* Press release…
New copays and coinsurance for existing enrollees in the Health Benefits for Immigrant Seniors (HBIS) and Health Benefits for Immigrant Adults (HBIA) programs will go into effect on Feb. 1, as the Department of Healthcare and Family Services (HFS) previously announced.
Most services covered by the HBIA and HBIS programs, which provide health care coverage for individuals who would be eligible for Medicaid coverage if not for their immigration status, will continue to be free for customers, including primary care visits, prescription medications and vaccinations at a pharmacy or doctor’s office. The new copays and co-insurance will apply to the use of non-emergency hospital or surgical center services, like nonemergent elective surgeries, physical therapy and lab work.
Copays are fixed amounts paid for health care services covered by a health plan, while coinsurance is a type of cost-sharing where a customer pays a percentage of the total price for a covered health care service, and their insurer pays the remainder. Both copays and coinsurance are common cost-sharing practices used in both commercial insurance and in Medicare. Enrollees should always check with their provider on whether they will be charged out-of-pocket costs for a service.
The impact of copays and cost-sharing will vary for participants based on their enrollment in Medicaid Managed Care, which many HBIA and HBIS participants will be transitioning to over the next several months. The copays and coinsurance and the transition to managed care for HBIA and HBIS enrollees are among the cost-saving measures HFS has implemented in order to bring program costs within the budgeted amount for State Fiscal Year 2024.
For those already enrolled or in the process of enrolling in a Managed Care Organization (MCO), out-of-pocket costs will depend on the MCO. Some MCOs are waiving all or some of the allowable charges, which means hospitals or surgical centers will not charge members of that MCO an out-of-pocket cost for some or all non-emergency procedures and services. Those not enrolled in an MCO can be charged copayments or coinsurance.
No copay or cost-sharing may be charged for an emergency service needed to evaluate or stabilize an emergency medical condition, which is a condition with symptoms severe and painful enough that a reasonable person would think they are life-threatening and need immediate medical care. Individuals who have severe symptoms that could be life threatening should not hesitate to seek immediate treatment, and in those instances will not have cost sharing requirements.
Copays and cost-sharing may only be charged on the following services:
• Non-emergency Inpatient hospitalizations: $250 copayment per stay.
• Non-emergency Hospital Outpatient Services or Ambulatory Surgical Treatment Center: 10% of what HFS would pay the provider. The amount an enrollee can be charged will vary depending on the service and the provider, and enrollees should check with the provider on whether they will need to pay an out-of-pocket cost for a service.
HFS has removed a previously planned $100 copay for non-emergency hospital ER services, after consulting with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services and confirming that the state can seek reimbursement for all emergency room care. In addition, some of the MCOs are waiving copays for certain service types: CountyCare, which only serves customers in Cook County and will serve the majority of HBIA and HBIS enrollees, is waiving all copays and coinsurance for HBIA and HBIS customers.
Beginning January 1, 2024, many HBIA and HBIS customers have begun receiving services through HealthChoice Illinois, the State of Illinois’ Medicaid Managed Care Program. Previously, services were delivered to HBIA and HBIS customers solely via a fee-for-service model. The shift to managed care provides a level of care coordination for customers that isn’t available with fee-for-service. Care coordinators help customers connect with the medical care and social services they need.
MCO enrollment for HBIA and HBIS customers is taking place in waves, with the last cohort of HBIA and HBIS customers enrolling with an MCO April 1. HBIA and HBIS customers are receiving enrollment packets in the mail that explain the transition to managed care and what they need to do. A sample MCO enrollment letter is available here.
HBIA and HBIS enrollees who have comprehensive private insurance or spenddown will remain in fee-for-service and will not enroll with a managed care plan or receive an MCO enrollment mailing.
More information about the HBIA and HBIS transition to managed care is available here.
*** UPDATE *** Healthy Illinois Campaign…
Today, the Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services (HFS) will implement co-payments and co-insurance for some nonemergency services for enrollees in the State’s Health Benefits for Immigrant Adults (HBIA) and Health Benefits for Immigrant Seniors (HBIS) programs. Yesterday, HFS announced it would no longer go forward with the implementation of co-pays for emergency services. Healthy Illinois Campaign Director Tovia Siegel released the following statement in response to the announcement:
“Healthy Illinois Campaign is pleased the Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services announced they will no longer be instituting co-pays for some emergency room visits. This decision will keep Illinoisans safer and allow them to seek the healthcare they need in emergencies.
