* Speaker Madigan said today that the House will call the SB1 override motion next Wednesday. If it fails, he said, the House has until August 29th to override the governor’s veto. If it fails again, Madigan said the House would eventually advance HB3163. That’s the bill which contains exactly the same language as the vetoed version of SB1.
“We’re not gonna walk away from Senate Bill 1,” Madigan said. “We’re not walking away from that bill.”
* Madigan said he will continue to meet with the other legislative leaders to try to hammer out a compromise. “We’re prepared to come to an agreement with the governor,” Madigan said. “I question whether he’s prepared to come to an agreement with us.”
Madigan claimed that, over the weekend, a proposal was made to resolve the SB1 issue, but when Leader Durkin took it to the governor, Rauner rejected it.
When told that House Republican Leader Jim Durkin said today the leaders were “close” to an agreement, Madigan said, “I would expect that Mr. Durkin would say that and I wouldn’t be surprised if he and I were close. The better question is ‘What about Mr. Rauner?’”
“It may be that we’ll need reasonable Republicans to come with us,” said Madigan, pointing to the override of the governor’s budget and tax hike vetoes.
* And remember this quote from Gov. Rauner on WTTW?…
Well, the last time the speaker came to see me, he spent the time talking about how he was going to kick Scott Drury out of the General Assembly, and he was laughing about that.
Madigan’s response…
The answer is I never said that. The question I would put to you is do you think I would say that to Bruce Rauner?
Amends the Counties Code. Provides that, on and after the effective date of this amendatory Act, no home rule county or non-home rule county has the authority to impose a tax on the use, sale, or purchase of sweetened beverages based upon the weight or volume of the sweetened beverage. Provides that any such tax in effect prior to that date is void and repealed. Defines “sweetened beverage”. Preempts home rule. Effective immediately.
A Schaumburg state representative has introduced legislation that would prevent counties from taxing soda or sweetened beverages as Cook County has begun to do.
Democrat Michelle Mussman of Schaumburg filed the bill this week as lawmakers returned to Springfield for a special session focused on education funding. […]
Twelve lawmakers, both Democrats and Republicans, are co-sponsors of the bill, which is before the House Revenue and Finance Committee.
Cook County President Toni Preckwinkle issued a statement to the Daily Herald calling the move “a vast state government overreach that infringes on the rights of municipalities to govern themselves.”
To introduce such a measure, Preckwinkle continued, “is ironic coming from politicians who spent 736 days bickering among themselves instead of doing right by Illinoisans and passing a responsible budget in a timely fashion.”
* The Question: Should the GA pass this bill, or should it bow to local control? Click here to take the poll and then explain your answer in comments, please.
Rep. Jeanne Ives, R-Wheaton, questioned the superintendents’ prediction of a loss of state money under Rauner’s version, saying the Illinois State Board of Eduction has not produced any numbers to back up those claims.
“Nobody knows what the numbers will be in 2020,” Ives said.
At one point, she asked a group of education officials testifying before the committee a question, and Ralph Martire, executive director of the liberal Center for Tax and Budget Accountability, leaned in to talk to the panel.
Ives said Martire’s offered counsel was an indication that members of the panel could not answer questions on their own. That prompted a rebuke from Davis, who said the comment was insulting and that panelists are allowed to consult with advocates and lobbyists.
“Is this really what it’s deteriorating to in state government? Really?” Canton Superintendent Rolf Siversten asked Ives. “You are embarrassing yourself.”
Republican legislative leaders said Wednesday they’ll be meeting with [the two Democratic legislative leaders] in Chicago Friday to attempt a compromise on the school funding reform issue. […]
“I think Senate Bill 1 is dead,” said Senate Republican Leader Bill Brady of Bloomington. “It was a poor attempt to ram a Democratic proposal through the process.” […]
“The governor’s involvement would be beneficial,” Brady said when asked if Rauner should be part of talks. “I don’t know that it’s necessary at this point. I think the four of us need to come together.”
* Remember yesterday when we discussed how both Sen. Daniel Biss and Ameya Pawar are battling over the Bernie Sanders vote? Biss was with Hillary Clinton in the Democratic primary, but what I didn’t realize yesterday was that Pawar was a Clinton primary supporter, too…
“We’re up against an incredibly powerful political machine in Chicago,” [Gov. Bruce Rauner] said. “They have dictated the terms in our state for decades and they haven’t even run their machine really for the benefit for the people of Chicago. Just look at the unemployment. Look at the terrible schools. Look at the violence in Chicago. Look at the taxes going through the roof in Chicago.”
“They don’t run the political operation to benefit the people of Chicago and I’m sure as heck telling you, they don’t run the government for the benefit of the people of central Illinois, southern Illinois or northwest Illinois or the suburbs of Chicago either,” he said. “We have a broken political system run by a political machine in Chicago that’s run for the benefit of politicians and their cronies.”
Biggest applause line yet: @GovRauner vows to pick up 9 seats in IL House, flipping power to Repubs and ousting Mike Madigan as Spkr pic.twitter.com/veHemHFh2x
* And what State Fair would be complete without a steer auction controversy?…
Gov. Bruce Rauner and his wife, Diana, became the proud owners of a $50,000 prize-winning steer called Snuggles on Tuesday night after winning a charity auction at the Illinois State Fair.
But the auction organizers might want to double count the cash.
Of the “record” $104,000 Rauner bid for a prize steer at the same event in 2016, only $84,000 has so far been paid, organizers say.
That’s because one of the private donors who was helping Rauner cover the cost of the pricey beast refused to pay the $20,000 he committed.
Financier R.J. D’Orazio — a big Rauner supporter — confirmed to Chicago Inc. on Tuesday that he had not paid the $20,000 because “I did not get any recognition.”
Republican Sen. Ron Johnson appeared to suggest Tuesday that the $3 billion burden to Wisconsin taxpayers to locate a Foxconn plant in the state should be shared with their neighbors to the south.
“The question is, should Wisconsin be the one to bear the full three (billion dollars)? Illinois and their workers will benefit. America will benefit,” Johnson said, referring to the fact that some of the Foxconn labor pool will likely come from across the border.
The Wisconsin senator said the public-private partnership ratio in the proposed Foxconn project is a good deal. The Taiwanese company will pay $10 billion to build its plant with the state kicking in up to $3 billion in incentives.
On a side note, Sen. Johnson’s campaign manager is now Gov. Rauner’s campaign manager.
Gov. Bruce Rauner and Intersect Illinois, the state’s nonprofit economic development arm, earlier this year made a pitch to Foxconn through the University of Illinois. Foxconn has a presence in the university’s research park, and Illinois alumni within the company.
In a February letter to Foxconn Chairman Terry Gou, Rauner talked up the state’s transportation network, engineering and manufacturing talent, cheap energy prices and roster of global companies, and outlined potential financial incentives, according to emails obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request.
Though some details are in flux, the fight pits Rauner against the state’s powerful green lobby, including the Environmental Law & Policy Center, the National Resources Defense Council and the Sierra Club.
Those environmental groups are lined up with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which last week released a much-anticipated report concluding that the best option available is a $275 million plan to install a combination of electronic and sound barriers by the Brandon Road lock and dam on the Illinois River, near Joliet and about 47 miles upstream from Lake Michigan.
“The Asian carp have no natural predators in the Great Lakes and will disrupt the $62 billion economy based on fishing, boating and recreational activities,” said ELPC’s Howard Learner. “We cannot let the Trump administration’s war on the Great Lakes involve insufficient actions to prevent the Asian carp from threatening our fresh water system.”
On the other side is the Rauner administration, which is opposing the plan as too expensive—the state says it would have to provide $95 million of the construction cost, and provide about $8 million a year for maintenance—and too disruptive of the state’s lucrative barge industry. […]
[Lt. Gov. Evelyn Sanguinetti] did not offer a substitute, a particular point of contention. But Rauner administration officials who asked not to be named suggested that the corps itself is not big on its own plan and only wants to pacify critics in the Michigan congressional delegation.
* From Sanguinetti’s press release…
This new approach is neither cost effective nor environmentally sound.
Today’s report recommends the construction of a $275.4 million project, of which Illinois taxpayers would be on the hook for over $95 million in construction cost and another $8 million in annual operation and maintenance costs. This project will hurt our economy and the commercial navigation industry that moves over $28 billion of commodities annually through the Chicago Area Waterway System and along the Illinois River. Furthermore, this project at Brandon Road will separate the Des Plaines River and Illinois River ecosystems, disrupting native fish migration patterns.
“Invasive species are a growing threat to our entire inland waterways system and to the countless Illinois communities and businesses that rely on strong and vibrant aquatic ecosystems. Brandon Road Lock and Dam and other existing controls have successfully prevented Asian Carp from reaching the Great Lakes, and the Brandon Road Study is another important step in better understanding the challenges of limiting Great Lakes’ exposure to invasive species. I will continue working with the federal, state and local partners to find common sense solutions that protect the Great Lakes while ensuring reliable and sustainable transportation on the Illinois River.”
But let’s be rational about the Asian carp threat. Illinois has been dealing with Asian carp for more than three decades and its multipronged attack that includes commercial fishing, creating new markets and encouraging Illinois residents to deplete the fish population through fun events such as bowhunting tournaments has been working.
The Asian carp population has been decreasing, according to Kevin Irons, aquaculture and aquatic nuisance species program manager for the Illinois Department of Natural Resources.
There are about a quarter of the fish there were in 2010 when Irons joined the DNR. In 2010, it was estimated that Asian carp accounted for 70 percent of the fish population in the Illinois River. While the carp still make up a significant portion, that percentage has decreased.
Commercial fishermen on the Illinois River are using smaller nets because the bigger fish are not there anymore. They’ve been downsizing since 2010.
A proposed law could help dig struggling students out of debt in Illinois.
Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan has asked Governor Bruce Rauner to sign a “Student Loan Bill of Rights,” which is a law designed to reform the student loan industry and help borrowers repay their lenders.
It would also require lenders to provide the right information to students asking them for money. […]
The governor’s office said the bill is being reviewed.
* From AG Madigan’s press release…
Attorney General Lisa Madigan today convened a student loan forum with education advocates and community organizations and urged Gov. Rauner to sign into law a bill to reform the student loan industry to help student loan borrowers repay their loans. The bill addresses widespread abuses and failures in the student loan industry that were revealed by her investigation and lawsuit against one of the country’s largest student loan servicing companies, Navient.
Senate Bill 1351, sponsored by Sen. Daniel Biss and Rep. Will Guzzardi and drafted with Madigan’s office, would create a Student Loan Bill of Rights to better protect borrowers from abuses in the student loan industry.
“For too long, student loan borrowers have been put into more difficult and more expensive repayment plans because of fraudulent practices by student loan companies,” Madigan said. “The Student Loan Bill of Rights will finally crack down on abuse and make Illinois a national leader in protecting borrowers. The Governor should sign this bill into law immediately on behalf of Illinois students, families and our economy.”
Over the past decade, student loan debt has doubled to become the largest form of unsecured consumer debt in the country with more than 40 million borrowers owing over $1.4 trillion. Nearly 70 percent of graduates leave college with an average debt burden of $30,000, and one-in-four borrowers are behind on their payments or in default.
Students who attended for-profit colleges are particularly hard hit, making up the vast majority of borrowers in default. While federal income-based repayment options are available, the U.S. Treasury has reported that only 20 percent of eligible borrowers are enrolled in these options, which can lower payments based on income to as low as $0 a month.
Madigan’s investigation into Navient revealed that borrowers frequently experience problems with their student loan servicers and are put into more expensive repayment options when more affordable plans are available. Specifically, borrowers in Illinois have complained to her office that their loan servicers failed to inform them of affordable repayment options, follow borrower payment instructions and answer questions consistently.
Because it is so difficult to get legitimate help from loan servicers, student loan borrowers are increasingly turning elsewhere for help. Scam artists have rushed in to exploit desperate borrowers, much like they did during the mortgage crisis, with false promises to help in exchange for large, illegal upfront fees. Madigan has led the country in shutting down illegal student loan debt relief operations preying on borrowers.
Senate Bill 1351 would create a Student Loan Bill of Rights to protect student loan borrowers by prohibiting student loan servicers from misleading borrowers and requiring that they:
• Properly process payments;
• Require specialists to provide and explain to struggling borrowers all of their repayment options, starting with income-driven plans; and
• Inform borrowers that they may be eligible to have their loans forgiven due to a disability or a problem with the school they attended.
The bill would also create a Student Loan Ombudsman in the Attorney General’s office and require student loan servicers to obtain a license to operate in Illinois.
Attorney General Madigan is a national leader in investigating and enforcing consumer protection violations in the higher education field. In addition to her lawsuit against Navient and Sallie Mae, Madigan has investigated for-profit schools for fraud and repeatedly called on the U.S. Department of Education to immediately forgive federal loans of students who attended fraudulent for-profit schools. Madigan has also testified before Congress and urged the U.S. Department of Education to crack down on the many abuses and scams facing student borrowers.
Madigan also instituted a free Student Loan Helpline to provide student borrowers with resources about repayment options, avoiding default or how to file a complaint about loan servicing at (800) 455-2456 (TTY: 1-800-964-3013). More information can also be found on her website.
* Posted in the order they were received. From the ILGOP…
During this year’s state fair, Governor Bruce Rauner will rally for major reforms and highlight how Democrats led by Speaker Mike Madigan refuse to do anything but raise taxes and use government to benefit their friends in Chicago.
Today the Illinois Republican Party is launching a digital ad campaign to amplify the Governor’s message and hold Democrats – including their Madigan-backed candidates for Governor – accountable.
The digital campaign will feature snapchat filters on both Governor’s Day and Democrat’s day.
Check out some of the ads below:
Wednesday
Thursday
* DGA…
It has been a tough summer from Governor Bruce Rauner. He’s seen Republican lawmakers break with him, a new poll that showed him at 63% disapproval, and now he can’t get anyone to support his veto of the state’s education funding bill. But summer is a time for fun, and there is nothing better than the State Fair and Governor’s Day. The DGA releases the following video profiling Rauner’s day at the Fair doing what he does best – playing political games.
