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Thursday, Apr 18, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller

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Thursday, Apr 18, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller

As many as 1,000 people who are still in custody could be eligible for immediate release if they received proper sentence recalculations, according to Alan Mills, executive director of the civil rights law firm Uptown People’s Law Center. […]

Many of the records used to recalculate people’s sentences only go back to when the corrections department switched to a new digital information system in 2010. But most of the people like Rogers who would benefit from the new law have been incarcerated since the 1990s.

The law, which took effect in January, builds on 2021 criminal justice reforms that increased the amount of credit someone could earn for participating in programs behind bars. […]

As of March 21, 1,750 individuals had received earned time through the new law, according to the state. Of those, 1,341 were still in custody and 409 have been released.

* It’s just a bill, the House committee deadline has long past and the Third Reading passage deadline is tomorrow. WGN…

After protesters blocked a major traffic artery into O’Hare International Airport this week, an Illinois State Representative has proposed legislation that would make similar demonstrations a felony. […]

On Wednesday, Rep. Dan Ugaste, a Republican from Geneva in Chicago’s western suburbs, filed legislation aimed at amending the Illinois Public Demonstrations Law. Ugaste represents Illinois’ 65th House District.

Titled Bill 5819, the legislation would create stiffer penalties for individuals who block “an exceptionally busy public right-of-way” for not less than five minutes, or when these actions prevent the free passage of emergency responders.

Individuals who engage in these actions would be subject to Class 4 felony charges.

* Sierra Club of Illinois…

Yesterday, the Illinois State House passed HB5277, which promotes equitable access to parks, public lands, and waters while also reducing climate pollution by encouraging increased use of public transportation. This monumental legislation, which was championed by State Representative Justin Slaughter, establishes the Transit to Trails Grant Program to allow eligible entities to apply for projects that facilitate travel by public transit to public outdoor recreation sites for activities like hiking, fishing, boating, and wildlife observation.

The Transit to Trails Program focuses on populations that are economically disadvantaged and underserved. In Illinois, 80% of low-income residents and 77% of people of color live in areas without or with limited access to nature. Transit to Trails aims to close this nature equity gap.

“Illinois’ parks and forest preserves have beautiful woods, wetlands, and prairies, and a day in nature does wonders for our mental and physical health,” said Sierra Club Illinois Director Jack Darin. “Everyone can benefit from outdoor recreation, but too many communities cannot safely and easily access time in nature. By helping our transit agencies provide service to these beautiful places, the Transit to Trails program will reduce the “nature equity gap.” We urge the Senate to approve this legislation this Spring and move more Illinoisans closer to accessing public land and recreation across the state.”

“Everyone can benefit from enjoying our beautiful parks and forest preserves, but for many people transportation is a barrier to these healthy activities,” said State Representative Justin Slaughter, chief sponsor of HB5277. “The Transit to Trails program will help provide transit service to beautiful natural areas, helping more Illinoisans access outdoor recreation with safe and reliable transit service. This is an important step to providing more equitable access to nature, and all of its benefits, especially for communities that lack this access today.”

“We’re thrilled to see Illinois join states across the country taking action to close the nature equity gap,” said Gerry Seavo James, Deputy Director of Sierra Club’s Outdoors For All Campaign. “Ensuring access to nature and outdoor recreation will help all Illinoisans thrive, and this bill will help break down some of the barriers that underserved communities face when trying to explore and enjoy the state’s parks, trails, natural areas, and waterways.”

* Michael McDevitt…

* The Telegraph…

A resolution to place a nonbinding advisory referendum regarding separating Chicago and Cook County from the rest of the state of Illinois was passed 15-7 by the Madison County Board on Wednesday.

The vote came after numerous speakers both for and against, and sometimes intense discussion by board members.

Madison County voters in November will now be asked via referendum to answer this question, “Shall the board of Madison County correspond with the boards of other counties of Illinois, outside of Cook County, about the possibility of separating from Cook County to form a new state and to seek admission to the Union as such, subject to the approval of the people?”

* Here’s the rest…

The Telegraph | Board avoids explaining support for Illinois, Chicago separation:

* Illinois Times | Helping the Homeless. My journey and my blessing: “Miss Julie” retires from full-time volunteering on the streets of Springfield. […] I witnessed much in my eight years of being a boots-on-the-ground volunteer for my ministry, “Helping the Homeless in Springfield, Illinois.” I answered a call from God on Jan. 24, 2016, and became known as Miss Julie. Donations trickled in from Springfield and surrounding community residents individually, through churches, organizations and even functions with leftover food to help the homeless population. Back then I worked full-time at a private company and decided three years later to retire from there and be a full-time volunteer.

* Press Release | Preston’s measure to ban harmful food additives passes Senate: Following the recently passed California Food Safety Act, Preston’s measure would ban specific, dangerous food additives from being used in the manufacture, delivery, distribution or sale of food products. These additives include brominated vegetable oil, potassium bromate, propylparaben and red dye No. 3. Additionally, the legislation calls for studies on the potential health risks of BHA and BHT, two chemicals commonly food in gum, snack foods and other common grocery items.

