) June 8, 2023
I’m going to my first Sox game of the season this month. I was dealing with session, but I also didn’t want to spend money to watch the dumpster fire when I could just watch one in Springfield…
* Illinois Times | Preparing for the centennial of Route 66: The effort, being coordinated by the Springfield-Sangamon County Regional Planning Commission with a $200,000 grant from the Illinois Department of Transportation, is taking place alongside planning to sketch out options for revitalizing housing stock and neighborhoods along a smaller section of Route 66.
* Daily Southtown | Protesters removed after disrupting Oak Lawn police commission meeting: Before Wednesday’s meeting, the groups said the commission removed three people from its May meeting, who shouted and interrupted the commissioners, and told them they were banned from the next meeting. The protesters claim that violates the Open Meetings Act.
* Illinois Times | Spreading fear about transgender people: YMCA of Springfield officials say “untrue statements” have been made online that a child was inappropriately exposed to male genitalia in a Y locker room by either a transgender female or a man pretending to be transgender. “These statements are false,” the nonprofit organization said in a news release June 2. “Any report of this nature would have been documented to authorities for investigation. The YMCA takes the protection of children very seriously.”
* Daily Herald | Bears have video chat with Chicago mayor ahead of possible stadium talks: “Today we met and discussed our shared values and commitment to the City of Chicago, the importance of deep roots and the need for equitable community investment throughout the city. We are both committed to the idea that the city and its major civic institutions must grow and evolve together to meet the needs of the future. We look forward to continuing the dialogue around these shared values.”
* Sun-Times | Johnson extends 12 weeks of parental leave to CPS: “I’m the mayor who said, ‘This is a really good idea. That we should get it done.’ And we got it done for the city. What sense would it make for me to then say, ‘But I want to deny it to every other person outside of the city of Chicago government proper’? That doesn’t make any sense. Think of the logic and the absurdity of that,” Lightfoot said on that day.
* Sun-Times | A list of every known Illinois resident charged in the U.S. Capitol breach: Thomas B. Adams Jr. of Springfield, an associate of Roy Franklin, was found guilty after a stipulated bench trial of obstruction of an official proceeding and aiding and abetting; and disorderly and disruptive conduct in a restricted building or grounds. He carried a “Trump” flag on the floor of the U.S. Senate during the breach. His sentencing is set for June 16.
* Fox Chicago | Thornton Township assessor says she was locked out of office after dispute with supervisor Tiffany Henyard: Not only had Elston been locked out of her own office, but boxes of sensitive documents she kept in her office were spread around the common area. “This was under lock and key,” Elston said, pointing to a box of files. “Now it’s just out in the open. So it has taxpayer’s names, addresses, telephone numbers, some of them even have a Social Security number.”
* Block Club | At These Chicago Churches, Drag Performers Are Welcomed With Open Arms: ‘God Is Calling On Us To Expand Our Circles’: A few churches throughout the city regularly invite drag artists to perform in their sanctuaries, help lead worship services and read storybooks to children. Drag artists say that these experiences have helped them to better connect with their spirituality through safe community spaces. Church leaders say developing a more inclusive community has attracted more parishioners and helped to counteract traditional church structures that have harmed people for centuries.
* Crain’s | Moving to Miami? Go for the weather — not for the tax break, Chicago.: For people with a $650,000 salary who move from San Francisco to Miami, the savings is ballparked at around $150,000. But for residents of Chicago, where the cost of living is cheaper than San Francisco or New York, the savings were only about $10,500.
* SJ-R | City of Springfield will pay out over wrongful death lawsuit from 2008: Without discussion, the Springfield City Council unanimously passed an emergency ordinance Tuesday executing payment in a wrongful death lawsuit brought by the family of a teenager who drowned at Lake Springfield Beach in 2007. It included a $750,000 judgment plus a little over $100,000 in accumulated interest and costs, Mayor Misty Buscher said afterwards.
* TPM | Climate Crisis Is On Track To Push One-Third Of Humanity Out Of Its Most Livable Environment: The research, which adds novel detail about who will be most affected and where, suggests that climate-driven migration could easily eclipse even the largest estimates as enormous segments of the earth’s population seek safe havens. It also makes a moral case for immediate and aggressive policies to prevent such a change from occurring, in part by showing how unequal the distribution of pain will be and how great the improvements could be with even small achievements in slowing the pace of warming.
* Crain’s | Muddy Waters house museum gets $1.1M grant, its biggest financial boost yet: The grant will go toward restoring the basement level, which will become the main exhibit space in the red brick two-flat at 4339 S. Lake Park Ave., and “will catapult us to the next level in the project,” Chandra Cooper, great granddaughter of the musician and president of Muddy Waters Mojo Museum, wrote in an email to Crain’s.
* Sun-Times | Chicago Blues Festival to kick off full force after pandemic cancellations, constraints: Nearly 50 acts will be spread across three stages this year, down from a pre-pandemic number of six stages — a change meant to eliminate sound bleed. The Jay Pritzker Pavilion will serve as the main stage and feature big names like John Primer and the Real Deal Blues Band at 7:45 p.m. Friday and Los Lobos at 7:45 p.m. Sunday.
Illinois’ first-ever student loan assistance program targeted to engineering students working at the Illinois Department of Transportation has become law with Governor JB Pritzker’s support and approval. The measure, sponsored by State Senator Ram Villivalam and supported by the American Council of Engineering Companies of Illinois (ACEC Illinois) creates a pilot program enabling the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) to provide student loan repayment assistance to qualifying employees that meet certain requirements, helping to attract and encourage educated professionals to work on the state’s highest priority infrastructure projects.
Introduced by Sen. Ram Villivalam, the program was proposed by ACEC Illinois, passed into law and funded by the General Assembly with the provision of $750,000 in the budget to support it pending the Governor’s approval. The proposal provides for higher education student loan repayment assistance in the form of annual after-tax bonuses of $15,000 per year for not more than 4 years, for up to 50 engineers employed by IDOT. This will help address the shortage of skilled talent in the industry and help IDOT attract engineers and other qualified professionals to work on the state’s infrastructure projects.
“The inclusion of funding in the budget gives Illinois a competitive advantage when it comes to recruiting and retaining engineering talent and ensures that IDOT attracts educated professionals to work on our state’s road and transportation infrastructure,” said Kevin Artl, President and CEO of the American Council of Engineering Companies of Illinois. There is currently a shortage of about 82,000 professionals in the industry and the provision of student loan assistance will help draw talent both in-state and out-of-state to deliver key projects on time and within budget. We look forward to working with our policymakers on further incentives that will help transform Illinois into the top destination for engineers.”
“The promise of ReBuild Illinois can only be realized when we have the best professionals working on our infrastructure projects,” said Sen. Ram Villivalam. “The provision of incentives to attract the engineers to our state is a key element in ensuring the success of that promise and I will continue to work with my colleagues and other stakeholders on more initiatives to attract the best engineers so that the state’s infrastructure projects are delivered to the highest professional standards.”
* The Question: Should this $15,000 per year student loan assistance program be expanded and, if so, to whom? Make sure to explain your answer. Thanks.
Illinois’ efforts to lure a major electric vehicle battery plant here finally may be close to striking gold, as Gov. J.B. Pritzker is personally negotiating with multiple companies to come here.
Among the lures: hundreds of millions of incentives, in part coming from a recently authorized state “deal closing fund,” and in part a willingness by local municipalities to consider the type of long-term property tax breaks that factory owners are demanding. […]
Much of the chatter is about a site just off of Interstate 80 in Morris, 24 miles southwest of Joliet and 62 miles from downtown Chicago in Grundy County.
The deals are serious enough that Pritzker interrupted leadership talks in Springfield on a new state budget a few days ago to travel to Morris and meet with executives of the interested company to tour a site on the east end of town, multiple sources with direct knowledge report. It’s not known if Pritzker joined in the helicopter tour of the land, but he reportedly offered more than $600 million in potential incentives for the plant.