First, Governor Rauner rides the “State Crisis Roller Coaster”. In July, the state finally ended a two-year budget impasse when lawmakers overrode Rauner’s budget veto. But, just as the state reached the summit, Rauner sent it plunging again when he vetoed SB1, the state’s education funding bill.
Next, Governor Rauner rides the “Revolving Staff Carousel.” After his budget defeat, Rauner replaced most of his aides with staff from the right-wing Illinois Policy Institute and other Koch-brother funded think tanks. But Rauner will realize that even with a new staff, he’ll just find himself back where he started – as the nation’s “most vulnerable incumbent.”
Finally, Governor Rauner plays “Whack-A-Question.” All summer Rauner’s tried to whack away reporters’ incident questions. Unfortunately, he has not played the game very well.
“While Governor Rauner plays his political games, Illinois families are wondering who is looking out for them,” said DGA Illinois Communications Director Sam Salustro. “Bruce Rauner has forced the state into one crisis after another, pushing up debt and pushing out jobs. Instead of searching for a solution to avert impasse, Rauner refused to compromise. At least at the Fair, people will believe him when he says the game is rigged.”
* Pritzker campaign…
Bruce Rauner’s school funding amendatory veto is so bad that the district that stands to “gain” the most from Rauner’s rewrite won’t even support it. Tony Sanders, the CEO of Elgin U-46, says he has “significant concerns” about Rauner’s gut job of SB 1 and still supports the bill passed by the legislature and overridden by the Senate.
That’s because Rauner is flaunting phony numbers that don’t tell the whole story. Sanders explains, “I just don’t want the general public to see the dollar amounts being flashed out and think, ‘Oh my gosh, we can get so much more with the amendatory veto.’ Again, that’s one year money, and it will go away.”
“It’s embarrassing that Bruce Rauner can’t even convince the school district that he claims gains the most under his amendatory veto to support him,” said Pritzker campaign spokeswoman Jordan Abudayyeh. “Instead of building support from school administrators, Rauner is focused on peddling phony numbers and misleading Illinoisans. Fortunately, schools and communities across this state are standing up and refuse to be pitted against each other.”
The story referenced in the Pritzker press release is here. Worth a read.
* I told subscribers about this earlier today, along with who is most likely to run for his seat…
Fifty years ago, fresh out of Saint Louis University, Bill Haine enlisted in the Army and went to war in Vietnam.
It was the first step in a lifetime of public service that would include a Bronze Star for combat service as a member of the 1st Cavalry Division (Airmobile) in Vietnam from 1967 to 1969, election to the Madison County Board, 14 years as Madison County State’s Attorney and service in the Illinois Senate since 2002.
On Wednesday, Haine announced his career in elected office will come to an end and that he will not seek another term in the Illinois Senate.
“It has been my honor to represent the people of the Metro East region. They are my neighbors, my friends, the people of the communities of my life. I have always tried my best to serve them, and I hope I have done a good job,” said Haine, who was born in Alton and lives around the corner from his boyhood home.
“The good Lord gives us a finite amount of time on this Earth. I believe the time has come for me to find a new adventure and for someone else to take up the challenge and honor of serving the people in the Illinois Senate,” said Haine. He intends to serve out his current term.
Earlier this year, Haine, 73, was diagnosed with multiple myeloma, a form of blood cancer. A regimen of medical treatments kept him away from the Capitol for most of the legislative session, though he recently returned to cast deciding votes on a balanced budget and override the governor’s rejection of a historic school funding overhaul.
Haine’s tenure in Springfield has been marked by practical politics rather than political agendas.
His focus has at times been big.
He was the legislative architect of a sweeping plan to modernize the levee system in the Metro East region, an effort that has helped protect homes and businesses from damage in recent years’ flooding.
He helped win state investment in maintaining and expanding the Edwardsville campus of Southern Illinois University and other key infrastructure such as I-255. He similarly led successful efforts to approve a Constitutional Amendment protecting the state’s Road Fund from being raided for non-transportation related spending.
He drew upon his distinguished, award-winning law enforcement background from his time as Madison County State’s Attorney to sponsor, negotiate and win approval of the state’s medical marijuana law that balanced compassionate use with stringent standards and regulations.
Proving he wasn’t afraid to think outside the box, Haine raised political eyebrows when, just a few years after taking office, he sponsored and helped pass medical malpractice litigation reforms opposed by some of his staunchest allies. Those reforms were later thrown out by courts, but Haine credits the effort with helping change the tenor of the legal practice in this area.
At the same time, Haine kept an eye out for injustice at any level.
In response to media reports of motorists being ripped off and forced to pay outrageous amounts of up to $500 to have towed vehicles released from impound lots, Haine sponsored and passed a consumer protection law to limit those charges and end abuses.
To protect jobs at the US Steel plant in Granite City, Haine rallied the Illinois Senate to protest China’s dumping of low quality, cheap steel into the U.S. market. He called on the president and Congress to rewrite national tariff policy on steel goods in order to protect American jobs.
“I’ve never forgotten that it’s the people who sent me to Springfield to represent and fight for them,” Haine said.
A true historian, Haine often sprinkles legislative debates with rhetorical lessons and anecdotes from the works of Roman emperors, a litany of popes spanning civilized history and the founding fathers.
Despite his many awards and accomplishments, Haine considers the crowning achievement of his life to be his marriage to his wife Anna, whom he met in college, and the family they have built.
Bill and Anna Haine have seven children and, at press time, 32 grandchildren. Haine’s future plans include spending more time with all of them.
He’s a heck of a man. This place won’t be the same without him.
Not to mention that TIF districts don’t take money from black and brown kids.
* Rep. Mitchell then went on a tweet tirade. He posted much of it to his Facebook page…
PI: I’m going to do this in a series of tweets, so please bear with me. First: we have had a series of policy disagreements. That’s expected.
But I am extraordinarily disappointed in your organization and your leadership for the way you’re handling this situation.
1st) I disagree with your point, but that is not the issue here. You could have drawn a CPS building, You could have put CPS on the cap. You could have drawn another kid. You could have drawn an african american child without exaggerated features (ie lips), like the white male in the same photo. But you made a different choice, one that links to a dark and troubled history, and when confronted with it, decided to double down. It’s a choice, but not a great one.
2nd) A group whose staff looks like a Trump Org. photo, with minimal front facing diversity, a group who sued to block same day voter registration, with a disproportionate impact on minority voters, a group whose budget book slashed programs with a disparate minority impact, a group who is right now, despite data and evidence, attempting to take $500 million from predominately poor, minority kids around the state, Lacks both the credibility and should, in theory, have too much shame, to be the arbiter of what is fair to black kids in Chicago. You have made your choice. But understand that that choice - especially this week - is incredibly tone deaf and provocative.
…Adding… The cartoon was the topic of House floor debate today…
— dusty rhodes ???????????? (@dustyrhodes919) August 16, 2017
*** UPDATE *** Mayor Emanuel…
“At the same time the President of the United States is throwing his arms around neo-Nazis and Klansmen, Governor Rauner’s brain trust at the Illinois Policy Institute weighed in on the SB1 debate by publishing an unambiguously racist cartoon. The critical debate over education funding in this state should be about ensuring a better future for students in every corner of Illinois, regardless of race, income or zip code – and not as an opportunity to divide us further. It’s particularly frustrating because CPS students are making historic academic gains. In fact, three CPS high schools were recently recognized among the top 10 in the country, and seven of the top 10 in the state. Over the past five years, virtually all of Illinois’ academic progress is attributable to Chicago’s students.
We’d call upon the Governor to use his influence as IPI’s largest funder and alumni-employer to demand this tasteless cartoon be taken down, but what’s the point? Instead, it provides a useful window into his outlook and determination to continue punishing poor and minority children instead of grasping the opportunity in front of him to right decades of unfair and unequal funding for school districts across Illinois. What a disgrace.”
* After reporters finished asking questions at the State Fair yesterday, Gov. Rauner said he wanted to say something else….
We’ve had a few inquiries in the office about, reporters have been calling asking if my wife has been very involved in the staff changes that have gone on in my office, um, over the last month or two.
Um, let me address that and say I think that the inquiries, the questions themselves are pathetic. I think they’re terrible. I think it just shows how desperate my political opponents are to try to attack me through attacking my wife. I think it’s disgusting and I’ll say that very strongly.
And let me be crystal clear, I decide who will be members of my senior staff. Nobody else decides, I decide. I decide what the policies of our administration are gonna be. Nobody else decides, I decide. I get input from many people, both in the administration and outside the administration, experts in the different fields, I like to get advice. But I decide, no one else decides. And it’s despicable for somebody to try to attack my wife. I decide my staffing for our administration. And I’m very proud, my wife is a national expert in early childhood education and a national expert in helping disadvantaged children from low income backgrounds. And I’m very proud of her and I get her advice on many regards, but I decide, especially on staff issues. Thanks very much everybody, I appreciate it.
* OK, first of all, did he just call reporters’ questions about his wife “pathetic” and “terrible”? Did he imply that those inquiring reporters were doing the bidding of his political opponents, or perhaps are his political opponents? Did he say all that after he claimed his wife was his “most senior advisor”? Sounds a lot like someone else in the news lately.
Also, nobody else decides staffing issues? Remember this quote after his body man was fired after one day on the job?…
“I don’t know (his) exact role or title. You know, we’re obviously adding people all the time,” said Rauner. […]
Rauner said he has a team of people who making hiring decisions.
“In that particular case, I don’t know. There are probably a dozen people who are involved in hiring,” said Rauner.
* Also, as far as the First Lady’s involvement is concerned, what about her 350 documented e-mails to Rauner’s former chief of staff Richard Goldberg during the first six months of 2017? Why is it “despicable” to ask about her involvement when she sent, on average, more than two e-mails a day just to his chief of staff seven days a week for six months?
Sources said the first lady’s involvement in messaging began in late 2016. It blossomed this year, leading up to the firing and resignations of key staffers. Rauner fired nine senior staffers by mid-July, with at least 11 others resigning in protest. Many were replaced with members of the conservative think tank the Illinois Policy Institute; the group’s CEO John Tillman is a close friend and adviser to both Rauners.
“Her involvement in decision making within the administration has exploded within the past 16 to 18 months, and it’s not just education and health care issues,” said a second source close to the governor’s office. “She became part and parcel of all messaging and issues. Every decision he makes she’s been a part of, including hiring IPI.” […]
Diana Rauner grappled with concerns over the rest of the governor’s term and how it would end: “There was this continuing escalating presence where it grew to a point in the last few months where the governor sort of gave an order to his communications staff that the first lady was to be included on every single communication, on every single draft statement, on everything possibly that was going to go out.” […]
Sources described the environment as highly intense with “an insane level of micromanagement” at a time when the staff was dealing with the budget impasse, a fight with the largest state employee union, and wars with Mayor Rahm Emanuel and Illinois Comptroller Susana Mendoza.
From what I understand, both the governor and Mrs. Rauner were infatuated with the Illinois Policy Institute’s social media presence, particularly its Facebook page. They “understood” messaging the same way the Rauner’s did. And now here we are.
* One more thing. The governor sounded a lot like former President George W. Bush with his “I’m the decider” schtick. Not a good look, dude.
Rep. Steve Andersson, R-Geneva, was a leader in the GOP faction that supported the budget, but says that he does not support Senate Bill 1 and won’t vote to override the governor.
Neither will Rep. Bob Pritchard, R-Sycamore.
“I’ve based my career on looking at the facts, judging policies based on how it affects citizens in my district and across the state. That’s why I ended up voting for the budget. That’s why I’ll continue to evaluate every piece of legislation, including SB1. My decisions it that we’ve skewed SB1 from what will help every student, and that we need to come up with a follow-up bill that will right those deviations,” Pritchard said at a City Club of Chicago panel Tuesday.
Rather than making a botched attempt at an override, it’s expected that Democrats will go another route Wednesday in the House—a move that will keep their original bill intact: They will take up a separate piece of legislation, with language identical to what Rauner pitched in his amendatory veto.
Though there’s little chance it will pass, that’s the point—it’s a symbolic move, designed by Democrats to show that Rauner’s plan lacks support.
That way, if enough Republicans change their mind as pressure builds, Senate Bill 1 is still in place for an override.
The Illinois House will not vote Wednesday on overriding Gov. Bruce Rauner’s amendatory veto of a school funding reform bill, the House sponsor said Tuesday.
Instead, Rep. Will Davis, D-Homewood, said the chamber will take up a separate bill that contains all of the changes Rauner made to Senate Bill 1, the school funding reform bill.
“Right now, (Wednesday’s) focus is just on the amendatory changes the governor put toward SB 1 and figuring out how advocates feel about that,” Davis said. […]
“Madigan wants more pressure,” Pritchard said. “There are some Democrats that think pressure can be exerted on four Republicans to vote for the override. They want to stretch this out as long as they can and let school districts holler to their representatives and see what happens.” […]
“It’s been characterized so effectively as a bailout for Chicago that my citizens certainly get it and they’re furious,” Pritchard said. “It’s going to be hard for somebody to necessarily break for Chicago. Breaking for the state of Illinois and our universities and our health care providers and our human service providers is a different issue.”
* I told you Sunday that Attorney General Lisa Madigan had replied to an inquiry from the two Republican Legislative leaders about the actual effective date of SB1. AG Madigan replied that the effective date would be the date that the governor’s AV is overridden or the date that the governor certifies that the GA has accepted his recommendations for change.
But Rep. Peter Breen (R-Lombard), an attorney and the new HGOP floor leader, has more questions…
August 15, 2017
House Republican Colleagues
Illinois State Capitol
Springfield, Illinois
Re: Attorney General Opinion Letter Regarding Senate Bill 1, 100th General Assembly
Dear Colleague:
As you know, Leader Jim Durkin and Leader Designee Bill Brady recently requested a formal legal opinion regarding the effective date of Senate Bill 1, in light of the Democrats’ decision to delay presentment to the Governor for two months. The Leaders requested that clarification due to concerns that SB 1 might not be effective until June 1, 2018, because it did not pass out of the Senate until July 31, 2017. See, e.g., Bill Status, SB 1, http://www.ilga.gov (“7/31/2017 | Senate | Passed Both Houses”).
