Four would-be state legislative candidates, including one from Northbrook, are suing state officials over a new law forbidding political parties from slating candidates after primary elections.
The plaintiffs — all Republicans — also are seeking an emergency temporary restraining order to prevent enforcement of the law so they can appear on Nov. 5 ballots. The lawsuit names the Illinois State Board of Elections and state Attorney General Kwame Raoul as defendants.
From the attorney general’s office…
The court denied the TRO, finding that the plaintiffs did not demonstrate irreparable harm.
While the governor’s office instructed its agency directors to prepare for $800 million in potential budget cuts last week, all facets of his plan to raise $1.1 billion in revenue to avoid those cuts remain under consideration.
Deputy Gov. Andy Manar relayed that point on the latest episode of “Illinois Lawmakers” this week, adding that the administration is also open to ideas from lawmakers. The program has been recently acquired by Capitol News Illinois and filmed this week on Thursday.
“The governor has said that if the legislature doesn’t support one or multiple of those individual pieces of his proposal, whether that’s revenue or spending, that all ideas should be welcomed,” Manar told host Jak Tichenor.
There’s a week left before the General Assembly is scheduled to adjourn on May 24 – and two weeks left before more votes are needed to pass an immediately effective budget – but the last-minute budgeting process is nothing new. Budget negotiations in recent years have resulted in late nights and the occasional overtime session but have ultimately ended in agreement among most Democrats, who control the legislature.
* Kate Maher | A new program helps Illinois farmers and hungry families — but only if we fund it: At a time when the demand for food assistance throughout Cook County has increased 26% over first-quarter 2023, Farm to Food Bank is a critical program that gets quality produce, meats, dairy and other products into the hands of families struggling to put food on the table. But Farm to Food Bank is more than an anti-hunger program. It also provides new economic opportunities for Illinois growers, producers, processors and distributors. All of these benefits hinge on a General Assembly vote next week to dedicate funds to the Farm to Food Bank Program in the state budget. Funding this program isn’t just common sense, it’s essential.
* CBS | Illinois Department of Public Health reports first 2 mosquito batches of 2024 to test positive for West Nile Virus: Two batches of mosquitoes in Illinois have tested positive for West Nile Virus for the first time this year, the Illinois Department of Health announced on Friday. The Northwest Mosquito Abatement District collected the first batch of mosquitoes in Hoffman Estates, Cook County, on Tuesday. A second batch was found in Jacksonville, Morgan County, on Thursday. The department said the batches follow a mild winter and spring, with the findings coming two weeks earlier than last year.
* Chalkbeat | Illinois high school juniors must take the ACT to fulfill graduation requirements starting next spring: The Illinois State Board of Education was updated on the switch during its monthly meeting on Wednesday. A spokesperson for the school board says the ACT was awarded a $53 million contract over the course of six years. The state requires students to take a college entrance exam in order to graduate. “At the end of the day, it came down to price,” said Stephen Isoye, chairman of the State Board of Education, noting that state law requires assessment vendors to go through a competitive procurement process.
* ABC Chicago | How Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi became a major player on Capitol Hill: Since taking his seat in the House of Representative, he has taken part in President Donald Trump’s impeachment trials in 2019 and 2020 as a member of the Oversight and Intelligence Committee. And he was in the Capitol on January 6, 2021, when insurgents stormed the building. He says there’s not quite as much rancor on Capitol Hill as people see. “A little bit less. I think that when people are off camera, I think they’re much more candid,” he said.
* NBC Chicago | Organization calls for emerging cicadas to be ‘celebrated, not vilified’: The two emerging broods are Brood XIII and Brood XIX, which haven’t emerged simultaneously in 221 years. While the cicadas will cause plenty of noise and leave behind plenty of shells, they can actually be beneficial in more ways than one. According to American Humane, the cicadas are “essential” to habitats, and provide benefits to ecosystems across the Midwest. Those benefits can include natural aeration of soil, with cicadas tunneling and burrowing opening up channels for air, water and nutrients to reach the roots of plants.
*** Chicago ***
* South Side Weekly | CPD Stats on ShotSpotter Full of Holes, Experts Say: The CPD report also includes data on the number of gunshots that CPD reported were missed by ShotSpotter sensors. The company’s contract requires ShotSpotter to detect at least 90 percent of unsuppressed outdoor gunfire in the twelve police districts that make up its coverage area. The police department is also required to report verified gunfire incidents for which there was no ShotSpotter alert to the company, via an online portal and email. According to the CPD report, the department reported 205 misses to ShotSpotter in 2023, a year that had 43,503 ShotSpotter alerts.
* Tribune | Morgan Park man continues search for daughter who’s been missing for over a month: Morgan Farley, 25, has been missing since April 3, according to Chicago police, and her dad says he’s relying on friends and prayer to hopefully bring her home, a situation that’s all too familiar for families of Black and brown women and girls in the city. […] However, Farley struggled to get attention from police on the case, as first reported in Capital B News. He said it took more than a week to get ahold of the assigned detective after filling out a missing persons report on April 3. The Police Department posted a flyer on April 16. Although Farley said he knows police have a lot of people to worry about, the process seemed “very slow and drawn out.”
* Block Club | Former Loretto Hospital Exec Charged With Embezzling $500K During COVID Crisis: Heather Bergdahl, 37, has been charged with embezzlement, according to a criminal complaint released Monday. The charges come amid an FBI investigation into Loretto after Block Club Chicago and the Better Government Association revealed questionable practices at the hospital — including funneling vaccine doses meant for the city’s poorest people to places where Chicago’s wealthiest lived and played.
* Block Club | After Coach Suspended For Leaving Student With Relative During Canada Trip, West Siders Rally Around CPS Chess Team: One of Ocol’s students, originally from Peru, did not have the proper identification documents to cross the border. Ocol tried to reason with Canadian border officials, but they weren’t hearing it. […] So the coach said he called the student’s father, who told them he could leave his child overnight with an aunt in nearby Detroit — while the rest of the team journeyed on to the tournament. The school’s principal approved the move, Ocol said. The student’s travel status had not been flagged ahead of time by the school or CPS central offices when Ocol filed his sponsored trip paperwork, he said.
* Crain’s | Major construction at O’Hare won’t start till next year: The Department of Aviation says it will be working this summer to award contracts for excavation and foundation work for the first satellite concourse, but major construction won’t start until the middle of next year. The city expects to sell bonds in the third quarter of this year to fund the next phase of construction, but the amount has not been finalized. A venture involving AECOM Hunt, Clayco and Bowa Construction was designated as the construction manager for the Satellite 1 concourse earlier this year.
* Crain’s | Why a U of I tech founder came home from Silicon Valley to build a company in Fulton Market: Bedrock Materials set up shop in Fulton Market about a month ago. The startup will take its place alongside Nanograf, a Northwestern University battery spinout that’s making lithium-ion cells on the Near West Side. They’re also part of a growing collection of companies related to electric vehicles, including automakers Rivian and Stellantis, bus manufacturer Lion Electric and battery producer Gotion.
* Crain’s | 60 years on, Weigel Broadcasting sticks to the plan: The Chicago-based broadcaster has been a pioneer in the live TV space with expansions and partnerships, while filling a niche that persists even in an era when on-demand media is king. Earlier this month, the company announced its own Channel 26 “The U” as an independent station after Nexstar revealed it would move CW programming to the networks it owns such as WGN-TV. Weigel will also expand its portfolio this summer with the launch of the national network MeTV Toons. The channel is a spinoff of its popular retro Memorable Entertainment TV (MeTV) network that will feature classic cartoons 24/7.
*** The Bears ***
* WBEZ | Bears stadium debate should shift south to Michael Reese site, Civic Federation president says: Bears President Kevin Warren has said the 48.6-acre Michael Reese site — acquired by the city for an Olympic Village that was never built — was one of “10 to 12” Chicago stadium sites the team considered before settling on the lakefront. Warren said the Bears rejected it as “too narrow,” saying it “doesn’t work from an NFL standpoint” because the stadium would have to be built “over an active train line.” The marshaling yards for trucks serving McCormick Place also would have to be relocated, he said. None of those impediments bother Ferguson, the city’s former inspector general.
* Sun-Times | New hope? Why the Bears believe they will succeed where George Lucas failed: That’s not to say the team is ignoring the fight over the Lucas Museum, which effectively ended with a preliminary — but far from final — victory for the advocacy group known as Friends of the Parks. Rather, sources familiar with the proposal say, the team has evaluated three developments that have sparked the most notable lakefront legal battles since 2000, which they think bolster their case for a Museum Campus dome.
* Patch | Board Has ‘Many Concerns’ About Golf Property: Northbrook Village Prez: At its latest meeting Tuesday, Village President Kathryn Ciesla read a statement regarding the move, saying the Village Board wasn’t aware of the purchase before it happened. “Had the Village known about this land purchase before its closing, the Village Board would have made the Water Commission aware of its many concerns,” Ciesla said. “Of course, Northbrook’s local government does not have the authority to review, approve, or deny the private sale of property.”
* WSPY | Yorkville City Council okays cost sharing agreement for Lake Michigan water project: The Yorkville City Council on Tuesday approved an agreement with Oswego and Montgomery which lays out what percentage of the Lake Michigan water project each community will finance. Under the agreement, Yorkville will pay a little over 44 percent, Oswego will pay about 32 percent, and Montgomery will pay around 22 percent. Yorkville is paying the most as it is the furthest community from the source.
*** National ***
* VOX | ChatGPT can talk, but OpenAI employees sure can’t: On Monday, OpenAI announced exciting new product news: ChatGPT can now talk like a human. […] But the product release of ChatGPT 4o was quickly overshadowed by much bigger news out of OpenAI: the resignation of the company’s co-founder and chief scientist, Ilya Sutskever, who also led its superalignment team, as well as that of his co-team leader Jan Leike. [..] [Leike’s] resignation message was simply: “I resigned.” After several days of fervent speculation, he expanded on this on Friday morning, explaining that he was worried OpenAI had shifted away from a safety-focused culture.
* AP | Bike shops boomed early in the pandemic. It’s been a bumpy ride for most ever since: The boom didn’t last. Hobbled by pandemic-related supply chain issues, the shops sold all their bikes and had trouble restocking. Now, inventory has caught up, but fewer people need new bikes. So, bicycle makers have been slashing prices to clear out the excess. It all adds up to a tough environment for retailers, although there are a few bright spots like gravel and e-bikes.
* Sen. Mike Porfirio and Rep. Angie Guerrero-Cuellar…
Sen. Mike Porfirio and Rep. Angie Guerrero-Cuellar today passed legislation in the General Assembly to acquire a new police district facility representing their districts on the Southwest Side of Chicago. The bill passed both chambers with veto-proof margins. The legislation now heads to Gov. Pritzker’s desk for his signature.
House Bill 478 would transfer the Midway Flight Facility located at 5400 W. 63rd St. to the City of Chicago for the express purpose of a police district for $1. The payment would be made to the Department of Military Affairs, which currently owns the property.
“Our residents have spoken and want this facility to be used for public good,” Porfirio said. “We hope Governor Pritzker and Mayor Johnson will support our efforts to provide better police support on the Southwest Side.”
The current 8th Chicago Police District is the busiest and largest by population, ranking first for all crimes committed across the city. Southwest Side residents voted overwhelmingly - at nearly 87% - for a new police district in the March 19 primary. A group of 15 elected officials representing the community sent Gov. Pritzker a letter in March requesting the state sell them a vacant building to be used as a new police district facility.
“I am honored to have carried and passed this important legislation for our residents who deserve safe neighborhoods like everyone else,” Guerrero-Cuellar said. “I’m hopeful Gov. Pritzker will sign our legislation and Mayor Johnson will see the value in developing an additional police district on the Southwest Side.”
The 8th District has the worst data points in the city on key police staffing metrics, which has led to slow police response times and resident frustration. At its current size, which hasn’t changed since the late 1960s, the 8th District is the busiest and third-largest police district in the city (at 23 square miles) and serves the highest population with over 250,000 residents. That equates to 10 officers for every 10,000 residents, which is the lowest officer to resident ratio in the city.
In January, a broad coalition of elected officials, community groups and local residents added their voices to the call to create an additional Chicago police district and new police beats on the city’s Southwest Side. The group urged Mayor Johnson, the Chicago Police Department and the Chicago Department of Planning and Development to join the effort and help identify land for a new police district building in the community.
* Sen. Dave Koehler…
In an effort to expand access to medication for hereditary bleeding disorders, State Senator Dave Koehler advanced a measure to cut red-tape practices used by insurance companies.
“Prior authorization processes can delay vital medical care, putting patients’ lives at risk,” said Koehler (D-Peoria). “We need to ensure Illinoisans can access the medications they need without delays.”
House Bill 4055 would prohibit prior authorization for FDA-approved medication for the treatment of hereditary bleeding disorders for up to six months. Prior authorization is a form of approval by insurance companies utilized before agreeing to cover medications and procedures. These checks can be for age, medical necessity, the availability of a medical alternative or drug interactions.
“This bill addresses the pre-authorization abuse that we see too often,” said State Representative Bill Hauter (R-Morton). “Those with bleeding disorders are oftentimes required to go to the emergency department, which delays care, is crowded or unable to handle their condition and then they have to be transferred to another ED for definitive care and factor. This can all be avoided if these patients can just simply go to their specialty physician and pharmacy. This bill removes the ED visit for pre-authorization and will help patients get the acute care they need in a timely fashion.”
According to the American Society of Hematology, mortality rates and hospitalization rates for bleeding complications from hemophilia — an inherited bleeding disorder in which the blood does not clot properly — were 40% lower among people who received care in hemophilia treatment centers than those who did not receive this care. Koehler worked closely with the Bleeding and Clotting Disorders Institute and Representative Hauter to bring this legislation to the Senate. By eliminating prior authorization, Koehler’s bill aims to streamline the processes for patients to receive necessary treatment.
“Many patients do not have time to jump through unnecessary hurdles,” said Koehler. “This measure puts patients first, protecting those whose lives are at stake.”
To protect residents from losing access to their electric or gas services, State Senator Steve Stadelman led legislation through the Senate to prevent the disconnection of services for customers actively seeking energy payment assistance.
“This is a significant step in ensuring that all Illinois residents have access to the energy they need, especially during difficult times,” said Stadelman (D-Rockford). “No family should have to choose between keeping the lights on and putting food on the table.”
The legislation would require utility companies with more than 500,000 customers to enact procedures to prevent the disconnection of services for customers who are actively seeking energy payment assistance. Customers who apply for assistance through the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program or the Percentage of Income Payment Plan would be protected from disconnection for 30 days after the utility receives notice of the customer’s application. If assistance is received, the customer is protected for an additional 45 days.
“This measure is not just about preventing disconnections – it’s about maintaining the dignity and well-being of our residents,” said Stadelman. “Access to utilities is a fundamental need, and this bill ensures that need is met for everyone, regardless of their financial situation.”
A measure championed by State Senator Karina Villa that would secure reasonable accommodations during licensing exams for individuals whose primary language is not English passed the Senate on Thursday.
“More than ever, our communities are in need of behavioral health professionals who can communicate with clients in different languages,” said Villa (D-West Chicago). “Empowering more bilingual individuals to pursue these professions will help improve the quality of care provided across the state.”
House Bill 5457 would codify accommodations that the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation is required to provide under the Americans with Disabilities Act for individuals whose primary language is not English. The measure would apply to licensure exams for social workers, marriage and family therapists, and professional counselors.
According to the Behavioral Health and Economics Network, over 4.8 million Illinois residents live in a Mental Health Professional Shortage Area with only 13.8 behavioral health care professionals per every 10,000 residents.
“The need for more behavioral health professionals is clear,” said Villa. “By removing language barriers for licensure, we are ensuring that more qualified individuals are able to provide services to individuals in need.”
Working to help disabled veterans modify their homes to better accommodate their needs, state Rep. Dagmara “Dee” Avelar, D-Bolingbrook, voted to waive local building permit fees under a plan supported unanimously in the House Wednesday.
“By waiving local permit fees for disabled veterans, we’re opening doors for those who fought for our country by recognizing their sacrifices and promoting their independence — most importantly, without the financial barriers that come with these beneficial renovations,” said Avelar. “This key piece of legislation serves such an important purpose, which is ensuring that these adults can adapt to their homes and improve their quality of life after serving our country.”
The Avelar-backed Senate Bill 2751 would provide a building permit fee waiver for veterans and their caregivers if the home improvements are required to accommodate a disability of the veteran. Qualified veterans or their caregivers would need proof of their veteran status, as well as the improvements needed due to the veteran’s disability.
The bipartisan proposal has passed both chambers and awaits the governor’s action.
* Sen. Suzy Glowiak Hilton…
In an effort to recruit more nurses to work at Illinois medical facilities, State Senator Suzy Glowiak Hilton passed a measure to extend the time nurses can practice while waiting for the review of their license application.
“Nurses should not lose out on work due to application waiting periods,” said Glowiak Hilton (D-Western Springs). “This initiative helps address the state’s nursing shortage, provides our nurses more experience with patients and ensures application delays do not affect their ability to work.”
House Bill 5047 would allow advanced practice registered nurses with pending applications to practice under supervision for six months while waiting for the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation’s review of their application. Under current law, this status is revoked after three months. These nurses would need to have completed at least 250 hours of continuing education in their area of certification and have at least 4,000 hours of clinical experience to be applicable for this opportunity.
According to The Illinois Update, over half of registered nurses in Illinois are over the age of 55, with the state being projected to see a nursing shortage of 15,000 by 2025. Glowiak Hilton’s initiative would help combat this shortage and bring more nurses to hospitals within the state.
“We cannot afford to turn away accredited health care professionals,” said Glowiak Hilton. “There needs to be proactive steps taken to ensure these highly skilled nurses can contribute to patient care and medical facilities are not left understaffed.”
In direct response to growing concerns surrounding climate change and its impact on extreme weather events, State Senator Mike Simmons is sponsoring legislation that mandates weather radio installations in manufactured homes to prevent insufficient severe-weather alerts in Illinois.
“Those who are most vulnerable to severe weather must have alert systems in place that give them the best chance at remaining safe during a tornado, storm, or any other severe situation,” said Simmons (D-Chicago). “With climate change having more adverse effects on our planet, manufactured homes need to be equipped with weather radios and prompt regular maintenance of safety equipment.”
House Bill 5238 would require that every newly installed manufactured home in Illinois be equipped with a weather radio, provided by the installer. This measure aims to make certain that residents have access to vital information during severe weather events, facilitating prompt action and potentially saving lives.
Under Simmons’ legislation, the weather radio must meet stringent requirements, including a tone alarm for prompt alerts, specific messaging for accurate information and public alert standard certification for reliability. The measure also encourages operators of manufactured home communities to provide written reminders to tenants reminding them to replace batteries in weather radios and smoke detectors each year during National Fire Prevention Week.
“This is a common-sense piece of legislation. When in the path of severe weather, every resident of Illinois should know they have alerts in place to give them enough time to seek safety and shelter,” said Simmons. “These proactive steps can enhance emergency preparedness, and in turn, save lives.”
A measure sponsored by State Senator Karina Villa, allowing a higher volume of native plant species to be grown, passed the Senate on Thursday.
“Illinois is home to hundreds of native plant species that are crucial to the health of our state’s biodiversity,” said Villa. “By cultivating more native plants, we are protecting wildlife and embracing the one-of-a-kind landscape our state has to offer.”
House Bill 5296 would allow residents living in a community with a homeowners’ association to grow native plant species in their yards as long as the area is maintained. Homeowners’ associations would be prohibited from imposing height restrictions or impairing proper maintenance of native landscapes.
About 30% of homes in Illinois belong to a homeowners’ association. This measure would allow native landscapes to be planted in an additional 1.5 million homes across the state.
“Native plants support pollinators, birds and soil which are critical to our state’s agriculture,” said Villa. “This initiative is essential to maintain the health of our communities.”