* WTTW | Who Decides Which Chicago Sidewalks Get Repaired? Patchwork of Programs Creates Geographical Disparities, Rewards Most Complaints: The city uses a patchwork of programs to maintain its sidewalks. The responsibility is split between residents, the Chicago Department of Transportation and local ward offices. To better understand how and where sidewalks across the city get repaired, WTTW News examined data, permits and repair records and spoke with those affected by poor conditions about how sidewalks are kept in shape and what they say should be improved.

* Crain’s | Hundreds of Walgreens pharmacists start monthlong protest all over Chicago: The workers, represented by National Pharmacists Association-Laborers’ International Union of North America, or NPhA-LIUNA, plan to host multiple demonstrations every day at various Chicago-area Walgreens stores, starting today through May 10, according to a statement from the union. […] “Despite the fact that we are essential workers that helped this country come out of the COVID crisis, Walgreens continues to exploit us,” Joe Pignataro, NPhA-LIUNA president and full-time Walgreens pharmacist, said in a statement. “We should be given a fair wage increase that reflects our contributions to the company. We also want more consistent and reliable scheduling and more staff support with proper training.”

* Crain’s | Shedd Aquarium workers announce intent to form a union: The workers, who announced their plans to form a union in a public letter signed by 60 Shedd employees, seek to be represented by the American Federation of State, County & Municipal Employees Council 31, or AFSCME, which has organized union victories at the Field Museum, the Art Institute of Chicago and the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago, among others.

* Sun-Times | Ex-Citi VP in Chicago who bilked elderly clients gets 30 months in prison: Helen Grace Caldwell, 59, who until 2021 was a vice president working in the South Michigan Avenue offices of Citibank downtown, acknowledging only that she “fell short” in her duty to protect her clients. The judge had a much harsher view. “The only difference between Ms. Caldwell and a bank robber is that she didn’t have a mask and a gun.” U.S. District Judge Matthew F. Kennelly said before ordering her to prison for wire fraud. “And actually, in some ways, it was worse because they trusted her — and she knew they trusted her.”

* Daily Southtown | Flossmoor responds to former police chief’s lawsuit, says performance reason for firing: Concerns over Jones’ performance began shortly after he started with the Flossmoor department in March 2023, the Chicago-based Sotos Law Firm writes in defense of the village, Mayor Michelle Nelson and village administrator Bridgette Watchel. “The 2023 Flossmoor Fest was beset with public safety problems including being forced to shut down early due to a ‘teen takeover,’” the response cites as one example of performance issues.

* Daily Southtown | Former Harvey strip club operator sentenced to 20 months in prison in tax fraud case: According to a criminal complaint filed in 2019, the club’s owner had been making biweekly payments of $3,000 and later $6,000 to relatives of then-Mayor Eric Kellogg for years to protect a prostitution racket being run out of the business. Last December, Rommell Kellogg, brother of Kellogg, was convicted by a federal jury in a yearslong shakedown scheme in which thousands of dollars were extorted from the club.

* Effingham Daily News | Illinois Deer Donation Program donates more than 12,000 pounds: Hunters came out in full force to harvest more than 300 deer, totaling 12,187 pounds of venison, for the 2023-2024 Illinois Deer Donation Program. The harvested deer were donated to more than 50 food pantries across a 16-county territory in east-central Illinois, providing 48,748 meals of nutritious protein to individuals and families.

* Block Club | Oz Park’s Giant Underground Rat Colony Getting Evicted For New Playground: Construction began this month, and it couldn’t have come soon enough, Ald. Timmy Knudsen (43rd) said. “The unsexy truth is that there is one of the largest rat beds in the city of Chicago under the turf of that playground,” Knudsen said. Park District officials were aware of the rat bed before demolition, Knudsen said. Part of the process includes abating the property for rodents. Contractors on site this week are working though that process, Knudsen said.

* SJ-R | US Rep. urges Biden to make the 1908 Springfield Race Riot site a national monument: U.S. Rep. Nikki Budzinski, D-Springfield, is calling for the 1908 Springfield Race Riot site to become a national monument. During an April 16 press conference, Budzinski was joined by Monuments for All in front of the U.S Capitol, to urge President Joe Biden to invoke the Antiquities Act and recognize the race riot location as a monument. “Today I’m continuing my call on the Biden administration to invoke the Antiquities Act and give the site of this event the recognition that it rightfully deserves,” said Budzinski. “Both for the Springfield community but also for our nation.”

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Question of the day

Thursday, Apr 18, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller

* Press release…

Senate Majority Leader Kimberly A. Lightford is working to keep families together by preventing children from being wrongfully removed from their homes due to an unfounded allegation of abuse or mistreatment.