As explained in the Leaders’ letter, a July 31, 2017, passage date would mean that SB 1 was not passed with the required three-fifths majority it would need to become effective immediately. Instead, it would be effective next year, on June 1, 2018. See Illinois Const. art. IV § 9 & 10; 5 ILCS 75/2 (Effective Date of Laws Act). The current passage date requirement of our state constitution was put in place by the General Assembly and our voters in 1994, to ensure that the General Assembly finishes its work by May 31 and does not remain in session year-round.
The Attorney General’s answer to the Leaders’ request, however, raises additional concerns about the validity of the process employed in passing SB 1. Specifically, in addressing attempted veto overrides, the Attorney General assumes that SB 1 passed out of both houses on May 31, 2017. If accurate, that definition of “passage” would appear to conflict with the definition in the Illinois State Constitution’s presentment clause, which requires the legislature to advance passed legislation to the governor’s desk in an expeditious manner, within 30 days. Illinois Const. art. IV § 9(a); 5 ILCS 75/2 (Effective Date of Laws Act).
The Attorney General correctly assesses that, when the General Assembly approves a motion to override a veto, the vote is not a new legislative action but instead “a reaffirmation of the bill’s original language.” AG Opinion at 8. Her opinion also notes that there are four actions typically considered “final” legislative action in the caselaw, and a motion to reconsider is not traditionally included on that list. Because of this, she concludes that “the final legislative action is deemed to have occurred when the bill was passed by the General Assembly initially.” Id. at 9. In this instance, the Attorney General concluded “the point at which Senate Bill 1 passed . . . was May 31, 2017.” Id. at 10.
However, the Attorney General’s opinion does not squarely address the impact of the motion to reconsider on SB 1. A motion to reconsider acts against a vote in favor of a bill, such that the vote is “prevented . . . from having any legal effect.” Ceresa v. City of Peru, 133 Ill. App. 2d 748, 753 (3d Dist. 1971). And of course, none of us would consider a bill “passed” (and on the clock for submission to the governor) while still under a motion to reconsider, as was SB1 on May 31 of this year. See, e.g., Senate Rules 7-15. Reconsideration. (“When a motion to reconsider is made within the time prescribed by these Senate Rules, the Secretary shall not allow the bill or other subject matter of the motion to pass out of the possession of the Senate until after the motion has been decided or withdrawn.”).
Because of this, the Attorney General’s opinion raises as many questions as it answers, and what the opinion highlights, at the very least, is the lack of controlling Illinois Supreme Court or Appellate Court caselaw to guide the General Assembly on the effective date question before us.
Certainly, it is an abuse of the legislative process to use a motion to reconsider in order to circumvent the 30-day presentment requirement of our state Constitution. And a bill can’t be said to have passed a chamber, or to be ready for presentment to the governor, when it’s held up by a motion to reconsider. It’s also hard to argue on these facts that SB 1’s passage is in accord with the Constitution’s command that our General Assembly finish its business by May 31, especially when our own legislative information system, ilga.gov, says that SB 1 was “passed” on July 31, not May 31.
To sum up, a bill that is “passed” must be presented to the governor within 30 days. A bill subject to a motion to reconsider cannot “pass” out of the Senate or House, until the motion is resolved. A bill that is not “passed” by May 31 is not immediately effective, unless the General Assembly provides an immediate effective date in the bill, approved by supermajorities of both House and Senate. The motion to reconsider the Senate concurrence vote on SB 1 was not resolved until July 31, and the bill did not pass out of the Senate until that date. SB 1 was made ready for action by the governor on July 31.
The simple fact remains that no one can be confident that SB 1 would be immediately effective, if the governor’s veto is overriden. There is no controlling caselaw on point. But there is a coherent, thoughtful legal argument that the effective date of the bill would be June 1, 2018, well after our school districts’ educational funds would run dry.
With all due respect to the Attorney General and our Democrat colleagues, it would be irresponsible for us to proceed with SB 1, when we can’t be entirely certain that the bill would get our kids the money they need to sustain their schools this year.
Every bill passed by the General Assembly shall be presented to the Governor within 30 calendar days after its passage. The foregoing requirement shall be judicially enforceable.
Sen. Jason Barickman, R-Bloomington, said that if Illinois Democrats want Chicago Public Schools pension relief as part of an education funding reform deal, then they ought to agree to give other schools the same management “flexibility” accorded Chicago Public Schools two decades ago.
Management flexibility is code for limitations on union collective bargaining rights, so naturally, Democrats say they aren’t interested.
But it’s a difficult position for Democrats to defend, given that Chicago was already granted these same provisions as part of the deal under which Mayor Richard M. Daley took over the school system in 1995.
I can’t really defend it either. I understand why the unions don’t want to open the door any further than they already have, but it makes no sense for Chicago to be playing by its own set of labor rules, just as it makes no sense for Chicago to be the only school district that pays for its own pensions.
“One of the abilities is for Chicago to use third-party contractors for the provision of non-instructional services, whether it be safety, grounds keeping, landscaping or the like,” Barickman said.
The privatization of such services was not without its bumps at CPS, and many would say those third-party contractors continue to be a problem.
If a school district has dramatically fewer students, it’s not fair to other districts that have more students or the same where their dollars keep flowing to fund half the number of students or a third of the number of students. at some point you need to sort of true it up and adjust it or it’s not fair to the taxpayers in other communities. I’m open to when that adjustment happens. And for the time being have a hold harmless so even if there’s enrollment drops that the school district can keep getting the same amount of money from the state. But some day there needs to be some sort of adjustment, otherwise it’s not fair or sustainable over time.
If he’d settle for limiting the funding cuts to school districts which lose half or two-thirds of their students, then fine because it’ll probably never happen or it’ll be so rare that it’s no big deal. What he may be implying, though, is that he really believes his private school tuition tax credit idea will prompt tons of kids to move away from public schools. What he is also doing, however, is trying to get at CPS funding. Call his bluff.
Today, on Governor’s Day at the state fair, Crisis Creatin’ Rauner introduced Wreck It Rauner. With a duct-taped wrecking ball in hand, Wreck It Rauner will highlight how Bruce Rauner is destroying our state and hurting Illinois families.
From wrecking social service agencies to hurting working families, Bruce Rauner’s damage is done and he must be held accountable. Before appearances at the state fair later today, Wreck It Rauner made a digital debut.
“Bruce Rauner came in like a wrecking ball and unleashed two-and-a-half years of destruction on our state,” said Pritzker campaign spokeswoman Jordan Abudayyeh. “The wreck he leaves in his wake has irreparably harmed families and hurt communities. Rauner’s damage is done and ‘Wreck it Rauner’ is ready to hold this failed governor accountable.”
Today, Citizens for Rauner Inc. released two new television ads highlighting the benefits of Bruce Rauner’s plan to reform Illinois’ education funding system.
The changes proposed by Governor Rauner provide more funding than SB1 to 98% percent of Illinois school districts, with an emphasis on making sure those funds go where they are most needed: the classroom.
The Governor has made it clear that he is open to compromise, and is trying to work with legislators to ensure fair and equitable funding for all Illinois schoolchildren.
Illinois’ education system is broken, and legislators are now pushing for an education funding system that pulls money away from some of the state’s most needy districts to bail out Chicago. That isn’t fair to the students of Illinois.
At the upcoming Governor’s day events at the Illinois State Fair, Governor Rauner plans on addressing the issue of inequity in funding for public schools, and how his plan ensures that schoolchildren across the state receive the funding they deserve.
These TV ads will run in markets across the state in conjunction with digital ads and phone calls in support of Governor Rauner’s plan.
* Let’s see how his new campaign manager is doing…
The following statement can be attributed to Sam Salustro, DGA Illinois Communications Director:
“Yesterday, Governor Rauner could not name a Superintendent that supported his plan, so today he has to spend his millions misleading the public. As hard as he may try, Rauner cannot change facts. Rauner willingly pushed the state into crisis by issuing a politically driven veto that now puts school funding in jeopardy. Illinois families already watched Rauner veto the state budget after a two-year impasse; they should not have to suffer through another crisis just for Rauner’s political ambition.
“Schools need funding and Governor Bruce Rauner’s failed leadership is the only thing standing in their way.”
In response to Donald Trump continuing to send the office of the presidency to new lows and disgracing every value this country stands for, JB Pritzker released the following statement:
“This unhinged disgrace to the presidency just openly sympathized with Nazis on national television,” said JB Pritzker. “There are not two sides when it comes to white nationalists and domestic terrorism. There are not two sides to the murder of an innocent person and the flames of fear and terror these bigots are spreading in so many of our communities. And there are not two sides when it comes to Donald Trump’s refusal to condemn them and Bruce Rauner’s spineless word parsing and dodging. Donald Trump is a horrifying excuse for a president and any elected leader not willing to stand up to him is not worthy of the office they hold.”
Some background on today’s activity is here and here.
*** UPDATE *** Chris Kennedy’s campaign sent me this at around 5:15, but I was already out of my office running an errand and didn’t see it…
Donald Trump’s press conference today was a stain on the moral conscience of America and his words enable his white supremacist supporters to carry out their campaign of hate and bigotry. Trump’s racist, divisive rhetoric incites terror and violence, while racial, ethnic and religious minorities, including those of Jewish and Muslim faith, immigrants, women and so many others live in fear under his administration. We’re becoming more damaged and divided each day that passes with Donald Trump running our country and Bruce Rauner running our state. It’s time for change.
Bernie Delegates for Biss: From a release: “more than 30 delegates and committee members who attended the 2016 Democratic National Convention on behalf of Senator Bernie Sanders endorsed Daniel Biss for governor. ‘We believe that if Senator Biss were in a position to implement things like the Financial Transaction Tax, close the loophole for hedge fund managers, and pursue other similar measures, he would be the driving force in turning the state’s budget crisis around and taking politics in a new direction in the State of Illinois’ said the delegates in an open letter to Our Revolution. The letter, signed by a coalition of politicians, community leaders, and organizers from across the state, cites Senator Biss’ record of passing progressive legislation in Springfield and vision for a fair tax system as reasons for the endorsement, and concludes by urging Our Revolution to endorse as well.”
Berniecrats for Pawar: Ameya Pawar over the weekend carved out support from Illinois Bernie Sanders’ supporters after the Illinois Berniecrats, the official state chapter of Bernie Sanders’ Our Revolution political action organization, announced its endorsement for Pawar. “Ameya Pawar has shown his progressive bona fides time and time again. From his leadership on single-payer healthcare policy to his pursuit of equitable education funding, to his push for comprehensive criminal justice reform, Ameya’s vision for the state is compelling,” Dean Martin, president of the Illinois Berniecrats, said in a statement. “He has a history of progressive action as an Alderman, including the creation of the independent budget office, passage of one of the strongest anti-wage theft ordinances in the country, and fighting for public housing.”
* Sanders’ group backing Pawar: Chicago Ald. Ameya Pawar got the backing for his candidacy for the Democratic governor nomination from the “Illinois Berniecrats,” a subgroup of the U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders “Our Revolution” support organization.
The endorsement came Saturday at a meeting in Naperville. The main “Our Revolution” group is a tax-exempt organization that backs the unsuccessful 2016 presidential candidate’s agenda.
The “Illinois Berniecrats” are located in DuPage County and were formed in 2015.
FIGHTING OVER SANDERS — Clem Balanoff, the chairman of Our Revolution Illinois, who was also the state director of the Bernie Sanders campaign in Illinois, made a note of telling us that neither Our Revolution Illinois nor the national Our Revolution have made an endorsement yet in the Illinois gubernatorial race. That was after we noted “Berniecrats” who supported primary candidate Ameya Pawar. A bunch of Bernie delegates have already said they support Biss.
HOST: “And that was a division within the Democratic party in the last Presidential election and where were you at that point. In other words, when it was the Clinton-Sanders division in the Party with Sanders arguing very much the same argument you’re making now, is that where you were?”
BISS: “I voted for Clinton… in the primary. And I think you know you can argue with whether that was the right call or the wrong call, there’s good points on both sides but I don’t think it was the same situation. I don’t think the idea was that Clinton was our version of Trump, I don’t think that was the theory.”
* Statehouse reporter Dave Dahl pointed out to Gov. Rauner today during a State Fair event that school superintendents “are pretty well organized” in favor of overriding Rauner’s veto of SB1. Why didn’t the governor organize superintendents who were in favor of his idea? The governor’s response…
Well, many of them, are, um, supporting us. Many superintendents and teachers, I have teachers here at the fair coming up to me and say, ‘Governor, thank you for your amendatory veto. Thanks for what you’re recommending.’ You know, Speaker Madigan didn’t send me the bill for two months because he wanted to organize opposition and he didn’t want the real truth known. Now the numbers are out, the support of the SB1 originated back when the truth wasn’t known. Now that the numbers are out, more and more folks are coming to support us. […]
We certainly have a lot of support around the state.
And yet, the governor has still not held a single press conference with a group of educators who support his changes. Maybe he could’ve asked one of those teachers who came up to him at the fairgrounds to talk to reporters?
* Instead, we’re seeing lots of stories like this one…
Superintendent of Schools John Asplund offered other points of consideration. He said the governor’s numbers make no allowances for inflation and there are concerns about the future of pension funding.
“Pretending there is access to money we cant have and there will be no inflation is scary, but the third thing is more scary,” Asplund said. “There will be no protection against pension cost shift. Eight percent of Teachers’ Retirement Funding would have to be born by districts. Our $23.8 million salary budget, times 8 percent, is a little more than 1.9 million.
“The governor’s proposal appears to be better, but if you dig into the numbers there is concern.”
* The Illinois Business Immigration Coalition claimed last month that they were alarmed about how Gov. Rauner hadn’t yet signed the Illinois TRUST Act into law. The group got some folks stirred up, but at the time, groups involved with actually passing the bill and people who were involved with talks with the Rauner administration said things were still on track.
Prohibits law enforcement agencies and officials from detaining or continuing to detain an individual solely on the basis of an immigration detainer or non-judicial immigration warrant or from otherwise complying with an immigration detainer or non-judicial immigration warrant. Provides for law enforcement training on compliance with the Illinois TRUST Act.