Finding out your vehicle is totaled can be a difficult situation and the last thing you want to do is research the cost of each part of your car. State Senator Julie Morrison passed a measure to require vehicle insurance companies to do that work for you.
“I am committed to increasing transparency between insurance companies and consumers,” said Morrison (D-Lake Forest). “This measure will save people time and energy during an already trying experience.”
House Bill 5559 would require auto insurers to provide a description of how the total loss of vehicle determination was made, as well as include any available repair estimates, estimated vehicle salvage value, assessed market value of the pre-damaged vehicle and any other costs or calculations.
Even when a vehicle is determined to be totaled, there still may be repairs that could return the car to safe and street legal status. This initiative would ensure insurance companies offer these repair options when it’s feasible to do so.
“When finding out your car is totaled, it can be difficult to know what the next best step is,” said Morrison. “Having all the pertinent information will give people peace of mind about their decision.”
[CPS CEO Pedro Martinez] said he was happy to see so many teachers in Springfield meeting with lawmakers. CPS allowed for a paid day off for one staffer at every school district-wide — around 600 teachers and staff from Mayor Brandon Johnson’s former union. Around 250 went to the state capital.
Thus far, the [Statehouse budget] negotiations between the governor’s office and Democratic leaders have spawned at least one likely addition to the revenue mix that could raise another $30-$50 million beyond what Pritzker had planned.
Sen. Cristina Castro, a high-ranking Democrat from Elgin, told Tichenor she’s pushing a “re-renters” tax on third-party entities that resell large blocks of hotel rooms. Castro said those groups don’t pay the standard hotel operator’s room occupation tax, but they’d be required to do so under her plan, which she expects to be included in the final revenue package.
The Illinois House passed legislation aimed at reining in the potential for runaway damages under the state’s biometric privacy law Thursday, more than a year after the Illinois Supreme Court suggested the legislature revisit the law.
Illinois’ biometric privacy law, which the state legislature passed in 2008, requires companies to gain consent before they collect and store biometric information such as fingerprints or retina scans. It’s considered the strictest such law in the country, in part because it allows individuals to sue over alleged violations. Companies that have been caught in the law’s crosshairs include Facebook, which paid out a $650 million settlement over its facial tagging feature, and Google, which settled a case over its facial grouping tool on Google Photos for $100 million.
Nine Republicans joined Democrats in the House supermajority to pass the measure in an 81-30 vote. After passing through the Senate last month in a 46-13 vote, the bill’s next stop is to Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s desk for his consideration.
“Once it reaches his desk, Governor Pritzker will give the final legislation careful review,” said Alex Gough, a spokesperson for the governor, in a statement.
* Sen. Suzy Glowiak Hilton…
In an effort to recruit more nurses to work at Illinois medical facilities, State Senator Suzy Glowiak Hilton passed a measure to extend the time nurses can practice while waiting for the review of their license application. […]
House Bill 5047 would allow advanced practice registered nurses with pending applications to practice under supervision for six months while waiting for the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation’s review of their application. Under current law, this status is revoked after three months. These nurses would need to have completed at least 250 hours of continuing education in their area of certification and have at least 4,000 hours of clinical experience to be applicable for this opportunity.
According to The Illinois Update, over half of registered nurses in Illinois are over the age of 55, with the state being projected to see a nursing shortage of 15,000 by 2025. Glowiak Hilton’s initiative would help combat this shortage and bring more nurses to hospitals within the state. […]
The Illinois Senate passed a proposal Thursday to require school districts to develop cardiac emergency response plans.
This comes as the state saw 109 cardiac events involving students under 18 during 2022 alone.
The legislation could require school districts to work with local paramedics to create an evidence-based plan to use AEDs in case of a cardiac event. Sponsors believe the response plan should be available on every school website and in paper from throughout school property. […]
House Bill 5394 passed unanimously out of the Senate and now moves back to the House on concurrence due to a technical amendment. The measure previously gained unanimous support in the House.
“With the passage of House Bill 5394, more than 20% of our state population that walks through the doors of thousands of schools each day - including students, teachers, administrators and support staff - will be equipped to act in a cardiac emergency,” said Lauren Peters from the American Heart Association.
The Illinois General Assembly has advanced a measure that allows students to get the opportunity to take part in relaxation activities, including yoga, 20 minutes a week. Some warn it could lead to lawsuits.
Relaxation activities may include, but are not limited to, mindful-based movements, yoga, stretching, meditation, breathing exercises, guided relaxation techniques, quiet time, walking, in-person conversation and other activities. Senate Bill 2872 would allow a school district to partner with a local community-based organization to provide the activities. […]
After a rousing debate, the House passed the bill by a 71-40 vote. It now heads to the governor for his signature.
State lawmakers could pass a plan in the final week of session to address the rise of deepfake images and AI-generated nude photos of students.
Democrats and Republicans believe the Illinois school code should be amended to include sexually explicit digital depictions of students under the definition of cyberbullying.
Rep. Janet Yang Rohr (D-Naperville) told the House Education School Curriculum & Policy Committee Thursday that teachers and administrators across the state are concerned about the amount of AI photos being created to humiliate young people in school. […]
House Bill 299 passed unanimously out of the House Education School Curriculum and Policy Committee. The proposal now heads to the House floor for further consideration.
Illinois lawmakers have passed new legislation that would issue citations to drivers who park on the shoulders of highways near O’Hare International Airport, and could utilize safety cameras to enforce the measure.
According to Senate President Don Harmon, the bill passed both chambers with bipartisan support, and is now headed toward the desk of Gov. J.B. Pritzker. […]
According to the text of HB 5408, the bill prohibits drivers from stopping or standing their vehicles on shoulders of highways within a one-half mile radius of the eastern entrance to the airport. It also applies to the intersection of Interstates 90 and 294, according to the bill.
Anyone in violation of the law would be subject to a citation and a fine of $100, according to lawmakers. The bill also will permit the installation of cameras by the Illinois Tollway Authority for the purposes of enforcement, citing a need to properly allocate law enforcement manpower around the airport.
A bill in the Illinois state Senate would shield physicians from lawsuits related to autopsies they contact for a county coroner’s office.
Sangamon County Coroner Jim Allmon said there are currently only about 800 board certified forensic pathologists in the U.S. Only three of them are in Central and Southern Illinois. Coroner’s offices typically contract with them to perform autopsies. Only 80 doctors nationwide went into forensic pathology in the past two years.
The bill’s primary sponsor, state Sen. Doris Turner, D-Springfield, said many of the 800 board certified forensic pathologists currently serving are on the verge of retirement or already partially retired, which makes the issue even more pressing. […]
The bill would still allow someone to bring a lawsuit against a physician if they use “willful or wanton misconduct” when performing the autopsy and death investigation.
It’s about to get more expensive for truck drivers in Illinois if debris from the rigs ends up littering roads and highways.
A bill heading to Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s desk would raise the fine to as much as $150. Four or more violations for the same driver in a single year would lead to a $150 fine for the trucking company.
The bill was sponsored by Metro East State Sen. Erica Harris, a Republican from Glen Carbon.
The money would end up back in the hands of local governments to pay the costs of cleaning up the roads.
Senator Steve Stadelman’s legislation to lower the age of consent for blood typing services unanimously passes the Illinois Senate after previously having passed the House.
House Bill 4271 would amend the Blood Donation Act, lowering the age someone can have their blood typed to 17 years old as long as the donation is voluntary.
The change would make medical processes more efficient and improve the speed of healthcare services for young adults.
The Rock River Valley Blood Center was the first to take action. It uses blood typing to pique the interest of high school students to donate and educate them about the positive impact of donating.
The bill now goes to Gov. JB Pritzker to be signed into law.
* ICYMI: Illinois School Districts Sent Kids to a For-Profit Out-of-State Facility That Isn’t Vetted or Monitored. Propublica…
Two years ago, Illinois lawmakers tried to help students with extreme needs who had a limited number of schools available to them.
They changed state law to allow public money to fund students’ tuition at special education boarding schools, including those out of state, that Illinois had not vetted and would not monitor. School districts, not the Illinois State Board of Education, would be responsible for oversight.
In solving one problem, however, Illinois created another: Districts now can send students to residential schools that get no oversight from the states in which they are located.
The facility that has benefited the most has been a for-profit private school in New York that’s now under scrutiny by disability rights groups. A ProPublica investigation uncovered reports of abuse, neglect and staffing shortages at Shrub Oak International School as it tries to serve a population of students with autism and other complex behavioral and medical issues. Shrub Oak has never sought or obtained approval from New York to operate a school for students with disabilities, which means it gets no oversight from the state.
The ProPublica investigation further found that some districts in Illinois have abdicated their own responsibility to monitor students’ education and welfare. Unlike some other states, Illinois law doesn’t require districts to visit the out-of-state facilities that students from Illinois attend, and some districts have never visited Shrub Oak. Records and interviews also show that districts in Illinois and other states have not always held Shrub Oak accountable for notifying them when students are injured or physically restrained, even though a provision in some contracts requires that the school let districts know.
Gov. Pritzker will be at Chicago Cut Steakhouse at 5 pm to appear in conversation with City Club of Chicago. Click here to watch.
*** Isabel’s Top Picks ***
* Tribune | More Illinois health care facilities would have to report patient abuse under new bill: Under current law hospitals must promptly report allegations of patient abuse, including sexual abuse by a health care worker, to the Illinois Department of Public Health, triggering an investigation into the hospital’s handling of the matter. But allegations of patient abuse that occur at doctors’ offices or clinics outside of hospital walls, even those connected with hospitals, are not currently required to be reported to the state’s health department. “This is just a simple commonsense fix to make clear that hospitals have responsibility for providers at any of their facilities,” said Illinois Rep. Kelly Cassidy, D-Chicago, who is behind the legislation. “It kind of falls into that category, do we really need to tell somebody out loud that that’s what we expect of them? Apparently we do, so we are.”
* NBC | Fight over the role of library in small Illinois town: A culture war is playing out in the small town of Metropolis, Ill., where the public library and a church are battling over the library’s role. The issues include prayer in the library and the removal of thousands of books. NBC News’ Antonia Hylton reports.
*** Statehouse News ***
* WGIL | Frerichs: Optimism about state budget passage, and the state still has money: Frerichs, a former lawmaker himself, says he’s optimistic lawmakers will pass a budget before the self-imposed end of May deadline, but like many, isn’t completely sure. In response to a question about the recent memo the Governor’s budget office put out urging lawmakers to make cuts if proposed tax hikes increase don’t pass, Frerichs says the administration of then-Governor Bruce Rauner piled on debt, instead of trying to balance the budget. Most of the time Rauner was Governor, however, Democrats were still in control of the Illinois House and Senate. Frerichs does support a balanced budget. But, is the state broke? Frerichs says no. But, there is a caveat.
* NBC Chicago | Pritzker praises Justice Department move to reclassify marijuana: President Joe Biden discussed the decision in a social media post Thursday, criticizing the “failed approach” to regulations of the drug. Pritzker, who signed Illinois’ legalization of marijuana during his first term in office, had a succinct reaction to the news. “At last,” he said.
*** Statewide ***
* Crain’s | Here’s a global biz that Illinois still dominates: The days have largely gone by in which Illinois could boast of being No. 1 at anything. Printing and steel and skyscraper construction are all in eclipse. But there is one facet of the economy in which the state still stands virtually supreme: It is the nation’s top producer of soybeans, which have emerged as the bulwark of the regional farm economy. Illinois farmers typically trailed farmers in neighboring Iowa in the production of both corn and soybeans until about a decade ago, when the state surged ahead in soy (it sill lags behind in corn). As a nation, Brazil has risen in recent years to be the top-ranked soybean producer, but its transportation network is so outmoded that export opportunities are comparatively limited. The world’s biggest importers of soy — places like China and the European Union and Japan — now regularly send their trade delegations through O’Hare International Airport and then on downstate to visit farms, soy processors and farm equipment makers.
*** Chicago ***
* Crain’s | Chicago won’t give up nearly $50 million it’s owed under Bears proposal: But an overlooked provision in the state legislation authorizing the 2% hotel tax that funds the Illinois Sports Facilities Authority ensures that, while those looming payments would mean short-term pain for the city’s annual budget, all of the money will eventually be repaid, beginning as early as 2033. If a deal for the Bears materializes in Springfield, the tax structure would remain in place, city officials confirmed to Crain’s. That would ensure the city receives what it’s owed, but could push out the repayment beyond 2033.
* WBEZ | Chicago sees spike in Black teens out of school and work, study shows: “It seems that many teens are not successfully transitioning from high school to going out and getting a job, going to college, entering a trade or receiving any sort of education,” said Matthew Wilson, study author and an associate director at the Great Cities Institute. “Those pathways were disrupted by the pandemic.” […] Black 16-to-19–year-olds saw their rates of employment and school-going decline between 2021 and 2022, widening a gap that existed before the pandemic. Some 17.5% of Black teens were out of school and not working in 2022, up from 9.4% in 2021.
* Fox Chicago | Chicago alderman criticizes decision to only partially close Clark St. for outdoor dining: Downtown Chicago Alderman Brendan Reilly is strongly criticizing the decision to close off a section of Clark St. in River North for outdoor dining while still allowing vehicle traffic. […] The 42nd Ward Alderman is urging the mayor’s office to reconsider the plan, which involves shutting down curb lanes for outdoor dining while leaving middle lanes open to vehicles. Reilly argues that a majority of his constituents are in favor of a complete closure of Clark Street between Grand and Kinzie to create a plaza for restaurants to offer outdoor dining.
* Sun-Times | Chicago Tribune journalists file discrimination suit against paper: Seven Chicago Tribune journalists filed a class-action lawsuit Thursday against the newspaper and its owner, alleging violations of equal pay based on sexual and racial discrimination. The lawsuit claims systematic pay disparities between female and male employees, as well as between Black and white employees under its current ownership of Alden Global Capital and dating back to its previous owner, the Tribune Publishing Co.
*** Cook County and Suburbs ***
* Sun-Times | PPP fraud investigation sees former Cook County correctional officer charged: Jareli Reyes, 32, is accused of fraudulently obtaining $41,666 in loans in 2021 through the federal Paycheck Protection Program that was established to provide relief to businesses hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic. Reyes, who resigned last year, is charged with theft, income-tax fraud and wire fraud.
* Daily Herald | DuPage County auditor on delayed reports: the buck stops with me: Outdated software and an ongoing controversy surrounding bills from the DuPage County clerk’s office have delayed quarterly audit reports for nearly four years. The last quarterly auditor’s report covered the third fiscal quarter of 2020, DuPage County Auditor Bill White, who took office in late 2020, told county board members on Tuesday.
* Daily Herald | ‘It won’t sit fallow’: Rolling Meadows forges ahead with zoning review near Arlington Park: Despite the uncertainty over the future of the Chicago Bears at Arlington Park, officials in nearby Rolling Meadows are still proceeding with planning and zoning studies on two key areas near the shuttered racetrack. Results of the first study — on the Kirchoff Road corridor — are due back from a consultant in October, Mayor Lara Sanoica said during the annual State of the City address Thursday morning. The so-called subarea plan will be followed in 2025 by a review of the city’s northwest industrial district, which is the area directly west of the old horse racing facility.
* Sun-Times | Benedictine monk at Marmion Academy pleads guilty to battery, still lands on monastery’s sex abuser list: Brother Joseph Charron, who taught theology for years at the Catholic high school in Aurora, initially was charged with numerous sex crimes involving a now-former student. He recently pleaded guilty to aggravated battery, and the sex crime charges were dropped. Still, his Benedictine abbey has now placed him on its list of credibly accused child sex abusers.
* Daily Herald | How did we do? Aurora police surveying citizens in first-of-its-kind initiative: The Aurora Police Department is now doing the same of its clients — citizens who call for assistance — through a survey sent to people who’ve had contact with its personnel. And in an initiative believed to be the first of its kind in the nation, the department is posting daily updated results on a public online dashboard.
*** Downstate ***
* SJ-R | Springfield’s PrideFest organizer hopes festivalgoers ‘enjoy the journey’: PrideFest, the one-day event in downtown Springfield is hosted yearly by the Phoenix Center, an LGBTQ center offering public health service, social education and various group activities to the greater central Illinois community. Typically, Pride parades are held in June during Pride month, but the capitol city does it a little bit differently. This year’s theme is “Enjoy the Journey”, which Williams says since Pridefest’s inception in 2010, the festival has grown to meet the bustling crowds.
* WCIA | ‘One of a kind’ dispensary opens in Danville: Seven Point just opened down the road from the Golden Nugget Casino in Danville. It’s casting a wide net of possible clientele. The store also sells vinyl records and art. They see possible advantages in how this new business can help the economy. They also say it might just be a solution to currently underfunded programs in town.
* WSIL | More Than $110,000 Donated to Fully Fund Next Honor Flight in Southern Illinois: The Allan and Wanda McCabe Family Foundation donated $112,000 to the Veterans Honor Flight of Southern Illinois. The Veterans Honor Flight recently completed their twelfth mission last week where 88 veterans were honored and welcomed home at Veterans Airport of Southern Illinois.
Friday, May 17, 2024 - Posted by Advertising Department
[The following is a paid advertisement.]
The price-setting board proposed in HB4472 is not the solution for Illinois. It would give bureaucrats the power to arbitrarily set medicine prices, deciding what medicines and treatments are “worth” paying for. We can’t leave Illinoisans’ health care up to political whims. Let’s make it easier, not harder for patients to access their medicines. Click here to learn more.
Thursday, May 16, 2024 - Posted by Advertising Department
[The following is a paid advertisement.]
Surgo Ventures partnered with Uber Health and local health centers to provide transportation assistance to expectant mothers facing transportation challenges to their prenatal appointments. Across one city, the initiative covered over 30,000 miles, ensuring over 450 participants reached their prenatal appointments without hassle. One participant shared, ‘There were days when I didn’t want to get up from bed. Knowing that someone was going to pick me up… made me feel safer.’ With programs like Rides for Moms, transportation is no longer a barrier for new mothers to access essential medical care. Learn more
The Illinois Department of Employment Security (IDES) announced today that the unemployment rate was unchanged at 4.8 percent, while nonfarm payrolls increased +7,300 in April, based on preliminary data provided by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), and released by IDES. The March revised unemployment rate was 4.8 percent, unchanged from the preliminary March unemployment rate. The March monthly change in payrolls was revised from the preliminary report, from +12,700 to +10,000 jobs. The April unemployment rate and payroll jobs estimate reflect activity for the week including the 12th.
In April, the industry sectors with the largest over-the-month job gains included: Professional and Business Services (+4,900), Private Education and Health Services (+3,400), and Leisure and Hospitality (+1,900). The industry sectors with the largest monthly payroll job declines included Financial Activities (-1,300), Government (-1,100), and Manufacturing
(-800).
“Expanded payroll jobs and a stable unemployment rate are both further indications that the Illinois labor market and economy remain strong,” said Deputy Governor Andy Manar. “IDES is committed to continuing to provide jobseekers and employers the resources they need to take advantage of new and expanding workforce opportunities.”
“As payroll jobs steadily increase, DCEO continues to provide resources to support Illinois’ job seekers, workers and employers,” said DCEO Director Kristin Richards. “Illinois’ economy is strong, and the State of Illinois remains committed to investing in its growing world-class workforce.”
The state’s unemployment rate was +0.9 percentage point higher than the national unemployment rate reported for April. The national unemployment rate was 3.9 percent in April, up +0.1 percentage point from the previous month. The Illinois unemployment rate was up +0.6 percentage point from a year ago when it was 4.2 percent.
Compared to a year ago, total nonfarm payroll jobs increased by +37,400 jobs. However, there were losses across most major industries. The industry groups with the largest jobs decreases included: Professional and Business Services (-33,100), Trade, Transportation, and Utilities (-6,900), and Financial Activities (-6,800). The industry groups with the largest jobs increases included: Private Education and Health Services (+29,200), Government (+27,700), and Leisure and Hospitality (+19,600). In April, total nonfarm payrolls were up +0.6 percent over-the-year in Illinois and up +1.8 percent in the nation.