Fingers crossed, but not counting on anything.
* As you’ll recall, Stellantis’ Belvidere plant was idled months ago. From January…
Illinois has submitted what could be its best offer to keep the Belvidere Assembly Plant operating and save what could be thousands of jobs.
U.S. Sen. Tammy Duckworth, D-Illinois, said during a visit to Rockford that her office is supporting local and state officials in their efforts to keep the Stellantis plant open in Belvidere where 5,000 people worked a few years ago. Although details are unavailable because talks are on-going, Duckworth said the state submitted its latest offer Friday night.
Almost five months later and still no word on Illinois’ “best offer.”
Ford Motor Co (F.N) on Monday unveiled an ambitious strategy to profitably ramp up electric vehicle sales but faces a challenge to slash $7 billion in costs and regain credibility on Wall Street. […]
Ford, whose shares fell 1% at midday, estimated its total costs are $7 billion higher than its competition.
One way is to reduce investment in hypercompetitive market segments such as two-row smaller SUVs, [Ford CEO Jim Farley] told industry analysts.
Uh-oh. Ford’s Chicago plant, the oldest factory the company operates, assembles the two-row Ford Explorer. It does, however, assemble the three-row Lincoln Aviator.
Volkswagen filed a federal lawsuit in December describing a bill that overwhelmingly passed both Illinois legislative chambers and was signed into law in 2021 as “crony capitalism at work: redistributive legislation that takes hundreds of millions of dollars from some (but not all) motor vehicle manufacturers and, for no public purpose, deposits that money directly into the pockets of politically favored Illinois [car] dealers.” […]
The manufacturers say the law is costing the industry $240 million a year. Yes, you read that right. $240 million. Per year. They claim Illinois has the highest warranty repair costs in the nation. By far. […]
The subsidies the state can offer simply don’t compare with the gigantic annual cost of that 2021 law. Couple that with our high local property taxes (these electric vehicle plants take up huge amounts of space) and other costs and hurdles (Ohio, like Illinois, is not a “right to work” state but has a new concierge system to quickly clear red tape), and you can see why the state hasn’t yet convinced a national or international corporation to construct an electric vehicle-related facility here.
If Pritzker can lure a big, jobs-rich EV-related plant here, convince Ford to keep its plant open and prod Stellantis into reopening its plant, then he’s a hero. But color me skeptical on all three.
I try hard not to be a negative Nellie, but this state has a well-deserved toxic reputation with the auto industry.
…Adding…According to this article, Georgia gave Hyundai a $1.8 billion incentive package for an electric vehicle plant. North Carolina used $1.2 billion in incentives to land VinFast, a Vietnamese electric vehicle manufacturer. And South Carolina’s $1.3 billion state incentives package for Volkswagen included a $200 million loan from the state. Illinois’ $600 million kinda pales in comparison.
Gov. J.B. Pritzker and state lawmakers have recently been trumpeting the great financial shape of Illinois. Balderdash. And they know it. There will almost certainly be state tax increases by 2025. […]
The state legislature’s own budget forecasting agency predicted in March that by one reasonable scenario, the state’s operating funds in calendar 2025 will run at a deficit of more than $3 billion annually, with a whopping $18 billion in unpaid bills (from a total budget of around $100 billion).
Scenario 3 assumes spending increases similar to the spending rates seen over the last five years of 7.1% per year on average. This scenario has the highest expenditure growth rate analyzed and leads to the least favorable results for the State. Expenditures grow to just over $61 billion by FY 2026. This scenario reflects deficits in all three years forecast and has the worst outcome when considering the aggregate accounts payable. After a surplus of $1.9 billion in FY 2023, a deficit of $3.1 billion occurs in FY 2024. This deficit grows to almost $6.4 billion in FY 2025 and $9.2 billion in FY 2026. Under this scenario, the accounts payable rises to $18.2 billion. This example shows that spending patterns seen in the past few years cannot continue without a comparable increase in revenues which is not seen in the Commission’s current estimates.
Trouble is, that particular COGFA scenario is pure fantasy, likely included merely as a “what if.” Nobody is advocating that. Revenue and spending in that five-year average included huge amounts of one-time federal money to deal with the massive COVID pandemic, which is no longer with us. The spending also included billions of dollars in one-time approps to pay down gigantic amounts of debt, including for pensions and the unemployment insurance trust fund, rather than put the money into the spending base.
That scenario projected FY24 revenues of $50.41 billion and spending of $53.54 billion, for a deficit of $3.13 billion. In the real world, actual projected revenues are $50.6 billion and spending is projected at $50.4 billion.
The current projected spending for FY24, by the way, is lower than all of COGFA’s scenarios, which as I’ve pointed out before were just numbers games played by accountants who should know better than put that stuff into publication.
That current projected spending is even lower than COGFA’s most optimistic scenario, which predicted $50.9 billion in spending and a $495 million deficit with a tiny $37 million accounts payable this coming fiscal year. Accounts payable would rise to $1.455 billion by the end of Fiscal Year 2026. However, a $3 billion accounts payable level is considered a “normal” 30-day payment cycle. Accounts payables of $1.455 billion would mean the state’s bills would likely be paid within a couple of weeks.
* First, he cherry picked the worst possible fantasy scenario, and then he goes on to predict what taxes will have to rise to fill a budget hole that will not exist…
Let’s say Democrats decide they need to raise $3 billion a year to fill that projected deficit. Where to find the money? […]
But we won’t likely tax services and pensions, nor will we abandon the effort, unnecessary in my mind, to build up the pension nest egg — all are too hot to handle politically.
So, I fear Illinois policymakers will revert to the tried, true and simple; that is, raise the income tax rate. This would, unfortunately, encourage further flight of job creators and their wealth from Illinois.
Look, I’m not saying that a revenue enhancement of some sort is not in the future. Subscribers were told about one possible tax reform effort yesterday.
All I’m saying is that using an obviously way-out-there fictional scenario to make bold predictions about the future is not sound reasoning.
Like most of the publications that we do at CGFA, the 3-year budget forecast is driven by a specific state mandate. […]
We had internal discussions when the report was written on whether we should continue to use the same scenarios as we have in the past and in the end we chose to present the same scenarios – which is exactly what they are – scenarios. They are not budget predictions. They are examples of what would occur given certain scenarios. We recognized that scenario (3) included a higher growth rate than we would normally predict, and that is why we included the text to explain why that rate was higher than normally seen. Although we wouldn’t expect those circumstances to occur again, those spending levels were driven by actual needs to pay down a backlog of bills after a multi-year budget impasse, and also to deal with a worldwide pandemic – items not too many would have deemed plausible a few years ago.
As with all of our publications, we will continue to review our methodology as we develop future reports.
Weiss, a son-in-law of former Cook County Assessor Joseph Berrios, is charged with wire fraud, mail fraud, bribery and lying to the FBI.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Christine O’Neill spent about 15 minutes laying out the case to jurors Tuesday, alleging that Weiss bribed Arroyo and Link and then lied to the FBI about it, even claiming he’d spoken to a fictional “ghost of a person” named “Katherine Hunter” who was invented by the FBI as part of their investigation.
Then Sorosky took his turn, using nearly an hour to explain away allegations first leveled against his client in October 2020. Among them is the claim that Weiss paid $32,500 in bribes to Arroyo, who then pushed the sweepstakes legislation in the General Assembly. […]
Still, Weiss also hoped to pass sweepstakes legislation in the Illinois General Assembly. When his bill didn’t go anywhere, Sorosky said Weiss asked Arroyo to set up a meeting with Link, a key legislator on gaming.
