* Press release with most hyperbole excluded…

…Governor JB Pritzker signed House Bill 2204, establishing a tax credit for users of clean hydrogen in the state of Illinois. […]

This legislation creates a tax credit of $10 million per year in 2026 and 2027 for users of clean hydrogen. At the conclusion of the tax credit, the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency will run a comprehensive study to evaluate both the emissions impact of the tax credit and the national landscape to recommend additional policy measures to ensure Illinois remains competitive in the clean hydrogen economy and meets the clean energy goals outlined in the Climate and Equitable Jobs Act.

The tax credit was designed to keep pace with the state’s clean energy goals and includes a number of measures to ensure environmental benefit. In addition to the comprehensive study, those measures include:

• Directing funds to eligible uses that have been agreed to by environmental groups and industry to ensure hydrogen investments are made where they can have the greatest impact while also maintaining the state’s electrification goals.
• Ensuring that hydrogen projects have community input via public hearings and requiring 40% of the benefit go to equity investment eligible communities as outlined in CEJA.

The bill also contains workforce provisions in line with the nation-leading standards that were set in CEJA, including requiring a minimum equity standard and requiring Project Labor Agreements.

* Sun-Times this morning…

Major Chicago unions will sign a “Labor Peace Agreement” on Tuesday at McCormick Place, promising not to strike during the Democratic National Convention next year in Chicago.

On April 11, the Democratic National Committee announced that Chicago will host the convention at the United Center on Aug. 19-22, 2024, with other events at the McCormick Place complex. The master contract giving Chicago the convention over New York and Atlanta did not include the labor deal — because negotiations could not take place until the winning city was announced.

DNC Chair Jaime Harrison, in Chicago on Monday to attend a fundraiser headlined by Vice President Kamala Harris, will be at the signing ceremony with Gov. J.B. Pritzker, Mayor Brandon Johnson and Chicago Federation of Labor President Bob Reiter, Other union leaders and stakeholders are also expected.

Jake was there…

HAPPENING NOW: Chicago labor leaders, @TheDemocrats sign #DNC2024 Labor Peace Agreement

@chicagolabor Pres. @BobReiterJr: “From the airports to the hotels to the convention floor, union workers are going to make the 2024 DNC the best convention in modern history.” pic.twitter.com/BnwO0DsHcY

— Jake Lewis (@jake____lewis) July 25, 2023

* Sun-Times this afternoon…

Gov. J.B. Pritzker expects the 2024 Democratic National Convention to be the “biggest ever,” with fundraising efforts to make that goal well underway, he said Tuesday.

Pritzker’s words came as major Chicago unions signed a “labor peace agreement” on Tuesday at McCormick Place, promising not to strike during the convention, which is being held in Chicago.

“We, on day one, started calling the people that we knew would be the most important to making sure that we were reaching out and raising the proper dollars. We are doing very well so far. Having said that, we are going to be doing that for some many months to come and I’m very, very confident we’ll hit our goal — the necessary goal to put on the best and biggest convention ever,” Pritzker said, speaking at McCormick Place.

* AFSCME Council 31…

AFSCME offers roadmap to reopen clinics, expand public mental health services

Mayor Brandon Johnson’s commitment to reopen the city’s previously closed mental health clinics and begin building a new and better system of public mental health services can be kept in the mayor’s first four-year term, according to a new report from the union that represents clinical employees in the Chicago Department of Public Health (CDPH).

Click here to view and download an extract of the report from the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) Council 31.

“Under Mayor Johnson and the new City Council, Chicago has an opportunity to fix past mistakes, reverse clinic closures and rebuild the strong network of public mental health services our communities need,” AFSCME Council 31 Executive Director Roberta Lynch said. “We offer this report to look at where we’ve been, where we are and most importantly, where we can go together as a city. Our union and our members look forward to working with other stakeholders and elected officials to make the mayor’s vision a reality.”

The report suggests:

• Growing the capacity of the five existing clinics by making sure they are fully staffed.

• Building on existing pilot programs that provide mental health response to emergency calls and mental health services in city libraries.

• Twenty possible community areas that should be considered when sites for the promised 14 new clinics are chosen.

• Opening two new CDPH clinics in the coming 2024 budget year, and phasing in the balance of the 14 new clinics over the subsequent three years, keeping Mayor Johnson’s promise to restore CDPH to 19 clinics by the end of his first term.

AFSCME represents therapists, psychologists and administrative staff in CDPH, which operated 19 clinics until the 1990s and 12 as recently as 2011.

Related…

Sad stats per Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office: 2,000 opioid overdose deaths for 2022, breaking previous record of 1,935 in 2021. More than 91% involved fentanyl. 78% of opioid overdose deaths male. Blacks, 56% of deaths, Latinos about 15%, whites 29% . 70% in Chicago.

— Lynn Sweet (@lynnsweet) July 25, 2023

* Speaker Welch is in DC today…

Today, President Biden signed a proclamation to establish the Emmett Till and Mamie Till-Mobley National Monument. This is not only a tribute to a young life taken by racial violence, but also to a grieving mother who turned pain into action and sparked a revolution for equity. pic.twitter.com/wuSZSntwLO

— Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch (@SpeakerWelchIL) July 25, 2023

So is the lieutenant governor…

Today, Lieutenant Governor Juliana Stratton joined President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris as he signs a National Monument Proclamation to honor the life of Emmett Till and the brave advocacy of his mother Mamie Till-Mobley. As a resident of Chicago’s Bronzeville neighborhood—the home of the church where Emmett Till’s funeral was held—Lt. Governor Stratton recognizes deeply that we must uplift their legacies as we continue the work to build a better tomorrow.