The number of unemployed workers was 313,200, up +0.3 percent from the prior month, and up +17.1 percent over the same month one year ago. The labor force was up +0.1 percent over-the-month and up +1.3 percent over-the-year. The unemployment rate identifies those individuals who are out of work and seeking employment. An individual who exhausts or is ineligible for benefits is still reflected in the unemployment rate if they actively seek work.
IDES helps connect jobseekers to employers who are hiring in a number of ways, including hosting and co-hosting job fairs and hiring events with statewide workforce partners, and through maintaining Illinois JobLink (IJL), the state’s largest job search engine. IJL is a tool used by jobseekers to look for work, and by employers who can post open and available positions for hire and browse resumes. Recently, IJL showed 57,462 posted resumes with 89,988 jobs available.
* Sen. Terri Bryant and Rep. Amy Elik…
At a press conference today in Springfield, Rep. Amy Elik (R-Alton) and Sen. Terri Bryant (R-Murphysboro) urged the Senate to act on House Bill 4241, which unanimously passed the House last month. The bill, which protects high school students age 18 and older from sexual abuse by an educator, currently sits in Assignments in the Senate. Sen. Erica Harriss (R-Glen Carbon) also attended the press conference and is a chief co-sponsor of the bill.
“We carefully crafted this legislation to anticipate any possible concerns by both the House and Senate,” said Rep. Elik. “This bipartisan bill has no vocal opposition and must move forward this session so students have the necessary protections they deserve. Today it is in the Senate’s hands to push this across the finish line and deliver that promise.”
House Bill 4241 protects students age 18 and older by creating the offense of abuse of power by an educator or authority figure. Any sexual contact by an educator or staff member with a student, even if they are 18 or older, is an abuse of authority. Criminal charges must be levied so that offenders cannot just leave a job and move on to other opportunities where they could prey on children.
HB 4241 states that abuse by an educator or authority figure involving sexual conduct is a Class A misdemeanor for the first offense and a Class 4 felony for a subsequent offense or if there is more than one victim. For acts of sexual penetration, Class 3 and 4 felony charges are applicable.
“Our kids can’t afford to wait any longer for this issue to be addressed,” said Sen. Bryant. “With the passage of House Bill 4241, we can tell every individual within our state that suffered this abuse that their lawmakers heard their cries for help and acted.”
Rep. Elik also called for the passage of a bill she filed last spring, HB 1275. This bill states that no contributory fault may be attributed to a child sexual abuse victim. Rep. Elik will continue to work with fellow lawmakers to get this bill through the General Assembly.
The Justice Department formally started the procedure of classifying marijuana as a less dangerous substance, moving toward a major change in US drug policy.
The agency submitted a rulemaking notice on Thursday to shift marijuana’s legal status to Schedule III from Schedule I, the first step in what could be a lengthy process. A 60-day public comment period will begin, after which the Drug Enforcement Administration and Justice Department will make a final decision whether to remove marijuana from the list of the most-dangerous drugs.
The long-awaited move will mean $70 million to $100 million to the bottom line of Chicago’s cannabis companies, potentially starting this year, which will further boost their value. It represents relief for an industry battered by falling prices, increased competition and steep taxes, as well as inefficiency that comes from a business that operates under a patchwork of rules that vary from state to state. Chicago-based cannabis stocks jumped because of the news, led by Cresco Labs, which rose 12.4% to $2.35 per share. Verano Holdings’ shares rose 9% to $5.89 apiece, and Green Thumb Industries stock climbed 7% to $13.95 per share.
Cresco expects to save $70 million to $80 million a year. Verano is likely to save about $80 million. GTI could save $100 million.
Cannabis Business Association of Illinois…
The Cannabis Business Association of Illinois released the following statement after President Joe Biden announced his administration took a key step forward to reclassify marijuana from a Schedule I to a Schedule III drug:
“We applaud the Biden administration’s decision to reclassify marijuana under the Controlled Substances Act as it affirms what our group advocates for – safe, legal, and community-building uses of cannabis. We look forward to evaluating the proposed rules, which would reclassify marijuana from a Schedule I drug on par with heroin to a less dangerous Schedule III drug,” said Tiffany Chappell Ingram, Executive Director of the Cannabis Business Association of Illinois. “In the decades since marijuana was erroneously categorized, Black and Brown communities have experienced countless repercussions stemming from the war on drugs. While this decision cannot reverse that damage, it does recognize the medical benefits of cannabis and enhances the viability of marijuana companies, including allowing for the same expense deductions enjoyed by other businesses. This is an important step in the right direction for the cannabis industry and our society at large, and we hope this continues to pave the path towards federal legalization.”
*** Statewide ***
* Illinois Answers | This Coastal State’s Approach to Flooding May Be a Model for Illinois Communities: For decades, local, state and federal governments have worked with residents to buy their properties, tear down structures and turn the land into open space in order to mitigate flooding. Buyouts are a common practice in New Jersey, which faces coastal flooding in addition to riverine and urban flooding. It’s also happening in Illinois, where flooding is the state’s most prominent natural disaster, according to state experts.
* WTTW | The Illinois Governor Who Headed a Landmark Commission on America – and Had a Tragic Fall from Grace: “Our nation is moving toward two societies, one black, one white – separate and unequal.” That was the stark assessment of a landmark National Advisory Commission on Civil Disorders appointed by President Lyndon B. Johnson in 1967 to investigate the root causes of violent unrest that had swept the Black communities of American cities that summer and in previous years. The group’s report – which was published and became a New York Times bestseller – is known as the Kerner Report, for the Illinois governor Otto Kerner, Jr. who led the commission. It made him a household name for a time, and is the subject of a new American Experience, The Riot Report. Kerner was on a boat on the Mississippi River near the Quad Cities when Johnson called him to ask him to lead the commission. “We are being asked, in a broad sense, to probe into the soul of America,” Kerner said upon accepting. In announcing the commission, he was dwarfed on either side by the towering Johnson and vice-chairman John Lindsay, mayor of New York City. But he was up to the task.
* WGLT | Government, economic leaders push back on state plan to move Logan Correctional Center: The initial announcement did not immediately indicate what would become of LCC, stating only that Stateville would be rebuilt where it was and that plans for LCC were still being determined. “We learned of that announcement 24 hours before it was released — and that’s not okay,” Republican State Sen. Sally Turner said in a virtual town hall Wednesday evening. “…The temporary closure and demolition of [LCC] — we need to know about that immediately and we did not. Our contact with them was minimal.”
* WSJ | Colorado and Illinois Set Their Sights on Becoming the Nation’s Quantum Hub: Colorado and Illinois are both pouring millions of dollars into quantum computing in an effort to position themselves as national leaders in the area and secure coveted federal funding from the $53 billion Chips Act. Calling itself the “Mountain West” hub, Colorado along with New Mexico and Wyoming is seeking $70 million in federal funding under the act to support quantum companies, hardware manufacturing and a talent pipeline.
*** Chicago ***
* The Hill | Chicago mayor ‘confident’ DNC will be safe: The convention this summer will serve as a test for Johnson and Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker (D), as protesters of the Biden administration’s handling of Israel’s war with Hamas already have set their eyes on the event. The Chicago DNC has the potential to draw comparisons to the chaos of the 1968 one, when police in the city battled those protesting the Vietnam War right outside the convention hall.
* NBC Chicago | FBI, Department of Homeland Security issue terror alert regarding Pride Month celebrations: With less than three weeks until the start of Pride Month in Chicago, there is a new warning from the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security that celebrations could be targets of terrorist activity. In a public service announcement released late last week, the agencies warned that “foreign terrorist organizations or supporters may seek to exploit increased gatherings associated with the upcoming June 2024 Pride Month.”
* Tribune | Six months after Yellow Line crash injured more than a dozen, investigation continues: ‘This never should have happened’: Six months after the Nov. 16 crash, which left more than a dozen people injured and closed the Yellow Line for seven weeks, few answers have emerged about what went wrong and how the crash could have been prevented. The National Transportation Safety Board is still investigating and has yet to officially determine the cause, though the agency has said it is gathering information about the signal and braking systems, reviewing CTA practices and examining “organic material” on the tracks. The NTSB also has not issued any urgent safety recommendations to the CTA, which the agency can do during an investigation.
* Sun-Times | Protesters demand alderman withdraw support for Ozinga mining operation on Southeast Side: Protest organizers said they were reacting to what they describe as Chico’s support for the Ozinga family’s plan for the Invert, an underground development that would extend several hundred feet below the surface of a former steel mill site. The Ozingas, who operate the family’s namesake concrete and materials company, have tried to sell the community on the merits of the project over the last three years. The idea seemed to be dead after a city official ruled last year that construction would require mining to dig the space and remove underground stone, a practice that is banned in Chicago.
* Illinois Answers Project | Chatham Flooding Mitigation Program Flounders, But Oak Park Sees Success : RainReady is the brainchild of a local environmental nonprofit group the Center for Neighborhood Technology. The program has had several iterations in Chatham since its development more than 10 years ago by CNT and a group of residents. RainReady works, according to homeowners — including residents in west suburban Oak Park who benefited from the low-cost flood prevention fixes including rain gardens, backflow valves and cisterns. It is so successful that there is a waiting list, officials said.
* Block Club | Chicagoans Doubled Bike Trips In Past 5 Years. The South Side Saw Some Of The Biggest Increases: Bicyclists made 119 percent more weekday trips in spring 2023 than in fall 2019, according to a recent study from analytics company Replica, the Chicago Department of Transportation and transportation firm Sam Schwartz. Analysts reached the estimate through simulations that drew on about three months of anonymized, “very rich” transportation department data in each season, said Steven Turell, Replica’s chief of staff.
*** Cook County and Suburbs ***
* Daily Southtown | Orland Park settles lawsuit filed by former manager against Mayor Keith Pekau: Orland Park’s former village manager will pay $30,000 in settling a lawsuit filed in the wake of an investigation he launched into possible bid rigging by Mayor Keith Pekau. Pekau and a company he owned were ultimately cleared of any wrongdoing, and trustees approved the settlement at a special Village Board meeting Wednesday.
* Daily Herald | Eight new volunteers join CASA Lake County to advocate for the best interest of children in foster care: Eight new volunteers completed their training to become Court Appointed Special Advocates and help advocate for the best interest of children in foster care. Volunteers and their families and friends attended the swearing-in ceremony on April 4, hosted by the Lake County Jenile Court. The new Court Appointed Special Advocates include Charles Ex of Gurnee, Debora Jensen of Lake Forest, Adam Jones of Volo, Jollene Jones of Libertyville, Diane Koester of Barrington, Andrea Mazzetta of Deerfield, Tryna Wade of Waukegan and Maureen Zeller of Northbrook. Nineteenth Judicial Circuit Judge Marni M. Slavin presided over the induction ceremony.
*** Downstate ***
* Madison-St. Clair Record | Fifth District reverses pretrial release for man who fled police in stolen vehicle, drove towards on-coming traffic: Madison County State’s Attorney Tom Haine said the appellate court’s ruling provides clarification on the application of the SAFE-T Act, or the Safety, Accountability, Fairness and Equity-Today Act. “As with any new law, the Courts have been tasked with interpreting the SAFE-T Act and making rulings on its application. Prosecutors from across the state have appealed various court decisions regarding the SAFE-T Act’s application, with a goal of making the SAFE-T Act less harmful to law-abiding citizens,” Haine said. “We’re grateful for the State’s Attorneys Appellate Prosecutor’s Office, which has assisted local prosecutors in these appeals. This Appellate Court Opinion, which clarifies one of the many ambiguities in this new law, is an important win for the safety of police officers, motorists, highway workers and pedestrians across Illinois.”
* Lake County News-Sun | Plan outlines goals to reduce Lake County gun violence; ‘Prevention work fulfills our moral duty to help others’: The first of its kind for the county, the Violence Prevention Plan (VPP) consists of goals with outcomes to measure achievement, includes feedback from community stakeholders and offers data on where gun violence is occurring in the county, along with some contributing factors. “Prevention work fulfills our moral duty to help others – whether it is survivors in need of trauma-related services, domestic violence survivors in need of red flag laws, or youth in need of mentoring services,” State’s Attorney Eric Rinehart said as part of the plan.
* Rockford Register Star | Rockford Mayor’s Hunger Campaign returns with new partnership: The foundation will collect and process donations for the fundraising campaign that launched Wednesday, May 15. Donations to the Mayor’s Hunger Campaign are equally distributed among nine local pantries that make up the Greater Rockford Pantry Coalition: Rock River Valley Pantry; Christian Unity Pantry; Unity in the Community/Lighthouse Pantry; St. Elizabeth Pantry; Cornucopia Pantry; Salvation Army Pantry; Emmanuel Lutheran Pantry; God’s Glory Pantry; and Soul Harbor Pantry.
*** National ***
* Boston Globe | ‘We need answers.’ Markey, Warren say controversial gunshot detection tech could violate civil rights: Massachusetts’ US senators are calling for a federal probe of ShotSpotter amid new scrutiny of the gunshot detection tool, used by police in cities across the state and country with the aim of speeding response times to shootings. In a letter to the Department of Homeland Security Monday night, Senator Edward J. Markey cited a report based on leaked data that found sensors for the system were placed primarily in Black and Latino sections of cities that use them. He called for an investigation into the use of federal grants that pay for ShotSpotter, and whether its use in minority neighborhoods violates civil rights law. Senators Elizabeth Warren and Ron Wyden, of Oregon, and Massachusetts Representative Ayanna Pressley have signed onto the letter, sent to DHS Inspector General Joseph Cuffari.
* Crain’s | McDonald’s leans into ‘Grandmacore’ with new McFlurry: McDonald’s newest campaign is about celebrating grandmothers and reaching multicultural audiences with a new Grandma McFlurry. McDonald’s has yet to disclose the flavor, only saying that it features a smoothie syrup and chopped crunchy candy pieces blended into vanilla soft serve. The treat is inspired by the pieces of candy grandmothers might carry in their purses. According to speculation on Reddit, a key ingredient could be butterscotch. The new flavor will be available on May 21.
* AP | 70 years ago, school integration was a dream many believed could actually happen. It hasn’t: Seventy years ago this week, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled separating children in schools by race was unconstitutional. On paper, that decision — the fabled Brown v. Board of Education, taught in most every American classroom — still stands. But for decades, American schools have been re-segregating. The country is more diverse than it ever has been, with students more exposed to classmates from different backgrounds. Still, around 4 out of 10 Black and Hispanic students attend schools where almost every one of their classmates is another student of color.
* NYT | Supreme Court Rejects Challenge to Consumer Watchdog’s Funding: The Supreme Court rejected a challenge on Thursday to the way the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is funded, one that could have hobbled the bureau and advanced a central goal of the conservative legal movement: limiting the power of independent agencies. The vote was 7 to 2, with Justice Clarence Thomas writing the majority opinion.
A new measure being debated in the Illinois General Assembly would create a tax credit for certain news publishers based on the number of reporters they employ.
The proposal from Sen. Steve Stadelman, D-Rockford, is part of a package of policies that he has been working to pass since early this year – although some worry about potential conflicts that could arise from creating new financial relationships between the government and journalists who cover it.
Under Stadelman’s proposal, contained in Senate Bill 3953, the state would offer a tax credit of up to $25,000 for each journalist on a media company’s payroll and up to $30,000 for journalists hired into newly created roles. The credit would only be available to “independently owned” media outlets – making subsidiaries of larger or publicly traded companies ineligible for the credit.
Advocates say it’s a way to prop up an industry that faces existential financial and logistical challenges. In 2022, the General Assembly created a task force to research the state of journalism in Illinois. Their report included research from Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism that showed one-third of local outlets have closed since 2005, creating an 86 percent decline in newspaper jobs over that span.
* The Question: Do you support this tax credit concept? Explain.
Thursday, May 16, 2024 - Posted by Advertising Department
[The following is a paid advertisement.]
A growing chorus of labor unions, government officials, business and industry voices, and the academic community are speaking up about the critical role that carbon capture and storage (CCS) can play in helping Illinois reach its clean energy goals. The Capture Jobs Now Coalition is supporting legislation (SB3311/HB569) to advance CCS projects in our state while prioritizing jobs and economic development in local communities.
Pat Devaney, Secretary-Treasurer of the AFL-CIO, and Mark Denzler, President and CEO of the Illinois Manufacturers’ Association:
“CCS also presents an incredible opportunity for Illinois’ economy and its highly skilled work force. A recent state-commissioned report by the University of Illinois estimates CCS development has a potential statewide demand of 14,440 jobs. And that’s on top of the thousands more jobs CCS can protect by helping decarbonize important Illinois industries as our state, country and world increasingly embrace a net zero carbon future.” (April 2023)
* Extensive background is here if you need it. I totally agree with Illinois Answers Project reporter Casey Toner…
It’s like if a source has given you bad information over and over and over again for years, but somehow you still manage to make yourself believe that this time they must be right.
Illinois’ population loss hit more than 75% of its cities, towns and villages in 2023. The biggest loser was Chicago, shedding over 8,200 residents.
Population decline in Illinois struck more than 75% of communities throughout the state last year, hitting communities of all sizes. In total, 980 of Illinois’ 1,294 incorporated places lost population from July 2022-July 2023, according to data released May 16 by the U.S. Census Bureau.
There is, as you know, every ten years a census that gets done. That’s where people’s doors get knocked on, people are filling out forms, right. And every ten years, we literally count every single person in the state and then in every year between those 10-year periods, 2010, 2020, 2030.
Between those years, there’s something that’s relatively new in the census world called the American Community Survey. And it’s more like a poll. It’s more sophisticated than a poll, but it’s a poll that tries to determine what the changes are year to year in population. That poll has been inaccurate for the state of Illinois for more than 10 years. How do I know this? Because they’ve been doing this poll during the 2010s, from 2010 to 2020. And I saw the poll data, that information every year, and when I was running even I said, oh my goodness, you know, we’re really losing that kind of population. It’s an emergency. It’s something we need to get on, jump on. What populations are we losing? How do we keep them in the state of Illinois? How do we attract others and so on?
It turns out when we actually counted people in 2020, we weren’t losing hundreds of thousands of people. That was false. We counted every person, so you know that the accuracy is there.
Now the question is, okay, well, if the ACS data is wrong every year, and the actual count is right, and that is true, then and by the way, in addition to the number that we originally counted, it turns out, they do something called a post enumeration survey, which basically checks the work. And the post enumeration survey determined, actually Illinois got under-counted. Even though we try to count every single person some people are homeless and don’t get counted. Some people are just hidden and hard to get to and they didn’t get counted.
So what did they determine from that? Illinois gained population. We have more than 13 million people in the state of Illinois.
Well, then 2021 came in, here came another ACS survey, and it showed another year of population loss, reported the survey that had been inaccurate for the 10 years earlier. That survey hasn’t changed. So we’ve gone to the Census Bureau and told them how inaccurate this clearly is. And they believed us and they went around and looked at the cities in the state that applied. We had a group of cities who kind of went to the Census Bureau and said, This is wrong. We’re seeing more people than you are. And what did they do? They upped the numbers, the population numbers for each of those cities that were part of that application.
So it’s clear there’s something wrong with the ACS data. And I know you guys keep reporting that we’re losing population based upon that inaccurate data… When we count people, it turns out we’re gaining population.
* Set aside what the governor says if you want. Fine by me either way. But I’ve documented this nonsense for years. It’s a proven historical fact that the annual surveys have been a joke. A sample from a 2022 column…
By December 2020, those annual Census estimates showed Illinois had lost about 240,000 people, or 2% of its population.
“Illinois is a deepening population sinkhole flanked by states that are adding people, businesses, jobs,” the Chicago Tribune editorial board opined. “The estimated Illinois population is 12,587,530, down more than 240,000 since the 2010 census. That’s more than Waukegan and Naperville, combined.” […]
When the official 2020 Census count showed those previous estimates were wildly wrong and Illinois’ net population loss was “only” 18,000 people, those same folks either changed the subject or harrumphed that, whatever the case, Illinois was still a net loser and had fallen to the rank of sixth-largest state behind Pennsylvania. […]
As you probably know by now, the Census Bureau admitted last week that it had screwed up Illinois’ decennial headcount, and the state actually grew by about 250,000 people – that’s almost a 500,000-person swing from the December 2020 estimate.
