What we see play out in the video of Anjanette Young is an act of racism, gendered violence and yet another violation of a Black woman’s dignity and safety. She told police 43 times that they had the wrong house, yet they stood there while she remained handcuffed and unclothed. Ms. Young had the courage to pursue the release of CPD bodycam footage in the face of legal threats from the City’s top leaders. Now it’s our turn to pursue justice and accountability for the wrongful trauma Ms. Young experienced, all rooted in the same systemic racism that plagues Black people throughout our state and country. We will not let Ms. Young stand alone without answers from the City.
Signed,
Illinois Senate Majority Leader Kim Lightford
Senate Black Caucus Chair Robert Peters
Incoming House Black Caucus Chair Kam Buckner
Senator Jacqueline Collins
Senator Mattie Hunter
Senator Adriane Johnson
Senator Emil Jones
Senator Patricia Van Pelt Watkins
Representative Lakesia Collins
Representative Curtis Tarver
* In case you are unaware of this horrific case…
* ‘You Have the Wrong Place:’ Body Camera Video Shows Moments Police Handcuff Innocent, Naked Woman During Wrong Raid
National Association of Social Workers, Illinois Chapter Statement:
“In February 2019, Anjanette Young, a licensed clinical social worker (LCSW), experienced a traumatic incident that occurs in Chicago far too often—armed city officers abusing and traumatizing Black men and women under the guise of public safety. Her story is not unlike others, being reported in the news where city law enforcement wrongly traumatize communities of color with improper or incorrect warrants. In the video which Ms. Young fought to have released, a clearly vulnerable woman is shown pleading with Chicago law enforcement over 43 times that they have raided the wrong house but to no avail. The level of disdain, dehumanization, and humiliation at the hands of Chicago city officers is on full display throughout the now released video.
The National Association of Social Workers, Illinois Chapter (NASW-IL) strongly condemns these outrageous actions by the Chicago Police Department (CPD) and asks our city leaders, When will the trauma end? When will enough be enough? We further condemn the actions of Mayor Lori Lightfoot and her city of Chicago’s legal department for their efforts to further traumatize Ms. Young through the suppression of the body camera footage, and the now subsequent seeking of sanctions against Ms. Young for bringing into the light the reprehensible actions of CPD.
We call on Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul and the Illinois State General Assembly to work to end no knock warrants and to aggressively address and enact meaningful police reforms which the city of Chicago is clearly unwilling to enact themselves. The era of deferring the safety of the residents of Chicago to powerful mayors needs to end.
Systemic oppression, racial discrimination and division, and the misappropriation of power has been ingrained in the fabric of our country and is on full display again today. There is no shortage of reforms and recommendations from the communities being traumatized to address this misappropriation of power, just a lack of will.
One of the core values of the social work profession contained in our code of ethics is that social workers respect the inherent dignity and worth of the person. As a city—and as a society at large—we are not living up to this core value. That needs to change.
The NASW-Illinois Chapter commends the bravery of Anjanette Young. We support Anjanette Young in her fight. No one should be exposed to this level of violence and trauma. “
Zebra Technologies has played a role in coronavirus testing to fight off the pandemic, and now the barcode company has a new role to play in preventing the deadly virus from spreading further, CEO Anders Gustaffson told CNBC’s Jim Cramer Friday.
While Zebra’s products have been used for tracking samples from mass tracking sites, the company is also being counted on for vaccine distributions in what’s known as cold chain, a temperature-controlled supply chain.
“Our vaccine vial labels,” which can also be used on boxes and pallets “will change color based on the temperature exposure,” Gustaffson said in a “Mad Money” interview.
The labels come from Temptime, a manufacturer of temperature monitoring solutions for the health-care industry that the Lincolnshire, Illinois-based company acquired nearly two years ago.
Pretty darned cool.
Thanks to Mark Denzler at the Illinois Manufacturers’ Association for the tip.
On Tuesday, Governor Pritzker outlined a first round of proposed adjustments intended to begin addressing a budget shortfall. We all understand the state’s delicate financial situation, which has been exacerbated by a number of factors – foremost among these is the COVID-19 pandemic and the accompanying economic downturn. And while it remains critical that our federal leaders step up and deliver relief to the states, we also know tough choices ahead will be required by the General Assembly.
The work ahead of us will require strong legislative leadership. The Illinois House Democratic Caucus is one of the most diverse caucuses in the country; we must respect the unique priorities of our individual communities also while understanding our obligation to all of those in need.
We cannot ask our most vulnerable residents to bear the burden of this global pandemic. My goal remains protecting critical services like the Community Care Program, the Child Care Assistance Program, breast cancer screenings, domestic violence shelters, and other lifesaving services, while also meeting the new needs of emergency health care responders, essential workers, and families struggling because of these unprecedented times.
Among the difficult decisions ahead will be finding a balance between cost savings and new revenues. I hope our Republican colleagues choose to be willing participants instead of partisan obstructionists and come prepared to offer real proposals that are void of political theatre.
With this in mind, I plan to establish an advisory group to our budget working group which will review the governor’s recently proposed cuts and help advise our team on how future budget making decisions will affect various constituencies. If you would like to participate on this advisory group please send Jessica Basham an email at *****.gov.
I look forward to working with each of you to address the unprecedented challenges of this pandemic and help our state emerge stronger.
With kindest personal regards, I remain
Sincerely yours,
MICHAEL J. MADIGAN
Speaker of the House
"was tightened significantly down to 4.3 million doses shipped nationally next week." The following week, originally projected for another 8.8 million doses, is now only for 4.3 million.
* The NY Times looks at covidiotic claims about vaccines…
Among their misleading notions is the idea that the vaccines are delivered with a microchip or bar code to keep track of people, as well as a lie that the vaccines will hurt everyone’s health (the vaccines from Pfizer and Moderna have been proved to be more than 94 percent effective in trials, with minimal side effects). Falsehoods about Bill Gates, the Microsoft co-founder and philanthropist who supports vaccines, have also increased, with rumors that he is responsible for the coronavirus and that he stands to profit from a vaccine, according to data from media insights company Zignal Labs.
After a string of COVID-19 cases were reported at The School of Saints Faith, Hope and Charity in Winnetka last month, school officials dutifully notified the Cook County Department of Public Health and were soon delivered some troubling news.