* About a week and a half ago, groups were told by the governor’s office “We are a go” on the bill and preparations were being made to set up a signing ceremony. But then the governor went on the Fox News Channel last Friday and seemed to equivocate…
BAIER: So, you have this bill, SB31 on your desk. According to the Chicago Tribune, the bill would prohibit police from searching, arresting, or detaining a person because of their immigration status, absent a federal criminal warrant. It would also create so-called safe zones in state-funded schools, healthcare centers, secretary of state facilities and block state and local enforcement agencies from creating registries based on race, religion, and national origin. So are you going to sign that bill?
RAUNER: So, our staff is evaluating that bill right now. In fact, we are meeting with law enforcement agencies and law enforcement leaders in the state to get their views on it. We’re going to evaluate it and then we’ll make an announcement about how we’re going to deal with that.
BAIER: There are some families who say they’ve lost loved ones because of sanctuary status or policy and they’re trying to meet with you. Do you want to hear that point of view?
RAUNER: I want to hear everybody’s point of view. I work for everybody in the state of Illinois. Our immigration system is broken and we need to have a system that keeps the people of Illinois safe, the people of America safe. We’ve got to put that as the first priority.
The bill Baier described was the version before it was amended. Rauner’s staff was apparently finished evaluating the legislation, or it wouldn’t have given the go-ahead to set up a signing ceremony. And according to the Illinois Review, those families who’ve lost loved ones are bitterly complaining about not getting a meeting with Rauner.
And, as we’ve already discussed, the online right-wing reaction to Rauner’s Fox interview was devastatingly harsh against the governor for not taking a stand and not actually answering any questions.
* Combine all that together and now the Illinois Business Immigration Coalition is getting worried again…
Good Morning IBIC Steering Committee Members
Governor’s staff informed me that Governor Rauner has received aggressive calls and messages to veto the Trust Act in the last week. Fox News National also spread false information about the bill last Friday that further mobilized the opposition. August 28th is the last day for the Governor to sign the bill.
Can You Take 2 Actions for TRUST ACT SB 31?
1) Call the Governor - he is hearing from the opponents, he needs to hear from us
Springfield 217-782-0244
Chicago 312-814-2121
IF YOU HAVE HIS CELL, please call him on his personal phone
SUGGESTED SCRIPT: HELLO Governor Rauner, As a business owner in Illinois, I strongly encourage you to sign TRUST SB 31 into law. TRUST stabilizes the workforce, prevents unnecessary disruption to businesses, strengthens trust between immigrants and local police, and enables hardworking, law-abiding immigrants to continue to work, pay taxes, and create jobs here in Illinois. THANK YOU
2) Add your name to this letter to support the Governor signing TRUST into law AND clarify the false information spread by Fox News last Friday:
Dear Governor Rauner,
As we approach the August 28 signing deadline for the Trust Act SB 31 legislation, WE, the undersigned, employers and businesses strongly support and urge you to approve the TRUST ACT SB 31.
TRUST SB31 is a sensible policy that recognizes the work ethic, talent and entrepreneurship of our immigrant employees and advances the rule of law.
TRUST ensures workforce stability, prevents unnecessary disruption to businesses, strengthens trust between immigrants and local police, and enables hardworking, law-abiding immigrants to continue to work, pay taxes, and create jobs here in Illinois.
TRUST is COMPLIANT with federal statute 1373 because TRUST explicitly allows communication between ISP and local law enforcement with federal agents - see House Amendment #3.
TRUST respects our law enforcement’s ability to carry out law and order while ensuring that law abiding immigrants are able to work, pay taxes, AND cooperate with police to report and be witnesses to crime without fear - creating a safe environment for all.
There’s high rhetoric and there’s good, sensible policy. TRUST is a good policy to advance safety, economy, reduces unnecessary fear among immigrant families especially our immigrant children, reduces unnecessary disruption to our businesses that depend on the talent, hard work and entrepreneurship of our immigrants, and advances the rule of law.
If there is anything that we can do to ensure that TRUST is signed into law by August 28, please contact Rebecca Shi xxx-xxx-xxxx.
Thank you very much,
Your name
–
Rebecca Shi
Executive Director
Illinois Business Immigration Coalition
Rauner often blames Madigan for the state’s woes, and on Monday he accused the longtime speaker of raising uncertainty about whether schools would open in an effort to force legislators to buck his veto. The governor compared it to when Republican lawmakers joined Democrats last month to enact a budget and tax hike against his veto.
“He held our budget hostage for two years, and he finally broke some Republicans. Some Republicans in some districts that had community colleges that were threatened to be shut, some Republicans that had universities Downstate that were threatened to be shut, and they finally said, ‘I surrender, Speaker, you win, I’ll vote for a tax hike even though it’s a disaster,’” Rauner said. “He’s doing that to our children and our teachers right now. It is wrong, it is mean. We as the people in Illinois should stand against it.”
* Also, we talked about this yesterday, but my Steve Brown react was posted kinda late in the day, so some of you may not have seen it…
Rauner on Monday called on Democrat and Republican legislative leaders to meet to try to reach an agreement. Cullerton issued a statement saying he looks forward to a meeting with Rauner and legislative leaders.
House Democrats countered that those negotiations are already taking place.
“Somebody may want to brief him on what’s going on,” Madigan spokesman Steve Brown said of Rauner.
While Illinois Senate President John Cullerton said he would look forward to a meeting with the leaders and the governor, Rauner spokeswoman Laurel Patrick in an email said the governor intended for the meeting to be just among legislative leaders.
Madigan spokesman Steve Brown criticized Rauner’s call for leaders meetings.
“The governor put out a press release telling people to do what they’re already doing. Those have been going on. The governor has been busy doing his national media thing so he probably ought to be briefed on what is actually happening in Illinois because that has happened and will continue to happen as time provides,” Brown said.
* Amanda Vinicky asked him last night about those leaders meetings and why he wasn’t attending…
VINICKY: You have called on legislative leaders to try to work out a deal, to work out a compromise. From my understanding, that is actually is happening but you haven’t been part of those talks. And in your call today saying legislators, get together, leaders get together, come up with a deal. Why aren’t you a part of these meetings? You’re the governor.
RAUNER: Well, so I’ve talked to members of both sides of the aisle in the general assembly. I’ve talked to President Cullerton, I’ve talked to Cardinal Cupich, who is actually helping try to negotiate compromise and come up with new solutions.
VINICKY: For the school voucher-ish plan?
RAUNER: Well, also other elements of the plan as well. He cares very much about school equity and fairness, and he’s an advocate for reform. You know, this has been something we’ve tried to achieve in Illinois for decades, and I am very excited, we are on the verge of a wonderful transformation in the way our schools are funded that’s more equitable for all our kids.
VINICKY: How long is that going to take? I mean, you need to sign off on a plan, so what good is it having the four legislative leaders getting together if you’re not in that room saying what you would agree to and what you would say no to?
RAUNER: So, what I am doing is talking with them virtually every day, encouraging them. I am a little frustrated and disappointed in the General Assembly that they didn’t deal with this back when they passed the bill in May. They waited for two months, I think to create a bit of a crisis, but at least now they are meeting and talking. And I am encouraging them, saying let’s get together and come up with a solution. I hope they will just vote to create a bill that does everything my amendatory veto does, because that is the best.
VINICKY: They’re not going to do that. I mean, the Senate already overrode your veto. And, you waited for those two months to unveil the changes, that were part of your plan. You could have introduced a new piece of legislation, or at least had those talks. There was a lot of talk about a CPS bailout, but your amendatory veto did a whole lot more than that.
Yesterday, just days after an embarrassing performance on Fox News, Bruce Rauner returned to local TV in a desperate attempt to spin his failed leadership. Rauner laughably said, “With our elected officials really it’s about spinning a headline… it’s managing a headline, it’s not about dealing with reality and truly solving problems,” before proceeding to spin headlines and provide no solutions to problems.
In a notable exchange, WTTW’s Amanda Vinicky pressed the failed governor on recently cleaning house in his administration and bringing in a team of radicals from the Illinois Policy Institute. Rauner tried to argue “most of my top aides do not come from there,” which would be convincing, were it not for the fact that Rauner’s Chief of Staff, Legislative Liaison, Policy Chief, and much of his communications team all come directly from the right-wing group. Vinicky pressed the failed governor on how this new team of radicals influences his agenda, to which Rauner replied “I will never change.” So, either Bruce Rauner expects us to believe that his senior advisors are not really advising him or Rauner was actually just this radical to begin with.
“Considering Bruce Rauner cleaned house to retool his messaging, you would think he might be able to get some better answers,” said Pritzker campaign spokeswoman Jordan Abudayyeh. “Then again, even ‘the best team in America’ can’t spin their way out of this mess. Bruce Rauner is a failed leader of historic proportions, desperately lurching to the right as Illinois families pay the price.”
The governor also told Vinicky that his chief legal counsel comes from Indiana. Um, no. That was his former chief legal counsel, Jason Barclay, who worked for Gov. Mitch Daniels. His current chief legal counsel, Dennis Murashko, comes from Russia.
*** UPDATE *** Part of a DGA press release…
Amanda Vinicky named four, but here is a full list compiled from news clips:
Kristina Rasmussen – Chief of Staff
Michael Lucci – Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy
Diana Rickert – Deputy Chief of Staff of Communications
Darlene Senger – Deputy Chief of Staff of Legislative Affairs
Jean Hutton – Assistant Chief of Staff
Madelyn Harwood – Policy Analyst
Meghan Keenan – Communications Specialist
This list does not include Rauner’s new Director of Communications, Washington DC liaison, Chief Strategic Advisor for his campaign apparatus, or (short-lived) body man all of whom are products of other national and local right-wing think tanks. There is no getting around the fact that Rauner has turned over his political operation to the Illinois Policy Institute and other like-minded organizations. Illinois reporters have already started seeing the “influence” of his staff on policy, most notably the inclusion of TIFF provisions in Rauner’s SB1 Amendatory veto. But he right that his new staff won’t change the problem at the center of this administration – Bruce Rauner and his failed leadership.
If Rauner’s convinced that he needed to shake up his staff and bring in these staffers, why is he suddenly ashamed to admit who he brought in?
“At the end of a terrible month, Bruce Rauner seems suddenly shy about the fact he turned over the governor’s office to a bunch of right-wing ideologues,” said DGA Illinois Communications Director Sam Salustro. “After lawmakers from both parties overrode his budget veto, Rauner could have turned to focus on helping Illinois families. Instead, he doubled-down on the same failed politics that lead the state to a two-year budget impasse, and now threaten schools’ ability to stay open.”
* Greg Hinz reports that the Illinois Liquor Control Commission has concerns about the legality of the way Cook County’s new pop tax is set up…
In a letter to Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle, the commission wrote that even though the tax on sweetened beverages excludes alcohol, many of the wholesalers to which it applies distribute both kinds of products and therefore have to deal with the tax complications of the county’s new levy. As a result, it “may lead to practices that violate the Illinois Liquor Control Act.”
“ILCC is concerned that the unintended consequences of the refund and credit procedure for the sweetened beverage tax would result in ongoing, continuous violations of existing law,” commission Executive Director Donovan Borvan wrote. Other difficulties he cited include “extreme costs of enforcement and audit, and the potential for mandatory denial of deliveries to retailers.”
The letter concludes by asking for a meeting to discuss the matter. But even though it was dated nearly a month and a half ago, on June 30, the commission has not heard back, according to its spokesman. And Preckwinkle’s spokesman is strongly suggesting there will be no response.
“We do not support this two-month-old concern that a credit properly documented to address a tax refund would be deemed something of ‘value’ under the Liquor Control Act,” Preckwinkle spokesman Frank Shuftan said in an email. “Plus, this addresses beverages that are NOT under the jurisdiction of the commission. It is our understanding the trade group has provided guidance to their members on this matter, and the county remains available to the commission.”
If you click here for the letter, the issue in question is that booze distributors are forbidden by state law to provide anything “of value” to retailers. Because distributors will have to “provide refunds or credits to retailers on a regular basis,” that would be considered something “of value.”
Seems like a bit of a stretch, but whatevs.
* This pop tax is goofy on so many levels.
1) It likely won’t raise as much money as projected and revenues will continue to decrease as pop consumption (or in-county purchasing) falls. So, using this tax to plug a spending hole isn’t wise at all.
2) People would probably be more likely to support some sort of pop tax (albeit not one this high) if it was directly tied to health initiatives, particularly in schools.
3) We’re seeing just how “addicted” people really are to pop. The screaming about cigarette taxation was even louder, but most people accepted the fact that cigarettes are really bad for you. That acceptance level just isn’t as widespread about pop.
4) It’s too confusing for consumers and retailers, resulting in a completely botched rollout that has further angered everyone.
5) Threatening to sue IRMA for damages made Preckwinkle look vindictive and even somewhat dictatorial.
6) It’s causing county consumers to look at their receipts perhaps for the first time. And when they do, they’re seeing how high their other sales taxes are. And they aren’t liking what they see.
Did I miss anything?
* Meanwhile…
State Reps. Michael McAuliffe (R-Chicago), Christine Winger (R-Bloomingdale), Peter Breen (R-Lombard), Grant Wehrli (R-Naperville), and Keith Wheeler (R-Oswego) today introduced legislation, House Bill 4082, to immediately repeal the one-cent-per-ounce Cook County Sweetened Beverage Tax. The tax, which went into effect on August 2, will result in Cook County consumers having to pay on average 67 percent more for a 2-liter of pop, 43 percent more for a gallon of juice drink or sweetened iced tea, and 29 percent more for a 12-pack.
“This pop tax is a repeated example of another financial burden being imposed upon the people of Cook County. The vetting of this measure was short-sighted and irresponsible as roll-outs of similar pop taxes in other cities have proven to be not effective and even harmful to the local economy,” stated Rep. McAuliffe. “I spent this past weekend in my district and the feedback against this tax was overwhelmingly negative. The taxpayers are understandably frustrated and there is a lot of confusion.” […]
Specifically, House Bill 4082 would prevent any home rule county from imposing a tax on sweetened beverages based on volume sold. It applies to any county ordinance adopted on or before the effective date of the bill, repealing the existing Cook County ordinance.
