* If you watched the Belleville News-Democrats’ video of Gov. Rauner’s media availability that I posted earlier today, you might’ve noticed there appeared to be a gap in the video after this question…
Governor, you’ve mentioned a lot of your support of the Second Amendment. I’m curious what are your thoughts on counties declaring themselves sanctuary counties when it comes to protecting that right?
Click here for background on this topic if you need it.
* So, I asked Belleville News-Democrat reporter Joe Bustos if he had the full video. He didn’t, but Joe very graciously transcribed this from his own audio recording…
Well, I’m a gun owner, I’m a hunter, I’m a supporter of the Second Amendment. We have had a bipartisan commission working on public safety. What we got to do is find ways to increase (and) improve public safety, especially keep our schools, our school children safer, keep our police officers safer, protect our communities, keep guns out of the hands of criminals and mentally ill, while protecting the Second Amendment. So, we’re coming forward with our proposals on that in the very near future in the coming days.
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* WJBC…
The Democratic candidate for Illinois Governor favors term limits for lawmakers holding leadership positions in the General Assembly like long-time House Speaker Michael Madigan and Bloomington’s Bill Brady, who’s the Senate Minority Leader. […]
Pritzker declared himself the most independent candidate for governor in a long time.
“I’ve run a completely independent campaign,” Pritzker said.
“People don’t go to Mike Madigan because they want to win a popularity contest by having his endorsement. They go to him because he can be helpful to them by raising money. I have not raised any outside dollars,” said the billionaire businessman.
*** UPDATE 1 *** The rest of the quote…
I have my whole life been an independent Democrat and demonstrated those values and the things that I’ve done. Mike Madigan wasn’t around when I expanded the school breakfast program, at least I wasn’t working with Mike Madigan to get that done.
I wasn’t involved with Mike Madigan in any way when we built the Holocaust Museum that teaches those kids from all across the state to fight bigotry and hatred.
And I come in as an independent Democrat who has a set of beliefs and values that I’m going to carry out as governor that I hope that he will help us enact but the truth of the matter is that we’re going to go get a lot done, and I’m going to sit in the room, get a budget done with the guy, and unlike Bruce Rauner, we’re actually going to work together on the things that are good for working families, but I’m going to be truly independent.
*** UPDATE 2 *** Will Allison at the Rauner campaign has his own rating: Thumbs down…
Madigan’s power isn’t fundraising, it’s running a rigged system. The same system Pritzker needed to get through the primary despite spending $70 million. And Pritzker’s commitment to the system is why he hasn’t called out Madigan for blocking terms limits and redistricting reform.
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* Press release…
On the heels of the failure of the General Assembly to advance two major initiatives to help end the culture of corruption in Illinois, Gov. Bruce Rauner and Rep. Grant Wehrli (R-Naperville) today proposed giving Illinois the toughest public corruption penalties in the country to hold public officials accountable.
“State government needs to earn back the trust of the people,” Rauner said. “This legislation sends a strong message to politicians and public employees who think they are above the law that Illinois is fighting back.”
House Bill 5878, sponsored and introduced by Rep. Wehrli, increases or imposes firm penalties for more than 20 offenses to hold politicians and government accountable.
“Public corruption has eroded Illinois’ economy and morale for far too long,” Wehrli said. “Our citizens deserve honesty and integrity in their leaders and public employees. These penalty increases will impose more serious consequences for those looking to take advantage of our taxpayers and encourage good government for generations to come.”
* Not sure why the governor did this on a Friday afternoon with a brand new bill introduced two weeks after the House’s 3rd Reading deadline, but here are the deets…
Bribery
Increases maximum penalty from a $25,000 fine to a $1 million fine
Receiving contributions on state property
Doubles maximum fine from $5,000 to $10,000
Engaging in prohibited political activities
Increases maximum fine from $2,500 to $10,000
Improperly serving on state boards and commissions
Increases maximum fine from $5,000 to $35,000
Legislators abusing their power for financial gain by:
Accepting honorarium
Upgraded from an ethics violation to a Class A Misdemeanor with a maximum fine of $5,100, plus surrender of honorarium to the state
Lobbying for compensation or unlawful participation in representation cases
Increases maximum fine from $2,500 to $200,000
Accepting other compensation for official duties
Upgrades classification from Petty Offense to Class A Misdemeanor and increases maximum fine from $1,000 to $200,000
Engaging in corrupt activities that violate the Legislator Code of Conduct
Sets minimum penalties for specific violations ranging from $1,000 to $35,000
* More…
Penalties will also increase for any legislator, public official or public employee fraudulently obtaining public moneys reserved for disadvantaged business enterprises and willfully filing false or incomplete financial disclosure statements.
Finally, the proposed legislation implements a $50 fine for any legislator, public official or public employee who knowingly fails to comply with ethics or sexual harassment prevention training.
“I’m not giving up and neither should the people of Illinois,” Rauner said. “We will continue to propose real reforms that stop politicians and political hires from using the powers of the Illinois government for illegitimate private gain.”
If we’ve learned anything over the years, it’s that penalty enhancement bills mainly exist to let politicians gloat that they’re being tough on crime.
* But, hey, as I’ve been saying all along, Gov. Rauner’s campaign is gonna be all about taxes, Madigan and corruption. So we can likely expect lots of noise about Madigan increasing the “corruption tax” by not allowing the most fabulous “anti-corruption” bill ever (!) out of Rules Committee.
Such is life.
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Who watches the watchdogs?
Friday, May 11, 2018 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Hmm…
* The BGA story’s headline is: “Police Shooting Bill On Fast-track Because It Changes Little”…
After passing the Senate last month 49-0, the Raoul bill is expected to speed through the House without opposition from a powerful police lobby well-known for pushing back hard on new mandates from Springfield.
A likely reason for the restraint is that the bill does not demand independent or civilian oversight, sets forth no parameters for what should be included in the policy reviews, provides no funding to conduct the investigations and leaves it to local police chiefs to decide how to conduct them. […]
“Everything that I have done in law enforcement and criminal justice reform, I’ve done incrementally,” [Sen. Kwame Raoul] said. “I’m open to seeing what would happen with it in whatever capacity I will be serving in the future. I anticipate having a voice in this, and using it.” […]
“If those critics have the revenue source to fund the investigative agency that could police every police department, I’m all ears,” he said. “Things aren’t as easy as flipping a switch.”
* Only one witness slip has so far been filed on this bill and it was from a proponent…
The fact that the Better Government Association was actively lobbying in favor of Raoul’s bill was never mentioned in the BGA’s story about Raoul’s bill.
Odd.
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Question of the day
Friday, May 11, 2018 - Posted by Rich Miller
* WTTW…
After recovering its 100th assault weapon this year, Chicago Police Department Superintendent Eddie Johnson is renewing his call on Springfield to pass comprehensive gun reforms.
Johnson on Thursday said his department has seized 106 “high-powered assault” weapons so far this year, marking a 34-percent increase over the same time period last year, while also touting 14-straight months of gun violence reductions in the city.
* MM…
* Synopsis…
Amends the Criminal Code of 2012. Defines “assault weapon”. Provides that a person commits the offense of unlawful sale or delivery of firearms when he or she knowingly delivers any assault weapon without withholding delivery of the assault weapon for at least 72 hours, including to a nonresident of the State while at a firearm showing or display recognized by the Department of State Police. Provides that a violation is a Class 4 felony. Effective immediately.
The definition is here.
* The Question: Should Gov. Rauner sign this bill? Take the poll and then explain your answer in comments, please.
find bike trails
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Simple solutions are usually neither
Friday, May 11, 2018 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Tribune…
The foundation that supports the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum indicated Thursday that prestigious memorabilia tied to the home-state 16th president could be sold to help pay back a loan taken out to buy a trove of items more than a decade ago. […]
Officials sounded the alarm bell publicly after meeting with aides to Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner this week but “receiving no financial commitments.” The Lincoln officials added that they’ve asked state lawmakers for money three times, to no avail.
A Rauner spokeswoman called the museum “a jewel for the state.”