The Roman Catholic elementary school had met the criteria for an outbreak, thrusting a thorny health and safety decision into the hands of the principal and the Archdiocese of Chicago about whether to halt in-person instruction.
“We decided to immediately pivot to e-learning for a temporary period, because first and foremost is the safety of our students and staff, and we just didn’t want to take the risk,” said Justin Lombardo, the leader of the archdiocese’s COVID-19 task force, who said students have been back in the classroom at the North Shore school since Nov. 30.
Since the beginning of the pandemic, 163 such school-based outbreaks have been reviewed in the state, including nine reported Friday by the Illinois Department of Public Health. But while the state is now posting such numbers online — and health departments are assisting schools with surveillance of cases, contact tracing and guidance — it still falls to school officials to make the biggest decision: Does the school need to shut down again?
* Hopefully, we’ll be getting some national reporting requirements in January…
With minor exceptions, Florida quit including long-backlogged deaths in its daily counts on Oct. 24, 10 days before the Nov. 3 election, and resumed consistently including them on Nov. 17, two weeks after the election.
The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) today reported 7,123 new confirmed and probable cases of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Illinois, including 146 additional deaths.
- Adams County: 1 male 70s, 1 male 80s
- Christian County: 1 male 60s, 1 male 80s
- Clay County: 1 male 70s, 1 female 100+
- Cook County: 1 female 40s, 1 male 40s, 3 males 50s, 3 females 60s, 3 males 60s, 9 females 70s, 3 males 70s, 8 females 80s, 3 males 80s, 1 female 90s, 2 males 90s, 1 female 100+
- DeKalb County: 1 female 50s, 1 female 80s, 1 male 80s, 1 female 90s
- DuPage County: 1 female 60s, 1 male 60s, 1 female 70s, 1 male 70s, 1 female 80s, 1 male 80s, 1 female 90s
- Effingham County: 1 male 90s
- Fayette County: 1 female 80s
- Fulton County: 1 female 90s
- Grundy County: 1 male 70s, 1 female 80s, 1 male 90s
- Iroquois County: 1 female 90s
- Jackson County: 1 female 60s, 1 male 70s, 1 female 90s
- Jefferson County: 1 male 60s, 1 female 70s, 1 male 80s
- Jersey County: 1 female 80s
- Kane County: 1 male 50s, 1 female 70s, 2 males 70s, 1 female 80s, 1 male 90s
- Kankakee County: 1 female 80s, 1 male 80s, 1 male 90s
- Knox County: 1 female 50s, 1 female 60s
- Lake County: 1 male 60s
- LaSalle County: 1 female 80s
- Livingston County: 1 female 90s
- Macon County: 1 male 70s
- Macoupin County: 1 female 90s
- Madison County: 1 female 60s, 2 females 70s, 1 male 70s, 1 female 80s, 2 males 80s
- Marion County: 2 males 70s
- Massac County: 1 female 60s, 1 female 80s, 1 male 80s
- McDonough County: 1 female 70s
- McHenry County: 1 male 60s, 1 male 90s
- McLean County: 1male 70s
- Menard County: 1 male 90s
- Mercer County: 1 male 70s, 1 female 80s
- Monroe County: 1 male 70s
- Montgomery County: 1 female 70s, 1 male 70s
- Ogle County: 1 male 80s
- Peoria County: 1 male 60s, 1 male 70s
- Perry County: 1 female 60s, 1 male 70s, 1 female 80s, 1 male 80s
- Piatt County: 1 female 70s
- Randolph County: 1 male 90s
- Richland County: 1 female 50s, 1 male 80s
- Rock Island County: 2 females 80s, 1 male 80s
- Sangamon County: 1 male 70s, 1 female 80s, 1 male 80s, 2 males 90s
- St. Clair County: 1 male 60s, 1 female 70s, 1 female 80s
- Stark County: 1 female 80s
- Stephenson County: 1 female 70s, 1 male 90s
- Tazewell County: 1 female 80s
- Vermilion County: 1 female 80s
- Washington County: 2 females 90s
- Will County: 1 female 50s, 2 males 70s, 1 female 80s, 1 female 90s
- Williamson County: 1 male 70s
- Winnebago County: 1 male 50s, 1 female 60s, 2 males 80s
Currently, IDPH is reporting a total of 870,600 cases, including 14,655 deaths, in 102 counties in Illinois. The age of cases ranges from younger than one to older than 100 years. Within the past 24 hours, laboratories have reported 93,278 specimens for a total 12,055,288. As of last night, 4,793 in Illinois were reported to be in the hospital with COVID-19. Of those, 1,045 patients were in the ICU and 590 patients with COVID-19 were on ventilators.
The preliminary seven-day statewide positivity for cases as a percent of total test from December 9 – December 15, 2020 is 8.5%. The preliminary seven-day statewide test positivity from December 9 – December 15, 2020 is 10.3%.
*All data are provisional and will change. In order to rapidly report COVID-19 information to the public, data are being reported in real-time. Information is constantly being entered into an electronic system and the number of cases and deaths can change as additional information is gathered. For health questions about COVID-19, call the hotline at 1-800-889-3931 or email dph.sick@illinois.gov.
* The 2020 Golden Horseshoe Award for Best House Democratic Non-Campaign Staffer goes to Chris Lowery…
With the mountain high challenges this year presented, no one could had helped run the House better than Chris. But really, there’s credit due to every staffer who help kept things going this year.
That is exactly right. I cannot thank all staff at every level enough for the work they’ve put in this year. A big reason I started these awards was to showcase folks who don’t usually get any attention, let alone praise. Y’all are tops in my book.
* The 2020 Golden Horseshoe Award for Best House Republican Non-Campaign Staffer goes to Eleni Demertzis…
Durkin has her and everyone else either wants her or wants to stay off her radar. Eleni works in the media the way other artists might work in oils or clay. It is her true medium, a master. She has worked for a Governor, a Senator, a Sheriff and now the Leader, they all were better with her than without, especially the Governor. Think for a second how hard it is for a Republican to get press in a blue state with a blue governor a (sadly) hollowed out news media and the largest market being all blue, then think about how much press Durkin and the caucus has gotten and how being outspent by a fortune the House Republican Caucus still picked up a seat and beat up the Speaker enough to survive and end him, then look to Eleni and be afraid. She will smash down all your plate glass windows and put her fist through your steel plated door. If it’s the boss or any member who wants or needs help, she will not stop until she thinks justice is served.