“While we need to take child abuse and mistreatment seriously, we must also remember that kids will be kids and accidents happen,” said Lightford (D-Maywood). “Cases of abuse and mistreatment must be thoroughly, accurately and transparently investigated before making a decision to remove a child from their home.”

Families across the state have faced wrongful allegations of child abuse or neglect due to medical conditions, birth injuries and normal childhood accidents that result in findings that are misinterpreted as signs of abuse.

Lightford’s measure would set forth a number of protections that must be provided to a parent or guardian at the center of an abuse or neglect investigation. Under the measure, the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services would be required to notify the parent or guardian of an investigation and give them the opportunity to submit a second medical opinion to be considered in the investigation.

Further, if a medical professional examines a child for the purpose of providing an opinion to DCFS regarding whether the child’s injury or condition is suspicious for child maltreatment, they must identify that intent to the parent or guardian and alert them that they may be required to communicate with law enforcement and provide court testimony.

Of the 142,000 investigations of possible abuse or neglect investigated by DCFS, 98,000 were not substantiated.

“As a parent whose child is in the hospital for medical treatment, you have the right to know when the doctor’s role shifts from caring for your child and providing you with information to the dual capacity role of examining and diagnosing your child and sharing information with a government agency that could potentially take your child away,” said Lightford. “At the forefront, the measure is about transparency and humanity.”

Senate Bill 378 passed the Senate Thursday and heads to the House for further consideration.

Emphasis added. Sen. Lightford’s numbers would mean that 69 percent of all investigations are found to be not substantiated. Then again, sometimes DCFS makes mistakes and those unsubstantiated findings are wrong.

* The Question: Could you support this concept? Explain.

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Migrant shelter population down more than a third since end of January

Thursday, Apr 18, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller

* Chicago hasn’t updated its migrant dashboard since Tuesday, when it reported 9,137 people in shelters. That’s 34 percent lower than the 13,900 who were in shelters at the end of January.

* The governor debunked what may have been a rumor at his Decatur press conference today…

Q: I wanted to ask you for comments… about a recent situation with some migrants being sent from Taxes now on private planes coming into Chicago. [Garbled]

Pritzker: I don’t think we’ve seen any of those for many, many weeks now. And we worked hard when they we saw that happening. You know, there were a few aircraft that arrived at O’Hare Airport, Midway, Rockford airport. But since, as we worked hard to make sure that that was very difficult for the state of Texas to do.

As a result, I have not heard of any, unless something’s happened the last 24 hours that I’m unaware of. But they don’t seem to be coming by aircraft. You can always buy a ticket on a commercial aircraft but that’s a more expensive endeavor than what the state of Texas was doing before which is chartering a plane, filling it with people, landing it sometimes in the middle of the night.

Q: Is this something you’re watching carefully?

Pritzker: Well, yeah, because the state of Texas is trying to create chaos. Not just in Illinois, they’re trying to do it in a number of states, by shipping people on buses, on aircraft in any way that they can, with no notice.

And remember, the state of Texas is receiving a lot of federal money to care for the people who are coming across the border. The state of Illinois is not. And so they’re shipping people and expecting us to care for these folks. And we will because we’re a state that believes in acting a humanitarian fashion. So we’re gonna do what we need to do.

And as I’ve reminded many people my family arrived here many years ago with nothing. Refugees, threatened with their lives. And in one generation went from not speaking English and having absolutely nothing, in that same generation my great grandfather becoming an attorney, raising a family and our family becoming successful right here in Illinois. It’s good for the economy of the state of Illinois for immigration. But we need to have controlled immigration. We need to make sure we have comprehensive immigration reform. And I favor that.

* More from Isabel…

Crain’s | Johnson maintains migrant spending has not hurt relationship with Preckwinkle:

* Chicago Catholic | Migrant families expected to move into former school in May: The archdiocese is leasing the building, which is on the St. Bartholomew campus of Our Lady of the Rosary Parish, to the city of Chicago, which is, in turn, leasing it to the Zakat Foundation, who will be in charge of operations at the shelter at no cost to the city. Parishioners and other neighbors have, for the most part, been supportive of the shelter, and many have expressed interest in volunteering, Wollan said. “There appears to be an abundance of interest in terms of volunteers from the parish committee and the alderman’s office,” Wollan continued. “We want to be sure that we capture all of that. We don’t want to lose that momentum.”

* Chalkbeat | Chicago Public Schools estimates between 9,000 and 17,000 migrant students are enrolled, depending on who is counted: Chicago Public Schools says the district is currently serving 8,900 students who arrived since August 2022, including those who passed through the southern border and were bused to Chicago from Texas. The district uses five criteria to identify this cohort: students who speak languages other than English at home, have been identified as students in temporary living situations, are new to the district arriving after August 2022, were born outside of the country, or are listed on the city’s Department of Family and Support Services shelter roster. The Illinois State Board of Education, on the other hand, says any student not born in the U.S. or Puerto Rico who has been attending school in this country for less than three years is eligible for the Immigrant Education Program. Chicago estimates roughly 17,000 students fit this definition. Chicago just started to collect this data in November 2023 and school staff are collecting the birth country and enrollment date of students.