“However, the two co-payments that will go into effect on February 1 will place a significant burden on both providers and patients, limiting access to healthcare for Illinois’ immigrant community. We urge the Department of Healthcare and Family Services and Managed Care Organizations to reconsider implementing these charges, which will generate a relatively small amount of money but can be the difference between life and death for low-income Illinoisans.
“Healthy Illinois Campaign stands ready to work with HFS and the Governor’s Office to find fiscally responsible and sustainable ways to ensure equitable access to health care for the state’s lowest-income residents.”
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Isabel’s afternoon roundup
Wednesday, Jan 31, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller
* Rick Pearson…
* Illinois Realtors are about to drop a $1 million campaign against Bring Chicago Home, says Crain’s…
“We’re going to tell Chicago voters that it will harm the city if you create another real estate tax in a city where we’re already overly burdened with real estate taxes,” Jeff Baker, CEO of Springfield-based Illinois Realtors, said in a meeting with several Crain’s reporters on Jan. 30. […]
Baker told Crain’s that “in the next week or so,” the group will roll out a digital ad campaign on social media and streaming services, and plans to spend “about $1 million.”
On the other side, the lead organizers of support for the proposal had raised about $700,000 as of mid-January, Justin Laurence reported for Crain’s.
Illinois Realtors’ campaign against the proposal will entail “about four to six weeks of digital ads, mail and media outreach and get-out-the vote fieldwork,” Baker said, “to try to get the message out as much as possible that we think BHC will be harmful to the real estate economy of the city.”
* Meanwhile… supporters of the referendum on a graduated real estate transfer tax reported a $200,000 contribution today from the Chicago Teachers Union. The committee, End Homelessness, supporting Bring Chicago Home, ended the fourth quarter with about $744K in the bank and has so far reported raising about $245K this calendar year.”
* Press release…
Fire officials and elected leaders today joined together to announce new, first-of-its-kind technology in Illinois will be implemented for south suburban fire departments that will improve emergency response times and emergency care for southland residents.
Through a state grant awarded by Sen. Michael Hastings, south suburban fire departments will soon begin implementing new technology called CentralSquare Unify that will sync dispatch services among fire protection districts signed up for the program. In effect, the new technology will provide instant alerts to south suburban fire protection districts when additional assistance is needed to respond to emergencies.
“A state grant will allow southland fire districts participating in this program to implement technology that we have not yet seen in Illinois,” Hastings said. “The new Unify program will allow for quicker emergency response for our communities.”
With a $600,000 state grant, the CentralSquare Unify program is being led by the Orland Park Fire Protection District and includes participation from numerous south suburban fire districts signed up for the program: Blue Island, Calumet City, Chicago Heights, Country Club Hills, Garden Homes Fire Protection District, Glenwood, Hazel Crest, Homewood, Lemont, Matteson, Merrionette Park, Oak Forest, Palos Fire Protection District, Park Forest, Richton Park, Riverdale, South Holland, Thornton, and Tinley Park. The goal is to expand the technology to as many south suburban fire protection districts as possible to ensure seamless and instant communication capabilities and improve emergency response times.
* Press release…
U.S. Representative Mike Bost (IL-12) today announced that his campaign has raised over $468,000 in the final quarter of 2023 and has a war chest of over $1.35 million cash-on-hand.
“Our campaign is firing on all cylinders when it matters most; and our momentum only continues to grow,” said Bost. “We have a conservative message and record of results that our opponent seems unable to refute, and a dominant lead in fundraising that our opponent seems unable to narrow. I can’t thank Southern Illinois Republicans enough for buying into our movement and ensuring we have resources necessary to fight back against the false attacks that keep coming our way.”
* Here’s the rest…
* Crain’s | Chicago DNC to receive donation from an unlikely ally: Atlanta’s DNC committee: During a brief phone call on Jan. 12 with Gov. J.B. Pritzker, Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens mentioned that the city’s civic and corporate leaders were still interested in helping the DNC this August, despite losing their bid to host the event last spring. That conversation led to a commitment from a group of around 15 Georgia fundraisers who plan to give at least $500,000 to the Chicago convention, a senior official in Atlanta told Crain’s. The donation will mark the first time a bid committee from a city that once competed for the convention has donated to the host city, said Natalie Edelstein, a spokesperson for the Chicago host committee.
* WTTW | Effort to Remove Donald Trump From the Illinois Primary Ballot Continues in State Court: The case was filed Tuesday afternoon, hours after the Trump objectors’ initial attempt to knock the former president from the ballot failed. The Trump objectors, working in concert with the group Free Speech for People, had asked members of the Illinois State Board of Election to ban him from running for president in Illinois.