The State Senate overrode Rauner’s [SB1] veto with one Republican joining Democrats. But, in the House, the original bill passed 11 votes short of a veto-proof majority. So Democrats would require assistance from Republicans.
State Rep. Steve Andersson, R-Geneva, broke with Rauner, voting to pass a state budget; but he said he won’t do the same for school funding.
“I don’t see any other Republicans breaking on this issue right now,” he said. “As time goes on, if there isn’t a compromise and if schools downstate start not opening, that’s a question you’re gonna have to ask those representatives about how they feel about their districts.”
Sources tell POLITICO not to expect the state House to initiate a SB1 override vote until next week. As we referenced last week, Democrats on Wednesday are expected to take up a version of Rauner’s school funding plan as laid out in his amendatory veto language, but it’ll be in their own bill. Democrats we talked to predict it will get fewer than 20 votes. Then if (when?) it fails, Democrats will declare there’s no support for Rauner’s plan. As of Monday evening, the intention was for the state House to call SB1 for an override vote next week. There’s still a problem: not enough Republicans have crossed over to override.
MADIGAN WARMS TO SCHOLARSHIP TAX CREDITS — To sweeten the deal for Republicans, top Democrats over the weekend were in touch with Cardinal Blase Cupich about a proposal — which Rauner supports — to provide scholarship tax credits for private schools.
One of the paths Democrats are eyeing is linking the scholarships to SB1 in order to pull the needed Republican votes for an override next week. State House Speaker Michael Madigan is reportedly open to a plan that would give tax credits for those who send their children to private schools. It would be available to families who are way above the poverty line, according to a source with knowledge of the discussions. The Tribune editorial board, which has been in lock step with Rauner, last night called for the SB1 override and private school credits. If that passes, Rauner can then say he expanded school choice.
But it’s a classic Madigan trick box. Madigan’s team knows the exact number of private schools in each legislative district — including those of targeted GOP lawmakers. With 2018 in mind, the speaker is known to protect his caucus with such votes — but will Rauner? Just one possible scenario Democrats anticipate: Targeted Republicans who originally voted against SB1 at the governor’s urging (even if it brought more money to their schools) may end up being urged now by the governor to support SB1 with private school tax credits (even if there are few, if any, private schools in their districts.) Some Downstate Republicans may end preferring a straight SB1 override versus a version of the deal with tax credits.
That’s kind of all over the place. The Democrats sure seem confident that the Republicans will break with the governor again, but I’m with Andersson and don’t see that happening really soon. But the Republican leaders are pushing hard behind the scenes to get that private school scholarship tax credit into law. But for Rauner to do a 180 on SB1 just for that seems unlikely after all this messaging about how it’s a Chicago bailout.
Go back to the original SB1, add in some tax credits and some mandate relief and you’ve got a decent compromise that can eventually attract Republican votes even if the governor remains stubbornly opposed. This really shouldn’t be as difficult as everyone is making it. But, of course, it’s Illinois. Madigan has to be Madigan and Rauner has to be Rauner, and that means for each of them to feel like they’ve won, they have to feel like they’ve beaten the other guy.
VINICKY: But do they need to accept all of what is in your amendatory veto then, or what part of that would lead us to a compromise?
RAUNER: So, I said to the General Assembly, any element of my amendatory veto I’m open to changing. Let’s compromise, let’s find a solution. Let’s do it together. Let’s do what’s fair for our kids, especially our low-income kids, so they’re all treated the same.
VINICKY: But there’s nothing in it you need to have, that you insist on –
RAUNER: There’s no has to have. No, nothing.
VINICKY: Nothing
RAUNER: Nothing. Absolutely nothing has to happen. The only principle we should be guided by is what’s best for our children, what treats them all the same so they have the best chance they can at the American dream.
“Absolutely nothing has to happen.” Um… Then why AV it to begin with? Sheesh.
* For two straight years, Gov. Rauner’s administration signed billions of dollars in state contracts without a legal appropriation. Now, when there finally is an approp, some contracts aren’t being signed. What in the heck is going on at DHS?…
For dozens of people in central Illinois and thousands statewide — from low-income and at-risk youth to people with intellectual and developmental disabilities — services may be disrupted yet again by state funding shortages that remain despite the passage of a state budget in July after a two-year standoff in the Capitol.
Between $50 million and $100 million in general revenue funds appropriated in the fiscal 2018 budget can’t be sent to human-service organizations because state agencies haven’t issued the contracts that allow checks to be cut.
“The kids are entitled to the services,” said Clint Paul, president and chief executive officer of Hope, the not-for-profit organization that operates the Autism Clinic at 5220 S. Sixth Street Road.
It’s unclear whether the lack of new annual contracts being issued — a problem that affects some but not most state-funded human services — is related to bureaucratic delays related to the standoff or Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner’s objection to the way the budget was passed. The Democratic-controlled General Assembly enacted the budget by overriding Rauner’s veto.
Human-service providers said they worry it may be several months before contracts are issued.
An emailed statement from Meghan Powers, spokeswoman for Rauner’s Department of Human Services, did not say when the state plans to act.
These are among the most vulnerable people in this entire state.
Thomas A. Durkin, a Chicago defense attorney who teaches national security law at Loyola University, told me Rauner was right the first time.
In Illinois, he noted, we define terrorist as “any person who engages or is about to engage in a terrorist act with the intent to intimidate or coerce a significant portion of a civilian population.”
And the Charlottesville incident wasn’t that? A Nazi uses a tactic right out of the ISIS playbook to kill somebody and wound several more who oppose his vile viewpoints and that doesn’t fall under the definition of terrorism?
We already have plenty of laws to deal harshly with someone who maliciously drives a vehicle into a crowd.
That sounds a lot like the argument against the concept of hate crime statutes. Also, an act of terrorism which results in death is an automatic natural life prison term here.
* Yesterday, a commenter who is also a local Springfield reporter offered up this definition…
Terrorism is when someone with an agenda attacks, without provocation, unsuspecting people who have assembled for some purpose, or purposes, completely unrelated to the attacker’s agenda.
Um, no. If that was the case, then the Charlie Hebdo massacre wouldn’t have been classified as terrorism.
Today, Daniel Biss announced “The Road Forward” State Tour, a trip of more than 2,000 miles to talk directly with voters about the future of Illinois. Beginning this Friday, August 18th, Daniel will tour our state to highlight the stories of ordinary people hurt by our state’s broken political system — and the chance we have in this election to make Illinois work for the middle class, not the millionaires.
“Illinois is full of potential, but for the middle class it’s harder and harder to realize that these days because of our broken political system. For too long, our government has served the wealthy and well-connected while the rest of us has paid the price. We’ve had enough—that’s why my campaign is about the road forward for the middle class. It’s about the conversations we need to have with our neighbors, and with people all across Illinois, about our state’s future so that it works for the rest of us again,” said Daniel.
News of the tour was also shared by video, released by Biss for Illinois this morning. In the video, Daniel describes the tale of two taxes, highlighting the disparity between his own family’s tax rate and Bruce Rauner’s as an example of how our tax system takes advantage of middle class families instead of asking the wealthy to pay their fair share.
“In Illinois, the very rich have bought a political system that works for them, and not the rest of us,” said Daniel in the video. “That’s why I’m embarking on “The Road Forward,” a ten-day tour of Illinois where we’re going to hear these stories from people across our state—and talk about what we can do to fix the problem. Because if we want to take our state back, we have to start by telling the truth.”
During the tour, Daniel will make stops in Bloomington, Cairo, Champaign, Collinsville, Decatur, Elgin, Galesburg, Joliet, Moline, Peoria, Rockford, and Waukegan, among others.
For more details and to follow along, visit DanielBiss.com/Road-Forward or follow #RoadForwardIL.
Editorial Boards across the state are calling on Illinois Democrats to vote their districts and compromise to ensure that we fix the broken school funding formula.
For weeks, Democrats have attacked Governor Rauner, claiming that his amendatory veto would harm schools.
But this week they were proven wrong - by the numbers.
As the Belleville News-Democrat Editorial Board notes, “Math matters…Of 923 school districts in Illinois, Rauner’s changes will give more money to 831 of them and make no difference to another 71 that are mainly alternative schools.”
“If the Illinois House votes Wednesday to override the Rauner amendatory veto, then Chicago’s $463 million will come out of the pockets of 831 other school districts.”
The Chicago Tribune Editorial board this weekend likewise called out Democrats, asking them to come to the table and compromise.
“Republicans are in a position to seek the sort of compromise-maker we advocated over the weekend: creating scholarships for low- and middle-income kids to attend public schools outside their district boundaries, or to attend private schools. Republicans also have spoken (including on Sunday) about reducing unfunded state mandates for schools, and about allowing districts to limit collective bargaining.
Democrats might not like those paths to compromise; teachers unions hate school choice almost as much as they’d hate any limit to collective bargaining. But Democrats also own a huge mess that many of them are frantic to address: the devastated finances of a CPS long mismanaged by, um, their fellow Democrats in Chicago’s City Hall.
If Democrats refuse to compromise and let Senate Bill 1 die, they can wear that jacket.”
That Belleville News-Democrat editorial is accompanied by an Illinois Policy Institute cartoon. Just sayin…
* I told subscriber the other day that the governor’s budget office is working on additional cuts to balance revenues with spending. So, the governor should’ve been briefed on this topic. Maybe not, judging from his responses to WTTW’s Amanda Vinicky last night…
VINICKY: What are you going to cut from the budget? If it is out of balance, what are you going to do about that?
RAUNER: Well, we are going to work with the General Assembly to try to make changes in their appropriation levels. And I am working right now to reduce spending in every category.
VINICKY: Like what? Give me a specific. Like, how are you going to reduce spending?
RAUNER: This isn’t the time or place to go through every line item, it’s not appropriate.
VINICKY: Give me just one or two.
RAUNER: The budget is broken. It’s not balanced. And the worst thing is, there is no way to pay down our debt. Some folks have said, governor let’s refinance all those unpaid bills. There is no way to borrow to repay those bills. The system is broken.
VINICKY: The Democrats, of course, say that was built into the budget and that would save the state money. But I just want to go back. You can’t identify anywhere where you would cut the budget, right now?
RAUNER: Oh I could, but now is not the time to do it.
VINICKY: Why not?
RAUNER: [Laughs] You know why, because. –
VINICKY: Viewers want to know why, I’m sure. I want to know.
RAUNER: You know what, what all of us should focus on, Amanda, is getting our schools more money. And my amendatory veto to fix our school funding so it’s fair, treats all of our children the same way. It especially helps our low-income and disadvantaged students. That’s what I’m working for, and that’s what my amendatory veto does. And that’s why I hope your viewers will come online and look at the results at Illinois.gov.
VINICKY: Now, I want to get back to the hopes for getting to any sort of compromise. Again, I am just failing to understand why there has not been a legislative leaders meeting with you and all of the leaders since December. There seems to be obviously quite a sour relationship between you and House Speaker Michael Madigan. Would you commit to having a sit down with him?
RAUNER: Well, the last time the speaker came to see me, he spent the time talking about how he was going to kick Scott Drury out of the General Assembly, and he was laughing about that.
VINICKY: He said that to you?
RAUNER: Correct. […]
VINICKY: Just making sure on this Rep. Scott Drury thing, what did the speaker say about that?
RAUNER: Oh just that – Scott Drury was the only one, only member of the General Assembly who didn’t vote for Speaker Madigan to stay speaker, and the consequences to Rep. Drury, as a result.
Raise your hand if you believe Speaker Madigan shared this story with his arch nemesis, particularly knowing that the governor often blabs about private conversations and the facts of those conversations are often in dispute.
RAUNER: The interest in negotiating with the speaker is not at a high level. Even President Cullerton has agreed with that. But you know, it’s really Amanda not about politicians, this is about our children, putting our children first and coming up with an equitable system. I’ve laid out my recommendations. And I hope the General Assembly will either pass those or come back and recommend others.
VINICKY: It is about the children, once legislative leaders and the governor come to an agreement that will resolve something for children. […]
VINICKY: Today, you referred to the speaker as ruthless and said members of his own party are scared of him, and so therefore they follow in his footsteps. How is that any different than how you have control over Republican legislators, people say they consider you ruthless for being the guy at the helm during a two-year impasse, and having members of your own party scared of you because of your vast campaign war chest?
RAUNER: Well Amanda you know, Illinois has been going down a broken trail, a failed road for years and years. And the politicians who have been in power for 35 years have taken us here. This is not about Democrats versus Republicans, it’s really not. It’s about the people of Illinois wanting change versus powerful political insiders who’ve controlled our system for years. I am trying to represent the people and drive major change. New education funding, more jobs, lower property taxes, term limits on our politicians. These are the changes that we are working for, and they are bipartisan and Democrats want those just as much as Republicans.
VINICKY: Could you have gotten more of that agenda accomplished had you worked with Speaker Madigan instead of vilifying him?
RAUNER: The speaker has made it clear that change is not an interest. In fact you can go look at Madigan’s Democratic party website. You know across the front of it is resistance. Resistance to change, stay on the track we are on. I represent change, I represent the people, Democrats and Republicans who want a new direction with more jobs, lower taxes, better school funding and term limits. And that’s what we need to drive so we can have a better future for our children and our grandchildren.
* From Amanda Vinicky’s “Chicago Tonight” interview of Gov. Bruce Rauner…
VINICKY: I think this is unfortunately going to be our final question. How involved is the first lady in your day-to-day decisions in the administration?
RAUNER: Well she is my best friend, she is the love of my life, and she is my most senior advisor. She is a lifelong Democrat. She shares my passion for education, creating a better future for the children of Illinois.
VINICKY: So is she a part of the education funding? Did she help to craft the amendatory veto? In terms of education funding did she help to craft the Amendatory veto for example?
RAUNER: She is always sharing her ideas and thoughts and advice, and I value her opinion very highly.
Illinois First Lady Diana Rauner has long acted as a public face in her husband’s political campaign — but over the last year she has taken on an additional, behind-the-scenes role in Gov. Bruce Rauner’s administration, cranking up her own involvement outside of public view.