Thursday, May 16, 2024 - Posted by Advertising Department
[The following is a paid advertisement.]
“Let’s focus on facts, not optics. This legislation will result in less wages for servers not more. The hospitality industry is already under immense inflationary pressure and this bill will just drive consumer prices up further.”
Brent Schwoerer, Owner / Founder / Brewmaster
Engrained Brewing Company, Springfield
* Background is here if you need it. Rep. Curtis Tarver (D-Chicago) rose to make a point of personal privilege during yesterday’s House session…
This is my first point of personal privilege since my daughter was here five years ago, but I feel compelled to speak.
Yesterday, you may have read in Capitol Fax, and was in the news otherwise, that the Chicago Public Schools paid an expert $40,000 to testify in her deposition… to testify that not all sexual assault is traumatic.
That was taxpayer money. That was approved by the General Counsel CPS. The mayor appoints the board. The mayor ahas the ability to have a conversation with CPS top brass. CPS General Counsel, Ruchi Verma needs to go. Not only did she sign off on this expert, but they filed a motion - I have the motion in limine copy right here - to force this woman to use her real name.
This has been going on for a couple years. It just got to trial. Motion in limine. Now all of a sudden, they want her use her real name instead of Jane Doe. Why do you think that is? Maybe it’s because they had a mediation last week. They put $50,000 on the table and she didn’t take it. So to penalize her, to punish her, to shame her, they want her to use her own name.
So that 37 year old woman now will be known as a person who had sex with a high school damn teacher. It’s shameful! it’s shameful!
Walter Glascoff is a rapist. He’s a rapist. He lied to CPS initially, but ultimately in his deposition he testified he did not have sex with her, he only had oral sex until she was 17. Sex is in the very definition what he said. He then started having sex with her when she was 18 as well. We can’t do anything about that.
But he groomed her. He groomed her and what happened? CPS confronted him, he lied about it. They allowed him to resign. So who do you think pays his pension? We do.
I want to read to you a little bit from what I FOIA’d, so this is public information, so the judge doesn’t get upset.
‘For relevant time periods when you were a teacher at Hubbard high school during the 2001 to 2004 school year, you were involved in a sexual relationship with Jane Doe, a student at the same school, date of birth, between January 31 2002 and January 2003, you engaged in sexual intercourse with Jane Doe during the spring of 2004, sexual intercourse with Jane Doe.’ Took her to Navy Pier, took her to his home, drove her to her home and met her parents. You know what happened between 2012 and 2016? He was transporting other students. All under CPS’ watch.
I don’t have a dog in the race. This ain’t my case. It’s not my daughter. But we should all care. And there’s no way on God’s green earth that a duly licensed attorney who takes the same exact oath we take when we’re sworn in, the same exact oath, should ever put defending a case over what’s right.
Now the mayor came down here and everybody saying Chicago is owed a billion dollars. CPS does need more money, so does the rest of the state. I’m all for public education. That’s not the question.
The question is, what is Jane Doe owed? And I don’t mean financially. We can’t even talk about justice without basic respect. Forcing a woman or male or whoever to use their name in a lawsuit to pressure them, to shame them is unconscionable and is worth - I know the mayor doesn’t discuss personnel issues in the public he says - but this is something that needs to be addressed. And I’ll be wrapping up in just a moment.
Representative EliK had a bill I believe a year or so ago, House Bill 1275. One of the things that it says is that you cannot use comparative fault or contributory negligence with a minor. I don’t know what happened to the bill, it never moved. But I would hope as a chamber on a bipartisan basis we would look at that. Whether it needs an extension or otherwise.
How do you have a defense to suggest that a child, a child is comparatively at fault for their own being raped?
I had a bill. I’m not biased, but I had a bill that said at least in these situations, we should have a process, an administrative process to strip the pension of individuals. You can’t say well, if you rape the kid on Hubbard’s campus, we can take your pension, but if you take her to Navy Pier or to your house, we can’t because it’s off school grounds. So I appreciate you all indulging me I am beyond frustrated.
Rep. Tarver’s voice began to crack and he sat down.
Please pardon all transcription errors.
…Adding… MrJM in comments…
Intentionally or not, in fighting Jane Doe’s lawsuit, CPS is telling its students and parents that if you try to hold them to account for endangering or harming a student in their care, CPS will pay tens of thousands of taxpayer dollars to drag you and your reputation through the mud.
Thursday, May 16, 2024 - Posted by Advertising Department
[The following is a paid advertisement.]
Retail provides one out of every five Illinois jobs, generates the second largest amount of tax revenue for the state, and is the largest source of revenue for local governments. But retail is also so much more, with retailers serving as the trusted contributors to life’s moments, big and small.
A measure that seeks to ban wildlife hunting contests and penalize hunters participating in them with misdemeanors passed the Illinois House Wednesday.
Wildlife contests generally involve a day- or weekend-long contest promoting coyote, racoon or squirrel population management. The winner with the most killed racoons typically gets a prize. The Squirrel Bowl, a yearly squirrel hunt for all ages, raises funds for various charities. […]
Opponents of the measure said wildlife contests are necessary to control animal populations. Taxpayers already pay $20 million per year in the form of wildlife damage abatement payments to ranchers, farmers and pet owners who have lost livestock or pets to predators like coyotes. The USDA kills over 80,000 coyotes annually.
Moeller said wildlife contests in Illinois are not managed by the Department of Natural Resources and are not recognized as an official means of managing wildlife populations. There’s no scientific basis in these contests having any positive impact on the populations of wildlife, she said.
* President of the political action committee Gun Violence Prevention Kathleen Sances…
As soon as next month, the U.S. Supreme Court is poised to deliver a setback in the work to protect survivors of domestic violence if it rules to allow abusers access to guns. But in Illinois, where state officials, advocates and other committed stakeholders have acted on myriad issues where the court has failed, we have another chance to lead.
This week presents such an opportunity. In the last days of the General Assembly’s spring session, state lawmakers can pass Karina’s Bill and put Illinois at the forefront of protecting the rights of survivors. […]
[S]urvivor advocates reported last week that Illinois is experiencing a dramatic escalation in calls for help to the state’s Domestic Violence Hotline. According to a report by The Network, a gender-based violence awareness advocacy group, the hotline saw a 27% increase in outreach in 2023 over the year before. Last year’s needs represented a stunning 90% increase when compared with pre-pandemic levels.
The surge included a 45% increase in requests for shelter over those in 2022, leading to a critical shortage of shelter options for survivors in Illinois, with the city of Chicago having no beds available for a third of the year in 2023, as reported by the Tribune.
We know the danger these survivors face is exponentially greater when their abusers are armed. The Network has found that the risk of intimate-partner homicide that survivors face increases 500% when an abuser has access to a gun.
Private insurance companies in Illinois can currently limit patients to four rounds of IVF treatment. Although, a bill heading to Gov. JB Pritzker’s desk could expand private insurance coverage for all forms of fertility treatment.
State lawmakers removed the cap on infertility coverage for state employees last year. However, this plan could ensure all insurance companies are allowing patients to have more cycles covered. […]
Senate Bill 773 passed out of the House on a 90-17 vote. The measure previously passed out of the Senate on a 50-1 vote. […]
If approved by Pritzker, the legislation would take effect on January 1, 2026.
* Sen. Javier Cervantes…
State Senator Javier Cervantes is moving legislation to limit the discriminatory use of artificial intelligence in decisions related to employment.
“Companies that are using AI to make employment decisions may be using data points that are discriminatory and having adverse effects on our communities,” said Cervantes (D-Chicago). “Creating a model to predict data patterns is fine, but when it’s used to single out and target workers from lower-income communities, Black and Brown communities, and many of the other underserved communities in Illinois, we cannot sit back and allow it to happen.”
Under House Bill 3773, employers would not be allowed to use artificial intelligence to consider demographic information such as race or ZIP code in employment decisions related to recruitment, hiring, promotion, renewal of employment, selection for training or apprenticeship, discharge, discipline, tenure or terms, privileges, or conditions of employment.
Any employer who uses artificial intelligence in a prohibited manner or fails to notify an employee of the employer’s use of artificial intelligence would be in violation of the Illinois Human Rights Act.
“Employment status should not be determined by the click of a button on a machine, and residents are worried that their livelihood and income could be taken away with no human interaction,” said Cervantes. “This legislation is important to support workers and ensure their rights are not violated on the job.”
House Bill 3773 passed the Senate on Wednesday and is one step closer to becoming law.
A plan heading to Gov. JB Pritzker’s desk would require school vendors and learning partners to comply with the state’s new comprehensive literacy plan.
Lawmakers and advocates say vendors responsible for English language arts improvement plans should abide by the Literacy and Justice for All Act.
The Illinois State Board of Education introduced framework for the literacy plan in January. However, this plan would ensure schools are not limited by their vendors. […]
House Bill 4902 passed out of the Senate on a 54-1 vote Wednesday. State representatives previously voted 91-19 to approve the plan on April 16.
The Illinois state Senate unanimously passed a bill Wednesday requiring insurance companies cover all colonoscopies deemed medically necessary.
Insurers are currently only required to cover the procedure if it’s part of a follow-up exam recommended by a primary care physician. The bill would require coverage if a patient displays signs or symptoms of colon cancer or has an existing colon condition regardless of age.
“What should not be a barrier is us having access to insurance that will cover it because we know if we catch this disease early, we can save lives, so I encourage the chamber to support this very important measure. It’s common sense. We can save lives,” said state Sen. Willie Preston, D-Chicago, the bill’s Senate sponsor. […]
The Senate did slightly change the bill, adding an amendment to change the effective date to from Jan. 1, 2025 to Jan. 1, 2026. This means the bill has to head back to the House.
* Sen. Kimberly Lightford…
Senate Majority Leader Kimberly A. Lightford championed a measure to require high school students to learn financial literacy.
“When young people leave high school, they are given the freedom to spend and manage their money how they see fit with little or no guidance beyond what they’ve witnessed at home,” said Lightford (D-Maywood). “By requiring financial literacy instruction, we are equipping our young people with the ability to do things like manage a household budget, save for a home or be aware of financial fraud schemes. These are important life skills that every person can utilize.”
Under Lightford’s measure, high school students would be required to learn about financial literacy. The instruction would focus on basic economics, the principles of supply and demand, how to budget income responsibly, loan repayment, and the cost of high-interest short-term “payday” loans.
According to a 2022 Citizens Bank survey, more than half of teenagers said they were worried and felt unprepared for their financial futures. The research highlighted the need for additional resources to assist them in making financial decisions that impact them over the long term – including proper education on how to set themselves up for success.
“Teens should leave high school with the confidence that they know how to handle the financial decisions of their future,” said Lightford. “Education goes far beyond a textbook – it’s also about learning long-lasting life skills.”
House Bill 1375 passed the Senate Wednesday with bipartisan support.
State Senator Rachel Ventura announced that Senate Bill 3695 has been assigned to the Senate Executive Committee and has bipartisan support.
Senate Bill 3695, also known as the CURE Act – or the Compassionate Use and Research of Entheogens Act – aims to tackle treatment-resistant conditions such as anxiety, depression, PTSD, substance abuse, eating disorders, and other mental health conditions. Additionally, it would facilitate research into the safety and efficacy of psilocybin through medical, psychological, and scientific studies. New Chief Co-Sponsor Senator Craig has researched and considered filing a similar psilocybin bill focused on mental health and medicinal use for more than two years.
“After much discussion with my colleagues, I am proud to see the bipartisanship collaboration on this historic piece of legislation that would aid veterans and those suffering with mental illnesses, PTSD, substance abuse and more,” said Ventura (D-Joliet). “Psilocybin would open new pathways in the brain to help pinpoint things that need to be worked on. Integrated therapy-based sessions following its exposure would create real change in an individual’s life who have exhausted other methods previously.” […]
The bill would also establish the Illinois Psilocybin Advisory Board under the Department of Financial and Professional Regulation which would create a training program, ethical standards, and licensing requirements. Additionally, psychedelic therapies would be administered in controlled, supervised settings to ensure safety and treatment effectiveness. Retail sales of these medicines would be prohibited and could only be used under supervision at designated service centers. […]
The bill has been assigned to the Senate Executive Committee where Senator hopes it will be heard in the following days.
* Rep. Nabeela Syed…
State Rep. Nabeela Syed, D-Palatine, working with a constituent of the 51st District, recently passed groundbreaking legislation to fill gaps in breast cancer screening coverage and ensure that all people who need medically recommended screening can afford it.
“I feel lucky that I live in a community of people so interested in taking part in the lawmaking process and helping build a stronger future for their neighbors. Leslie Yerger, founder and CEO of local nonprofit My Density Matters, came to me as a constituent with lived experience of not receiving the breast cancer screening she needed, resulting in missed breast cancer for nearly a decade,” Syed said. “It’s vital to the health of nearly half of women who have dense breast tissue, that this screening is covered by insurance at no cost-sharing.”
Leslie Ferris Yerger said, “Thank you, Representative Syed, for leading the charge to more accessible breast cancer screening so more women in Illinois will have their breast cancer found early, while still curable. With the passage of HB4180, Illinois may have the most comprehensive supplemental breast cancer screening insurance coverage in the nation.”
Syed filed House Bill 4180 to ensure that more extensive breast cancer screenings for those that need them are covered by all medical insurance. It was backed by Equality Illinois, Illinois National Organization for Women, Rush University Medical Center and Cook County Health. House Bill 4180 passed the House and Senate with strong bipartisan support, and now will go to the governor for signature.
* ICYMI: CPS meeting with Pritzker marked by tension over migrant funding. Crain’s…
- Chicago Public Schools CEO Pedro Martinez said the request for $55.2 million to support migrant students that made the governor’s team bristle.
- The governor’s office painted a more cordial picture of their meeting with CPS and pointed to $500 million in state support for new arrivals.
-Not on the table at yesterday’s meeting with lawmakers: a contentious bill placing a moratorium on significant changes to Chicago Public Schools’ selective enrollment schools.
Governor Pritzker will be at Enos Elementary School in Springfield at 10:30 to announce new programs to combat child hunger. Click here to watch.
*** Isabel’s top picks ***
* Streetsblog | Silver lining playbook: Could a new transit gig be a graceful way out for apparently doomed CTA chief Dorval Carter Jr.?: We can’t read the mayor’s mind on that subject. But one thing seems clear. Johnson would much prefer if Carter, whose achievements including helping to line up the Red Line Extension, doesn’t leave the job in disgrace, but instead gets a soft landing. Yesterday morning there was hope that such a scenario might materialize, as President Joe Biden was reportedly considering tapping Carter as the next federal Surface Transportation Board chair. A Chicagoland transit advocate spoke positively of that possibility.
* Tribune | More than 112,000 Illinois residents have lost the right to own guns. The state doesn’t know if 84,000 still have them, sheriff says: And despite several deaths at the hands of gunmen with revoked FOID cards, the number of unchecked revokees continues to grow. Between October 2023 and March 2024, the state’s total number of noncompliant revoked gun licenses grew by more than 1,000, according to the study. Felony indictments are the most common reason for a resident’s card to be revoked, followed by mental health concerns and domestic violence-related infractions.
*** Statehouse News ***
* WAND | Illinois bill could allow liquor inside Treasurer’s downtown Springfield office for receptions: Illinois Treasurer Michael Frerichs has asked lawmakers to pass a plan this spring to allow his downtown office to have liquor delivered, sold or dispensed. Rep. Lisa Hernandez (D-Cicero) said Wednesday the building is an optimal space for hosting receptions due to the large first floor atrium and historic significance as Abraham Lincoln’s bank.
*** Chicago ***
* ABC Chicago | New policy would overhaul long-criticized Chicago Police Dept. traffic stop-and-search tactic: Critics have long labeled the CPD tactic as underhanded and unconstitutional. But the use of routine traffic stops as a way to search vehicles could become history under a new plan now being pushed by outgoing Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx. According to a draft policy document obtained by the I-Team, the Cook County State’s Attorney’s office would “decline to prosecute” cases that are “solely the product of a non-public-safety traffic stop.”
* AP | Indigenous consultant accuses Chicago Blackhawks of fraud, sexual harassment: Nina Sanders filed the civil action late Tuesday in Cook County Circuit Court. She alleges in the lawsuit that the Blackhawks were facing intense public pressure to change their name and logo in 2020. The team’s CEO, Dan Wirtz, hired her that year to serve as a tribal liaison. Wirtz promised that he would create positions for American Indians, buy land to give to the Sac and Fox Nation and change the team’s logo if she decided to accept the job, according to the lawsuit. She took the job based on those promises, but Wirtz never followed through on any of it, the lawsuit alleges.
* ABC Chicago | Field Museum explains loud noise of cicada calls amid Illinois emergence: “Only the males sing, and the females, they recognize the specific song of their own species, so they know how to find the males of their own species,” said Dr. Maureen Turcatel, Field Museum Insects Collection Manager. Blame the noise on the men. Dr. Turcatel says to be ready, because billions, or even trillions, of bugs are coming our way, emerging from their longtime lodgings underground this week. The 17-year and 13-year cicada broods are overlapping in some areas downstate.
* Sun-Times | Thompson Center artwork — Where did it all go?: A couple places, it turns out. Per state spokesperson Jayette Bolinski, Hunt’s “Illinois River Landscape” ended up in the Springfield headquarters of the Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR), which administers all art owned by the state, including the pieces in the Thompson Center. Henry’s “Bridgeport” is on joint loan to three Rockford institutions: its Art Museum, Convention & Visitors Bureau and the city itself. Still others are now in the collections of the Illinois State Museum and “successor facilities” to the Thompson Center at 555 W. Monroe and 115 S. LaSalle streets. But the future of “Monument with Standing Beast” is, for now, about as ambiguous as the tangled sculpture itself. Disassembly began several weeks ago and is scheduled to wrap by the end of the month. After that, the work will be transported to a state warehouse, where it will be stored until the state finds “a suitable and prominent home” for the statue, Bolinski said.
*** Cook County and Suburbs ***
* Crain’s | Northbrook leaders have ‘many concerns’ about DuPage Water Commission purchase:
Speaking at the village’s first board of trustees meeting since the water commission paid $80 million on May 6 for the 127-acre former country club and golf course — a step toward the potential redevelopment of the site with a water treatment facility — Northbrook Village President Kathryn Ciesla said local elected officials were blindsided by the property sale and remain worried about its implications.
* CBS | New Cicero, Illinois ordinance bans alcohol sales after midnight: The new measure applies across the board – not only to liquor stores and retailers, as has been in the case in the city of Chicago for the past few years – but also to restaurants and bars. The Town of Cicero said liquor licenses allow for the sale of alcohol until 1 or 2 a.m. at bars and restaurants, but the new ordinance will require them all to stop sales at midnight.
*** Downstate ***
* Shaw Local | Ex-Savanna woman gets 3 years in prison for harassing witness in race-based case: The duo’s alleged harassment is detailed in the state’s first civil hate-crime lawsuit, filed in 2022 by Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul’s office, that accuses the Hamptons of lynching an effigy of the neighbor in plain view of his home in order to intimidate him. In addition to accusations that the yard was damaged, the suit also alleged that the pair hung an effigy of their neighbor, bound in chains, in a tree a few feet from his property, hung a Confederate flag, displayed a racial slur in a window facing his home, and painted swastikas on their garage, which also faced his property.
* 25 News Now | Peoria’s Black Business Alliance receives part of $2.5M state grant: Peoria’s Black Business Alliance is among 10 groups awarded a share of $2.5 million from the State of Illinois, part of Gov. JB Pritzker’s goal of helping minority-owned businesses. The local organization is receiving $250,000 in public money, according to a governor’s office release. This initiative aims to provide essential training and resources to entrepreneurs from historically disinvested communities.
