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* 2:56 pm - The House just approved Rep. Lou Lang’s HB1, the medical marijuana bill. The measure received 61 votes. The roll call is here.
Check the live coverage post for further information. There are some videos of the debate here. The Sun-Times has a quickie story online here. At this moment, a liberal Democratic concealed carry amendment is now up for debate. Watch it.
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Boston updates
Wednesday, Apr 17, 2013 - Posted by Rich Miller
* CNN is reporting an arrest has been made in Boston, so let’s crank this up again. A press conference is expected in a few hours. [ADDING: As you know by now, the police are denying that an actual arrest has been made. Stay tuned.]
Blackberry users click here…
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Maybe you should follow your own advice, guv
Wednesday, Apr 17, 2013 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Gov. Pat Quinn held a press conference today to announce a six-year, $12.6 billion construction program for roads and bridges. Afterward Quinn took questions on ComEd, gaming expansion and medical marijuana, and talked about gay marriage.
He was also asked about Texas Gov. Rick Perry, who is attempting to poach companies from Illinois…
“I know him. I could give you three reasons why he’s wrong, 1, 2 and 3. I was his roommate when we went to Iraq and Afghanistan. So, he’s a big talker and I think people saw that in the presidential campaign… We don’t need any advice from Gov. Perry.”
Full audio of the governor’s response…
* Right after he talked that trash about Gov. Perry, Quinn was asked how he interpreted the “gap” in fundraising between himself and Attorney General Lisa Madigan. Quinn’s response…
“I’m not going to get into political things. I said that the other day. I do want to say a few words about the people of Boston, the families who are grieving because they lost their family members. That young boy, Martin Richard, who lost his life. What a special soul he was. He was only given eight years by God on this earth, but he certainly made a difference. And I think all of Illinois, all of America, we’re with the people of Boston and the people who were at that race. So I think that’s the important thing to keep in mind right now. I went to the wake yesterday of Anne Smedinghoff. She’s being buried at this hour. She went to my high school and my brother taught her and my nephew went to school with her and she was a moderator of a debate that I was at.
“You know, these special young people, whether it’s Martin Richard from Massachusetts or Anne Smedinghoff from Illinois, we’re blessed to have them. And I think public safety is really what we should focus on in the aftermath of the events of Monday. I called my friend Gov. Deval Patrick, who was born and grew up in Illinois. I think he’s done an outstanding job. And I said that we’re more than ready in Illinois, we have some special experts who can help in any way. If they need them we’ll be there to help.”
Audio…
* Since he took personal shots at Rick Perry and talked about issues other than “public safety,” which he said “is really what we should focus on” this week, the Madigan question was not out of bounds and my initial reaction was that he didn’t have to dodge it by dragging in the bombing victims and Ms. Smedinghoff.
But, politics can most certainly be unseemly, and American political leaders ought to be focusing on national unity instead of divisions, especially with the revelations of ricin being sent to the President and two US Senators.
So, maybe Quinn should’ve just held his fire on Perry, too.
* Raw audio of Q&A…
* Related…
* Quinn ‘open minded’ to legalized medical marijuana: He told reporters Wednesday that he recently met with a veteran suffering from war wounds who was helped by the medical use of marijuana.
* Governor Quinn announces multi-year, $12.62 billion construction program
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Rare agreement on guns?
Wednesday, Apr 17, 2013 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Details matter, but this sure looks like a practical idea on guns…
Both sides of the gun-control debate could be headed for a rare agreement at the Statehouse on a push by Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart to get guns out of the hands of felons and the seriously mentally ill.
His plan would require gun owners to surrender their state-issued Firearm Owners Identification Cards within 48 hours of being notified they were ineligible to possess a gun because of being convicted of a felony or domestic violence or being judged mentally ill.
A top gun-rights advocate told the Chicago Sun-Times late Tuesday that his “intuition” was an agreement could be reached on the issue with gun-control supporters.
In Cook County, about 5,000 people have had their state gun permits revoked by the Illinois State Police, making them ineligible to buy weapons. But only about 1,000 have actually turned in the cards, leaving them able to buy ammunition at will, Dart’s office said.
Under the sheriff’s measure, those who had their permits taken away also would have to account for where their weapons would be maintained during the period of time their FOID cards were revoked.
* Meanwhile, John Schmidt defends onetime foe Attorney General Lisa Madigan on her refusal to say whether she’s appealing the appellate court ruling that declares Illinois’ public carry ban unconstitutional…
In December I wrote in these pages on why Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan should not appeal the federal appellate court decision throwing out Illinois’ total ban on concealed carry. The Supreme Court decision in the New York case strongly reinforces that conclusion.
The question is one of judicial tactics, not a test of commitment to gun control. A total ban is the least defensible concealed carry law. In his December decision, 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals Judge Richard Posner said the Illinois ban failed any test of constitutional scrutiny. That conclusion is almost inescapable now that the Illinois total ban is unique in the nation and Illinois crime rates give no support to the argument that the ban has a positive impact in reducing violence.
The positive side of the Supreme Court’s New York decision is that limits on concealed carry may pass constitutional muster. New York’s law requires any gun applicant to show a “special need” for a concealed carry permit and gives the permitting authority to local officials who can respond to differing statewide needs and interests. We don’t know how the appellate court would come out on such a law. In his decision, Posner expressed some reservation about the New York court’s analysis, but he reached no conclusion on whether a New York-type law would be upheld here.
Illinois can now follow New York’s lead and come up with a new law that the General Assembly believes meets Illinois’ particular needs and circumstances. After the New York decision, any reasonably drafted law, short of a total ban, has a real chance of withstanding constitutional challenge.