* Sen. Robert Peters | Chicago is ready for the Democratic National Convention: Like every other major city in America, Chicago faces its challenges — challenges that today’s Democratic Party is uniquely prepared to solve. We shouldn’t shy away from the problems we all know we face such as the migrant crisis and gun violence. The DNC is the exact moment Chicago needs to galvanize Democrats across the country to come together and nominate the only candidate who understands the complexity of these issues and is ready to help. Let us remember that Republican Texas Gov. Greg Abbott is responsible for busing thousands of migrants to our city instead of rolling up his sleeves and finding sustainable ways to welcome migrants who’ve faced perilous journeys to get here. This is a political strategy in an election year that ignores human suffering for the sake of political jockeying on immigration policy, and it’s ugly, callous and un-American.

* Rep. Martin McLaughlin | Intentions may be good, but city, state policies aren’t fixing migrant crisis: The desire to care for undocumented illegal immigrants may be well-intentioned, but our response to this crisis is the very essence of a bad idea. It is time to end the Sanctuary State and Sanctuary City policies. It is time for our leaders to demand that the federal government secure our borders. The actions taken to house, clothe and feed undocumented and illegal immigrants fails to address the problems we are facing in a meaningful way. These short-term solutions are simply not sustainable.

* President of the YMCA of Metropolitan Chicago Dorri McWhorter | Chicago faces a three-part humanitarian crisis. We can solve this for everyone.: At the historic Wabash YMCA in Bronzeville, local Y leaders welcomed and worked to empower Chicago migrants from the Jim Crow South through housing and job training for the newly arrived African American individuals and families. And no matter the country of origin, each wave of immigrants to the region since 1858 has been met with connection, resources and support from the Y. We are proud to continue that legacy through our partnership with the city of Chicago, assisting with sheltering our newest migrant arrivals since they began arriving in the summer of 2022. We have provided shelter to more than 1,500 individuals through this partnership, along with resources and referrals for many more. We are committed to doing so until a long-term solution is enacted.

* Kansas City Star | ‘All are welcome’: Mayor Lucas invites migrants overwhelming other cities to work in KC: “All are welcome in Kansas City,” Lucas said Tuesday in a social media post in which he shared a Bloomberg.com article that quoted him saying the Kansas City area could use more workers for its burgeoning economy. “Proud to work with my fellow mayors like @MikeJohnstonCO and @NYCMayor,” he wrote on X, formerly Twitter, referring to Denver’s mayor and New York City Mayor Eric Adams, “as we work to ensure decompression of new arriving communities and collaboration among cities, labor, non-profits, and federal officials.”

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Tier 2 emails, calls inundating legislators

Thursday, Apr 18, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller

* Public employees are being encourage by social media posts and other ways to fill out an email form at the Illinois AFL-CIO’s website to “fix” the Tier 2 pension system. Here’s the pitch they get on that website…

In 2010, the Illinois General Assembly created a “Tier 2″ of separate, lower pension benefits for public employees hired after 2011, over the fierce opposition of a coalition of unions representing public sector workers. Since then, legislators have refused to act to fix the inequitable system they created, at a huge cost to our members and the communities they support.

During this legislative session, the General Assembly will be holding hearings in Springfield about the future of these “Tier 2” pensions. We must let legislators know how important it is that they fix this unfair system. By taking this action, you and other members of unions representing public sector employees can make your voices heard.

This action is the first step to push legislators in Springfield to ensure that all public sector workers have a fair, secure retirement after their service, and allow us to recruit and retain the essential workers who keep Illinois running.

According to the linked page above, 50,704 email messages have been sent to legislators as of 12:55 this afternoon.

They’re also being urged to call a patch-through number, and I’m told 4,275 calls have been processed so far.

Thoughts?

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Tax talk (Updated)

Thursday, Apr 18, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller

* Crain’s has a story up entitled “Jim Belushi nudges Pritzker to lower weed taxes”…

Jim Belushi, the actor and comedian whose latest role is gentleman cannabis farmer and entrepreneur, says he gave Gov. J.B. Pritzker a friendly nudge about taxes on weed.

The state tax rate has long been a hot topic in the weed industry, and Belushi addressed it during the Cannabis Innovation Summit yesterday at startup incubator 1871.

“I had a conversation with Gov. Pritzker, who I really think is on our side. He’s a good guy,” Belushi said. “I said, ‘Last year, you guys collected $417 million in cannabis taxes, and you collected $207 million in liquor taxes. There’s a lot more liquor stores and bars than there are dispensaries.’ ”

I asked Pritzker spokesperson Jordan Abudayyeh if the governor supports a cannabis tax cut. Her answer…

No

Here’s how cannabis taxes are distributed…

This is not your usual tax. Lots of vital local programs directly depend on it.