“We are certainly interested in working with the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library Foundation as they work through their options,” Patty Schuh said. “We are listening to their business plan.”
* On principle, this “solution” is a horrible idea…
If they set that precedent, then every single time something went wrong they’d be pressured into paying for it out of their own pockets. State Fair grandstand roof unexpectedly collapses? No worries, let JB and Bruce pick up the tab. As wealthy as both men are, they don’t have enough money to fix everything themselves. It’s why we have a government.
But the state budget is so tight that government money to solve the private foundation’s entire $9.7 million debt problem seems unlikely. And, of course, it is a private, not a government, foundation.
* A better solution might be if both the governor and Pritzker agreed to actively participate in a fundraising drive, and then maybe Gov. Rauner could try to scrounge up a little bit of state cash to help them along, or maybe find a way to give them a state loan.
Whatever the case, Rauner is right. The museum/library is a “jewel” and therefore he shouldn’t allow it to degrade on his watch. The library’s collection draws researchers from all over the world. And since the loan is due in October of 2019, Pritzker has a stake in making sure it doesn’t happen while he might be in charge.
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* Stateline…
Seven months after the #MeToo movement began, state lawmakers across the country are still grappling with how to root out what many say is a longstanding misogynist culture in statehouses. After dozens of sexual harassment accusations against sitting male state lawmakers, at least 16 legislators in a dozen states have resigned or been expelled, according to a Stateline tally.
In many states, accused lawmakers were knocked from leadership posts, or voluntarily relinquished them, while remaining in office. Others apologized and kept their positions, or maintain their innocence.
As many legislative sessions end, many of the substantial policy changes that state lawmakers were hoping for — such as creating a private and safe method for victims to come forward and a nonpartisan way for bad behavior to be punished — remain elusive.
Many female state lawmakers, as well as consultants working to help legislatures prevent harassment, say there is still a long way to go before women feel entirely safe reporting harassment, and before men who engage in harassment or assault are held accountable. […]
State lawmakers this year have mostly focused on “low-hanging fruit,” said Andrea Johnson, senior counsel for state policy at the National Women’s Law Center. At least 11 legislative chambers have updated their harassment policies. At least three of those policies now explain that everyone who works in, or visits, the statehouse is protected from harassment.
In at least a dozen states, legislatures have begun hosting more in-depth or frequent anti-harassment trainings. And at least three states — Delaware, Illinois and Virginia — enacted laws to make this training mandatory. […]
One thing, at least, has changed: Some more senior female state lawmakers say they no longer hesitate to speak out when they see what they perceive to be harassment.
Are you noticing any changes?
* Related…
* Republicans Still Seek Candidate To Challenge Villivalam In November: Niles Township Republican Committeeman Chris Hanusiak said a suitable candidate has not yet been found to run against Ram Villivalam who defeated incumbent State Sen. Ira Silverstein in the March 20 Gubernatorial Primary.
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It’s just a bill
Friday, May 11, 2018 - Posted by Rich Miller
* I told subscribers about this angry floor debate the day after it happened. Here’s the Chicago Reader’s take…
In the statehouse, Democratic and Republican state representatives sit on opposite sides of a narrow aisle, but they might as well be on different sides of an ocean as far as their worldviews go.
The latest evidence is a contentious debate that occurred last month over the voting rights of pretrial detainees—folks who have been arrested and jailed but are awaiting trial so are not technically guilty of a crime.
On one side of the debate were Democrats, all of them black. On the other side were Republicans, all of them white.
Go read the whole thing.
* According to Rep. Litesa Wallace, that divisive debate and several other events helped spark her to introduce HB5877…
Creates the Racial Impact Note Act. Provides that every bill which has or could have a disparate impact on racial and ethnic minorities, upon the request of any member, shall have prepared for it, before second reading in the house of introduction, a brief explanatory statement or note that shall include a reliable estimate of the anticipated impact on those racial and ethnic minorities likely to be impacted by the bill. Specifies the contents, and provides for the preparation, of each racial impact note.
Amends the State Officials and Employees Ethics Act. Prohibits racial discrimination and harassment by State officers and employees. Provides that each State officer and employee shall annually complete a racial bias, discrimination, and harassment training program approved by the appropriate jurisdictional authority. Expands the jurisdiction of the Executive Ethics Commission to include allegations of racial discrimination and harassment by persons registered under the Lobbyist Registration Act. Provides that the personnel policies of units of local government shall prohibit racial discrimination and harassment. Defines “racial discrimination and harassment”. Provides for rulemaking, including emergency rulemaking.
Amends the Secretary of State Act. Provides the Secretary of State’s Inspector General with jurisdiction to investigate complaints of racial discrimination and harassment by persons registered under the Lobbyist Registration Act.
Amends the Lobbyist Registration Act. Prohibits racial discrimination and harassment by persons registered under the Lobbyist Registration Act. Provides that each registered lobbyist shall annually complete a racial bias, discrimination, and harassment training program approved by the Secretary of State. Defines “racial discrimination and harassment”.
Amends the Illinois Human Rights Act. Requires the Department of Human Rights to establish a racial discrimination and harassment hotline for the anonymous reporting of racial discrimination and harassment in both public and private places of employment, and to provide for reporting by both telephone and Internet. Amends the Illinois Administrative Procedure Act to provide for emergency rulemaking. Effective immediately.
Discuss.
* Other bills…
* ADDED: Bill providing more oversight on grant spending advances at statehouse: The measure also would provide a blackout period before elections to keep the state’s constitutional officers from putting their names on such programs or grants to gain a political advantage, “so they cannot make grant announcements and things that I think the public is suspicious of in the weeks before an election,” he said.
* Illinois lawmakers weigh ban on all formulas of synthetic pot after deaths: Now, a measure that cleared the state Senate this week would ban all types of synthetic cannabinoids instead of just specific formulas. It’s a “catch-all” approach designed to prevent manufacturers from circumventing laws that only ban specific chemical combinations. Drugs that would be prohibited include any synthetic cannabinoids as well as piperazines or synthetic cathinones that are not approved for use by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
* Video gambling brings millions to Illinois, but casino cities aren’t seeing the benefits: The Illinois Casino Association sees one area for future casino growth: internet gaming, said Tom Swoik, executive director of the association, which represents five of the state’s 10 casinos and does not cover those in Aurora or Elgin. It could encourage people, especially young people, to return to casinos, he said.
* Lawmakers Seek Change To Graduate Student Employee Contract: After a 12-day strike beginning in February, the University of Illinois and graduate student employees settled on a new contract that includes pay raises and tuition waiver protections. Now lawmakers want to clarify who is eligible for those benefits.
* Edwardsville legislator wants independent study of SIUE-SIUC funding split: “The days of Carbondale serving as the main campus and Edwardsville serving as a satellite campus are distant history,” Stuart said.
* Illinois lawmakers pass on proposal to get slowpokes out of the fast lane: There was little interest from the committee, which didn’t call it for a vote. Oberweis said he considers it a dead issue.
* Lawmakers debate governor’s pension cost shift proposal: “I would rather land on something that members of this body can vote for and the governor can sign than us file a bill, it gets called, it gets voted down and then we’re left with nothing,” Zigmund said.
* Measure requiring schools that are polling places to send kids home on election day heard in committee: State Rep. Margo McDermed’s House Bill 4557 would require – rather than encourage – a school district to close a school or hold a teachers’ institute day if the school is a polling place on election day. “Schools are getting rightly leery of such dangerous strangers as voters coming into their schools and interacting with children who may be there,” McDermed, R-Mokena, said Thursday in a subject matter hearing.
* Debate over driverless car technology continues in Illinois: Wednesday’s discussions also veered into some of the unanswered questions about the technology, including issues of liability. For instance, in case of a crash, who would be liable for injuries or fatalities, the owner or passenger or the manufacturer?
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The hard truth about Illinois’ future
Friday, May 11, 2018 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Back to former Gov. Jim Edgar’s appearance on a panel discussion hosted by AARP Illinois and NPR Illinois…
Though [panelists] all said the situation is slightly better than it was last year, the state is still in a terrible position and that it will take years and fiscal discipline to climb out of, they said.