* And the Tribune editorial board concurs with that last point…
So, let’s go. Illinois could live with a concealed-carry law that recognizes local needs and interests. Gov. Pat Quinn and other Democratic leaders have signaled support for that option. The gun lobby doesn’t like the New York template, but it would be interesting to watch pro-gun lawmakers defend a vote to defeat a bill that for the first time establishes concealed carry in Illinois.
The Illinois Legislature is scheduled to adjourn on May 31, nine days before the clock runs out on the appellate court’s grace period. That court could stay its ruling if Illinois appeals to the U.S. Supreme Court. Attorney General Lisa Madigan is wise to delay a decision on whether to appeal until the Legislature acts or doesn’t act.
Bottom line, the wisest course for the Legislature is to act: Pass a “may-issue” concealed carry law that provides local control.
The NRA won’t see the irony. To them, “may carry” might as well be “no carry.” From an ISRA action alert…
URGENT ALERT – YOUR IMMEDIATE ACTION REQUIRED
GUN GRABBERS TRY TO HIJACK CONCEALED CARRY
YOU MUST MAKE PHONE CALLS IMMEDIATELY
Rabid gun grabber Rep. Kelly Cassidy has introduced amendments to HB0831 which hijack the court’s requirement to enact concealed carry and transform concealed carry into gun control.
IT’S IMPORTANT THAT YOU ACT IMMEDIATELY TO HALT CASSIDY’S SCHEME.
Kelly’s vision of concealed carry is absolutely unacceptable to law-abiding citizens. Her proposal contains all sorts of impediments to self defense – the worst of which is that carry licenses would be issues on a “may issue” basis.
UNDER KELLY’S PROPOSAL, YOU WOULD HAVE TO CONVINCE SOME POLITICAL HACK THAT YOUR LIFE IS WORTH DEFENDING.
That’s right, under Kelly Cassidy’s version of “concealed carry,” you would have to go down to your village hall and beg some civil servant for the right to defend yourself and your family from vicious street thugs. Of course, your chances of success will depend greatly on what you look like and how many checks you had written to your local sheriff’s reelection campaign committee.
* From the preamble in Rep. Cassidy’s bill…
The Seventh Circuit’s opinion in Moore favorably cited Kachalsky v. County of Westchester, 701 F.3d 81 (2d Cir. N.Y. 2012), a recent opinion of the Second Circuit Court of Appeals, which upheld New York’s law restricting the carrying of firearms in public. New York’s law gives the local issuing authority considerable discretion in deciding whether to issue a license, and has been interpreted to require an applicant for an unrestricted license to demonstrate “a special need for self-protection distinguishable from that of the general community”. By favorably citing the Second Circuit’s opinion in Kachalsky, the Seventh Circuit in Moore indicated that it agreed that New York’s requirements are consistent with the Second Amendment.
* From the bill…
A sheriff or the [Chicago police superintendent] may submit a recommendation for approval of an application to the Department, if the applicant is an eligible individual under Section 20 who has sufficiently demonstrated, in the judgment of the sheriff or Superintendent, that:
(1) he or she has a particularized need for the license;
(2) he or she is a responsible person; and
(3) the issuance of a license is in the public’s interest.
“Particularized need” is defined in the proposal as meaning that the applicant is “exposed to unusual personal danger, distinct from other members of the community.”
Discuss.
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Off the top of my head
Wednesday, Apr 17, 2013 - Posted by Rich Miller
* This seems like a good idea…
A suburban lawmaker’s plan to let 17-year-olds vote in primary elections if they will turn 18 before the November election won preliminary approval Monday.
State Rep. Carol Sente’s plan would apply only to elections in even-numbered years, not local elections like the one earlier this month.
She argues that if young voters are going to vote in a November election, they should get a say in who the candidates are in the primary. […]
Illinois wouldn’t be alone if the state allowed 17-year-olds to vote in primaries. Twenty other states already do, and a couple others are weighing the idea.
I don’t see how it could hurt and it appears to make sense.
* I don’t necessarily agree with this…
There ought to be a law against your property tax bill increasing when the value of your home decreases. […]
I wrote about House Bill 89 last year. It would have amended the Property Tax Extension Limitation Law (PTELL), commonly known as the “tax cap,” to freeze the amount that a taxing district can raise its annual tax levy if the collective value of homes in the district has decreased during the previous year.
“In Illinois, more than 28 percent of homes were underwater as of Jan. 1, yet taxing bodies act as though they are victims and continue to ask for more every year,” Franks said in a statement. “In fact, homeowners are being victimized by an unfair and outdated system, and it is driving people out of the state.”
Property taxes aren’t like sales taxes. When sales drop, those tax receipts also drop. But property taxes are supposed to be a more stable revenue source, so if your home value drops, that doesn’t mean local governments and schools need less money. It’s the only “elastic” tax in existence, I think. But people are definitely struggling and the property tax is not based on the ability to pay. So, I’m kinda torn.
* While many people hate double-dipping, the General Assembly is supposed to be a part-time citizens legislature, so it takes all kinds. But I can see both sides of this one…
House Bill 3250, the Public Service Act, would place limits on the number of elected offices a person can hold.
It states that an elected official may not hold more than one public office simultaneously and specifies that the limitation applies whether or not elected officials receive compensation for a public office. […]
The Illinois attorney general’s office has issued opinions about certain public offices having a conflict of interest with others. But those are very narrowly defined, and the problem comes up often. […]
It concerns me that legislators have also held the post of township supervisor in the Southland.