…Adding… Belushi’s argument just doesn’t hold up…

Illinois’ adult-use cannabis sales for March soared to $148.9 million, marking a 9.81% increase from February’s $135.6 million, according to the latest figures released by the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR). The combined total of adult-use and medical cannabis sales reached $174.8 million.

This growth stands as the second-highest monthly total since the state legalized cannabis in 2020 and is part of a consistent upward trend, with the number of items sold rising by 11.33% to more than 4 million in March from 3.6 million in February. While the IDFPR data signals robust demand from both in-state and out-of-state residents, a closer analysis reveals a decreasing trend in purchases by out-of-state residents.

The upward trend is not merely a monthly spike but signifies broader growth within the Illinois cannabis market. Year-over-year, adult-use cannabis sales surged by 10.45% from March 2023’s $134.8 million, indicating a maturing market and potentially expanding consumer base.

* Meanwhile, CBS 2 has a story on sports betting taxes…

A battle has been brewing over sports betting in Illinois.

On one side, Gov. JB Pritzker is trying to more than double taxes on the revenue from bets won by sports betting operators. On the other, the betting companies are now asking their customers to get involved to stop it.

Companies like DraftKings, FanDuel, and BetMGM have all come together to form the Sports Betting Alliance. The competitors are united against Pritzker’s proposed tax hike – which he estimates would generate an additional $200 million for the state. They have sent emails to users urging them to write to their legislators and oppose the tax hike. […]

Sports betting companies said if approved, higher taxes would mean worse odds, and fewer promotions for users – which they warn could fuel the illegal market. The companies also warn the tax hike may drive all but the top three sportsbooks out of Illinois.

The “adjusted sports wagering revenue” tax is on industry profits. And even though New York has a 50 percent tax (way higher than the proposed 35 percent tax here), it has 9 sports betting companies.

Maybe run fewer TV ads?

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That’s some brilliant strategy you got there, Bubba

Thursday, Apr 18, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller

* Fran Spielman…

A former technology salesman who lives in Lake View has formed a political action committee to raise money and at least begin the formidable challenge of putting a binding referendum on the Nov. 5 ballot asking Chicago voters whether they want the power to recall their mayor. […]

To get a recall referendum on the November ballot, he needs at least 56,464 valid signatures by Aug. 5. If it gets on the ballot, and the question is approved in November, Chicagoans would be empowered to recall any present or future mayor.

But Johnson still wouldn’t be removed. Boland would have to launch yet another petition drive, collecting at least 122,503 valid signatures . If he clears that hurdle, Chicago voters would be empowered to recall Johnson in the next regularly scheduled election — March 2026.

So, it’s not a recall referendum. It’s a referendum asking Chicagoans whether they want the power to recall mayors.

* Keep that explanation in mind when reading this tweet from Mayor Brandon Johnson’s new “chief strategy officer”…

MAA’s tweet wasn’t fully accurate, but going full-on patronizing bully right out of the gate against a reporter with a large and loyal viewing audience ain’t exactly strategic.

Apparently, things aren’t gonna change on the Fifth Floor.

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Credit Unions: A Smart Financial Choice for Illinois Consumers

Thursday, Apr 18, 2024 - Posted by Advertising Department

[The following is a paid advertisement.]

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It’s just a bill

Thursday, Apr 18, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller

* Capitol News Illinois…

Housing advocates are renewing a push to fund a $20 million state affordable housing tax credit in the upcoming state budget.

Supporters of the “Build Illinois Homes Tax Credit Act,” modeled after a federal tax credit program, claimed it would result in over 1,000 affordable housing units being built over its first six years. The push for the measure, contained in House Bill 4909 and Senate Bill 3233, comes one year after a similar to appropriate $35 million in tax credits failed to advance.

Its supporters said the money would replace federal pandemic-era funding that went to the Illinois Housing Development Authority over the last three years but has since run out. […]

This year’s push also has backing from the Illinois Manufacturers Association and the Laborers’ International Union of North America Midwest Region, two influential groups within the Statehouse.

* Tribune…

Lawmakers are moving ahead with a measure that would make mental health professionals who get sent on emergency calls alongside law enforcement eligible for the same benefits as other first responders if they’re also hurt in the line of duty.

Mental health advocates for years have pushed for a more holistic approach to many emergency calls by having police officers team up with social workers, clinicians or similar practitioners to help quell potentially volatile situations.

When that approach is in practice, mental health workers should be entitled to the same benefits as the police officers who are putting their lives on the line, said state Rep. Lilian Jiménez, the main sponsor of the bill in the House. […]

Under the legislation, the mental health professionals are defined as those persons “employed and dispatched by a unit of local government to respond to crisis calls received on public emergency service lines instead of or in conjunction with law enforcement.”