* AP | Some Republican leaders are pushing back against the conservative Freedom Caucus in statehouses: In state capitols around the country, Republican legislative leaders are pushing back against a growing network of conservative lawmakers attempting to pull the party further to the right with aggressive tactics aimed not at Democrats but at members of their own party. The infighting has put a spotlight on Republican fissures heading into the November elections, even as former President Donald Trump has been consolidating party support.
* Fox 32 | IDOT workers rally in Schaumburg to demand fair contract: Teamsters Local 700 President Ramon Williams emphasized the significance of these essential workers, stating, “These hardworking, essential workers help keep our roads safe and our economy moving, especially during the pandemic. They deserve a fair contract that recognizes the value of their work.” Williams continued, urging the State of Illinois to return to the bargaining table with a fair offer that compensates these members without compromising their health and welfare benefits.
* SJ-R | ‘Important effort’: Illinois Underground Railroad Task Force works to connect projects: “When I see people experiencing through tears and stuff, I see them identifying with what we go through, and I also see them identifying with their own loss of not knowing this (story),” said Wilson, the museum’s founding executive director. “We have people in Jacksonville who didn’t know (the Underground Railroad) was here and we advertise all the time.
* Tribune | Ex-city official gets 18 months in prison for role concealing multimillion-dollar embezzlement scheme that led to Bridgeport bank collapse: William Mahon, 57, pleaded guilty last year to conspiring to falsify bank records to deceive federal regulators and hide millions in collateral-free loans authorized by then-bank President John Gembara that had essentially turned Washington Federal into a piggy bank for insiders and friends.
* Sun-Times | 3 charged in scheme directing migrants to shoplift in exchange for fake IDs, sheriff says: Three Mexican nationals had directed recent Venezuelan migrants to steal items from Magnificent Mile stores in exchange for identity cards that would allow them to get jobs, Sheriff Tom Dart said Tuesday. Police discovered the pattern after speaking to dozens of migrants with nearly identical stories, Dart said.
* Tribune | Video shows educators at University of Chicago charter school mock special education student, call him ‘dumb’: The incident, which was recorded on another student’s cellphone, took place at the UC Charter School’s Woodlawn campus in December 2022. The Tribune reviewed the minute-long video, which offered a troubling glimpse inside the publicly funded high school overseen by the prestigious university.
* Daily Herald | Additional schools could see relief from O’Hare airplane racket with soundproofing subsidies: It’s been about 10 years since the last of 124 schools near O’Hare was soundproofed. But in 2022, the Federal Aviation Administration approved the city’s Terminal Area Plan which includes a new terminal and concourses, and resulted in an updated noise contour around O’Hare.
* Crain’s | Boeing CEO says ‘we caused the problem’ in Alaska Air blowout: “While we often use this time of year to share or update our financial and operational objectives, now is not the time for that,” [Boeing Chief Executive Officer Dave Calhoun] told employees in a memo. “We will simply focus on every next airplane while doing everything possible to support our customers, follow the lead of our regulator and ensure the highest standard of safety and quality in all that we do.”
* Crain’s | Boeing’s move to Chicago was a win for the city. But was it good for Boeing?: The ensuing decades have seen the once-lauded aerospace firm humbled by a string of disasters, the latest a blowout of a cabin panel in midflight. The Alaska Airlines 737 Max 9 landed safely, and no lives were lost — in contrast to the 346 who died in two 737 Max crashes in 2018 and 2019. Since then, Boeing has struggled with head-spinning public relations problems, red ink and added costs, settlements and penalties exceeding $20 billion. Its stock, off about 20% since the Jan. 5 Alaska Airlines fiasco, trades at less than half of what it did before the last 737 crash.
* NYT | The Most Powerful Person in Publishing Doesn’t Like to Talk About Himself: Mr. Malaviya’s primary goal is growth. After the collapse of the Simon & Schuster deal, it became clear Penguin Random House could not buy its way out of the decline, so much of its growth will have to come organically — by selling more books. Mr. Malaviya said that, hopefully, A.I. will help, making it easier to publish more titles without hiring ever more employees. The company has continued to acquire smaller publishers, like Hay House in the United States and Roca Editorial in Spain.
* AP | Science sleuths are using technology to find fakery and plagiarism in published research: Allegations of research fakery at a leading cancer center have turned a spotlight on scientific integrity and the amateur sleuths uncovering image manipulation in published research. Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, a Harvard Medical School affiliate, announced Jan. 22 it’s requesting retractions and corrections of scientific papers after a British blogger flagged problems in early January.