There was no way on Earth that anyone could top that nomination.
We usually have a separate category for spokespersons, but with leave of the body I’m just gonna save some time and give the 2020 Golden Horseshoe Award for Best Spokesperson to Jordan Abudayyeh. Hearing no objections… so let it be written, so let it be done. Putting together daily press conferences is worthy of the honor alone. But her job encompasses so much more than that and she really stepped up when Emily Bittner went on parental leave.
The discovery recount for Nov. 3’s losing candidates Jim Oberweis, David Rickert and Jeanette Ward is expected to go until late Wednesday or Thursday, as Kane County Clerk employees are required to hold up every mail-in paper ballot from 119 precincts to show their fronts and backs to campaign representatives.
The first part of the recount on Tuesday morning was the easy part, Kane County Clerk Jack Cunningham said, as the computer counted the digital ballots.
“It was like watching paint dry,” Cunningham said.
Representatives of the Republican candidates who lost, as well as the Democrats who won – U.S. Rep. Lauren Underwood, D-Naperville, Kane County Board Chair Corinne Pieorg and State Sen. Karina Villa, D-Warrenville – and those of Kane County Democrats all participated in observing the recount. […]
Though Oberweis campaign attorney John Wise would not state what he had requested of Cunningham’s employees, others at the recount said he asked that campaign workers be allowed to see both sides of each paper ballot.
The fight for the 68th District’s Representative seat continues. Democratic Representative-elect Dave Vella was declared the winner last month, but Rep. John Cabello announced plans for a recount Monday morning.
The Republican says the recount is well within the required margin of under .05% or less. Vella won by just 239 votes.
This means that 25% of precincts within the district will be reviewed. That will determine if a full recount is needed.
Wednesday, Dec 16, 2020 - Posted by Advertising Department
[The following is a paid advertisement.]
Clean energy is an essential part of Illinois’ economic recovery. It protects public health and creates good-paying jobs, while ensuring that the people most in need of good jobs and clean air are at the front of the line. It will save Illinoisans money.
We can make our recovery an equitable, sustainable one, and position Illinois as a national leader on clean energy. We can stop our energy systems from sickening and excluding people of color. We can bring good-paying clean energy jobs to Illinois while preserving a livable planet.
* As I’ve been saying for a while now, this is only Part 1. And Part 1 is a siege. Part 2, the election, comes after the siege ends with one or the other side collapsing. And that siege has only barely begun…
Still, their opposition might not be enough to stop Madigan from securing another term, said John Jackson, a visiting professor at the Paul Simon Public Policy Institute.
“There’s not a major opponent announced for the speakership,” Jackson said. “… There’s an old saying in politics ‘you can’t beat somebody with nobody.’ Michael Madigan is definitely a somebody, and while there are now 19 announced opponents to his being reelected, that obviously presents him with a problem, but on the other hand the opposition has to coalesce around a significant and viable candidate.”
And so far, no major, viable Democratic candidate has announced, Jackson said.
While Madigan isn’t as powerful as he’s ever been, “He’s certainly a formidable force and not yet likely to be mortally wounded and now most likely to be the speaker again, barring any longterm stalemate,” Jackson said.
Watching this and commenting on it will require patience.
“Unless he’s having conversations with Republican members, he doesn’t have the votes from our caucus,” Rep. Jonathan Carroll, D-Buffalo Grove, said.
Carroll is one of the 19 House Democrats opposed to Madigan’s reelection.
“Right now, the 19 of us have committed to not voting for him,” Carroll said. “We’re not changing our votes, so it’d have to come from somewhere.”
* Meanwhile…
Governor Pritzker says “I’m really disappointed” Speaker Madigan was not called to testify at the House Special Investigative Committee. Chairman Chris Welch (D-Hillside) incorrectly said Pritzker hadn’t commented on whether Madigan should have testified when in fact he had.
Rep. Maurice West was elected secretary of the Black Caucus, also unanimously.
The race for the four available spots in House leadership went to Rep. Emanuel “Chris” Welch, Rep. Mary Flowers, Rep. Marcus Evans, and Rep. Jehan Gordon-Booth. Welch received 17 votes, or 22 percent of the vote, to Flowers’ 14 votes, or 18 percent.
Those are important names to watch as the House speaker position remains contested.
Congressional leaders are near an agreement to add a new round of stimulus checks to a roughly $900 billion relief package as they rush to complete a deal before the end of the week, according to three people familiar with the talks granted anonymity to share internal deliberations.
A bipartisan proposal released earlier this week by a group of moderate lawmakers excluded another round of $1,200 stimulus checks. But as congressional leaders tried to resolve differences in recent days, they decided to try and include a round of direct payments in the emerging legislation. The payments under discussion on Wednesday morning could be less than the $1,200 approved in the Cares Act in March, however.
The inclusion of these payments comes as congressional leaders opted to cut new aid for states and cities out of the bill, giving lawmakers more money to work with while keeping the total cost of the package under $1 trillion.
One of the painful lessons learned from the financial crisis was that forcing austerity on state and local governments only made things worse. And they’re doing it again.
Today, Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer, Indiana Governor Eric Holcomb, Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, Ohio Governor Mike DeWine, and Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers joined together in a social media video to encourage everyone across the region to remain safe heading into the holiday season.
“This may be the most difficult time yet in our struggle with COVID-19, especially with the holidays approaching. Until the vaccine is available to everyone and until we eradicate this virus once and for all, we must continue working to protect one another,” the governors said. “The science is settled: The best way we can protect our frontline workers and slow the spread of this virus is to double down on mask wearing, social distancing, and washing hands frequently. If you are planning to travel or gather with other households for the holidays – we urge you to reconsider. Just one infection can cause an outbreak in your community, which could overwhelm our hospitals and put you and your loved ones at risk. We owe it to the brave men and women serving on the front lines of this pandemic to do our part and be smart this holiday season.”