“There are no silver bullets to these problems,” Edgar said. “There isn’t going to be a one-year solution. Whatever the solutions are going to be, they are going to be very unpleasant to everybody. There’s going to be more taxes, cuts in programs, and, probably the hardest thing, we’re going to have to stay on that dive for many years. It took us 20 years to get into this hole, and it’s going to take us a lot of years to get out of it. But we need to start.”
As we’ve already discussed, this hole took us more than 20 years to dig. That’s why we can’t have an “all or nothing” governor. We simply cannot climb out of this in one year, or two years, or three, or…
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* From a BN-D article about the potential split between SIU’s Carbondale and Edwardsville campuses…
Gov. Bruce Rauner said he was “very supportive of both campuses.”
“There are a lot of discussions underway,” he said. “I want just to make sure SIU in Carbondale and SIU in Edwardsville do exceptional work and continue to get great support … Whether they’re together or separate, I want to make sure they thrive and continue to do an outstanding job.”
J.B. Pritzker, the Democratic nominee challenging Rauner in the coming election, said that under Rauner, many students have left the state or chosen not to attend in Illinois because of “the dysfunction in our higher education system because Bruce Rauner has failed to fund it.”
“One of the reasons we’ve had to look at making changes in the university system is because Bruce Rauner has driven faculty out and driven students out,” Pritzker said. “Again, the principle behind whatever decision gets made here ought to be what’s best for the future of building up our universities, not tearing them down.”
BN-D video of Gov. Rauner’s full remarks is here.
Discuss.
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Dems look to put Rauner in another trick bag
Friday, May 11, 2018 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Public Radio…
Illinois gubernatorial candidates will soon receive a written pledge in the mail asking them to support the new law expanding abortion coverage — and oppose any push to repeal it.
After Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner signed a law providing abortion coverage under state health insurance and Medicaid, some — like state Rep. Jeanne Ives who ran against him on the GOP ticket in the primary — said it showed Rauner’s position on the issue is too liberal. According to Ives, the governor’s decision encouraged her to run as his opponent.
Several lawmakers in the General Assembly have filed three different proposals meant to repeal the law, but none were assigned to a committee for further consideration.
* WCIA TV…
Most lawmakers admit a repeal is unrealistic, many republicans are calling the press conference a political hit job on the governor.
“I can’t imagine what the threat could be it’s the law now, we as the minority party don’t have the votes to repeal it so again I just think it’s a political ploy by the democrats to try and draw some attention to it,” says Rep. Tim Butler (R) Springfield. […]
“I think he owes it to the women of this state to sign the pledge and to say that he will never support a repeal of it. That’s not a lot to ask for a person who’s running for the highest office in this state,” says Rep. Feigenholtz (D) Chicago, the chief architect of the legislation.
Rauner campaigned as a pro-choice candidate. When HB40 came to his desk he told republicans he’d veto it but later changed his mind. Democrats say they need to know he won’t go back on his word, again.
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* Tribune…
An attorney for an unsuccessful candidate for the Republican State Central Committee says his client may go to court to try to reverse a decision by the Illinois State Board of Elections — a move that could affect who becomes the next state GOP chairman.
State Board officials said they had no choice under law Thursday but to certify the results of county conventions held previously across the state that elected a member of the state central committee from each of the state’s 18 congressional districts. Those 18 will decide — by a weighted vote of GOP ballots cast in the March primary — whether to keep Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner’s handpicked chairman, Cook County Commissioner Tim Schneider, or opt for challenger Lake County GOP Chairman Mark Shaw. […]
John Fogarty, the legal counsel for the state GOP, dismissed Boulton’s criticism that vote tallying at the county conventions lacked safeguards.
“These are political elections. They are not any type of election that the state can come in and force, order with election judges and the like. These are county conventions and the counties are perfectly able to conduct these elections in the manner that they see fit,” Fogarty said.
* WCIA TV…
The results showed State Senator Chapin Rose (R-Mahomet) won. He could be the deciding vote, but critics say the process was rigged.
According to Matt Dietrich, a spokesman for the State Board of Elections, ISBE has no legal authority over the party rules.
“All we are able to do under state statute is accept the results when the party gives them to us from their county conventions and certify those results, which are then used to elect the state chairman,” Dietrich said. […]
“Sen. Rose and the 17 other members of the State Central Committee will be seated at the upcoming meeting and will cast their votes for party chairman,” ILGOP spokesman Aaron DeGroot stated. “We look forward to completing this important party business and focusing our efforts to defeat JB Pritzker and Mike Madigan in the upcoming November election.”
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* I went over these comments by former Gov. Jim Edgar with subscribers this morning, so I’ll just let you debate them in comments…
The former governor said factors making it easier are that the income tax increase was taken care of last year, a slew of legislators are retiring at the end of this year and there’s intense pressure on lawmakers from voters to get something done. Edgar thinks it is especially crucial for Rauner to have a budget done ahead of his re-election campaign.
“I think he needs a budget as much as anyone in the state,” Edgar said. “I’m not sure he understands that, but I can tell him — and I’ve told him in the past — nothing’s more important for a governor than having a good budget because that allows you to manage the state to do your job. And if you do your job, it’s going to be a lot easier to get re-elected.” […]
But given that the governor is tasked with implementing the budget, Edgar said the process works better when the governor is involved. For instance, Edgar said the Department of Corrections would not have faced problems as simple as finding gas money if he had been involved in last year’s budget. […]
“To be able to win the state, you need more than just Republican votes,” Edgar said. “Democrats can win with just Democratic votes. But a Republican needs independents and, as I always said, thoughtful Democrats. And so, that’s why the budget is so important to him as well as it is to the entire state.”
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* RGA…
The Belleville News Democrat is taking Illinois Democrat gubernatorial candidate J.B. Pritzker and his top ally, House Speaker Mike Madigan, to task for opposing political reforms and proposing massive tax hikes on already overtaxed families.
Madigan, without a word of opposition from Pritzker, killed efforts to allow Illinoisans to vote on reforms backed by GOP Governor Bruce Rauner, such as term limits. Rauner has made supporting term limits one of his signature issues, and newly released footage shows Pritzker making clear that he opposes term limits.
Instead, Pritzker and Madigan are pushing massive tax hikes but “refuse to offer specifics.” The Belleville News Democrat editorial board calls the Pritzker-Madigan tax hike plan a “cause for more worry.”
“They want more money,” writes the paper.
The contrast in the Illinois governor’s race could not be more clear: GOP Governor Bruce Rauner is committed to reforms to fix Illinois’ broken political system and lower taxes, while J.B. Pritzker and Mike Madigan want no reform and much higher taxes.
Taxes, Madigan, corruption. Rinse and repeat through November.
* From that editorial…
On Tuesday, after some budget progress between Gov. Bruce Rauner and legislative leaders, Illinois Senate President John Cullerton said this: “We have a general understanding, I think, about how much money we have coming in and there’s some variables in terms of — we have a general idea of I think how much we need to spend.”
“Need to spend.” Right there is the problem.
You know how much money your family has, and must adjust your spending. Springfield figures out how much money you can produce, and must adjust how much less money you will have.
Illinoisans just were forced to give another $5 billion when lawmakers overrode a veto to increase the state income tax rate to 4.95 percent. It still isn’t enough, so there is a push for a progressive tax. They keep saying it is a “soak the rich” tax — funny coming from rich guys like Madigan and Pritzker — but they continue to refuse to offer specifics so we can see who really gets soaked.
They want more money. They don’t push taxation that doesn’t produce more money.
Thoughts?
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* Tribune yesterday afternoon at 4:32…
With more money come more problems. Illinois is scheduled to get $108 million as part of the Volkswagen diesel scandal settlement, but critics of the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency, who are preparing to disburse the funds, say Illinoisans are not getting enough input on how to apply the funds.
“They purported for over a year on their website that they were going to have public meetings, public hearings to decide the best way to spend this money,” said John Walton, chair of Chicago Area Clean Cities, a group of government and corporate organizations that works toward reducing pollution. “There have been zero public meetings. There have been zero public hearings.”