* Block Club | Chance The Rapper Playing Bridgeport’s Revived Ramova Theatre: Chance is the first major touring act to take to the stage at the Ramova, the long-closed former movie house that reopened late last year as a concert venue, brewery and diner. Chance is among the investors and co-owners of the historical theater alongside fellow South Side musicians Jennifer Hudson and Quincy Jones.
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Question of the day
Wednesday, Jan 31, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Interesting…
What I’m proposing here is an advisory-only referendum because I wanted to get your thoughts, but I am reserving the right to make the final decision myself.
* The Question: Should CapitolFax.com honor the Chicago Tribune Guild’s picket line tomorrow and not post any stories from the paper? Take the poll and then explain your answer in comments, please. Thanks.
…Adding… The poll is now closed.
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* Background is here if you need it. Press release…
In an effort to shield Illinois employers from costly lawsuits without rolling back the state’s strict digital privacy protections, State Senator Bill Cunningham filed Senate Bill 2979, which makes changes to the liability guidelines in the Biometric Information Privacy Act.
“Given the rash of cybersecurity breaches we hear about, Illinoisans should be proud that we have arguably the strongest digital privacy laws in the nation. However, our laws have not kept up with changes in technology, which has left some small businesses facing overwhelming financial liabilities,” said Cunningham, a Democrat who represents portions of Chicago and the Southwest Suburbs. “SB 2979 will keep the current privacy restrictions in place and hold violators accountable, as well as ensure businesses are not unfairly punished for technical violations of the law.”
Under BIPA, private entities must obtain written consent before collecting and storing biometric information, such as an employee’s fingerprint. If a business is sued for violating BIPA, they can be ordered to pay damages for each instance where biometric information is collected — even if they repeatedly collect the same information. This has led to situations where an employer can be ordered to pay millions in liquidated damages, and in a case involving White Castle, billions of dollars, because each collection counts as a separate violation. For instance, businesses that use digital fingerprinting systems for employee timekeeping often take swipes of each employee’s fingerprint multiple times per shift — like when the employee arrives for work, leaves for and returns from a lunch break, or checks out at the end of the work day. Under BIPA, each of those swipes can qualify as a violation of the law if the employee has not provided written consent, exposing the business to a minimum of $1,000 in damages every time a swipe is taken.
Cunningham’s bill would limit the number of claims accrued under that scenario should an employee bring a lawsuit against a company for a violation of BIPA. If a certain biometric identifier is collected by the same employer in the same manner, only one violation would accrue. In other words, the liability faced by the business would accrue on a per-employee basis, rather than a per-collection basis.
SB 2979 also modernizes the manner in which written consent can be granted to include the use of electronic signatures. The original BIPA legislation took effect in 2008 when electronic signatures were not widely used. Cunningham’s legislation clarifies that because using electronic signatures is a common practice to obtain consent, they can be used to comply with BIPA consent requirements.
“Dozens of legislative proposals to update BIPA have been offered in recent years, but most of those efforts have attempted to remove or narrow privacy protections that have been embedded in the law,” said Cunningham. “SB 2979 does not take that approach. Rather, it puts a common-sense formula in place to determine the amount of financial damages that must be paid for violations of the act.”
Senate Bill 2979 was introduced by Cunningham on Wednesday.
I’ll update if I hear back from business groups.
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* Rep. Justin Slaughter (D-Chicago) told me today that he’s been getting pummeled on social media and in his emails about his bill…
Amends the Illinois Vehicle Code. Provides that no law enforcement officer shall stop a motor vehicle for: (i) failing to display registration plates or stickers; (ii) being operated with an expired registration sticker; (iii) violating general speed restrictions (unless that violation is a misdemeanor or felony offense); (iv) improper lane usage (unless that violation is a misdemeanor or felony offense); (v) failing to comply with certain requirements concerning vehicle lamps; (vi) excessive tint; (vii) defective mirrors; (viii) an obstructed windshield or defective windshield wipers; (ix) defective bumpers; (x) excessive exhaust; and (xi) failure of the vehicle operator to wear a safety belt. Provides that no evidence discovered or obtained as the result of a stop in violation of these provisions, including, but not limited to, evidence discovered or obtained with the operator’s consent, shall be admissible in any trial, hearing, or other proceeding. Preempts home rule powers.
Pretty cringey.
* Law enforcement’s reaction has also been overwhelmingly negative…
Illinois Sheriffs Association Executive Director Jim Kaitschuk said he was “taken aback and extremely concerned” about the bill, and he recommended that sheriffs part of the association to oppose it.