In the first six months of 2017, Diana Rauner corresponded at least 350 times through email alone with the governor’s then-chief of staff, according to a count by the governor’s office. That’s on top of her direct phone calls and emails with other staffers to weigh in on messaging, digital communications and strategy, those with knowledge of the interactions told POLITICO. […]
Diana Rauner’s rising role included having a hand in the governor’s staff shake-up last month. The governor fired top staffers, replacing several high-ranking employees with members of the Illinois Policy Institute, a conservative think tank. The governor wouldn’t have taken such a serious step without his wife’s backing, several people close to the administration said. […]
Rauner’s administration on Monday blocked the release of any of Diana Rauner’s emails, saying that each of the hundreds of messages falls under an exemption to the state’s freedom of information law. “The Governor’s Office conducted a search and found roughly 350 emails responsive to your request,” a denial of a request to POLITICO stated. “Please be advised that these emails have been withheld pursuant to 5 ILCS 140/7(1)(f) (“[p]reliminary drafts, notes, recommendations, memoranda and other records in which opinions are expressed or policies or actions are formulated…”) and 7 ILCS 140/7(1)(m)()(“[c]ommunications between a public body and an attorney…representing the public body that would not be subject to discovery in litigation…”) These documents consist of communications strategy, draft statements, and press releases, in which policies were formulated and opinions were expressed.”
She’s a heck of a lot more powerful than most people think. Putting her so firmly within the administration and tying her so closely to personnel and policy decisions could also undermine her status as a liberal, moderating influence on the governor. There most definitely hasn’t been much of that going on in the past month or so.
Today, the JB Pritzker campaign released a new TV ad, “Illinois Cares.” The ad highlights Donald Trump’s attacks on healthcare, Bruce Rauner’s deafening silence, and JB’s commitment to expanding healthcare in Illinois.
Earlier this month, JB released his healthcare plan: Illinois Cares. This public health insurance option provides every Illinois resident with the opportunity to buy low-cost health insurance. Illinois Cares expands health care in Illinois and lowers premiums at no additional cost to taxpayers.
“Healthcare is a right, not a privilege and I will never be complacent in defending and expanding that right,” said JB Pritzker. “That’s why I proposed Illinois Cares, a plan that would have Illinois lead the nation as the first to allow every resident to buy into a state healthcare plan. For far too long, we’ve seen cowardice and silence from Bruce Rauner as Donald Trump attacks the healthcare of Illinoisans. It’s time for Illinois to boldly lead the way in standing up to Trump and providing the affordable healthcare that all of our families need to thrive.”
Governor Bruce Rauner’s disastrous veto of a school funding bill that would have re-worked a school funding formula currently considered to be the most inequitable in the country also leaves schools with no certainty of funding for the upcoming school year.
Rauner’s veto leaves schools administrators and teachers in the lurch, wondering how long before jobs are threatened. Rauner’s veto leaves Illinois schoolchildren unsure how long their school year might last - and what opportunities they’ll miss out on. Rauner’s veto leaves parents desperately concerned about what will happen if their school shuts down mid-year.
In response, American Bridge launched an online ad campaign that clarifies who really suffers from Governor Rauner’s bullying tactics - Illinois’ children.
American Bridge spokesperson Lizzy Price made the following statement:
“Governor Rauner is the definition of a bully - he’s abused his veto power to intimidate and harm children and entire communities to make a political point. No child should learn from Rauner’s example, because politics should never be more important than a child’s education.”
Democratic governor candidate Ameya Pawar has selected Tyrone Coleman, the mayor of downstate Cairo, to serve as his running mate in the campaign for the March primary nomination.
The Chicago alderman’s choice of the little-known mayor of a financially troubled community at the state’s southern point was emblematic of his “One Illinois” campaign theme, Pawar said.
Ameya Pawar, 47th Ward Alderman and Democratic candidate for Illinois governor, today announced Cairo Mayor Tyrone Coleman as his running mate for Lt. Governor. A veteran, a pastor, and a former radio show host, Coleman has spent his entire life serving his community and our country.
“I asked Mayor Coleman to be my running mate because he embodies the struggle that every Illinois family and town is experiencing. While the wealthy keep getting wealthier, the rest of us are struggling to get ahead,” said Pawar. “For too long, our state has been under the control of millionaires and big corporations that put profits over people–and the political insiders who enable them–leaving us fighting over scraps. While Bruce Rauner and Donald Trump divide our country based on where people live and what they look like, Mayor Coleman and I will work to bring our entire state together and lead the fight to take our state back from the powerful special interests so everyone has the opportunity to succeed.”
“Mayor Coleman and I are the only candidates in this race who are neither multi-millionaires or career politicians. And like me, he beat an entrenched political machine in Cairo to become mayor. Since taking office, the mayor has worked day and night to fight for public housing, economic development, and good jobs. Mayor Coleman will fight with me to bring new jobs and equitable funding for communities like Cairo, Englewood, Rockford, Galesburg, Waukegan, and Harvard.”
“I was born and raised in Cairo,” said Coleman. “When I grew up, it was the hub of the tri-state area. We used to draw people to Cairo for jobs, for entertainment, for medical care. I left for about 15 years, spent 10 years in the U.S. Marine Corps, and came back on vacation and saw the devastation that years of disinvestment had caused. I saw that there was a need for my assistance here at home. Never thinking that I’d be in the position of mayor, I just thought that there was a better way of life for people who live in Cairo, and if I could do anything to make that thought a reality, I needed to be in government.”
“Cairo is a microcosm of what’s happening around Illinois and around this country,” Pawar explained. “Yes, there are higher rates of poverty, there are empty storefronts and buildings. But there are strong people. Strong families. People stitching things together to make their communities a better place. What’s missing is the political will to match that strength with investment. Mayor Coleman embodies the strength that so many communities have. And together, we’ll cut through politics as usual and get things done that actually improve people’s lives.”
Mayor Coleman was born in 1949 in Cairo. After graduating from Western Kentucky Vocational he was drafted into service, spending 10 years in the Marine Corps. He was honorably discharged at the rank of Staff Sergeant. In 1984, he returned to his home town on vacation and saw the economic damage that had been done, and decided to stay to do what he could to help the community rebuild.
Coleman founded Faith Incorporated, a community-based organization that serves youth. He spent 10 years as a life skills coach at the Southern Illinois Collegiate Common Market, working with people on probation and with recipients of supplemental security income (SSI), which provides stipends to low-income people who are either over the age of 65, blind, or disabled. In 1991, Coleman founded what is now the Alexander-Pulaski Branch of the N.A.A.C.P.
From 1986-2012, Coleman hosted a talk and gospel radio show on WKRO-AM 1490. He has been involved in his church for decades - from 1999-2012, he was the Pastor at Mount Zion Missionary Baptist Church in Hogers Park in Cairo. He currently serves as Interim Pastor at the First Missionary Baptist Church.
His involvement in electoral politics began in 1990, when he served on the Cairo School District 1 Board. He then served as Co-Chair of Gov. Jim Edgar’s Minority Outreach Coalition, and from 2007-2011 served on the Cairo City Council as well as serving as the Cairo Police Commissioner. He is currently in his second term as Mayor.
Coleman is married to Mary Katherine Coleman, and the couple has raised four children.
A former Miss America and unsuccessful congressional candidate on Tuesday is expected to announce a Republican bid for attorney general for the chance to challenge four-term Democrat Lisa Madigan.
“Today in Illinois, it’s nearly impossible to find opportunity and live out your dreams. Instead, career politicians have made it a nightmare for too many families in our state,” Erika Harold says in a two-minute video announcing her candidacy.
“You deserve a state government that works for the people, not the powerful,” says Harold, of Urbana. “Changing the status quo is never easy. And I need your help to do it. Together, let’s defeat the special interests and send the politicians packing.”
The 37-year-old Harold is an attorney at the Meyer Capel law firm in Champaign. She graduated from the University of Illinois in 2001 and received a law degree from Harvard Law School in 2007. A 2003 winner of the Miss America pageant, she used her platform to launch a program to combat bullying in schools.
I haven’t seen any polls, but I’m assuming that the tens of millions of dollars spent on attacking Speaker Madigan has damaged AG Madigan’s reputation with voters. And with tens of millions more dollars spent against the Madigan name, the attorney general is going to have a real race - the first time that’s happened since her first statewide race in 2002.
Since narrowly winning the post in 2002, Lisa Madigan has never received less than 60 percent of the general election vote. On June 30, her campaign fund had $2.3 million on hand, although Harold is expected to receive generous financial support from Gov. Bruce Rauner and his wealthy allies. […]
Harold in 2014 challenged U.S. Rep. Rodney Davis, R-Taylorville, in the Republican primary in the 13th Congressional District. She lost, 55 percent to 41 percent, but won in Champaign County.
She is expected to make her first appearance as a candidate at Wednesday’s Republican Day festivities at the Illinois State Fair.
Harold lives in Urbana and serves on the Illinois Supreme Court Committee on Equality, and as a commissioner on the Illinois Supreme Court Commission on Professionalism. She is a member of Trinity International University’s Board of Regents, and serves on the national board of directors of Prison Fellowship, the world’s largest outreach to prisoners and their families, and is an advocate for criminal justice reform.
* Sen. Tom Cullerton asked the Legislative Research Unit for some county-by-county data on how much money counties are getting back from the state compared to what residents put in.
Dark red means the counties’ get back 80 cents on the dollar or less from the state. Counties shaded dark black are more break even. The blue counties are doing well and the green counties do the best, getting back at least $2 for every $1 they send to the state.
The data is from 2013 (the latest they have) and the LRU warns that it isn’t exactly precise because, for instance, not all revenue and disbursements can be totally verified. So, it’s more of a rough guide. Click the pic for a larger image…
Not a whole lot of surprises for those of us who follow this stuff. Some Downstate Chicago-haters, however, might be enlightened.
A reporter followed up, asking if the governor considered the [Charlottesville] incident to be an act of terrorism.
“It is outrageous, and we’ve got to fight against it,” Rauner said at first. After more back-and-forth, the reporter noted that Rauner had not answered the question.
“You define terrorism,” Rauner shot back. “What I’ll say is, that is horrible, horrible behavior, completely beyond the pale. We in America have to fight against it in every way.” […]
Rauner went on to quibble with the notion of assigning a definition.
“That’s all a question of definition. What doesn’t matter is definitions,” Rauner said. “We know what hate is. We know what violence is. We know what racism is. And we should fight against it.”
“Is it an act of terrorism?” an NBC reporter asked Rauner at a bill signing on Monday morning.
“It is outrageous and we’ve got to fight it,” he said.
“It is not an act of terrorism?”
“I did not say that, Mary Ann, come on.”
“Well, is it an act of terrorism, yes or no?”
“You define terrorism,” the governor replied. Two hours later, he had changed his stance.
“Outrageous,” of course, is the exact same word he used to describe the offer of Senate President John Cullerton to meet with him to discuss SB1. Not cool.
Gov. Bruce Rauner on Monday joined a wave of mostly Republican governors in announcing that Illinois would temporarily stop accepting Syrian refugees following the Paris terrorist attacks, sparking sharp criticism from advocates who said the move amounted to fear-mongering and raising questions about whether states can refuse to take those fleeing the war-torn country.
Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner said Wednesday that an attack by terrorists in the state is “just a matter of time.”
Rauner made his remarks a few hours after the rampage outside Parliament in London, which killed four and injured nearly two dozen. British authorities believe that attack was an act of terrorism.
The Illinois Senate on Sunday adopted a resolution urging law enforcement officials to recognize white nationalist and neo-Nazi groups as terrorist organizations. […]
“It is vital that we stand in total opposition to the hatred, bigotry and violence displayed by the white nationalist and neo-Nazi groups in Charlottesville this past weekend,” said sponsoring Sen. Don Harmon, D-Oak Park. “They are the heirs to the Ku Klux Klan and the Nazis. We fought two bloody wars in opposition to their ideologies. We must continue to fight those same twisted ideologies today.”
At an event on Monday morning, Rauner declined to say the death of a woman, killed when a car slammed into a crowd of protesters on Saturday, was terrorism.
About three hours later, speaking with reporters, he said he had since consulted with Illinois law enforcement to get a clear legal definition on the issue.
“We can say definitively that an act of violence against someone because of their religious views, political views, ethnic background, that’s an act of domestic terrorism,” Rauner said.
When pressed on why it took him three hours to revise his comments, Rauner bristled.
“I made it crystal clear how I feel about the acts in Charlottesville,” he told reporters, his voice rising. “I have said it from the [first] moment.
Gov. Bruce Rauner today signed House Bill 2663, bipartisan legislation which protects preschool-aged children enrolled in early childhood programs and schools that receive state funding from being expelled.
The bill also requires the Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS), in consultation with the Governor’s Office of Early Childhood Education and the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE), to develop rules to prevent licensed day care and similar institutions from expelling young children for exhibiting challenging behavior. This bill will help ensure all children in Illinois have the opportunity and tools to thrive from an early age.
Research suggests expulsion and suspension have negative educational, health and developmental outcomes for children. Recent studies show that early care institutions are expelling children at alarming rates, particularly among boys and African-American children. A study completed in 2005 indicated that in Illinois, pre-kindergarteners were expelled at three times the rate of their older peers.
“Our children are precious, and we must do everything we can to give them the tools they need to grow and succeed,” Gov. Rauner said. “It’s our duty to make sure all children, especially the most vulnerable, receive a quality education starting at a young age. I’m proud to sign this bill, which will provide teachers the tools they need to address challenging behavior so expulsion isn’t necessary.”
HB 2663 is an initiative of early childhood advocacy organizations, including the Ounce of Prevention Fund. First Lady Diana Rauner, president of the Ounce of Prevention Fund, advocated for the passage of HB 2663.
“HB 2663 and the programs it would support can serve as a model for nationwide reform of expulsion criteria in early childhood settings,” said First Lady Diana Rauner. “We must do everything we can to ensure our nation’s most at-risk children have access to quality education in the early years, allowing them to have the best chance at success in life.”
Specifically, this bill requires early childhood programs refrain from expulsion and instead document steps taken to ensure children exhibiting challenging behaviors can participate safely in these programs. If attempts to address challenging behavior prove unfruitful, early childhood programs may transition a child to another program with parent permission.