Alec Messina, director of the IEPA, said the IEPA met with many agencies and advocacy groups over the feedback period from Feb. 28 to April 20, that the IEPA never turned down a meeting request, and that the public was also welcome to submit comments by mail.
“I would not agree that there have not been public sessions for people to weigh in. We’ve hosted a number of targeted meetings with people since this information has become available,” said Messina, who added that what the IEPA does with the feedback or whether it will be made public has yet to be determined.
* 33 minutes later…
Amid mounting pressure from critics, Gov. Bruce Rauner’s administration is reversing course and agreeing to hold three public meetings on how $109 million in settlement cash from the Volkswagen air-emissions scandal should be spent.
The decision follows complaints by environmentalists, health groups, advocates for alternative fuels and some state lawmakers who said Illinois Environmental Protection Agency Director Alec Messina was cutting backroom deals with big-business representatives on how to spend the windfall. The outrage followed reporting by the Better Government Association.
The meetings will be held May 23 in Springfield, May 24 in East St. Louis and May 30 in Chicago. Each meeting is scheduled for 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. and will include public comment, according to the state agency.
Messina had previously balked at holding open meetings, arguing they weren’t necessary and wouldn’t draw enough attendees.
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Ineffective, untimely and non-transparent
Friday, May 11, 2018 - Posted by Rich Miller
* The AP’s write-up on the latest WBEZ story about the Quincy veterans’ home…
The Illinois Department of Labor reproach focused on emails that Illinois Veterans Home administrators sent to state workers, WBEZ Chicago reported Thursday. State labor officials said the Illinois Department of Veterans’ Affairs “failed to effectively notify all employees” about the outbreak. Labor officials also said the veterans’ agency didn’t instruct workers about “proper precautions to avoid or eliminate exposure in a timely manner.” […]
Illinois Veterans’ Affairs Director Erica Jeffries, who will step down from that post next week, said Quincy employees were kept informed about the outbreak through emails, meetings and informational material posted at nursing stations.
“We communicated effectively to our staff and to our residents and certainly to the family members of each resident that was exhibiting signs and symptoms of pneumonia,” she said in a statement.
Her spokesman, Dave MacDonna, said the veterans’ affairs department “has been transparent concerning its response to the outbreak in 2015 and has provided thousands of documents to both members of the media and the General Assembly.”
Um, Rauner’s own Department of Labor directly disputes the notion that IDVA “communicated effectively” to staff. Labor specifically reported that the agency “failed to effectively notify all employees,” and didn’t explain matters to workers “in a timely manner.”
And transparent? Hardly. Remember all the redactions in the Legislature’s FOIA?…
A WBEZ analysis of nearly 450 pages of emails found that government lawyers blacked out portions of more than half the documents recently turned over to a legislative panel investigating the state’s inability to contain the waterborne illness.
* DGA…
Yesterday, WBEZ reported that the Illinois Department of Veterans’ Affairs “failed to effectively notify all employees” at the Quincy Veterans Home about the 2015 deadly Legionnaires’ outbreak and had been “formally rebuked” by another one of Governor Bruce Rauner’s agencies. Since 2015, eight staff members fell ill to Legionnaires’ and 13 residents died.
Rauner has yet to hold anyone accountable for his administration’s failed response at Quincy. IDVA Director Erica Jeffries, who repeatedly claimed her agency was “very clear” with staff despite the formal finding, is being allowed to resign in May, leaving taxpayers on the hook for thousands of dollars in salary, benefits and potential vacation payouts. Illinois Department of Public Health Director Nirah Shah has been asked to step down by a Republicans lawmaker, but not by Rauner.
“Why hasn’t Bruce Rauner held anyone accountable for his administration’s botched response to the deadly Quincy Legionnaires’ outbreak?” asked DGA Illinois Communications Director Sam Salustro. “Governor ‘I’m not in charge’ is really living up to his nickname as he spends more time focused on deflecting blame than running a responsive government.”
* Meanwhile, on to the Tribune…
Gov. Rauner will soon get a say on whether state-run veterans homes should be required to more quickly disclose information about the presence of infectious diseases, a key issue lawmakers have used to criticize his administration’s handling of deadly Legionnaires’ outbreaks in Quincy.
CDC report on Quincy veterans home
The Senate passed a bill by a 52-0 vote Thursday that would require veterans homes to write letters to all residents, post warning signs in common areas and regularly update the state’s veterans affairs and public health departments within a day of an outbreak being found. Lawmakers have repeatedly questioned if Rauner’s appointed directors were swift enough in those actions. Rauner spokeswoman Rachel Bold did not answer questions about if and when the governor would sign the bill, saying in an emailed statement that the administration “is clearly in favor of transparency and supported this legislation as it moved through the legislative process.”
The proposal would apply specifically to diseases known to be of higher health concern for the elderly — including Legionnaires’ — and kick in whenever two residents fall ill within a one-month period. Since 2015, 13 residents have died and dozens more have been sickened after several waves of Legionnaires’ passed through the home. The most recent cases of sickness surfaced in February. […]
The bill, which the House approved 110-0, is the first of several legislative measures inspired by the Quincy situation to clear both chambers so far. Lawmakers are also considering a development project with a price tag between $202 million and $245 million.
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*** LIVE COVERAGE ***
Friday, May 11, 2018 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Both the House and Senate canceled today’s session, but you can still see instant updates on everything else with ScribbleLive…
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* SJ-R…
A Springfield lawmaker said Thursday he’d be willing to look at selling some non-Lincoln artifacts that were part of the Louise Taper collection acquired in 2007 for the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum.
However, Rep. Tim Butler, R-Springfield, labeled as “ridiculous” any suggestion that Lincoln-related items should be sold to help retire the debt on the collection’s purchase.
Butler said he was told tangentially there may have been discussions about the library and museum divesting itself of some of the Taper collection. Butler said he first heard about the possible sale Wednesday.
However, the collection includes items that are not related to Lincoln, Butler said, and that’s a different matter.
* The Taper collection has been a source of controversy for years…
Two months before a major haul of Abraham Lincoln artifacts was purchased on behalf of the state, a New York appraiser raised questions about the authenticity of a $6.5 million stovepipe hat that purportedly belonged to the 16th president, newly released state records show.
That new disclosure represents the first evidence that state authorities were warned they might be on historically shaky ground with the hat before it was bought in 2007 from California collector Louise Taper as part of a $23 million acquisition of Lincoln items.
It also appears to further undercut assertions from the Lincoln presidential museum that there is “just not any question” about the hat’s provenance as the institution maintained in January when the hat was put on display without any recognition of its iffy past.
Taper’s collection, which included a large cache of Lincoln memorabilia and a smattering of other prizes such as a $40,000 dress worn by Marilyn Monroe, was acquired in May 2007 by a nonprofit foundation headed then by former Gov. Jim Edgar.
But the library folks still insist the hat is real and that they have the provenance to prove it.
* Anyway, the Lincoln Presidential Library Foundation has responded to the SJ-R story…
The Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library Foundation has been in talks with Governor Rauner’s office since the end of last year, including a meeting held earlier this week that helped enhance everyone’s understanding of the situation. Our goal has been to try to secure state funds to help keep a number of unique Lincoln artifacts in the State of Illinois while at the same time we continue to raise private support.
The Foundation took out a $23 million loan eleven years ago to acquire the artifacts to enhance the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum’s (ALPLM) collections and before they would be privately sold. We did so at the request of and to benefit the ALPLM. Since then, the Foundation has paid down more than $13 million of the outstanding debt exclusively through private fundraising.
While the Foundation’s lender has been quite helpful, we now face significant uncertainty about whether the Foundation’s lender will be willing and able to refinance the loan at affordable terms. The loan comes up for renewal in October 2019, just 20 short months away.