Not being able to pull people over for certain offenses, as well as evidence pulled from those stops being rendered inadmissible, would make it more difficult for police officers to do things like track down a stolen vehicle or catch on to a greater crime like murder or trafficking, he said.
“I just don’t understand it,” Kaitschuk said. “It is truly perplexing to me why we would have a bill introduced of this nature.”
* “This was more of a conversation starter,” Rep. Slaughter told me by phone today. “We won’t be moving it,” he said of his bill.
More of what he told me…
But I do plan to have the conversation about racial disparities. I think the narrative that I’m gonna put a lot of effort into is balance. Not necessarily taking away the tools from law enforcement to make traffic stops, which I get it, the current language is doing that. But the narrative that I would like folks to know is that you don’t want to take away tools for law enforcement to make traffic stops, but at the same time, what is the approach and interventions that law enforcement can make that t least acknowledge racial disparities, and fairness and equity as it relates to these traffic and pedestrian stops.
So, my energy and my efforts, to your question, is to generate the discussion. Now, out of respect for law enforcement, out of respect for law-abiding citizens, it was not my intention to get this reaction. But I certainly understand it because of the broadness of what was reflected in the language.
Please pardon any transcription errors.
* He also pointed to these 2023 WBEZ stories as the reason why the conversation must be had…
* Traffic stops of Black Illinois drivers at 20-year high despite law Obama championed: The racial gap is widening. In the last two years, the number of traffic stops involving Black drivers has topped 30.5% of all stops statewide, up from 17.5% in 2004, the first year data was released. The state’s adult population is 13.6% Black.
* Black drivers are pulled over by police more, mostly for non-moving violations: Joshua Levin, an attorney with the ACLU of Illinois, said these encounters are rife for potential “pretextual stops” in which minor traffic violations are used as an excuse to make contact with drivers — at the expense of their civil rights — in an effort to identify more serious crimes. Amid a recent surge in traffic stops by the Chicago Police Department, the ACLU filed a lawsuit earlier this year, saying the department’s practices racially profile, harass and demean law-abiding citizens. The data also show a fivefold increase in the number of Black drivers stopped for non-moving violations and let go with a warning. Latino drivers experienced a fourfold increase since the state began collecting the data. White drivers have seen little change in the number of non-moving stops resulting in a warning.
* Chicago’s Black, Latino drivers targets of racially biased traffic stops, ACLU lawsuit alleges: Black drivers in Chicago are four to seven times more likely to be pulled over by police than whites, while Latino drivers are stopped twice as often, according to a lawsuit filed by the American Civil Liberties Union of Illinois claiming a racially biased pattern in how Chicago police enforce traffic laws.
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* ABC7…
Taxpayers foot bill for relocating migrants who want to leave Chicago
It’s the secret side of Chicago’s migrant crisis.
Some migrants who arrive here don’t want to stay.
More than 35,000 migrants have been sent to Chicago since 2022, mostly from Texas. The question is, who pays for them to leave? […]
According to the Illinois Department of Human Services, migrant travel costs in the Chicago area, including people leaving by bus, plane and train, total more than $775,000. And when additional travel related expenses such as rideshares are factored in, it’s almost $850,000 of taxpayer money that has been spent on migrants moving out of Chicago.
Seems to me, if migrants want to leave for another state, it makes fiscal sense to help them get there. A one-way ticket is a whole lot cheaper than shelter, food and medical care. Not to mention that it’s the right thing to do.
The state’s tab so far is $638 million. That means $850,000 would be 0.13 percent of the total. Again, this makes fiscal sense.
* This also isn’t a “secret.” From a November 2023 press release…
The State is deploying targeted additional funding through a data-driven approach that will address these bottlenecks in all stages of the current asylum seeker response. This includes:
1. WELCOME: $30 million to stand up a large intake center to centrally welcome and comprehensively coordinate new arrivals, prioritizing onward movement. This investment will ensure both a more integrated approach across state, county, city, and community-based organizations but will also ensure better support for those coming to Chicago who are seeking another final destination, or who have sponsors in Illinois and don’t require shelter, thereby better maintaining shelter capacity as a whole. With this approach, data indicates the number of new arrivals requiring shelter can be reduced by 10%.
And this is from the governor’s remarks the same day…
In order to address these backlogs and get people off of the streets as we head into winter, the State of Illinois will invest an additional $160 million in IDHS funding to improve every stage of the asylum seeker resettlement journey.