State Rep. Robert Rita (D-Blue Island) is supervisor of Calumet Township and state Rep. Al Riley (D-Olympia Fields) is supervisor of Rich Township.
Bridgeview Mayor Steven Landek is also a state senator. He replaced Lou Viverito in the Senate. Viverito is the longtime Stickney Township supervisor.
* The Illinois Policy Institute hates this bill, but a pause might be prudent while this concept is checked out a bit and regulations considered…
As local school boards rejected [last’] week a request from a proposed online charter school that would draw students from its schools, state lawmakers appear poised to slap a hold on the creation of virtual schools until regulations and guidelines to govern them can be crafted.
State Rep. Linda Chapa LaVia, D-Aurora, introduced legislation Thursday to place a one-year moratorium on web-based virtual charter schools. […]
“This is the first time Illinois has ever seen anything like this,” Chapa LaVia said. “And I’m not willing to risk something that would be detrimental to our children and our schools.”
Chapa LaVia’s legislation has passed a state House committee, and is headed to the full chamber for a possible vote.
The legislation arose in response to a proposal from Illinois Virtual Learning Solutions to open the Illinois Virtual Charter School at Fox River Valley.
The online school was proposed to include students from 18 school districts in Kane, DeKalb, DuPage, Kendall, McHenry and Will counties, and would be funded by local district funds, estimated at up to $8,000 per student.
While the nonprofit Illinois Virtual Learning Solutions would govern the virtual school, it has said actual operations for the school would be handled by Virginia-based, for-profit company K12 Inc.
The virtual school concept is in place in other states, including Tennessee and Florida. But officials in those two states have raised questions over the virtual charter school operations, noting participating students’ low test scores, among other issues.
* Roundup…
* RTA claims companies running ’sham’ offices
* Proposal would keep 17-year-old felons in juvenile court
* House passes bill to ease juvenile court age limit
* Illinois House approves bill to keep more juveniles out of adult court
* Lawmakers Strengthen Child Pornography Prosecutions
* Illinois House approves fine for tossing cigarettes
* ComEd urges Quinn to sign bill to help smart meter project
* Does it matter if districts cover teacher pension contributions?
* Editorial: Tanning salons no place for teens
* Bahamas Foreign Affairs Minister remarks to Illinois House of Representatives: So against this background, we are looking at the possibility of appointing an Honorary Consul, with residence in Chicago, to assist with enhancing the bilateral relationship between our two peoples. We have asked a Chicagoan with Bahamian roots Michael Fountain if this is something he would consider and of course this is subject to your governmental approvals at the federal level. I seek your support in this. We think Mr. Fountain would do an excellent job.
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Your unsolicited advice
Wednesday, Apr 17, 2013 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Politico…
Republican Governors Association communications director Mike Schrimpf is leaving Washington to work for a likely candidate for Illinois governor.
The hire is a boost for Chicago private equity executive Bruce Rauner, who created an exploratory committee last month. […]
Republicans now control 30 governorships and the RGA views Illinois as probably its best pick-up opportunity next year. […]
“Bruce is an incredibly impressive and successful businessman, who cuts a great profile – a results-oriented reformer – for a potential gubernatorial candidate in Illinois,” Schrimpf told POLITICO in an email. “Illinois is in desperate need of reform and I believe it will take someone from outside Springfield to get the job done.”
It could be a “boost,” but, then again, Rauner has nobody on his staff who truly understands Illinois politics. This ain’t some parachute-in state.
* Bio…
Schrimpf has served at RGA since 2008. He previously served as Communications Director for the Center for Competitive Politics. He got his start working in Hamilton County government in Cincinnati, OH.
Schrimpf is a 2005 graduate of Tufts University.
Any advice for Mr. Schrimpf?
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Lite guv debate
Wednesday, Apr 17, 2013 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Daily Herald editorial…
Three years ago, when the job of lieutenant governor was vacant, 13 candidates ran for the post. Clearly, it must have important duties and some power attached to it, right?
Wrong. Its allure is in what it potentially can lead to — the governor’s office, just as it did for the current governor, Pat Quinn, after Rod Blagojevich was impeached.
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And knowing who the successor will be in case a sitting governor can’t continue is an important issue. But line of succession doesn’t have to mean creating a governor-in-waiting position. That’s the message in what the Illinois House did last week and one that we support.
Rep. David McSweeney, a Barrington Hills Republican, sponsored a bill approved by the House that would eliminate the lieutenant governor position by 2019. It is estimated that the move will save the state about $1.8 million a year.
While that’s a small number compared with the entire state budget, it’s still significant in that it makes a statement that legislators are serious about cutting costs where they can. It’s a good first step in consolidating government and one that we hope leads to even more consolidation.
* I think Eric Zorn has an interessting idea on this matter. Don’t eliminate the office, just defund it…
Zero out the $1.8 million annual budget line for the state’s most conspicuous sinecure and render the position of governor-in-waiting wholly ceremonial. Like a beauty pageant runner up, the lieutenant governors will simply go about his or her life and remain ready to take over if, for any reason, there is a vacancy at the top.
Simply getting rid of the position isn’t a bad idea. The law spells out no formal duties for the so called “lite gov.” But if the state Senate and the voters go along with the constitutional-amendment route, the change won’t take effect until 2019.
And it will leave us with a potentially awkward line of succession in which the attorney general is next in line if the governor dies, becomes incapacitated or is impeached and removed from office.
If the attorney general were to be from a different party than the governor, the will of the voters about state leadership would be denied in the event of death or incapacitation. And impeachment proceedings would be infected by extra political considerations.