Based on the meeting with the Governor’s office this week, but receiving no financial commitments, the Foundation will continue its private fundraising efforts and be prepared to discuss a financial plan that would include some state funding, in the hopes of avoiding having to sell these unique artifacts. If the Foundation is not able to secure commitments in the very near future to retire most if not all of the remaining $9.7 million debt, it will have no choice but to accelerate the possibility of selling these unique artifacts on the private market which would likely remove them from public view forever.
It’s important to note that, in addition to private fundraising, the Foundation has made three prior attempts to secure appropriations from the Illinois Legislature to help pay down the debt.
Reading between the lines of that release, it looks to my eyes like the foundation may have to sell off Lincoln artifacts if something doesn’t change very soon.
…Adding… I’m told the Hollywood artifacts are already scheduled for a June auction.
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Question of the day
Thursday, May 10, 2018 - Posted by Rich Miller
* It seems like everybody I know is raving about the Showtime series “Billions.” I have Showtime, but I’ve never watched that program. Have you? Also, do you have any other binge-watching recommendations for others?
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It’s just a bill
Thursday, May 10, 2018 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Bernie…
DILLON CLARK of Litchfield, the Democratic candidate running against state REP. AVERY BOURNE, R-Raymond, in the 95th House District, is accusing Bourne of a conflict of interest.
But Bourne says she and her opponent agree on the issue Clark is raising, and she says the “mistruths and false attacks” involved show Clark is “more concerned about playing politics than advancing good public policy.”
Clark issued a statement this week saying that Bourne “chose to not vote on any iteration of HB 3479, even though she belatedly was put on as a co-sponsor of this bill which, if passed, would help the small town pharmacies here in our district.”
House Bill 3479 is designed to protect small pharmacies from deep cuts in reimbursements they get for filling Medicaid prescriptions.
Clark claimed that ELLEN WOEHRMANN works for the House Republican Organization, and Bourne has deferred decisions to her. Woehrmann’s husband, ERIK WOEHRMANN, is a lobbyist for CVS, which opposes the bill.
* Response from Rep. Bourne…
This is an issue where Dillon Clark and I actually agree, but his mistruths and false attacks prove he is more concerned about playing politics than advancing good public policy that helps independent pharmacies. I’ve been working on this issue with pharmacists in our district since I took office in 2015. I’m glad there’s bipartisan support in the General Assembly to help level the playing field for independent pharmacies. I was proud to sign on as a co-sponsor of this legislation on April 23rd after working with the Democratic sponsor of the bill. I look forward to continuing to support this bill when it comes back to the House on concurrence.
Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to be in session Thursday evening or Friday due to preparations for my wedding.
Ellen is an employee for the House Republican caucus and drafts press releases at my direction. She does not formally work for my office and does not advise me on any legislative matters, whatsoever.
As it turns out, I was on the floor when that bill was debated. It came up unexpectedly. Even the proponents were surprised when it passed.
Bourne was given an excused absence starting at 4:30 that afternoon to attend to her wedding preparation. The bill wasn’t voted on until almost two hours later. Again, the floor vote came as a surprise to just about everyone. Bourne signed on as a co-sponsor before the bill had its first full committee hearing, which came the day before the unexpected floor vote (the bill was far from finished, to say the least - even one of the co-sponsors, Rep. Bill Mitchell, said it shouldn’t be advanced).
* Bourne added…
I am only going to get married once. There are times in life where you wish you could be in two places at one time. Thursday, April 26th was one of those times. But, as I promised my now husband during wedding preparations, our marriage and our family will always come first. Fortunately, I will get the opportunity to vote on this bill again. When that day comes, I will be there to vote yes.
Looks like a non-issue.
* Other bills…
* Lawmakers look to ease student access to medical CBD oil in school: A state senate panel on Tuesday put its stamp of approval on a plan that would allow nurses or other school employees to administer CBD, or cannabidiol oil, a non-intoxicating extract of marijuana used to treat various conditions. The oil is often used to control seizures, but because it comes from marijuana, there has been resistance to allowing it to be administered in schools.
* Jim Dey: Ohio shows Illinois how it’s done with fair maps: Indeed, Illinois’ long practice of allowing members of the majority party to draw their own state House and Senate districts doesn’t just break the election process, it demolishes it.
* Are 16-year-olds smart enough to vote? Vote16 Illinois thinks so: Illinois state rep Kelly Cassidy supports letting 16-year-olds vote and is working with Vote16 Illinois on strategies to get the voting age lowered. “We trust kids at 16 alone behind the wheel of a 2,000-pound vehicle on the road,” said John Pearl, Cassidy’s chief of staff. “I mean, at some point you have to realize that 18 is extremely arbitrary. . . . It’s not like when you turn 18 you automatically have a serious increase in understanding of political knowledge.” In Illinois, giving 16-year-olds the right to vote would require a change to the Illinois Constitution, which was amended in 1988 to lower the minimum voting age to 18.
* I’m asking you, as a mother who lost her daughter, to take guns from unstable people: The Firearms Protection Order Act provides a stopgap solution to that problem and it can be implemented before the subject of the order injures or kills himself or someone else with his guns. This order is issued only if a judge is convinced that the person clearly poses a threat to himself or to others. The bill also establishes a pathway for the person to have his gun ownership right restored before the order expires on its own. I believe this bill could help save many lives because far, far more common than mass shootings are suicides. More than 60 percent of gun deaths are intentionally self-inflicted. Moreover, suicides are preventable — and one of the most effective ways of preventing them is to ensure that people demonstrating the signs that they are at a risk for suicide is to restrict their access to firearms.
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Oppo dump!
Thursday, May 10, 2018 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Hmm…
As far back as 1991, Lori Lightfoot has represented Illinois Republicans in their redistricting efforts.
· 1991: Lightfoot was an attorney for Illinois Republican members of Congress, including Dennis Hastert, in their lawsuit over the congressional map following the 1990 census. [Hastert v. State Bd. of Elections, 777 F. Supp. 634 (N.D. Ill. 1991)]
* Lightfoot worked with some heavy hitters…
Tyrone C. Fahner, Richard S. Williamson, Lori E. Lightfoot, George J. Tzanetopoulos, Mayer, Brown & Platt, Charles Frank Marino, David M. Marino, Chicago, Ill., for plaintiffs Hastert, et al. […]
The Republican Party members of the current Illinois congressional delegation filed the initial action on June 27, 1991. Hastert v. State Board of Elections, No. 91 C 4028. The Hastert plaintiffs seek a declaration of the unconstitutionality of the present congressional districts due to population changes reflected in the 1990 census and ask the court to enjoin the Board from conducting the 1992 congressional elections under the current congressional district plan. Additionally, the Hastert plaintiffs submit for court approval their own statewide redistricting proposal to replace the current plan.
* Meanwhile…
Mayoral challenger Garry McCarthy on Wednesday denounced as “revisionist history” former Police Board President Lori Lightfoot’s claim that McCarthy’s “track record” was so “troubling,” he never should have been hired as Chicago police superintendent. […]
She called McCarthy “a guy [who] still sincerely believes that stop-and-frisk, stopping everything that moves without legal justification, without meeting the constitutional restrictions is appropriate.” She noted that “a consent decree followed his tenure in Newark” and will soon follow his tenure in Chicago.
* Mayor Emanuel’s campaign…
“While all of these candidates try to figure out a path to get into the runoff that already have them attacking one another, the mayor is focused on the best path forward for Chicago, with safer streets, expanding summer jobs opportunities for youth, and bringing more good jobs to Chicago.” - Pete Giangreco, campaign spokesman
The mayor’s people point out that there are two tickets to the runoff. Emanuel has one and the rest are gonna be fighting each other to snag the other one.
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Pritzker dinged on term limits
Thursday, May 10, 2018 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Rauner campaign…
At an event in McLean County on Tuesday, JB Pritzker was asked if he’d commit to only serving two terms as Governor. He replied curtly with: “Do you really want me to commit to that right here?” (VIDEO)
Pritzker did not make that commitment and later said, “I’m not in favor of term limits generally.” (VIDEO)
80% of Illinoisans support term limits, and Governor Rauner has always said he’ll only serve two terms because he believes public service should be a calling, not a way to make money.