Jiménez’s bill passed through the Democrat-controlled House on a 80-27 vote and now goes to the Senate for consideration.

* Sun-Times…

Illinois lawmakers are advancing a bill that would prevent Chicago Public Schools officials from closing any schools or making major changes to selective-enrollment programs until a fully elected school board takes control in early 2027.

The proposed legislation is the latest and most significant backlash to a declaration in December by Mayor Brandon Johnson’s Board of Education that it would no longer prioritize selective schools and would refocus resources to neighborhood schools that have faced years of cuts and under-funding. […]

Perhaps more consequentially, the bill would prevent CPS from changing the “standards for admission” to any selective school.

For instance, CPS reduced the length of the high school selective-enrollment test to an hour last year to improve accessibility, particularly for students with disabilities who may have had trouble testing for three hours previously. CPS would have to halt those types of decisions.

* Rep. Jennifer Gong-Gershowitz…

State Rep. Jennifer Gong-Gershowitz, D-Glenview, and members of the House Democratic New Arrivals Working Group are seeking to curb inhumane, politically motivated busing of migrants from border states with new criminal and civil penalties for dropping off passengers at unsafe locations and at unscheduled times.

“This measure is the result of months of work by the New Arrivals Working Group in conjunction with stakeholders from across the political spectrum. This bill begins to address the most egregious abuses we’ve seen from politicians who want to ship people across the country like cargo,” Gong-Gershowitz said. “Unplanned, unannounced and uncoordinated long-distance busing of migrants is a practice that totally neglects their wellbeing, while imposing burdens on the communities receiving them. This issue affects us all.”

Gong-Gershowitz passed House Bill 588 through a House committee Wednesday. Under this bill, commercial bus operators would no longer be able to leave migrants in unsafe areas, or at unscheduled times. Buses would face stricter regulation of where riders could be left, ensuring local officials have control over where and when drop-offs could happen. The bill also lays out stronger safety regulations on these drop-off locations. Bus operators violating these regulations would be subject to misdemeanor charges and fines for a first offense, with escalating fines for subsequent offenses.

Many communities in Cook County and neighboring suburbs have already enacted similar ordinances, causing bus operators and the politicians directing them to seek unregulated areas for these drop-offs. Gong-Gershowitz’s bill expands these regulations statewide in order to more comprehensively crack down on these political games.

* WAND…

State representatives passed a plan Wednesday to improve network adequacy standards for health insurance companies.

The legislation could require insurance companies to notify patients of the anticipated date health care providers will leave their network and publish the information on their directories within 10 days. This plan also calls on insurers to provide contact information for patients to dispute inaccurate charges with a customer service representative.

Consumers would also have the ability to recoup their out-of-pocket payments if they were charged out of network costs for a provider listed in their insurance network. Insurance companies could be required to audit their health care provider directories every 90 days and make necessary corrections as well. […]

Rep. Margaret Croke (D-Chicago) explained her measure would also require the Illinois Department of Insurance to randomly audit at least 10% of the health care provider plans annually.

* WGEM…

Illinois state lawmakers are moving to ban dental insurance companies from denying coverage for procedures they’ve already approved.

The state House of Representatives passed a bill with broad bipartisan support Tuesday banning insurers from denying claims for procedures it already gave prior authorization.

Dentists say they’ll submit a treatment plan to a patient’s insurance company before performing a potentially expensive procedure. When they submit the claim to be reimbursed for their work, an insurance company will then deny that claim. […]

If the bill becomes law, insurance companies would still be able to deny a claim if the treatment is vastly different from the plan originally submitted, if a patient’s benefit limit is reached or if circumstances changed making the treatment no longer necessary.

* Rep. Barbara Hernandez…

A measure requiring the nursing assistant certification exam be offered in both English and Spanish, authored by state Rep. Barbara Hernandez, D-Aurora, recently passed the Illinois House of Representatives.

“This progress is the result of a very real case of a person who was only fluent in Spanish being denied the chance to become a nursing assistant because the exam was only available in English. At a time in which Illinois is facing a shortage of caregivers, we are turning away people who want to do that good work without good cause,” Hernandez said. “This legislation will help address that shortage, while promoting equity in an important field; one which often calls for Spanish as a valuable skill to help give the best care possible.”

Hernandez crafted House Bill 5218 in conjunction with the Health Care Council of Illinois, who came to her with the story of a person who was unable to pursue a career as a nursing assistant because the test was restricted to English. It passed with strong bipartisan support and is now going to the Senate for consideration.

* Center Square…

A measure prohibiting local news organizations from selling to out-of-state buyers without 120 days written notice of the sale to the state and their employees has passed the Illinois Senate.