Three weeks later, Link was again wearing an FBI wire when Arroyo allegedly delivered the first of the promised $2,500 checks at a pancake house in Skokie, O’Neill said. Arroyo and Weiss had driven to the meeting together, but Weiss stayed in the car. […]
O’Neill said that at the direction of the FBI, Link had them make the check out to a purported associate named “Katherine Hunter,” who didn’t actually exist.
When Weiss was later questioned by agents, he lied and said Hunter was a a lobbyist who lived in Winnetka and that he’d spoken to her on the phone, O’Neill said.
Sorosky, however, said Weiss did not intentionally lie to any federal official. Instead, during a “surprise” interview, he “did his best to cooperate with the FBI agent and tell the FBI agent the truth as best as he knew it,” Sorosky said.
* Moving on to yesterday’s coverage via the Sun-Times…
Under cross-examination by defense attorney Ilia Usharovich, Rita and Munoz confirmed that Arroyo never offered them any bribe.
But when the gaming bill passed without the sweepstakes provision, the feds say Arroyo and Weiss turned to Link, meeting with him at a Wendy’s restaurant in Highland Park on Aug. 2, 2019.
Jurors on Wednesday heard excerpts of the recording Link made of the meeting inside the restaurant that day. Though the conversation was difficult to hear in the courtroom gallery, it came across as a legitimate chat about the legislation — amid a fast-food restaurant soundtrack that included “Broken Wings” by Mr. Mister.
When the trial resumes Monday, prosecutors are expected to play a key portion of the recording, when Link and Arroyo excused themselves from the table to talk privately outside. FBI agents stationed outside took surveillance photos of the two legislators talking that are expected to be shown next week.
“This is you and I talkin’ now. Nobody else,” Link said to Arroyo once they were alone, according to the charges.
“Whatever you tell me stays between you and me,” Arroyo allegedly responded. “That’s my word.”
During their purportedly private talk, Link told Arroyo he was “in the twilight” of his career and was “looking for something” to bolster his income. Arroyo said he would “make sure that you’re rewarded for what you do, for what we’re gonna do moving forward,” according to court records.
* Jason Meisner…
Munoz getting testy over questions about taking money from video gaming industry. "They didn’t pay me when I was in office," he says. You have control of your campaign account right? Sir I stated they gave it to the campaign
Rita says he had no idea how an amendment was proposed to legalize sweepstakes and removed it. Asked if he thought someone tried to sneak in the language, Rita said it appeared so
Weeks later, Weiss and Arroyo again traveled north to see Link, this time at a diner in Skokie. But Weiss was left in the car for that Aug. 20, 2019, meeting while Arroyo went inside to deliver three things to Link: Weiss’ business card, a copy of draft legislation that would explicitly legalize sweepstakes machines, and a signed $2,500 check with the payee line left blank.
Link told Arroyo that the name on the check would be a “friend” of Link’s named Katherine Hunter – who turned out to be a fictional person made up by the feds.
Sorosky told the jury on Tuesday that Weiss honestly believed that Katherine Hunter existed, and therefore hired her in good faith to appease Link, who at the time was the lead negotiator on gambling legislation in the Illinois Senate.
He also directed the jury to focus on Link’s “What’s in it for me?” question to Arroyo, noting that it occurred “outside the hearing and presence of Jim Weiss” and was a clear indicator that Link solicited a bribe at the behest of federal agents.
“And with all due respect,” Sorosky said, “the original bribe in this case is created by the government.”
* Jon Seidel of the Sun-Times…
Trial testimony is now ending for the week. Judge Seeger has said he has something to do in Washington, D.C., and needs to leave today.
NEW: Federal prosecutors just filed surveillance photos of former state Rep. Luis Arroyo with businessman James Weiss. They say the pics were taken Oct. 17, 2019. That was less than two weeks before charges against Arroyo were unveiled. pic.twitter.com/i7up6Gmymx
* For a publication dedicated almost solely to excerpting other outlets’ product, you’d think they would try to avoid insulting so many reporters by broadly mischaracterizing their work…
Almost unnoticed was a reduction veto — only Pritzker’s second veto in the five years he’s signed budgets. In a statement, the governor’s office described it as a fix for an “inadvertent” mistake when lawmakers last month voted themselves a 5.5 percent raise. State law says the maximum they can get is 5 percent. The tweak puts legislative salaries at $89,250 starting July 1, instead of $89,675.
Almost unnoticed? Only if you think unnoticed means ubiquitous.
Lawmakers To Receive 5 Percent Pay Raise After Gov. Pritzker Signs Largest State Budget Ever […]
The budget will also include another pay raise for Illinois lawmakers. The annual cost of living increase for state lawmakers is capped at 5% or the rate of inflation, whichever is lower. The increase in pay was set for legislators at 5.5% but was vetoed by Pritzker and brought down to a 5% increase due to the cap on the COLA’s.
* ABC Chicago | Governor JB Pritzker signs $50B state budget: The governor signed it into law at Christopher House, a Pre-K through eighth grade nonprofit school, to highlight, among many aspects of the budget, the money the state is investing in early childhood development.
* Sun-Times | Former state Sen. Terry Link testifies about his cooperation with FBI — which he once denied: The first day of testimony in Weiss’ trial also featured appearances by state Rep. Robert “Bob” Rita and former state Sen. Antonio “Tony” Munoz. For Rita, it was his second time testifying in federal court in less than three months about bribery schemes at the Illinois Capitol. But only Link had to explain his own crimes to the jury. The former senator told the panel that he’d withdrawn money from his campaign account and, he said, “I used some for gambling.”
* NBC Chicago | Bears CEO Kevin Warren and Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson issue statement as team explores options: “Today we met and discussed our shared values and commitment to the city of Chicago, the importance of deep roots and the need for equitable community investment throughout the city,” the statement read. “We are both committed to the idea that the city and its major civic institutions must grow and evolve together to meet the needs of the future. We look forward to continuing the dialogue around these shared values.”
* WTTW | Mayor Brandon Johnson ‘Looking Forward’ to Continuing Work with CPS CEO Pedro Martinez: Johnson called out Martinez and other education leaders during his inauguration speech last month, saying: “I need you. We can do this together.” If Martinez remains in his position into next year, he’ll be tasked with negotiating a new labor agreement with the CTU, whose current deal is set to expire in 2024.
* Illinois Answers | A Popular Affordable Housing Initiative Is Ripe For Expansion in Chicago — But When?: The Additional Dwelling Unit (ADU) program has led to the construction of nearly 500 relatively affordable new homes since May 2021, mostly on the city’s North and Northwest sides — two of five “pilot zones” where the program has been rolled out. But advocates say that only represents a sliver of its potential, arguing city leaders need to put more money behind the program.
* Tribune | Wisconsin Republicans block meningitis vaccine requirement for students: The Legislature’s vote also makes it easier for parents to get an exemption from a chicken pox vaccine requirement that is in place for all K-6 students. Evers’ administration wanted to require parents seeking a chicken pox vaccination exemption to provide proof that their child has previously been infected.
* Sun-Times | Chicago Blues Festival to kick off full force after pandemic cancellations, constraints: After three years of pandemic blues, the Chicago Blues Festival is back in full force, and the free, four-day star-studded affair kicks off Thursday in Millennium Park with hometown hero Wayne Baker Brooks. “Words can’t express the way I’m feeling about it. Music is how I get my emotions across,” said Brooks, who leans into a bit of advice the late blues legend Albert King passed along when Brooks was 19 and trying to decide between playing drums and guitar.
* Scott Holland | Do we really need to ponder a new state flag?: Illinoisans understand how a flawless flag design becomes a ubiquitous, pride-inspiring pennant because Chicago’s is one of the best anywhere. NAVA should consider adding additional principles for flag design: must look cool as a tattoo, as a patch for city workers and vehicles, or easily blended into sports logos and uniforms.