First – Welcome. A portion of new arrivals don’t need shelter as they have friends or family members here in Illinois or do not have Illinois as their final destination. Unfortunately, these individuals are not always identified on the front end and often end up in shelters where they take up capacity and resources before they can continue along on their journey.
To address this, we’re going to invest $30 million toward establishing a large intake center — growing our capacity to centrally welcome and comprehensively coordinate new arrivals needs, including prioritizing onward movement. This investment will ensure both a more integrated approach across State, County, City and CBO providers but also more immediately divert new arrivals from shelters to their final destination, thereby better maintaining our shelter capacity.
The State is also funding a New Life team to deploy to the bus landing zone to ensure every new arrival is supported in a choice to seek alternate arrangements outside the City shelter system. With this approach, we expect to reduce the number of people who need to enter shelters by 10 percent.
* Back to ABC7…
State officials say 4,327 migrants have now come and gone. That is more than 10% of the migrants sent to Chicago over the last year and a half.
So, maybe it’s working? I dunno.
* ABC7 also reports that many those who are leaving are heading to New York, Florida and Georgia. “And some are going back to Texas.”
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It’s just a bill
Wednesday, Jan 31, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller
* HB4644 from Rep. Abdelnasser Rashid…
Amends the Election Code. Provides that a person shall not distribute, or enter into an agreement with another person to distribute, materially deceptive media if: (1) the person knows the media falsely represents a depicted individual; (2) the distribution occurs within 90 days before an election; (3) the person intends the distribution to harm the reputation or electoral prospects of a candidate in an election and the distribution is reasonably likely to cause that result; and (4) the person intends the distribution to change the voting behavior of electors in an election by deceiving the electors into incorrectly believing that the depicted individual in fact engaged in the speech or conduct depicted, and the distribution is reasonably likely to cause that result. Sets forth exceptions to the provision and penalties for violations of the provision. Effective immediately.
* Rep. Anna Moeller filed HB4627 yesterday…
Amends the PFAS Reduction Act. Authorizes the Environmental Protection Agency to participate in a safe chemical clearinghouse and to cooperate with the clearinghouse to take specified actions. Directs manufacturers of PFAS or products or product components containing intentionally added PFAS to register the PFAS or the product or product component containing intentionally added PFAS and to provide certain additional information through a data collection interface established cooperatively by the clearinghouse and the Agency. Establishes civil penalties for violations by manufacturers. Authorizes the Agency to adopt rules and enter contracts to implement these provisions. Exempts certain products from these requirements.
* HB4630 from Rep. Wayne Rosenthal…
Amends the Humane Care for Animals Act. Provides that a law enforcement officer who arrests the owner of a companion animal for a violation of the owner’s duties may lawfully take possession of some or all of the companion animals in the possession of the owner. Allows a State’s Attorney 30 days (rather than 14 days) after seizure of a companion animal to file a petition for forfeiture prior to trial, asking for permanent forfeiture of the companion animals seized.
* Rep. Kam Buckner filed HB4638…
Creates the Local Parking Regulation Act. Provides that, except as otherwise provided in the Act, a unit of local government may not impose or enforce any minimum automobile parking requirements on a development project if the project is located within one-half mile of a public transportation hub. In addition to other listed exceptions and limitations, allows a unit of local government to impose or enforce minimum automobile parking requirements in a development project that is located within one-half mile of a public transportation hub if the unit makes written findings that not imposing or enforcing any minimum automobile parking requirements on the development project would have a substantially negative impact, supported by a preponderance of the evidence in the record, on any of the following circumstances: (1) the region’s ability to meet its housing needs for low-income households and very low-income households; (2) the region’s ability to meet its needs for elderly housing or housing for persons with disabilities; or (3) problems with existing residential parking or commercial parking within one-half mile of the development project. Limits the concurrent exercise of home rule powers. Defines terms. Effective June 1, 2024.
* HB4619 from Rep. Harry Benton…
Amends the Homeowners’ Energy Policy Statement Act. Prohibits a homeowners’ association, common interest community association, or condominium unit owners’ association from adopting a bylaw or exercising any power that prohibits the installation of a rain water collection system or composting system. Provides that if a building is subject to a homeowners’ association, common interest community association, or condominium unit owners’ association, no deed restrictions, covenants, or similar binding agreements running with the land shall prohibit a rain water collection system or composting system from being installed on a building erected on a lot or parcel covered by the deed restrictions, covenants, or binding agreements. Provides that a property owner may not be denied permission to install a rain water collection system or composting system by any entity granted the power or right in any deed restriction, covenant, or similar binding agreement to approve, forbid, control, or direct alteration of property. Provides that an entity may establish location or design requirements for rain water collection systems or composting systems. Provides that a rain water collection system or composting system shall meet application standards and requirements imposed by State and local permitting authorities. Provides that if approval is required for the installation of a rain water collection system or composting system, an application for approval shall be processed by the appropriate approving entity of the association within 90 days after the submission of the application. Makes corresponding changes.