State Sen. Steve Stadelman, D-Rockford, said in an effort to address what he said is a shrinking local media landscape, Illinois should pass the “Strengthening Community Media Act” found in Senate Bill 3592. One element of the bill requires 120-day written notice to the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity and the company’s employees if a local media outlet is looking to sell. […]

“Private equity firms are coming and buying newspapers, consolidating them until they provide very little local news content with no local journalist and sometimes those newsrooms are shut down as what happened in southern Illinois not that long ago,” Stadelmand said Wednesday. […]

The measure, which also creates a journalism scholarship program through the Illinois Student Assistance Commission, can now be sent to the Illinois House.

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Open thread

Thursday, Apr 18, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller

* What’s going on? Keep it Illinois-centric please…

14 Comments

Isabel’s morning briefing

Thursday, Apr 18, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller

* ICYMI: Illinois considers carbon storage, pipeline regulations. The Pantagraph…

* Related stories…

∙ WCIA: Illinois environmentalists, business groups clash over carbon capture pipeline proposals
∙ E&E News: Illinois Democrats square off over carbon capture
∙ 25 News Now: Push for CO2 pipeline moratorium in Springfield

* Isabel’s top picks…

* Tribune | Stephen Colbert will bring ‘Late Show’ to Chicago during Democratic National Convention: The Democratic National Convention will have a new political commentator: Stephen Colbert is bringing his “Late Show” to Chicago and will broadcast from the Auditorium Theatre in the Loop from Monday, Aug. 19 to Thursday, Aug. 22, during the same days of the convention across town at the United Center.

* Capitol News Illinois | Education leaders seek added state funding to help districts accommodate influx of migrants: Kimako Patterson, chief of staff at the Illinois State Board of Education, said that in the last two years, a total of 62,644 “newcomers” have arrived in the state’s schools. Those are people age 3 to 21 who were born outside of the 50 states, Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico and have been attending school in the U.S. for less than three years. […] In January, ISBE submitted a funding request for the upcoming fiscal year totaling just over $11 billion, or roughly one-fifth of the state’s entire General Revenue Fund budget. That included $35 million in new funding to support migrant students.

* Lee Milner has passed…

I’ll remember you like this - a happy moment from last month when this all still seemed a bit theoretical and distant.
Thank you to everyone who made it to Lee’s reception last week. Seeing how many people wanted to wish him well meant the world. pic.twitter.com/OuUWbuWAbH

— Hannah Meisel (@hannahmeisel) April 18, 2024

* It’s been a busy week at the capitol…

This is what Democracy looks like. pic.twitter.com/OoG45yTt3G

— Randy Wells (@aaaawells) April 17, 2024

Gov. Pritzker will be in Decatur with Innovafeed to celebrate inaugral North American Insect Innovation Center at 10 am. Click here to watch.

* Here’s the rest…

* Illinois Review | Tim Ozinga Suffers Humiliating Defeat as Conservative Christina Clausen Dominates Will County GOP Chairman Race: A little over a week after Tim Ozinga’s shock resignation from the Illinois House of Representatives, the landscape of the Illinois Republican Party underwent a dramatic transformation during Wednesday night’s Will County GOP Convention after Christina Clausen secured her position as the new chairwoman of the Will County Republican Central Committee, garnering an impressive 12,220 votes to her opponent’s 6,234 – leaving Ozinga and his allies in shock and disbelief.

* Crain’s | Illinois is no exception when it comes to racial health disparities: Ultimately, this year’s data confirmed what past reports and other research has long shown: Black Americans and American Indians are more likely to die from preventable and treatable conditions than other racial groups. […] Commonwealth researchers say they hope the report helps policymakers target solutions to state health care systems, such as expanding access to affordable and comprehensive health insurance, improvements to primary care, lowering administrative burdens for patients and providers, and investing in social services that help keep Americans out of severe poverty.

* Center Square | State lawmaker under federal investigation reacts to Dolton officials being charged and accused: State Rep. Thaddeus Jones, D-Calumet City, who is also the mayor of Calumet City, was asked to react to the Henyard scandal and Freeman’s charges. Calumet City is 10 minutes west of Dolton and Jones’ house district includes the village of Dolton. “I heard Tiffany Henyard is down here in Springfield so ask her that question. I will just say let’s leave this to the authorities to investigate,” Jones told The Center Square.

* WCIA | U of I sticks with high budget request from the state: President of the University of Illinois System Timothy Killeen called for a 12 percent increase in the funding provided from the state. The Board of Trustees approved this ask back in the Fall, but since then, the Governor proposed his own version of the budget, which only included a 2 percent increase to the higher education funding.

* Crain’s | Stellantis avoiding plant shutdowns by paying Illinois supplier ‘under hostage threat’: Stellantis NV has avoided plant closures by making a $100,000 payment under protest to an Illinois supplier that threatened to stop shipping parts because of an ongoing cost dispute. It is the automaker’s latest disputed payment made to Mundelein-based MacLean-Fogg Component Solutions to keep pinions and gears flowing to a pair of plants in Kokomo, Ind., that build transmissions for the Ram 1500, Wrangler, Grand Cherokee, Charger, Durango, Pacifica and a dozen other vehicle platforms.