Sterling Bay is trying to strike a deal with the Chicago Teachers Pension Fund to bail out Lincoln Yards, a move that could help jump-start the stalled North Side megadevelopment, inflict hefty losses on the original backers of the ambitious $6 billion project and offer the developer a lifeline amid a financial storm that threatens its control over major pieces of its high-profile local portfolio.
With the real estate firm under growing pressure to raise money to recapitalize the 53-acre mixed-use campus planned along the Chicago River between Lincoln Park and Bucktown, the pension fund’s investment committee voted during a May 23 meeting to investigate an opportunity to become Sterling Bay’s primary financial partner on the development, according to a video of the public meeting and investor documents obtained by Crain’s. […]
CTPF Chief Investment Officer Fernando Vinzons said in a statement to Crain’s that the discussions around Lincoln Yards are only “conceptual at this point” and that the investment committee would still need to recommend the Lincoln Yards deal to its Board of Trustees, which would ultimately have to sign off on any funding commitment, a process that could take months. […]
Questions and answers in the document — which came in response to a presentation during the virtual meeting with investors in April — paint a picture of a fund grappling with financial strain while Sterling Bay seeks ways to generate liquidity to avoid defaulting on loans, maintain confidence of its existing investors and convince them to double down on properties moving forward.
General Iron previously occupied the Sterling Bay site, but it’s still facing an uphill battle to reopen…
There’s been no response from executives of a metal shredder operation to the latest protest from people living on Chicago’s Southeast Side, who are fighting a judge’s ruling that would clear the way for the company to operate in their backyard.
What a mess.
* This is not happening with any of my browsers, but a buddy said he’s getting this message on all three of his. Anyone else having this issue?…
A recent attempt by power plant owners to engineer a bailout of PJM Interconnection — a behind-the-scenes organization that runs our power grid — didn’t gain big headlines. But it exposes a dirty little secret about fossil fuels that has a major impact on our electric bills.
Too often, dirty power generators can’t perform when customers need them most, and their recent actions at PJM (which ultimately failed) proves they know it.
PJM, which serves ComEd customers and about 60 million others in a dozen states, is the nation’s largest power grid operator. On May 11, members of PJM, among them operators of coal and natural gas power plants, narrowly voted to recommend reducing, by as much as 90%, the fines they must pay if they can’t operate in future emergencies — despite being paid to be on standby.
At the time, fossil fuel plants were raising a stink about being fined $1.8 billion by PJM for underperformance during the multi-state winter storm Elliott last December. PJM narrowly avoided having to implement rolling blackouts as nearly 46 gigawatts of plants — about enough to power California — went down in that terrible holiday storm. The grid operator was forced to ask everyday consumers to conserve electricity on Christmas Eve.
Fossil fuel operators like to brag about their reliability, but about 90% of those outages were at gas or coal plants. Similarly, failing gas plants were the biggest problem in the deadly Texas outages of 2021.
[Sen. Patricia Van Pelt, D-Chicago] refuses to resign so Senate President Don Harmon (D-Oak Park) can appoint a replacement.
“Last year, she told (Harmon) she was going to do nothing this year, tell people she was having a medical procedure done, then resign. She didn’t want to come to Springfield anymore,” the source said. “But she drew a four-year term, not a two-year as she expected. So she now wants to cash in on the gig and keep her state paycheck for a while longer.”
Sources say they didn’t see Van Pelt cast a single floor vote during the past legislative session. She didn’t participate in committee hearings, or vote on a single bill in any of them, either.
“She was no-show all session,” one source said. “Dr. Pat never appeared in Springfield once. I never saw her.”
Harmon doesn’t appoint new members.
Van Pelt was indeed supposed to retire earlier this year. I did a subscriber story on it months ago. But then something happened. Here’s Liz Mitchell from the Senate Democrats..
Senator Van Pelt had a series of medical procedures that turned out to be more extensive than originally expected. We are wishing her well in her recovery.
BREAKING: Footage of the George Washington Bridge that connects New Jersey and New York City amid smoke from Canada wildfires.pic.twitter.com/d3FhjdRy6W
— The Spectator Index (@spectatorindex) June 7, 2023
* Isabel’s roundup…
* Chalkbeat | Chicago Public Schools violating state law on use of restraint, timeout in school, state says: Documents obtained by Chalkbeat Chicago show that untrained staff restrained or secluded students for long periods of time, used outlawed methods of restraint, and restrained students who were not a threat to themselves or others. The state has repeatedly warned CPS since the fall that it is not complying with state law on restraint and timeout. In multiple letters sent to the district this school year, the state cites the district for not properly training staff and not notifying parents within a legally required 24-hour time frame when a child has been restrained at school. The state defines physical restraint as holding a student or other methods to restrict a student’s movement.
* SJ-R | Pritzker signs $50.4 billion budget, championing investments in education: Among the budget’s other highlights include a $350 million investment into homelessness prevention and a $100 million increase towards the Monetary Award Program. Paired together with a Pell grant, nearly all community college students in the state can have their tuition covered with MAP, where the state will invest $701 million into the program in FY 2024.
* Sun-Times | Pritzker touts early education funding, signs $50.4 billion budget called ‘fiscally responsible and compassionate’: “Here we are four years later, and just look at what at we’ve accomplished. We eliminated overdue bills, paid down $10.5 billion in debt, including pension debt. Our once-empty Rainy Day Fund is now rising to $2 billion. Our GDP has surpassed $1 trillion, and we have more jobs available than ever before. And independently, and if you don’t love all of that,” Pritzker said to applause, “independently, each of the major credit rating agencies has given us multiple credit upgrades.”
* Tribune | Some migrant students celebrate first — and last — days of school only weeks apart as CPS scrambles to enroll them: Officials say that despite their temporary living situations in respite centers, shelters and police stations, enrolling the children in school provides immediate access to education, as well as summer programs in academics and sports. Higher enrollment in the neighborhood school could also ensure more funding and resources for neighborhood schools, said Ald. Michael Rodriguez, 22nd.
* AP | New York City goes after Hyundai, Kia after security flaw leads to wave of social media fueled theft: Viral how-to videos on TikTok and other sites show how to start the cars using only USB cables and a screwdriver. The reason is that some models sold by Hyundai and Kia in the U.S. came without engine immobilizers, a standard feature on most cars since the 1990s that prevent the engine from starting unless the key is present.
* Illinois Newsroom | Pride performance kicks off Allerton Park Concert Series: The first concert of the series has traditionally been called LOVE FOR ALLerton, but senior event coordinator Olivia Bunting said this is the first year that the concert really lived up to the theme. “It was always the intent behind that ‘Love for All’ name, but this year, it is a full-fledged Pride event,” Bunting said.
* Chicago Mag | NASCAR’s Chicago Street Race: If your mouth was already watering for the Taste of Chicago, you’ll have to wait even longer: The race bumped Taste from its regular July slot back to September. Navy Pier’s fireworks display is still on track for July 1, but the combination of race attendees and Independence Day crowds suggests getting close to the rockets’ red glare will be a bigger battle than Fort McHenry. Maggie Daley Park will remain open, if your idea of a peaceful day at the park includes the din of stock car motors. If you choose to head downtown, do what Chicago’s own stock car racers have always done: Opt for Lower Wacker Drive.
* WBEZ | For parents who bike in congested Chicago, it’s a summer of riding defensively: As summer biking season kicks into gear, so does vigilance and activism among cycling parents. Increasingly, they’re banding together online and on the streets to find the safest routes and best gear setups. They’re also lobbying alderpeople and Chicago’s new mayor for concrete changes to make biking safer. (The mayor’s office declined a request for an interview about Mayor Brandon Johnson’s bike infrastructure plans).
* Gov. Pritzker was asked earlier today about state funding of Chicago’s effort to deal with asylum seekers…
I’ve seen and met with the mayor many times. And more importantly, my staff and his staff have been meeting. I would say it probably averages out to three times a week, talking about a variety of issues, but importantly, how to manage the asylum seekers that are coming to our city to our state, and where the resources will come from.