This is the second time this bipartisan group of governors has joined forces in the past month to encourage people in their region to do their part to protect our families, frontline workers, and small businesses. They released a similar video prior to Thanksgiving urging families to reconsider holiday travel.
Nearly three weeks after Thanksgiving, no dramatic post-holiday surge in COVID-19 has emerged in the latest state data, although some hopeful trends seemed to stall after the long weekend.
“We haven’t seen something significant to talk about now,” the state’s health director, Dr. Ngozi Ezike, told reporters Monday. “We’ll see for sure in this coming week. … We’ll keep our fingers crossed that maybe we’re not going to see a big bump.”
People listened and Illinois’ mitigations worked. Air travel, for instance, wasn’t nearly as heavy as had been feared.
Gov. Pritzker Outlines Spending Reduction Plan For Fiscal Year 2021
Administration Will Negotiate With AFSCME Over Furlough Days and Personnel Cost Adjustments
Governor JB Pritzker announced today more than $700 million in spending reductions for fiscal year 2021. The plan is the result of a months-long and ongoing review of agency spending under the Executive branch. The plan includes a hiring freeze, grant reductions and operational savings.
As part of the administration’s ongoing attempt to identify budget efficiencies, Gov. Pritzker also announced the following measures:
• Negotiations with AFSCME and other employee unions to identify $75 million in personnel cost adjustments, which could include furlough days.
• Creation of a Department of Corrections facilities closure work group to identify additional savings due to the lower offender population.
“From the beginning of my term in office, I’ve worked hard to bring honest solutions to the table, doing the hard things that must be done to put our fiscal house in order - including bringing efficiencies to lower the cost of operating state government, working to reduce the budget pressure of pension liabilities, investing in the expansion of revenue producing industries, and attracting our most promising economic assets — our college bound seniors – to stay in Illinois rather than go to college elsewhere,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “I promised to be a governor who balances the budget and begins paying down the bills that my predecessor left behind. I promised to invest in education, job training and job creation. Before COVID hit us, we did that. And despite all the current challenges, I am confident we will continue our ascent to economic strength and fiscal stability.
The Governor previously announced the sale of $2 billion in three-year notes to the Municipal Liquidity Facility to help Illinois bridge the gap due to dramatic revenue losses as a result of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. That transaction will be finalized by the end of the calendar year. As every state in the nation faces budget shortfalls due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the Governor will continue to urge Congress to pass direct funding for state and local governments who have coordinated the pandemic response.
Today as a first step toward balancing the current year’s budget, I’m presenting over $700 million in initial cuts to our executive branch agencies. These are cuts that are under my control to make as governor without help from the General Assembly.
This gets us part of the way toward addressing the budget deficit. For additional and more permanent balancing of our budgets going forward, I will work with the legislature. But make no mistake, legislative action and engagement is required. While short term federal help may yet come, we need to take action to maintain fiscal stability over the long run, and address the problems that plagued Illinois pre-pandemic.
Please pardon all transcription errors.
* More from the governor…
Over the years, state government in Illinois has been notoriously hollowed out. For example, there are approximately 25% fewer state government employees today than there were two decades ago. Also state government spending on education is now among the lowest in the nation. And while there used to be 3000 the Illinois State Police troopers patrolling our 58,000 square miles of Illinois, there are now only 1900.
If anything, our schools and our public safety and health care deserve more investments, not less. So cutting our budget will be by its very nature painful.
The executive branch alone cannot legally address these multi-year deficits unilaterally. So I am continuing this conversation with leaders and members of the General Assembly on both sides of the aisle to identify their best ideas to make up the rest of the deficit and bring long-term stability and balance to our state’s fiscal foundation. I have an open door policy. I am more than happy to have a conversation with legislators interested in a substantive effort to get this done.
In the meantime, the cost saving measures I present to you today have already begun to be implemented. In addition, my staff is in conversations with AFSCME to discuss furlough days and personal cost adjustments personnel cost adjustments that will help us reduce spending by $75 million.
By definition, taking employees off the front lines will slow the delivery of services to our residents but this is the place we find ourselves today. It pains me to pursue these actions because these state employees are public servants who dedicate themselves to improving the lives of the people that we all serve. Often, these are the people who are most in need of help.
Many of these same employees, such as our corrections officers who put themselves in harm’s way every day before the pandemic now go to work with the additional danger of COVID-19 facing them. They have more than earned our appreciation and our admiration for their dedication and hard work. That’s one reason why these cuts are painful.
But like I said, opponents of the fairest long term solution have put us in this situation. And there’s only so much on the table to choose from when you have a government as hollowed out as ours is.
Approximately 10% of these reductions come from public safety agencies most significantly from the Department of Corrections. The number of people incarcerated in Illinois has decreased by more than 10,000 individuals since the beginning of 2019. This presents an opportunity for real savings this year and in future years. And it’s a critical opportunity to transform our prisons. I will be forming the Illinois Corrections Transformation Advisory Team to determine the best ways to move forward with these efficiencies. I’ve also previously announced a number of additional criminal justice reform priorities that will further reduce our prison populations as we seek to pursue greater fairness and equity for all Illinoisans as we often see when we move away from expensive ineffective and punitive models. This will likely also open the door for additional long term savings.
Early on in our battle against COVID-19 my administration implemented a freeze on non essential state government hiring and on travel. Those continued today and will continue indefinitely. I have also implemented a significant reduction in vehicle and equipment purchases. And I have asked all departments to maximize the use of technology to reduce in person gathering costs, even once travel is deemed safer.
We’re also making adjustments to our Community Care Program and the services that are provided to older Illinoisans, including delaying the planned rate increase initially set for January 1. I admit that this was a challenging decision because of how vital our community care workers are for our seniors. But this must be undertaken as a result of the deficit.
I’m also broadly freezing and reducing grant programs at a number of agencies, including the Department of Natural Resources, the Department of Agriculture and the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity. That includes freezing 2020 grants for local governments, parks and open land projects, implementing freezes or partial reductions on most grants at DCEO and pausing issuance of school maintenance grants dependent upon casino gaming revenues.