* Capitol News Illinois | Solar investments take center stage as questions loom on state’s renewable future: But even as solar projects have boomed in Illinois in recent years, the head of the state agency responsible for approving renewable projects said changes to state law may be necessary to phase out fossil fuels by 2050. G&W Electric Co., which installed a “microgrid” at its Bolingbrook facility, captures energy from the sun using eight football fields’ worth of solar panels and stores the electricity generated in a vanadium redox battery built inside 20 shipping containers.

* Crain’s | Advocates say a state tax credit would get thousands of affordable housing units built: Housing and labor groups say Illinois can spur the development of about 1,100 new units of affordable rentals each year by creating a state tax credit that mimics the long-standing federal tax credit. The federal government’s tax credit for affordable housing development, created in 1986, has funded development of an estimated 3.7 million affordable housing units nationwide. It’s usually a key piece of a developer’s funding stack.

* Crain’s | Johnson maintains migrant spending has not hurt relationship with Preckwinkle:
He added that he often talks across governments to state representatives, county commissioners and the governor. Johnson also pushed back on the assertion that because the city didn’t contribute their $70 million share months ago, that he had reneged on a promise to the county and state. “It’s not a strain. No one forced anyone to do anything,” he said. “This is a part of a collective operation and maybe it’s just something that some people are not accustomed to. But this is a part of our practice.”

* Sun-Times | New Chicago intelligence hub aims to ‘squeeze every last piece of evidence’ out of guns used in crimes: But the most crucial part of the new Crime Gun Intelligence Center might be far more basic: Investigators, prosecutors and analysts from various agencies will be sitting in a conference room together, every day, making connections between crime scenes that might have otherwise been missed.

* Crain’s | Why using ticket sales tax on new stadiums is a no-go for Johnson: On April 8, the two teams held a meeting with Johnson’s administration where the city’s chief financial officer, Jill Jaworski, rejected an idea that the city should give up a portion of its revenue from the amusement tax to help fund the new stadiums. “We rely on those dollars to make the necessary investments to build a better, stronger, safer Chicago,” Johnson said today at an unrelated press conference. “There are so many needs that we have in Chicago that it’s imperative that we do everything in our power to make sure that the lion’s share of those resources actually make it to the neighborhoods.”

* WGN | Cook County judge delays ruling in Ryan Field re-zoning lawsuit: A Cook County judge heard arguments for nearly two hours where attorneys for the City of Evanston and Northwestern argued to dismiss three out of four claims laid out in a lawsuit filed by Evanston residents and a non-profit organization called “The Most Livable City Association,’ or MLCA for short. […] In the end, the judge presiding over the case decided to delay a ruling until Friday, and attorneys in court Wednesday said they would not comment on pending litigation.

* Tribune | Uber rolls out blue checkmark system for rider verification in Chicago, 11 other cities: For accounts that aren’t immediately verified, the user can upload a picture of a government-issued identification card, such as a driver’s license or passport, and verify their account that way. Uploaded documents will be encrypted and not show up on a user’s profile. Heather Childs, chief trust and security officer for Uber, said in an interview Wednesday the new feature is “something drivers have been asking for” to promote safety on the platform.

* Crain’s | Jim Belushi nudges Pritzker to lower weed taxes: The state tax rate has long been a hot topic in the weed industry, and Belushi addressed it during the Cannabis Innovation Summit yesterday at startup incubator 1871. “I had a conversation with Gov. Pritzker, who I really think is on our side. He’s a good guy,” Belushi said. “I said, ‘Last year, you guys collected $417 million in cannabis taxes, and you collected $207 million in liquor taxes. There’s a lot more liquor stores and bars than there are dispensaries.’ ”

* Sun-Times | Early spring warming could be having an effect on bird migration: “A lot more, a lot earlier.”: Temperatures in March were six degrees above normal, according to the National Weather Service. “On average, a lot of these species are arriving four or five days earlier than they were 40 years ago,” said Stephanie Beilke, the senior manager of conservation science at Audubon Great Lakes. “It’s a little tricky to necessarily notice.”

* Block Club | Chicago Sky Games Against Caitlin Clark Should Be Moved To United Center, Fans Say: A new petition calls for the Sky to move its games against the Indiana Fever, led by former college star Caitlin Clark, from their home court at Wintrust Arena to the United Center. The Sky are scheduled to play the Fever June 23 and Aug. 30 at Wintrust Arena.

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Protected: SUBSCRIBERS ONLY - Supplement to today’s edition and a campaign update

Thursday, Apr 18, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller

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Protected: SUBSCRIBERS ONLY - Today’s edition of Capitol Fax (use all CAPS in password)

Thursday, Apr 18, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller

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Live coverage

Thursday, Apr 18, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller

* You can click here or here to follow breaking news. It’s the best we can do unless or until Twitter gets its act together.

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