We both agree, of course, that the federal government needs to step up here. They have dollars that have been allocated in the budget from prior legislation that was passed at the federal level for asylum seekers in the states. And so we’re anticipating being able to get more of those dollars. They only issued checks, essentially, for a small amount so far. But there’s much more that’s available. I think the total program [is] potentially $800 million for the country. So we intend to get our fair share of that.
And then, of course, the state, I want to remind everybody, people always focus on whether the state is funding the city. Remember, the state is spending money for the city with our resources, our staff, our Department of Human Services. And so it isn’t like, well, we’re not supporting the efforts in Chicago. In fact, we are putting forward a multiple of the money that the city of Chicago has put forward in order to help the city of Chicago to manage this crisis.
Interestingly, I think you’ve all seen, there are many, many fewer asylum seekers that have come into the United States since May 11. I think that’s surprising to many people, but the Biden administration knew what it was doing in managing it. And so we anticipate, although they’ve emptied out shelters in Texas to send them initially after May 11, but the truth is that there are fewer and fewer migrants that are coming across the border. And therefore we anticipate, at some point, a drop in the number that will be coming to Illinois.
* The governor’s optimism about the federal government earlier today turns out to be false hope. New York City just got a huge amount of federal money. Chicago? Not so much…
New York City is set to receive $104.6 million in federal funds to help cover the cost of providing services to asylum-seekers, two of the state’s highest ranking elected officials said Wednesday.
The injection of cash comes as more than 72,000 migrants have passed through the city since last spring, with more than 44,000 currently in the city’s care.
“Today’s funds represent a strong step in the right direction — which better recognizes and rewards New York City’s unique challenge,” Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) and U.S. Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) said in a joint statement. […]
The city’s $104.6 allocation through the new federal Shelter and Services Program, however, constitutes around 30 percent of the money announced Wednesday and is much larger than payments to other cities. A person with knowledge of the allocations told POLITICO San Diego would be receiving $15 million and Chicago $10 million.
Thanks, Sen. Durbin.
To be fair, NYC has had to deal with far more asylum seekers than Chicago. 72,000 vs. more than 8,000. And, hopefully, the easing crisis at the border will continue.
* Before the SAFE-T Act was scheduled to take effect last December, state’s attorneys and others filed suits in multiple counties in what appeared to be a deliberate attempt to overload the attorney general’s office. Hearings in different counties were scheduled at the same time.
Tom DeVore avoided taking his pro-covid cases to higher courts because he was content to file lawsuits in friendly counties and just obtain exemptions for his clients, like Darren Bailey. Eventually, all covid cases were consolidated by the Supreme Court in Sangamon County.
DeVore was also charging clients $200 each to get in on lawsuits against the assault weapons ban in friendly counties.
Democratic Gov. J.B. Pritzker on Tuesday signed into law a measure that requires lawsuits challenging the constitutionality of executive orders or state laws to be filed in either Cook or Sangamon county.
The Democratic-controlled state legislature passed the bill along party lines last month. Democrats who supported the legislation said it was necessary to prevent people with a grievance against the state from selecting the county in which to file a lawsuit based on where they think they can get a favorable ruling. […]
State Rep. Dan Caulkins of Decatur, who has sued the state over the sweeping gun ban signed into law in January, voiced similar objections during the floor debate on the bill last month.
“They pass unconstitutional laws to make law-abiding citizens criminals, and then they make those same citizens travel hundreds of miles to a kangaroo court that they control,” Caulkins said of Democrats. “Tyrants are always the same, whether kings or lawless Chicago politicians.”
Rep. Caulkins is currently suing the state over a constitutional issue and he didn’t vote Present.
And while I do appreciate the fact that some people will have to hire a distant lawyer or pay their attorney to travel to Springfield or Chicago, constitutional challenges are often appealed, so many would eventually wind up in Springfield anyway.
* From Senate Republican Leader John Curran…
“Courts exist to serve the people, which is why they are located where people live. This legislation is clearly an attempt by the Governor and the Attorney General to send constitutional challenges to courts that they believe will be more favorable to the Administration.
“In doing so, they are discrediting judges in suburban and downstate Illinois, and creating geographic barriers to citizens accessing our court system. I continue to strongly oppose this legislation that creates unnecessary burdens for people exercising their legal rights.”
* From a Democratic staff analysis of the legislation…
Other statutes that require venue in Cook or Sangamon:
• 15 ILCS 205/10(c) - Cases brought by the Attorney General of Illinois to eliminate pattern or practice of constitutional violations must be brought in Cook or Sangamon
• 15 ILCS 205/7 - Cases brought by the Attorney General of Illinois to compel compliance with Section 3.5 of the Open Meetings Act are to be brought in Sangamon or Cook County.
• 225 ILCS 107/150 - Judicial review of certain final administrative decisions under the Professional Counselor and Clinical Professional Counselor Licensing and Practice Act brought by a person not residing in any Illinois county must be brought in Sangamon County.
• 205 ILCS 740/26 - Judicial review of certain final administrative decisions relating to the Collection Agency Act by a person not residing in any Illinois county must be brought in either Cook or Sangamon.
• 225 ILCS 427/145 - Judicial review of certain final administrative decisions relating to the Community Association Manager Licensing and Disciplinary Act by a person not residing in any Illinois county must be brought in either Cook or Sangamon.
Probably not the most solid precedent, but it does exist.
Legislation awaiting the governor’s signature could prevent situations like the one in which a South Elgin High School student was told to remove a Hispanic academic scholarship stole the day of her commencement ceremony.
State Sen. Cristina Castro, D-Elgin, is the chief co-sponsor of a bill introduced in February that addresses the issue and ensures students have a right to wear stoles, sashes or cords related to their “cultural, ethnic or religious” identities.
The legislation was written and sponsored by Sen. Suzy Glowiak Hilton, D-Oakbrook Terrace, in response to an incident last year in which an Evanston Township High School senior was told he could not wear his Native American regalia at graduation.
If approved, school district dress code policies “shall not prohibit the right of a student to wear or accessorize the student’s graduation attire with items associated with the student’s cultural, ethnic or religious identity or any other protected characteristic or category identified in the Illinois Human Rights Act.”
Items deemed obscene or derogatory toward others are prohibited, according to the bill.
A bill to suspend an assessment test for future teachers is now one step closer to becoming law.
In Illinois, college students are required to take a teacher performance assessment test known as edTPA to get their license. The assessment has prospective teachers put together video clips of them teaching and design lesson plans. The test costs $300.
Illinois Governor JB Pritzker issued an executive order during the COVID-19 pandemic that waived the testing requirement, but that expired last month. If the bill passes, that requirement would be waived until the end of August 2025. […]
The bill would also create a task force to study different evaluation tests for teachers, as well as look at creating a new one that could be implemented across the state.
That group would have to give a report of its finding to the Board of Education and the General Assembly before August 1, 2024.
Baby steps are to be celebrated. At least they mark some sort of forward momentum. But in the case of efforts to remove polystyrene food containers from the waste stream, last month’s efforts by the General Assembly seem too feeble to warrant much applause.
Still, it’s something.
The House passed a bill seeking to prohibit state agencies from buying disposable food containers that are made with polystyrene foam (read: Styrofoam) starting in 2025. A year later, state agencies and vendors that sell food on state properties, such as state parks, no longer would be able to use plastic foam containers. […]
It’s a tip-of-the-iceberg solution. Food containers served at state facilities make up a small fraction of all of the fast food, carryout and doggie bag containers used in restaurants and food stands in Illinois.
Gong-Gershowitz landed a guppy, but the big fish got away.
She also championed a bill seeking to eradicate single-use plastic foam containers statewide – not just in sectors controlled by the state – but that idea flopped in the Senate.