“JB Pritzker doesn’t want term limits for the governor’s office or any other elected official because he’s a corrupt insider looking to become a career politician.” -Will Allison, Rauner campaign spokesman
Sounds like that first clip was a joke. And Pritzker has said before that he doesn’t favor term limits except for legislative leaders. But, still a fun little ding.
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Credit Unions: A Unique Concept for Financial Services
Thursday, May 10, 2018 - Posted by Advertising Department
[The following is a paid advertisement.]
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Brady asks judge to dismiss McCann’s lawsuit
Thursday, May 10, 2018 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Tribune…
Senate Republican Leader Bill Brady on Wednesday asked a federal judge to dismiss a lawsuit brought by Sen. McCann, who said he was kicked out of the GOP caucus after launching his governor bid.
McCann contended Brady violated his right to free speech because he no longer has access to Republican legislative staff and other support services he previously received. McCann said as a result, his constituents now have a senator that “is only allowed to participate to a severely limited degree.”
Attorneys for Brady countered in court documents filed Wednesday that he has “legislative immunity” to make decisions about how staff and resources are distributed within his caucus. They argued the lawsuit “opens the door for a federal court to engage in extraordinary micromanaging of the internal affairs of elected state legislators.”
Brady also contended that McCann is able to fulfill all of his duties as a state senator, saying he still has full voting rights, the help of an assistant and access to a bureau that helps lawmakers prepare bills.
Thoughts?
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* Republic-Times…
Monroe County Sheriff Neal Rohlfing is sending a message to firearm owners across the county, with the hope it reaches all the way to Springfield.
With the declaration of Monroe County as a “sanctuary county,” Rohlfing has said he will not enforce any new laws passed that infringe on Second Amendment rights.
Monroe County Board Chairman Bob Elmore said he wholeheartedly supports Rohfling’s intent.
“We want people to understand we’re for the Second Amendment; we don’t want Springfield dictating things to us because they do plenty now,” Elmore said in an interview with KMOV News 4.
The full Monroe County Board went on to unanimously pass a resolution Monday opposing the passage of several House and Senate bills “where the 100th Illinois General Assembly desires to restrict the individual right of U.S. citizens as protected by the Second Amendment of the United States Constitution.”
* BN-D…
Among the potential laws that the Monroe County Board and the sheriff do not support are House Bill 1465, which would make it unlawful to sell an assault weapon, .50 caliber rifles, cartridges or assault weapon attachments to any person under the age of 21.
House Bill 1467 says any municipality may not regulate assault weapons “in a manner less restrictive than the regulation by the State” and makes possession of a bump-fire stock or trigger crank illegal in Illinois. […]
The county’s resolution posted on the sheriff’s Facebook page said that those bills are violations of the Fourth Amendment.
* Fox St. Louis…
State Senator Paul Schimpf (R) of Waterloo also weighed in on the resolution.
“While I am sympathetic and just as angry and frustrated as these county officials are, when it comes to different jurisdictions saying that they are going to selectively enforce legislation, they are going to pick and choose which statutes they support, that’s something that I don’t think is consistent with the rule of law and that’s not something I agree with,” said Schimpf during a phone interview with Fox 2.
* CNN…
“We want to make a statement. We don’t want our Second Amendment rights to be stripped away from us,” David Campbell, vice chairman of the Effingham County Board, told CNN. “If we protect immigrants with sanctuary cities, why not use similar laws to protect our rights to own a gun?” he added.
According to Campbell, at least 30 of Illinois’s 102 counties have asked to see Effingham County’s resolution. So far, Iroquois, Jasper, Saline and Jefferson counties have adopted similar resolutions opposing state gun restrictions, although Iroquois County’s resolution didn’t use the “sanctuary county” language.
“Sometimes laws are passed or introduced when people don’t understand guns. For example the semi auto AR-15 is like a lot of guns we have across the country to simply hunt with,” said Saline County Board Chairman Jay Williams.
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* Tribune…
Rauner so far hasn’t directly said whether he supports the amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which would guarantee that rights can’t be denied because of a person’s sex. He has said he is a “supporter of equal rights for everyone” and notes that he does not have to sign off for lawmakers to approve it.
But Democratic State Rep. Lou Lang said Wednesday that Rauner should “make public statements firmly and positively about what’s right and wrong.”
“And if he doesn’t believe it’s appropriate to make a public statement or make an effort when we’re on the precipice of history to provide women of America with rights they ought to be due under the U.S. Constitution, I think that would say a lot about him,” Lang said. “I also think it would say a lot about him if he were to do the right thing. If he would decide to make those calls, make those public statements, urge Republican legislators to vote for the Equal Rights Amendment.”
The matter may prove politically tricky for Rauner because opponents contend the amendment is a vehicle for putting abortion protections into the U.S. Constitution.
* SJ-R…
The House needs at least 71 votes to ratify, which means both Democrats and Republicans need to support it. Rep. Steven Andersson, R-Geneva, said he’s working on rallying Republicans to vote for the bill. He said many conservative voters fear the bill would get rid of gendered bathrooms or permanently legalize abortion. […]
Anderson added many of his fellow Republicans support ratification, but they fear the vote being used to unseat them in a future primary. He argued they should think more in the short term to the general election this November. […]
“If we had to on the GOP side, I think we can do it without (Rauner), but I want to do it with him,” said Andersson. “I want to be able to stand there proudly with him when this gets done. I want him to be a part of the celebration. I want his support.
* Meanwhile…
Erika Harold, the Republican candidate for Illinois attorney general, on Wednesday didn’t say if state lawmakers should ratify the proposed federal Equal Rights Amendment, saying she could be called on to deal with the measure as attorney general.
“I’m not going to take a legislative position because as attorney general, I may actually have to weigh in (on) … the application of it as it relates to Illinois law,” Harold said when asked if she would vote for the measure if she had the chance. She was interviewed while at business luncheon in Springfield. […]
“I don’t think they need encouragement from anyone,” Harold said. “I think they just need to do what they think is right.”
* From Sen. Kwame Raoul’s campaign…
How can we trust the Rauner - Harold ticket to stand up for Illinois women if they continue to sit on the sidelines? Time and time again, Kwame has supported efforts to advance women’s rights and he’ll continue that fight as Attorney General.
Raoul participated in the ERA rally this week.
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Manar points finger back at Rauner
Thursday, May 10, 2018 - Posted by Rich Miller
* SJ-R…
Turning the tables somewhat on Gov. Bruce Rauner, some Senate Democrats said Wednesday that it is the governor who is stalling action on a new state budget.
The Democrats said the Rauner administration has never submitted legislation that contained his proposals for saving the state about $1.3 billion in next year’s state budget. That includes calls for cutting state worker health insurance benefits and beginning to shift downstate teacher pension costs to local districts and away from the state.
Rauner budget director Hans Zigmund told a joint hearing of the Senate Appropriations committees the governor’s budget is predicated on lawmakers approving the pension shifts and insurance changes. […]
But Sen. Andy Manar, D-Bunker Hill, one of the committee chairs, said no legislation has ever been introduced to change insurance benefits or shift pension costs. He said he is particularly concerned that shifting pension costs to school districts will unravel the benefits of the school funding reform bill that was meant to direct more state money to the neediest districts. […]
Rauner spokeswoman Rachel Bold said Wednesday the administration is “not looking for political theater. We’re working toward providing the citizens of this state with a balanced, full-year budget with no tax increase.”
He’s got a point. But May 31st is three weeks from today. Time to get to work.
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* WCIA TV…
Jeanne Ives may have lost her insurgent March primary battle against incumbent first term Governor Bruce Rauner, but she doesn’t intend to go down quietly — not without waging a war over the future of the state party apparatus first.
“We’ve got a fight going on,” Ives (R-Wheaton) said buoyantly on Wednesday, as she spoke about her plans to oust Rauner’s pick for the state party chairmanship, Tim Schneider.