* Gov. Pat Quinn wants to keep the status quo…
“There are some issues that fall between the cracks, and somebody has to stand up for those issues,” he said, listing off an array of topics he addressed in the position including aid to families of military service members.
“I was lieutenant governor for six years, and I believe in that office, for sure,” he said.
Moreover, he cited his ability to take over immediately after Gov. Rod Blagojevich’s impeachment as a positive to having someone in the position.
“It’s good to have a backup quarterback,” he said.
However, the duties Quinn cited were mostly those that he chose for himself rather than those that are given to the lieutenant governor by constitution or statute.
* Finke…
The amendment is still a long way from getting on the ballot. The Senate must still approve the measure, and face it, when’s the last time something was on the ballot to eliminate a statewide office, despite numerous efforts? Try never.
This is not to say that Lt. Gov. Sheila Simon is doing a poor job. On the contrary, she is doing more with the office than many of her predecessors. But it’s hard to overcome the stigma of a job where, over the years, two people have quit to find more fulfilling work.
Discuss.
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Question of the day
Wednesday, Apr 17, 2013 - Posted by Rich Miller
* I think this was his first bill…
Drivers would be allowed to legally go 70 mph on tollways and interstates in Illinois under a plan from state Sen. Jim Oberweis that won preliminary approval Tuesday.
Oberweis, a Sugar Grove Republican, told a Senate committee that people already drive that fast, so a faster speed limit would be more realistic.
“In my opinion, it’s not good to have laws on the books that are widely ignored,” Oberweis said. […]
[IDOT’s interim director of the Division of Traffic Safety John Webber] said the agency thinks average drivers now go between 5 and 10 mph over the limit on average, and he thinks people will just speed even more if the limit is raised to 70 mph.
Jim Edgar used to say that the speed limit was really a minimum for most drivers. That’s why he opposed raising the limit above 65 back then. If we’d made it 70, he said, people would start driving 75-80, which he maintained was way too fast.
Also, I hope Sen. Oberweis remembers his comment about it not being good to have laws on the books that are “widely ignored” when medical marijuana comes up for a vote.
* The Question: Should Illinois increase its interstate highway and tollway speed limits to 70 mph? Take the poll and then explain your answer in comments, please.
web survey
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Fine lines
Tuesday, Apr 16, 2013 - Posted by Rich Miller
* I’m stealing Eric Zorn’s traditional headline because I’m also (again) posting one of his blog items. Zorn and I are both somewhere in the middle of the gun debate, and his piece is quite good. Some excerpts…
I also don’t understand how you can watch this video [of Logan Square store owner Luis Quizhpe], which became the subject of news stories worldwide, and argue that store owners such as Quizhpe are better off because of Chicago laws that prohibit store employees from carrying handguns. […]
I don’t understand why gun-rights advocates are so stubborn about mandatory background checks in most instances when firearms are sold or transferred. Yes, it can be a hassle. But it should be a hassle. We’re talking about passing around lethal weapons. It should always be harder to buy one than to buy a box of Sudafed. […]
I don’t understand why so many staunch gun-rights advocates are simultaneously paranoid about government power and vehement about the need to keep the U.S. military robustly funded. Swarthmore College political scientist Dominic Tierney labeled this paradox “the great gun gobbledygook ” in a recent essay at TheAtlantic.com and noted, “Conservatives say that a weaponized citizenry is a necessary shield against dictatorship. I’ll take the argument more seriously if conservatives stop arming this tyrant to the teeth.” […]
I don’t understand why gun-control advocates focus so much attention on “assault weapons” and limiting concealed-carry rights when by far the biggest problem we have with firearms comes from illegally obtained, unregistered handguns.
I don’t necessarily agree with everything in his piece, but I do agree with pretty much everything I’ve excerpted. And on his very last point, I couldn’t possibly agree more. Part of the problem, as I see it, is that liberal politicians just don’t know what to do about crime, so they fall back on time- and poll-tested “solutions” that won’t make a difference, but sound good to the masses.
His closing…
Finally, I don’t understand why an issue that’s so perfect for compromise — for people of good will to come together to craft ways to lower the rates of violence and protect the rights of law-abiding citizens — remains so intractable.
Discuss.
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About that “555-page bill”
Tuesday, Apr 16, 2013 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Eriz Zorn’s unsolicited advice to Gov. Pat Quinn…
Gaming Board chairman Aaron Jaffe said in a contentious Senate Executive Committee hearing last week that among his many problems with the current 555-page bill is that it could and should be far shorter — 30 pages or less.
Is he correct? Prove it. Give us that bill. Get a friendly lawmaker to introduce it for you. Put this issue behind us.
As with any legislation, most of the bill simply restates existing statutory language. You have to get to page 60-something before you even find anything new.
And, as with most legislation, there’s repeated language. The ban on campaign contributions by the gaming industry is repeated, for instance.
So, I copied all the new language, except for the repeated stuff on the campaign contribution ban, and pasted it into a text file, counted the words and divided by 270 (which is, more or less, about how many words are on a bill page as far as I can tell) and came up with 98.6 pages. [ADDING: Those first 60-some pages create a new entity, so add that to the total, which comes to160-something]. That’s more than 30, but certainly not 555 pages, a “fact” which is used mainly as a rhetorical device to undermine the bill by people like Jaffe, Gov. Quinn and the Tribune editorial board..