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Open thread
Wednesday, Jan 31, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller
* What’s goin’ on in your part of Illinois?…
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Isabel’s morning briefing
Wednesday, Jan 31, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller
* ICYMI: The Illinois Election Board votes to keep Trump and Biden on the March Primary Ballot. WTTW…
- The bipartisan board was unanimous in each of the rulings.
- The board voted to dismiss the Trump objection on the basis that the board lacks jurisdiction on a constitutional question.
- Trump’s candidacy in Illinois could face another challenge, as a lawsuit over the board’s decision is expected.
* Related stories…
* Isabel’s top picks…
* WGN | Fine dining, first class travel costing taxpayers in south suburbs: Credit card records from Thornton Township show Henyard and other officials spent nearly $67,000 on trips to Portland, Austin, Atlanta and New York City in recent months. In Atlanta, the group stayed at the Four Seasons Hotel and brought home a bill of $9,347. In New York, they stayed at the Mariott Marquis in Times Square where the hotel charged the group $13,098. Airline records show everyone in the group frequently flies first class.
* Fox 2 Now | Illinois bill could mean fewer traffic stops for speeding, other offenses: The bill would prohibit Illinois law enforcement officers from stopping drivers for several traffic offenses. That includes speeding and improper lane usage, unless either happens to the extent of a misdemeanor or felony offense. According to Illinois’ state laws, drivers commit a Class B misdemeanor offense when they are traveling at least 26 miles per hour above an applicable speed limit or a class A misdemeanor offense when they are traveling at least 35 miles per hour above limit.
* Crain’s | Illinois Realtors plans $1 million campaign against transfer-tax increase: “We’re going to tell Chicago voters that it will harm the city if you create another real estate tax in a city where we’re already overly burdened with real estate taxes,” Jeff Baker, CEO of Springfield-based Illinois Realtors, said in a meeting with several Crain’s reporters on Jan. 30.
* Here’s the rest of your morning roundup…
* WLPO | IDOT Workers Plan To Picket Outside Ottawa Office: According to longtime IDOT employee Anderson Klump, fellow IDOT employees plan to picket in front of the District 3 office in Ottawa Wednesday at noon. The IDOT worker says he and others have been working without a union contract for almost 9 months. This despite many non-union executive staff receiving large pay raises last year.
* WLDS | Budzinski’s Fight for a Bi-Partisan Farm Bill: 13th District Congresswoman Nikki Budzinski says the ongoing budget fight in Washington is standing in the way of a bipartisan compromise on a new Farm Bill being passed. The government’s funding is on a continuing resolution until early March. The country is still operating under the 2018 Farm Bill, and will operate under its continued resolution until September 30th. The 2018 bill expired this past September, but had to be extended because of Congress’ continued gridlock.
* CNI | Chicago org to receive federal funding to help launch regional water sustainability industry: The U.S. National Science Foundation awarded the grant to Current Innovation NFP, a nonprofit “innovation hub” whose mission is to “solve pressing water challenges caused by climate change and pollution.” It will receive one of 10 inaugural NSF Engine awards aimed at using science and technology to drive regional economies.
* Streetsblog | “We’re all equally in danger”: Ride Illinois launches statewide bike fatality awareness campaign: Bicycle advocacy organization Ride Illinois recently announced the “Our Response to Fatal Crashes” campaign, an effort to raise awareness of the crisis statewide—especially in areas outside Chicagoland, which have few to no local bike advocacy groups. Ride Illinois recently added a map to their website—inspired, according to the announcement, by Streetsblog Chicago’s map of bike fatalities—tracking all fatal crashes in the state since 2018. We spoke with Dave Simmons, executive director of Ride Illinois about the campaign, and the threats bicyclists face on roadways across the Land of Lincoln.
* Sun-Times | Marriott, Hyatt hotels at McCormick Place to be official Democratic convention headquarters: The United Center will host the evening sessions with the delegates and speakers at the convention, to run Aug. 19-22, but the hotels will serve as the base of operations for the Biden for President campaign, the Democratic National Committee, the Democratic National Convention Committee plus media and other groups.