“They want all controversy to go away, which would make sense from their standpoint,” Ives said with an air of defiance. “They are trying to pretend like there is a unified party and the truth is that they have dismissed the conservative voters who came out in droves to vote for me in the primary. They essentially want to have what looks like a unified party and not any controversy, but the truth is that we will not, our voices will be heard one way or the other.” […]
Ives and McSweeney are working publicly and privately to elect Mark Shaw, a local party operative and attorney from Lake Forest, to the state’s top party position. Ives says Shaw would introduce “fresh ideas” to a party at war with itself.
“One of the things I would like to see the party spend more time on is grass roots party development with actually working to work and train precinct committeemen,” Shaw said in a phone interview Wednesday night. “We tend to have a lot of high priced consultants that the average candidate in the local race can’t afford in their campaign. How about helping them raising money so they can buy some signs, some cards, put together some basic social media presence and help them go door-to-door?”
There’s a lot more to this story, including the likely upcoming court battle, so click here to read the rest.
But, here’s my beef: If the insurgent Shaw wants the party to focus on “grass roots” development, then why the heck were he and his allies so disorganized during the party county conventions last month?
* From a story about last month’s county-level meetings…
Among other charges, [Shaw supporter Bob Winchester] is expected to challenge the use of votes by acclamation in some counties — a move that gives the candidate with more than half of the votes the entire final tally, which violates party rules and may violate state law. […]
Results of the election show that Winchester received zero votes in nine of 33 counties, including four of the 10 most populated, a result that Shaw and others said would be impossible. […]
In all, 22 of 33 counties voted by acclamation, representing 63 percent of Rose’s vote and 59 percent of Winchester’s.
Just sayin’, but even a little bit of organizing could have prevented many of those acclamation votes.
* Related…
* IL GOP conservatives expect to pick new party leader Saturday, May 19th
* Tim Schneider Faces Challenge For State Party Leadership Post
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It’s not as simple as it sounds
Thursday, May 10, 2018 - Posted by Rich Miller
* From the Rauner administration’s latest “Illinois Economic and Fiscal Policy Report”…
State tax revenues will increase if Illinois’ economy grows at the national rate
* That’s obvious, but by how much? The Taxpayers’ Federation of Illinois takes a look…
According to one estimate, significant additional state revenues could be attained if Illinois improved its economic growth to just the national average….an additional $5.4 billion in state revenue over 5 years if the economy were to grow at the national average.
In examining this type of statement we first look at the relationship among Illinois’ “big three” revenue sources (the taxes that generate the bulk of our own-source revenue: individual income, corporate income and sales taxes), Illinois gross state product (GSP), and gross domestic product (GDP). Why do we do this? Well, it is important to see if GSP is a good predictor of revenue growth in the first instance before considering what would have occurred if Illinois GSP had grown at the same rate as national GDP (the standard measure of national economic growth).
Figure 2 on page 7 compares growth in GDP and GSP over the period 1997-2016 (Illinois 2017 GSP is not yet available). This graph illustrates that GDP and GSP have tended to move together over this period, but the relationship has become weaker since around 2008, suggesting that the Illinois economy has not made a full recovery since the great recession.
However, it is not appropriate to use either GDP or GSP to try to predict “big three” revenue for the following reason: Illinois’ tax revenues are not closely aligned with movement in GSP, as illustrated in Figure 3 on page 8. As we note above GDP and GSP are measures of overall economic activity, but Illinois does not tax all economic activity. For example, economic activity related to services is included in GSP, but Illinois does not tax services. To the extent that the service economy has grown in Illinois, tax collections have not followed suit. There are other similar situations where items included in GSP are not taxed.
R-squared is a statistical measure that in this context represents the percentage of revenue growth that can be explained by changes in GSP. R-squared values range from 0 to 1 and are commonly stated as percentages from 0 to 100%. An R-squared of 100% would mean all movements in “big three” revenue are completely explained by movements in GSP. During the period 1998-2010 the actual R- squared value for this relationship is 44.6 percent, indicating that change in GSP is not much of a predictor in changes in “big three” revenue.
Without a doubt, economic indicators like GSP and GDP and their components are important measures of how robust various aspects of the economy are. Higher GSP growth is obviously a good thing, and our overall economic growth would have been higher if we had grown at the national average. However trying to turn either of these variables into predictors of revenue growth is wrong because they explain less than half the growth in “big three” revenues and should not be used to support any calculation of Illinois’ lost tax revenues attributable our less-than-stellar economic performance. This fact is acknowledged in the Governor’s Operating Budget where revenue forecasts for the “big three” are developed using forecasts for wages and salaries, dividends and interest, corporate profits and retail sales and not GDP or GSP.
That’s basically been the argument for a service tax over the past several decades. We can’t “capture” enough growth without it.
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* The Washington Post’s Radley Balko takes on a topic we discussed yesterday: The future of drug dogs if marijuana is legalized. Here’s part of his take…
I’ve written quite a bit about drug dogs in Illinois, and it turns out they’re pretty terrible at detecting drugs. In 2011, the Chicago Tribune published a review of drug dog searches conducted over three years by police departments in the Chicago suburbs. Just 44 percent of dog alerts led to the discovery of actual contraband. For Hispanic drivers, the success rate dipped to 27 percent. The following year, I obtained the records of an Illinois State Police drug dog for an 11-month period in 2007 and 2008. In nearly 30 percent of cases where the dog “alerted” no drugs at all were found. In about 75 percent of cases, the dog alerted either to no drugs or to what police officers later described as “residue,” which basically means no measurable quantity of a drug and not a significant-enough amount to merit criminal charges. Only 10 percent of the alerts resulted in a seizure of a large-enough quantity of drugs to charge someone with a felony.
This is pretty consistent with statistics from other states, as well as one fascinating academic study, which have shown that drug dogs are far more likely to merely confirm the hunches and suspicions of their handlers than they are to independently detect illicit drugs. The dogs’ high error rates often make them no more accurate than a coin flip. The problem of course is that the entire purpose of the Fourth Amendment is to protect us from searches based solely on a government official’s hunch or suspicion. There’s a reason some legal scholars call drug dogs “probable cause on a leash.”
The K9 trainers I’ve interviewed over the years have told me that drug dogs could actually be trained to only alert when there is a significant quantity of an illicit drug — that is, to ignore “residue.” The reason they aren’t is that police departments don’t want them trained that way. They want dogs that alert as often as possible. They want the dogs to err on the side of false alerts.
Why would police want a dog that falsely alerts? That’s the exact question the late Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia asked in a drug dog case a few years ago. The answer is incentives. Searches can lead to evidence of other illegal activity. One incentive is that police officers, particular those in drug enforcement, often evaluated based on the raw numbers of arrests. More searches mean more opportunities to make arrests.
But the more important incentive is civil-asset forfeiture. If the police find even the slightest bit of pot, sometimes even just residue, they can often justify taking a driver’s cash, jewelry or even the car itself. The owner of the property — even if completely innocent — then must endure a number of legal and procedural barriers to getting the property back.
*** UPDATE *** Thanks to a commenter for pointing this out…
The police dog trainer who said he believed drug-sniffing dogs would have to be euthanized has retracted his statement, according to his police chief.
Decatur Police Detective Chad Larner told the Bloomington Pantagraph earlier this week that if marijuana is made legal, the dogs trained to detect narcotics would have to be euthanized because they could not be retrained.
However, many experts have stated this is not the case, and Decatur Police Chief James Getz Jr. told the Chicago Tribune on Wednesday that Larner wishes he hadn’t made the statement, calling it “a bad choice of words.”
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“The Democratic Machine’s New Monarch”
Thursday, May 10, 2018 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Rauner campaign…
On Wednesday, Chicago Magazine published “The Democratic Machine’s New Monarch: How J.B. Pritzker’s bottomless pockets could spell business as usual in state politics.”
The piece centers on how Pritzker and Madigan are working together to maintain the status quo of higher taxes and more corruption.
Check out the highlights from Chicago Magazine’s piece:
Nonetheless, the Democratic candidate has been embraced by House speaker Michael Madigan, Illinois’s most powerful machine boss, in no small part because a win for Pritzker would allow Madigan to thrive.