Also, Quinn doesn’t have any friendly lawmakers. He’s the first governor in forever who has no floor leaders. Besides, Quinn definitely does not want to “own” this issue by introducing a bill. He clearly wants any gaming expansion to be blamed on the General Assembly, not him.
* Speaking of which, here is my weekly syndicated newspaper column…
I’ve always believed that just because somebody claims to be a reformer, it doesn’t mean the person has the right solutions.
Many years ago, an activist named Pat Quinn came up with an idea to change the Illinois Constitution. He used the petition process to get rid of a third of Illinois House members in one fell swoop. This, Quinn said, would save money and make legislators more responsive to their constituents.
In reality, all that did was allow a guy named Michael Madigan to more easily consolidate his power. And one way he consolidated that power was by spending lots more money. Quinn’s plan backfired.
But even though this sort of thing has happened over and over again here, the media tends to give reformers a pass, almost no matter what.
So I guess I shouldn’t have been too surprised when I read the major media’s news reports of last week’s Senate Executive Committee hearing. It wasn’t at all like the meeting I attended.
Admittedly, I arrived a little late and had to leave for a meeting before it was over, but from what I saw, Illinois Gaming Board Chairman Aaron Jaffe’s years-long criticism of the General Assembly’s gaming expansion bills was exposed as hollow and not entirely fact-based. He badly stumbled through his testimony, couldn’t directly answer questions and despite long-standing public criticisms, a notebook filled with thoughts and a history as a state legislator himself, Jaffe seemed woefully unprepared for the hearing.
For years, Chairman Jaffe has criticized various gaming expansion proposals, which has made him a media darling. He comes up with great quotes, once calling a gaming bill a “pile of garbage.”
But he’s never once said how the General Assembly ought to actually write the bills. Instead, he has relied on media-friendly criticisms of the way the legislature has gone about things.
It’s not like Jaffe is completely blameless here. The people drafting the gaming legislation clearly despise the man and never really attempted to work with him, or even listen to him.
But last week’s Senate meeting was designed to finally provide Jaffe with a public forum to offer up some concrete solutions. He didn’t have any.
Over and over, Senators in both parties pleaded with Jaffe to offer up some specifics for how to make the gaming bill more acceptable to him, and over and over Jaffe simply could not do so.
Instead, Jaffe stuck to generalities and catch phrases.
Jaffe said he hadn’t read the full bill, saying it was too long and claiming that a better bill might be just 25 pages long, without explaining how less language wouldn’t create gaping loopholes and without admitting that many of the pages in the 555-page bill are simply filled with current statutory language restated without any changes whatsoever. Jaffe declared that there were no ethical improvements in the recently revised legislation, even though the new bill would ban campaign contributions from gaming interests.
Jaffe even urged legislators to outright eliminate some state agencies because they were impeding his agency’s staff hiring - even though existing personnel regulations were inspired by decades of state corruption. He bitterly complained about the projects in the bill inserted to attract more votes, even though those projects have no direct bearing on the Gaming Board’s mission. He complained that the Chicago casino language wouldn’t allow the Board to determine whether the region was already too saturated with gaming, but then said he had no philosophical problem with a Chicago casino. His testimony was, in sum, an embarrassing mess by a man clearly past his prime, but the media covered for him, focusing mostly on a one-minute spat between Jaffe and the bill’s sponsor.
The only real progress came late in the hearing when Jaffe’s administrator Mark Ostrowski seemed to pull an idea out of thin air to delete the Chicago management agency’s language and give full responsibility for all operations to the private casino management company that the agency was supposed to choose. The manager, Ostrowski said, would be far easier to regulate than a municipal entity, which could fight bureaucratic battles through the courts. If the Senators were paying attention, they may have found a solution to finally get Jaffe off their backs.
* Related…
* Gaming board, lawmakers aim to overcome insults
* Erickson: Sides lining up on state gambling bill
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Question of the day
Tuesday, Apr 16, 2013 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Subscribers know much more about this, but buried deep in Bernie’s Sunday column was a choice little nugget…
But [state Sen. Kyle McCarter (R-Lebanon] still didn’t have a good idea where Rauner stands on social issues, which he said will be important in a primary to the GOP base. McCarter characterizes himself, for example, as being “as pro-life as you can get.”
The word later from Chip Englander, manager of Rauner’s exploratory effort: “Like (former Gov.) Jim Edgar and (U.S. Sen.) Mark Kirk, he is pro-choice.”
Earlier this month, Rauner dodged questions about whether he supported gay marriage by suggesting that Illinois hold a referendum, even though Illinois has no binding referenda provisions. Rauner described himself as a “social liberal” to Roll Call several years ago.
Whether related or not, Rauner’s campaign announced today that it had hired an official campaign spokesperson.
* The Question: Can Bruce Rauner win a Republican gubernatorial primary while being a “social liberal?” Take the poll and then explain your answer in comments, please.
survey hosting
Keep in mind when answering that Mark Kirk won a statewide primary just a few years ago even though he’s a pro-choice social liberal, but he didn’t have much by way of opposition. And Rauner is raising lots and lots of cash.
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The great pizza scandal of 2011
Tuesday, Apr 16, 2013 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Belleville News-Democrat…
The former head of the Illinois Department of Transportation’s regional office in Collinsville violated ethics rules by soliciting pizzas for an office party from a contractor, according to a report by the state’s top investigator.
Inspector General Ricardo Meza’s investigation determined that Mary Lamie violated the gift ban in the state’s ethics rules and recommended that she be disciplined. Lamie now works in the private sector.