I want to be clear. Because tax fairness was taken off the table. There will be a real human impact here. And while we’ve scoured the budget for ways to cause the least pain, I’m sorry to say that we simply cannot prevent these losses from touching the real lives of our residents. We just can’t these cuts reflect the first phase of our path forward, doing what is within my powers unilaterally and without the legislature. This is going to be tough. And as my ongoing conversations with General Assembly leaders would indicate, there is a great deal of work the legislature must do when it convenes next month. […]
And while there is no easy path forward, I promise that we will get through this, working together as people of goodwill, with a laser-like focus on doing what’s best for the working families of Illinois. I look forward to hearing the Republican proposals for realistic cuts and balancing the budget.
…Adding… He was asked about further cuts…
As to more cuts, or you know anything else to do with our budget deficit, again, this is a first step. I’m waiting on the General Assembly’s engagement in this and not just awaiting, I’ve reached out to the General Assembly in particular to the Republicans because they have a special responsibility here, having worked so hard to defeat the Fair Tax to step up to the plate, tell us how they’re going to balance the budget given that we have a $3.9 billion deficit and and you know about half of that has come from structural challenges that the state has. So I hope they will step up to the plate because they defeated the best solution to the structural
* The governor also said he was hopeful that Congress would change course on funding for state and local governments when a new president is sworn in.
*** UPDATE 1 *** Press release…
Illinois Senate Republican Leader-Designate Dan McConchie (R-Hawthorn Woods) released the following statement regarding Governor Pritzker’s recent comments on the state’s FY22 budget:
“The Governor can blame others all he wants for the state’s financial mess, but the fact of the matter is this is a bed of his own making. Voters fundamentally rejected his graduated tax proposal because of their lack of trust in state government, which stems from years of Springfield increasing taxes and ignoring the reforms that Republicans have put on the table time and time again. In fact, during the current budget cycle, instead of taking up spending reforms in anticipation of hard times to follow from COVID-19, Democrats and the Governor increased spending, relying on magic money from the federal government that never materialized. This is the kind of recklessness that voters know all too well and is the real reason they rejected Springfield digging deeper into people’s pockets.”
*** UPDATE 2 *** Press release…
Statement of Roberta Lynch, Executive Director, AFSCME Council 31
Since the earliest days of this pandemic, tens of thousands of Illinois state employees have been on the front lines, putting their own health and safety at risk to maintain vital services on which so many depend.
Undoubtedly our state faces a severe fiscal crisis and action is urgently needed. However, it is grossly unjust to suggest that frontline state employees who have already sacrificed so much in our current public health crisis should bear an outsized share of the burden of fixing the state’s fiscal crisis as well. Moreover, it is counterproductive in the extreme to target these employees at a time when the need for state services and the demands on state government are greater than ever.
State public health and emergency management employees have worked tirelessly to guide us through the challenges the coronavirus daily presents. Child protection workers have continued to go into homes to safeguard at-risk children. Correctional and state police employees have maintained security in our prisons and safety in our communities. Caregivers are on the job round-the-clock to bathe, feed and assist individuals with the most severe developmental disabilities. Nurse aides have remained in service to our aged and ailing veterans despite massive COVID outbreaks in the state’s veterans’ homes. Human service, environmental protection, transportation employees—and many more—are all on the job to keep Illinois working.
Thousands of these frontline state employees have contracted COVID, hundreds have had to be hospitalized, many are suffering prolonged aftereffects, and, yes, some have died.
The severe budget hole has been made much more severe by the billionaire-funded campaign that defeated the Fair Tax constitutional amendment. Had that amendment been enacted, the state would be on a reasonable path to solid fiscal ground. Instead, rather than asking everyone to pay their fair share, state employees—hard-working middle-income taxpaying Illinoisans—are now being asked to shoulder a bigger share of the budget burden. That is simply not acceptable.
AFSCME is firmly opposed to any demands that unfairly target state employees. We are, however, fully committed to revenue measures needed to keep Illinois working. We supported Governor Pritzker’s Fair Tax initiative. And we are now helping to lead the fight in Washington DC for an urgently needed COVID stimulus bill that is being blocked by Mitch McConnell and the Senate Republicans. We have long called for closing corporate tax loopholes in our own state and have recommendations for how to move forward on that front. And our members are prepared, as always, to help in identifying greater efficiencies in state government operations. Ultimately, however, legislative action is needed. It is urgent that the Illinois General Assembly come into session immediately after the holidays to address the state’s fiscal crisis in a fair and equitable manner.
*** UPDATE 3 *** Press release…
Illinois House Republican Leader Jim Durkin (R-Western Springs) issued the following statement in response to Governor Pritzker’s remarks on his self-inflicted budgetary disaster:
“Governor Pritzker, President Harmon and Mike Madigan were repeatedly warned about the dire shortfalls in the fantasy budget that relied upon the passage of the graduated tax and a ‘fingers crossed’ hope for a federal bailout. Instead of living within our means, they attempted to trick voters into raising taxes, and were sorely rejected by Democrat, Republican and Independent voters across the state. We hope the Governor uses his authority to call the General Assembly into session so that we can look to move Illinois forward by fixing the problems the Democrats have created.”
*** UPDATE 4 *** Press release…
Good afternoon Mr. Miller. Here’s a statement on behalf of Senate President Don Harmon. You can attribute it to me (John Patterson, spokesman):
“The voters sent the message that they expect tough decisions to be made. The Senate President will review the governor’s actions as we prepare to head into another legislative session and another tough budget year. We look forward to our colleagues across the aisle offering up the Republican cuts for public review.
Hopefully Washington soon will come to its senses and realize that states and cities across this country have been wiped out financially by this virus.”
*** UPDATE 5 *** Press release…
The Illinois AFL-CIO, representing tens of thousands of Illinois state employees and their families, today issued the following statement in response to Gov. Pritzker’s proposed $700 million in state budget cuts:
“We join AFSCME in opposing state budget cuts that place the burden on the backs of public employees who are on the frontlines of our collective fight against COVID-19.
We were strong supporters of the Fair Tax initiative as a way to provide needed revenue to support the vital state services and programs we all depend on, and that have proven even more important during the pandemic. Our state has suffered for too long with revenue shortfalls, and these now are producing very real and painful choices that will devastate the very hard-working, middle-income families we all depend on.
We stand ready to work with our union partners and our leaders in Springfield on solutions that spare this pain for working families and address the state’s revenue shortfall responsibly and fairly.”