Early childhood programs may temporarily remove a child for safety concerns, but the program must then attempt to address the challenging behavior through intervention and community resources, instead of resorting to expulsion. These programs also may rely on ISBE, DCFS and the Department of Human Services to recommend training, technical support and professional development resources to ensure teachers and staff have the tools to address challenging behavior with understanding.
Bill No.: HB 2663, An Act Concerning Children
Action: Signed
Effective: Aug. 14, 2018
Sen. Kimberly Lightford, who slammed the Republicans during SB1 floor debate yesterday for not negotiating in good faith, was also present.
* And then he signed this bill before having to explain that he needed to check with the police on a definition of terrorism before he could actually come out and call the Charlottesville incident a terrorist act and dodging questions about President Trump…
Illinois will now have a useful tool to start consolidating 6,963 units of governments, thanks to Villa Park Democrat, Tom Cullerton.
Cullerton’s bipartisan government consolidation measure, Senate Bill 3 that will empower government entities throughout the state to consolidate units of local government, was signed into law today.
“We ran a tight ship for taxpayers when I was Villa Park Village President. I’m taking the lessons I learned to the state level,” Cullerton said. “The goal here is to reduce property taxes, save vital taxpayer dollars and make sure government is working for the people. Senate Bill 3 does just that.”
Senate Bill 3 will go into effect January 1, 2018.
Cullerton passed Senate Bill 494 in 2013, which created the DuPage County government consolidation model used in Senate Bill 3. He was later able to expand this model to McHenry and Lake counties, and Senate Bill 3 will expand the same powers to counties throughout Illinois.
County Board Chairman Dan Cronin and Cullerton worked together to create an innovative bipartisan government consolidation model that can be easily adapted to work throughout the state. Counties and government entities based on their needs can consolidate redundant and obsolete forms of government.
“This legislation allows local communities and their elected officials to make decisions about the size, scope and cost of their own local government,” Cronin said. “Most importantly, it will change the culture and foster innovation.”
DuPage County’s successful government consolidation model is expected to save taxpayers more than $100 million over the next 20 years.
“It’s our duty to work together to explore every way we can save taxpayer dollars,” Cullerton said. “I’m proud of the work Chairman Cronin and I did to expand DuPage County’s government consolidation model throughout the state.”
The savings allow for lower property tax rates and provide residents with necessary services
“Cutting bloated bureaucracy and redundant forms of government means lower property tax bills for Illinois residents,” Cullerton said. “This new law gives Illinois taxpayers a voice in eliminating redundant and ineffective units of government.”
Cullerton says the next step in consolidating government waste is to eliminate the office of the lieutenant governor. This move would save the state $1.6 million annually which Cullerton believes would help pay for social services such as the DuPage County Meals on Wheels program and other similar programs throughout the state.
Since Cullerton has been in office, he has supported eliminating the position under both a republican and democratic governor. He believes the money would be better spent and services can be better executed without duplicate forms of government.
“We are in the middle of tough times,” Cullerton said. “It is hypocritical to continue to ask local governments to cut and eliminate units of government when the state government isn’t willing to do the same.”
Under the current administration, Illinois taxpayers are paying for two deputy governors and a lieutenant governor.
Despite the fact Cullerton’s plan, was endorsed by editorial boards throughout the state, he was unable to receive bipartisan support on his measure. Senate Joint Resolution Constitutional Amendment 29 did not receive a single republican vote.
Cullerton is the Senate sponsor of HJRCA6 and plans to advance the legislation once Representative David McSweeney (R-Barrington Hills) passes the measure in the House.
Political consultant Betsy Ankney will head Rauner’s team, sources said Saturday, though the Republican governor has yet to formally announce his re-election campaign.
Ankney most recently managed U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson’s 2016 campaign in Wisconsin, pulling off an upset victory in the critical swing state.
In multiple interviews, Ankney has credited Johnson’s success in part to the data operation inherited from Scott Walker’s 2014 campaign, which helped position the campaign to better understand the electorate, despite lagging poll numbers throughout the race.
In many ways, Rauner’s upcoming re-election bid mirrors Johnson’s – a wealthy businessman-turned-politician running as a vulnerable first-term Republican incumbent in a typically blue state, painting himself as an outsider and looking to capitalize on voters’ frustrations with dysfunction in the Capitol. […]
Another potentially stark contrast between Rauner and Johnson’s bids for re-election lies in the question that keeps political strategists awake at night: What will the 2018 electorate look like?
Out of state folks can have a rough time in Illinois. And Gov. Rauner’s skills seem to be atrophying before our very eyes.
Gov. Bruce Rauner released the following statement regarding education funding reform negotiations:
“Today, we are calling on the four legislative leaders to meet as quickly as possible on school funding reform.
“We are hopeful that Speaker Madigan and President Cullerton share our sense of urgency to reach resolution. Families and educators across the state are heading back to school. We owe it to them to adopt a funding formula that is fair and equitable to all, and we owe them the assurance that their schools will open and stay open for the remainder of the school year.
“This weekend the Illinois State Board of Education released data showing my amendatory veto sends the most amount of resources to the neediest school districts in Illinois. These numbers clearly show how badly change is needed to ensure fairness and equity in how we fund our children’s schools.
“We sincerely appreciate the work done by the bipartisan bicameral negotiators, but believe the process can only reach conclusion with the involvement of the four legislative leaders. An agreement is within reach but time is of the essence to secure historic education funding reform.”
*** UPDATE 1 *** Press release…
On the heels of the Illinois Senate’s historic, bipartisan vote to overhaul the worst public school funding system in the nation, Illinois Senate President John Cullerton welcomed news that Gov. Bruce Rauner is calling for meetings with legislative leaders.
“I’ve said all along that the only way to solve our problems is to work together in a bipartisan manner. I look forward to meeting with the governor and the other legislative leaders,” said Illinois Senate President John Cullerton.
Notice that he included the governor in that acceptance. The governor didn’t include himself in the offer.
*** UPDATE 2 *** No surprise here…
Senate Republican Leader-Designee Bill Brady and House Republican Leader Jim Durkin today released the following statement:
“We support the governor’s call for the four legislative leaders to meet and remain committed to reaching a speedy, bipartisan resolution to fundamentally reform how we fund our public education system.”
Still waiting on MJM and I have an errand to run soon.
*** UPDATE 3 *** I called Steve Brown, who said: “Somebody needs to brief the governor that those meetings are already going on and will continue.”
I told subscribers this morning that the leaders had met Saturday into the evening and then again on Sunday.
Brown, by the way, also claimed that Rauner “put a brick” on the talks between the designated education negotiators earlier today.
Residents in central and southern Illinois will pay nearly 30 percent more than projected on utility bills if Ameren is allowed to lower its energy savings target, environmental and consumer advocates said Wednesday.
The electric and gas utility provider recently filed an energy-efficiency plan with the Illinois Commerce Commission that fails to meet annual savings targets required under Illinois’ new clean energy law. If the company’s plan is approved, downstate residents will miss out on utility savings while Ameren takes in $36 million in incentives outlined in the new law, advocates said Wednesday as regulators prepare to rule on the company’s plan.
“It is just cynical for Ameren to argue that they’re fighting for this plan because it helps low-income customers,” said the Rev. Cindy Shepherd, central Illinois outreach director for Faith in Place, which works with religious groups across Illinois on environmental issues. “That is just not true. Ameren is fighting for this plan to line the pockets of their Missouri-based corporate parent.”
Hailed as one of the most significant pieces of state energy legislation passed in the U.S. in decades, Illinois’ Future Energy Jobs Act ties energy efficiency standards to performance-based incentives that financially reward utility companies for exceeding targets and imposes penalties if they fall short. The law is projected to add $700 million to the state’s economy annually between now and 2030, according to estimates from the Natural Resources Defense Council.
Ameren Illinois serves 1.2 million electric and 816,000 natural gas customers in central and southern Illinois. (Ameren Illinois)Ameren Illinois serves 1.2 million electric and 816,000 natural gas customers in central and southern Illinois. (Ameren Illinois) Ameren Illinois said the law would allow the company to introduce efficiency programs and incentives that would reduce residential customers’ future bills by an average of $1.69 per month over 10 years, according to a June press release from the company. In the release, Chairman and President Richard J. Mark said customers in central and southern Illinois “are reaping the benefits of Illinois’ progressive energy policies,” and that the company was “giving more low-income families the opportunity to take advantage of energy-saving programs.”
“It’s fundamentally unfair that customers in one part of the state won’t save as much money as Chicago customers simply because Ameren refuses to abide by standards set forth in the new energy law,” [David Kolata, director of the Citizens Utility Board] said. “Ameren proposes to spend 44 percent more than ComEd for each kilowatt-hour of energy saved. That is unacceptable, and it clearly shows the company is denying its customers the full benefits of the Future Energy Jobs Act.”
[Josh Mogerman of the Natural Resources Defense Council] said the Future Energy Jobs Act will also bolster the Illinois economy, assuming power companies operate within the parameters of the new law.
The law calls on Ameren to reduce energy demand by 16 percent by 2030. Ameren’s energy efficiency plan filed with the ICC would fall short of the law’s targets by 27 percent, the coalition said.
Ameren denied the assertion it was trying to lower its target goal and said the filing was only for four years. The utility added it plans to spend $112 million, the maximum allowed under the law, during the next four years to help reduce energy usage.
“We’re focusing on assisting moderate-to-low income customers who pay for energy efficiency programs every month and deserve the opportunity to receive the benefits,” said Richard Mark, the chairman and president of Ameren Illinois.
Is one of the best new energy laws in the nation really about to unravel this quickly? […]
Ameren says it would prefer spending money on helping low-income communities. But aid to low-income communities already is an important feature of the Future Energy Jobs Act.
Ameren also claims it still intends to eventually meet the law’s full energy-efficiency target. But that’s not an excuse for trying to wiggle out of the requirements in the new law right out of the box. If the other entities that were partners in the negotiations over the Future Energy Jobs Act start trying to cut better deals for themselves, the expected benefits to consumers and the environment will be in peril.
Fresh off of awarding what’s believed to be the largest contract in state history—and as the fate of his plan for overhauling education funding hangs in the balance, Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner on Monday will take questions on “Chicago Tonight.”
Rauner’s sit-down with WTTW will come after the Illinois Senate on Sunday is scheduled to vote on his amendatory veto of Senate Bill 1—a plan that rewrites how Illinois decides how to divvy up state funding for schools. […]
When asked about the governor’s race Thursday on WVON radio, Rauner said “The folks who are thinking about running, they’re all part of the problem. They’ve all been part of the problem.”
What would you like to ask the governor? Put your thoughts in the comments section below.
They don’t have many comment so far, so…
* The Question: What would you like to ask the governor? And no snark, please.
* I’m told the IEA is running this radio spot this week on stations in Chicago and other markets…
* Script…
In August, there’s always excitement as children get ready to return to school. But this year excitement has been replaced by anxiety.
Anxiety because Gov. Rauner vetoed the school funding bill. Because of Gov. Rauner, schools throughout Illinois will be forced to open with fewer teachers and with more students crowded into classrooms.
Here are the facts. Illinois schools rank among the ten best in the nation, but were dead last in state funding. Teachers have said for years that we need to reform the way we fund our public schools. Lawmakers finally passed a bipartisan plan to do that.
It’s called SB1. Gov. Rauner’s team said he supports 90 percent of SB1. But then he vetoed it.
Schools need the funding SB1 provides. Gov. Rauner was elected to help kids, not act like one.
Please call Springfield and urge your state Rep. to override Gov. Rauner’s veto of SB1. Brought to you by the Illinois Education Association. The voice of Illinois teachers.
“The root of all evil in this state is how we underfund our schools,” Kennedy said. “We have terrible educational outcomes.”
He said that “every state with good outcomes” pays for education at the state level, while property taxes pay most educational costs in Illinois.
He said the system is “damning the next generation of Illinoisans, where we have massive disinvestment in education, where we’re creating an education underclass. …”
“The reason we preserve that broken system that relies on property taxes is because our elected officials are allowed to be property-tax appeals lawyers,” he said — naming the outside business of, among perhaps a few others, House Speaker MICHAEL MADIGAN, D-Chicago, who also chairs the Democratic Party of Illinois.
“That shouldn’t be allowed,” Kennedy said. “We don’t let our congressmen do that. … We shouldn’t allow our state reps and our state senators (to) do it. Until we get the dirty money out of politics, we’ll never get the dirty politicians out of government, and we’ll preserve a system that’s damning the next generation of kids in Illinois. … If you’re an elected official, you shouldn’t be allowed to have an outside job that’s adverse to the interest of the body you were elected to serve. … You shouldn’t be a property-tax appeals lawyer, ’cause you’re destroying the next generation of kids in Illinois. We can’t let that happen.”
* Meanwhile a Boston Herald columnist who appears to have no love for the Kennedy family included Chris in his latest missive…
But my favorite Kennedy story of the summer involves Chris Kennedy, the 53-year-old son of (the real) Bobby Kennedy. He’s running for governor of Illinois, but his lead in the Democrat field seems to be evaporating because he is a mere millionaire running against a guy named JB Pritzker, who is a … billionaire.
So now Chris is reduced to sounding like Eddie McCormack complaining about Uncle Ted in 1962 — whining that Pritzker (Forbes net worth: $3.4 billion) is totally unqualified and trying to buy the election.
History, as they say, repeats itself, first as tragedy, then as farce.
Pritzker is from the Hyatt hotel fortune. His sister Penny was commerce secretary under Obama, and he was supposedly in line for a Cabinet position himself under President Hillary. But then Trump happened and, well, what did one of Ted’s sisters say about how Edward Moore Kennedy came to run for the Senate with absolutely no experience.
Attorney General Jeff Sessions said a driver’s ramming a car into a crowd of demonstrators in Charlottesville, Virginia, on Saturday, which killed a young woman and sent 19 other people to hospitals, “does meet the definition of domestic terrorism” under U.S. law.
President Trump’s national security adviser said Sunday that the violence that broke out in Charlottesville, Virginia, over the weekend “meets the definition of terrorism.”
H.R. McMaster told ABC’s “This Week” that “anytime that you commit an attack against people to incite fear, it is terrorism.”
Is the governor really that afraid of his far-right flank?