Lamie, who worked for IDOT until at least March 2011, declined comment Monday. While at IDOT, she served as the engineer for District 8, which covers Madison, St. Clair and nine other counties in the area, as well as District 9, which covers 16 counties in Southern Illinois.
According to the inspector general’s report, during an interview with investigators Lamie admitted that she instructed an underling to solicit pizzas from an IDOT consultant for an office party for District 9, based in Carbondale.
Obviously, she shouldn’t have been soliciting $50 in pizza from a contractor. No defense there. But this is what the IG is concentrating on?
* Actually, the IG also issued another report on former Congressman David Phelps…
Phelps, hired [at IDOT] in 2003 after he lost re-election, was excoriated in the report, which included his inability to explain to Meza’s investigators what his work day entailed other than meeting with “lots of people.” Despite his title, the IDOT secretary at the time, Quinn appointee Gary Hannig, said Phelps was not part of the management team.
“It appears that Mr. Phelps does little work,” the report said. “This coupled with the … investigative findings, seemingly indicates that the primary actions which Mr. Phelps undertakes in an official capacity are those that constitute misconduct and abuse of his position.”
The report said Phelps, who made $128,000, acknowledged he met with job candidates, particularly for a 2009 summer hiring program, including those who had supported him in congressional campaigns. According to the report, he told employees doing the hiring whom he favored for jobs because he wanted to help “good people.”
Phelps countered that contrary to being unable to discuss his job in detail, he described how tried to bring accountability to the position, represented IDOT on the Illinois Terrorism Task Force, represented IDOT at events aimed at traffic safety, and submitted work schedules that IDOT secretaries approved. He disputed the report’s description of his intervention with job candidates and noted allegations that he improperly intervened came from witnesses whose names are redacted and whose testimony he had no chance to rebut.
“I talked to a lot of people about jobs,” Phelps said. “I helped direct them to the right information they could have so they’d have a better chance, but it’s not because of who they were. As soon as they went out the door, there might be somebody else talking about the same job.”
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Quinn still insisting on an immediate appeal
Tuesday, Apr 16, 2013 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Here we go again…
Gov. Pat Quinn and Attorney General Lisa Madigan both suggested Monday that the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to turn down an appeal of New York’s tough gun law could boost Illinois lawmakers’ attempts to set strict limits on who gets to carry concealed weapons.
But the Democratic governor also used Monday’s Supreme Court move to escalate his call for Madigan to appeal to the high court a federal ruling that gives Illinois a deadline of early June to put in place a concealed weapons law.
“It would be helpful to … the people and the public safety of Illinois if that case (would) be reversed,” Quinn said.
* More…
The governor’s focus on guns while speaking with reporters afterwards ramped up pressure on the attorney general to appeal December’s federal appeals court ruling mandating concealed carry in Illinois to the U.S. Supreme Court. To date, Madigan hasn’t made her intentions known.
“I think the case was wrongly decided by the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals, and I would like to see that reversed, and the only way to do that is with an appeal,” Quinn said. “I hope the attorney general reconsiders that.”
Earlier, Madigan said the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision Monday not to overturn New York’s highly restrictive concealed-carry law would “obviously influence our continuing review of the situation here in Illinois.” But she wouldn’t divulge whether she intends to appeal the federal appeals ruling mandating state lawmakers to craft a concealed-carry law in Illinois by early June.
* We’ve been over this before. The governor is clearly just trying to score some political points here. Madigan explains…
Madigan noted that even if she had filed an appeal to the Supreme Court the same day her request was denied [by the appellate court for en banc] in February, the case wouldn’t have been heard until later this year.
“(Whether I appeal or not) doesn’t have an impact … on the 180-day clock,” she said.
Because of this, she said she’s waiting to see a final bill before making a decision.
In other words, deciding to appeal now won’t speed up US Supreme Court review by a minute. And appealing before the General Assembly has a chance to work out a deal on concealed carry means her work could be mooted if a bill passes. Quinn knows this. But, hey, he’s mostly getting the media spin, so whatever. And I’ll bet it polls well.
* Raw audio of Gov. Quinn’s remarks to the media yesterday…
* Raw audio of Attorney General Madigan’s remarks to the media yesterday…
* Related…
* Lisa Madigan stays tight-lipped about a possible 2014 challenge to Quinn
* Quinn, Madigan talk housing, not politics
* Quinn and Madigan differ on guns, housing
* Madigan campaign funds are triple Quinn’s
* The money race for governor is already on
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Ives doubles down
Tuesday, Apr 16, 2013 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Back in January, the Chicago Tribune editorial page absolutely blasted state Rep. Tom Morrison for his pension reform vote…
Timid lawmakers reached hither and yon to find reasons for not supporting reform legislation: This proposal is too strong, that proposal is too weak, and so on — whatever it took to avoid decisive action.
Among the most maladroit: state Rep. Tom Morrison, a conservative Republican from Palatine, who ran for office on a platform of … pension reform. We endorsed Morrison wholeheartedly — and then he voted Monday in committee against the only serious, cost-cutting pension reform measure that had any momentum. He evidently thought it didn’t go far enough. In other words, pension reform champion Morrison had found his reason to oppose pension reform!
* Over the weekend, the Tribune considerably softened its rhetoric, but still urged Morrison and his sole co-sponsor, Rep. Jeanne Ives, to not make the perfect the enemy of the good…
In the House, divisions appeared in the Republican caucus. State Reps. Tom Morrison, R-Palatine, and Jeanne Ives, R-Wheaton, introduced a pension bill that would shift government workers into 401(k)-style plans and freeze the state’s defined benefit program going forward.