* WGN | Bumpy rollout of updated Circuit Court online system as clerk prepares for election: While the case management system gets off the ground, Martinez has been working on a re-election campaign. She says, “it takes more than one term to really change the outcome or the change of the office.” Like her predecessor Dorothy Brown – Martinez has also faced criticism. Late last year – a story generated some headlines accusing her of “pay to play” politics with her campaign receiving donations from employees.
* Tribune | Chicago aldermen focus on migrant work authorizations rather than shelter conditions: City officials did give the first public glimpse into the grievance system available for residents and staff to use for shelter problems. On average over the past three months, residents have filed 37 grievances per week. In January, an average of 55 resident grievances were filed per week. . City officials did not detail what grievances focused on.
* Block Quote | Abortion Rights Advocates Warn Edgewater’s New Crisis Pregnancy Center Could Mislead Patients: Aid For Women advertises free pregnancy tests and counseling to help visitors make a “fully informed decision,” but the religious nonprofit doesn’t provide referrals for abortion care under any circumstances, according to its website.
* Check CU | Yorkville BOE Book Ban Closed Meeting Recording Released – Illinois: The matter that was closed to the public on August 7th, 2023, was a discussion about prohibiting the use of the book Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption by attorney Bryan Stevenson from being used in the curriculum. The book focuses on injustices in the United States judicial system and documents Stevenson’s efforts to overturn the wrongful conviction of Walter McMillian, a black Alabama man who was convicted of murder in 1988 and spent six years on death row before an appeals court finally overturned his conviction.
* WBBM | Local civil rights group calls for accountability after Muslim student attacked at Glendale Heights school: In a video posted to social media, a boy grabs a seventh-grade girl wearing a hajib in the hallway of Glenside Middle School around the neck and throws her to the floor. Maggie Slavin with CAIR Chicago told CBS 2 the girl was targeted for wearing a headscarf.
* Daily Herald | What could be Schaumburg’s last subdivision nears halfway point: The village has issued building permits for 93 of the homes so far, with 70 approved for occupancy. “This project has really done everything we expected,” Mayor Tom Dailly said. “The number of homes being sold has just skyrocketed. They estimated it would take five years. I’ll be surprised if it takes five years.”
* Fox Chicago | Dixmoor residents sound off after yet another water main break: Last year, the village received $2.2 million to repair the pipeline on the north part of town. There was also $14 million announced in grant money to update the infrastructure, but Mayor Fitzgerald Roberts says they haven’t received the cash yet.
* AP | Elon Musk cannot keep Tesla compensation package worth more than $55 billion, judge rules: McCormick concluded that the only suitable remedy was for Musk’s compensation package to be rescinded. “In the final analysis, Musk launched a self-driving process, recalibrating the speed and direction along the way as he saw fit,” she wrote. “The process arrived at an unfair price. And through this litigation, the plaintiff requests a recall.”
* The Atlantic | Should Teens Have Access to Disappearing Messages?: The stories are hauntingly similar: A teenager, their whole life ahead of them, buys a pill from someone on Snapchat. They think it’s OxyContin or Percocet, but it actually contains a lethal amount of fentanyl. They take it; they die. Their bereaved parents are left grasping for an explanation.
* The Atlantic | The rise of techno-authoritarianism: Facebook (now Meta) has become an avatar of all that is wrong with Silicon Valley. Its self-interested role in spreading global disinformation is an ongoing crisis. Recall, too, the company’s secret mood-manipulation experiment in 2012, which deliberately tinkered with what users saw in their News Feed in order to measure how Facebook could influence people’s emotional states without their knowledge. Or its participation in inciting genocide in Myanmar in 2017. Or its use as a clubhouse for planning and executing the January 6, 2021, insurrection. (In Facebook’s early days, Zuckerberg listed “revolutions” among his interests. This was around the time that he had a business card printed with i’m ceo, bitch.)
* Chicago Mag | Illinois Route 1 Is a Must-Drive Trek to See the State: The first essential stop on Route 1 is St. Anne, a population-1,200 hamlet in Kankakee County. The village was settled in the 1850s by French Canadians, who named it for Mary’s mother, a saint venerated in Quebec. They built St. Anne’s Church, a Gothic structure that rises stone by stone from the prairie, then lifts a weathered copper belfry toward heaven. It’s a rare remnant of French Illinois, which predated the arrival of the English here by nearly a century. Anne is the patron saint of grandmothers, so since 1886 the church has held a festival for grandparents on her feast day, July 26.
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Wednesday, Jan 31, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller
* You can click here or here to follow breaking news because, as I initially suspected, the widget we’ve been using didn’t last long.
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