After successfully using a drone in the search for the gunman during the mass shooting at Henry Pratt Co. in Aurora in 2019, Aurora police are pleased that legislation recently passed by the General Assembly would allow for greater use of drones for security operations. […]
Aurora police approached state Sen. Linda Holmes, D-Aurora, and state Rep. Barbara Hernandez, D-Aurora, and asked for the change in drone rules in 2021, officials said. Holmes and Hernandez sponsored the bill in Springfield. […]
Under the measure, drones could not be weaponized and facial identity systems could only be used if necessary to prevent “imminent harm to life.” The bill sets specific limits on where and how drones can be used, restricts photography and adds reporting and retention constraints. In addition, only events held in public outdoor spaces owned by the state, county or municipality can see the use of the drones, according to the legislation.
“It’s another tool in the toolbox to try and prevent a tragedy,” Holmes said.
Gov. J.B. Pritzker could soon modify a diversion program for first-time nonviolent firearms offenses that would give younger defendants probation rather than prison.
Such a measure was first put into House Bill 676 as part of an omnibus gun control measure that never advanced. The policy stands alone in Senate Bill 424 and made it through both chambers with bipartisan support before lawmakers adjourned last month.
State Sen. Ram Villivalam, D-Chicago, said the program that started in 2017 has broad support.
“This legislation has no opposition, has a broad spectrum of support from gun violence prevention groups, criminal justice reform groups, the Illinois State’s Attorney Association, the Illinois Association of Police Chiefs,” Villivalam said.
* I think Maine is making a solid choice…
Like Illinois, Maine's current state flag consists of the state seal. Like Illinois, they are exploring a change: https://t.co/C3bU1r6lGs
* Gov. JB Pritzker was asked today about Republican claims that the newly signed state budget doesn’t account for union contract negotiations…
We built into the agencies’ budgets - we have, as you know, quite a number of agencies - we built in what we thought might be the appropriate amount of money for what we expect from that AFSCME negotiation. So that’s in the budget already. That’s a you know, once again, one of those false things that Republicans like to say about the budget, but it is in the budget.
Pritzker went on to say “we’re hopefully reaching a pinnacle” in the contract talks.
The Fiscal Year 2024 General Funds budget plan reflects projected revenues of $50.611 billion and expenditures of $50.428 billion, resulting in a $183 million surplus.
Highlights from the budget package include:
Commitment to Fiscal Responsibility – 5th balanced budget
The Fiscal Year 2024 budget framework builds upon four years of historic fiscal progress with a commitment to balanced budgets, eight credit rating upgrades, a Rainy Day Fund set to surpass $2 billion, the elimination of the bill backlog, and $1 trillion in GDP. This year’s investments include:
• $200 million additional pension payment beyond what’s required, bringing total pension stabilization investments to $700 million
• $450 million to pay off Railsplitter Authority bonded debt – saving the state up to $60 million in interest
• An enacted plan to address the long-term structural deficit in the Community College Insurance Program (CIP), a health insurance program for retired community college employees
• $85 million in additional funding to communities through the Local Government Distributive Fund with an increase in the state’s revenue sharing formula.
Early Childhood Education and Childcare Funding
A highlight of the budget is $250 million to fund the first year of Smart Start Illinois, the Governor’s early childhood initiative to eliminate preschool deserts, stabilize the childcare workforce, and expand the Early Intervention and Home Visiting programs.
This multi-year program provides a comprehensive approach to investments in preparing children to be lifelong learners. Year one targeted investments include the following:
• An additional $75 million for the Early Childhood Block Grant at the Illinois State Board of Education to increase preschool availability while improving the quality of education. This funding is the first step in working to eliminate “preschool deserts” by December 2027 through adding more than 20,000 slots for preschool aged children and the ability to serve thousands more infants and toddlers through the Prevention Initiative. This brings funding for the Early Childhood Block Grant program to nearly $673 million, $179 million more than when Governor Pritzker took office.
• Invests $130 million and additional federal dollars to begin funding for Early Childhood Workforce Compensation Contracts to stabilize operational funding and promote quality in the childcare system. The proposed development of the contract funding model stems from recommendations made by the Early Childhood Funding Commission.
• Invests an additional $40 million for Early Intervention programs to provide funds for an expected increase in participants and a 10 percent rate increase for providers.
• $5 million to expand DHS’ Home Visiting Program.
Additional early childhood investments to support the plan include the following:
• $70 million to cover an expected increase in Childcare Assistance Program (CCAP) participation and annualize rate increases from Fiscal Year 2023.
• $20 million to begin upgrading the child care payment management system.
• Federal funding for Early Childhood Access Consortium for Equity (ECACE) Scholarships for tuition, fees and other costs of attendance.
• $1.6 million to launch Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library statewide, an initiative that allows families to register their children to receive free, high-quality books in the mail from birth to age five no matter the family’s income.
K-12 Education
• $350 million increase for K-12 evidence-based funding (EBF) formula. ISBE uses the tiered formula to distribute state funding based on need. This investment brings the total annual EBF program to $8.279 billion, or a $1.443 billion increase in annual base funding during the Pritzker administration. In total, schools will have received an additional $4.0 billion in EBF funds over five years.
• $45 million for the first year of a three-year pilot to fill teacher vacancies, plus additional investments in scholarships for future teachers.The funding will be allocated to the State’s school districts which experience some of the most significant hurdles to attract and retain teachers.
• $3 million for computer science education investments to expand grants to school districts and professional development opportunities for teachers while promoting equitable access to coursework.
Higher Education
The Fiscal Year 2024 budget continues to make college more affordable with historic increases in funding for public universities, community colleges and financial aid.
• $100 million increase to $701 million for Monetary Assistance Program (MAP) grant funding, so that virtually everyone at or below the median income can go to community college for free. This funding is the latest step in a 75 percent increase for MAP since 2019.
• $100 million increase in operating funds for public universities ($80.5 million) and community colleges ($19.4 million) – the highest increases in more than two decades
• Increases funding for AIM HIGH merit-based scholarships by $15 million to a total of $50 million. HB301 will make the program permanent.
• Includes new funding to support community college investments, including:
o $8.3 million for dual-credit and non-credit workforce grant programs;
o $11 million for curriculum development related to advanced manufacturing, electric vehicle and data center workforce training programs;
o $2 million for technology upgrades for digital instruction in WIOA Title II Adult Education programs; and
o $750,000 to expand English language services to non-English speaking communities.
• An additional $3.8 million for the Minority Teacher Scholarship program
• Continues funding of $25 million for the Pipeline for the Advancement of the Healthcare (PATH) Workforce Program, to train new nurses, medical assistants, medical laboratory technicians, emergency medical technicians and other high-demand positions.
• Additional funds for the Diversifying Higher Education Faculty in Illinois (DFI) program to provide holistic supports for fellows, beyond their stipend. This would include a new orientation program, conference attendance, and a graduate symposium to help them prepare for and find employment in Illinois.
• Includes $3 million for the Department of Public Health (DPH) to implement the Equity and Representation in Health Care Workforce Repayment Program and Scholarship Program per PA 102-0942.