It’s a laudable idea advanced by the Illinois Policy Institute, a right-leaning think tank. The sponsors say it would cut almost in half the state’s $96.8 billion unfunded liability in the next fiscal year and save roughly $2 billion in spending.
But the two sponsors are waiting for … a third sponsor. They have garnered scant support, and they have created the risk that lawmakers will use this bill as an excuse to peel off of the consensus slowly building for the package proposed by Biss, Rep. Elaine Nekritz, D-Northbrook, and House Minority Leader Tom Cross, R-Oswego.
Remember your Voltaire: Don’t let the perfect be the enemy of the good.
* Rep. Ives responded…
I greatly appreciate that the Chicago Tribune Editorial Board, in their article, “On the Road to Nowhere,” recognized the merit of HB 3303, the pension reform plan put forth by Rep. Tom Morrison and me.
As one of the major daily newspapers in the state, your advocacy and influence is powerful. For that reason, I respectfully request that you, reconsidered your position on state pension reform from “Get Something (Anything) Done” to “Get the Right Thing Done – Create Real Reform in Illinois.”
If it is “the perfect” vs. “the good” then why advocate for the lesser, simply because it is more popular or has bigger names signed to it? Do not abandon your challenge to fix the pension system for the good of those in the system and tax-payers.
Advocate for the plan that remove us, as a citizenry, from the system that has played heavily into creating the economic tragedy in which we currently find ourselves.
As Military Historian, John Keegan states, “Soldiers, when committed to a task, can’t compromise. It’s unrelenting devotion to the standards of duty and courage, absolute loyalty to others, not letting the task go until it’s been done.”
Oy.
Rep. Ives is a freshman who obviously isn’t here to learn. She’s here to teach.
If she was here to learn, she’d already know the serious fiscal consequences of moving to a 401(k) system. No more employee pension contributions into a gigantic legacy system which still somehow has to be dealt with, and new state Social Security employer payments. [ADDING: As a commenter points out, Ives’ bill would not necessarily require SS payments.]
If she was here to learn, she’d already know the necessity of compromise in a legislative environment. Nobody ever gets everything they want, so eventually people have to work together to do what can be done to fix as many problems as possible.
Tea partiers like Rep. Ives like to talk a lot about strict adherence to the US Constitution. Well, there’s also an Illinois Constitution and Rep. Ives is sworn to uphold it. I don’t know of anybody who has ever come up with any sort of argument that switching everybody into a 401(k) program is in any way or form constitutional. [ADDING: OK, Sidley and Austin does, but this is still an outlier position.]
Also, you’re not a soldier, Rep. Ives. You’re a legislator. Big difference. To compare yourself to a soldier is not only silly, but also insulting to actual soldiers, many of whom put their very lives on the line every day in service to our country and our Constitution.
* Related…
* Chicago tax day Tea Party rally garners a smaller-than-expected crowd of a few hundred
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* Here we go again…
In the latest effort to pull businesses from other states, Rick Perry is taking aim at yet another Democratic state – Illinois.
In a modest advertising buy, Perry and the TexasOne, a group sponsored by corporations and chambers of commerce, are running an incendiary message.
The print ad in a Chicago business journal urges Illinois businesses to “get out while there’s still time,” likening their state to a “burning building on the verge of collapse.”
It ad says the state has unintentionally created an “environment designed for you to fail,” and then goes on to list Texas’ business-friendly attributes, including the lack of a state income tax, lower worker compensation taxes and a bigger workforce.
The Illinois Review has helpfully chimed in by posting a chart that purports to show the superiority of Texas to Illinois…
* I asked Gov. Pat Quinn’s office for a response to Gov. Perry. Here it is…
We’ve seen this rodeo before. And if previous, similar efforts by other Republican governors are any indication – these publicity stunts don’t work and they don’t change the fact that businesses are choosing Illinois all the time. In fact, [today], we will announce a global corporation is choosing Illinois for its North American headquarters, in part due to Governor Quinn’s Clean Water Initiative and work to make our state a global hub for water technology.
With our strong transportation network, diverse economy, vibrant manufacturing base and skilled workforce, Illinois is one of the best places to do business in the world. And when all state and local taxes are considered, Illinois has the fifth-lowest effective tax rate in the country, at 4.6%, according to a 2011 study by Ernst & Young LLP.
Under Gov. Quinn’s leadership, the state has become friendlier to employers. He’s done more than any other governor to restore fiscal stability after decades of mismanagement and give businesses the certainty they need to invest. His actions have included reducing the state’s discretionary spending to historic lows and cutting red tape for environmental permits. Gov. Quinn successfully overhauled the worker’s compensation system to save businesses billions of dollars and reduce insurance rates for Illinois companies by nine percent. And he has made international trade and foreign direct investment efforts a priority, taking several trade missions to help Illinois companies access more global markets and recruit international businesses to our state. Not to mention – Illinois is investing in its transportation system like no other state, with $44 billion in capital construction efforts well underway.
There is no doubt that when lawmakers pass pension reform and send a bill to the governor, Illinois’ economy and business climate will be further strengthened. That’s why we continue to focus on the hard but necessary reforms to restore fiscal stability to Illinois.
In addition - Spending taxpayer dollars on ads in hopes of poaching companies from Illinois isn’t an economic development strategy. (As the New York Times pointed out in its December 2012 article on Texas’ incentive practices, despite handing out more business incentives than any other state, Texas has the third-highest proportion of hourly jobs paying at or below minimum wage. http://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/03/us/winners-and-losers-in-texas.html?_r=0 )
Discuss.