Tim Drea, President, Illinois AFL-CIO
Pat Devaney, Secretary-Treasurer, Illinois AFL-CIO
State representative Kam Buckner (26th District) was elected the Chair of the powerful Illinois House Legislative Black Caucus today. Immediately following the vote, he said:
“I am privileged, honored, and humbled by the trust that my colleagues, the members of the Illinois House Legislative Black Caucus have placed in me to serve as the caucus chair for the 102nd General Assembly.
I thank immediate past Chair Rep. Camille Lilly for her dedication, service, and commitment to the values that this caucus was built on over 5 decades ago.
Our state and our nation are at an inflection point and as we stand at the crossroads of history, the Illinois House Legislative Black Caucus will work with a singular focus to improve the lives of those whom we represent through legislation, policy, and aggressive advocacy.”
Formally established in 1967, the primary mission of the ILBC is to assure that the interests of African American citizens are given equitable representation in the General Assembly and that legislative action is directed to address those interests. For 53 years, the ILBC has represented the interest of Illinois citizens. Through the efforts of the Caucus, tremendous strides have been made in areas of housing, health and welfare, education, employment, and minority business enterprise. Since the first presence of an African-American in the House of Representatives in 1876, 157 African American legislators have been elected to serve in both the House and Senate.
* The 2020 Golden Horseshoe Award for Best House Republican Campaign Staffer goes to Jayme Odom…
After the 2018 elections, Rauner’s operation essentially left HRO in shambles along with the whole ILGOP. 2020 was looking worse for Republicans than 2018 and Democrats had major advantages in money and resources. Against these great odds, Jayme came in and completely rebuilt HRO from the ground up. Her tireless work to recruit and vet staff and candidates, raise money, keep candidates on point and message, and going the extra mile even with the pandemic allow for her results to speak for themselves.
Jayme worked hard and gave the leadership HRO needed to outperform expectations.
Her leadership and work is not only a big reason why House Republicans saw a small net gain of seats instead of a net loss, but also a reason why Leader Durkin was able to hold onto his leadership post.
There isn’t a House GOP campaign person more deserving than Jayme.
She’s gonna hate me for not giving it to one of her staff members, but she totally deserves this award.
He entered a thorny situation but was able to find common ground, build relationships, and put up shining GOTV numbers as the only staffer assigned. He was basically handed a wrench and told to build a race car out of an oil stain. He ran a heck of a machine in brutal circumstances, and that is something to crow about.
Heh. Loved that.
Runner-up is Jon Wygant.
* On to today’s categories…
* Best House Democratic Non-Campaign Staffer
* Best House Republican Non-Campaign Staffer
Do your best to nominate in both categories and make sure to explain your votes or they will not count. And, as should be clear by one of the above awards, sometimes a great nomination can win the whole day. Thanks!
The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) today reported 7,359 new confirmed and probable cases of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Illinois, including 117 additional deaths.
• Adams County: 1 female 70s
• Boone County: 1 female 80s, 1 male 80s
• Champaign County: 1 female 70s
• Clinton County: 1 female 60s, 1 male 60s
• Cook County: 1 male 40s, 1 female 50s, 1 female 60s, 1 male 60s, 3 females 70s, 1 male 70s, 2 female 80s, 1 male 80s, 2 females 90s
• Cumberland County: 1 female 90s
• DuPage County: 2 male 60s, 1 female 70s, 1 male 70s, 3 females 80s, 1 male 80s, 1 male 90s
• Edgar County: 1 male 80s
• Effingham County: 1 female 80s, 1 male 80s
• Ford County: 1 male 80s
• Franklin County: 1 female 70s, 1 female 90s
• Jackson County: 1 male 90s
• Jersey County: 1 female 80s
• Jo Daviess County: 1 male 70s
• Kane County: 1 male 60s, 1 male 70s, 1 female 80s, 1 male 80s, 1 female 90s
• Kankakee County: 1 female 50s, 1 male 70s, 2 males 80s
• Kendall County: 1 female 80s
• Knox County: 1 female 80s
• Lake County: 1 female 50s, 2 females 60s, 1 female 80s, 1 female 90s
• LaSalle County: 1 female 60s, 1 female 70s, 1 male 80s, 1 female 90s
• Lee County: 1 male 60s, 2 females 70s, 1 female 80s, 1 female 100+
• Livingston County: 1 male 80s
• Macon County: 1 male 90s
• Madison County: 1 male 60s, 1 male 70s, 2 females 80s, 1 male 80s, 1 female 90s, 3 males 90s
• Marion County: 1 female 70s, 2 males 70s
• Massac County: 1 female 50s, 1 male 60s
• McHenry County: 1 male 80s
• McLean County: 1 female 80s
• Ogle County: 1 male 60s
• Peoria County: 1 female 20s, 1 male 60s, 1 female 80s
• Perry County: 1 female 80s, 1 female 90s
• Rock Island County: 1 male 60s
• Sangamon County: 1 female 80s, 1 male 80s, 1 female 90s, 1 male 90s
• St. Clair County: 2 females 70s
• Stark County: 1 female 50s, 1 female 60s, 1 male 80s
• Stephenson County: 1 male 80s
• Vermilion County: 1 male 50s
• Will County: 2 males 60s, 1 female 70s, 1 male 70s, 1 female 80s, 2 males 80s, 1 female 90s, 3 males 90s, 1 female 100+
• Winnebago County: 1 male 80s, 1 male 90s
• Woodford County: 1 male 70s, 2 females 80s, 1 male 90s
Currently, IDPH is reporting a total of 863,477 cases, including 14,509 deaths, in 102 counties in Illinois. The age of cases ranges from younger than one to older than 100 years. Within the past 24 hours, laboratories have reported 92,922 specimens for a total 11,962,010. As of last night, 4,965 in Illinois were reported to be in the hospital with COVID-19. Of those, 1,057 patients were in the ICU and 598 patients with COVID-19 were on ventilators.
The preliminary seven-day statewide positivity for cases as a percent of total test from December 8 – December 14, 2020 is 8.6%. The preliminary seven-day statewide test positivity from December 8 – December 14, 2020 is 10.3%.