* Illinois Times | City launches program to rehab east-side homes: The city of Springfield is launching a pilot program geared toward helping first-time homebuyers by rehabilitating dilapidated properties on the city’s east side. “On the east side of Springfield, we own properties as a city, and we’re not doing enough to revitalize the neighborhoods,” said Ethan Posey, Springfield’s director of community relations. “We own a lot of property, and we’re not selling it and we’re not demolishing it quick enough. So, we came up with the My First Home initiative.”
*** National ***
* Bloomberg | Google’s New Search Engine Is Bad News for the Web Economy: Rolling out in the US this week, and in much of the world by the end of the year, AI Overviews is a troubling development for the wider web economy. Think of Wikipedia as a canary: When Google started sourcing its information directly in search results, traffic plummeted because of what analytics firm SimilarWeb called the “zero click” effect — users obtaining the information they were seeking without needing to click through to the source. Every “zero click” is a blow to web publishers. Already suffering huge drop in traffic from social media companies less interested in carrying current affairs, publishers will be similarly deprioritized by Google as it strives to compete head-on with know-it-all AI tools like ChatGPT and Perplexity.ai. The outlook is bleak: Gartner predicts a 25% drop in search engine traffic by 2026, an estimate that seems conservative. An SEO expert told the Washington Post that publishers are expecting to be “bludgeoned.”
* Crain’s | Blue Cross Illinois parent expands corporate presence in Texas: Health Care Service Corp., the Chicago-based parent company of five Blue Cross & Blue Shield plans, is expanding its corporate presence in Texas with a new office building in southwest Houston. The 132,000-square-foot office will open as soon as January 2025, according to a statement announcing the expansion. HCSC already has a corporate office in Richardson, Texas.
* This is how I’ll always remember my four brothers. My dad had a side gig delivering Phillips 66 gas to farmers and we posed in front of his truck. The photo was taken in, I think, 1975, when we were preparing to leave Iroquois County because my mom had been hired by the Department of Defense and was being trained at the Savanna Army Depot in northwest Illinois. We eventually ended up living in Utah and Germany. Isabel’s dad, Devin, was a baby then. My dad, Isabel’s grandfather, is holding him in the pic. I’m standing next to Dad wearing my Shaw-Waw-Nas-See 4-H Camp t-shirt…
Thanks to my brother Darian (front row left) for posting the pic. We called him “Toothless” back then.
Thursday, May 16, 2024 - Posted by Advertising Department
[The following is a paid advertisement.]
When a patient with suicidal thoughts sought care in an Illinois emergency department (ED), the hospital’s medical staff admitted the patient based on nationally recognized clinical guidelines. Yet, the patient’s Medicaid managed care organization (MCO) would only cover one of the patient’s five days in the hospital, despite the patient remaining suicidal two days after admission.
Prior authorization denials and delays are one of the top challenges to providing healthcare to Medicaid patients, whose access to needed care is unnecessarily bogged down by burdensome MCO administrative processes.
The Illinois Health and Hospital Association (IHA) urges lawmakers to support MCO prior authorization reforms, including permitting ED physicians to admit a patient in need of inpatient care without seeking MCO authorization, providing inpatient coverage for up to 72 hours.
Legislative reforms also address the time clinicians must put toward appeals, the majority of which are later overturned, pulling them away from patient care. IHA’s reforms would exempt physicians and hospitals with historically high prior authorization approvals from the prior authorization process for one year, like several states have adopted.
Vote YES on legislation that fixes harmful prior authorization practices and eliminates barriers to healthcare for Illinois’ most vulnerable populations. Support IHA’s MCO prior authorization reforms.
In the basement of a Centralia funeral home in a dark hallway off the embalming room, tucked inside a nook behind two steel plates and a door, a visitor found three disembodied, neatly wrapped human legs, two of them marked with names and dated to the 1960s.
The discovery stunned property owner Cindy Hansen, who had been cleaning up at the site of the former Moran Queen-Boggs funeral home for weeks. After all, she’d seen her last tenant evicted, his funeral director license suspended for the home’s filthy conditions – which included a dead rat in a stairwell.
But as the shock dissipated on what first appeared to be a grisly find, a more mundane explanation materialized – the legs were likely the result of amputations, stored away decades ago until their owners died and they could be reunited and interred together, said Jay Boulanger, who has operated a funeral home in Highland for decades. […]
The discovery was made at the former funeral home operated by Hugh Moran in recent years, but he surrendered his license in March after state regulators found his facility in deplorable condition. But the hidden nature of the room and the fact that two of the legs were dated decades before Moran operated the facility indicate he was not involved in placing them there. […]
The conditions at Moran’s funeral home became public within months of a discovery that a Carlinville funeral home provided the wrong ashes to at least 80 families, spawning lawsuits and legislation.
* ACLU…
By passing House Bill 4781 (the KIND Act), the Illinois House is making sure that our state’s family regulation system prioritizes the interests of youth in that system. For too long, Illinois policy has failed to recognize the valuable role played by relatives who step in to care for youth when DCFS removes these children from their parents. The KIND Act recognizes the positive role these relatives play in the lives of children – whose lives have been disrupted – and provides the same resources to care for the child made available to foster parents who may well be strangers.
Research shows that placing youth in the family regulation system with relatives, rather than strangers acting as foster parents, is good policy. Staying with a family member lessens trauma of family separation, reduces the number of times a child is moved, enhances permanency options if youth cannot be reunified, results in higher placement satisfaction for youth in care, and delivers better social, behavioral, mental health, and educational outcomes for youth than when they are placed in non-kin foster care.
We thank Representative Marcus Evans for his leadership in securing passage of the KIND Act in the House. We look forward to continuing this momentum in the Senate in the remaining weeks of the session.
*** Statehouse ***
* Guy A. Medaglia | Gov J.B. Pritzker goes after insurance companies. What about the state itself?: Our hospital in 2020 sued the state of Illinois. It wasn’t an easy decision. No one wants to bite the hand that feeds them. But the managed care system is breaking us. The state is fighting our lawsuit at every turn. Fortunately, the courts have stepped in to protect us. A federal appeals court recently ruled that our lawsuit has a right to proceed. The hospital “depends on full, timely Medicaid payments to keep its doors open and provide care to patients,” the ruling judges wrote.
*** Statewide ***
* WBEZ | Planned Parenthood offers abortion pills via app to expand access in Illinois: Patients who are up to 10 weeks pregnant can fill out screening questions on the Planned Parenthood Direct app any time of the day and provide an Illinois address where their medication abortion pills mifepristone and misoprostol would be mailed if they qualify. That could be a house, or a hotel. Some Planned Parenthood affiliates already mail pills to patients, but require at least a virtual visit with a medical provider first.
* ProPublica | Even when a cop is killed with an illegally purchased weapon, the gun store’s name is kept secret: ProPublica has viewed federal filings in both the Northern District of Illinois and the Northern District of Indiana where retailers were named in conjunction with cases against individuals who lied to make gun purchases or later resold the guns illegally in so-called straw sales. One such gun was bought from an Indiana retailer and days later used in a shooting that left two Wisconsin police officers severely injured, ProPublica reported in March. The retailer involved was never charged yet still was named in court records.
* Tribune | State seeks to salvage high-profile conviction in Hadiya Pendleton slaying in arguments before Illinois Supreme Court: More than a decade after the killing of 15-year-old Hadiya Pendleton put a national spotlight on Chicago’s entrenched problem with gun violence, Illinois prosecutors worked to salvage a conviction against the alleged shooter before the state’s highest court in Springfield. […] Though Micheail Ward, 30, was convicted of first-degree murder and two counts of aggravated battery following a lengthy jury trial in 2018, an Illinois appeals court last year overturned his convictions and ordered a new trial, finding that Chicago police detectives violated his rights by continuing to question him after he invoked his right to remain silent.
*** Chicago ***
* Crain’s | Advocates tell mayor: Fund transit, not stadiums: In a letter signed by eight Chicago transit groups including the Metropolitan Planning Council, Active Transportation Alliance and Commuters Take Action, the organizations blasted the proposal to use public money to help build a new domed stadium at a time when local transit agencies are facing a $730 million fiscal cliff. A response from the Bears was not returned by press time.
* Block Club | Will Bears Stadium Be ‘For Our Children’? Some Community Leaders Are Skeptical: Educator Andre Russell doubts the new stadium will be built. If it is, he’d like to see the professional sports team offer more programs to kids in the city, prioritizing students from the Near South Side and Bronzeville, he said. The CPS high school teacher said whoever assumes the community liaison role once the stadium is built will have to know the lay of the land to better create programs for the city’s young people.
* Chalkbeat | Organizers of Democratic National Convention in Chicago launch student art competition: Students and graduating seniors from public and private high schools across the Chicago area have until June 10 at 5 p.m. to submit their designs. Original artwork can include drawings, paintings, photography or other two-dimensional media, but must be created by hand and without the help of artificial intelligence.
* Block Club | What’s Inside The Bean? Photos Show Construction Of ‘Cloud Gate’: The stainless steel skin hides an internal skeleton with flexible connectors that allow it to expand and contract in Chicago’s extreme weather. Thirty-three feet high, 42 feet wide and 66 feet long, its cost was a reported $23 million.
*** Cook County and Suburbs ***
* NBC Chicago | Local activist, Dolton trustee Andrew Holmes terminated by Chicago Survivors over assault allegations: Chicago Survivors issued the following statement to NBC Chicago: “Our mission is to provide crime victim services to family members of homicide victims, so our relationships with those families and our community is paramount. Without compromise, there needs to be strong mutual trust and an assumed high level of safety for the adults and children we serve. For those reasons, we terminated his employment in April upon learning of the serious allegations.”
* Naperville Sun | DuPage County state’s attorney’s office to sue county clerk over unpaid bills: The DuPage County State’s Attorney’s Office plans to file a civil lawsuit against DuPage County Clerk Jean Kaczmarek and her office over $224,000 in invoices submitted for purchases not properly approved or made without going through a bidding process. Kaczmarek threatened similar action in a May 7 memo to DuPage County Board Chair Deborah Conroy in which she said she’d instruct the state’s attorney to file legal action against the county if invoices submitted by her office were not paid by the county treasurer.
* KFVS | How SIUC researchers transformed waste plastic into food: A team of researchers at Southern Illinois University Carbondale have been working on new food technologies, including processing waste biomass and plastic to create a specialized yeast that can then be converted into proteins. Called µBites, which means “microbites,” the proteins can be 3D-printed into cookies or other foods.
* SJ-R | Mail delivery changes in Springfield halted until 2025: Postmaster General Louis DeJoy in a letter to Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Chairman Gary Peters on May 9 confirmed that mail processing facility reviews and planned implemented changes will halt until next year, following a slew of senators sending letters to DeJoy. Until the changes are made however, DeJoy said the investments into current branches will be halted, as well.
* WGLT | ISU trustees to hold special meeting for vote on increasing student fees, housing and dining: At the time, then-interim president Aondover Tarhulesaid the need to increase fees came from rising costs for the university across the board that were outpacing revenue. He added that student financial aid is one of ISU’s fastest-growing expenses, increasing from $25 million a year to about $47 million for the current academic year. That figure had risen, he said then, “with no increase in enrollment or credit hour generation.”
*** National ***
* AP | Survey finds 8,000 women a month got abortion pills despite their states’ bans or restrictions : “People … are using the various mechanisms to get pills that are out there,” Drexel University law professor David Cohen said. This “is not surprising based on what we know throughout human history and across the world: People will find a way to terminate pregnancies they don’t want.” A Pew Research Center poll conducted in April found that Americans are substantially more likely to say that medication abortion should be legal, rather than illegal, in their state.
* NYT | 17% of Voters Blame Biden for the End of Roe: Many voters who held Mr. Biden responsible said they simply didn’t pay close attention to politics or government affairs. For some, the confusion came from the fact that the Supreme Court’s Dobbs decision happened while Mr. Biden was president. DeLana Marsh, 30, of Holly Springs, Ga., supports abortion rights and opposes a new Georgia law that bans abortions after six weeks of pregnancy: “I don’t think a group of men should be able to decide that for us.”
* HB4848 passed the House 103-0 and cleared the Senate Transportation Committee 13-1. [Adding: The Senate just approved it.] Synopsis…
Amends the Illinois Vehicle Code. Provides that no person shall operate or cause to be operated, on a highway, a commercial motor vehicle, with the exception of a highway maintenance vehicle, transporting garbage or refuse unless the tailgate on the vehicle is in good working repair, good operating condition, and closes securely, with a cover or tarpaulin of sufficient size attached so as to prevent any load, residue, or other material from escaping. Provides that a violation of the provisions shall be a petty offense punishable by a fine not to exceed $150 (rather than $250). Provides that a person, firm, or corporation convicted of 4 or more violations within a 12-month period shall be fined an additional amount of $150 for the fourth and each subsequent conviction within the 12-month period. Amends the Criminal and Traffic Assessment Act. In provisions concerning conditional assessments, provides for distribution of a conditional assessment for a violation of the provisions.
An example of what this bill is trying to prevent…
* The Question: Have you had experience with garbage trucks spewing garbage as they are driven on a road? Explain.
* M3 Strategies does some Republican work, but its final Chicago mayoral first round poll was extremely close to the result, and an earlier poll showed Brandon Johnson’s surge. Crain’s…
As he flips the calendar on his first year in office today, Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson faces an array of challenges, not the least of which is the need to dig out from a net approval rating of -29%.
That’s the top-line finding of a new poll for Crain’s Chicago Business by M3 Strategies, a Chicago political consultancy, which polled 415 likely general election voters in Chicago from April 29 to 30.
Only a combined 28% of likely voters polled said they approve of Johnson’s performance in office, while a majority (57%) disapprove and 41% strongly disapprove.
Wednesday, May 15, 2024 - Posted by Advertising Department
[The following is a paid advertisement.]
Surgo Ventures partnered with Uber Health and local health centers to provide transportation assistance to expectant mothers facing transportation challenges to their prenatal appointments. Across one city, the initiative covered over 30,000 miles, ensuring over 450 participants reached their prenatal appointments without hassle. One participant shared, ‘There were days when I didn’t want to get up from bed. Knowing that someone was going to pick me up… made me feel safer.’ With programs like Rides for Moms, transportation is no longer a barrier for new mothers to access essential medical care. Learn more
* Governor JB Pritzker’s office sent this letter to legislators on Monday…
Dear Members of the Illinois General Assembly:
My office is thrilled to join the diverse group of stakeholders working in support of the Dignity in Pay Act (HB793). This bill, sponsored by House Leader Theresa Mah and Senate Leader Cristina Castro, represents a significant step forward in expanding opportunities and ensuring fair and equal pay for Illinois workers with disabilities.
House Amendment three to the Dignity in Pay Act is a carefully negotiated compromise supported by an array of organizations. The newest supporters include groups like Special Olympics Illinois, the Illinois Association of Rehabilitation Facilities (IARF), the National Down Syndrome Society, the Illinois Spina Bifida Association, the Institute on Public Policy for People with Disabilities, and dozens of other groups who provide direct service and support to Illinoisans with disabilities.
These groups are joining the fight for fairness alongside long-time backers, including Access Living of Metropolitan Chicago, the Illinois Network of Centers for Independent Living, the National Federation of the Blind of Illinois, and the Shriver Center on Poverty Law.
For too long, a provision in the 1938 Fair Labor Standards Act has allowed for Subminimum Wage payment to individuals with disabilities by entities with special authorization, generally referred to as 14(c) certificates. Since the Americans with Disabilities Act passed in 1990, the US Supreme Court ruling in Olmstead in 1999, and numerous other strides made by civil rights leaders, we’ve made extraordinary progress in understanding the unlimited potential contributions, and the many injustices too often experienced, by people with disabilities in our country – especially when it comes to finding a job.
To date, 18 states (and the City of Chicago) have acted to phase out 14(c) and expand programs that increase inclusion and access to competitive integrated employment. A range of employers across Illinois have successfully shifted their focus to Supported Employment and meaningful day program opportunities – including Misericordia, the Arc, MarcFirst, Ray Graham, the Lighthouse for the Blind, Thresholds, and Macon Resources, Inc., among many others.
The Dignity in Pay Act requires the Illinois Department of Human Services (IDHS), the Illinois Council on Developmental Disabilities, and the Illinois Department of Labor to lead a responsible and gradual 5-year process to increase employment options for people with disabilities and phase out 14(c) subminimum wage authorizations.
The amended bill’s key changes include:
1. Extending the phase-out period to five years (July 1, 2029), allowing for a longer, smoother change ramp for employers and employees.
2. Creating a Transition Program Grant to assist employers and employees with the necessary resources to navigate the phase-out.
3. Requiring an increase to Supported Employment Rates to ensure providers have the resources to effectively support community employment programs.
4. Adding the Illinois Council on Developmental Disabilities (ICCDD) and an academic partner to bolster research and development efforts for a smart, well supported change in state policy.
The Dignity in Pay Act is one step we can take together to build a more equitable and inclusive Illinois. This legislation fosters a future where all individuals, regardless of ability, can contribute their talents and skills to our workforce and earn a fair wage.
With broad stakeholder compromise and support, I urge the Illinois House and Senate to pass the Dignity in Pay Act so that I can sign it into law.
Here’s where similar legislation has been passed or is pending. From the governor’s office…
Eliminated
1.Alaska
2.Colorado
3.Delaware
4.District of Columbia
5.Hawaii
6.Maine
7.Maryland
8.New Hampshire
9.Oregon
10.Rhode Island
11.Tennessee
12.Vermont
13.Washington
14. West Virginia
Implementing Phase Out
1.California
2.Kansas
3.South Carolina
4.Virginia
Legislation Pending
1.Connecticut
2.Georgia
3.Illinois
4.Minnesota
5.Nevada
6.New York
Rep. Charlie Meier has been dead set against the bill. Here’s an Op-Ed from Meier…
Throughout my time in Springfield serving southern Illinois and portions of the Metro-East, I have worked hard to represent the best interests of the citizens in our state that live in the care of the state, live in Community Integrated Living Arrangements, and for those developmentally disabled individuals that perform light tasks at “14c Workshops” throughout the state.
A well-intentioned, but badly flawed, bill pending in Springfield is threatening to permanently place individuals working in 14c workshops out of a job. The legislation would raise the minimum wage for these jobs to $15 per hour. The concept sounds good. The businesses that are partnering with these 14c’s are more than likely to cut off their financial support. A look at the numbers reveals that the costs associated with participating in these programs would explode to unaffordable levels.
Currently, companies that pay individuals for 10 hours of work per week pay a little over $7.5 million. If HB 793 is passed and signed into law, when the wage paid to 14c employees reaches $15 per hour, the cost explodes to more than $27 million. For companies paying individuals the current rate for 25 hours of work per week, the cost is a little under $19 million. If HB 793 is passed and signed into law, when the wage reaches $15 per hour, those companies will pay a combined whopping total of more than $68.5 million. In addition to higher costs to companies, clients will be forced to pay much higher taxes on their income.
During last year’s Session, I worked to educate my fellow legislators as to the very real pitfalls in increasing the minimum wage at 14c workshops. I was successful, and I believe the programs have continued because the effort failed.
Fast-paced crowded workplaces and strange new people and new places have the tendency to scare and overwhelm certain individuals with profound disabilities.
14c clients and their families know that when they are performing their duties at the workshop that they are safe and cared for and that all of their medical and mental needs are being met. The 14cs provide the best of all worlds for clients, their families, companies, and nonprofits.
This year, advocates for the change have beefed up their messaging efforts and are once again on the cusp of passing HB 793. I’m working once again to stop the bill from passing.
The majority of the workshops I’ve talked to are either neutral or opposed to HB 793. However, they are afraid of negative consequences to their facilities and clients if they speak out.
For the sake of my friends in the developmental disability community, their families, and the dignity that comes with the work and the paycheck they receive at 14c workshops, I would ask my colleagues in the legislature to stop moving HB 793 and work with me and community partners to ensure that 14c workshop opportunities will continue to be able to operate these vital and valuable programs. Save the jobs of my friends in the DD community.