Health and Human Services
• Nearly $75 million increase for DCFS to hire 192 staff, expand training and protection, increase scholarships for youth in care, and improve facilities
• More than $500 million in new state and federal funds to support the state’s healthcare system
• Approximately $240 million increase to better serve Illinoisans with developmental disabilities
• $42.5 million for grants to counties and cities for their costs associated with asylum seekers
• $22.8 million in funding to begin implementing the new Children’s Behavioral Health Transformation Initiative
• $18 million increase to support reproductive health initiatives
• $24 million for a rate increase for home workers who assist the elderly, increased outreach to the elderly, and an increase for Adult Day Services
• $10 million for a state-based health insurance marketplace to help expand healthcare access
• $1.2 million for a division of healthcare access at the Department of Insurance
• $53.5 million to overhaul IDPH’s disease monitoring IT systems and prepare for future public health emergencies
• $35 million increase for TANF to address an increase in caseload, make inflation adjustments and increase eligibility from 30 percent to 35 percent of the federal poverty level $41 million for youth employment and summer job programs
Addressing Homelessness
Home Illinois is a multi-agency effort to support homeless prevention, provide affordable housing, support crisis response, expand housing support and increase the number of staff focused on assisting people experiencing homelessness. Housed at the Illinois Department of Human Services, Home Illinois involves many state agencies and partners including the Illinois Housing Development Authority, the Department of Healthcare and Family Services, the Illinois Department of Corrections, and the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity. The budget includes an $85 million increase, bringing state funding to over $350 million, to support homelessness prevention.
The funds in support of this work include:
• More than $118 million to support unhoused populations seeking shelter and services, including $40.7 million in the Emergency and Transitional Housing Program.
• $50 million in Rapid ReHousing services for 2,000 households, including short-term rental assistance and targeted support for up to two years.
• $40 million in Permanent Supportive Housing (PSH) Capital funds to develop more than 90 new PSH units providing long term rental assistance and case management.
• $37 million in Emergency Shelter capital funds to create more than 460 non-congregate shelter units.
• More than $35 million for supportive housing services homeless youth services, street outreach, medical respite, re-entry services, access to counsel and other shelter diversion supports
• $30 million for court-based rental assistance.
• $21.8 million to provide homelessness prevention services to 6,000 more families.
• $15 million to fund Home Illinois Innovations Pilots
• $12.5 million to create 500 new scattered site PSH units.
Public Safety and Violence Prevention
• Continues the multi-year commitment of $250 million for the Reimagine Public Safety Act to prevent gun violence and expanded funding for youth employment programs
• Includes $200 million for the Restore, Reinvest, and Renew (R3) grant program, a $75 million increase
• Includes $40 million — $20 million each — in funding for the Office of the State Appellate Defender and the Office of the State’s Attorney Appellate Prosecutor to carry out responsibilities under the new Pre-trial Services Act.
• Provides $16.1 million to support two cadet classes to hire and train 200 additional sworn troopers to address the rising need for officers throughout the State, bringing the total number of officers to 1,800.
• Includes operational and administrative support funding for the new seven-member Firearm Owner’s Identification Card Review Board, created by PA 102-0237, which reviews appeals from card applicants.
• Includes more than $2.1 million for Safe2Help Illinois, a 24/7 program where students can share information on safety issues in a confidential environment.
• Provides an additional $18 million funding round for the Illinois Nonprofit Security Grant Program per PA 100-0508, which will provide grants and support to organizations throughout the State for security improvements that assist in preventing, preparing for or responding to acts of terrorism
• Includes $30 million for the Law Enforcement Camera Grant Program to provide reimbursement to local law enforcement agencies for in-car cameras, body cameras and data storage.
• Includes $10 million for the Law Enforcement Recruitment and Retention Fund to provide resources to local law enforcement agencies for recruitment of new officers, retention plans, mental health care for officers, safety equipment and training, and improvement in local jails.
• Includes $2.5 million for the Illinois Terrorism Task Force Gaps Report to establish a baseline for public safety response capabilities
• Continues the Department of Juvenile Justice’s 21st Century Transformation Plan that includes operational costs for its new facility in Lincoln, scheduled for opening in late Fiscal Year 2024.
• Includes $13 million in funding for the Adult Redeploy Program, an increase of $1 million to allow for continued program expansion.
Government Services
• $16.5 million for a multi-year initiative to modernize the state’s professional licensing system at the Department of Financial and Professional Regulation and additional funds for a call center to assist in the transition.
• $32.5 million to the Secretary of State to implement the REAL ID program
• Over $75 million for the Secretary of State to begin to modernize the office’s computer systems
Economic and Community Development
• $400 million to close major economic development deals and attract businesses and jobs to the state
• Expanded workforce development programs to build a pipeline in the industries of the future, like data center, electric vehicles, and clean energy
• $20 million to the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO) for Rebuild Illinois Downtowns and Main Streets Capital Program to provide additional community revitalization funding
• $40 million for forgivable loans to launch more social equity cannabis businesses
• $10 million to fund a “one-stop business portal” to foster entrepreneurship
• $2 million for a new Office of Rural Economic Development intended to connect communities and improve access to state and federal aid through outreach or technical assistance from rural navigators.
• $2.5 million to establish an Office of Outdoor Recreation to promote tourism at destinations around the State and grow the outdoor recreation economy of Illinois
• $10 million for a Clean Energy Career and Technical Education Pilot Program for high schools
• $20 million to address food insecurity in urban and rural communities through incentivizing the opening of grocery stores and providing grants for equipment upgrades to existing small grocers through the Illinois Grocery Initiative
• Includes $30 million for agriculture programs that improve the availability and accessibility of nutritious, locally sourced foods for Illinoisans in need, including $28 million for a new federally funded Local Food Purchase Cooperative Agreement which will support local, regional and socially disadvantaged farmers and ranchers through the purchase of local foods for distribution to food banks, schools and organizations that reach underserved communities, and $2 million for middle supply-chain infrastructure grants through the federal Resilient Food Systems program.
• $20 million for a Fast-Track Workforce Program intended to provide resources and support to major relocating or expanding employers for employee screening and recruitment, and customized job training development.
• $20 million to provide a state commitment and in-kind contribution to support Illinois entities seeking competitive federal awards that align with the State’s economic development plan
• $19 million in additional funding for advertising and promotion of tourism throughout Illinois, nearly doubling the State’s investment in domestic and international tourism promotion
• $30 million for new one-time tourism promotion grants at DCEO to support the State’s tourism industry
• $90 million in new capital funding for DCEO’s Enterprise Fund Grant Program, which provides competitive funding to attract and retain businesses in Illinois, creating new jobs and capital investment in the State
• $55 million in new capital funding for Prime Sites Program investments, providing grants for large-scale projects making substantial capital investment and job creation commitments
• Takes another step towards phasing out the corporate franchise tax
• Creates the Hydrogen Fuel Replacement Tax Credit Act, providing tax incentives for zero-carbon hydrogen fuel.
• Expands the Angel Investment credit from 25% to 35% if the investment is made in a business venture that is owned by women, people of color, a person with a disability, or in a county with a population of less than 250,000.
Environmental Initiatives
• Funds $12 million in electric vehicle consumer rebates at the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (IEPA)
• Includes new authority for federal Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) programming for energy efficiency rebates at IEPA totaling $267.8 million
• Reappropriates $70 million from Rebuild Illinois at IEPA for transportation electrification and charging infrastructure statewide
• Continues funding for unsewered communities planning and construction grants for communities around the state
• Includes funding for new Open Space Lands Acquisition and Development grants at Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) at $56 million, providing the largest and most accessible opportunity in the state’s history for distressed communities for the second year in a row
• Includes funding through DNR’s Office of Water Resources to implement projects such as providing the State’s $50 million share for the Brandon Road Ecosystem Project to block invasive carp species from entering the Great Lakes ecosystem, and programs such as a $10 million expansion of the Flood Hazard Mitigation program for new buyouts
Capital and Transportation Funding
The Fiscal Year 2024 capital budget represents a continuation of the historic Rebuild Illinois program and other ongoing capital initiatives.Continued use of federal funds will expedite delivery of critical initiatives. Illinois anticipates receiving billions of dollars from the federal Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) to invest in transportation, water, broadband, clean energy and more.
• Includes funding to support IIJA programming, as the State anticipates receiving at least $18.0 billion over five years through federal formula funding; over $7.2 billion in infrastructure funding has been announced for Illinois investments since IIJA’s passage
• Features $4.6 billion for the FY24 Road Program. This includes approximately $3.4 billion in pay-as-you-go revenue and $1.2 billion in bond funds.