*All data are provisional and will change. In order to rapidly report COVID-19 information to the public, data are being reported in real-time. Information is constantly being entered into an electronic system and the number of cases and deaths can change as additional information is gathered. Information for deaths previously reported has changed, therefore, today’s numbers have been adjusted. For health questions about COVID-19, call the hotline at 1-800-889-3931 or email dph.sick@illinois.gov.
After some initial and completely unnecessary and ill-informed reluctance, Sangamon County and Springfield are now doing a pretty good job at not only flattening the curve, but bending it downward.
The county’s 7-day rolling average test positivity rate was at 13.2 percent on December 1. As mentioned elsewhere today, it’s now at 8.4 percent. That’s a 32 percent reduction in two weeks. Keep up the good work!
* Adams County is even lower, at 6.8 percent, but the county’s rate is actually increasing over the past week, when it was at 4.7 percent. That’s a 45 percent increase, if you’re keeping track.
Brown County is at 13.5 percent, down two points from 15.5 percent on December 1.
Calhoun County is trending the wrong way. It’s up to 20.8 percent from 17.3 percent, but they’re not doing a lot of testing there.
Cass County has taken a slight dip to 16.9 percent from 17.1 percent.
Christian County is at 12.8 percent, down a bit from 14.7 on December 1.
Greene County is at 11.8 percent, which sounds high, but that’s down from 19.3 percent two weeks ago.
Hancock County is at 17.8 percent, up significantly in two weeks from 12.4 percent.
Jersey County’s rate stands at 14.9 percent, about the same as its 15.8 rate two weeks ago.
Logan County is down to 8.2 percent, from 15.4 percent on December 1.
Macoupin County is at 10.3 percent, down slightly from the 12.8 percent rate two weeks ago.
Mason County has plummeted from 14.4 percent on December 1 down to 7.9 percent.
Menard went from 12.7 percent on December 1 to 9.3 percent yesterday.
Montgomery is basically unchanged, at 8.5 percent compared to 9.2 percent on December 1.
Morgan is down a point, to 9.2 percent from 10.3 percent.
Pike is up a bit, from 12.6 percent to 13.4 percent.
Schuyler County went from a 6 percent positivity rate on December 1st to a 23.3 percent rate a few days ago to the most recent 18.6 percent.
And Scott is down from 6.3 percent to 4.9 percent.
I don’t know why I just put myself through all this, but there you go.
The House Democrats said each of their offices are dealing with, on average, “60-90 open cases at any given time, some dating as far back as mid-March.” They asked that those constituents “receive a call back from IDES within 7-10 days,” requested that IDES directly coordinate efforts with their district office staff and that “IDES increase staff resources dedicated to working with district office staff to handle outstanding cases.”
Gov. Pritzker’s press secretary Jordan Abudayyeh said in response that the administration is committed to working with the General Assembly, but she also claimed “multiple” staff members from IDES and the governor’s office are already “working as liaisons between the General Assembly and the agency to answer their questions,” adding: “We have implemented every solution at our disposal to provide immediate relief and are more than willing to implement any ideas from the General Assembly.”
But then came Abudayyeh’s rejection: “What we will not do is take the 60 to 90 claims General Assembly members call on behalf of each week, and move those claimants to the front of the line ahead of the tens of thousands of claims the department is working to address. The agency cannot pull staff away from processing claims in the system to prioritize claims from legislators.”
State Rep. Mike Marron, R-Fithian, said he can’t get anyone at the state agency to return his calls after constituents pleaded for help. […]
Marron said a number he was provided to contact the state agency director was no longer in service and he has nowhere else to turn.
“Until the majority [Democratic party] decides that they want to hold people accountable for this disaster, I don’t know what to tell people anymore,” Marron said. “I will tell you that I’m ashamed of this. And I’m ashamed I can’t get a hold of anybody. And somebody needs to get me some answers.”
* From the Illinois Department of Employment Security’s website…
The health and safety of our customers and staff are of highest importance.
In order to protect everyone through social distancing, IDES offices are closed to the public until further notice.
*** UPDATE *** From Jordan Abudayyeh…
Acting [IDES] Director Kristin Richards called Rep. Marron today to inform him she would be happy to schedule a meeting with him to discuss the complexity of what states’ unemployment agencies are dealing with nationwide. That’s a discussion that requires some time and the director explained that she’d be happy to schedule that meeting before Christmas. The Representative could have saved himself some time in the cold if he would have reached out and asked to speak with the director.
He should’ve also tried contacting the legislative liaison before engaging in this stunt.
Our governor signed a budget into law based on the hope that voters would approve his tax hike scheme. He authorized spending based on revenue that was not real. Budgeting based on fairy dust and unicorns is not the way to run a state of nearly 13 million people.
The governor has also said since the spring that he is counting on money from the federal government.
* How’s that working out?…
U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today released the following statement in support of the $748 billion, bipartisan COVID-19 emergency relief legislation that includes funding for unemployment insurance, small businesses, vaccine distribution and COVID-19 testing, health care providers, housing and education assistance, and more:
“Today, the U.S. hit another grim milestone—300,000 lives lost to COVID-19. My heart goes out to the family and friends of those dealing with grief and sadness. It is clear that we are at a critical moment. I’m hopeful that with the first shipment of a vaccine arriving today at hospitals across the country, we will be able to turn the corner on this pandemic. But we also know that it will take time and resources to vaccinate enough people, and the winter is going to be hard for many families and businesses.
“With this in mind, a group of Democrats and Republicans—including myself—came together and worked on compromise, emergency relief legislation totaling $748 billion in the areas where we could agree. This package does not include everything I think we need. But, it is an honest compromise.
“I’m disappointed we haven’t been able to bridge our differences on several other matters, including Republicans’ proposal to give corporations federal liability immunity during the pandemic. We negotiated on this issue for weeks, and my Democratic colleagues and I put forward a variety of alternative proposals. Unfortunately, we have not been able to reach an agreement.
“I’m also disappointed that we weren’t able to agree on including much-needed funding for states and localities in the larger bipartisan package. I want to be clear: I’m not giving up on funding for states and localities. This funding is essential in our fight against the pandemic and for our economic recovery.
“While the fight continues over these issues, we must provide some emergency relief for the American people before we go home for the holidays. I support the $748 billion bipartisan package. I urge my colleagues to support this package, and I call on the Senate Majority Leader to bring it to the floor for a vote this week.”