Please vote no on HB 793.
HB793 is currently in the House Rules Committee with a May 31 Third Reading deadline.
A bill in Springfield would end the requirement that prosecutors be notified when a baby is born with controlled substances in his or her system and would no longer necessarily consider that evidence of child abuse.
The hope is that by taking away the threat of losing custody of a baby, mothers would be more likely to seek treatment.
The initiative was prompted by a finding that the leading cause of death in Illinois among expectant or new mothers is drug use. Almost one-third of the 263 such mothers who died in 2018 to 2020 died of substance use, the state Department of Public Health reported.
The proposed change in the law would create a task force to develop a plan for helping infants and mothers exposed to illicit drugs during pregnancy. These family recovery plans would include medical care, recovery support and referrals to community services for the child and caregiver.
During 2018-2020, 5.4% of live births had a maternal substance use disorder recorded by the delivery hospital. Maternal
substance use disorders were recorded by the delivery hospital most often for women who were American Indian (13.1%), younger than 25 years (7.9%), had a high school education or less (10.5%), lived in urban counties outside the Chicago area (10.1%) or rural counties (12.2%), and who had Medicaid insurance (9.9%).
The percentage of live births with a maternal substance use disorder recorded by the delivery hospital varied across counties. During 2018-2020, maternal substance use disorders recorded by the delivery hospital were lowest in DuPage County (1.4%) and highest in Edgar County (24.3%). Twenty-three counties had a maternal substance use disorder recorded for 16% or more of their live births (Alexander, Christian, Clark, Coles, Edgar, Fayette, Fulton, Gallatin, Greene, Hardin, Lawrence, Logan, Mason, Massac, Montgomery, Pike, Pope, Richland, Saline, Scott, Vermilion, Wabash, and White). […]
Crystal’s Story
Crystal was a Black woman in her 30s with a history of substance use disorder, anxiety, and bipolar disorder. She had been raised in foster care due to her parents being incarcerated. Throughout prenatal care there was no documentation of referrals or treatment for her mental health. The medical record notes from providers included undertones of blaming language surrounding her “unwillingness” to quit her substance use and classifying her as a “known drug user.” Around her sixth month of pregnancy, Crystal went to the emergency department with abdominal pain. A hospital social worker told her that DCFS would be contacted due to her positive urine drug test. Crystal became upset and started to cry due to the fear of losing her children and asked to be discharged. She then left the hospital against medical advice. The social worker reported her to DCFS after the hospital stay. In her prenatal care visits after this emergency department visit, there was no documented follow-up for Crystal’s substance use disorder or other mental health conditions. She later gave birth to a full-term healthy baby. From the hospital records available, it seems the infant was not taken into DCFS care after birth. After delivery, there is no record of Crystal receiving a postpartum visit or any other care. She died two months postpartum of a drug overdose from a combination of fentanyl and cocaine.
What can we learn from Crystal’s death?
Women who have substance use disorder can experience stigma and bias related to their substance use, especially during pregnancy. This can result in some women avoiding medical care during or after pregnancy due to the fear of DCFS reporting and the potential to lose custody of their child(ren). Health care providers should seek out training to further understand the impact stigma related to substance use affects care to improve respectful care practices for all patients. While it is currently Illinois law to report positive urine drug screens to DCFS after an infant is born, there is no mandated reporting for drug screenings during pregnancy prior to the baby’s birth. Crystal’s health care providers did not assess her readiness for substance use disorder treatment.
State lawmakers could pass a plan in the final weeks of session to improve procedures for student discipline. This comes as many teachers and administrators across the state have asked for help to address school safety.
The Illinois State Board of Education could be required to draft and publish guidance for development of reciprocal reporting systems between schools and law enforcement.
This measure calls on ISBE to publish guidance for re-engagement of students suspended, expelled or returning from an alternative school setting. […]
Senate Bill 1400 passed unanimously out of the Senate Education Committee Tuesday afternoon. The plan now moves to the Senate floor for further consideration.
House Bill 3908, sponsored by state Rep. Katie Stuart, D-Edwardsville, would allow firefighters to take time off to care for a family member with a serious health condition, or for the birth of a child and caring for the newborn.
They would also be able to use the time to care for a newly-adopted child under 18, a newly-placed foster child under 18, or for a newly-adopted or placed foster child older than 18 if they are unable to care for themselves due to a mental or physical disability.
Firefighters would also have the option to voluntarily waive their right to paid family leave. […]
If the bill passes, Stuart said details of how this would work on a local level will be done through negotiations and collective bargaining agreements between municipalities and the firefighter unions.
The Illinois Municipal League, a lobbying group that advocates on behalf of the state’s cities and towns, opposes the bill, deeming it an unfunded mandate on municipalities and preemption of local government decision-making.
A coalition of environmental and agricultural groups are encouraging state lawmakers to expand the Illinois Fall Covers for Spring Savings Program (FCSS). […]
Farmers who are accepted into the program receive a $5-an-acre subsidy on their next year’s crop insurance for every acre of cover crops they plant. [Eliot Clay, land use programs director with the Illinois Environmental Council] says the groups want to see 3-million dollars allocated to cover 500-thousand acres in the next state budget. […]
This year the program received 660-thousand dollars and covered 100-thousand acres.
* Rep. Margaret Croke…
Yesterday, State Representative Margaret Croke’s legislation to increase insurance coverage of In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) treatments passed the Illinois House with bipartisan support, and is headed to Governor JB Pritzker’s desk to be signed into law. The bill removes the current limitation, which requires insurance to only cover four rounds of IVF treatments, and also includes coverage for an annual menopause health visit.
“As reproductive health has been under attack across the country, I’m so proud that Illinois is continuing to prioritize access to care like IVF. I’m thrilled to see this legislation heading to Governor Pritzker’s desk after receiving bipartisan support in both the House and Senate. The previous insurance cap was not based in science, and unfortunately has created financial barriers for individuals hoping to start or grow families,” said State Representative Margaret Croke. “Being a mom has been the most rewarding and incredible experience of my life, and it’s something everyone who wants to should have the opportunity to do. I’m grateful that we’re taking steps to increase access to this care here in Illinois.”
Currently, insurance companies in Illinois are only required to cover four rounds of IVF, but for many families it can take at least six rounds of IVF to result in a successful pregnancy and birth. Once signed, this legislation will ensure that families receive coverage for the fertility treatments they need to start or grow a family. A single round of IVF can cost between $15,000 and $30,000 out of pocket, putting the dream of welcoming a child financially out of reach for many.
Since taking office in 2021, Rep. Croke has been a champion in increasing access to reproductive and fertility care. Her first year in office, Rep. Croke passed HB3709, legislation that expanded insurance coverage of fertility treatments to same-sex couples, women over 35, single women, women who cannot get pregnant naturally due to a medical issue, and others, ensuring that all Illinoisans have equal access to the insurance coverage needed to start a family.
* Rep. Jaime Andrade…
Continuing his efforts to support motorists, state Rep. Jaime Andrade, D-Chicago, passed legislation on Tuesday that allows motorists the chance to recover valuable personal items like medical devices and identification cards from their vehicles.
“Common sense tells you that if someone is unfortunate enough to have their car towed, these companies should allow motorists to get their important IDs, lifesaving medical devices and school textbooks out of their vehicle, free of charge, but that’s not always the case,” Andrade said. “Unfortunately, some tow companies have strong armed motorists, resulting in even more out-of-pocket costs in overdue textbook fees, new prescriptions and renewed documents. This legislation was needed, because too many of Illinois’ families have faced hundreds of dollars in fines and costs because of a glaring loophole. I look forward to seeing the Governor’s signature on this legislation and more discussion on how we can best support motorists in the future.”
Andrade championed Senate Bill 2654 which allows someone to recover personal medical devices, ID cards, college textbooks, and study material from a vehicle that is being held by a towing company without facing penalties or fees.
Andrade’s legislation continues his long support of motorists and safer streets. He recently passed House Bill 4451 which would dedicate funds from speed enforcement cameras to safety improvements at nearby parks and schools.
Senate Bill 2654 passed unanimously out of the House on Tuesday, May 14 and awaits the Governor’s signature.
* Sen. Javier Cervantes…
To make canceling physical fitness services easier for customers, State Senator Javier Cervantes is moving legislation to require these services have easy and simple ways to cancel a contract.
“This is a simple matter of updating business practices to fit with modern times,” said Cervantes (D-Chicago). “Giving consumers simple and efficient methods to cancel their subscription or contract is one way we can ensure residents are not falling victim to automatically renewing payments for services they no longer use.”
Under the new legislation, businesses offering physical fitness services like gym memberships would need to allow customers to cancel their contract either online or by email, instead of only by mail.
The measure would also require contracts for physical fitness services that automatically renew to comply with the Automatic Contract Renewal Act, which ensures businesses give full disclosure of their automatic terms and cancellation policies and do not charge customers without proper consent.
“We have given consumers in Illinois the tools to make canceling their subscriptions with other services easier, and we want to expand those provisions,” said Cervantes. “Residents may go months or even years without knowing if their old gym membership is renewing and charging them, and with these changes we are making the process easier for everyone.”
House Bill 4911 passed the Senate Judiciary Committee on Tuesday and is one step closer to becoming law.
* Rep. Abdelnasser Rashid…..
Renters will be better protected from flooding under new legislation passed by state Rep. Abdelnasser Rashid, D-Bridgeview, requiring landlords to provide important information about flooding risk and history.
“Even one flooding event can be financially catastrophic to a family,” said Rashid. “With climate change making floods much more common and extreme, this is one important step we can take to protect working families.”
Rashid’s Senate Bill 2601 will ensure that prospective renters know whether the unit they are considering renting has a history of flooding or lies in a Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Special Flood Hazard Area. This information will help them make informed decisions about whether to purchase flood insurance. Many renters may not know that flooding protection is not typically included in renter’s insurance.
Under the bill, property owners must inform prospective tenants if their property lies within a high-risk flooding area. Additionally, landlords renting out units on lower levels, including garden, basement, and first floor units, must disclose whether any of these units have experienced flooding within the past decade.
After passing out of the Senate and House, Senate Bill 2601 awaits approval by Gov. JB Pritzker.
“This bill is a crucial step toward ensuring the safety and wellbeing of tenants across the state,” said Senator Mike Porfirio, who introduced the legislation in the Senate. “By requiring landlords to disclose flood hazards, we are arming renters with the knowledge they need to protect themselves and their families from potential harm.”
* The Boat Drink Caucus band performed at the Dave Caucus party last night at Boone’s. The crowd was huge, the music was actually pretty darned good and the beer was cold. Band guitarist Senate President Don Harmon posed for a pic during a break with House Republican Leader Tony McCombie. The pic was taken by one of the party hosts. Note the “Doom Grifter” shirt that was all the rage shortly after Gov. Pritzker coined the phrase during his 2024 State of the State/Budget address. Heh…
* ICYMI: Why has Mayor Brandon Johnson resisted demands to fire CTA President Dorval Carter Jr.? Sun-Times…
- Carter has delivered on the promise then-Mayor Rahm Emanuel made in 2015 — that Carter would win federal funding for major projects. But he has failed at day-to-day operations and customer service, mass transit experts say.
- Nearly half the City Council wants the embattled CTA president to resign his $376,000-a-year job or be fired by Mayor Brandon Johnson.
- “The money for the Red Line is probably one of the leading factors.” Johnson has stuck with Carter said veteran political consultant Delmarie Cobb.
* Capitol News Illinois | House OKs program for student teacher stipends – but not the funding for it: House Bill 4652, by Rep. Barbara Hernandez, D-Aurora, authorizes the Illinois Board of Higher Education to disburse stipends of $10,000 per semester to student teachers working in public schools. That’s the rough equivalent of $15 an hour, based on a standard 40-hour work week. It also authorizes stipends of $2,000 per semester to the teachers who supervise them. But the authority to disburse those funds would be subject to appropriations. And with an estimated annual cost of $68 million to fully fund the program, Hernandez conceded it is unlikely such funding will be included in the budget for the upcoming fiscal year that lawmakers are currently negotiating.
* Capitol News Illinois | Illinois Supreme Court considers expectation of privacy in hospitals: While Cortez Turner was in a hospital room being treated for a gunshot wound to his leg in 2016, police took his clothes. Now, the Illinois Supreme Court is weighing whether that action violated Turner’s expectation of privacy under the Fourth Amendment. The arguments in the case were among several heard by the high court Tuesday, including a case that could change how police handle certain firearms possession violations.
*** Statewide ***
* SJ-R | Illinois voters’ information partially removed by right-wing outlet following judge order: Included on its 20 websites statewide, Local Government Information Services, Inc., has published a series of stories detailing voters’ names, date of birth, home address and whether or not they voted in the 2020 Presidential Election. The articles are still online but with several changes, now showing birth year instead of birthdate and street name instead of home address.
* WGN | Illinois is the ‘most normal’ state in the U.S., new study shows: Recently, the Washington Post used U.S. Census data to determine which U.S. state best represents “normal” America as a whole. […] Illinois most resembled America as a whole based on its population’s racial makeup, broken down into percentages of white, Hispanic, Black, Asian, and Native American residents. The state of Connecticut ranked second behind Illinois, with a racial makeup index score of 98.7 based on Census data.
*** Chicago ***
* Block Club | A Better, Stronger, Safer Chicago? Mayor Brandon Johnson’s First Year: In the lead-up to the anniversary, Block Club reviewed Johnson’s major campaign promises and compared them to his legislative record and management of the city to see if he has served as the mayor he told Chicagoans he’d be. Where is the police department in promoting 200 new detectives, a frequent campaign pledge that Johnson said would begin on day one of his term? Has service and safety improved on the CTA like he promised? Have affordable housing projects and key neighborhood developments broken ground and expanded? Are Chicago children receiving a better education than they were a year ago?
* WBEZ | Chicagoans give CPS a ‘C,’ say students are not learning enough: Despite years of trying to convince Chicagoans that public school students here are making remarkable academic progress, most residents give the schools a grade of C and say students are not learning enough. That’s according to a poll released Tuesday by Public Agenda, a nonpartisan research organization. WBEZ and the Sun-Times collaborated with Public Agenda and the Joyce Foundation, which funded the project.
* Crain’s | Cutting teen unemployment key to lowering Chicago crime rate, study suggests: Young minority Chicagoans were particularly clobbered economically by COVID-19, and their recovery since has been mixed at best, a reality that all of the city is dealing with. So says a new report published today that uses U.S. Census Bureau data to conclude Latino and especially Black Chicago teens and young adults had stunningly high unemployment rates during and after the pandemic — worsening a historic economic gap between the North Side and the South and West sides — and then posits a possible connection between that and soaring COVID-era crime rates.
* WBEZ | Chicago Ethics Board wants fines and suspensions for lobbyists who give money to mayoral candidates: The board unanimously recommended Monday that the City Council update the ethics ordinance to give enforcement teeth to former Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s 2011 executive order that bars lobbyists from donating to a mayor’s political committees. The proposed changes would allow the board to issue a fine three times the amount of a lobbyist’s improper contribution — regardless of whether it was returned — on the first violation. That could escalate to a 90-day suspension of a lobbyist’s registration for any additional violations. The enhanced penalties would extend to entities that a lobbyist has more than 1% ownership in, such as an LLC, and apply to donations made to mayoral candidates — not just the mayor.
* WBEZ | A Chicago woman who helps migrants fights for a chance to stay in the United States: Most mornings, Luisette Kraal directs volunteers via walkie talkie. She makes sure newly arrived migrants line up and wait their turn to receive pants and jackets from the free clothing store she co-founded with her husband in Chicago’s Uptown neighborhood. Other times, Kraal is on her phone arranging furniture deliveries or helping migrants communicate with their landlords. Or she is teaching families how to use public transportation in their new city or inviting them to church dinners.
* Crain’s | NASCAR is no Lollapalooza — but it sort of wants to be: The Black Keys are no stranger to performing in Grant Park. Lollapalooza long made a habit out of booking the American rock duo. They played at the debut Chicago festival in 2005; performed again in 2007, 2008 and 2010; and headlined their most recent year in 2012. After a 12-year hiatus, the “Lonely Boy” stars are returning to Chicago’s front yard this summer — but instead of performing at Lollapalooza in August, they will be one of four headliners taking the main stage at the NASCAR Chicago Street Race this Fourth of July weekend.
*** Cook County and Suburbs ***
* Daily Southtown | Dolton trustees approve temporary mayor position, act on garbage pickup payments: Dolton trustees have named a fill-in replacement for Mayor Tiffany Henyard as a “precautionary measure” in the event she is absent from a meeting or otherwise unable to fill her duties, according to Trustee Jason House. The appointment of House to serve as mayor pro tem came at a special Village Board meeting held Monday at a village park district building. Henyard did not attend the meeting.
* Daily Herald | ‘So much time and work and imagination’: Improvements at Lake County’s largest forest preserve taking shape: “I don’t think most people have any idea what goes into transforming this forest preserve,” Commissioner Marah Altenberg said after one of the updates. “It is so much time and work and imagination.” Lakewood improvements involve three separate but related aspects: net-zero maintenance facility; new and rebuilt interior roads, parking lots and toilets for circulation and accessibility; and a nature play area offering varied experiences.
* News-Sun | Waukegan casino’s owner reports record earnings: ‘We look forward to continued growth at American Place’: Producing a 39.6% earnings increase over the first quarter of last year, Full House President and CEO Daniel R. Lee said in a press release the effort was “led by American Place.” It included a best-ever February, topping it in March after opening Feb. 17, 2023. Full House increased its earnings from $50.1 million for the first quarter of 2023 to $69.9 million in the first three months of this year, according to the release. American Place brought in $25.8 million of the total.
* KWQC | Illinois AG intervenes into Rock Island-Milan school district FOIA requests: A private resident and TV6 Investigates both filed requests to see emails regarding a controversial new deputy superintendent job. […] “Rock Island - Milan School District received a letter from the AG Office’s Public Access Bureau on May 3 requesting more information on our FOIA response process, to be provided within 7 business days. The district is currently working with its attorneys to meet that request in a timely manner.
* WSIL | Ferrell Hospital CEO says it could take up to six weeks before Hospital re-opens: Ferrell Hospital in Eldorado remains closed days after heavy rains caused the drainage system to overflow and flood major parts of the hospital. “After we had the water recede and we could take a look at things, we brought in a restoration company that specializes in this type of cleanup and this type of work,” said Ferrell Hospital CEO Tony Keene.
*** National ***
* NYT | Few Chinese Electric Cars Are Sold in U.S., but Industry Fears a Flood: The Biden administration’s new tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles won’t have a huge immediate impact on American consumers or the car market because very few such cars are sold in the United States. But the decision reflects deep concern within the American automotive industry, which has grown increasingly worried about China’s ability to churn out cheap electric vehicles. American automakers welcomed the decision by the Biden administration on Tuesday to impose a 100 percent tariff on electric vehicles from China, saying those vehicles would undercut billions of dollars of investment in electric vehicle and battery factories in the United States.
Isabel- Still a bit under the weather but feeling much better today!
Wednesday, May 15, 2024 - Posted by Advertising Department
[The following is a paid advertisement.]
Every day, Illinois hospitals provide lifesaving care. To provide that care, hospitals must overcome obstacles from Medicaid managed care organizations (MCOs), whose inappropriate denials of prior authorization requests harm patients. There are countless examples of MCOs overriding a physician’s medical determination and of the hurdles hospitals face in providing needed care. Here are a few:
• A rural southern Illinois Critical Access Hospital requested authorization for a patient to have an echocardiogram, a common test to detect heart conditions. The hospital’s credentialing specialist followed up 10 times and finally received approval 20 days later.
• A young child on dialysis was denied authorization for a kidney transplant listing and transplant, which unnecessarily delayed the child’s transplant listing for several weeks, with considerable time spent by the clinical team to appeal.
• Tests showed a patient with back pain had metastatic lesions throughout her body and an unusual appearance to one ovary. Her MCO wouldn’t approve imaging or an oncologist visit. Fearing for the patient’s health, the hospital’s oncology team committed to seeing the patient that week.