• Includes $300 million in new funding for the I-290 Blue Line Modernization Project
• Reappropriates $100 million at DCEO for community-driven broadband expansion to help close the digital divide.
• Supports the IIJA lead service line replacement loans at $230.2 million, as well as $10 million in new IEPA funding to provide lead service line inventory and planning grants to communities around the state.
• Reappropriates $86 million in funding for orphaned well plugging from Rebuild Illinois and IIJA
• Provides an increase to RTA Operating Assistance Grants $18 million
• Provides an additional $1.5 million for RTA reduced fares
• Provides an additional $5 million for Amtrak operating assistance for state-supported routes
That “$183 million surplus” is a bit higher than what was claimed when the approp bills were debated.
As the Daily Public Schedule informed you, Gov. Pritzker will sign the FY24 budget today (Senate Bill 250). When he signs the budget, the Governor will make a few technical corrections to language from SB 2541 that was included in the bill. These line-item reductions will ensure the FY24 budget complies with current state law that prevents raises of more than 5 percent.
The annual cost of living increase is capped by law at 5 percent or the rate of inflation, whichever is lower. The budget bill increased the COLAs for legislators and statewide and top executive officers by 5.5 percent. Oops.
The House Republicans caught the error during floor debate. Kudos to them.
…Adding… From House Republican Leader Tony McCombie…
“While Illinois families struggle, Governor Pritzker decreased the politician pay raise a paltry .5%. While this change may make it constitutional, it does not make it right. House Republicans will continue to hold the majority party accountable to not only our constitutional rights but also to Illinois taxpayers.”
Today, I return Senate Bill 250, entitled “AN ACT concerning appropriations,” with reductions in the amount of $192,700.
This bill, among other things, appropriates funds for the salaries of the State’s Constitutional Officers (Article 33, Section 35), Appointed Officers of the Executive Branch (Article 33, Section 40), and General Assembly members (Article 33, Section 45). In Public Act 102-1115, effective January 9, 2023, the salaries for the Constitutional Officers (Article 30), Appointed Officers of the Executive Branch (Article 15), and the General Assembly members (Article 35) were set before their terms of office began, as required by the Illinois Constitution of 1970. See Ill. Const. 1970, art. V, §21; art. IV, §11. However, the appropriations to the State Comptroller in this bill exceed the amounts necessary to compensate the State’s Constitutional Officers, Appointed Officers of the Executive Branch and members of the General Assembly in accordance with Public Act 102-1115 and the members of the State’s boards and commissions in accordance with the levels currently authorized by Illinois law. See, e.g., Public Act 102- 1115, Article 30, Section 30-5 (providing that the Constitutional Officers shall receive a specified annual salary or as set by the Compensation Review Board, whichever is greater, resulting in a maximum salary for Fiscal Year 2024 of $168,945 for the Lieutenant Governor, Comptroller and Treasurer and $192,465 for the Attorney General and Secretary of State); Article 35, Section 35-5 (providing that General Assembly members shall receive an annual salary of $85,000 or as set by the Compensation Review Board, whichever is greater, setting a maximum salary of $89,250 for Fiscal Year 2024); Article 15, Sections 15-5 through 15-40 (providing that Agency Directors shall receive a specified annual salary and an annual increase in salary based on a cost of living adjustment as authorized by Senate Joint Resolution 192 of the 86th General Assembly).
It is evident that the errors in the amounts to compensate all of these officers were inadvertent and that the General Assembly intended for the amounts set forth in Senate Bill 250 simply to implement the salaries provided by law.
Therefore, pursuant to Article IV, Section 9(d) of the Illinois Constitution of 1970, I hereby reduce the appropriation items listed below and approve each item in the amount set forth in the “Reduced Amount” column below […]
In addition to these specific item reductions, I hereby approve all other appropriation items in Senate Bill 250.
The Governor reduces the amount of an item of an appropriation bill. The General Assembly may do nothing and the reduction stands, or the General Assembly may restore the item to its original amount. In either event, the remainder of the bill becomes law.
…Adding… The “technical corrections to language from SB 2541 that was included in the bill” line is interesting. The bill drafters essentially copied and pasted language from the comptroller’s approp bill, which is SB2541. Click here to see it yourself.
* ABC Chicago | Gov. Pritzker to sign $50 billion State Budget Wednesday: Pritzker has been touring the state this week, promoting the $50 billion spending plan that goes into effect next month. The plan contains several new initiatives he asked for, including investments in pre-K through 12th grade education, child welfare, combating poverty and homelessness, and increasing state spending on higher education.
* Tribune | Lawsuits against state can be filed in only two counties under measure signed by Gov. J.B. Pritzker: Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, lawsuits have been filed in multiple counties challenging Pritzker’s executive orders related to the pandemic as well as recently enacted state laws abolishing cash bail and banning certain high-powered semi-automatic firearms and high-capacity ammunition magazines. “One attorney was charging people $200 to have their names added as plaintiffs to (a gun ban) lawsuit,” Democratic state Rep. Jay Hoffman said last month in reference to the numerous lawsuits filed by unsuccessful Republican attorney general candidate Thomas DeVore.
* WGLT | Illinois would see $49.2B in health benefits with widespread EV adoption: But a new report quantifies the potential health benefits of a widespread transition to zero-emission passenger vehicles and electricity. That report was released Wednesday by the American Lung Association. It provides a state-level forecast of what would happen if all new vehicle sales were EVs by 2035, coupled with non-combustion electricity generation.
* STLPR | Legal pot meant a second chance for thousands in Illinois — did the state keep its promise?: The word “automatic” was a misnomer, said Kinney. An individual with a criminal record for marijuana had to take an active role in the court system to make that record go away, and every single court in the state is its own entity. “You have to file a petition in every single county in which there was a charge and arrest or conviction,” Kinney said. “There’s not just some magic button that someone can press and all these records just go poof, and they go away.”
* WCIA | Facing ‘funding crisis,’ ICASA seeks help from state after cut in some federal dollars: The Illinois Coalition Against Sexual Assault estimates the federal government is slashing their funding from the Victims of Crime Act in half, according to testimony from CEO Carrie Ward. She estimates that’s around $9.5 million, adding that the state’s rape crisis centers are “facing a funding crisis.”
* Crain’s | Business interests pushing back on ComEd’s proposed rate hikes: At the end of the four years beginning in 2024, many companies would see their electricity delivery rates increase by more than 60%, according to an analysis performed for BOMA/Chicago by former Illinois Power Agency Director Mark Pruitt, now an energy consultant. For consumers, the increases would be more like 40%.
* Crain’s | Amtrak seeks funds to boost one of its major Chicago routes: In an announcement today, Amtrak said it’s seeking $500,000 to expand Cardinal service to daily from the current three times a week. The national passenger line also wants $4.4 million in capital funds for track work that will speed traffic times between Indy and Dyer, Ind.
* Evanston Now | Plan to pay mayoral candidates tabled: When the measure’s sponsor, Ald. Juan Geracaris (9th) suggested the money was just “supporting the election process,” Suffredin countered that the funds would not do something nonpartisan — like holding more candidate forums — but would instead go directly to the candidates — turning over taxpayer money to them without the taxpayers’ consent.
* NPR Illinois | Does the Mississippi River have rights?: Glenda Guster was among the roughly 80 people to join the Great Plains Action Society’s Walk for River Rights — the centerpiece of a three-day summit earlier this month for Black and indigenous organizers from across the Mississippi River basin, who, among other things, want to grant the river legal standing.
* WCIA | State offering the chance to shadow lawmakers, Lt. Governor: Lt. Governor Juliana Stratton is teaming up with the State Board of Education and the Illinois Council on Women and Girls to offer girls the chance to shadow women in the Capitol. The Girl’s lead program is accepting applications until June 10th.