While states across our country are attempting to erase Black history, we remember Mamie Till-Mobley’s efforts to shine a light on the miscarriage of justice against her son Emmett, with her voice helping to spark the movement for civil rights that endures today.

“I am honored to join President Biden and Vice President Harris to observe the 82nd birthday of Emmett Till. While Emmett’s murder was over 60 years ago, we remember him and the life that was stolen from him, and his mother Mamie Till-Mobley’s bravery and advocacy to shed a light on the injustice,” said Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton. “Far too many lives have been disrupted by prejudice, racism and discrimination across our country. We must not, and will not, sit idle. As a mother and the first Black Lieutenant Governor of Illinois, this proclamation is a major step—because hatred does not belong in our schools, in our communities, or in our future.”

This monument is a step forward in the fight for civil rights and racial justice to repair the harm that has been done by the legal system. It is a recognition that for too long, being a Black person in America has been a death sentence for many – Emmett Till, Ahmaud Arbery, George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Tony McDade, Sandra Bland and many more names who have tragically become headlines in our society. Today will mark a new day in which Emmett Till’s story is told to educate and heal our wounds.

* Meanwhile, Speaker Welch had a nice crowd at Saturday’s Beyoncé show…

* Isabel’s afternoon roundup…

* WGLT | Mental health professionals will join Illinois State University police on 911 calls: “Our officers now will be able to take that clinician or that crisis worker right to the scene, make sure the scene is safe, let that crisis worker deal with the student in crisis and step back,” he said. “If the officer needs to step in, they step in, but for the most part, we’ll just follow the directions of that crisis worker on how we’re going to handle the situation.”

* Block Club | Cops Should Not Respond To Mental Health Emergencies, Experts Say As City Weighs Ordinance: Ald. Rossana Rodriguez-Sanchez (33rd) introduced her “Treatment Not Trauma” ordinance two years ago. Based in part on Eugene, Oregon’s CAHOOTS program, the alderwoman’s plan would create a network of professionals to respond to mental health emergencies without armed police officers.

* AP | 911 workers say centers are understaffed, struggling to hire and plagued by burnout: The survey conducted by the National Emergency Number Association in conjunction with Carbyne, a cloud technology company focused on emergency services, polled about 850 workers from 911 call centers across the country. It found that many were experiencing burnout, handling more frequent call surges and felt undertrained. The findings show the widespread nature of staffing problems that have been laid bare in some communities in recent years.

* Chalkbeat | Chicago closed 50 schools 10 years ago. What’s happened since then?: Chicago Public Schools would pay an Ohio-based logistics company to manage all the stuff from the shuttered buildings — a contract that would eventually double from $8.9 million to $18.9 million. Years later, metal desks, solid wood chairs, and other relics from the school closings would end up for sale on Craigslist.

* Block Club | Humboldt Park Health Clinic Closing After 9 Years, Leaving Local Patients Scrambling: Officials determined through a “careful evaluation” that the Humboldt Park space isn’t big enough to “accommodate a full range of Mile Square programs,” spokeswoman Sherri McGinnis Gonzalez said. The building’s landlord also plans to sell the Division Street building, McGinnis Gonzalez said.

* Daily Southtown | Nurses union at Ludeman Center in Park Forest fight for a new contract to address unsafe work conditions: Ludeman nurses say they want a contract that ensures safe working environments; safe staffing ratios for nurses, which includes filling seven vacant positions; consistent contract enforcement; proper pay for time worked; proper technology for on-demand access to individual’s health information; and for the facility to follow state guidelines on use of technology in long-term care centers, said Marika Loftman-Davis, a registered nurse and union steward.

* WSPD | Carbondale parents, leaders looking for child care solutions after Boys & Girls Clubs of Southern Illinois closes: While the Boys & Girls Clubs of Southern Illinois organization has said it hopes to find a way to reopen, families like Barlett’s are left to figure out child care. “It’s hurting a lot more people than just the Boys & Girls Club. And just, the kids, they are heartbroken they can’t go anymore. So, it’s sad all the way around,” Barlett said.

* PJ Star | Why a splash pad funded with a fine arts grant is creating controversy in Peoria: The water feature, which includes built-in musical instruments for children to play, is one of two projects being completed in Peoria Public Schools this summer with a fine art grant the district secured late last school year. The Peoria Federation of Teachers Local 780 says the money should have been directed elsewhere because fine art programs in the district are underfunded and teachers in the district are struggling to do their jobs.

* Crain’s | Samir Mayekar takes post at Chicago Fed: The former top aide to Mayor Lori Lightfoot, Samir Mayekar, has landed on his feet, at least for the time being. In a social media post today, Mayekar, who handled the proposed Chicago casino and a host of other business-related items for the former mayor, announced he has accepted a position as a “visiting scholar” at the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago.

* Crain’s | Chicago leads nation in home price growth: Chicago-area single-family home values rose 4.6% in May compared with May 2022, according to new data from the S&P CoreLogic Case-Shiller Indices released this morning.

* Patch | Poor Air Quality, Then 105 Heat Index Possible For Chicago Area: Temperatures could hit the mid-90s by Wednesday and Thursday before climbing to nearly 100 degrees on Friday. A peak afternoon heat index of 95 to 105 degrees is also possible Wednesday through Friday.

* Fox 2 Now | Thousands of huge native sturgeon destined for Illinois waters: Several Illinois fisheries are working to bring more sturgeon back to state lakes. The Jake Wolf Memorial hatchery is located south of Peoria, Illinois. They say that over 10,000 lake sturgeon hatchlings arrived in July from Neosho National Hatchery in Missouri

* Crain’s | Back-to-school spending this year may break records, reports forecast: U.S. families expect to spend $4.6 billion more in back-to-school shopping for grades K-12 and $20 billion more in back-to-college shopping, according to a survey by the National Retail Federation.