The Illinois Health and Hospital Association urges lawmakers to pass legislation addressing harmful prior authorization practices and eliminate barriers to healthcare for Illinois’ most vulnerable populations. Support IHA’s MCO prior authorization reforms.
* Fran Spielman’s story on Mayor Brandon Johnson’s resistance to firing Dorval Carter at the CTA contained this state-related segment…
[Rep. Kam Buckner, D-Chicago] is one of the prime movers behind a proposal to consolidate the four Chicago-area mass transit agencies — the RTA, CTA, Metra and Pace — into one super-agency with beefed-up powers.
“There either needs to be a leadership change or a change in leadership philosophy at CTA,” Buckner said Tuesday.
“The CTA doesn’t have a whole lot more time to get things right. … When you hear the state legislature say what you’re doing isn’t working and you hear the CTA respond by saying, ‘Just give us more money,’ that’s problematic. When you hear the City Council say, ‘What you’re doing is not working’ and you hear CTA respond by saying, ‘It is working. You don’t know what you’re talking about,’ there’s no accountability. The folks who are suffering are the people of Chicago.”
With federal stimulus funds drying up and a combined $730 million fiscal cliff looming, Buckner said: “There will be no new revenue without reform.”
…Adding… Soft landing?…
I'm very selfishly rooting against Melinda Bush, because I think she'd make a great Metra board chair once Chairwoman Brown's term ends later this year. (Also, Romayne Brown would make a terrific CTA president…)
— Star:Line Chicago (@StarLineChicago) May 14, 2024
* Isabel wrote a story for subscribers last month about Rep. Fred Crespo regularly pointing out bills that are subject to appropriations during floor debates. Rep. Crespo did it again yesterday. Capitol News Illinois…
The Illinois House approved a bill Tuesday to allow student teachers to receive stipends while earning their education degree, even though the money needed to fund those stipends is unlikely to be included in next year’s budget.
House Bill 4652, by Rep. Barbara Hernandez, D-Aurora, authorizes the Illinois Board of Higher Education to disburse stipends of $10,000 per semester to student teachers working in public schools. That’s the rough equivalent of $15 an hour, based on a standard 40-hour work week. It also authorizes stipends of $2,000 per semester to the teachers who supervise them.
But the authority to disburse those funds would be subject to appropriations. And with an estimated annual cost of $68 million to fully fund the program, Hernandez conceded it is unlikely such funding will be included in the budget for the upcoming fiscal year that lawmakers are currently negotiating. […]
“Here we go again, folks. We’re passing bills that are subject to appropriations,” said Rep. Fred Crespo, D-Hoffman Estates. “I get the sense that we think it’s like Monopoly money. But you’re creating a line item and you’re putting pressure on the budget. It’s an empty promise that gives people a false sense of hope.”
* Isabel is still under the weather, so I wouldn’t expect a morning briefing today. I’ll start the conversation by pointing to this story by my old pal Sean Crawford…
If you’ve spent much time outside recently, you may have been fighting off swarms of flying insects. Buffalo gnats, also known as black flies, often show up this time of year and can stick around for several weeks. They’ve been very active this spring.
According to the Illinois Department of Agriculture, females bite because they feed on blood to produce their eggs. The bites can produce itching, bleeding and swelling as well as allergic reactions that can be life-threatening.
The flies are attracted to the carbon dioxide exhaled by people and animals, and also to perspiration, fragrances and dark, moving objects. They are most active just after sunrise and before sunset on calm days.
There isn’t a lot you can do to avoid them.
They’re everywhere.
According to IDPH not much repels the creatures and DEET may actually attract them.
Total eclipse, spectacular geomagnetic storms, a double cicada brood event and now ‘very active’ buffalo gnats. Great.
Tuesday, May 14, 2024 - Posted by Advertising Department
[The following is a paid advertisement.]
A growing chorus of labor unions, government officials, business and industry voices, and the academic community are speaking up about the critical role that carbon capture and storage (CCS) can play in helping Illinois reach its clean energy goals. The Capture Jobs Now Coalition is supporting legislation (SB3311/HB569) to advance CCS projects in our state while prioritizing jobs and economic development in local communities.
Pat Devaney, Secretary-Treasurer of the AFL-CIO, and Mark Denzler, President and CEO of the Illinois Manufacturers’ Association:
“CCS also presents an incredible opportunity for Illinois’ economy and its highly skilled work force. A recent state-commissioned report by the University of Illinois estimates CCS development has a potential statewide demand of 14,440 jobs. And that’s on top of the thousands more jobs CCS can protect by helping decarbonize important Illinois industries as our state, country and world increasingly embrace a net zero carbon future.” (April 2023)
After rejecting a plan to turn the shuttered Green Acres Country Club into a residential subdivision and watching a senior living development proposal fall apart last year, the village of Northbrook is now facing the prospect of a massive water treatment facility being built on what its leaders have dubbed the “emerald” of the north suburban community.
The DuPage Water Commission this week paid $80 million for the 127-acre former country club and golf course between Dundee Road and the Interstate 94 Edens Spur, according to people familiar with the deal. The sale netted a massive profit for the seller, a venture led by former Colliers Chicago chief executive David Kahnweiler, which bought the property in 2018 for nearly $9.8 million, according to Cook County property records.
DuPage is trying to go around Chicago for its water, which it’ll pay $122 million this year alone.
* DPI…
[Yesterday], the Democratic Party of Illinois held an election of Democratic State Central Committee (DSCC) members for membership to the Democratic National Committee (DNC) for the 2024-2028 term. Membership had long been decided behind closed doors, but today’s election marks the first open contest for deciding Illinois’ membership to the DNC. Chair Lisa Hernandez, who spearheaded this new structure to promote decision-making power within the DSCC and encourage committee members to run for spots on the DNC for the next term, released the following statement:
“Today, we achieved exactly what we had envisioned–a fair and open process to ensure Illinois is represented well on the Democratic National Committee for the next four years. Not only did we accomplish this and empower our Democratic State Central Committee, we set a precedent for transparency in our Party,” said Chair Hernandez.
During this evening’s meeting, the DSCC appointed Speaker of the House Emmanuel “Chris” Welch and Senate President Don Harmon as base members of the Democratic National Committee for the 2024-2028 term, as well as selected the following five base members to represent Illinois on the Democratic National Committee for the 2024-2028 term:
1. Committeewoman Robin Kelly
2. Committeewoman Delia Ramirez
3. Committeeman John Cullerton
4. Committeewoman Kristina Zahorik
5. Committeeman Dan Hynes
DPI was deliberate in ensuring newly-selected DNC members also represented gender diversity. After Speaker Welch and Senate President Harmon were selected, the two women with the highest number of votes were selected. The remaining three seats were filled by the two men and one woman who received the highest number of votes, underscoring our commitment to gender parity and inclusivity.
Woodford County’s Public Safety Committee unanimously passed a resolution that would declare the county a non-sanctuary county, which now requires final approval from the County Board.
Non-sanctuary status means a county will not provide taxpayer funded services for migrants if they were to enter the county. About 12 counties across Illinois have declared that status.
The main point of emphasis of the meeting was the emergency action plan, a proactive plan of action if an influx of migrants were to come to Woodford County. Potential options such as using a Peoria Charter bus and driving the migrants to Chicago were discussed.
Yes, I’m sure that’ll happen. Right after the BLM protesters arrive to create havoc.
* Press release…
The Du Quoin State Fair is pleased to announce four Grandstand acts in addition to harness racing and ARCA and USAC auto races. Tickets go on sale at a 100 Days Out celebration on Saturday, May 18, and you’re invited to join us!
Tickets to all announced Du Quoin State Fair Grandstand shows can be purchased starting Saturday, May 18 at the Du Quoin Grandstand box office for in-person sales only from 9 a.m. until 12 p.m. Ticketmaster sales open at 12 p.m.
In addition to box office ticket sales, the 100 Days Out celebration will include concessions, a plant sale and a book sale from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. The public is invited to attend this free event.
Du Quoin State Fair Grandstand Lineup:
Saturday, August 24 features #1 hitmaker Mitchell Tenpenny is a multi-faceted entertainer: singer, songwriter, producer and performer. Since the release of his debut 3X platinum-certified #1 hit single, “Drunk Me,” Mitchell made recent chart history with the shortest span between #1 songs at three weeks apart with “Truth About You” and “At The End Of A Bar.” Catch him on tour this year with Jordan Davis and Luke Combs.
The Marshall Tucker Band headlines the Grandstand Sunday, August 25 with no shortage of southern rock songs from 20 studio albums. “Can’t You See” is perhaps their most iconic and immediately recognizable hit, but this six-man band has influenced countless artists throughout their legendary journey that began in 1972.
On Thursday, August 29, the Du Quoin State Fair welcomes KANSAS. With a career spanning five decades, sixteen studio albums and five live albums, KANSAS has firmly established itself as one of America’s iconic classic rock bands. “Carry On Wayward Son” continues to be one of the top five most played songs on classic rock radio, and ‘Dust In the Wind’ has been played on the radio more than three million times.
Ashley McBryde takes the stage on Friday, August 30. Ashley McBryde takes the stage on Friday, August 30. McBryde has earned some of the industry’s biggest accolades, including a Grammy and CMA and ACM awards in addition to being a member of the Grand Ole Opry. The Arkansas native’s latest critically acclaimed album The Devil I Know is available now.
The Du Quoin State Fair has two headline acts yet to be announced for the 2024 Grandstand. Watch for those announcements in the coming weeks. The Du Quoin State Fair runs from August 23 - September 2. Admission to the fair is free. Parking is free on Friday, August 23 only. Parking is $15 for Gate 1, and $10 for all other gates. Seasonal parking passes are available for $30, good for duration of the fair. To learn more, visit https://dsf.illinois.gov/
* Rockford graduates are getting major help paying for college: The group of 182 graduates will receive full-tuition scholarships to either Rockford University, Rock Valley College, or Northern Illinois University. Awards and special recognition will also be given to individuals, partners, and community sponsors who have impacted the organization.
* Rockford Unveils $25,000 Forgivable Loan Program to Boost Business Growth: To qualify for the program, applicants must be for-profit businesses established on or before May 1, 2024, and situated within Commercial or Industrial zoned areas within the City of Rockford municipal boundaries, specifically in eligible census tracts. Eligible projects encompass enhancements to business operations, such as the acquisition of new equipment.
* 27 Future Teachers Graduate Debt-Free in Rockford’s Innovative Program: In a groundbreaking initiative, 27 individuals are embarking on their journey to becoming full-time teachers, with a unique twist—they’re doing it tuition-free. Spearheaded by Rockford Public Schools (RPS), Northern Illinois University (NIU), and Grow Your Own, this program aims to cultivate exceptional educators for the Rockford community.
* More…
* Civic Federation: State of Illinois FY2025 Recommended Operating and Capital Budgets: Analysis and Recommendations: The Civic Federation today released its analysis of the State of Illinois FY2025 proposed budget, finding the State remains in an improved financial shape due to strong revenue performance and effective management. However, the Federation recommends the State exercise caution in spending in FY2025 as its revenue growth is slowing and advises the State to look toward developing a plan for a modernized, sustainable tax structure to meet its long-term needs.
* Gov. Pritzker, Fire Marshal Rivera remember fallen Illinois firefighters and honor firefighters for heroism: Fallen Chicago Fire Department Firefighter/EMT Jermaine Pelt, Chicago Fire Department Firefighter/EMT Andrew “Drew” Price, Chicago Fire Department Lieutenant Jan Tchoryk, Chicago Fire Department Lieutenant Kevin Ward, and Maroa Countryside Fire Protection District Chief Larry Peasley were honored during the fallen firefighter memorial.
* Chicago City Treasurer Melissa Conyears-Ervin Fined $10K for Firing Whistleblowers: In all, the Board of Ethics has fined Conyears-Ervin a total of $70,000 in the past month. In April, the board found Conyears-Ervin committed 12 total violations of Chicago’s Governmental Ethics Ordinance for violating her fiduciary duty to the city, for the unauthorized use of city property and prohibited political activity by using city resources to host a prayer service.
* Civil rights group says Chicago mayor, top cop should take tougher action against officers linked to extremist Oath Keepers: The letter notes that many of the cops admitted joining between 2009 and 2013 “when the Oath Keepers were one of the most active and combative antigovernment extremist groups operating in the U.S.” At the time, the Oath Keepers feared the U.S. government “was moving the world toward a one-world government,” or new world order, an extremist conspiracy theory with “antisemitic overtones,” the letter states. “In response to this fear, the Oath Keepers encouraged their members to disobey laws that do not adhere to their false interpretation of the U.S. Constitution and Second Amendment,” according to the letter.
* Unlikely allies? Suburban mayor, GOP legislator backs Bears’ lakefront plan: The Rosemont mayor, who doubles as assistant House minority leader, publicly endorsed the plan Monday. Stephens — the sole Republican legislator whose district includes Chicago — also spoke of forging a relationship with an unlikely ally: Democratic Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson. “I’m bullish on the Sox and Bears. I believe in investing in those types of deals,” Stephens said after the monthly Rosemont village board meeting Monday morning. “They’re good for Chicago and Illinois.”
* With name change, it’s the Griffin Museum of Science and Industry: Get ready to visit “the Griffin.” The Museum of Science and Industry on Sunday is officially becoming the Kenneth C. Griffin Museum of Science and Industry, a name change in recognition of a $125 million donation in 2019 from the founder and CEO of the Citadel hedge fund.
* New Rules to Overhaul Electric Grids Could Boost Wind and Solar Power: Federal regulators on Monday approved sweeping changes to how America’s electric grids are planned and funded, in a move that supporters hope could spur thousands of miles of new high-voltage power lines and make it easier to add more wind and solar energy. The new rule by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, which oversees interstate electricity transmission, is the most significant attempt in years to upgrade and expand the country’s creaking electricity network. Experts have warned that there aren’t nearly enough high-voltage power lines being built today, putting the country at greater risk of blackouts from extreme weather while making it harder to shift to renewable sources of energy and cope with rising electricity demand. …. The commission approved the rule by a 2-1 vote, with the two Democratic commissioners in favor and the lone Republican, Mark Christie, opposed. Mr. Christie said the rule would allow states that want more renewable energy to unfairly pass on the costs of the necessary grid upgrades to their neighbors.
* Medical residents are starting to avoid states with abortion bans, data shows: The AAMC analysis found that the number of applicants to OB-GYN residency programs in abortion-ban states dropped by 6.7%, compared with a 0.4% increase in states where abortion remains legal. For internal medicine, the drop observed in abortion-ban states was over five times as much as in states where abortion is legal.
On May 13, 2024, at approximately 7:53 p.m., Illinois State Police (ISP) officials investigated a traffic crash in Will County involving an ISP trooper’s squad car hit by a motorist who failed to move over.
On the above date and time, an ISP squad car was parked on the right shoulder on Interstate 55 northbound near milepost 252, north of IL59, with emergency lights activated, handling a traffic crash. The trooper was sitting inside of the squad car with his seatbelt fastened when his squad car was struck by a gray Toyota Corolla. The trooper was transported to an area hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. The driver of the Corolla, 31-year-old Asante Williams of Bolingbrook, IL., reported no injuries on scene. Williams was cited for the Move Over Law – Failure to Yield to Stationary Emergency Vehicle, Failure to Reduce Speed to Avoid an Accident and Improper Lane Usage.
Already in 2024, ISP has suffered 15 Move Over Law-related crashes with seven troopers injured. In 2023, ISP had 21 Move Over Law-related crashes with seven troopers injured and suffered 25 crashes in 2022, leaving 13 troopers injured. ISP reminds the public that the Move Over Law, also known as “Scott’s Law,” requires all drivers to move over when approaching an emergency vehicle, or any vehicle with its emergency or hazard lights activated.
A person who violates the Move Over Law faces a fine of no less than $250 and no more than $10,000 for a first offense. If the violation results in injury to another person, the violator’s driver’s license will be suspended for a mandatory period of anywhere between six months and two years. Additional information can be found at the following link: https://isp.maps.arcgis.com/apps/dashboards/340d57cd956c453da2de25af804c268d.
Tuesday, May 14, 2024 - Posted by Advertising Department
[The following is a paid advertisement.]
Retail provides one out of every five Illinois jobs, generates the second largest amount of tax revenue for the state, and is the largest source of revenue for local governments. But retail is also so much more, with retailers serving as the trusted contributors to life’s moments, big and small.
Replaces everything after the enacting clause. Provides that the amendatory Act may be referred to as the William P. “Bill” Wozniak Memorial Act. Amends the Secretary of State Act. Provides that the Secretary of State, in collaboration with the Office of the Architect of the Capitol, shall install and maintain: (1) automated license plate readers in positions around the State Capitol Complex that offer the most strategic advantage for security monitoring and incident response; and (2) hardened security posts in the State Capitol Complex where law enforcement personnel of the Secretary of State Police Department and other security personnel are stationed while on duty. Provides that the Secretary of State shall replace, install, and maintain: (1) enhanced security screening devices at entrances of secured areas in the State Capitol Complex; and (2) identification card verification checkpoints at entrances of secured areas in the State Capitol Complex. Provides that the Secretary of State shall identify acceptable forms of identification that may be used to gain access to secured areas in the State Capitol Complex. Provides that the Secretary of State shall adopt rules to: (1) establish a chain of command based in Springfield for police and other security personnel responding to an incident at the State Capitol Complex; (2) authorize administrative personnel based in Springfield to issue emergency orders in response to an incident at the State Capitol Complex; (3) provide mitigation and response training to law enforcement personnel of the Secretary of State Police Department and other security personnel who are stationed at the State Capitol Complex; (4) create a volunteer training program to allow security personnel employed by the Secretary of State to successfully complete firearm training and qualify to carry firearms only while on duty at the State Capitol Complex and provide incentive compensation to all trained and qualified individuals; and (5) adopt and enforce security procedures for legislators, staff, lobbyists, and visitors entering the State Capitol Complex, including procedures to allow law enforcement personnel of the Secretary of State Police Department and other security personnel to perform additional screening on any individual seeking to enter a secured area at the discretion of the law enforcement personnel or security personnel.
In his more than two decades as a law enforcement officer, Naperville Police Chief Jason Arres has witnessed plenty of reckless behavior and dangerous driving on suburban roads.
But nothing compares to what he’s seen over the past few years of what officials are calling an “epidemic” of drivers fleeing from police, often at high speeds that put everyone on the roads in peril.
“The drastic increase in fleeings we’ve seen in recent years is a level of lawlessness I haven’t seen in my 23 years in this profession,” Arres said at a press conference last week promoting legislation aimed at deterring such behavior and punishing those who commit it.
Senate Bill 1807, introduced by Senate Minority Leader John Curran of Downers Grove and co-sponsored by several fellow suburban lawmakers, would make fleeing by car from the police a Class 4 felony, instead of the misdemeanor it is today.
Without question, there is some point of judgment for police between simply allowing criminal suspects to speed away with no fear of a chase and pursuing them at high speeds through busy suburban roadways, with circumstances varying from the traffic and road conditions to the level of crime under suspicion. But the judgment of the offenders also needs some influences of its own, and the potential of adding another felony and more prison time to whatever penalties drivers already face surely can give them cause to consider restraint.
From Benjamin Ruddell at the ACLU of Illinois…
The linked article cites data showing an increase in reported fleeing incidents in Naperville/DuPage County—not statewide. But even if there was evidence of a statewide trend, what is lacking here is any evidence whatsoever that the proposed solution—a penalty enhancement—would provide any “greater deterrence” as suggested by the quoted police chief. In general, research shows that increasing penalties does little to nothing to deter crime. Why would we think this is any different?
There is no data cited about how many of the individuals in these reported Naperville/DuPage incidents were charged with fleeing and eluding, or the disposition of those charges. That would be important information in evaluating the claim that the upward trend in incidents has anything at all to do with the criminal penalties. There is also no data cited about the frequency of fleeing incidents in jurisdictions that classify this offense as a felony, as compared to Illinois.