*** UPDATE *** The governor’s office has an addendum…
Aside from the fact that there is little to no evidence to show that these publicity stunts produce any results, here are the facts:
Illinois also has a more educated workforce and a more economically stable population.
· Percent of population that graduated high school: Illinois - 86.6%; Texas - 80.4%.
· Percent of population with bachelor’s degree or higher: Illinois -30.7%; Texas-26.1%
· Percent of population living below poverty level: Illinois-13.1%; Texas 17%
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Today’s quote
Tuesday, Apr 16, 2013 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Patton Oswalt on the Boston Marathon bombings…
I don’t know what’s going to be revealed to be behind all of this mayhem. One human insect or a poisonous mass of broken sociopaths. But here’s what I DO know. If it’s one person or a HUNDRED people, that number is not even a fraction of a fraction of a fraction of a percent of the population on this planet. You watch the videos of the carnage and there are people running TOWARDS the destruction to help out. […]
This is a giant planet and we’re lucky to live on it but there are prices and penalties incurred for the daily miracle of existence. One of them is, every once in awhile, the wiring of a tiny sliver of the species gets snarled and they’re pointed towards darkness.
But the vast majority stands against that darkness and, like white blood cells attacking a virus, they dilute and weaken and eventually wash away the evil doers and, more importantly, the damage they wreak. This is beyond religion or creed or nation. We would not be here if humanity were inherently evil. We’d have eaten ourselves alive long ago,
….Adding… Continual live updates are here.
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* From a press release…
At a news conference Tuesday, April 16, a group of doctors will announce the support of nearly 250 Illinois physicians for allowing patients with serious illnesses to obtain and use medical marijuana if their doctors recommend it. Specifically, the physicians have signed on to the following statement:
“Licensed medical practitioners should not be punished for recommending the medical use of marijuana to seriously ill people, and seriously ill people should not be subject to criminal sanctions for using marijuana if their medical professionals have told them that such use is likely to be beneficial.”
The Illinois House of Representatives is expected to vote this week on House Bill 1, which would make Illinois the 19th state to allow patients with certain conditions, such as cancer and multiple sclerosis, to use medical marijuana with recommendations from their physicians. It would also establish a network of state-regulated cultivation centers and dispensaries to provide marijuana to qualified patients.
“It should be up to physicians, not police and prosecutors, to decide whether medical marijuana is the right treatment for their patients,” said Dan Riffle, Deputy Director of Government Affairs with the Marijuana Policy Project. “Those who benefit from medical marijuana should be able to obtain it legally and safely. Our laws should promote the doctor-patient relationship, not the dealer-patient relationship.”
You can read the entire list of doctors by clicking here.
See anybody you know?
* Roundup of positive newspaper editorials from yesterday and today…
* Tribune: Medical pot for Illinois patients
* Rockford Register Star: Time to say yes to medical marijuana in Illinois
* Dispatch-Argus: Medical marijuana; why yes?
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[The following is a paid advertisement.]
Beneath Chicago’s streets lie gas mains that were put in place, in some cases, when horses and buggies were driving overhead. Since 1981, Peoples Gas has been replacing these outdated mains. So far, the utility has replaced about half of its 4,000 miles of old cast-iron and ductile mains with updated pipe.
While natural gas supplies are abundant and wholesale costs are low, we need to focus on investing in our natural gas distribution system by modernizing this aging gas infrastructure. In 2010 Peoples Gas developed a plan to accelerate the pace at which they upgrade their natural gas distribution network. Doing the work at a faster clip would save Illinoisans money in the long run. Why? Aging low-pressure mains require a higher level of risk management: more safety inspections, more leak repairs and more service outages. New polyethylene and steel pipes will reduce these risks, offer more reliable service, create new efficiencies in system operations and maintenance, and support modern, energy-efficient appliances that cannot operate on the low-pressure mains.
But the current regulatory framework discourages investment, as rate cases and appeals can take years and their outcomes are uncertain. The Natural Gas Modernization, Public Safety and Jobs Bill (SB 1665/HB 2414) will bring Illinois’ regulatory framework into the 21st century and will enable Peoples Gas to upgrade its natural gas infrastructure.
Members of the Illinois legislature: Vote YES on SB 1665/HB 2414. Click here to learn more: www.peoplesgasdelivery.com/legislation
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* From the unanimous 2004 Illinois Supreme court opinion Jorgensen v. Blagojevich…
In reaching this result, we acknowledge that substantial budgetary challenges currently confront the Governor and the General Assembly. The adverse economic conditions facing so many of our fellow citizens have taken an inevitable toll on the state’s treasury. Revenues are not keeping pace. Despite ongoing efforts by the Governor and legislature, shortfalls persist. […]
One thing we cannot do, however, is ignore the Constitution of Illinois. […]
No principle of law permits us to suspend constitutional requirements for economic reasons, no matter how compelling those reasons may seem.
The Court would have to completely reverse that reasoning to come to the conclusion that Illinois’ finances are so bad right now that the Constitution’s plain language on pensions must be ignored.
Stranger things have happened, but the Court reasoned itself into an extremely tight corner with that opinion.
* And this is from Senate Democratic chief legal counsel Eric Madiar’s analysis of the Constitutional Convention floor debate…
Delegate Kinney stated that the word “enforceable” was “meant to provide that the rights established shall be subject to judicial proceedings and can be enforced through court action.”
The word “impaired,” she stated, was “meant to imply and to intend that if a pension fund would be on the verge of default or imminent bankruptcy, a group action could be taken to show that these rights should be preserved.”
Prescient, eh?
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