Madigan never formally endorsed Pritzker. But as the News-Gazette of Champaign-Urbana wrote in an opinion piece during the primary: “It’s common knowledge—as well as a source of considerable resentment—that Madigan is backing Pritzker. Madigan is depending on the billionaire to use his family fortune to win an overwhelming victory that will return Illinois to one-party rule and ensure that he will again be able to gerrymander state legislative districts after the 2020 Census.” Pritzker, whose political philosophy is, shall we say, not fully developed, is also seen by political professionals as easier to influence than the experienced politicians he defeated in the primary.
…If he succeeds, Pritzker will get the title “governor” in front of his name, Madigan will get control of Springfield back, and both money and the machine will be served.
* From the beginning of the piece…
In the early 1960s, a businessman named Arnold Maremont decided he wanted to run for U.S. Senate. So he made the pilgrimage all aspiring Democratic politicians were required to make in those days: to meet with Mayor Richard J. Daley. Daley wasn’t sure whether the Baptists of Little Egypt would vote for a Jewish candidate, so he told Maremont to go downstate and find out. Maremont reported they would, and so Daley slated such a candidate: Rep. Sidney Yates, a machine Democrat.
Maremont felt used, but, as Mike Royko points out in his biography of Daley, “he wouldn’t have even tried had he ever heard Daley explain why he is so dedicated a party man: ‘… The rich guys can get elected on their money, but somebody like me, an ordinary person, needs the party. Without the party, only the rich would be elected to office.’ ”
Back then, millionaires needed the party. Today, the party needs millionaires—or even billionaires.
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Rauner takes more heat on Quincy veterans’ home
Thursday, May 10, 2018 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Sept. 18, 2015…
Illinois officials admit they were caught off-guard by the wave of Legionnaires’ at their veterans’ home in Quincy. […]
“August 21st we shut down the water, we removed aerators from all the showers, we shut down our fountains, we started issuing bottled water. We wanted to be sure our residents were safe,” [said Illinois Veterans’ Affairs Director Erica Jeffries].
* WBEZ last night…
Gov. Bruce Rauner’s own administration formally rebuked the state agency overseeing the Quincy veterans’ home for how it told staffers about the fatal Legionnaires’ disease outbreak after workers there got sick in 2015.
The workplace safety reprimand issued by the state Department of Labor, first obtained by WBEZ, focused on a pair of emails Illinois Veterans Home administrators blasted out to state workers that seemed to downplay the threat of the disease.
The agency reproached the Illinois Department of Veterans’ Affairs, which oversees the home, saying it “failed to effectively notify all employees” about the outbreak just as it was taking hold.
That Feb. 8, 2016 finding undercuts the insistent public claims by outgoing Veterans’ Affairs Director Erica Jeffries that her department was “very clear” in its Legionnaires’ warnings to staff in Quincy.
But the Aug. 22, 2015 mass email to Quincy workers — which Jeffries has pointed to as proof the home’s workforce was informed early about the outbreak — downplayed the severity of the epidemic and failed to alert staff that two Legionnaires’ cases had already been confirmed by that time.
* From that August 22nd e-mail to Quincy veterans’ home workers, sent the day after the remediation began…
l’m sending this email to answer questions and concerns staff have had regarding UNCONFIRMED Legionnaires’ Disease at the Elmore building. Please reassure staff that this in is an UNCONFIRMED diagnosis and precautions are being taken per directive. I want to reassure all staff that if we truly felt there was an issue with Legionella we would not put the Residents or Staff at risk. I ask that you please not panic and do not discuss this with the residents.
* From the Illinois Department of Labor’s findings…
The employer failed to effectively notify all employees of the outbreak or instructed them as to proper precautions to avoid or eliminate exposure in a timely manner. It was discovered that although a mass email was sent to employees informing them of the outbreak, not all employees had email, and subsequently were not able to be informed until sometime after the first email was sent.
* DGA…
A few months ago, Governor Bruce Rauner appeared before the Herald & Review Editorial Board and criticized recent Quincy Veterans Home workers’ testimony as “false” and “politically motivated attacks.” Workers testified the state failed to inform them about the 2015 Legionnaires’ outbreak at the home, which they learned about from media reports.
(Watch Rauner before the Herald & Review Editorial Board)
“Question: But I think, maybe what we’re getting at is that the staff found out on media reports in Quincy, right? That was some of that testimony.
“Rauner: Well you see that’s false. You see there’s a lot of misinformation and I think politically motivated attacks going on. I don’t want to get into that. The reality is, we took strong immediate action. Communicated with employees and that was put out, Erica Jefferies put out that clear statement about how they communicated. There’s a lot of politics getting played right now.”
Last night, WBEZ dropped a bombshell report that directly contradicts Rauner’s assertations. The station reported that Rauner’s own Department of Labor investigated and “formally rebuked” the Department of Veterans’ Affairs for failing to “effectively notify” staff members about the outbreak. Emails at the time “downplayed the severity” of the outbreak and reassured staff that they “would not put the residents or staff at risk” if they felt there “was an issue” with Legionnaires’. Since 2015, 8 home workers have fallen ill with and 13 home residents died of Legionnaires’ disease.
“Bruce Rauner got caught lying about what his own administration knew was true — they botched the response to the deadly Quincy Legionnaires’ outbreak,” said DGA Illinois Communications Director Sam Salustro. “Rauner’s knee-jerk need to deflect blame only does a disservice to the 13 people who died at the Quincy Veterans Home.”
* Pritzker campaign…
While Bruce Rauner continues to deny wrongdoing and cover up his fatal mismanagement of the Quincy Veterans’ Home, a newly-released report details his own Department of Labor’s recognition of the administration’s failure.
After two sickened Quincy workers filed complaints with the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration, Rauner’s Labor department was forced to begin an investigation that found Rauner’s VA staff “failed to immediately notify employees of the outbreak” and even misled them on the severity of the crisis. A health expert told WBEZ, “That’s not how you manage an outbreak… [it’s] a breach of ethical standards.”
“Bruce Rauner’s own administration knows the Legionnaires response was an abject failure that cost 13 people their lives and jeopardized many more,” said Pritzker campaign spokeswoman Jordan Abudayyeh. “Staff on the frontlines were left in the dark, the administration downplayed a crisis spiraling out of control, and heroes and spouses died because this governor failed.”
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Once again, it’s all or nothing for Gov. Rauner
Thursday, May 10, 2018 - Posted by Rich Miller
* From a February 20th Northwest Herald story…
“What I stand for is local control,” [Gov. Bruce Rauner] told the Northwest Herald Editorial Board on Friday morning as he visited McHenry County to pitch why voters should elect him for a second term. “The people of McHenry should be empowered to make their own choices very easily.” […]
State Rep. David McSweeney, R-Barrington Hills, filed a bill in January that would give voters an opportunity to eliminate township government with a majority vote. The move would shift the services provided by townships to local municipalities and the county. […]
Rauner stands behind efforts such as McSweeney’s.
“Let’s empower local residents to figure it out,” Rauner said. “Let’s free up the people of Illinois and give power to the people to decide, and I’ll think we’ll get to a good solution.”
* Rep. McSweeney’s HB4637, which passed the House 80-22-1…
Provides that the board of trustees of any township located in McHenry County may submit a proposition to dissolve the township to the township electors or township electors may petition for a referendum to dissolve a township.
* Northwest Herald last night…
Rauner spent part of his Saturday at an invitation-only roundtable with members of the McHenry County Republican Party. A focus of discussion was House Bill 4637 – a proposed consolidation bill from state Rep. David McSweeney, R-Barrington Hills. […]
Rauner spoke in general terms about the bill and commented that he usually does not support bills that focus on one county in particular. He prefers legislation that carries statewide effect, GOP sources who attended the meeting said.
Unreal.
To be clear, there are some issues with the bill that are being worked on by its Senate sponsor, Sen. Terry Link. And Rep. McSweeney is an avowed Rauner opponent. But, c’mon. He doesn’t want to sign McSweeney’s bill because it’s only about one county? Seriously?
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