As in other contexts, identifying something as a problem doesn’t mean that enacting harsher penalties would be any kind of solution to that problem. At this point, the burden of proof should fall squarely on the proponents of these measures to demonstrate that their proposed solutions can actually be expected to work. They haven’t done that here.
Discuss.
* Leader McCombie…
During a subject matter hearing held at the Capitol last week to address ongoing delays within the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR), the agency announced a revised deadline for implementing necessary updates.
Persistent delays, breakdowns in communication, lost applications, and general dysfunction have sparked bipartisan frustration with IDFPR, issues that were initially brought to light during a subject-matter hearing last summer. Since then, deadlines for improvement have come and gone, and the new date of June 8th was revealed last Wednesday.
At the same time IDFPR is facing significant delays impacting countless Illinois residents, including essential workers, a different state agency continues to improve efficiency. The Secretary of State is offering “do it online” renewals for drivers licenses, marking a stark contrast to the troubles of IDFPR, which offers online renewals for only some licenses.
“House Republicans want to get people to work, so let’s fix the simple things, address the growing procurement issues and eliminate red tape,” said House Minority Leader Tony McCombie.
McCombie has been vocal about the issues at IDFPR and filed legislation to solve problems at the agency. The Leader introduced the License Convenience Act (House Bill 4855), to mandate the department to accept electronic payments for licenses and fees–but the bill was prevented from moving forward in the Illinois House, despite bipartisan support.
“This is about fixing things in our state that aren’t working, this agency is not adequately serving residents and we must invoke change,” continued McCombie.
Some legislators tell me that they spend more time helping constituents deal with IDFPR than anything else. It’s just ridiculous. People shouldn’t have to go through this.
* Rep. Rashid and Sen. Porfirio…
Today, State Representative Abdelnasser Rashid (D-Bridgeview) passed legislation out of the Illinois House that protects renters by requiring landlords to provide important information about flooding risk and history. SB 2601, sponsored by State Senator Mike Porfirio (D-Lyons Township), passed the Senate on April 10th with bipartisan support.
“This bill is a crucial step toward ensuring the safety and wellbeing of tenants across the state,” said Sen. Porfirio. “By requiring landlords to disclose flood hazards, we are arming renters with the knowledge they need to protect themselves and their families from potential harm.”
“Even one flooding event can be financially catastrophic to a family,” said Rep. Rashid. “With climate change making floods much more common and extreme, this is one important step we can take to protect working families.”
Prospective renters should know whether the unit they are considering renting has a history of flooding or lies in a Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Special Flood Hazard Area. This information will help them make informed decisions about whether to purchase flood insurance. Many renters may not know that flooding protection is not typically included in renter’s insurance.
Through this bill, property owners must inform prospective tenants if their property lies within a high-risk flooding area. Additionally, landlords renting out units on lower levels, including garden, basement, and first floor units, must disclose whether any of these units have experienced flooding within the past decade.
SB 2601 is now on its way to Governor Pritzker’s desk.
* More…
* Illinois legislators try again on statewide public defender legislation: Harmon pulled his bill and supporters went back to the drawing board, coming up with a 42-page bill that was filed Monday. The measure lays out in much greater detail how a statewide public defender would be selected and how the office would assist county public defenders throughout Illinois, although a source of funding still has not been identified.
* Lawmakers weigh Illinois child tax credit as they negotiate budget: Though lawmakers filed a bill proposing the tax credit, lawmakers would pass it through the state budget. “It’s a $300 credit that’s going to go to half the children in the State of Illinois. We get there by offering the credit to families that are making about the median income of the State of Illinois,” said Erion Malasi with Economic Security for Illinois, an organization supporting the credit.
* Prosecutor opposes bill to help moms whose babies are born with drugs in system: The hope is that by taking away the threat of losing custody of a baby, mothers would be more likely to seek treatment. The initiative was prompted by a finding that the leading cause of death in Illinois among expectant or new mothers is drug use. Almost one-third of the 263 such mothers who died in 2018 to 2020 died of substance use, the state Department of Public Health reported. The proposed change in the law would create a task force to develop a plan for helping infants and mothers exposed to illicit drugs during pregnancy. These family recovery plans would include medical care, recovery support and referrals to community services for the child and caregiver.
Tuesday, May 14, 2024 - Posted by Advertising Department
[The following is a paid advertisement.]
Protect Illinois Hospitality is a coalition of tipped workers, chambers of commerce, service operators, and local small businesses who strongly support keeping the tip credit available for Illinois businesses.
Despite years of trying to convince Chicagoans that public school students here are making remarkable academic progress, most residents give the schools a grade of C and say students are not learning enough.
That’s according to a poll released Tuesday by Public Agenda, a nonpartisan research organization. WBEZ and the Sun-Times collaborated with Public Agenda and the Joyce Foundation, which funded the project.
“People are not giving city schools high marks,” said David Schleifer, vice president and director of research at Public Agenda, which focuses on researching challenges facing democracy and uncovering solutions. “Also, there’s definitely this awareness that white students in the city have access to better public schools than students of color.”
Schleifer notes that parents and others don’t blame teachers but rather see the lack of learning as an effect of poverty and other challenges affecting students. Some 71% of Chicago Public Schools students come from low-income families. Still, poll respondents say leaders are more caught up in petty political battles than on what is best for children. They are not confident money is being spent effectively.
* Background is here if you need it. Personal PAC’s Sarah Garza Resnick…
It is an unacceptable decision on the part of the Senate to remove coverage of abortion services from HB5142, the Governor’s Birth Equity Bill. This bill, as passed by the House of Representatives, would end cost-sharing and extend coverage for all services for pregnancy, postpartum, and newborn care. Abortion services are inseparable from this category of care. Eight other states, including California and New York, have already passed similar legislation. Illinois trusts women and there is no reason why we should not join these other states in removing another barrier to accessing abortion care.
Resnick promised a “war” over this when I called her.
I have calls and messages out to the Senate sponsor, Lakesia Collins, and the Senate President’s office. The House sponsor, Majority Leader Robyn Gabel, referred me to Senate President Don Harmon.
* From the governor’s office…
Conversations regarding the Governor’s Birth Equity Initiative in the Senate are ongoing, but we’re proud of the broad support the bill received in the House. The Governor has been clear that Illinois trusts women to make decisions about their healthcare and abortion is a vital part of their healthcare options. He will not sign a bill that treats abortion differently than other birth equity provisions.
Recent research from Global Strategy Group has found that the Healthcare Protection Act and the Birth Equity Initiative are deeply popular among the Illinois electorate, especially provisions that ban junk health plans and require prior approval for rate increases. What’s more, they stand to boost support for Democratic state legislature candidates who support them.
I’ve asked for toplines.
…Adding… From Rep. Kelly Cassidy, who chairs the Dobbs working group…
I am grateful to Governor Pritzker for being true to our promise to ensure access to the full spectrum of reproductive health care to everyone in our state. Copays are a barrier to access, especially for low income people. We should not be emulating the states around us making it harder for people to access care.
…Adding… The Senate sponsor, Sen. Lakesia Collins (D-Chicago), told me she will not move the bill if it’s amended to strip out abortion coverage.
Sen. Collins had sponsored an identical Senate bill, but couldn’t get more than a subject matter hearing in the Insurance Committee. Now, though, the insurance industry is neutral after negotiations she participated in, and she said she told Senate President Harmon that they’d reached a point where the bill needed to be called.
Collins said Harmon told her that he “cares about the issue a lot,” but that there were still some issues with the bill. Asked what those were, Harmon told Collins it was the abortion coverage issue and he’d work on it.
“And then I find out today that they stripped the whole piece around abortion out,” Collins said, adding that no members from her side of the aisle had ever approached her about the topic being a problem. “I don’t know where the pushback is coming from.”
Collins said since the House was unlikely to pass an amended version and the governor won’t sign it, there’s no purpose in moving the bill forward. “You’re basically killing the bill,” she said.
“This has been a long time coming,” she said of her bill. “There have been advocates fighting around this for a very long time who are looking forward to this bill passing. And it’s like, here we are fighting about something to me that’s just fundamental.”
…Adding… Senate President Don Harmon…
I wish the governor would have reached out to me. We are working through this important issue with the caucus to inform and educate people about what it does so we can build consensus.
FULLY FUNDING THE EVIDENCE-BASED FORMULA: FY 2025 PROPOSED GENERAL FUND BUDGET, the newest report released today from the Center for Tax and Budget Accountability (CTBA, finds that at the current rate of state funding - $300 million per year – Illinois’ Evidence-Based Funding for Student Success Act (EBF) will not be fully funded until FY 2034. That is 17 years after the EBF was first implemented - or seven years past what is required in statute. CTBA notes in the report that if the state could increase the Minimum Target Level from $300 million to $500 million annually, the EBF could be fully funded by FY 2030 - three years after the date established for full funding under the statute. “Taking such action would benefit districts across Illinois, saving students from four years of attending underfunded schools,” according to the report.
The new report follows CTBA’s recently-released Educating Illinois: A Look at the Evidence-Based Funding Formula, Volume II, which finds that Illinois’ funding formula for K-12 Education has worked towards its promise of closing the drastic funding gaps between school in property-rich and property-poor districts, as well as between schools in predominantly white communities and schools that serve predominantly Black and Latinx students. The EBF puts the funding responsibility on the state to ensure equity for districts with less local resources by distributing new K-12 funding to those districts that are furthest away from having adequate resources, and furthest away from hitting their respective “Adequacy Targets” –which is the amount the research indicates is required to provide the level of education the students they serve need to succeed academically.
Funding of the EBF is making a positive difference in the fiscal capacity of school districts statewide, CTBA finds. In FY 2018, 657, or 77 percent, of all districts in Illinois were underfunded. Seven years into the implementation of the EBF things have improved, with the number of underfunded districts declining to 525, or 62 percent, of all districts. Overall, from FY 2018 through FY 2024, the state increased formula funding for K-12 under the EBF by $1.8 billion. Tier 1 and Tier 2 districts – those with the biggest funding gaps - collectively received 99 percent—or $1.78 billion—of that new Tier funding. Now, seven years later, the EBF has drastically changed public education funding allocation and has worked to close Adequacy Funding Gaps for students across all regions of the state and from all demographics by continuing to increase the state level investment each year.
Emphasis added.
This is what Mayor Brandon Johnson, CPS and the CTU have been talking about with their mantra of how the state “owes” city schools $1.1 billion.
* Meanwhile…
Today, advocates from the Fund Our Futures Coalition gathered outside the Capitol to urge support for a budget that generates revenue and consistent funding for essential programs to support Illinois’ low- and moderate income families, including a Child Tax Credit. This action follows a memo issued last week by Governor J.B. Pritzker’s office indicating that cuts to grant programs and discretionary spending would be required if the Illinois General Assembly does not pass new revenue sources in Illinois’ FY25 budget. In light of these developments, Erion Malasi, Director of Policy and Advocacy at Economic Security Illinois responded with the following statement on behalf of the Illinois Cost of Living Refund Coalition:
“With the cost of living on the rise and growing demand for a state Child Tax Credit from families, advocates, union leaders, and even our own Governor, we call for a compassionate budget for Illinois. Our lawmakers must show courage and creativity by exploring progressive revenue options to ensure this year we can create and implement a robust Child Tax Credit that makes it easier for Illinois families to afford life’s essentials, like rent, groceries, or clothing. We will proudly stand behind long-term progressive revenue solutions proposed by the Governor’s Office, and any additional sources from the General Assembly if they can ensure the enactment and maintenance of critical policies that will help families flourish and reinvigorate our local economy.”
Advocates in the Illinois Cost-of-Living Coalition have been pushing for a Child Tax Credit for the past three years, in conjunction with allies in the House and Senate. Bills SB 3329 / HB 4917 introduced by State Senator Omar Aquino and State Representative Marcus C. Evans, Jr., respectively, would offer $300 for Illinois families who earn less than the median income. Such a credit would benefit 1.4 million kids and generate over $1 billion in local economic stimulus. In February, Governor Pritzker delivered a promising budget address which called for the creation of a statewide Child Tax Credit that would return $12 million to taxpayers with children under age 3.
The Illinois Cost-Of-Living Refund Coalition, which successfully led the fight for the Earned Income Credit expansion, is leading the advocacy effort for the Child Tax Credit. The coalition includes more than 50 nonprofit, labor, consumer advocates, immigrant rights, and grassroots, community-based organizations across the state. (See list of member organizations below).
A critical resource for Chicago families is now at risk, as tens of thousands of Illinois students could lose their after-school care.
About 300 programs could close when federal grants distributed by the Illinois State Board of Education expire next month. That includes after-school programs such as the ones Stephanie Garcia oversees at James Shields Elementary School in the Brighton Park neighborhood and seven other schools. […]
Susan Stanton is an advocate for after-school programs. She is the executive director of ACT Now Illinois – a coalition for ensuring access to after-school and youth development programs - and she is calling on state lawmakers for $50 million.
“We can’t just think of these as programs that are great to have if there’s funding available,” Stanton said, “but they absolutely are essential.”
Stanton estimates about 40,000 kids statewide will be impacted in predominantly underserved communities. […]
In a statement, the Illinois State Board of Education said they requested $26 million in state funds for after-school programs – which is a $1 million increase from the 2024 fiscal year.
Tuesday, May 14, 2024 - Posted by Advertising Department
[The following is a paid advertisement.]
The price-setting board proposed in HB4472 is not the solution for Illinois. It would give bureaucrats the power to arbitrarily set medicine prices, deciding what medicines and treatments are “worth” paying for. We can’t leave Illinoisans’ health care up to political whims. Let’s make it easier, not harder for patients to access their medicines. Click here to learn more.
Chicago Public Schools expert witness says in deposition that sexual assault is not always traumatic
Jane Doe is 38 years old now, but the pain she says she suffered at the hands of a Chicago Public Schools (CPS) high school English teacher more than 20 years ago remains fresh.
“I have nightmares almost every night,” she said in her first on-camera interview about her experience. “It’s still really hard to talk about it.”
Jane was referring to inappropriate contact she said she had with a teacher at Gordon S. Hubbard High School in Chicago’s West Lawn Neighborhood. […]
In fighting Jane Doe’s lawsuit, CPS is paying an expert witness, Chicago psychiatrist Dr. Prudence Gourguechon, to testify about her views on childhood sexual abuse, student-teacher sexual relationships, and the impact of trauma after sexual abuse. […]
For example, when asked if under any circumstance is a teacher having sex with a student in high school is not sexual abuse, Dr. Gourgeuchon said, “I don’t know if every circumstance would qualify as sexual abuse.”
When asked if sexual assault is traumatic for the person experiencing it, she said: “It depends. It depends on the detail and how they’re defining who’s claiming what and what actually happened. I can’t make an across-the-board statement.” […]
When asked about Jane Doe’s case CPS provided CBS 2 the following statement:
The District believes that students who are harmed as a result of a legally-recognized failure on the District’s part should be compensated in a reasonable manner that will remedy injuries to the student. In doing that, the District also has a responsibility to the taxpayers who fund the District to ensure that it resolves these cases in a manner that is not just legally justified, but also financially responsible. Unfortunately, disagreements often arise about legal responsibility and what is reasonable compensation in any given case. The purpose of litigation is to resolve those disagreements. The District attempts to come to mutually acceptable resolutions in all cases of this type, and continues to do so here.
Beyond this, the District will not comment while the litigation is pending.
Q: Have you vetted or looked at potential replacements for CTA President Dorval Carter?
A: Well, as you know, discussing personnel issues, I actually find that to be irresponsible, and I’ve said that repeatedly. And so, what I’m committed to doing right now is making sure that our ridership continues to go up, which it has. We have hired more people, which we’ve done that, I’ve made a commitment to doing that. Our better streets for buses, it’s the first initiative of its kind to build a better street signal, sidewalk infrastructure. These are all investments that I have put forward in order to build a CTA that we can be proud of. And again, as far as personnel matters, I don’t discuss those publicly.
Q: Why?
A: Because it’s not responsible. Should your employer discuss individuals’ employment status out loud about who they’re going to fire and keep?
Q: In fairness though, these are also employees, not just of yours, but of the city, right? The CTA president also serves Chicagoans and they have a lot of questions about him and all of the appointments that you make.
A: Having questions about how we build a transportation system that ultimately meets the needs and demands of the people of Chicago, those questions are welcome. Determining who I get to fire and hire, I find that to be irresponsible and I won’t discuss personnel matters publicly.
That interview undoubted set off the city council.
With federal stimulus funds drying up and a combined $730 million fiscal cliff looming, the Illinois General Assembly is considering a proposal to consolidate the Chicago area’s four mass transit agencies — the RTA, CTA, Metra and Pace — into a single super-agency with beefed-up powers.
“It’s a bit of an inflection point where we need to figure out what we’re going to do,” Vasquez said.
“When you’re asking for funds from the state or federal government, folks there to issue the funds are going to wonder what the leadership looks like to have the confidence to invest that money. If we’re not bouncing back the way other cities are, it might be harder to get those funds.”
Alderpeople will introduce a resolution next week demanding the resignation or firing of CTA President Dorval Carter, adding to the mounting challenges facing the veteran transit leader.
The largely symbolic measure highlights more than a dozen reasons why the CTA is in need of change and follows Gov. JB Pritzker’s comments that the agency was due for an “evolution” of leadership.
Ald. Andre Vasquez (40th), chief sponsor of the resolution, said it is effectively a “vote of no confidence” and is urging Mayor Brandon Johnson to fire Carter if he doesn’t resign. […]
Alderpeople who have signed on in support of the resolution include Alds. Daniel La Spata (1st), Peter Chico (10th), Marty Quinn (13th), Raymond Lopez (15th), Derrick Curtis (18th), Byron Sigcho-Lopez (25th), Jessie Fuentes (26th), Ruth Cruz (30th), Felix Cardona (31st), Scott Waguespack (32nd), Rossana Rodriguez-Sanchez (33), Bill Conway (34), Carlos Ramirez-Rosa (35th), Andre Vasquez (40th), Brendan Reilly (42nd), James Gardiner (45th), Matt Martin (47th), Leni Manaa-Hoppenworth (48th) and Maria Hadden (49th).
Whew.
* Ald. Brian Hopkins does make a good point, however…
“The agency is in a tailspin. He doesn’t seem to recognize it right now. … If he shows up tomorrow with an acknowledgement sweeping changes are needed, a real plan to do it, let’s get to work,” Hopkins said. “But this is not a problem solved by just firing Carter. We have to be careful as elected officials to scapegoat, just to say we did something.”
Rebuilding the CTA is more than about just one person, even the top person. And finding someone who is qualified to do that job isn’t just a snap of the fingers kinda thing. If this was so easy, the system would already be fixed.
But, yeah, Carter has come to symbolize all that’s wrong with the CTA. And he doesn’t appear to even know it.
Tuesday, May 14, 2024 - Posted by Advertising Department
[The following is a paid advertisement.]
Getting needed care for any health issue is best done sooner than later. For patients insured through Medicaid managed care organizations (MCOs), preauthorization denials are all too common. These inappropriate denials delay care, leading to poorer health outcomes while reducing MCO costs and increasing shareholder profits.
The prior authorization processes of MCOs are inconsistent and complex. One Illinois MCO had a 41% denial rate while another denied 15% of prior authorization requests, the U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (OIG) found.
What’s more, MCO’s self-report scattered outcomes from the appeals process, which requires countless hours of physicians and hospital staff. One Illinois MCO reported overturning 57% of denied prior authorization requests. Another said it overturns 63% of denied prior authorization requests on appeal.
What would prior authorization reform mean for patients? It would mean living fuller, healthier lives without unnecessary time away from work, school or family responsibilities. It would mean less stress, better health outcomes and a more productive future.
The Illinois hospital community urges legislators to pass commonsense legislation to streamline access to care and improve health outcomes by eliminating inappropriate prior authorization practices and embracing care coordination. Support IHA’s MCO prior authorization reforms.