Congressional Democrats had an opportunity in the fall to cut a deal on state and local aid, but got so over-confident about their November prospects that they wanted to talk about packing the US Supreme Court and other fairy tales and decided to wait until their big wins strengthened their hand.
* According to IDPH, Effingham County’s seven-day positivity rate is a whopping 18.5 percent. By comparison, Sangamon County’s is 8.4 percent, Chicago’s is 12.5 percent and suburban Cook’s is 12.8 percent.
And yet, Rep. Darren Bailey held an indoor fundraiser and railed against “tyranny” with his favorite attorney by his side…
We the People……..are tired of tyranny!
Merry Christmas!
* I happen to agree that the House Special Investigating Committee was a “show trial.” Democrats on the committee were clearly committed to defending House Speaker Michael Madigan at all costs. Republicans, who demanded the committee’s creation, deliberately tried to do as much damage to Madigan as possible and went in with the presumption of guilt.
But this claim by the committee’s chairman, Rep. Chris Welch, was a bit much…
Minority Leader Durkin gave away the game, he let the cat out of the bag, when he used the Special Investigation Committee as a platform to persuade Democrats to vote for him for speaker.
With the latest arraignments of figures in ComEd’s federal Bribery case, Illinois House Republican Leader Jim Durkin said it’s time for Speaker Michael Madigan, the alleged target of the scheme, to resign as Speaker and Representative.
“Both, I am asking him to leave the General Assembly,” he said.
Sixty votes are needed in the House to be elected Speaker. So, Durkin was asked if Republicans will join with Democrats—who hold a veto-proof majority—to elect a Democrat other than Madigan? No, he said.
“As of today, I have more votes for Speaker than any other member of the House of Representatives, and I will say I have more votes than Speaker Madigan, so I will over the next month and a half appeal to 15 Democrats, who have a reform agenda, reform-minded Democrats,” he said.
* Coverage roundup…
* Committee adjourns after 3 meetings in 4 months: Throughout the combative three-hour hearing, the three House Republicans and three Democrats clashed repeatedly over the rules of procedure, disagreed about the facts contained in the federal court documents and levied accusations of political stunts and a “kangaroo court.” The House Democratic members — Reps. Chris Welch, of Hillside, Natalie Manley, of Joliet, and Elizabeth Hernandez, of Cicero — voted no on a motion, presented by Manley, that Madigan engaged in conduct unbecoming of legislator. With a deadlocked vote along party lines, the motion failed to pass.
* Statehouse committee looking into Madigan concludes suddenly — and finds no wrongdoing: One of those motions, which would issue subpoenas to “certain persons,” sparked the ire of Rep. Grant Wehrli, R-Naperville. “… I’m supposed to vote on a motion that’s going to subpoena pretty much everybody in the state of Illinois because this body, the three Democrats on this, will not go so far as to even name names,” Wehrli said. “This isn’t Voldemort we’re talking about here, you can actually say the man’s name. You’re going to excruciating lengths to protect Michael J. Madigan from ever having to testify…”
* Madigan’s Allies Shut Down Illinois House Probe Into Embattled Speaker: But the three Democrats said there was no evidence Madigan had any personal knowledge of ComEd’s attempts to influence him, echoing the speaker’s own defense in the wake of the federal corruption investigation and the House committee’s formation.
* Illinois House panel adjourns after a party-line vote fails to uphold charges that Madigan acted improperly in ComEd case: “We cannot allow a vague assertion that this will somehow complicate a federal criminal investigation to deter this committee from doing its job, especially when time and time again the U.S. attorney’s office has confirmed that this committee has a job to do, and they do not object to us doing that job,” Demmer said. “The special investigative committee exists for one reason: to conduct an investigation. No one here can say that a thorough investigation involves hearing from only one witness.”
* The House Black Caucus has endorsed House Speaker Michael Madigan for another term in office, but he wasn’t always such an ally. Here’s Derrick Blakley…
Following the 1980 census, then House Minority Leader Mike Madigan created a new map blatantly structured along racial lines. This map diluted Black voting strength and ensured that white neighborhoods on the South and Southwest sides were not represented by Blacks.
The map created a “Western Wall” that ran along the western edge of neighborhoods that were 80 per cent or more Black to “protect” white neighborhoods (like Marquette Park, Gage Park, Chicago Lawn, Bridgeport and Canaryville) from the threat of Black representation.
According to an in-depth account by journalist Steve Bogira in the Chicago Reader in March 1982, Madigan even admitted in sworn testimony that the map was a concession to the racism whites harbored on the city’s South and Southwest sides. “Well, I don’t see that drawing a line along the current black-white line is a tool to maintain segregation,” said Madigan. “I would say that if you took Robert Taylor Homes and put them into a district with Bridgeport and Canaryville, it would raise racial tensions. That’s just based on my knowledge of the people in Bridgeport and Canaryville.”
The map also shorted Black representation, granting the same number of Black Senate districts (five) as in 1971, despite an increase in black population and a decrease in white.
Charging that the Madigan Map was illegally racist, it was challenged in court by then-State Rep. Carol Moseley Braun and the late State Sen. Richard Newhouse. In a 2 to 1 decision, a federal court panel awarded the Black plaintiffs one additional Senate District and two more House districts. But Braun and Newhouse thought black voters deserved even more seats.
And so did U.S. District Judge John Grady who was critical of the “Western Wall” even though his two fellow judges ruled it was not drawn to deny Blacks representation. In his dissent, wrote Grady, “The real reason for the wall – and it was not concealed, it was just denied the top billing it deserved—was the desire of the Democrat Commission members to ensure that the white populations to the west of the wall would continue to be represented by white legislators.”
“I felt really good about the decision,” said Carol Moseley Braun this week. “The court had to find him primarily responsible for the discriminatory map.” Braun later became House floor leader for Chicago Mayor Harold Washington where she developed “a good relationship” with Madigan.
That Madigan has gone from being viewed as the enemy of black legislative power to its protector over the course of four decades amounts to a complete turnabout.
“The Black Caucus now sees themselves as having something to lose if Madigan’s gone,” said Moseley Braun on Tuesday. “And I think they’re probably right.”