*** UPDATE 1 *** Pritzker campaign…
“White supremacists are terrorizing communities and Bruce Rauner is mincing words and tiptoeing around our bigoted president,” said JB Pritzker. “The injured and dead who protested this weekend deserve better than this flagrant cowardice from Bruce Rauner and Donald Trump. If we are going to address what happened in Charlottesville then we should have the courage to call it exactly what it is: terrorism.”
…Adding… Rep. Dave McSweeney (R-Barrington Hills)…
I strongly condemn the Neo-Nazis, KKK members, white supremacists and other racists who were in Charlottesville this past weekend. These cowards are not welcome in Illinois. The act of violence in Charlottesville was definitely domestic terrorism.
*** UPDATE 2 *** Chris Kennedy…
Following in the footsteps of President Donald Trump, Governor Bruce Rauner failed to call what happened in Charlottesville terrorism. It was. Not calling it so speaks volumes about where he stands. Our country and our state are in the hands of two men who embolden the hate coming from white supremacists.
Sen. Daniel Biss…
“My grandmother was a holocaust survivor. I grew up with the weight of that legacy, and with an understanding of how evil can take root in our communities when we aren’t vigilant. The terrorism in Charlottesville follows a tradition of white supremacy, tracing back to the Nazi ideology that tore my family apart just two generations ago.
“Most importantly, I learned that all of us have an obligation to name this evil clearly and to fight it, and that those who do not give aid and comfort to our enemy.
“This morning we learned Bruce Rauner refuses to call the attacks in Charlottesville what they truly are—terrorism carried out by white supremacists. Like Donald Trump, Bruce Rauner is an incompetent billionaire unwilling to name and confront hatred because his re-election strategy relies on appealing to right wing radicals. All Illinoisans should remember this moment, when Rauner refused to stand up to white supremacists because of politics.”
*** UPDATE 3 *** From Gov. Rauner…
“The deadly violence in Charlottesville this weekend is abhorrent and absolutely an act of domestic terrorism. Racism, hatred and violence have no place in our society. The individuals responsible should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”
CMS still hasn’t released the audio of the morning presser.
*** UPDATE 6 *** DGA…
“Citizens look to their governors for strength and understanding in trying times, and they need to know their governor will clearly denounce hateful and racist actions and not shy away from calling terrorism what it is. Today, Bruce Rauner failed as governor.”
“This morning, Governor Bruce Rauner refused to call the actions of white supremacists and neo-Nazis in Charlottesville terrorism. Rauner clarified his remarks hours later only after being shamed into it. This is an unacceptable failure to lead by Governor Bruce Rauner. Like many members of his party, Rauner should have forcefully denounced this horrific violence as terrorism from the start. Instead he stuck to political talking points.”
Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner has signed legislation that will remove the statutes of limitation for sexual abuse crimes.
Rauner signed the measure Friday.
Sponsor state Sen. Michael Hastings of Frankfort says the legislation puts in place “best practices for dealing with sexual assault cases statewide and puts a system in place that will encourage survivors to come forward and receive justice when they are ready.”
Statutes of limitation restrict the time when authorities can charge someone after a crime occurs.
* It’s kinda weird that Rauner wouldn’t try to do a press pop on this. After all, the chief proponent was Scott Cross, the brother of the former Illinois House Republican Leader who was raped as a boy by former US House Speaker Dennis Hastert. This story has national importance, but he didn’t even mention it during his Fox News Channel interview and there was nothing out of the governor’s office except this mention in a long list of bill actions taken Friday…
Bill No.: SB 0189
An Act Concerning Criminal Law
Action: Signed
Effective: Immediately
* And lest you think that the governor didn’t want to step on his SB1 message, he sent out this press release during yesterday’s floor debate…
Gov. Bruce Rauner today announced that the Hand of Fate Brewing Company of Petersburg Illinois won the Illinois Bicentennial Craft Beer Competition at the Illinois State Fair.
Hand of Fate will create the recipe and brew the Official Illinois Bicentennial Craft Beer, which will be available across the state during the Bicentennial Celebration in 2018.
* So, what could it be? Sen. Hastings, who is mentioned above, is one the public faces of the anti-Rauner “Do Your Job, Inc.” but he was just a co-sponsor, and not even a hyphenated co-sponsor.
It’s no secret that the governor has no love for Attorney General Lisa Madigan (and that feeling most definitely goes both ways), and AG Madigan has been leading this statute change from the beginning, so perhaps that is a more accurate answer? From her press release…
Attorney General Lisa Madigan today announced Illinois has now eliminated the statutes of limitations for felony criminal sexual assault and sexual abuse crimes against children. Senate Bill 189, initiated by Madigan, was passed by the General Assembly unanimously and signed into law by the governor Friday.
Sponsored by Sen. Scott Bennett and Rep. Michelle Mussman, the legislation eliminates Illinois’ criminal statutes of limitations for all felony child sexual abuse and child sexual assault crimes that can allow predators to go unpunished. The law, effective immediately, applies to future felony child sex crime cases as well as current criminal cases in which the previous statute of limitations has not expired.
“Sex crimes against children are a horribly tragic violation of trust that can take a lifetime to recover from,” Madigan said. “This new law will ensure that survivors are provided with the time they need to heal and seek justice.”
Prior the new law, Illinois’ statutes required that the most egregious sexual offenses against children must be reported and prosecuted within 20 years of the survivor turning 18 years old. Two exceptions existed for cases in which the crimes were committed on or after Jan. 1, 2014 and either corroborating physical evidence exists or a mandated reporter failed to report the abuse. The then-law restricting a survivor’s ability to come forward prevented former U.S. House Speaker Dennis Hastert from being prosecuted for allegations of abuse against minors while he was an Illinois high school coach decades ago. Scott Cross, a survivor of Hastert’s abuse, joined Attorney General Madigan in advocating for today’s change in the law, recounting his experience before lawmakers and urging them to pass Senate Bill 189.
“Dennis Hastert used his authority and position as a role model to violate the trust of the youth in his care - in the most unimaginable way possible. And despite the lives ruined and decades of pain and suffering the survivors continue to deal with, he will never be held accountable,” Scott Cross said. “I am thankful that Illinois law will now allow survivors of these horrific crimes to come forward in their own time, and get justice – no matter how overdue.”
As more child survivors of abuse and sexual assault have come forward to describe the difficult process that they have endured in reporting, states across the country have eliminated statutes of limitations for these crimes. Nationwide, 36 other states and the federal government have removed criminal statutes of limitations for some or all sexual offenses against children.
* My weekly syndicated newspaper column is now being published by the Bloomington Pantagraph…
Chicago has vast property wealth and the largest population by far in Illinois. But it also has a large amount of that property wealth locked up in tax increment financing districts.
According to figures released last week by the Center for Tax and Budget Accountability, Chicago has over half of the $12.4 billion in statewide equalized assessed valuation locked up in TIF districts. About 8.6 percent of the city’s total equalized assessed valuation is in a TIF district, well above the statewide average of 3.95 percent, but only the seventh-highest percentage in the state (29 percent of Clinton County’s EAV is in TIF districts, making it the leader going away).
And partly because Chicago is by far the largest city covered under state tax cap laws, the city’s public schools were able to claim $125 million in state adjustment benefits in Fiscal Year 2016 for districts with property tax caps, according to numbers crunched by the Taxpayers Federation of Illinois. But the way the laws are written, that $125 million was most of the $141 million claimed by all school districts in Illinois. The total amount was expected to drop by more than half during Fiscal Year 2017.
When valuations go up, so does the subsidy. In 2010, CPS’ subsidy was almost $444 million to account for “lost” revenue due to the tax caps. Elgin’s school district was second that year, at $18.3 million, but it wasn’t even in the top 15 last year.
The governor’s amendatory veto of SB1, the school funding reform bill, would slash state funding to school districts that are within TIF districts and covered under property tax caps. That seems counter-intuitive for this governor, who has railed against high local property taxes since first announcing for office. While he denied it last week, it’s clear he wants to force local school districts to raise their property taxes to avoid state funding cuts.
Why would he do that? Chicago Public Schools funding, obviously. The governor has often put CPS in the middle of his Statehouse wars. One of the events that motivated him to run for higher office was the successful Chicago Teachers Union strike, which angered him to no end. And he’s clearly looking for leverage in the wake of the budget and tax hike veto overrides.
That’s not to say the Democrats aren’t playing the same sort of game. They added even more money to SB1 for CPS when the bill finally reached the House and then jammed it through on a mostly partisan roll call.
The Illinois State Board of Education said it had finished its numbers crunching of Rauner’s amendatory veto last week, but then found some data mistakes, so as of this writing we don’t know what the numbers are, but you can bet that CPS will take a big hit.
The bigger question is how many suburban and downstate districts will be slammed by this amendatory veto. Ford County, which is within Sen. Jason Barickman’s district, has the second highest percentage of assessed valuation in a TIF district in the state, over 10 percent of its EAV. Barickman, R-Bloomington, is the lead Senate Republican negotiator on education funding reform. Politically, this could be quite problematic.
These sorts of negotiations take years to complete. First, you have to convince people to open a nasty can of worms — which isn’t easy because so many folks have vested interests in the status quo and have cut little deals over the years to sweeten their own pots. Then you have to convince everybody to create a whole new can of worms. And then you have to actually do it. It isn’t easy.
Education funding reform has taken at least four years to get this far. Barickman has suggested that perhaps TIF districts created in the future could trigger a change to state aid. But even that could be a heavy lift at this late stage, with schools about to open.
Fiddling now with TIF and property tax caps could require a rewrite of the whole bill to achieve the bipartisan goals that were laid down at the outset of this monstrous task.
A last-minute amendatory veto isn’t the right way to go. If the governor wanted this stuff, he had over two years to bring it to the bargaining table. And the same goes for the House’s last-minute add-ons from the end of May.
What they should probably do is back up and run a bill that’s as close to the Senate-approved version as possible.
The column was written on Friday, well over a day before the ISBE numbers came out.
During a news conference before the vote, Rauner said he’s open to a negotiated settlement.
“If (lawmakers) won’t accept the changes, then let’s get a compromise quickly,” Rauner said. “I’m open to compromise on any issue.”
Some Senate Republicans also said a negotiated settlement could be reached, but said Democrats have to go further in reaching a compromise. However, Sen. Kimberly Lightford, D-Maywood, one of the negotiators on a possible school funding compromise, said it is Republicans who were preventing a compromise.
“Every meeting we’ve had, you’ve brought a new initiative to the table,” Lightford said. “You keep asking for things and not wanting to negotiate on anything else.”
* So, where is Beth Purvis these days? She led the school funding reform negotiations one behalf of Gov. Rauner for more than two years, but hasn’t been heard from since he issued his amendatory veto, which undid much of her work. Hmm. Maybe I just answered my own question…
Before the vote, Rauner also said he hoped lawmakers could achieve compromise. In a 30-minute press conference, he repeated his claim that Senate Bill 1 is a “Chicago bailout” cooked up by Democrats to favor Chicago Public Schools at the expense of downstate districts.
One theme he never mentioned was the work of his own bipartisan, bicameral school funding reform commission, which met for close to 100 hours over a period of six months in an effort to find agreement on school funding. That commission, led by Rauner’s education czar, Beth Purvis, didn’t envision some of the more radical changes the governor made to SB1, such as calculating the value of property controlled by TIF districts or PTELL caps as though the TIF or PTELL designation didn’t exist. More than 500 school districts would see their property resources rise in value, thus diminishing their share of state aid, if Rauner’s amendatory veto survives.
“I am here to find solutions, compromises that work that are fair and balanced,” Rauner said. “Everything could be on the table but we don’t have the luxury of waiting.”
“I still, again, think that is within reach. I think there’s a clear path on how to do that, as long as folks stay disciplined and they keep their eye on the ball, I think that can get done,” [Sen. Andy Manar] said. “If it cannot get done, the House should override the veto, just like the Senate did today.”
But State Senator Kimberly Lightford, a Democrat from Maywood, says negotiations have been derailed by Republicans bringing in new requests that aren’t mentioned in Senate Bill 1 (the school funding plan) or Rauner’s veto — requests like tax credit scholarships for private schools, mandate relief, and “management rights,” which Manar rephrased as “the diminishment of collective bargaining rights for teachers.” Lightford said Republicans presented those demands and didn’t take questions about them.
“If you guys really want to get something done, we could! We could,” Lightford said. “You give, we give. You take, we take. You give again, we give again. That’s how it goes in negotiations.”
The House now has 15 days to try to overturn the governor’s veto. The House is scheduled to be in session Wednesday and will hold a hearing on education funding. It’s unclear if they will take up the veto then, or wait to let more pressure build. Neither lawmakers nor the governor has shown much of an appetite the previous two years to play political chicken over school funding for too long, given the potential for a huge backlash from parents.
An override will take 71 votes, but there are just 67 House Democrats, meaning some Republicans would have to buck their governor. If the override fails, or is not called for a vote in the House, lawmakers would be left to negotiate a new plan as schools wait for funding.
The Illinois House has 15 days to act on an override, but the Senate on Sunday also passed a backup bill should the House fail. That, however, would restart the clock on solving the school funding mess.
That “backup bill” was explained to subscribers this morning. It’s identical to the bill Rauner vetoed.
* From a memo sent to House Republicans this morning…
August 14, 2017
Dear House Republican Member:
I’m pleased to announce that Eleni Demertzis will be joining House Republican staff as my new spokesperson effective Wednesday, August 16. She will be based out of our offices in Chicago.
Some of you may remember Eleni from when she was on House Republican communications staff in 2011 and 2012, but she most recently worked as a Press Secretary for Governor Rauner. Prior to her work in the administration, Eleni served as a Press Secretary for then-U.S. Senator Mark Kirk and as Communications Manager in the Cook County Sheriff’s Office. Eleni’s professionalism and experience working with media from all corners of the state will be an asset to me and to the communications efforts for our entire caucus. I’m excited to have her on board.
Please join me in welcoming Eleni back to House Republican staff.
Sincerely,
Jim Durkin
House Republican Leader
That’s an interesting hire. Demertzis was a fierce Rauner defender who left on her own accord during the infamous staff purge.
